Guinea: 56 killed in soccer stampede

Source: CBC News [Canadian state media]

“Fifty-six people were killed and several injured in a stampede at a soccer stadium in southern Guinea, following clashes between fans, Guinea’s government said Monday. … The stampede broke out on Sunday afternoon at the stadium in the city of Nzerekore during the final of a local tournament between the Labe and Nzerekore teams in honour of Guinea’s military leader, Mamadi Doumbouya, Guinea’s Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah said on the X platform. … The National Alliance for Alternation and Democracy opposition coalition called for an investigation. It said the tournament was organized to drum up support for the ‘illegal and inappropriate’ political ambitions of the military leader.” (12/02/24)

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/guinea-soccer-stampede-1.7398429

Thomas L. Knapp

SCOTUS appears sympathetic to FDA’s attempt to drive up teen tobacco use rates

Source: New York Post

“A quintet of Supreme Court justices appeared sympathetic on Monday to claims that the Food and Drug Administration rightly moved the goalposts on its standards for some flavored vapes appealing to minors when it blocked two companies from selling the popular nicotine products. While the court may still find a flaw in the FDA’s handling of the matter, the three liberal members of the high court as well as Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh, seemingly sided with the agency.” (12/02/24)

https://nypost.com/2024/12/02/us-news/supreme-court-appears-sympathetic-to-fda-as-agency-seeks-to-block-some-flavored-vapes-appealing-to-minors/

Thomas L. Knapp

The Pardon We All Saw Coming

Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob

“Various cynical people, cynics I call them, declared that despite Biden’s pledge not to pardon his son, he was only waiting for the election. After the election, when the action could no longer hurt him or any Biden-substitute candidate, he would then pardon his son. And so it has come to pass — as of last night. … The son can, I take it, no longer be imprisoned for any of the law-breaking we know about. Or even suspect.So maybe, thus unencumbered, Hunter can now take the stand about his father’s role in all the graft and bribery. Interestingly, Hunter’s pardon removes his ability to assert his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.” (12/02/24)

https://thisiscommonsense.org/2024/12/02/the-pardon-we-all-saw-coming/

Thomas L. Knapp

The Wisdom of JFK vs. the Recklessness of Joe Biden

Source: Common Dreams
by Donald A Smith & Sharon Abreu

“Sixty-two years ago President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev had the wisdom to peacefully resolve the Cuban Missile Crisis. Kennedy understood that Soviet missiles in Cuba were a response, in part, to US missiles near the USSR, in Türkiye. Kennedy wisely removed the missiles from Türkiye in a secret negotiated settlement, in exchange for the Soviets removing their missiles from Cuba. Kennedy and Khrushchev thereby stepped away from the brink of nuclear war. … Today the U.S. and Russia are, again, dangerously close to being at total war. In many ways, the crisis in Ukraine is the Cuban Missile Crisis in reverse, given that Russia, rightly or wrongly, views NATO expansion up to its borders as an unacceptable infringement on its sphere of influence.” (12/02/24)

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/jfk-biden-nuclear-crisis

Steve Trinward

Norway: Regime hits pause on controversial deep-sea mining plans

Source: CNBC

“Norway has shelved plans to open a vast ocean area at the bottom of the Arctic for commercial-scale deep-sea mining. The decision, which was confirmed late Sunday, comes after the country’s Socialist Left Party said it would not support the minority government’s budget unless it dropped the first licensing round for mineral activities, initially scheduled for the first half of next year. Environmental campaigners welcomed the agreement as a ‘huge win’ and ‘an important step in stopping this industry from destroying life at the bottom of the sea.'” (12/02/24)

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/02/norway-hits-pause-on-controversial-deep-sea-mining-plans.html

Thomas L. Knapp

Milton Friedman’s Revenge

Source: Law & Liberty
by Iain Murray

“It’s rapidly becoming the received wisdom that an important reason President Trump won the 2024 election was because inflation matters. Too many hard-working families had seen their household budgets shrink, even as the federal government continued to engage in record levels of spending. In doing so, the Biden administration ignored the wisdom of the late Milton Friedman that central bankers always overcorrect at the sign of economic contraction. President Biden even made the connection explicit: ‘Milton Friedman isn’t running the show anymore.’ But it turns out Friedman was right — increasing spending and printing money are a recipe for inflation, and voters hate inflation.” (12/02/24)

https://lawliberty.org/milton-friedmans-revenge/

Thomas L. Knapp

France: Barnier faces no confidence vote after forcing through budget

Source: BBC News [UK state media]

“French Prime Minister Michel Barnier faces a vote of no confidence in his minority government after using special powers to push through a social security budget bill without a vote by MPs. The government is unlikely to survive the vote, which was triggered this afternoon by the radical left France Unbowed (LFI) opposition party and Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN). It is likely to take place on Wednesday. Despite last-minute concessions, Barnier clearly did not think he would be able to get his budget bill over the line.” (12/02/24)

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn8g7zp0q79o

Thomas L. Knapp