Source: The Daily Economy
by Paul McDonnold
“Economic freedom, like freedom in general, is inherently fragile. National institutions and attitudes can shift the ground quickly.” (02/12/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/what-zimbabwe-can-learn-from-chile-a-tale-of-two-data-series/
Source: CBS News
“The CIA has released a new Mandarin-language recruitment video aimed at Chinese military officers, portraying a fictional, mid-level People’s Liberation Army officer grappling with corrupt leadership and ultimately choosing to contact the American intelligence agency. The video is the latest installment in a public-facing recruitment campaign targeting China, which CIA Director John Ratcliffe has described as the agency’s top intelligence priority amid what he has called a ‘generational competition’ with Beijing. In the short film, the central character watches as qualified officers are removed and replaced by political loyalists lacking military credentials. Troubled by what he sees as corruption, and concerned about the impact on his young family, the officer decides to reach out to the CIA.” (02/12/26)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cia-video-recruit-chinese-military-officers/
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Bondi’s Breakdown: Epstein Hearing Descends Into Chaos!” (02/12/26)
Source: Popular Information
by Judd Legum
“Prediction markets, including Kalshi and Polymarket, are exploding in popularity. Kalshi alone saw over $1 billion in trading volume on Super Bowl Sunday. Remarkably, more than $100 million was wagered on what song Bad Bunny would play first during his halftime show. That kind of market has raised concerns about insider trading. Not only is Bad Bunny in control of which song is played, but this information is also known in advance by dancers, musicians, crew, and anyone who happened to be around during rehearsals. This is likely why, just before the big game, Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour announced a laundry list of efforts to crack down on insider trading.” (02/12/26)
Source: Paul Krugman
by Paul Krugman
“Deportations don’t create jobs and will increase deaths of native-born Americans. Who knew?” (02/12/26)
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/making-america-stagnate-again
Source: The Chris Hedges Report
“INTERVIEW: Corrupt, Filthy, Degenerates (MOATS w/ George Galloway).” (02/12/26)
https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/interview-corrupt-filthy-degenerates
Source: The Nation
by Andrea J Ritchie
“As the scale and scope of state violence against migrants and the neighbors and community members who protect them — including the murders of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Jeffrey Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis and of Keith Porter and Silverio Villegas González by ICE in Los Angeles and Chicago — has rapidly escalated over the first year of the second Trump administration, so have the familiar calls for quick fixes for state violence. Meanwhile, hopes placed in Democrats to save us by finally recognizing that the police state they have helped build is the vehicle through which authoritarianism is being consolidated are repeatedly dashed. This is true of the party’s recent, tepid proposals to put ‘guardrails’ on ICE.” (02/12/26)
https://www.thenation.com/article/society/ice-abolition-police-reform/
Source: United Press International
“The Trump administration announced an end to greenhouse gas emission standards for all vehicles made in model year 2012 or later Thursday. The administration revoked the 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding and all other emission standards related to greenhouse gases. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said in a press release that the move will save taxpayers $1.3 trillion. … The Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding set the legal basis for regulating pollution tied to climate change as part of the Clean Air Act, the primary federal air quality law enacted in 1963.” (02/12/26)
Source: Underthrow
“How Currency Debasement End Empires w/ Max Borders.” (02/12/26)
Source: The Verge
by Gaby Del Valle
“Minneapolis was not the war zone I expected to find. Depending on who you are and where you live, things can seem, for a few fleeting moments, almost normal, like a few blocks or neighborhoods over people aren’t being tear gassed or rounded up by ICE or, in two tragic cases, being gunned down by federal agents. Even now some people walk their dogs, run errands and buy groceries, meet friends for dinner and drinks. Daily life has become sinister in its banality, because Minneapolis remains a city under siege. ICE and CBP agents roam the streets, though their tactics have shifted as of late: No longer acting like an occupying army, the Department of Homeland Security now operates like secret police.” (02/12/26)
https://www.theverge.com/policy/877106/minneapolis-ice-cbp-occupation-immigration-raid-mutual-aid