Protest Laws Should Be Viewed As Efforts To Ban Criticism Of Israel

Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone

“Laws aimed at pro-Palestine protests should always be looked at as efforts to ban criticism of Israel. That’s what we’re seeing in the UK as the prime minister encourages the prosecution of anyone who says ‘globalise the intifada.’ ‘If you stand alongside people who say globalise the intifada, you are calling for terrorism against Jews and people who use that phrase should be prosecuted,’ said Keir Starmer during a Thursday press conference. ‘It is racism, extremely racism and it has left a minority community in this country scared, intimidated, wondering if they belong. So, I say again this government will do everything in our power to stamp this hatred out.'” (05/02/26)

https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/05/02/protest-laws-should-be-viewed-as-efforts-to-ban-criticism-of-israel/

Pope remembers journalists who lost their lives due to violence and wars

Source: Vatican News [Vatican state media]

“Following the recitation of Sunday’s Regina Caeli, Pope Leo XIV recalled that today May 3rd marks World Press Freedom Day, the annual day promoted by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The Pope remarked that unfortunately, freedom of the press is often violated, sometimes blatantly and sometimes in subtle ways. He said: ‘Let us remember the many journalists and reporters who have fallen victim to wars and violence.'” (05/03/26)

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-05/pope-remembers-journalists-who-lost-lives-due-to-violence-wars.html

The Last Rationalist

Source: Law & Liberty
by Graham McAleer

“Jürgen Habermas (1929–2026) dominated post-war European liberal philosophy. He dedicated his life to the rational foundation of a global liberal order and the post-national European Union. Loaded with philosophical terms, his writing does not invite the reader, yet there is pathos in the background. Habermas addressed the question of whether the Enlightenment was the cause of the German genocides and Germany’s own ruin.” (05/01/26)

https://lawliberty.org/the-last-rationalist/

Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!

Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob

“Long time ago, May Day was about celebrating Spring — for which rejoicing is appropriate. Over the last century, it has become International Workers’ Day. ‘In 1889, an international federation of socialist groups and trade unions designated May 1 as pro-workers day,’ informs the Wikidates.org website, ‘on the anniversary of the Haymarket Riots in Chicago (1886).’ Five years later, clearly opposed to cavorting with socialists, the U.S. established Labor Day on September 1, an alternative date to honor workers. Today, political rallies and protests are expected in major cities across the country.” (05/01/26)

https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/05/01/mayday-mayday-mayday/

Latin America’s grip on democracy

Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff

“In its daily use of social media (three hours, 32 minutes on average), Latin America leads the world. Over the past quarter century, it has nearly tripled the number of people attending university and cut poverty by about half. This list of notable trends could go on, regardless of concerns about crime, corruption, and caudillo-style rulers. Together, however, they might help explain this latest news: Last year, the region saw the greatest improvement in key indicators of democracy, such as political participation and civil liberties, compared with Asia, Africa, and elsewhere. In fact, it was the only region to improve. And Latin America did so after seeing nine years of decline on the index of democracy compiled annually by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).” (05/01/26)

https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/the-monitors-view/2026/0501/Latin-America-s-grip-on-democracy

TX: Judge temporarily blocks ban on smokeable hemp

Source: United Press International

“A Texas judge on Friday temporarily paused the state’s ban on smokable hemp products, such as flower and joints, after three industry groups and multiple companies based in the state sued over it. The state in March expanded its limit on THC in hemp products from 0.3% levels of Delta-9 THC to cover any form of THC beyond the state’s previous limit of 0.3% total THC in dry weight of the intoxicating group of chemicals. … The groups that [sued] the state contend that the health department overstepped their constitutional authority and that the new rules have done irreparable harm to the Texas hemp industry, CBS Austin reported.” (05/02/26)

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/05/02/texas-hemp-smokable-ban-blocked-by-judge/1781777761522/

After Nudging: The Rise and Fall of a Behavioral Economics Fad

Source: The Daily Economy
by Richard Morrison

“In ‘It’s On You,’ Nick Chater and George Loewenstein turn from advocates of ‘nudging,’ subtle policy efforts to shape behavior without coercion, to critics who see it as ineffective and misleading.” (05/01/26)

https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/after-nudging-the-rise-and-fall-of-a-behavioral-economics-fad/