Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
“Occasionally I think one up. Sometimes I discover from commenters that it already exists. Nobody, so far as I know, has taken the idea and run with it, but I can always hope.” (06/14/25)
https://daviddfriedman.substack.com/p/inventions-i-would-like-to-see
Source: Fox News
by Andrew Mark Miller & Alex Miller
“Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse faced immediate blowback on Thursday in response to a social media post where he compared his Democratic colleague’s outburst at a press conference to the work of Civil Rights pioneer and late Congressman John Lewis. Shortly after Sen. Alex Padilla [D-CA] was forcibly removed and handcuffed during a press conference held by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in Los Angeles amid anti-ICE rioting, Sen. Whitehouse posted a photo of the incident alongside a historic photo of Lewis being confronted by police officers after being attacked by a mob at a South Carolina bus station. Lewis was arrested over 40 times during the Civil Rights Movement and was a major figure during many prominent moments of the era, including the Freedom Riders, speaking at the March on Washington and participating in the Selma to Montgomery marches in Alabama.” (06/13/25)
Source: US News & World Report
“China’s military held joint sea and air patrols in the South China Sea on Saturday, a spokesperson for the People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theater Command said. Spokesperson Tian Junli said in a statement on Sunday that the Philippines has courted countries outside the region to organise ‘joint patrols’ and ‘raised security risks’ in the region. ‘The theater command forces remain on high alert, resolutely safeguarding China’s national sovereignty and maritime rights,’ he said, adding that ‘all military activities that seek to stir up trouble in the South China Sea or create flashpoints are fully under control.’ The Philippine embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.” (06/15/25)
Source: Free Talk Live,
“Officially a riot in LA now that there’s looting :: Apple and Addidas stores hit :: Protests spreading to other cities :: Rodney King riot comparisons :: Same playbook as the ‘Summer of Love’ :: Growing up/ being young during SJW culture then Covid then BLM and now this :: DARE Program :: Trump to possibly invoke Insurrection Act :: Deportations are ramping up :: We’re having a great Forkfest :: Why do libertarians move to New Hampshire? :: Are libertarians non-violent? :: The No Kings protests coming on Trump’s birthday :: Israel bombed Iran :: Did the US get involved at all? :: WW3 closer than ever :: Trump’s military parade birthday bash :: 2025-06-14 Hosts: Bonnie, Angelo, Mr.Penguin, Riley, Uber Jorge.” (06/14/25)
Source: The UnPopulist
by Michael G Holzman
“They are meant to get past even bitter disagreements and affirm collective values, not divide and conquer.” (06/13/25)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/trumps-birthday-military-parade-destroys
Source: Common Dreams
by Phyllis Bennis & Khury Petersen-Smith
“Israel’s attack on Iran opens a huge danger: a predictable pattern of escalation ushering in a new phase of the long-standing crises roiling the Middle East region. Certainly Israel has a long history of attacking Iran — bombing raids; assassinations of political and military leaders as well as nuclear scientists; cyberattacks; assaults on Iranian allies in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, and beyond — and Iran has on occasion struck back. But although it is too soon to know exactly how this will play out, this latest assault holds the prospect of full-scale war between the two strongest military forces in the region, one of them backed by the strongest military power in the world.” (06/13/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/stop-israel-attacks-on-iran
Source: Reuters
“British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Saturday he would accept a recommendation for a national inquiry into grooming gangs who sexually abused thousands of girls, having previously resisted calls for a statutory review. Interior minister Yvette Cooper in January asked Louise Casey, a former senior official, to undertake a ‘rapid audit’ of the current scale and nature of gang-based exploitation in Britain. … The child sexual abuse scandal, which revealed how gangs of mostly Pakistani men had groomed, trafficked and raped young white girls more than a decade ago, returned to the political agenda this year after U.S. billionaire Elon Musk criticised the British government.” (06/114/25)
Source: Unattended Baggage
“The only thing better than a military parade is a good riot.” (06/14/25)
https://unattendedbaggage.substack.com/p/episode-297-the-only-thing-better
Source: Quillette
by Matt Johnson
“The post-Cold War democratic wave has receded and the free world now appears to be learning from authoritarian regimes instead of the other way around.” (06/13/25)
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been stripped of his Legion of Honour – the country’s highest distinction – following a conviction for graft, according to a decree published Sunday. The right-wing ex-president ruled France from 2007-2012 and has been beset by legal problems since leaving office following a bruising presidential election defeat. An appeals court last year upheld his conviction for illegal attempts to secure favours from a judge and ordered him to wear an electronic ankle bracelet instead of serving a one-year jail sentence. The decision to revoke his award had since been expected, according to the rules of the order, despite current French President Emmanuel Macron saying he was opposed to the move.” (06/15/25)