When it comes to politics, are any of us really thinking for ourselves?

Source: Niskanen Center
by Neil Gross

“If you’re trying to guess whether people are Republicans or Democrats, knowing a few basic facts about them will take you a long way. What’s their race and gender? How far did they get in school? What part of the country do they live in and is their community urban, suburban or rural? … Although there are certainly people whose politics defy generalization, the underlying demographic tendencies are powerful predictors of belief …. But this raises an important question. If our political views and behavior can be so easily predicted by characteristics like race (over which we have no control) or by factors like education (where our choices may be highly constrained by other things such as the social class of our parents), then when it comes to politics, are any of us really thinking for ourselves?” (03/27/24)

https://www.niskanencenter.org/op-ed-when-it-comes-to-politics-are-any-of-us-really-thinking-for-ourselves/

Trump Lawfare: The Next Stage Begins

Source: Town Hall
by Byron York

“Donald Trump was first indicted nearly a year ago, on April 4, 2023, when Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced charges against the former president over a nondisclosure agreement Trump used to buy the silence of porn actress Stormy Daniels, with whom he had apparently had a brief sexual encounter. Bragg, an elected Democrat, won office by promising to go after Trump, and go after Trump he did. Resurrecting an allegation that more responsible law enforcement agencies had declined to prosecute, Bragg came up with 34 felony counts against Trump, each of which carried a maximum sentence of four years in prison, which theoretically would result in 134 years behind bars for the former president. On Monday, Judge Juan Merchan announced that the trial will begin April 15. The indictment was weak in a variety of ways.” (03/27/24)

https://townhall.com/columnists/byronyork/2024/03/27/trump-lawfare-the-next-stage-begins-n2637007

Capitol riot defendant freed as SCOTUS takes up case

Source: Newsweek

“Aman convicted of charges related to the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol is getting out of jail early due to the Supreme Court taking up a case that may affect the sentences of hundreds of defendants. Kevin Seefried, a man from Laurel, Delaware, was sentenced to three years in prison for a felony conviction of obstruction of an official proceeding, as well as 12 months and six months for misdemeanor charges. … That obstruction charge is at the center of a case picked up by the Supreme Court. That case, Fischer v. United States, challenges the DOJ’s use of the ‘obstruction of an official proceeding’ charge …. After the Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments in the case, some defendants filed for release pending the final ruling. On Tuesday, Judge Trevor McFadden ruled that Seefried can be released from his prison sentence awaiting the court’s decision.” (03/27/24)

https://www.newsweek.com/supreme-court-january-6-defendant-kevin-seefried-1884037

Haiti Must Liberate Itself, Again

Source: Foreign Policy
by Howard W French

“What makes Haiti’s situation so special today is the way that all of its past failures seem to be recurring at once, in symphonic tragedy or grand mashup. There is no president (The last one, Jovenel Moise, was murdered in 2021.). The acting prime minister, Ariel Henry, has been effectively exiled. There is no parliament. There is no army. There is barely a police force. And there is virtually no economy, save for a lucrative traffic in narcotics from South America, for which the country has long served as a wide-open trans-shipment base. Gangs rule the streets, but they provide no structure or order …. This had all led to the return of a recurrent and hard-to-resolve debate. Should the outside world intervene, and if so, what form should this take?” (03/27/24)

https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/03/27/haiti-ariel-henry-moise-gangs-liberate-itself-again/

Big Agriculture’s Protectionism Targets the Amish

Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by David Brady, Jr.

“Amos Miller is an Amish farmer in Pennsylvania who has become a thorn in the side of the State of Pennsylvania and the federal government for his selling of raw milk and other unregulated products. Miller first came to the attention of the Food and Drug Administration in 2016 when they claimed his milk was linked to several cases of listeria bacteria causing listeriosis in individuals who drank raw milk. Their dispute continued until 2023, when Miller was forced to pay out $30,000 and continue to pay out $305,000 in fees levied by a judge following federal lawsuits. Conflict has resumed as the Pennsylvania attorney general announced it would be suing Miller to halt his production.” (03/27/24)

https://mises.org/mises-wire/big-agricultures-protectionism-targets-amish

Empire Slowly Suffocates Assange, Like It Does To All Its Enemies

Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone

“The British High Court has ruled that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange may potentially get a final appeal against extradition to the United States, but only within a very limited scope and only if specific conditions are met. The court ruled that Assange may appeal only on the grounds that his freedom of speech might be restricted in the US, and that there is a possibility he could receive the death penalty. … Absurdly, the court determined that Assange’s lawyers may not argue against extradition on matters as self-evidently critical as the fact that the CIA plotted to assassinate him, or on the basis that he is being politically persecuted for the crime of inconvenient journalism.” (03/27/24)

https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2024/03/27/the-empire-slowly-suffocates-assange-like-it-slowly-suffocates-all-its-enemies/

Federal appeals court keeps Texas immigration abduction scheme temporarily blocked

Source: Politico

“Texas still cannot temporarily enforce a controversial new law that would authorize police to arrest and detain migrants suspected of illegally [sic] crossing the border from Mexico, a federal appeals court ruled late Tuesday. The panel split, 2-1, on the decision for Texas’[s] request for a stay of a U.S. district judge’s preliminary injunction of the law pending appeal. Chief Judge Priscilla Richman, an appointee of former President George W. Bush, and Judge Irma Ramirez, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, joined in the order Tuesday night ruling against Texas’[s] request. Richman wrote for the majority that it is the president’s role ‘to decide whether, and if so, how to pursue noncitizens illegally [sic] present in the United States.’ Judge Andrew Oldham, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, dissented.” (03/27/24)

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/27/texas-sb4-immigration-law-00149276

European flying car technology sold to China

Source: BBC News [UK state media]

“The tech behind a flying car, originally developed and successfully test-flown in Europe, has been bought by a Chinese firm. Powered by a BMW engine and normal fuel, the AirCar flew for 35 minutes between two Slovakian airports in 2021, using runways for take-off and landing. It took just over two minutes to transform from a car into an aircraft. Now vehicles made based on its design will be used within a ‘specific geographical region’ of China. Hebei Jianxin Flying Car Technology Company, headquartered in Cangzhou, has purchased exclusive rights to manufacture and use AirCar aircraft inside an undisclosed area. The firm has built its own airport and flight school after a previous acquisition from another Slovak aircraft manufacturer, said Anton Zajac, cofounder of KleinVision, the company which created AirCar. Having led the way in the development of the EV revolution, China is now actively developing flying transport solutions.” (03/27/24)

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-68669296