US officials say Finland and Sweden are poised to apply for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. NATO is prepared to grant the two Nordic states rapid entrance into the alliance, a move Russia views as “geared towards confrontation.”
Sessions
Lunatic With a Plan: Erdogan and Turkey’s Economic Woes
Since the first assault on Turkey’s finances in 2018, which I wrote about multiple times (here, here, and here), I’ve been the lone voice telling everyone that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a lunatic but he’s a lunatic with a plan. That plan is to de-dollarize the economy of a valuable member of NATO geostrategically. Since the first shots across the bow by the Trump administration at Erdogan’s toying with those powers east of the Bosporus (Russia, China and Iran) the Turkish lira has been the primary mode of attack against Erdogan. Erdogan has pursued what has been deemed unorthodox...
I’m Sorry, But Most Don’t Have Access to Private Protection Services
Many may not want to hear this but if local or state police in certain cities aren't willing to protect life and private property (I know, I know, my first podcast episode detailed Warren vs. District of Columbia), they will beg for Trump to send in federal forces and this will open the door for even more overreach or even a federal police force. Some may ask whether that's Constitutional. At this point, does it matter to the power elite? And can you blame the average citizen? They have been thrust into a situation where not only can their possessions and wealth be destroyed, but their...
Totalitarian Police State
Reason: When Teachers Call the Cops on Parents Whose Kids Skip Their Zoom Classes If there's one thing the public school system shouldn't be doing right now, it's making life even more hellishly difficult for parents. And yet many teachers in the state of Massachusetts are contacting the authorities to report parents for suspected child abuse when kids fail to show up for Zoom classes. "Massachusetts school officials have reported dozens of families to state social workers for possible neglect charges because of issues related to their children's participation in remote learning classes...
Jerkin’ Yer Chain
From this cool article about interrogation techniques and false confessions: In just three one-hour sessions, Shaw was able to convince 21 of her 30 college-age subjects that they’d committed a crime when they were around 12 years old — assaulted another child with a weapon, for instance — and had a run-in with the police as a result. She supplied details that were recognizable to the subjects — the location where the assault supposedly happened, who the other child was — drawn from information their parents provided in a questionnaire. Shaw tells me she designed her study to mimic the...
News Roundup 7/16/20
US News Joe Biden says he is open to getting rid of the Senate filibuster. [Link] Tommy Tuberville beats Jeff Sessions in the Alabama Republican Senate primary. [Link] Trump announces the arrest of several MS-13 gang members. One member was charged with terrorism-related offensives. [Link] The Federal government executed a man for the first time in 17 years. [Link] Banks are set to make $18 billion processing the small business stimulus loans. [Link] The federal deficit in June was only smaller than the total deficit in five years. [Link] Foreign Policy The CIA has conducted a series of...
The Very Worst Joe Biden Clip of All by Far
I'm not sure why this one doesn't get more attention, especially by good haters -- maybe it's just because it's too disgusting to look at or have to remember. The little girl in the black and red dress knows what he is doing to her as his hand moves from her shoulder to her chest. She raises her elbow in defense and steps forward and to the left. As the Twitterer below puts it, "in front of her entire family." https://twitter.com/RAMRANTS/status/930066633661464576 Shoot, this one is almost as bad. https://twitter.com/RAMRANTS/status/930071642784514048 The entire thread is absolutely...
Lyft’s Job Access Program Shows How the Market Provides Help Government Can’t
A new initiative launched by Lyft is helping people in low-income communities find jobs, highlighting the main difference between private and government-backed charity. The Jobs Access Program, a partnership between the ride-share company and other organizations such as the charitable group United Way and the National Down Syndrome Society, a private nonprofit that educates the general public about Down syndrome, is present in 35 states in the United States and Canada. And according to Lyft, it will offer free or discounted rides to job interviews. More than giving the unemployed access...
11/27/18 George Joseph on the Rise in Federal Gun Prosecutions
Journalist George Joseph talks to Scott about the significant ramp up in federal gun prosecutions during Jeff Sessions' tenure, and continuing even now that he's gone. The idea behind his program was to target the "trigger-pulling" criminals, but in reality it targets a lot of people with previous drug possession charges, who might normally be able to own a gun, but are now forbidden from doing so because of their records. Many of the cases have even already been adjudicated at the state level, and are simply being brought up again at the federal. Scott and Joseph think this is probably...
FPF #271 – Antiwar Democrats guest Joanne Leon
On FPF #271, Joanne Leon joins the show to discuss the antiwar movement and the Democratic Party. Joanne gives a recent history of the Democratic Party and the divisions within the party. Joanne explains who is who in the party and what factions of the party may be allies with the antiwar movement. Joanne and Kyle review the midterm election results on the left side of the aisle and the firing of Jeff Sessions. Joanne is the host of the Around the Empire Podcast. Links FPF #211 - Russiagate guests Dan Wright & Joanne Leon Cenk Uyger on the Democratic...
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