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Hello Reader,
This week’s global events prove the old adage: it’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog. Plus, don’t give up on America (or her justice system) just yet.
The Global Fight for Freedom
- Rebels Strike Deep into Russian Heartland
- Estonia Throws Stones at Russian Goliath
- Weakened Turks "Unite Against the Oppressor"
- Lebanon Breaks Its Iranian Chains
- Iran Accelerates Its Killing Machine
Country names are followed by their 2025 freedom scores according to Freedom House.
In a strike worthy of The Rebel Alliance for which these pages are named, Ukraine just pulled off one of the most audacious operations of the war. Over the weekend, Ukrainian agents launched a coordinated aerial assault deep inside Russian territory—using 117 explosive-laden drones hidden inside wooden sheds mounted on civilian trucks. Agents risked certain death to smuggle these mobile launchpads across borders, parking them near five Russian airbases—some over 2,000 miles from Ukraine.
The mission was planned over 18 months in safe houses and garages scattered across Russia. Most audaciously, they ran the entire operation right under Russia’s nose—from a building next door to FSB headquarters in Chelyabinsk.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, some of the trucks were driven by unwitting Russians, recruited through front companies and paid in cash. When the drones launched, they lit up the night sky—reportedly striking 41 Russian aircraft, including strategic bombers which have pummeled Ukrainian civilians.
“Operation Spiderweb” was not just a tactical victory—it was psychological warfare at its finest. A masterclass in asymmetric resistance, proving even the mightiest empires are brittle. This wasn't just a rebel strike. It was a thunderbolt of defiance broadcast to the entire free world.
America has not completely abandoned its commitment to freedom. Last week on Sweden's Gotland Island, U.S. Marines fired mobile rocket systems into the Baltic Sea, sending a clear message to Moscow just 200 miles from Russian Kaliningrad. Even as Trump questions NATO's efficacy, American forces are doubling down across Europe's northern front.
Estonia leads this defiant stand. The tiny nation of 1.4 million—sharing an 180-mile border with Russia and occupying strategically vital Baltic coastline—was occupied by the Soviets for 51 brutal years until 1991. Now it spends over 5% of GDP on defense, twice Trump's NATO target. Estonian naval forces recently intercepted the Russian oil tanker Jaguar, part of Moscow's sanctions-evading shadow fleet. Russia responded by sending a SU-35 fighter jet into NATO airspace, triggering Polish interceptors.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna warns that Russia is preparing for military confrontation and plans to double its border forces. Yet Estonia refuses intimidation. This week, they welcomed six American HIMARS systems—devastatingly effective in Ukraine.
For a nation that endured mass deportations and forced Russification, and declared independence while Soviet tanks rolled through Tallinn, courage comes naturally.
"I have no fear because the nation is united against the oppressor," declared Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu recently from his prison cell, words that electrified Turkey's largest uprising in over a decade.
When police arrested Erdogan's most dangerous rival on March 19th, hundreds of thousands flooded the streets nightly. Some Istanbul protests exceeded one million participants—a scale unseen since the Arab Spring.
But Erdogan's response has been brutally effective, with over 2,000 protesters detained and mass trials targeting students, designed to terrorize a generation into silence. The massive crowds have vanished, replaced by scattered social media posts and boycott calls—signs of a weakened movement.
For 22 years, Erdogan has systematically destroyed Turkish democracy, leveraging crises to investigate 160,000 Turks for "insulting the president" and purging 125,000 officials.
Yet with a 67% disapproval rating and only 11% of young voters supporting him, his options have dwindled: amend the constitution, force early elections, or watch his presidency expire in 2028. His crackdown may be succeeding for now, but Erdogan’s days are numbered.
"All over the Lebanese territory, the state should have a monopoly on arms," Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam declared, slamming his closed fists on a table. As the WSJ reported this week, Lebanon's military has made remarkable progress neutralizing Hezbollah's weapons in its southern heartlands—with help from Israeli and U.S. intelligence.
This transformation shatters four decades of submission. Since emerging from the 1980s civil war, Hezbollah built one of the world's most powerful nonstate militias, wielding hundreds of thousands of supporters and controlling Lebanon as a state within a state. The Iranian proxy group’s deadliest legacy remains the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing that killed 241 American servicemen. While Hezbollah operates hospitals and schools serving thousands of Lebanese Shiites—these cannot mask their terrorism.
September's exploding pagers, assassination of leader Hassan Nasrallah, and Israeli ground invasion decimated Hezbollah's leadership and arsenal, with the IDF estimating 3,800 fighters killed.
Now comes the stunning reversal: Lebanon's government has achieved roughly 80% of its objectives disarming militias in southernmost areas.
Even indirect cooperation between Israel and Lebanon marks a victory for global freedom: former enemies uniting against Iranian tyranny.
Sepideh Gholian walked out of Evin Prison in 2023, removed her hijab, and shouted to bystanders: "Khamenei the tyrant, we're going to put you in a grave!" Within twenty-four hours, Iran's theocracy sent the 30-year-old activist back to the notorious compound's cramped cells. Now, after more than six years behind bars, women like Gholian continue their 70th consecutive week of hunger strikes every Tuesday—even as Iran's killing machine accelerates to unprecedented speeds.
The numbers reveal a regime in terror of its own people. Iran murdered at least 170 prisoners since April 21st alone—every nine hours, two more souls meet the gallows. With over 650 executions recorded this year, the mullahs surge toward 1,000 deaths, a 75% increase from 2024. The world's top executioner per capita shows no signs of slowing.
But from behind prison walls—where even whispers bring punishment—comes extraordinary defiance. The "No Death Penalty Tuesdays" campaign now spans over 40 prisons. Three more facilities joined this week, expanding a movement that began with desperate inmates in Qezel Hesar Prison.
The horrors of the Iranian regime continue unabated. But even in its darkest corner, hope refuses to die.
Our American Democracy
Tariff Whiplash Augurs Supreme Court Showdown
Markets soared then plunged as Trump's economically destructive tariffs faced their first real test—and survived. A federal appeals court on Thursday temporarily reinstated the president's sweeping global duties, just one day after a glorious defeat had them declared illegal.
The Court of International Trade had ruled Wednesday that Trump overstepped his authority by imposing across-the-board duties on imports, accurately claiming the Constitution gives Congress exclusive authority to regulate global commerce. Several states and small businesses had challenged Trump's use of the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act, which grants broad authority during national emergencies to "deal with any unusual and extraordinary threat."
Trump first declared a "fentanyl emergency" in February, slapping tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China. Then in April, he deemed the entire U.S. trade deficit an emergency and imposed massive tariffs on the world—only to reverse them to 10% for 90 days.
The case seems destined for the Supreme Court, where Trump's team predicts it will win. It won't. And when Trump's handpicked justices crush his emergency powers farce, the true “Liberation Day” will be upon us.
Yet trade adviser Peter Navarro's ominous warning looms over the republic: "Even if we lose, we will do it another way."
Trump Fought the Law, the Law Won
Three federal judges across the political spectrum have demolished President Trump's vindictive executive orders targeting liberal law firms.
The latest decisive victory came from conservative Judge Richard Leon, a Bush appointee, whose 73-page opinion struck down Trump's order against WilmerHale as entirely unconstitutional. Leon's scathing ruling declared the order violated the First Amendment, due process, separation of powers, and the right to counsel.
Trump's orders systematically punish firms for the fundamental right to represent unpopular clients. His targets include WilmerHale for employing Robert Mueller, Perkins Coie for representing Hillary Clinton, and Jenner & Block for hiring Andrew Weissmann. The orders authorize invasive civil rights investigations, security clearance revocations, and federal contract bans against the firms' clients—weaponizing government power to crush businesses.
But representing political opponents isn't a crime—it's constitutionally protected. Even despised clients deserve legal counsel, a bedrock principle of American justice. Leon emphasized that in nearly 250 years, no president had ever issued orders challenging these fundamental rights.
While intimidated firms surrendered $1 billion in pro bono services, those who fought back prevailed completely. Trump should abandon this constitutional assault before it ends in humiliation.
Vance's Legal Hubris Knows New Bounds
Just when I thought Vice President JD Vance could not be any more insufferable, the Yale Law graduate decided to lecture Chief Justice John Roberts on constitutional law—and failed.
Vance declared Roberts "profoundly wrong" for believing courts should "check the excesses of the executive." Instead, Vance demands courts be "extremely deferential" to Trump's "political judgment" and stop telling Americans "they're not allowed to have what they voted for."
But Vance fundamentally misrepresented Roberts' position. The Chief Justice didn't claim checking was the court's primary role—he said courts "obviously decide cases, but in the course of that, check the excesses of Congress or the executive." That's basic constitutional law: Article III grants courts power to settle "all Cases" and "Controversies" arising under the Constitution.
The separation of powers isn't optional. Courts that rubber-stamp presidential whims exist in Venezuela, not America. Vance would surely have opposed judicial deference to Biden's student loan forgiveness—even though Biden won an election.
This reckless attack on judicial independence undermines Trump's own appointees while weakening the institution that ended Chevron deference and expanded religious freedom on behalf of values conservatives once cherished.
Rubio (Hypocritically) Protects American Speech
Secretary of State Rubio announced this week that foreign officials who censor Americans' speech on social media platforms will be denied U.S. visas while condemning demands that American tech platforms adopt global censorship policies. This would be a policy worth celebrating if only the Trump applied the same principles at home.
The move targets egregious European overreach: UK authorities have threatened to extradite Americans over online posts, with London's police chief warning "we will come after you". The EU's Digital Services Act empowers Brussels to fine American platforms billions for failing to police "disinformation"—even when posted by Americans on U.S. soil.
While Rubio defends Americans from foreign censorship, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr weaponizes federal authority against the same platforms. Carr wants to reinterpret Section 230—the law protecting platforms from lawsuits over user posts and content moderation—to strip legal immunity from companies that remove speech. Yet the conservative Federalist Society notes the FCC lacks authority to interpret Section 230 after the Supreme Court ended agency deference, making Carr's threats legally dubious government coercion. Ironically, Carr previously criticized such agency overreach before embracing it to control private editorial decisions.
The constitutional irony is glaring: free speech deserves protection when foreigners threaten it, but becomes expendable when Trump controls the censorship.
What I'm Grappling With This Week
I can defend liberty until the cows come home, but it all means nothing if America goes broke. For months, I've warned that tax cuts are unsustainable without spending cuts, hammering entitlement growth and rising interest costs.
Recently, Senator and fellow Wisconsin native Ron Johnson made a laudable stand against the Big Beautiful Bill—not by demanding entitlement reform, but by calling for a return to pre-pandemic spending levels. It sounded too easy. It was.
In 2019, the federal government spent $4.4 trillion. This year, it's projected to spend nearly $7 trillion. That $2.6 trillion surge breaks down roughly as follows:
- $0.7T increase in Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid: Driven by aging populations, higher healthcare costs, and expanded Medicaid enrollment that grew from 74 million to 94 million under Biden. It has since fallen back below 80 million.
- $0.8T more in interest payments: Rising rates and accumulated debt have substantially increased debt servicing costs.
- $0.6T added to discretionary spending: Defense, education, and other government programs.
- $0.5T in lingering pandemic programs: Ongoing costs from the American Rescue Plan and extended healthcare subsidies.
The problem? Entitlements and interest are crowding out everything else. Slashing discretionary spending is necessary, but not sufficient to stop rising annual deficits.
While Johnson should be applauded, his framing avoids the real issue. Getting back to 2019 spending levels means confronting the drivers no politician wants to touch.
At some point, it’s on us. Until Americans stop electing leaders who promise what they can't pay for, we'll keep speeding toward the fiscal catastrophe neither party can summon the courage to address.
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