Ron Paul: Mistrusting Government About Epstein And More…

Last week the Department of Justice announced that Jeffrey Epstein did not maintain a “client list” of prominent individuals who may have broken the law at Epstein’s private island. These individuals could be blackmailed by Epstein and whatever intelligence agencies were working with him.

In February, in response to a question about when Epstein’s client list would be made public, Attorney General Pam Bondi said she had it on her desk and would soon release it.

She now says she meant she had a file related to Epstein, not the Epstein client list.

The Justice Department also claimed it did a full investigation of the circumstances surrounding Epstein’s death and can definitively say that Epstein committed suicide even though an autopsy paid for by Epstein’s brother concluded that Epstein was likely murdered.

The Justice Department’s announcement last week was met with outrage, much of it coming from some of President’s Trump’s most prominent allies, such as popular media figures Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, and Benny Johnson.

The willingness of so many Trump allies to openly criticize the Epstein announcement and other actions like the bombing of Iran is a positive development. Advancing liberty requires that more people refuse to automatically trust government officials, whether concerning Epstein, wars, the economy, or other important matters.

Widespread questioning of government presents an opportunity for the liberty movement. Those who understand the philosophy, history, and economics of liberty can explain that it is not just that some government officials lie. Instead, all governments lie, and the more important the issue the bigger the lie. In fact, the modern state is built on a series of lies, including:

that the moral prohibitions against murder and theft do not apply to the government,

that government regulations protect consumers, workers, and small businesses from greedy corporations,

that the best way to help the poor is through government bureaucracies, not private charities,

that government bureaucrats know a child’s educational needs better than do the child’s parents,

that the US government is justified in intervening in countries around the world because the US is an exceptional force for justice and liberty and its crusade for global democracy is worth the ending of many innocent lives,

that the government has the moral authority to override personal health and lifestyle choices — such as whether to drink raw milk — for our own good,

that foreign aid takes money from wealthy Americans to give to poor people in other countries,

that a government-created central bank can print the way to prosperity while enabling a welfare-warfare state without causing a boom-bust business cycle and continuously reducing the average American’s standard of living through eroding the dollar’s purchasing power,

that gun control, mass surveillance, and airport harassment keep us safe, and

that government is the source of our rights so government can restrict or “modify” our rights at will.

Exposing such lies is key for restoring liberty. The good news is that the more mistrust of government grows the easier it will be to find people receptive to our message.

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/ron-paul-mistrusting-government-about-epstein-and-more

EU welcomes Trump’s ultimatum to Russia

The US president’s tariff threat if no peace deal reached is a “positive” step, Brussels’ top diplomat Kaja Kallas has claimed

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has welcomed US President Donald Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on Russia’s trading partners unless a deal with Ukraine is reached within 50 days, calling it a “positive” step. Moscow, however, has warned that Trump's declaration could be seen by Kiev as a signal to continue the war.

Trump said on Monday that he was “very, very unhappy” with the protracted negotiation process, warning Moscow of “severe” secondary tariffs of up to 100% unless the sides move towards a settlement.

“It is very positive that President Trump is taking a strong stance on Russia,” Kallas, known for her hawkish stance on Moscow, said at a press briefing. She suggested, however, that Trump’s deadline may not be enough to “pressure” Russia.

”50 days is a very long time… It is clear that we all need to put more pressure on Russia so that they would also want peace,” she stated, calling for Washington to continue supporting Kiev militarily.

Russia has repeatedly denounced Western arms supplies to Ukraine, saying they prolong the conflict without changing its course. Moscow has also condemned sanctions as illegal under international law.

Russia and Ukraine have held two rounds of direct talks in Istanbul over the past two months. Both sides agreed to major prisoner swaps and exchanged proposals on potential ways towards a settlement. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that Moscow remains open to negotiations but has not received a response on the timing of the next round from Kiev.

Peskov described Trump’s ultimatum as “quite serious,” but noted that Russia needs time to analyze it. He also warned that the shift in Washington’s tone could be seen in Kiev “not as a signal toward peace, but as a signal to continue the war.”

https://www.rt.com/news/621516-eu-trump-ultimatum-russia/

Charting The U.S. Pharma Supply Chain As Trump Threatens 200% Tariffs

President Trump's proposed 200% tariff on the pharmaceutical industry would not take effect immediately, instead allowing for a 1 to 1.5-year grace period. Over time, the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain could undergo a massive shift, becoming less reliant on foreign-made drugs and medical supplies. The Trump administration currently views this dependency as a national security threat.

One week ago, the president warned that long-awaited industry-wide tariffs would be announced "very soon" after a 232 investigation was launched in April. Even with a grace period, the delay will force a complete reconfiguration of overseas supply chains for domestic ones, which could have a significant impact on profit margins for 'Big Pharma' and even affect drug prices.

"A 200% tariff would inflate production costs, compress profit margins, and risk supply chain disruptions, leading to drug shortages and higher prices for U.S. consumers," Barclays analysts wrote last week.

UBS analysts warned that the Trump administration's 12- to 18-month tariff grace period is "insufficient," arguing that reshoring efforts would require a lot more time.

"We would usually think of 4 to 5 years as the timeline to move commercial-scale manufacturing to a new site," the analysts wrote.

According to the industry trade group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, even a 25% tariff on pharmaceutical imports could drive up U.S. drug prices by $51 billion annually, raising prices by as much as 12.9% if costs are passed on. The group slammed Trump's proposal as "counterproductive" to health outcomes. Yet, as we've come to understand, these tariffs are merely economic tools to secure better trade deals or, in this case, to force corporations to reshore production.

To visualize the U.S.' heavily dependent medical supply chain on overseas trading partners, research firm BryceTech released an in-depth graphic on Tuesday, highlighting the industry's deep overseas dependencies. The graphic suggests that significant domestic investment will be required—echoing UBS's view that a 12- to 18-month grace period is insufficient to reshore production at scale.

https://www.zerohedge.com/medical/charting-us-pharma-supply-chain-trump-threatens-200-tariffs

Lesbian Couple Expose 'Gay Babies Section' In Barnes & Noble

https://twitter.com/i/status/1944449446244426233

Johnson & Johnson Lead Scientist Confesses J&J COVID-19 Vaccine Was 'Not Safe and Effective,' Reveals “Lack of Research” From Rushing to Release Vaccine: “People Wanted It, We Gave It to Them”

“Do you have any idea the lack of research that was done on those products [vaccines]?”

“I mean we basically just had a race to figure out who could solve it best… At one point, we just canned it.”

https://x.com/i/status/1945151538416030110

House Republicans Block Democrat-Led Effort to Force Release of Epstein Files to the Public — Here Are the Five Republicans Who Voted Against Transparency

I just introduced an amendment to demand the release of the Epstein files.

Representatives should have to vote tomorrow either to stand with ordinary Americans and release the files or side with the rich and powerful.

Whose side are you on?

https://twitter.com/i/status/1944904523832610816

Here are the names of the U.S. Representatives who voted “No” to releasing the Epstein files:

Virginia Foxx (R-NC)

Nick Langworthy (R-NY)

Austin Scott (R-GA)

Morgan Griffith (R-VA)

Brian Jack (R-GA)

Michelle Fischbach (R-MN)

Erin Houchin (R-IN)

“Rules voted 5-7 to block the full House from voting on my amendment to have a FULL release of the Epstein file. People are fed up. They are fed up. Thanks ⁦@RepRalphNorman. Need to put the American people before party!” Khanna wrote on X.

>>23330169

hopium

https://www.antiwar.com/