WendyMcElroy.com

UK LOCAL ELECTIONS BEING HELD TODAY. KEY SEATS UP FOR GRABS.

Cleaning Up Elections. From Judicial Watch: 6 Million Names Cleaned from Voter Rolls Thanks to Judicial Watch!. [Ed: the last Presidential election was probably the dirtiest, most corrupt I've ever seen. But, then, all elections are a corruption of society as far as I'm concerned.]

From K9: Puerto Vallarta Shelter Invites Tourists to Turn Holiday Visits into Lifesaving Dog Rescues

From the Property and Freedom Society: My Years with the Mises Institute. [Ed: by the irreplaceable Stephan Kinsella. A must read for those interested in movement history.] AND Mises Institute: Quo Vadis: Postscript. [Ed: postscript is to this essay Quo Vadis? I was not present at the described events but I can vouch for the integrity and dispassionate nature of the authors posted here. Oh...just FYI...I used to publish at Mises Wire every once in awhile but, since posting a link to Hoppe/Kinsella, I no longer receive so much as a reply to submissions. Persona non McElroy for posting a link?]

From the Washington Examiner: Supreme Court First Choice ruling crushes lawfare in win for First Amendment. "At first blush, First Choice may not seem that important..."

Ukraine-Russia. From antiwar: Russia & Ukraine Declare Ceasefires That Will Begin On Different Days. [Ed: Zelensky sabotages everything even vaguely to do with peace.] From Oliver Boyd Barrett: Oreshnik Days. [Ed: a must read.] From Euromaidan: Problem with Ukraine’s 25,000 combat robots isn’t hardware — it’s keeping them connected on battlefield.

From X: On the Greek island of Syros, there’s a special opportunity for people who adore cats to stay at no cost while helping care for the island’s many strays...

Trump & Wind Farms. From PBS: Why the Trump Administration Is Paying Billions to Abandon Wind Farms. From Tech Radar: Trump administration blocks 30GW of wind power citing national security – Department of Defense obstructing negotiations, meetings, and sign-offs in attempt to stall the ‘worst form of energy’.

From Lew Rockwell: Trump Brothers: Profiting from War. Modern merchants of death stand to make millions. [Ed: damn their souls to hell.]

From New Money Review: A phone grabber could drain your bank account in minutes. [Ed: a must read.]

Iran War. From the Future of Freedom Foundation: Trump’s War on Iran Is Not America’s War [Ed: by the excellent Jacob Hornberger.] From Reuters: Iran war live: Oil prices plunge after reports US and Iran close to agreeing one-page memo. [Ed: what to believe? Who to believe?]

Strait of Hormuz. From Sputnik: Over 22,000 People on More Than 1,550 Commercial Ships Trapped in Gulf – Pentagon. From Asia Times: The internet has a Strait of Hormuz problem. "Iranian state media circulating maps of the Gulf’s undersea cable routes in apparent threat to sever the global internet." From the Washington Times: Trump administration sows confusion as it tries to reopen Strait of Hormuz AND Shipping firms are being whipsawed by changing stances and risks as they wait for Hormuz to reopen

From the Straits Times: ‘Hero dog’ that rescued family during big Cebu quake rescued, recovering

Ilhan Omar. From the Post Millennial: Ilhan Omar fails to hand over communications with Feeding Our Future defendants to Minnesota lawmakers by May 5 deadline. "I think it shows disdain for Minnesota taxpayers that she’s unwilling to even answer these questions." From FOX News: Minnesota lawmakers fail at trying to get Omar to testify about alleged fraud, GOP leader talks next steps. State Rep Kristin Robbins says the failed subpoena vote will not stop efforts to investigate fraud or Omar's ties to it.

From I Heart Dogs: Guy Clutches Hostile Dog From Dumping Ground, Whispers ‘I Trust Him’

What Mamdani is Doing to NYC. From FOX News: Area Where Zohran Mamdani is Planning to Build Government-Owned Grocery Store Already Has 45 Markets Within Walking Distance. From CNBC: Ken Griffin: We will create jobs in Miami as a consequence of NYC Mayor Mamdani’s wealth tax video. [Ed: in video, Mamdani basically gave protestors/activists a map to Griffin's home.]

AI. From NBC: Pennsylvania suing AI company after chatbot allegedly posed as licensed doctor.

From Denver Post: Trump Administration Sues Colorado Over Gun Laws. State AG calls it 'dangerous overreach'. [Ed: suing over its ban on large-capacity ammunition magazines.] From the Epoch Times: Denver Leaders Reject Justice Department's Demand That City Repeal 'Assault Weapons' Ban. The DOJ sent a letter threatening to sue the city if it does not repeal the ban and declare it unconstitutional...

From CNN: Judge releases purported Jeffrey Epstein suicide note. [Ed: why now? It doesn't have any names that needed protecting.]

From You Tube: He finally found his stolen pitbull at a shelter.

From Zero Hedge: Israel Attacks Beirut For First Time In Nearly A Month: Assassination Raid. Netanyahu orders targeting a commander of Hezbollah's Radwan Force... [Ed: so much for the ceasefire.]

From Zero Hedge: Romanian Pro-EU Government Collapses After No-Confidence Vote, Currency Tumbles To Record Low. "Can anyone say how Romania will function from tomorrow, do ?you have a plan?" [Ed: see earlier newsfeeds for detailed background on this predicted development.]

From Dog Beast: Kittens Heal Dog’s Heart After She Loses Her Best Friend

Redistricting. From the Hill: Alito, Jackson spar as Supreme Court speeds up Louisiana redistricting judgment. [Ed: it is rare for judges to be so public in their criticisms of each other, but Jackson seems to be breaking with this tradition.] From the Spectator: The Democrats May Not Survive Callais Ruling. The Court moves to curb race-based districts — and the political fallout could be enormous. [Ed: if they do not control, it is an indication of how deeply manipulated the elections have been.]

OPEC & Oil. From BBC: United Arab Emirates to quit oil cartel Opec. [Ed: after 60 yrs of membership. Quite the shake up.] From the Council on Foreign Relations: Why the UAE Walked Out on OPEC—and What It Means for the Cartel. The Emirates had been weighing a break from the cartel for several years now. A war, a conflict in Yemen, and a collapsed partnership with Riyadh gave them their reason to act. Oil. From Zero Hedge: Trump's Project Freedom Likely Triggered By Oil Market's One-Month Countdown To Chaos. "...one month away from a potential "tipping point." Without a resolution, traders warn that global crude and refined-product stockpiles could be drawn down to dangerous levels, creating dire conditions for another violent leg higher in fuel prices that could spark economic chaos."

From the Week: Why are Elon Musk and Sam Altman clashing in court? A battle over the origins and future of OpenAI. "Musk is seeking $130 billion in damages and the removal of Altman from the company’s board of directors." [Ed: as much as anything, I expect this is a clash of egos. Not that legal issues do not exist as well.] From Zero Hedge: How A Musk Victory Vs. Altman Would Reset America's AI Roadmap. Musk co-founded OpenAI in late 2015 as a nonprofit and contributed roughly $38 million in its early years...

From Newser: Group Says It Has Enough Signatures for Vote on Leaving Canada. Convoy of trucks delivered names to Elections Alberta office. [Ed: Alberta has received a raw deal from Canada proper for decades. And Trump would love to snap up an independent oil=rich Alberta.]

From American Greatness: Welfare Enrollment Drops Sharply Following New Federal Work Requirements.

From K9: ‘I Found My Path in Life Because of This Dog’

From the Epoch Times: A Property Tax Rebellion Is Emerging In America. “People are tired of being taxed to death and seeing the money stolen,” [Ed: a salutary effect of the whole Somali scam?]

Germany. From Zero Hedge: Germany's Inflation Scapegoat: Why Hormuz Is A Convenient Cover Story. In Germany, signs of a sharp rise in inflation are multiplying. Naturally, the Hormuz crisis is to blame. It serves as a fig leaf for Germany’s highly inflationary transformation into a socialist shortage economy. [Ed: by Thomas Kolbe.] From the Financial Times: How Germany’s Merz torpedoed his plan to contain Trump. Swipe at US president appears to wipe out year-long effort to establish rapport. [Ed: I think Merz has pushed the relationship past the point of return--something that's easy to do with Trump.]

From the BBC: Police Scotland's 'top dog' retires after award-winning career

From the Post Millennial: JD Vance vows to fight Medicaid fraud in Ohio. "I’m directing the task force to look into it and take immediate action to prosecute any fraudsters involved and stop all further payments as appropriate." Medicaid fraud is rampant in the Columbus Somali community.

AI. From MarketWatch: Coinbase CEO: We're Cutting 14% of Staff Thanks to AI. CEO Brian Armstrong says AI efficiencies reduce the need for workers. [Ed: AI, like computers before it, will also create a great many jobs.] From CBC: Cape Breton fiddler Ashley MacIsaac sues Google over alleged defamation. MacIsaac claims online giant defamed him by falsely IDing him as a sex offender in AI-generated summary.

From Quartz: Soon, No More Free Drink Refills at McDonald's. Chain to end self-serve soda stations across US by 2032 in move to cut costs.

From the Associated Press: Calif. Takes 'Major Enforcement Action' Against State Farm. Regulators allege widespread claim delays, underpayments after 2025 LA-area wildfires. [Ed: I hope this does not take attention away from State's wretched response...or lack thereof.]

Iran War. From Moon of Alabama: War On Iran: – “Project Freedom” A One-Off Stunt – Tightening UAE Blockade – China Counters U.S. Sanctions. [Ed: the war is definitely expanding in scope. Great.] From Son of the New American Revolution: All Indicators Signal that Trump Will Restart the War Against Iran This Week. [Ed: IMO, Trump will do one more massive bombing before declaring victory and going home.] UPDATE. From the Associated Press: Trump Says Hormuz Effort Has Been Paused. Rubio says 'Operation Epic Fury' has concluded. [Ed: does the next round of bombing now begin?] From Zero Hedge: Trump Pauses Project Freedom Amid "Great Progress" Towards 'Complete & Final' Agreement With Iran. [Ed: more detail on the pause and on the next stage of war.] From Naked Capitalism: Iran War: Trump “Pauses” Failed Operation Freedom, Rubio Claims End to Epic Fury With Strait of Hormuz Still Blockaded and Alarms About Real World Damage Rising.

From Zero Hedge: US Intelligence Only Sees Limited Additional Damage To Iran Nuclear Program Since Last June. [Ed: so, what was it about?]

Home Robots. From the Associated Press: From Roomba Pioneer, Your New Pet Robot Overlord. CEO of Familiar Machines & Magic aims to crack household market again with AI-powered robot. [Ed: I welcome the advent of home robots. This is a step in the correct direction...] From Zero Hedge: Figure CEO Says Humanoid Robots Could Soon Enter Homes For $600 A Month. "You can plug it into a wall outlet, and it'll go to its dock and charge. I want it to do the laundry every day..."

From Woman's World Hero Dog Saves Wisconsin Grandma and Baby From Flood.

Indiana and Ohio Primaries--Tests of Trump's Power. From CNN: Trump gets revenge, and other takeaways from Tuesday’s Indiana and Ohio primaries. [Ed: Trump's favored candidates win.] From NPR: Ohio and Indiana election results test Republican loyalty to Trump, Democratic enthusiasm. "Two very different decisions Republicans made about gerrymandering will be on display in Tuesday's primary contests in Indiana and Ohio."

BREAKING. From Dances with Bears: Not So Quiet Death – The US Order to Kill the Iranian Navy's DENA and Its Crew. [Ed: a must read. A chilling must read.]

From Scientific American: An Amateur Just Solved a 60-Year-Old Math Problem - by Asking AI.

From Dog Heirs: Heroic Pit Bull Jumps In Front Of Gun, Taking Two Bullets For Her Owner

From Good News Network: Tow Truck Driver Tells Customers to Wait Until He Finishes Moose Rescue: They Reply ‘Oh, that’s fine’ (WATCH)

Everyday Finances. From the Economic Collapse: All-Time High 55% Of Americans Say That Their Financial Situations Are Getting Worse. Americans were not even this stressed about their financial situations during the Great Recession... [Ed: a lot of people I know are working harder for less.] From the Daily Economy: Steakhouse to Supermarket, High Beef Prices Aren’t Going Away. Beef has jumped 65 percent since 2020, turning a staple into a splurge. From drought-stricken ranches to fast-food menu shifts, beef prices are reshaping how Americans eat. From CNN: Tired of high costs, some Americans are importing homes straight from China.

Big Picture Economics. From Globe and Mail: The Likelihood of a Stock Market Crash Under President Donald Trump Is Rapidly Rising -- and There's One Undeniable Catalyst to Blame. [Ed: yep. You've guessed it.]

From the Volokh Conspiracy: How European Libertarians Differ From American Ones [Updated] As I saw at a recent conference, the two groups are similar in many ways. But there are a few notable differences..

From Gilbert Doctorow: It’s the Economy Stupid! Russia’s economy is doing very badly and what that means for September parliamentary elections…

From Pet Helpful: Pug’s ‘Face of Betrayal’ Proves She’ll Never Trust Dad About Car Rides Again

Redistricting. From Jonathan Turley: Colorblind Constitution: The Roberts Court Ends a ‘Sordid Business’. [Ed: using race to redistrict.] From Local 10: DeSantis signs Florida’s new congressional map into law, lawsuit follows. [Ed: DeSantis will prevail, of course.]

Israel. From Scheer Post: The West’s Bubble Of Illusion About Israel – And About Itself – Is Finally Being Burst. "The genocide in Gaza and ethnic cleansing in Lebanon exhausted the West’s moral legitimacy. Now Iran is slowly exhausting the West’s military primacy."

From Medium: Quantum Computing Will Break Every Password on Earth. Here Is What Happens Next. [Ed: Brad?]

From Reporters Without Borders: 2026 RSF Index: press freedom at a 25-year low. For the first time in the history of the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index, over half of the world’s countries now fall into the “difficult” or “very serious” categories for press.

War in/on Iran. From Responsible Statecraft: Trump’s Iran blockade snatches defeat from the jaws of victory. "Washington's search for a 'silver bullet' to defeat Tehran has made it all but impossible to secure a deal." From Moon of Alabama: War On Iran: – How Trump’s “Project Freedom” Has Failed. [Ed: wow. It just started yesterday. A must read.] From Son of the New American Revolution: Operation Project Freedom… Scamming the War Powers Act. [Ed: must read.] From Zero Hedge: Ceasefire Over? US Mum As UAE, Israel Prepare Military Response After Fresh Iranian Cross-Gulf Missile Attack. From Naked Capitalism: Iran War: Iran Targets US Warships, US Reports Small Successful Gulf Transit, Iran Hits UAE; Putin Call for Middle East to Be a WMD-Free Zone, Challenging Israel Nuclear Program; US Renewed Strikes Still Look Imminent

From Of Two Minds Blog: Recession and Revolution: Our Experience Isn't a Model or System

From I Love My Dog So Much: Retired Pilot Flies Rescued Animals To Their New Homes, Saying “I’d Rather Be Flying Dogs”

From GeoPolitics: China Uses Blocking Law for First Time to Counter U.S. Sanctions on Chinese Teapot Refineries Before Trump Visit. [Ed: it is not clear to me whether this visit will occur.] From Zero Hedge: In "Watershed Moment" China Orders Companies To Defy US Sanctions. By activating its blocking measures for the first time since adopting the rule in 2021, China is demonstrating a lower threshold for deploying its legal and regulatory toolkit to counter US sanctions,”

From Axios: Iran ceasefire in peril as UAE says it's under attack. [Ed: Iran fired missiles at UAE, which says it has the right to respond in kind.]

From Optimist Daily: 8 sky events all stargazers should catch this month

Dizziness in Europe. From Zero Hedge: Europe Will Lose Billions In Revenue If US Military Bases Shut Down. "German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who claimed the US had been "humiliated by Iran", suddenly changed his tune after Trump threatened to pull US troops out of the region..." [Ed: recommended read.] From Gulf Stream Blues substack: For Europe, the US rupture is an earthquake as big as the Soviet collapse.

From Mises.org: The Justice Department Indicts the Ministry of Love. The recent DOJ indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center might be controversial, but what is not controversial is that the SPLC engaged in conduct that was more reminiscent of the Ministry of Love in 1984 than protecting someone’s civil rights. [Ed: what amazes me is how long it was able to get away with the charade.]

AI. From the Hollywood Reporter: The AI Revolution Hollywood Feared Is Already Happening — in India. [Ed: I will not mourn the passage of Hollywood's stature and political flex.] From This is Money: 'Annoyance economy' hurts us and AI will make it worse. [Ed: one of the main costs--and one I truly resent--is outsourcing the work to customers.]

From the Post Millennial: Massive fraud in taxpayer-funded Ohio home health aide industry.

"We'll prosecute aggressively & put the money back in the pockets of law-abiding Ohioans. The dollar amount will be far greater than most people expect."

From Dooglovers: Heartfelt Rescue of Abandoned Puppies Reveals Their Touching Journey to Recovery and Joy