Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“French rape survivor Gisèle Pelicot has told the BBC she is ‘deeply shocked’ that three teenage boys have been spared custodial sentences over the rape of two girls in Hampshire. The girls, then aged 15 and 14, were raped in separate incidents in Fordingbridge in November 2024 and January 2025, by two 14-year-olds. Another boy, then 13, was also convicted for his involvement in the second attack. The judge had said last week he wanted to avoid criminalizing the ‘very young’ boys. The youth rehabilitation order sentences handed to the boys are being referred to the Court of Appeal by the attorney general. Pelicot said she ‘saluted the strength’ and courage of one of the girls for speaking out.” (05/26/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2117685lwo
Source: The Dispatch
“SCOTUS Through the Decades | Interview: Nina Totenberg.” (05/26/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/advisoryopinions/scotus-through-the-decades-interview-nina-totenberg/
Source: EconLog
by Joy Buchanan
“In a controversial conversation platformed by the New York Times and recently discussed in The Atlantic, streamer Hasan Piker implied that he might steal a car if it carried no consequences. In the interview, author Jia Tolentino also casually admits to shoplifting lemons from Whole Foods. Although petty theft is common, the interview clip spread quickly because the justification for looting felt oddly assertive. Piker referred to the iconic anti-piracy campaign that sought to use moral vibes (rather than rational arguments) against taking physical property to convince people to further control their impulses and not copy music without paying. The anti-piracy clip ‘You Wouldn’t Steal a Car’ indicates an implicit assumption from 2004 that American society was broadly agreed on the stability of physical property. In other words, most Americans do not think ‘property is theft.'” (05/26/26)
https://www.econlib.org/econlog/would-hasan-piker-steal-a-car
Source: Common Dreams
by Nicolas JS Davies
“On May 24, Iran rejected President Trump’s latest fake peace deal, confirming that he had misrepresented what Iran had agreed to and that the two sides are still very far apart, on nuclear enrichment, on control of the Strait of Hormuz, on peace in Palestine and Lebanon, and on lifting US sanctions, paying war reparations, and Iran’s $100 billion in frozen assets. Iran’s conditions for a peace agreement are necessarily uncompromising, in response to the US record of using negotiations as cover for sneak attacks, and the charade of one-sided ‘ceasefires with Israeli characteristics,’ in which the US and Israel routinely ignore and violate every ceasefire they agree to, including the present ones in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran.” (05/26/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/trump-s-war-crimes
Source: Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
“An Indianapolis resident who has served as the chair of the Libertarian Party of Indiana since 2021 has been elected chair of the Libertarian National Committee. Evan McMahon was chosen as the party chair out of a multi-candidate field during this weekend’s Libertarian Party convention in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the party said in a Monday news release.” [editor’s note: As is often the case, McMahon’s candidacy proved controversial. Too early to tell how much of the controversy is warranted, though my early evaluation of Libertarian National Convention outcomes is “mixed,” but I did not attend and haven’t completely caught up yet – TLK] (05/25/26)
https://www.journalgazette.net/local/indiana/indianapolis-resident-to-lead-libertarian-national-committee/article_211a4782-e274-45bc-8048-e26fd4480ffa.html
Source: The Corbett Report
“So, they’re wearing literal skin suits on the news now …” (05/25/26)
https://corbettreport.com/so-theyre-wearing-literal-skin-suits-on-the-news-now/
Source: Libertarian Institute
by José Niño
“Americans have been fed a comforting fairy tale about Islamic terrorism. Radical jihadists attack the West simply because they despise freedom, democracy, and the American way of life. This narrative flatters domestic audiences while conveniently obscuring a far more troubling reality. For decades, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Israel have armed, financed, tolerated, and tapped into Sunni Islamist extremists as geopolitical tools to destabilize rivals. The evidence spans multiple theaters and rests on declassified documents, congressional investigations, and credible investigative journalism.” (05/26/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/how-western-intelligence-agencies-built-the-global-jihadist-network/
Source: The Daily Economy
by Paul McDonnold
“The founder of Marxism once wrote movingly about faith and virtue before taking what his own father feared might be a ‘Faustian’ turn toward revolution and resentment.” (05/26/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/finding-sympathy-for-karl-marx/
Source: SFGate
“The Hong Kong government on Tuesday proposed issuing 10,000 new vehicle permits for drivers to work for online ride-hailing services like Uber, less than half the amount that industry representatives were hoping for. Hong Kong has about 18,000 licensed taxis and caps private service car-hire permits at 1,500, and these drivers can be summoned through ride-hailing apps. But the additional drivers who operate through those apps technically are outside the law and in the past have faced arrest, though they are prevalent in the city. The Hong Kong government unveiled details of a regulatory framework last summer to bring the industry under formal regulation, following years of pressure from taxi companies. Smart Transportation Alliance, whose members include ride-hailing firms and other transportation companies, had proposed in May that 20,500 new car permits be allowed in an initial phase.” (05/26/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/hong-kong-proposes-issuing-10-000-permits-for-22276741.php
Source: Politico
“Shapiro on Trump, Fetterman and 2028 over cheesesteaks in South Philly.” (05/26/26)
https://traffic.megaphone.fm/POLL8819758330.mp3
