Neon Liberalism, episode 76

Source: Liberal Currents

“Samantha Hancox-Li and guest Secretary of Defense Rock talk the state of modern war: the proliferation of drones, the endurance of the human factor, Ukraine’s successful strategic bombing campaign vs. Trump’s unsuccessful one.” (06/01/26)

https://www.liberalcurrents.com/the-democratization-of-air-power-neon-liberalism-76-with-secretary-of-defense-rock/

DoD not allowed to fix most of its own stuff. Guess who’s cashing in?

Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Stavroula Pabst

“Because defense contracts often prevent the military from repairing its own equipment, critics say weapons companies are price-gouging the Pentagon at every turn. As experts and observers tell RS, the military’s lack of a ‘right to repair’ doesn’t just allow defense contractors to charge thousands of dollars, for fixes that could be done for free or very cheaply. Rather, the Pentagon’s dependence on weapons makers for maintenance undermines military readiness. Namely, contractors’ extensive repair delays and sweeping decisions about whether to service gear routinely leave warfighters without critical equipment and weapons systems — even while deployed.” (06/01/26)

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/military-repairs/

Nicaragua: Political prisoner dies

Source: Deutsche Welle [German state media]

“Nicaraguan Indigenous leader and activist Brooklyn Rivera died from health complications after nearly three years in detention, the country’s health ministry said on Sunday. Last week, the Nicaraguan government’s confirmed that he had been detained since 2023. UN representatives, the US government and Rivera’s family have demanded proof that he was still alive. ‘We regret to confirm that he has sadly passed away,’ the health ministry said in a statement on state-run media outlets. … The 73-year-old was a renowned leader of the Miskito People and a former member of Nicaragua’s Congress. He was arrested in 2023 by the left-wing authoritarian government of President Daniel Ortega on undisclosed charges.” (06/01/26)

https://www.dw.com/en/nicaragua-indigenous-leader-brooklyn-rivera-dies-in-detention/a-77369132

The Recipe for an Iran Nuclear Deal Hasn’t Changed

Source: The American Conservative
by Anik Joshi

“Recent reporting from Axios suggests that President Donald Trump is considering a new nuclear deal with Iran as a way to turn the temporary ceasefire into something longer-term and more sustainable. It also suggests that the Iranian regime is interested in playing ball. The reporting is light on details, but suggests that the deal will have the same core ingredients as the one negotiated by President Barack Obama and signed in 2015 that the U.S. later left — some kind of financial/sanctions relief in exchange for verification of promises not to pursue a weapons program.” (06/01/26)

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/the-recipe-for-an-iran-nuclear-deal-hasnt-changed/

US regime publicly confesses to three more maritime murders

Source: Fox News

“The U.S. military conducted a deadly strike against a vessel in the Pacific on Saturday, killing several alleged ‘narco-terrorists,’ according to U.S. Southern Command. That attack, which killed three men, was one of four such military strikes announced by SOUTHCOM last week. … ‘On May 30, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. Three male narco-terrorists were killed during this action. No U.S. military forces were harmed,’ the post on X noted.” (06/01/26)

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fourth-us-drug-boat-strike-week-kills-3-narco-terrorists

Massie’s Detractors Still Pretend the Israel Lobby Doesn’t Exist

Source: Libertarian Institute
by Jack Hunter

“Yes, millions of dollars were poured into the Kentucky primary of Rep. Thomas Massie to defeat him by a collective entity that can fairly be referred to as the Israel lobby, and that lobby succeeded in its mission. Massie lost and that foreign interest group is the primary reason why. It’s a fact of history.” (06/01/26)

https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/massies-detractors-still-pretend-the-israel-lobby-doesnt-exist/