Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“We need a constitutional amendment to set the number of justices. Leaving to Congress the option of remaking the Court every time partisan control changes in Washington is … corrupting.” (07/01/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/07/01/unpacking-the-court/
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Russian forces have launched a major drone and missile attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv overnight, killing 13 people, officials say. Several neighbourhoods were evacuated as strikes rocked buildings throughout the city, hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Russia was preparing for a ‘massive’ attack.” (07/02/26)
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“The colonists declared independence from Britain. … Today’s America is built on dependence, not independence. The average American is born in a government-regulated hospital, issued a government birth certificate, assigned a government identification number, shipped off as early as possible to government-regulated schools, graciously allowed by government to work in government-regulated businesses (if his or her government papers are found to be in order), retires on a government pension, and is eventually buried or cremated in accordance with government regulations. And, of course, every Fourth of July, he or she dutifully waves a piece of cloth representing that government, cries tears of gratitude for the brave government employees who defend his or her ‘freedom,’ and perhaps — if, and only if, the government allows it — enjoys some fireworks.” (07/01/26)
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
“Book banning’s trial of the century w/ Anthony Aycock.” (07/01/26)
Source: Reuters
“A federal judge on Wednesday blocked the U.S. Postal Service’s proposed restrictions on mail-in voting, finding that they violated a settlement with a leading civil rights group that required expedited mail-in ballot handling. The decision by Washington-based U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan marked the second defeat in the courts in as many weeks for U.S. President Donald Trump’s push to severely restrict mail-in voting ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, with his Republican Party locked in a tight battle to maintain control of both houses of Congress. … The Postal Service in May proposed a rule requiring states to provide lists of voters and adopt new balloting procedures before the mail agency would make deliveries. If states did not comply, the Postal Service would refuse to deliver the ballots.” (07/01/26)
Source: Cato Institute
by Scott Lincicome & Chad Smitson
“Today (July 1) marks the official deadline for renewing the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement — and the US is expected to miss it. As I argued in my latest Bloomberg column, the missed deadline won’t be entirely costless but also won’t be as consequential as many headlines suggest. For starters, a missed deadline today simply means the deal will revert to annual reviews until it’s either extended for 16 more years or expires in 2036—ten years away. This will inject uncertainty into North American supply chains, likely hampering investment on the margins. But in terms of day-to-day trade among the three nations, it’ll be unnoticeable. Trump could, of course, try to withdraw from the deal—any party can for any reason, with six months’ notice—and he’s threatened as much. But, as I explain in my column, it’s a safe bet he’s bluffing.” (07/01/26)
https://www.cato.org/blog/missed-usmca-deadline-doesnt-mean-deal-dead
Source: Yahoo! Finance
“Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), XRP, and other major crypto surged over the past 24 hours. This comes as investors responded to Wall Street’s forecasts on slowing nonfarm payrolls, indicating a cooling labor market and Fed rate cut odds. Bitcoin climbed more than 4% to hit a 24-hour high of $61,223 after weaker-than-expected ADP private payroll data and lower oil prices eased inflation concerns. The moves came amid broader market optimism, the US-Iran peace talks, and a sharp fall in ISM Manufacturing PMI prices.” (07/02/26)
https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/crypto/articles/bitcoin-eth-xrp-jump-wall-082052358.html
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal
“Politics – and specifically political opinions – can turn people into monsters. It’s almost guaranteed. No one is ever a better person because of their political opinions or because they’re involved in politics. In his story, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson was writing a morality tale about the good and evil within each individual and the dangers of drug abuse, but it could apply just as well to politics. Politics is a powerful drug, and it brings the evil within each individual to the surface. Someone may be a decent person, but add some political opinions and they can turn into beasts who want people robbed, caged, or killed because they don’t have a compatible political opinion. The more I see it happen, the less I want politics near me.” (07/01/26)
Source: Associated Press
“A federal judge in Arkansas has thrown out a handful of state laws that put extra restrictions on citizen efforts to gather signatures for ballot initiatives, agreeing with challengers that they violated the constitutional free speech rights of voters. The decision handed several victories to the League of Women Voters of Arkansas and other plaintiffs, which sued last year amid efforts in various states to make it harder for regular citizens to make laws or amend their states’ constitution through ballot initiatives. One such measure required someone signing a petition to show photo ID. That and other additional ballot-initiative restrictions were imposed by Arkansas’ GOP-controlled state government after election officials cited a legal technicality to reject petitions submitted by abortion rights supporters in a 2024 effort to legalize abortion in the conservative state.” (07/01/26)
Source: JimBovard.com
by James Bovard
“Former FBI director Robert Mueller was a twenty-first century version of J. Edgar Hoover, trampling the Constitution and seizing new power on any pretext. When Mueller died in March, the New York Times eulogized him as a ‘button-down, lockjawed, rock-ribbed exemplar of a vanishing caste.’ Media tributes poured in as if Mueller was the law-enforcement version of Mother Theresa. But tell that to the Liberty City Seven, victims in a landmark case in the war on terror that should have defined Mueller’s legacy far more than his photo ops at congressional hearings. The FBI completely fabricated the Liberty City plot in Miami. But Mueller lied, telling America that the arrestees — mostly Haitian-Americans — a ‘homegrown terrorist cell … self-recruited, self-trained, and self-executing.'” (07/01/26)
https://jimbovard.com/blog/2026/07/01/fbi-boss-robert-mueller-conned-america-to-ravage-our-rights/