Iran: Nobel peace laureate Narges Mohammadi arrested, supporters say

Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]

“Supporters of 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi say she has been arrested while attending a memorial ceremony in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad. The Narges Foundation said on Friday that Mohammadi, 53, was arrested during an event honouring a human rights lawyer who recently died in unclear circumstances. Iranian authorities have not commented on her reported detention, and it remains uncertain whether she will be returned to prison to complete a previous sentence. The arrest comes amid a broader clampdown on activists and civil society figures as Iran faces sanctions, economic pressures and heightened regional tensions.” (12/12/25)

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/12/nobel-peace-laureate-narges-mohammadi-arrested-in-iran-supporters-say

Thomas L. Knapp

Our Secret Constitution

Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by David Gordon

“The Constitution of 1787 — though not without its good points — had two main defects. First, although the preamble recognized that Americans came together as ‘We the People’ to choose their own form of government, it failed to failed to rule out explicitly the argument of the South that the Constitution was formed by the states, with states having the right to secede if, in their judgment, the terms of the original compact had been violated. Second, it restricted popular sovereignty and called for government by an elite who were deemed fit to rule over the masses.” (12/12/25)

https://mises.org/friday-philosophy/our-secret-constitution

Thomas L. Knapp

CA: Giant, rare seven-armed sea creature spotted in Monterey Bay

Source: SFGate

“Scientists on California’s Central Coast recently spotted a giant, evasive seven-arm octopus while on a research expedition in Monterey Bay. The rare creature, called Haliphron atlanticus, was seen by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute’s biodiversity and biooptics team on Nov. 6, the institute confirmed to SFGATE via email. Prior to this sighting, scientists with MBARI had only seen the octopus four times in the past 35 years. Haliphron atlanticus was last seen by MBARI scientists in 2017, when they discovered the octopus is partial to a diet of jellyfish and gelatinous plankton. Last month, the team again witnessed the elusive animal. Led by senior scientist Steven Haddock, the MBARI team was studying marine life in the ocean’s midwater — a vast range between the water’s surface and the seafloor — when they came across Haliphron atlanticus at a depth of about 2,300 feet.” (12/11/25)

https://www.sfgate.com/centralcoast/article/seven-armed-octopus-california-monterey-21237565.php

Steve Trinward

Congo: Fear grips Uvira as M23 rebels take control, displacing 200,000

Source: SFGate

“A climate of fear reigned Saturday in Uvira, a strategic city in eastern Congo, days after it fell to the Rwanda -backed M23 group, as fighting in the region escalated despite a U.S. mediated peace deal. The Associated Press gained rare access to the city, which was the Congo government’s last major foothold in South Kivu province after the provincial capital of Bukavu fell to the rebels in February. Its capture allows the rebels to consolidate a broad corridor of influence across the east. M23 said it took control of Uvira earlier this week, following a rapid offensive launched at the start of the month. Along with the more than 400 people killed, about 200,000 have been displaced, regional officials say. On Saturday, the situation in Uvira still had not returned to normal. There was absolute silence and no traffic, apart from military jeeps circulating on the empty streets.” (12/13/25)

https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/fear-grips-congo-s-uvira-as-m23-rebels-take-21240938.php

Steve Trinward

How To Spot Rich And Poor Countries

Source: Independent Institute
by Scott Beyer

“For most of modern history, the perception of whether a country is ‘rich’ or ‘poor’ has centered on the wealth of its citizens. We look at median incomes and GDP per capita to divide the world into prosperous nations — usually Western democracies with median household incomes above $30,000 — and poorer ones in the developing world, where typical earnings are a fraction of that. This citizen-level view of wealth makes intuitive sense, because income dictates living standards. But there’s another, increasingly-important way of understanding national wealth: by examining the financial health of the state itself.” (12/12/25)

https://www.independent.org/article/2025/12/12/how-to-spot-rich-and-poor-countries/

Thomas L. Knapp

Trump Administration Ramps Up Its War On Coal Miners

Source: In These Times
by Kim Kelly

“Millions of Americans gathered around their kitchen tables to visit with friends and family and indulge in favorite recipes late last month. Those who could luxuriate in a long holiday weekend did just that, but not everyone got to enjoy it; about a third of the American workforce still had to get up and go to work as usual on Thanksgiving. Surprisingly, that included at least a few members of the Trump administration’s Labor Department, who spent their holiday dealing yet another crippling blow to the nation’s beleaguered coal miners. On November 26th, the Department of Labor and the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association filed a status update in an ongoing lawsuit over a long-awaited workplace safety regulation. Taken out of context, this may not sound all that exciting, but it’s actually quite devastating.” (12/11/25)

https://inthesetimes.com/article/the-trump-administration-has-found-a-sneaky-way-to-keep-killing-coal-miners

Steve Trinward

Judge bars ICE gang from re-abducting Kilmar Abrego García at check-in

Source: Washington Post

“A federal judge on Friday barred U.S. immigration authorities from re-detaining Kilmar Abrego García, acting on fears raised by his lawyers that officials intended to take him into custody just hours after he was ordered released. Those concerns arose in response to government maneuvers in the wake of U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis’s ruling Thursday that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had been unlawfully detaining Abrego for months. Abrego, a 30-year-old undocumented immigrant and longtime Maryland resident, became a flash point in the Trump administration’s efforts to crack down on illegal immigration. The White House had repeatedly called Abrego a smuggler and ‘a proven gang member,’ though those allegations are still pending in the courts, and threatened to deport him to countries in Africa or Central America.” (12/12/25)

https://archive.is/rKZ4m

Thomas L. Knapp