Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain have said they will boycott next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, following the decision to allow Israel to compete. The response on Thursday came immediately after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which runs the competition, said there would not be a vote on whether to exclude Israel, despite calls from some countries to do so. Opponents of Israel’s participation criticise it over its genocidal war on Palestinians in Gaza – which has so far killed at least 70,125 people – and over allegations that it unfairly intervened in the most recent competition to the benefit of its entrant.” [editor’s note: Why would Israel, which is in Asia, be included in a European music competition anyway? – TLK] (12/04/25)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/4/spain-ireland-boycott-eurovision-song-contest-over-israels-inclusion
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“The ‘Affordability Crisis’ And What It Means For The Midterms.” (12/04/25)
https://rumble.com/v72lhrm-the-affordability-crisis-and-what-it-means-for-the-midterms.html
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob
“‘As U.S. debt soars and foreign central banks stockpile gold,’ asserts a new article, ‘a U.S. senator today introduced a bill to require the first comprehensive audit of America’s gold reserves in decades.’ Reading the Mises Institute piece, I got a sense of déjà vu. … A ‘Gold Reserve Transparency Act’ has been introduced four times in the House since 2011, always by Republican sponsors aligned with sound-money advocates. But it has also never passed the House, let alone advanced to the Senate or become law.” (12/04/25)
https://thisiscommonsense.org/2025/12/04/one-day-an-audit/
Source: Fox News
by Jonathan Turley
“George Bernard Shaw famously observed that ‘England and America are two countries separated by the same language.’ It appears, however, that this chasm has finally been overcome by the common dialect of rage. The new word of the year was announced this week by the Oxford University Press and it is tragically apt: ‘rage bait’. First used in 2002, the new word is defined as ‘online content deliberately designed to elicit anger or outrage by being frustrating, provocative, or offensive, typically posted in order to increase traffic to or engagement with a particular web page or social media content’. … Rage is a curious emotion. It is the ultimate release. It allows you to do things and say things that you would not otherwise do or say. That is why it is addictive and contagious.” (12/04/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/jonathan-turley-rage-bait-crowned-word-year-free-speech-becomes-target
Source: SFGate
“The Navy admiral who reportedly issued orders for the U.S. military to fire upon survivors of an attack on an alleged drug boat is on Capitol Hill for a classified briefing with top congressional lawmakers overseeing national security. The information from Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley, who is now the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, comes at a potentially crucial moment in the unfolding congressional investigation into how Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth handled the military operation in international waters near Venezuela. There are mounting questions over whether the strike may have violated the law. The briefing in a secure facility at the Capitol is with congressional leaders, including the Republican chairs and ranking Democrats of the House and Senate Armed Services committees, and separately to the GOP chairman and Democratic vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.” (12/04/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/the-latest-lawmakers-to-hear-from-navy-admiral-21222829.php
Source: The American Conservative
by Doug Bandow
“That Kiev wants the American people to be ready to fight and die on its behalf is no surprise. Ukrainians have suffered greatly in a terrible war. Continuing combat is prodigiously consuming Ukrainian lives and wealth. However, alliances should be based on security, not charity. Although the conflict is a humanitarian tragedy, Ukraine’s future, and especially the details of any settlement, such as who controls the Donbas, are not vital U.S. concerns.” (12/04/25)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/kiev-shouldnt-get-u-s-security-guarantees/
Source: National Public Radio [US state media]
“Elections Officials Prep For Possible Federal Interference In The Midterms.” (12/04/25)
https://www.npr.org/2025/12/04/nx-s1-5632650/elections-officials-prep-for-possible-federal-interference-in-the-midterms
Source: The UnPopulist
by Robert Tracinski
“Since January, Donald Trump has been conducting a large-scale experiment to probe all the ways presidential pardon power can be abused. He has granted pardons to his own co-conspirators in crime and insurrection. He has given pardons as rewards for campaign contributions or for business deals that benefit his family. He has given away pardons sometimes just because he feels the rich and famous should have a ‘get out of jail free’ card. And he has abused the pardon power to manipulate foreign elections and prop up right-wing authoritarians. It is possible there are more ways to abuse the pardon power than Trump has found so far, but we would be hard pressed to think what they would be.” (12/04/25)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/trumps-pardons-cover-every-conceivable
Source: Bluegrass Institute
by US Senator Rand Paul (R-KY)
“In true Washington swamp fashion, this hemp ban is not being debated on its own. Once again, Congress created a crisis, then conveniently used the crisis to jam through new laws without debate.” (12/04/25)
https://www.bluegrassinstitute.org/hemp-ban-in-funding-bill-rips-the-rug-out-from-under-u-s-farmers/
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Dan Grazier
“The cancellation of the Constellation-class program shows that the military’s shipbuilding problem is Washington, not China.” (12/04/25)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/us-navy-constellation/
