“The U.S.-Israel relationship has never been less popular in America, but at the same time that support for Israel is cratering in American public opinion, Congress appears to be fast-tracking an effort to entrench the relationship and give Israel enduring access to both our most sensitive technologies and our most sensitive intelligence — in exchange for nothing more, it seems, than a thank you note from Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. … Given the challenges posed by the Israeli leader, a common complaint on both the right and the left of American politics is that Israel exerts far too much power in U.S. politics. But a closer look at the facts demonstrates that Netanyahu is actually in an incredibly weak position — or would be, if the administration was willing to assess and deal with the entire U.S.-Israel portfolio holistically.” (06/12/26)
“The curtain may have come down for President Donald Trump at the Kennedy Center but the tarp stays up for now. Matt Floca, executive director and chief operating officer of the performing arts venue, told a federal court Saturday that the institution had complied with an order to remove Trump’s name from the facade. … But for onlookers who have gathered on the plaza in front of the center over the past day hoping to witness a dramatic moment symbolizing the limits of Trump’s power, it was virtually impossible to see whether the signage was gone. A tarp hung over the scaffolding constructed for workers to perform that task. It was unclear when the tarp might be removed to reveal the original lettering that had endured for decades: ‘The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.'” (06/13/26)
Source: Karl Dickey’s Freedom Vanguard
by Karl Dickey
“Citizens worry about promised benefits as the Trust Fund runs dry by 2033. Instead of tax hikes that punish the young, here are four proven reforms.” (06/12/26)
“Gene Shalit, a movie critic and arts reporter for the ‘Today’ show over four decades who was known for his puffy hair, oversized handlebar mustache and affection for groan-inducing puns, has died. He was 100. Shalit’s family announced the death Friday to NBC News, saying in a statement that he ‘passed away peacefully today after 100 years of an amazing life.'” (06/12/26)
“When Winston Churchill was named Chancellor in November 1924, he is said to have assumed it was the largely ceremonial post of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and was as surprised as anyone, given his lack of interest in economics, to find that it was Chancellor of the Exchequer, constitutionally the second most powerful office in the British government. ‘I was surprised,’ he wrote, ‘and the Conservative Party dumbfounded.’ The controversy that would follow Churchill’s tenure has implications for policy debates today. It all has to do with macroeconomics and exchange rates: how they affect trade and development, whether they should be fixed or floating, and the problems these questions create for policymakers. In the short term, the decisions Churchill made led to the General Strike of 1926, and these debates continue to echo in the longer term.” (06/12/26)
“President Trump is hosting UFC fighters on the White House lawn Sunday night but the real battle may be on the streets of Geneva, where 50,000 people are expected to take to the streets of Switzerland’s second largest city to protest the G7 summit. Geneva essentially shut down on Sunday. Businesses closed and boarded up their windows. Anti-protester wire fencing was raised around the streets. And police vans took their places on corners, with officers wearing riot gear in preparation. Trump arrives at the G7 on Monday. He, like most world leaders, will arrive at Geneva’s airport before traveling to the summit location in nearby Evian, France. French and Swiss authorities shut down 27 border crossings on Sunday to keep the protesters away from the small spa-town on the shores of Lake Geneva where Trump and the other world leaders will stay.” (06/14/26)
“The vice president of the United States called a meeting in the Situation Room last year to discuss the administration’s cover-up of the Epstein files. Never mind that there were allegations in the files that Trump had had sex with an underage girl in Epstein’s child trafficking ring — and which somehow involved Trump’s alleged nipple fetish. The Epstein victims and the underlying crimes were not a priority in the meeting; getting Ghislaine or Vance on a friendly podcast was.” (06/12/26)
