Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“Last week, Washington Post columnist David Ignatius wrote about ‘a startling document’ that the CIA has kept hidden for some 50 years. The document apparently said that ‘the Mexican government had investigated Kennedy’s assassination and concluded Cuba was responsible.’ It’s just more misdirection on the part of the CIA. Its targeted audience is those Americans who cannot bring themselves to recognize that the Pentagon and the CIA orchestrated and carried out the assassination of a U.S. president. The misdirection serves to confuse and confound that segment of American society.” (12/03/25)
“Donald Trump pardoned Texas Democratic representative Henry Cuellar and his wife in a federal bribery and conspiracy case on Wednesday, citing what he called a ‘weaponized’ justice system. Trump, who has argued that his own legal troubles were a partisan witch-hunt, said on social media that the congressman and his wife, Imelda Cuellar, were prosecuted because the representative had been critical of Joe Biden’s immigration policies. … Federal authorities had charged Cuellar, 69, and his wife with accepting thousands of dollars in exchange for the congressman advancing the interests of an Azerbaijan-controlled energy company and a bank in Mexico. Cuellar is accused of agreeing to influence legislation favorable to Azerbaijan and deliver a pro-Azerbaijan speech on the floor of the US House.” (12/03/25)
“Donald Trump’s war on immigrants has crossed another line. First, he targeted illegal immigrants. Then he went after legal immigrants. Now, he’s attacking naturalized Americans: citizens of this country who were born elsewhere, particularly in what Trump contemptuously calls the ‘third world.’ He’s trying to turn white Americans against nonwhite Americans.” (12/03/25)
“Republican President Donald Trump ran on an ‘America First’ platform yet now seems on the verge of a U.S.-led regime change war in Venezuela. Republican Congressman Thomas Massie (Ky.) has questions about this. During the government shutdown last month, Massie asked a practical, very America first question, ‘How is it that we have money for regime change in Venezuela but not money to pay air traffic controllers in our country?’ It was a good point. Trump, who once vowed to ‘expel the warmongers’ in Washington, prefers to attack Massie on a regular basis. The Kentucky lawmaker is not alone. Massie appeared in June on CBS News’ Face the Nation with his friend and frequent ally, Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna (Calif.).” (12/03/25)
“For over two centuries, the Western Hemisphere has been a cul-de-sac where the United States has parked its foreign policy. The principle behind this is known as the Monroe Doctrine, named after James Monroe (1758-1831). (A refresher for those who slept through their high school American history classes: He’s the fifth U.S. president and the only one whose surname sounds like a type of cheese you’d politely refuse.) In recent months, the Monroe Doctrine has made a comeback — like the whale tail on the plumber who came to fix my kitchen sink. And the man at the center of this shift is none other than Donald J. Trump. … Trump isn’t just an American President. He’s also the hemisphere’s new father figure. NATO officials are already calling him ‘daddy,’ a term most people agree should never be used outside of very specific circumstances.” (12/03/25)
“If two-day or even same-day delivery is too slow for you, a new feature from Amazon might have you covered. The Seattle-based e-commerce giant on Monday launched Amazon Now, a delivery offering with a promise to deliver groceries and other household items in 30 minutes or less. … Amazon is testing the program in certain areas of Seattle and Philadelphia, the company said. … The move puts Amazon into direct competition with companies like Instacart and Uber, the latter of which delivers food and groceries through its Uber Eats service. It also builds on Amazon’s push to become a widely recognized grocery retailer with a robust delivery service.” (12/03/25)
“Earlier this year, the Palisade and Eaton wildfires near Los Angeles were fought by an army of over 4,000 California state firefighters, alongside thousands of other support personnel. Within that number were more than 780 inmates from state prisons enrolled in the state’s ‘fire camp’ program, which has been operational since World War II. This program provides essential assistance to frontline wildfire containment efforts, as well as providing valuable training to inmates looking for skills — including first aid — they can use to help find work after finishing their sentences. But those released from California prisons would, for many years, run into one of several brick walls. Some couldn’t be hired as a firefighter at municipal-level firehouses because of their prison records. Others might have qualified for firefighter certification but couldn’t obtain an EMT license, a requirement for many firefighter jobs.” (12/03/25)
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Stephen Anderson
“December 31, 2025, concludes the first twenty-five years of the 21st century. The US government’s future bankruptcy results from poor personnel, policy, and money decisions that have impacted everyday people. Looking back from 2000 to 2025 showed a numbing expansion of federal government and Federal Reserve Bank power, economic intervention, regulation, and waste. Personal and economic freedoms have declined. The United States federal government debt at the end of fiscal year (FY) 2000 was $5.67 trillion. It doubled to $11.91 trillion at the end of FY 2009. This doubled again to $26.95 trillion at the end of FY 2020. It stood at $33.51 trillion at the end of FY 2024 and it approaches $37.6 trillion at the end of FY 2025.” (12/03/25)
