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Hello Reader,
Plus: Brazil's aging strongman watches his authoritarian alliance crumble, China severs a Filipino seaman’s thumb, and I find common cause with an unexpected ally on immigration.
The Global Fight for Freedom
- BRICS Fractures Under Feeble Lula
- Strongman Stomps on Africa’s Democratic Beacon
- Shia Decline Yields Iraqi Hope
- Thailand's Brittle Monarchy Quashes Dissent
- China's Clandestine War in the Philippines
Country names are followed by their 2025 freedom scores according to Freedom House.
When Brazil's President Lula hosted the BRICS summit in Rio this week, he presided over an authoritarian alliance fracturing from within.
The 79-year-old is hobbled by corruption scandals, a weak economy, and a dismal 36% approval rating. After suffering a brain hemorrhage in December, he appears increasingly frail while Brazil's currency plummets and Congresso Nacional delivers humiliating rebukes.
Brazil’s influence was diluted when BRICS expanded from five founding members to eleven—despite its reservations. Xi Jinping skipped this year for the first time, citing a “scheduling conflict” amid a rumored rift with Indian PM Narendra Modi over border disputes, angering Lula while signaling his diminished clout.
Vladimir Putin also stayed home amid the threat of arrest and continues to ignore Lula’s offer to mediate a Ukraine conflict that has divided Brazil. Meanwhile, Trump’s tariff threats may have quelled talk of a BRICS dollar alternative. A concluding joint declaration only meekly cited “serious concerns” about tariffs and attacks on new member Iran.
The authoritarian axis dreamed of a united front. Instead, they've created a dysfunctional coalition led by a declining populist—an outcome freedom-loving nations should celebrate.
Peter Mutula watched his life burn as government goons torched downtown Nairobi, severely damaging his business and many others during what began as a peaceful protest marking the first anniversary of a popular movement against President William Ruto.
The original uprising protested Ruto’s crushing taxes on basic necessities—sanitary products, diapers, even cancer treatment. Last June, protesters stormed Parliament, forcing Ruto to withdraw the bill and disband his cabinet.
Yet nothing changed. Ruto campaigned as a champion of the poor, promising to break Kenya's traditional elite. Instead, he became another tyrant wielding violence against his own people. When tens of thousands of protesters gathered last week, Ruto's regime deployed hired thugs to smash windows and incite chaos, then blamed demonstrators.
The crackdown killed at least 39 citizens and forced TV stations off-air. Opposition lawmakers face abduction. Bloggers die in custody after savage beatings. Older Kenyans recognize the horror: Ruto’s mentor was dictator Daniel arap Moi, who terrorized Kenya from 1978-2002.
Kenya once stood as Africa's democratic beacon after multiparty democracy returned in the 90s. Now that hope is being stomped upon by another African strongman’s boot.
Blood soaked the sands of what is now central Iraq as the Umayyad cavalry of Islam's ruling empire butchered Hussein ibn Ali and his seventy-two faithful followers. The Prophet Mohammad's grandson lay dying, an arrow through his throat, his infant son slaughtered in his arms. That day in 680 CE birthed Islam's eternal schism—between Sunnis who accepted political rule and Shias who demanded Muhammad's bloodline lead the faithful. For thirteen centuries, Shias have endured as Islam's minority.
1979 brought redemption as Ayatollah Khomeini forged a crescent of Shia power spanning from Lebanon to Yemen. Iranian Revolutionary Guards trained Iraqi militias, funded Iraq’s Shia majority, and violently crushed political opponents, persisting through Saddam Hussein's Sunni regime and the Iran-Iraq war.
But Israel's relentless offensive has severely damaged this empire. As The Economist reported this week, with Iran's military degraded and its proxies weakened, Iran-backed militias that once terrorized opponents are now fragmenting.
Iraq's diminished Shia mullahs are now quietly embracing federalism —once their greatest fear. As their authority crumbles, decentralization offers hope. Local governance could make leaders more accountable while evading Baghdad's corrupt patronage networks.
Twenty-two years after the U.S. invaded under false pretenses, the Shia decline might finally let Iraqi democracy breathe.
When student leader "Rung" Sithijirawattanakul rose before 25,000 glowing smartphones at Bangkok's Democracy Monument in 2020, she shattered a silence that had lasted since 1932. She read ten forbidden demands for reform of Thailand's absolute monarchy—an act that could send her to prison for decades.
Now her dreams lie buried beneath royal decree and judicial assassination.
The protesters' champions, the Move Forward Party, won 14 million votes in 2023 campaigning to reform Thailand's medieval lèse-majesté law, which imprisons royal critics for 15 years. The Constitutional Court dissolved Move Forward for "attempting to overthrow the monarchy." Thailand's elections are theater—real power rests with King Vajiralongkorn, the military, and conservative courts who destroy all threats.
This week's suspension of 38-year old Prime Minister Shinawatra proves the crown's ruthlessness extends to even conformist politicians who displease the palace. Her leaked call with Cambodia strongman Hun Sen merely provided the pretext for suspension.
"Rung" and hundreds of her fellow student protesters now face prosecution while their representatives suffer decade-long political bans. The monarchy has accelerated its assault on dissent—condemning 70 million people to live as subjects, not citizens.
Brandishing axes and machetes, eight Chinese coast guard vessels swarmed a lone Filipino Navy boat over a submerged reef last year. They rammed the inflatable craft and boarded it, even severing one seaman’s thumb. As Filipino sailors "fought back with bare hands," the attackers smashed radios, stole rifles, and destroyed the motor—injuring all eight defenders.
The incident underscores China’s territorial aggression in the South China Sea, yet China’s maritime brutality masks a deeper infiltration campaign. According to The Economist, Philippine authorities have arrested more than a dozen Chinese nationals and Filipino accomplices on espionage charges since January, revealing operations that map military bases, photograph ships, and survey power plants—all part of a campaign to pull America's oldest Southeast Asian ally into its orbit.
Chinese operatives scouted American bases, flew drones over Philippine naval facilities, and bought loyalty through strategic investments that provide leverage over local officials. Other operatives harvested thousands of communications from the presidential palace and U.S. embassy.
China isn't just mapping Philippine defenses—it's compelling Filipino loyalty through espionage, economics, and coercion.
Our American Democracy
American Democracy's Unsung Hero
"THE SENATE PARLIAMENTARIAN SHOULD BE FIRED ASAP"
GOP Senator Tommy Tuberville screamed his all-caps fury at a mild-mannered breast cancer survivor named Elizabeth MacDonough, who had just ruled that a key GOP Medicaid provision violated Senate budget rules.
MacDonough serves as the Senate's parliamentarian—democracy's referee and the first woman to hold the position since it was created in 1935 to provide nonpartisan guidance on Senate rules. Appointed by Democrat Harry Reid in 2012, she was retained by Republican Mitch McConnell, guiding the chamber for over 12 years.
The law, the Byrd Rule, says Congress can only advance bills with less than 60 votes if the fiscal impact isn't merely incidental. When senators attempt reconciliations, parliamentarians conduct "Byrd Baths"—cleaning out rule-breaking provisions.
MacDonough has weathered fury from all sides. In 2021, Rep. Ilhan Omar called for her firing after she blocked a minimum wage increase. She's stopped Democratic immigration reform and Republican healthcare cuts, staying grounded in the law amidst partisan passions.
Yet her finest hour came in late June, when she “Byrd Bathed” a GOP provision that would have stripped judges of the power to enforce contempt penalties. If government unlawfully seized your house, firearms, or bank accounts, a judge could rule in your favor—without power to enforce it.
Freedom's guardians sometimes wear the most unlikely armor—the quiet dignity of those who place the rule of law over politics.
Finding the Positives in the BBB
At 3 AM Thursday, Rep. Chip Roy stood in the Capitol corridors, exhausted from Trump’s relentless pressure. The Texas conservative had spent months fighting runaway spending, but minutes later, he cast his vote for the One Big Beautiful Bill—another fiscal hawk broken by political reality.
Like Roy, I've railed against the BBB. Its $5 trillion debt ceiling increase is the largest in American history, adding $3.3 trillion to our crushing $36 trillion burden—generational theft of staggering proportions.
Yet honest analysis must acknowledge its upside. Yes, the wealthy get tax breaks. But Tax Policy Center data suggests all income groups gain, with middle-class households receiving $1,030 annually. The Tax Foundation projects 1.1% additional GDP growth—millions of jobs and higher wages. Businesses can finally plan for a certain future, spurring investment and innovation.
And despite Democrats’ sudden discovery of our debt problem, our bipartisan fiscal catastrophe began long ago. The bill actually slows the runaway entitlement spending Biden initiated by expanding Medicaid without funding it. Nevertheless, the Medicaid cuts will hurt—more on this below.
The reckless bill passed 51-50, but there is hope as Republicans whisper about tackling entitlement reform. But until American voters demand politicians face fiscal reality, a balanced budget will remain a fantasy.
Finding Common Cause with...Kim Kardashian?
When Kim Kardashian dared to defend "innocent, hardworking” immigrants, Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin shot back with mug shots of convicted criminals, demanding: "Which one of these child molesters, murderers and rapists would you like to stay?"
Yet a Cato institute analysis of leaked ICE data reveals a different story. Two-thirds of immigrants booked into detention had zero criminal convictions. Violent offenders comprised less than 7%. The most common crimes? Immigration violations and traffic infractions.
Trump inherited the Biden administration’s border crisis, which averaged 2.7 million border encounters annually. Those who got through are indeed “illegal” and most deportations are legally defensible. But Stephen Miller's "quantity over quality" mandate abandons focused pursuit of dangerous criminals for parking lot sweeps.
Mass deportations are not fiscally realistic. Another Cato study found Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" will contribute nearly $1 trillion to the deficit through deportation costs alone. The impact will be compounded by the deportation of the majority who pay more in taxes than they receive in benefits.
True border security means prioritizing real criminals, not bankrupting America.
Gaffes, Corrections, and Utter Humiliations
The Truth About Medicaid Cuts
A trusted reader—who wishes to remain anonymous—gently corrected my tunnel vision on Medicaid cuts this week. I've railed against politicians like Senator Josh Hawley, calling him a "flipper" for opposing spending cuts in my “righteous” crusade against deficit spending. But this registered nurse, unlike me, has real experience on healthcare’s frontlines and knew what I was missing.
The Big Beautiful Bill's $1 trillion Medicaid cuts force 1.3 million Medicare seniors to lose premium assistance—leaving couples earning $21,000 annually facing over $4,000 in new costs. Medicaid covers 60% of nursing home residents; semi-private rooms costing over $100,000 annually. When provider taxes are capped, facilities will close beds rather than accept Medicaid patients.
This week, the American Nurses Association warned these cuts "will have devastating consequences for patients, nurses, and healthcare overall, particularly for those in rural and medically underserved areas." Rural hospitals face closures, while the ANA predicts healthcare infrastructure collapse in underserved communities.
Even the fiscal conservatives I champion must acknowledge the real-world impacts of cuts. Around 7.8 million people may lose Medicaid coverage under the bill. But while the CBO shows most are able-bodied adults who don’t work even part-time (4.8 million), targeting seniors who've worked entire lifetimes means abandoning those who built the country we're trying to save.
I'll respect my reader's anonymity, only suggesting that sometimes, mothers really do know best.
As Much As It Pains Me to Say...
In May, I alleged Trump's acceptance of a $400 million Qatari jet was influencing his lenient Iran policy, suggesting his approach resembled the Obama nuclear deal he once condemned. I remain convinced the gift was corrupt and violated the Emoluments Clause—but my accusation that it made him soft on Iran was obviously wrong.
Of course, strength without wisdom is a dangerous thing.
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