Source: Law & Liberty
by David P Goldman
“Ajoke told often in Budapest says that World War III will be lost by whichever side Hungary is on. Balazs Orban, the political director for Prime Minister Viktor Orban (the two are not related), notes in his new book, Hussar Cut, that the political compromise of 1867 that incorporated Hungary into the Austrian Empire ‘involved the voluntary surrender of our independent foreign policy, so we had no say on whether or not to participate in the first great global military conflagration of the twentieth century.’ Hungary had little choice in the Second World War, either: in 1944 it fell under German occupation, followed by Soviet occupation. Hungary’s national revival is one of the most noteworthy events in the West since the fall of Communism.” (04/17/24)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/hungarys-surprise-attack/
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“So they’re really doing it. The Biden administration is really ignoring Australia’s request to end the case against Julian Assange, and they’re proceeding with their campaign to extradite a journalist for telling the truth about US war crimes. In order to move the extradition case forward, per a British high court ruling US prosecutors needed to provide ‘assurances’ that the US would not seek the death penalty and would not deprive Assange of his human right to free speech because of his nationality. The US provided the assurance against the death penalty (which they’d previously opposed doing), and for the free speech assurance they said only that Assange will be able to ‘raise and seek to rely upon’ US First Amendment rights …. Which is basically just saying ‘I mean, you’re welcome to TRY to have free speech protections?'” (04/17/24)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2024/04/17/assange-extradition-case-moves-forward-while-the-cia-covers-its-tracks/
Source: CBS News
“One year after a brazen gold heist at the Toronto airport, nine suspects have been charged in an investigation police said ‘belongs in a Netflix series.’ In total, 6,600 gold bars weighing over 800 pounds, worth an estimated $20 million, and about $2.5 million in foreign currencies were stolen from Toronto Pearson International Airport in April 2023. At the time, police described the case as ‘very rare.’ Now they call it the largest gold heist in Canadian history. … Five suspects, including an Air Canada employee, were arrested then released with conditions and will appear in court at a later date. A warrant was issued for another man who was also an employee of the airline at the time of the theft. In addition to the warrant for the former employee, two more Canada-wide warrants were issued for those not yet apprehended.” (04/17/24)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/canada-gold-heist-toronto-police-charge-suspects/
Source: Stay Free With Russell Brand
“WARNING: US Approves Israel STRIKES Against Iran!” (04/17/24)
https://rumble.com/v4pypl9-warning-us-approves-israel-strikes-against-iran-stay-free-347.html
Source: CounterPunch
by Chloe Atkinson
“Much to the joy of many of its citizens, and perhaps to the chagrin of a significant number of others, Germany has just decriminalized marijuana. Adults in Germany can now carry up to 25 grams of cannabis for their own consumption and store up to 50 grams at home, as well as keep three plants for home cultivation. Public consumption will be allowed, so long as it is not within sight of children or near sports facilities. … While the move comes with these crucial caveats, it is still a major step for a country that until now avoided stepping into the weed abyss. Across the pond, many Americans are still waiting to gain the freedoms Germans now have and as time passes, more Americans support the move.” (04/17/24)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2024/04/17/americans-want-germanys-weed-laws/
Source: Seattle Times
“An independent monitor will oversee the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn’s handling of sexual abuse allegations under a settlement between the diocese and New York Attorney General Letitia James. The agreement announced Tuesday will address ‘years of mismanaging clergy sexual abuse cases,’ James said. Investigators with the attorney general’s office found that officials with the diocese failed to comply with their own sex abuse policies put in place after the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops adopted the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People in 2002. … As part of the settlement, the diocese has agreed to strengthen its procedures for handling allegations of clergy sexual abuse and misconduct, including publicly posting an explanation of the complaint and investigation process.” (04/17/24)
https://archive.is/tP4UQ
Source: Quillette
“Jean-Luc Godard in Retrospect Part II: Fanaticism and Failure (1966–2022).” (04/16/24)
https://quillette.com/2024/04/16/jean-luc-godard-in-retrospect-part-ii-fanaticism-and-failure-1966-2022/
Source: Hoover Institution
by Michael McFaul
“Putin’s alleged final tally [in the recent election] — 88 percent of the vote! — underscored the farcical nature of the whole event. In the old days, Putin tried to make his election victories look competitive. Last month, he didn’t even try. Public opinion polls in totalitarian dictatorships also reveal little knowledge about actual societal preferences. In a heavily surveilled country where you can go to jail for even uttering the word ‘war,’ there is only one rational response to a call from an unknown poll worker from Moscow asking you if you support Putin and his policies. Yes. We know from previous breakdowns of autocracies that real preferences about dictators are revealed only when it is safe to do. … Yet, even with all these caveats, I still believe that most Russians—actively and passively — support Putin today.” (04/17/24)
https://www.hoover.org/research/imagine-theres-no-putin
Source: Reuters
“U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has indicated to advisers he is keen on a new middle-class tax cut should he return to the White House, two people familiar with the discussions said, an initiative that could appeal to voters but could also worsen America’s yawning budget deficit. Among the ideas that advisers have presented to the former president is a cut to the federal payroll tax, said one of those people, a move that could lower the flow of money into the Social Security and Medicare trust funds and open Trump to criticism from Democrats that he is torpedoing the safety net for elderly Americans. Trump has signaled that he is open to the idea, though he has made no commitments, that person added.” (04/17/24)
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/donald-trump-mulls-middle-class-tax-cut-he-eyes-return-office-2024-04-17/
Source: Orange County Register
by John Whitehead & Nisha Whitehead
“The government wants to play god. It wants the power to decide who lives or dies and whose rights are worthy of protection. Abortion may still be front and center in the power struggle between the Left and the Right over who has the right to decide — the government or the individual — when it comes to bodily autonomy, the right to privacy, sexual freedom, the rights of the unborn, and property interests in one’s body, but there’s so much more at play. In the 50-plus years since the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark ruling in Roe v. Wade, the government has come to believe that it not only has the power to determine who is deserving of constitutional rights in the eyes of the law but it also has the authority to deny those rights to an American citizen.” (04/17/24)
https://www.ocregister.com/2024/04/17/the-government-wants-to-play-god-what-does-that-mean-for-our-freedoms/
