Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“Is there no good idea a politician cannot spoil? Take what’s on next Tuesday’s Missouri ballot. ‘Amendment 4 was my idea, but I am voting against it,’ Ron Calzone wrote on Monday in The Missouri Times. Mr. Calzone had advanced what is called a Concurrent Majority Ratification process. It was introduced into the legislature by Representative Bill Kidd as HJR 132 in 2022. And then politicians started revising. Everyone agreed, says Calzone, that Missouri’s constitution “was too easy to amend,” considering ‘the fact that 50% + 1 of the vote can come from just the urban areas’ and thereby inflict upon less-populated rural regions a ‘Tyranny of the Majority.’ … The current Amendment 4, however, though promoted as a solution, really adds three humongous problems …” (07/31/26)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/07/31/put-it-out-of-their-missouri/
Source: SFGate
“Farmland across the Sacramento Valley sank rapidly as water was drained from underground aquifers during the historic 2020 drought, a new study found, a sign that the Central Valley’s water problems could be spreading north. Satellite observations over the Sacramento Valley detected ‘irreversible deformation’ from 2020 to 2022 due to increased groundwater pumping, according to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday. The study found that land did not rebound following the extreme drought years. The rapid and extensive land subsidence in the region pointed to a loss of storage capacity in the aquifer system, which researchers said poses ‘a serious threat to California’s water resources and infrastructure.'” (08/02/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/california-farmland-study-22365713.php
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Federal Reserve: Meet The New Boss, Same As The Old Boss.” (07/31/26)
https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1wxWjjNakbVJQ
Source: The Daily Economy
by Logan Tantibanchachai
“Prohibition won’t stop gambling’s social harms. But regulations aimed at transparency could protect individual rights to informed contract, while limiting predatory platforms.” (07/31/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/a-libertarian-case-for-regulating-sports-betting/
Source: In These Times
by Danny Postel
“Tuesday’s Democratic primary for the open U.S. Senate seat in Michigan is a national story, and not only because Michigan and Maine are likely to determine which party controls the upper chamber of Congress come January. The race between public health official Dr. Abdul El-Sayed and four-term U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens is also a microcosm of the struggle for the future of the Democratic Party — the war of position between progressives and centrists that is playing out all over the country. Last week I went to Metro Detroit and spent a few days talking with a range of people about this pivotal race. I was especially curious to explore the political dynamics in Michigan’s Jewish and Black communities, two voting blocks that could prove crucial in this contest.” (07/31/26)
https://inthesetimes.com/article/abdul-el-sayed-haley-stevens-michigan-senate-primary-democratic-party
Source: CNN
“The Justice Department admitted Friday that President Donald Trump’s $14 million renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was ‘hasty and botched,’ and it is dropping the criminal case against former Olympian David Hearn that accused him of vandalizing the pool, according to a new court filing from DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro. … Three other people have been swept up in the administration’s push to blame the pool’s problems on alleged vandals — each pleading not guilty to lesser, misdemeanor charges. Federal prosecutors dropped the charges against at least one of those people as well Friday, according to DC court records.” (07/31/26)
https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/31/politics/doj-admits-reflecting-pool-renovation-flawed-drops-case-david-hearn
Source: The Scott Horton Show
“Scott interviews author and writer Ted Galen Carpenter about the Iran war, Israel’s tensions with Turkey, the Saudi Nuclear deal, North Korea and more.” (07/31/26)
https://scotthorton.org/interviews/7-24-26-ted-galen-carpenter-on-the-remarkable-stupidity-of-the-iran-war/
Source: The American Conservative
by Eldar Mamedov
“With Trump running out of options, Zelensky saw an opening. He could demonstrate that Ukraine—unlike Western Europe, which Trump has publicly excoriated for its ‘weakness’—was a useful partner in confronting America’s enemies in the Middle East. It was a neoconservative dream come true. But there is critical context to the Caspian and Iraqi gambits that Kiev may have overlooked. The United States has been pressing Iraqi authorities to take on the numerous Iranian-oriented Shiite militias. If Ukrainian intelligence was indeed operating in Iraq, it appears Kiev was attempting to help implement Washington’s plan. However, judging by the statements and actions of Iraqi authorities, not everyone in Baghdad supports these intentions. By exposing Ukrainian involvement, Iraq has effectively told both Washington and Kiev: This is our country, not your battlefield.” (07/31/26)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/zelenskys-caspian-gambit-failed-for-now/
Hey, everyone …
Yep, it’s another FIREHOSE FRIDAY at the freedom movement’s daily newspaper. We’ve got more than 100 news stories, opinion pieces, and audio/video links lined up for you today, but only here at our web edition.
The reason for the string of “web-only” Fridays was that Steve was traveling and I was covering the whole daily feed … so I felt entitled to save a little time on formatting, etc. once a week. If everything went well, Steve got home late last night and we’ll be back to “normal” as of Monday.
And, of course, a secondary reason for ANY “web-only” edition is to get in your face a little and remind you that we’re a reader-supported publication 😉
https://news.rationalreview.com/support-rrnd
Have a happy, healthy, and prosperous weekend!
Yours in liberty,
Tom Knapp
Publisher
Rational Review News Digest / Freedom News Daily
Source: Yahoo! News
“Iran said U.S. strikes killed three of its soldiers Thursday as the latest round of attacks threatened to engulf more countries in the region. Jordan said it intercepted Iranian missiles for a second consecutive day, while Kuwait said a strike there killed one person. The Senate on Thursday again narrowly rejected an effort to limit President Trump’s Iran war powers. The resolution, brought by New York Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand, lost 49-50. Three Republicans voted in favor of it. Drone strikes at Egypt’s Mediterranean port of Damietta sparked fires on two natural gas vessels Wednesday, in what appeared to be the first time Egypt has been targeted.” [editor’s note: There was no need for the Senate to vote again. The war was already illegal absent a congressional declaration of war, and Congress also passed a concurrent resolution under which Trump is required to end the conflict. IF Congress isn’t impeaching and removing him, Congress is just play-acting on the subject – TLK] (07/31/26)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/world/articles/war-expands-joint-u-saudi-094845170.html
