Source: CNN
“The United Nations’[s] agency for Palestinian refugees will shutter its East Jerusalem headquarters after the compound was set on fire by ‘Israeli extremists’ while staff were inside, its chief said Thursday. In a statement on social platform X, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said the arson attack was the latest in a series of threats, harassment and violent incidents perpetrated by Israelis against the agency’s staff over the past two months. … Lazzarini posted a video of the compound showing staff trying to extinguish the flames while people chanted outside, and said that a crowd accompanied by armed men were witnessed outside the compound shouting, ‘Burn down the United Nations.’” (05/09/24)
https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/10/middleeast/east-jerusalem-unrwa-fire-intl-hnk/index.html
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp
“I’m not going to argue — here, anyway — over the wisdom of a political party inviting two of its most prominent opponents to use its national convention as a campaign rally location or debate venue. I do, however, want all you voters out there to know three things about this … things that the media coverage seems to either leave unmentioned or gloss over: 1. Donald Trump isn’t a libertarian; 2. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. isn’t a libertarian; and 3. Neither Trump nor Kennedy will be the Libertarian Party’s 2024 presidential nominee.” (05/09/24)
https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/18600
Source: Serious Trouble
“Yo Momma So Dumb She Thought These Trials Were Happening Before The Election.” (05/09/24)
https://www.serioustrouble.show/p/yo-momma-so-dumb-she-thought-these
Source: CNBC
“Ukraine attacked an oil refinery in Russia’s Kaluga region in the early hours of Friday, setting the facility on fire, according to Russian media reports. Several explosions were heard in the Dzerzhinsky district of the Kaluga region, which borders the broader Moscow region, The Moscow Times reported, citing Russian Telegram channel SHOT. … Separately, two people were injured and residential houses were set ablaze as a result of a Russian attack on Ukraine’s Kharkiv in the early hours of Friday, according to the city’s regional governor. Ukraine’s armed forces said Friday that they destroyed all 10 drones as Russia launched an overnight assault.” (05/10/24)
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/10/ukraine-war-live-updates-latest-news-on-russia-and-the-war-in-ukraine.html
Source: The Hill
by Christopher Ferguson
“This year, my home state of Florida joined several other states in banning youth access to social media. … The bans (as well as multiple lawsuits) are predicated on the belief that using social media causes mental health harm to youth. But the outcomes of these cases may hinge upon the research evidence. Many parents and policymakers view the belief that social media use is harmful for youth to be common sense. However, many people thought the same about action video games causing school shootings (they don’t), or 1980s rock music causing Satanism and suicide (nope), or 1950s comic books causing delinquency and homosexuality (they didn’t). This is a phenomenon known as moral panic; new media or technology touches off an extreme fear reaction by older generations, including policymakers.” (05/09/24)
https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/4653625-the-new-moral-panic-social-media-mental-health-state-bans/
Source: Reuters
“U.S. President Joe Biden is set to announce new China tariffs as soon as next week targeting strategic sectors including electric vehicles, according to two people familiar with the matter. The full announcement, which could take place as soon as Tuesday, is expected to largely maintain existing levies, according to one of the people. An announcement could also be pushed back, the person said. Specific sectors were also set to include semiconductors and solar equipment, according to one of the people.” (05/10/24)
https://www.reuters.com/business/us-set-impose-tariffs-china-evs-certain-strategic-sectors-bloomberg-reports-2024-05-10/
Source: Semafor
by David Weigel
“FreedomWorks, a libertarian political organization that became a major player in the Tea Party movement, is shutting down after its fundraising swooned and a moderate re-brand didn’t take. … Founded in 2004, spun off from the Koch-funded group Citizens for a Sound Economy, FreedomWorks was one of the first right-leaning groups to organize conservative grassroots opposition to the Obama administration in 2009. … The end of FreedomWorks comes a few months after Americans for Prosperity — the other libertarian group created by the 2004 split — abandoned its effort to beat Donald Trump in the GOP presidential primary. Neither organization was part of the Republican Party per se. But their retreats confirmed one of the biggest Trump-led changes in the party: The victory of right-wing populism over big-tent libertarianism.” (05/08/24)
https://www.semafor.com/article/05/08/2024/freedomworks-collapse-marks-the-end-of-the-tea-party-era
Source: Deutsche Welle [German state media]
“Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday proposed the reappointment of Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, the parliamentary speaker has said, with a vote due the same day in the Duma on the choice. … The announcement comes following the legally mandatory resignation of the government ahead of a new presidential term. However, there are no indications that Putin plans any large-scale reshuffle of his government, with observers saying he is likely to want to create a feeling of stability in a country that is under pressure amid its invasion of Ukraine.” (05/10/24)
https://www.dw.com/en/russia-putin-picks-mishustin-to-stay-on-as-prime-minister/a-69040814
Source: Liberal Current
by Bill Glod
“Many historical and contemporary liberal views argue that coercive political and legal institutions should face a high burden of justification. Because of a presumption in favor of individual liberty, these institutions should not be mechanisms for imposing sectarian views about how the social and political world ought to be for everyone. Rather, they should reflect what (almost) everyone has reason to endorse, whatever their other normative commitments. These include: securing conditions for peaceful interaction, dispute resolution (e.g., conflicts over competing property rights claims), finding coordination points (e.g, contractual boilerplate or traffic regulations), and providing social resources adequate for being recognized as a free and equal member of moral communities. These institutions comprise what I will call a ‘liberal framework’ tasked with protecting basic rights and freedoms such as conscience, association, and property.” (05/09/24)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/why-almost-everyone-can-endorse-a-liberal-framework/
Source: The Fifth Column
“A Conspiracy So Vast (w/ Jacob Siegel).” (05/09/24)
https://wethefifth.substack.com/p/454-a-conspiracy-so-vast-w-jacob
