Iran Rejects Trump’s Bad Proposal

Source: Eunomia
by Daniel Larison

“The administration’s proposal was sure to be rejected, and the U.S. side must have known that this would be the Iranian response. While the proposal apparently allows for a brief period of low-level enrichment, the U.S. was insisting that Iran could not have enrichment on its soil at the end of the process. Iran considers domestic enrichment a national right and something that it cannot give up under any circumstances. It should be obvious why a belated humiliation is no better than an immediate one.” (06/04/25)

https://daniellarison.substack.com/p/iran-rejects-trumps-bad-proposal

Thomas L. Knapp

Vanuatu: Regime seeks to cancel Andrew Tate’s “golden passport” citizenship

Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]

“Vanuatu has vowed to close loopholes in its ‘golden passport’ scheme and take steps to nullify citizenship granted to influencer Andrew Tate, who reportedly bought the island nation’s travel document before he was arrested in Romania on charges of rape and human trafficking. Tate obtained the passport in December 2022 through a programme that allows foreigners to buy citizenship for US$130,000, the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) said in a statement on Monday. That month, he and his brother, Tristan, were held in Romania where they were charged with rape and human trafficking. Vanuatu’s passport trade, which also offers applicants visa-free travel to dozens of countries and the right to acquire property, has come under scrutiny over its ties to sanctioned individuals and suspected money launderers.” (06/04/25)

https://archive.is/6J3jh

Thomas L. Knapp

The Law of Consent

Source: Underthrow
by Max Borders

“Whether rooted in common law or statutory traditions, legal systems are fundamentally designed to prevent one person from making another worse off. Most people want peaceful, peer interactions, and governments strive to maintain that peace by enforcing laws. Exceptions to this principle originate with and on behalf of the state itself, which means certain groups — ‘authorities’ — create a gross asymmetry compared to certain other groups, ‘citizens.’ Why is it that authorities can make someone worse off—for example, via wealth confiscation, regulatory interference, civil asset forfeiture, or the prosecution of victimless crimes — while citizens are held to a far stricter set of standards?” (06/04/25)

https://underthrow.substack.com/p/the-law-of-consent

Thomas L. Knapp

Founding Fathers understood parental rights are natural rights

Source: Fox News
by Tiffany Justice

“One hundred years ago, in 1925, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a powerful message in Pierce v. Society of Sisters: ‘The child is not the mere creature of the state,’ and parents have the fundamental right ‘to direct the upbringing and education of’ their children. This wasn’t just a legal victory — it was a triumph for families, a declaration that parents, not bureaucrats, know what’s best for their kids. As we mark this milestone, we celebrate President Donald Trump, a leader whose fight for parental rights echoes the wisdom of our Founding Fathers, who saw the family as sacred and rooted in natural law. With a Supreme Court ruling on Mahmoud v. Taylor on the horizon, let’s reflect on why this matters and why the legacy of Pierce resonates at kitchen tables across America.” (06/04/25)

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/founding-fathers-understood-parental-rights-natural-rights-trump-knows-it-too

Steve Trinward

Syria: Regime to give inspectors immediate access to suspected former nuclear sites

Source: SFGate

“Syria’s new government has agreed to give inspectors from the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog access to suspected former nuclear sites immediately, the agency’s head told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s director-general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, spoke in an exclusive interview in Damascus, where he met with President Ahmad al-Sharaa and other officials. He also said al-Sharaa expressed an interest in pursuing nuclear energy for Syria in the future, adding, ‘Why not?’ The agency’s aim is ‘to bring total clarity over certain activities that took place in the past that were, in the judgment of the agency, probably related to nuclear weapons,’ Grossi said. He described the new government as ‘committed to opening up to the world, to international cooperation’ and said he is hopeful of finishing the inspection process within months.” (06/04/25)

https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/syria-agrees-to-give-inspectors-immediate-access-20361334.php

Steve Trinward

Santa Ono rejected to lead University of Florida after GOP backlash

Source: United Press International

“Dr. Santa Ono, the former president at the University of Michigan, was rejected Tuesday as the next president at the University of Florida amid backlash from Republicans over his earlier support of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Tuesday’s decision by the 17-member Board of Governors comes one week after UF’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved Ono as the finalist. Ono was on track to become one of the highest paid public university presidents in the country. He was due to sign a five-year contract with a base salary of $1.5 million and incentives to earn as much as $15 million over the life of the deal. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who signed the 2023 bill banning DEI initiatives in public colleges, delivered a lukewarm response when Ono became the presidential pick, saying Ono’s statements made him ‘cringe.'” (06/04/25)

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2025/06/03/Santa-Ono-rejected-university-florida-president/6701748995199/

Thomas L. Knapp