UK-Based YouTuber Fakes Death To Get Refund From Airline

Source: NDTV [India]

“Maximilian Arthur Fosh, a UK-based YouTuber, ‘died’ to get a refund from an airline for a flight he missed, he revealed in a recent video titled ‘I Technically Died.’ He discovered a loophole in the airline’s policy that allowed refunds in case of bereavement or death. … Fosh travelled to the Principality of Seborga, a micronation in Italy, known for its unrecognised status. He got a death certificate from Princess Nina Menegatto. He also met with the princess and learned about the micronation’s history. With the death certificate, Fosh submitted a refund request to the airline, which initially accepted it and asked for his bank details. However, his lawyer advised him not to proceed with the refund, calling it ‘fraudulent.’ … Fosh, with over 4.7 million followers on YouTube, created this content to showcase his creativity and challenge the airline’s policies.” (07/02/25)

https://www.ndtv.com/offbeat/uk-based-youtuber-fakes-death-to-get-refund-from-airline-8816028

Thomas L. Knapp

UK: Rachel Reeves cries in Commons after Starmer refuses to guarantee she will stay on as chancellor

Source: Independent [UK]

“Rachel Reeves has cried in the Commons after Keir Starmer refused to guarantee she will stay on as chancellor. Ms Reeves wiped away tears, as Kemi Badenoch told the Commons she looked ‘absolutely miserable.’. Labour minister Ellie Reeves then appeared to be holding her sister’s hand as she left the chamber on Wednesday. However, the chancellor’s spokesperson later said Ms Reeves was crying over a ‘personal matter.’ And Sir Keir’s press secretary confirmed that Ms Reeves has the prime minister’s ‘full backing.’ In the grilling at PMQs, Sir Keir was forced to defend his government’s welfare reforms. He insisted his benefits bill will be ‘better for individuals, better for the taxpayer, and better for the economy’ despite a £5billion hole now left in the government’s spending plans. And he refused to rule out tax rises.” (07/02/25)

https://www.the-independent.com/news/uk/politics/welfare-bill-starmer-latest-news-labour-benefits-pip-b2780916.html

Thomas L. Knapp

WI: Republicans look to Democrats to pass state budget deal

Source: SFGate

“The Wisconsin Legislature pushed to pass a compromise state budget Wednesday, with Democratic votes expected to be needed to approve the deal reached between Gov. Tony Evers and majority Republicans. The two-year spending plan would affect nearly every person in the battleground state. Income taxes would be cut for working people and retirees, sales taxes would be eliminated on residential electric bills and it would cost more to get a driver’s license, buy license plates and title a vehicle. Evers, who has broad partial veto powers, has promised not to kill any portions of the budget he agreed to with Republicans. In a concession to the Democratic governor, Republicans also agreed to spend more money on special education services in K-12 schools, subsidize child care costs and give the Universities of Wisconsin its biggest increase in nearly two decades.” (07/02/25)

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/wisconsin-republicans-look-to-democrats-to-pass-20414946.php

Steve Trinward

Are we free?

Source: The Price of Liberty
by Nathan Barton

“Are we free? No, absolutely not. Either in absolute terms or even in relative terms. Today, we suffer under the micro-management of multiple levels of government that the Founders never imagined while they were alive. And no doubt observe with frustration as they observe us from eternity. Most readers, and most lovers of liberty, will readily admit that in absolute terms, no American enjoys the liberties that the citizens of the Thirteen original States took for granted. Even given the tremendous advantages that two and a half centuries of advances in science and engineering have given us.” (07/01/25)

https://thepriceofliberty.org/2025/07/01/are-we-free/

Thomas L. Knapp

Defying the Data: Standard of Living Edition

Source: EconLog
by Kevin Corcoran

“In 2007, Eliezer Yudkowsky wrote an interesting article advocating for what he called ‘defying the data.’ The idea was fairly simple – say you have some theory explaining how the world works. A new study is published with data that can’t be accounted for with your theoretical framework. How should you respond? One response is to abandon your theory in favor of the new data. Another response is to keep your theory intact and, as Yudkowsky says, ‘attack the experiment – accuse the researchers of dishonesty, or flawed design, or conflict of interest.’ But there is a third possibility – that of simply defying the data.” (07/01/25)

https://www.econlib.org/defying-the-data-standard-of-living-edition/

Thomas L. Knapp

Azerbaijan: Regime thugs abduct seven linked to a Russian media outlet as a rift between Baku and Moscow deepens

Source: ABC News

“Seven people linked to a Kremlin-funded media outlet in Azerbaijan’s capital have been detained after a raid on its office, the Interior Ministry was quoted by local media as saying Tuesday, in the latest sign of the rift between Moscow and Baku over the deaths of two ethnic Azerbaijanis in Russian custody. Tensions have been growing since December, when an Azerbaijani passenger jet was attacked as it approached Grozny, the regional capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya, It later crashed, killing 38 of 67 people aboard, and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev blamed Moscow and said Russian President Vladimir Putin had tried to ‘hush up’ what happened. On Monday, masked police stormed the offices of Sputnik Azerbaijan. The Interior Ministry said the Kremlin-backed media outlet had continued operating via ‘illegal financing,’ despite having its accreditation revoked in February.” (07/01/25)

https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/azerbaijan-detains-7-linked-russian-media-outlet-rift-123378354

Thomas L. Knapp