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ASSANGE WATCH: Just Security: L’Affaire d’Assange: Why His Extradition May Be Blocked. "...the US-UK extradition treaty may strictly prohibit it." [Ed: a must read.] From Consortium News: Video Emerges of Assange in Belmarsh: Watch the Webcast. [Ed: Includes link to the video. I do not know the video's date but Gateway Pundit says the recently released photos were taken before he went to hospital.] From Paul Craig Roberts: When the Journalists Ganged Up on Assange They Ganged Up on Themselves. From Caitlin Johnstone: My Speech On Assange’s Persecution For “Whistle-blowing, Wikileaks & the Future of Democracy”

From Politico: Koch network floats backing Democrats in revamp of influence operation.

From Zero Hedge: Watch: World's First Raspberry-Picking Robot Completes Field Tasks. [Ed: text as well. An amazing feat of engineering. The robot can actually detect ripe fruit.]

From CNBC: Facebook will reportedly announce cryptocurrency this month, allowing employees to take it as salary

From the Rutherford Institute: You're Under Arrest: How The Police State Muzzles Our Right To Speak Truth To Power. [Ed: by John Whitehead.]

From the Onion: Media Urged Not To Release Names Of Any More Presidential Candidates In Effort To Prevent Copycats. "Warning that the promise of publicity and notoriety is often exactly what motivates a run for the White House in the first place, media ethics groups called on news outlets Thursday to stop releasing the names of presidential candidates, part of an effort to stem the tide of copycats." [Ed: hat tip to Brad who comments, This is funny on multiple levels; I like the implicit parallel between politicians and mass killers.]

From the Verge: Google must face lawsuit alleging hiring bias against conservatives, judge rules. "Suit is set to enter discovery."

From the Washington Examiner: Empty words: Why Pelosi is suddenly saying she wants Trump ‘in prison’ [Ed: absolutely correct analysis.]

From the Volokh Conspiracy: May the House of Representatives Appeal Dismissal of Criminal Charges, When the Justice Department Doesn't Appeal?

From Ars Technica: Measles cases hit 1,001 as anti-vaxxers hold another rally of disinformation. [Ed: old diseases are coming back with the decline of vaccinations, sanitation systems, etc.]

From Bloomberg: African Swine Fever Is Spreading Fast and Eliminating It Will Take Decades. [Ed: pork will become increasingly expensive.]

From Axios: Too much money (and too few places to invest it) “A truly bizarre trend is having an impact on the economy — wealthy people and corporations have so much money they literally don’t know what to do with it.”

From Digg: The Nuns Who Stole Half A Million From A Catholic School, And More Of The Week's Best Scam Stories.

From Zero Hedge: Two Former Republican Lawmakers Found Shot Dead At Home In Same Week. [Ed: former state Senators. I don't know what to say about this coincidence. I am just noting it.]

From Watts Up With That?: Glacier National Park Quietly Removes Its ‘Gone by 2020’ Signs. From Twitchy: ‘Skeptical Environmentalist’ Bjorn Lomborg sets fire to the scourge of ‘unbridled climate alarmism’ [Ed: his new book sounds incredible.] From the Daily Caller: EPA Reassigns Top Bureaucrat Critics See As Key Resistor Of Trump’s Agenda.

From Reason: David Bergland. R.I.P. "David Bergland, the Libertarian Party's 1984 presidential candidate, died last week at age 83 of prostate cancer." I knew David casually, and I liked what I saw of the man. He and I were at opposite extremes on the propriety of electoral politics. He was the 1984 Presidential candidate for the LP; I co-founded the modern Voluntaryist movement in 1982. But anyone who met him recognized that he was a thoroughly good man.

ASSANGE UPDATE: From Gateway Pundit: ‘He needs his story told’: Inmate releases pictures of visibly skeletal Assange inside jail. From the World Socialist Web Site: WikiLeaks warns US Justice Department preparing more charges against Assange. [Ed: based on the testimony of a convicted fraud.] From Urdu Point:Hearing On Assange Extradition To US Rescheduled From June 12 To June 14 - WikiLeaks. From South China Morning Post: WikiLeaks whistle-blower Chelsea Manning's senate bid branded a publicity stunt.

From Zero Hedge: Trump: Deal Reached With Mexico "To Stem The Tide Of Migration", Tariffs Suspended

From the Gateway Pundit: Investigation Into Ilhan Omar Reveals Alleged Fraudulent Tax Returns Linked to Marriage to Her Brother From Fox9: Rep. Ilhan Omar ordered to pay fine for campaign finance violation.

From Space News: Little legal recourse for astronomers concerned about Starlink. [Ed: a must see photo.]

From the Guardian: Huawei Signs Contract To Build 5G Network In Russia. Huawei’s Chairman Guo Ping said he was "very happy" with the agreement "in an area of strategic importance like 5G."

From Zero Hedge: The Most 'Believed' "Conspiracy Theories" In America. ...the most commonly believed conspiracy theories among U.S. adults is that Lee Harvey Oswald did not act alone in the assassination of JFK... [Ed: just fun. I subscribe to 3 of the 8 conspiracy theories.]

From KMOV: Bloodhound K9 reports for duty in Jefferson County (April 5) and : Fenton man found alive by canine unit 2 days after being swept away by floodwaters (May 31). [Ed: hat tip to Brad who comments, It didn't take long for this dog to earn his keep.]

From the Organic Prepper: Daisy Luther: 10 Kinds Of Americans Who Are Ruining Our Country

From RT: "In Gold We Trust": Waning Confidence In US Sends World's Central Banks On Buying Spree. “The reign of the dollar must end...This whip that the Americans use in the form of the dollar would then, to a great extent, not have such a serious impact on the global financial system.”

From Bloomberg: Americans May Be Strapped, But the Go-To Statistic Is False. "It is a myth that a large share of people can’t cover a $400 emergency expense. Why does the story persist?"

From the Daily Bell: Don’t forget the “Galt’s Gulch Tactic.” Shrug-off the government. It’s not your duty to prop up a corrupt and immoral system. In fact, it might be your duty to deny it your support.

That was the main message of Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged (although it took her about 23,000 times as many words to say it).

From Zero Hedge: "Elon Musk Is A Charlatan": Fund Manager Slams Tesla On CNBC, Says Company Will Have To Restructure. "Elon Musk is not a genius, he's not a visionary. He's a charlatan, he's a carnival barker."

From KTTH: Rantz: Local libertarian high schooler left out of yearbook, but Karl Marx appears. [Ed: I don't know the reason behind this phenom but the story is interesting.]

From the Gateway Pundit: JOHN SOLOMON BOMBSHELL: Key Figure That Mueller Report Linked to Russia Was Actually a State Department Intel Source. [Ed: john Solomon of the Hill.]

ASSANGE WATCH: From the L.A. Times: Julian Assange, Bryan Carmody and the increasingly fraught world of journalism [Ed: the comparatively obscure case of Carmody, a journalist in SF, has parallels in its details and possible impact.] From Consortium News: After Assange’s Espionage Act Indictment, Police Move Against More Journalists for Publishing Classified Material From Alternet: Julian Assange might be a ‘villain’ and a ‘spoiled brat’ — but he’s also a journalist. [Ed: I wish people would eschew personal attacks on Assange. Character flaws--even if accurately reported--are not what is important here.] From Tass: Assange case glaring example of Western double standards, diplomat says From Lew Rockwell: “The Quality of Mercy” [Ed: a must read on Assange's health and his treatment.]

From Zero Hedge: CNN Panel Slams 'Arrogant, Lazy Biden' Over Latest Example Of Plagiarism. From Vice: 2020 Democrats Are Literally Begging For $1 On Facebook: “Can You Chip In?” "The new Democratic debate rules have made “Chip in” the unofficial, decidedly thirsty rallying cry for several campaigns desperate to make the cut. The resulting fight for small donors has helped Facebook rake in more than $1 million each week from the sprawling Democratic field, according to company figures....But here’s the rub: Longshot candidates may need to spend more on Facebook ads and other digital outreach than donors actually give to their campaigns."

From the Rutherford Institute: You’re Under Arrest: How the Police State Muzzles Our Right to Speak Truth to Power. [Ed: by John Whitehead.]

From Axios: Poll: Americans view fake news as a bigger problem than terrorism.

From Politico: Pelosi tells Dems she wants to see Trump ‘in prison’. "She also clashed with Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, who pressed her to begin impeachment proceedings." From the Gateway Pundit: Speaker Pelosi Tells Democrats She Wants to See President Trump “In Prison” [Ed: impeachment for beating Hillary is no longer good enough? The first article is rich in detail. The second is commentary]

From AFP: Mexico blocks new caravan of Central American migrants. [Ed: a hopeful sign for the rattling of tariff sabres to stop.]

From Antiwar.com: The American Cult of Bombing and Endless War.

From Zero Hedge: From Zero Hedge: Mexico Freezes Human Traffickers' Bank Accounts, Sends National Guard To Border Amid 'Very Good Discussion.' Mexico to build more migrant detention centers, allow US to drop people back over the border. [Ed: will it be enough to prevent the tariff on Monday? Trump also demanded "safe third country" status of Mexico.]

From Metro: The sun has ‘reached solar minimum’ and its surface is ominously calm. [Ed: for Brad.]

From the Asia Times: Why Trump Now Wants Talks With Iran. If Tehran blocks the Strait of Hormuz it could send the price of oil soaring and cause a global recession.

From Sputnik News: China Moves One Step Closer to Cyborg Future With New Mind-Reading Chip. "... a chip known as the Brain Talker, with the device said to be capable of reading human brainwave activity and efficiently translating it to enable users to control a computer." From the Wall Street Journal: Hackers May Soon Be Able to Tell What You’re Typing—Just By Hearing You Type. Research suggests that sound waves from typing on a phone can be intercepted and decoded. [Ed: user friendly.]

From SHTF: Democrats Want The Post Office To Handle All Your Banking Needs

From the Future of Freedom Foundation: Would Trump’s Impeachment Lead to Freedom? [Ed: Jacob Hornberger says "no."]

From the Gateway Pundit: RAND PAUL RIPS DEEP STATE: “I Was Sitting in White House” When Trump Revoked Brennan Security Clearance — And He Still Has It! (VIDEO)

"Weird Brad" here. While driving this week, I've been enjoying a free trial of Sirius XM radio. And -- finally! -- someone played the perfect song for Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (a.k.a. "Occasional Cortex"). Don't believe me? Click the links.




[ Read the rest ... ]

I miss the Old Left. I disagreed with them on all-things economic and many other issues. But, at least, you could count on two things: they let you say anything and they stood up against war. The New Left wants to silence anyone with whom they disagree and they don't seem to care much about war. YouTube of John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band: Give Peace a Chance.

ASSANGE WATCH: Below is the image of a letter sent to Assange in prison; it can serve as a model. Write Julian. From Popular Resistance: Chelsea Manning’s Resistance Is Aimed At Abolishing The Grand Jury Once And For All. .pdf to Manning's letter to the judge included. From World Socialist Web Site: Australian Federal Police raid journalists over exposures of government spying, war crimes. [Ed: ABC News raided for publishing leaked military material as Assange did.] From Ghion: Now That the Media is Turning in Assange’s Favor, There’s a Chance to Free Him. From the Star: U.S. government’s moves against Julian Assange are a blueprint for making journalists into felons [Ed: a must read by Glenn Greenwald.]


From Fast Company: That major Google outage meant some Nest users couldn’t unlock doors or use the AC. [Ed: hat tip to Brad who comments, This is another example of why I don't want an "Internet of Things." Give me a "dumb" door lock and thermostat any day.]

From CBS Denver: Commerce City Becomes Second Amendment Sanctuary City. [Ed: in Colorado.]

From Unherd: The UK town that should shame our politicians. [Ed: this town's story explains the drive toward Brexit.]

From Indiegogo: FBI Lovebirds: Undercover. "The play/film exposes how top FBI operatives tried to destroy President Trump's campaign and his presidency by starting the "Russia Collusion" investigation. This play will be filmed before a live audience in Washington DC and then released online for the world to see." [Ed: Strzok and Page. Not from the Onion.] From the Washington Examiner: Democrats plan Capitol Hill event to put Trump’s mental health under fire. “It no longer takes a mental health professional to recognize the seriousness of the current presidency.” [Ed: a boneheaded move.] From Politico: Dems won’t impeach Trump but can’t stop talking about it.

From Moon of Alabama: Tian An Men Square - What Really Happened. [Ed: a must read.]

From Nature: Ebola cases pass 2,000 as crisis escalates. Cases have doubled in just over two months in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. [Ed: attacks on clinics and health workers persist.]

From The Ron Paul Institute for Peace & Prosperity: Princeton Russia Expert Stephen Cohen Asks: How Did Russiagate Begin? From Gateway Pundit: Clinton-Appointed Judge Reverses Course, Covers For Deep State – Will Keep Flynn-Kislyak Transcripts Hidden From Public. "The government is most likely hiding the truth about Flynn’s calls with Kislyak which is why they are fiercely fighting to keep them concealed."

From Reuters: Mexico draws red line on asylum as Trump tariff risk rises From AP News: Trump-GOP split: Senators loudly oppose Mexico tariff threat

From the Associated Press: San Francisco to Start Forced Treatment for Some Addicts. Controversial proposal passes 10-1. [Ed: 10-1 does not sound controversial to me.]

From Reason: The European Union May Order Facebook to Stop You From Calling Austrian Politicians 'Corrupt Oafs'. Censorship inevitably ends up being used to protect the powerful from criticism.

From Business Insider: Facebook shareholder revolt gets bloody: Powerless investors vote overwhelmingly to oust Mark Zuckerberg as chairman. "Proposals did not pass because of Zuckerberg's voting control of the stock, which means he can swat away shareholder demands."

From End of the American Dream: Due To Cataclysmic Flooding, Millions Of Acres Of US Farmland Will Not Be Planted With Crops This Year. [Ed: expect food prices to spike.]

From the Federalist: Why The Man Who Stood Before Tanks In Tiananmen Square Was A Hero "We often romanticize heroes, believing a hero must have an outsized personality and always knows what the right thing to do is at the moment of crisis. Some heroes probably are like that. But others are like Tank Man—they led ordinary lives and, under normal circumstances, they would easily disappear into a crowd. Yet when encountering something evil, rather than capitulating or retreating, they stepped forward to take a stand, to stare the evil power."

From Zero Hedge: CNN, Maddow Ratings In Absolute Freefall After Russia Narrative Collapses

From Bloomberg: Venezuela Defaults on Gold Swap With Deutsche Bank. From the New Yorker: Venezuela’s Two Presidents Collide. Juan Guaidó’s uprising, backed by the U.S., failed to depose Nicolás Maduro—but his supporters remain loyal. Will the country’s divisions lead to an international crisis?

Balto is one of the biggest dog heroes in history. In the early 1920s, a deadly infection called diphtheria broke out around Nome, Alaska. Life-saving medication was more than 500 miles away in Anchorage, so a team of mushers along their huskies (including Balto), braced the hazardous conditions of the freezing Alaskan wilderness to retrieve the serum.

Today is D-Day, but I prefer to honor an event that tragically ended 30 years ago as of yesterday. The 1989 Tiananmen Square protests came to a brutal end on June 4 through violent suppression by the Chinese government. China is still so threatened by Tiananmen's ghosts that all reference to it there has gone down an Orwellian memory hole. It is for others to keep the history real. And, no, I do not mistake the protests for libertarian. But they were populist and could have been a beginning. I circulate this instead of D-Day images. The first image reads,

My Mediterranean Chili Recipe ...Brad's 2nd favorite tho', God knows, the man is fickle. Happily, only when it comes to food.

1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, minced
3 lbs. ground beef
1 12oz. tomato paste
2 tbsp. minced garlic
1 1/2 ox ground cumin
2 oz. chili powder
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
salt to taste
2 tbsp basil
2 tbsp oregano
2 cans drained chopped tomatoes
1/4 burgundy wine...hold rest in reserve
Squirt of lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh dill chopped...but I use the dried and make it less
1/4 cup fresh parsley...ditto
2 can black or green olives chopped
2 cans kidney beans (optional)

Cook onions and garlic 'til transparent in olive oil. Crumble meats, add, drain. Lower heat and add everything else but olives. Simmer as long as you wish. Longer is better. 15 minutes before serving, put in olives.

ASSANGE UPDATE: From the Ron Paul Institute: Hey Trump: Remember Wikileaks? From the Daily Journal: Manning renews effort to be released from Virginia jail From 21st Century: No Time to Wait: We Must Act Now to Save Julian Assange.


From Zero Hedge: Aussie Feds Raid News Corp Journalist's Home After Government Spying Exposé. "Smethurst's article revealed that the emails, bank accounts and text messages of Australian citizens could be secretly accessed by government spies without a trace under the proposal."

From Activist Post: 32 Tips For Navigating A Society That Is Full Of Propaganda And Manipulation [Ed: by the excellent Caitlin Johnstone. A must read.]

From the Gateway Pundit: Sean Hannity: According to Sources the Horowitz IG Report Was Handed Over to AG Bill Barr — May Be Released this Week. [Ed: not a fan of Hannity, but he seems to be well connected with reliable news sources.] From Politico: House Dems set contempt vote against Barr and McGahn. The move comes as a growing number of Democrats want to impeach the president. From the Washington Examiner: Democrats summon Nixon aide-turned-Trump critic John Dean to testify on [Ed: he is said to be the first one slated to testify in the new round of hearings.]

From Of Two Minds Blog: A Quiet Revolution Is Brewing. [Ed: quite plausible analysis.]

From Moon of Alabama: Trump Meets British Humor. From the Sun: Cast off EU ‘shackles’ and you’ll get bumper trade deal, Donald Trump tells UK on state visit. From the Guardian: Donald Trump to land in UK amid rising anger over trade demands. [Ed: the Brits are not going to like talk of the NHS being "on the table."]

From Duino Schiappapietra: Gold To Nothing: How 1971 Changed Everything In The Economy "Since 1971 the world runs on FIAT currencies that are not gold-backed in any way. This changes everything." [Ed: good overview.] From Kunstler: The Zeitgeist Knows.

From the Hill: Judge rejects House Democrats' attempt to block Trump use of military funds for border wall. From the Volokh Conspiracy: Federal Judge Dismisses House of Representatives Border Wall Lawsuit for Lack of Standing. The decision does not reach the merits of President Trump's attempt to divert military funds to build his border wall.

From the Free Thought Project: Congress Proposes Legislation to Screen Adults and Children to Predict if You Pose a Threat. "An Orwellian bill is gaining traction in Congress which would rate American citizens to allow law enforcement to assign you a threat assessment level."

From National Review: The Right’s Grifter Problem "Back in 2014, Politico researched 33 political action committees that claimed to be affiliated with the Tea Party and courted small donors with email and direct-mail appeals and found that they “raised $43 million — 74 percent of which came from small donors. The PACs spent only $3 million on ads and contributions to boost the long-shot candidates often touted in the appeals, compared to $39.5 million on operating expenses, including $6 million to firms owned or managed by the operatives who run the PACs.” [Ed: a grifter is a con man. Hat tip to Brad.]

From Security Discovery: Mysterious Chinese Dating Apps Targeting US Customers Expose 42.5 Million Records Online. "On May 25th, security researcher Jeremiah Fowler discovered an unsecured Elastic database associated with an entity in China had exposed 42.5 million records of mostly American dating app users."

From SHTF Plan: Catholic Church Jumps Head First Into Blockchain Technology And Cryptocurrency [Ed: it is God's form of money?]

From the Western Journal: Just as Biden Soars Past Other 2020 Candidates, Unearthed ‘Negro’ Speech Threatens To Shut Him Down. [Ed: I don't think this will shut him down, but it is not good news for Biden.]

From Watts Up With That?: Renewables in Retreat? Ohio Democrats Vote to Support Nuclear and Coal Power.

From the Organic Prepper: Darwin Weeps: Warning Labels And Technology Render The Survival Mindset Obsolete.

ASSANGE UPDATE: From CBC: Swedish bid to extradite Julian Assange is dealt setback. From the World Socialist Web Site: Britain and Australia dismiss UN report that Assange has been tortured. From Hot Air: Sounds like Julian Assange’s future is coming into focus From the New York Daily News: UK’s top diplomat says he wouldn’t block Assange extradition

From Market Watch: Forget retirement — focus on financial independence

From Zero Hedge: Did The Government Just Test The Internet Kill Switch? [Ed: a must read. Because something sure happened.]

From the Activist Post: Amazon Installing Alexa in Apartments and Hotel Rooms. They Say 24/7 Data Collection Will Help Property Managers Better Manage and Serve Tenants. “Offering discounted hardware, customized software and new ways for property managers to harvest and use data.”

From the Federalist: 6 Gun Lies (And One Truth) Obama Told In Brazil. "On May 30, former president Barack Obama was a keynote speaker at an event in Brazil."

From the Daily Mail: 'Collapse of a city that's lost control': Shocking new pictures from downtown LA capture the huge problem it faces with trash and rats amid fear of typhoid fever outbreak among LAPD. [Ed: yes, the pictures are shocking.] From the Economic Policy Journal: Solving the Homeless Situation in American Cities. [Ed: a must read.]

From the Strategic Culture Foundation: Jatras: Make No Mistake, Democrats Are 'Shooting To Kill' With Impeachment [Ed: extremely good analysis.] From Liberty Nation: Is Robert Mueller On The Grassy Knoll? "It is possible Mueller will come to regret ever being appointed to investigate the phony collusion allegations..." From Richmond Times-Dispatch: Trump has become the Democrats’ great white whale. [Ed: excellent analysis.] From Jonathan Turley: Mueller’s Lack Of Explanations Raises New Questions of His Motivations On Three Key Decisions. [Ed: Turley is one of my favorite legal commentators.]

From the Gateway Pundit: Former Trump Attorney John Dowd: Entire Report by Mueller is a Fraud – We’re Going to Find More False Statements. "Notice how Mueller leaves out (via edits) the context of the call, and the important qualifier: “without you having to give up any confidential information.” [Ed: contains transcript of exchange distorted by the Mueller Report.]

From the Intercept: Israel Hated American Ban on Sharing Intel for Assassinations, So U.S. Made New Rules. [Ed: from newly released Snowden material. Shows cooperation between the governments re: assassinations.]

From Buzzfeed: The First Public Schools In The US Will Start Using Facial Recognition Next Week. [Ed: make that "this" week.] From SHTF: Orwellian Future: Facial Recognition & Mass Surveillance Is Coming To U.S. Schools

From Awesome Weather Facts: Three Examples That Prove the Media and Politicians Have No Clue What They Are Doing in Climate Science. From Watts Up With That?: Climate Scientists Urge British PM to Pass Zero Emissions Laws Before She Leaves Office

From Reason: Brett Kavanaugh Flunks His First Test as an Originalist. If Kavanaugh is a committed originalist, you would never know it based on his complacent behavior in Timbs v. Indiana.

From Zero Hedge: "The Coalition Has Come To An End": Merkel's Government On Verge Of Collapse After SPD Chief Resigns

From the Washington Examiner: Man 'doxxed' by Daily Beast over fake drunk Pelosi video planning to sue

From the Volokh Conspiracy: Can the House of Representatives Continue a Prosecution That the Executive Branch Has Decided to Drop? An interesting separation of powers question coming in the Female Genital Mutilation statute / Commerce Clause / Religious Freedom Restoration Act / Dawoodi Bohra litigation.