Democracy Belongs on the List

Source: Liberalism.org
by Matt Zwolinski

“Ask someone what a classical liberal believes, and you’ll get a familiar list. Classical liberals stand for private property. They stand for free markets and limited government. They believe in the rule of law, free trade, free speech, and religious toleration. Give or take an item or two, you’ll find something like this list in any textbook summary, or on the ‘about’ page of most classical liberal think tanks. And it’s a good list, as far as it goes. Each of those commitments has a long history in the tradition, and each has been defended by some of its best minds. The problem with the list is what’s not on it: democracy.” (09/30/26)

https://www.liberalism.org/p/democracy-belongs-on-the-list

Saying You Listen To AI Music Like Saying You Have An AI Girlfriend

Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone

“It pisses me off whenever I see someone claiming that ‘AI music’ is about to make normal music obsolete. There is no such thing as ‘AI music’ or ‘AI art’. AI cannot make music. It cannot create the experience of an artist using skill and intention to transport something from inside them into an audience through vibrations in the air. It can only mimic the noises of that encounter. It’s like someone going ‘There’s no need to converse with anyone anymore because they’ve invented a machine which makes noises that sound like human speech!’ You’d want to tell them ‘Hey, that’s not the same thing mate. You’re talking about a completely different experience which in no way satisfies what people are looking for in a conversation.'” (09/30/26)

https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/09/30/saying-you-listen-to-ai-music-is-like-saying-you-have-an-ai-girlfriend/

Pledge signed by Trump and top AI leaders misspells the United States

Source: TechCrunch

“On Tuesday, President Donald Trump and top AI leaders announced a signed pledge called a ‘Joint Commitment on Frontier Responsibilities’ — a voluntary promise to implement more controls and safety measures as the rapid development of artificial intelligence continues. But there seems to be a catch — namely that the ‘United States’ was misspelled as ‘Unites States’ in a photo of the signed agreement the President shared to Truth Social. … Via an executive order, the President is also mandating that all government departments and agencies now change their phrasing from ‘artificial intelligence’ to ‘superintelligence’ or ‘SI.'” (09/30/26)

https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/30/pledge-signed-by-president-trump-and-top-ai-leaders-misspells-the-united-states/

Hurricane Rachel forms in Pacific Ocean, no threat to land

Source: SFGate

“Hurricane Rachel formed Wednesday in the Pacific Ocean but posed no threat to land, the National Hurricane Center said. Rachel was located about 380 miles (615 kilometers) west of Lazaro Cardenas, Mexico, or about 220 miles (350 kilometers) southwest of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico. Maximum sustained winds were around 85 mph (140 kph), according to an advisory from the Miami-based hurricane center. The cyclone was moving northwest at 9 mph (15 kph), and the hurricane center said the Mexican government had discontinued all coastal watches and warnings. (09/30/26)

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/hurricane-rachel-forms-in-pacific-ocean-no-22456570.php

The Great Sugar Racket, Part 1

Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Angelo Monaco

“By aggressively restricting imports and guaranteeing artificially high domestic prices, protectionist architecture installed by the state acts as a hidden tax on American families, quietly inflating the cost of everyday food products to subsidize politically connected producers. Far from stabilizing the agricultural sector, these interventions distort supply chains, destroy downstream manufacturing jobs, and insulate domestic producers from the competitive realities of the global market. It is a textbook institutional design failure: an artificial regime that enriches a favored few while forcing consumers and the broader economy to foot the structural bill.” (09/30/26)

https://www.fff.org/explore-freedom/article/the-great-sugar-racket-part-1/

Time to Pass the Free Speech Attorney’s Fee Legislation

Source: Jonathan Turley
by Jonathan Turley

“A newly proposed bill in Congress could make a meaningful difference in the fight to restore free speech protections in higher education. The Restoring Civil Rights Attorney’s Fees Act of 2026 would address a practical problem for civil rights and free speech groups suing public universities for the denial of free speech. When universities lose at the preliminary injunction stage, advocates cannot recoup costs and fees. The bill would allow that recovery and, as a result, level the playing field with universities, which can tap public funds to litigate these cases. We have discussed many cases where universities spend millions in public funds to support anti-free speech policies and actions. A relatively small group of public interest groups have waged these battles with a collection of individual attorneys.” (09/30/26)

https://jonathanturley.org/2026/09/30/protecting-the-indispensable-right-it-is-time-to-pass-the-free-speech-attorneys-fee-legislation/

UK: Man City guilty of ‘sham’ sponsorship deals after decade of English soccer dominance

Source: CNBC

“English soccer club Manchester City has been found guilty of breaking financial rules, throwing the fate of one of the sport’s most successful teams into jeopardy. An independent commission, charged to investigate 115 charges, found the soccer club arranged what it described as ‘sham’ accounts with several commercial partners to hide an additional funding stream of around $1 billion. The club has repeatedly topped English’s soccer’s top division, the Premier League, since being acquired by the private investment vehicle of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE deputy prime minister and a member of the royal family in Abu Dhabi, in 2008.” (09/30/26)

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/30/manchester-city-guilty-premier-league-financial-rules.html

TN: State killing of prisoner halted, shortly before it was due to happen

Source: BBC News [UK state media]

“The execution of US murderer Christa Pike has been halted, just over an hour before it was due to happen. Pike, 50, has been awaiting execution since she was convicted and sentenced to death in 1996 for the murder of Colleen Slemmer. In their ruling on Wednesday, judges from the Sixth Circuit Appeals court said they needed more time to consider the arguments in Pike’s case. It is unclear how long the pause will last. This latest ruling comes after the Supreme Court denied a reprieve and the Tennessee governor declined to grant Pike’s request for clemency earlier this week. Her lawyers said that for years, the state of Tennessee argued in court that Pike had lied about being sexually abused as a child. But at a recent hearing about her execution method, the State said it does not dispute she suffered sexual abuse and rape.” (09/30/26)

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cw20vxxn876no