New UK bill aims to make big tech play nice with third-party app stores – Game Developer

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A new bill has been passed by the UK Parliament which may put third-party stores on equal footing with bigger digital storefronts.

As reported by the Press Gazette, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill (DMCC) was pushed through ahead of Parliament's dissolution in July. Under it, tech platforms are prohibited from treating its own products more favorably or "applying discriminatory terms, conditions, and policies" on specific users.

In other words, UK iOS users would be allowed to see a Fortnite or a hypothetical PlayStation mobile store feature prominently on Apple's platform.

Months ago, Apple came under fire after it deleted Epic Games' UK account. It was done ahead of Fortnite's return to iOS in the region and was later reinstated.

Earlier this year, the UK's Digital Markets Act (DMA) made it so Apple had to allow third-party stores on iOS. The DMCC helps curb any other possible attempts at downplaying those storefronts, be it from Epic or another tech company like Microsoft.

Other perks of the bill include "effective processes" for complaints or disputes by current and future users, and giving clear explanations (with "reasonable notice") to users about "relevant digital activity" before material changes take place.

Labour frontbencher Baroness Jones called the bill "long overdue, [and it] take the first steps on regulating the behavior of the big tech companies."

More insight on the DMCC bill and its full scope can be read here.

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New UK bill aims to make big tech play nice with third-party app stores - Game Developer

Sussex Tech uses big first inning to advance to quarterfinals – CapeGazette.com

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No. 2 Sussex Tech may have overreacted just a bit after giving up a two-run home run to visiting No. 15 Red Lion in the top of the first. The Ravens baseball squad proceeded to mercilessly hang 10 runs on the Lions in their bottom half of the inning to propel the Henlopen Conference champions to a 12-5 victory May 25.

Sussex Tech coach G.L. Jefferson opted to go with southpaw Jeremy Vest to start the contest. After surrendering a lead-off single, the senior settled down to record two outs in a row. Red Lions Brayden Redmond watched one of Vests throws sail in for a strike before the sophomore sent a laser over the fence in right-center.

[Redmond] put a great swing on the ball, Jefferson said.And with our guys, I think the way our energy levels have been the past few games, I knew we would match it. I didn't expect a 10-run first inning, but I knew we would be able to match it. I was proud of our guys for keeping their heads up and then continuing to battle through that first and be able to put that big cushion ahead of us.

Braydon Hazzard and Sean Ely walked to start the inning. It looked like Red Lion was about to roll a double play before Ely beat the throw to second. With the bases loaded, Rosnell Lewis singled on a line drive to left field to score Hazzard and Ely. Gavin Hudson scored on the next play, a ground out to second. Lewis scored on a passed ball before the Ravens collected three free passes to load the bases. Zane Adams picked up an RBI with his walk before a pair of singles off the bats of Hazzard and Ely scored one and two runs, respectively. With the bases loaded, Gavin Hudson tripled to plate another three, giving the Ravens a 10-2 lead at the end of one.

The defensive play of the game came in the second inning when Lewis fielded a single to center and came up firing with no need for a cut-off man. Kade Hall had plenty of time to position himself, grab the missile and tag Logan Hill for the final out.

Ely, who led the team in hits and RBIs, drove in another run in the bottom of the second to continue padding the lead.

This morning, I got into the cages early, started working off the tee and working balls into the back of the net, Ely said.

Red Lion scored once in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, but it wasnt enough, as the Ravens sailed to a 12-5 victory and into the quarterfinals. The Ravens added their 12th run in the fifth inning. Ely thinks the team can use the game as a mental boost heading into the next round.

This definitely does build our energy back up and gets us ready for our quarterfinal against William Penn, Ely said.

Following the win, Sussex Tech was all business.

They realize how much we've invested into the season and not to give it away just by having low energy or having a low-quality outing, Jefferson said.

The Ravens will welcome No. 7 William Penn to their nest at 4 p.m., Tuesday, May 28.

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Sussex Tech uses big first inning to advance to quarterfinals - CapeGazette.com

Big tech companies are plowing money into AI startups, which could help them dodge antitrust concerns – Yahoo News Australia

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Another week and another round of crazy cash injections and valuations emerged from the AI realm.

DeepL, an AI language translation startup, raised $300 million on a $2 billion valuation; Scale AI, a data-labeling platform for machine learning models, secured $1 billion as its valuation nearly doubled to $13.8 billion; and H, a fledgling French startup working on its own frontier models, raised an eye-watering $220 million seed round at an undisclosed valuation (though it surely takes H comfortably into unicorn territory).

While all the usual institutional investors are present, such as Accel, Index, and Y Combinator (YC), these investments really underscore the corporate clamber to get in on the action while keeping regulators at arm's length.

Take Scale AI, a company that had so far attracted purely institutional and angel investors from its inception in 2016 through its Series E round in 2021. Similar investors returned for the Series F, but also in tow were Meta, Amazon, Nvidia, and the VC arms of Intel, AMD, Cisco, and ServiceNow.

On the same day as Scale AI announced its chunky Series F investors, H showed its hand: Amazon had bought in, too, alongside Samsung's VC arm and UiPath, an automation software company worth $10 billion today.

Corporate investment in AI startups has been a big story in the last couple years, best exemplified by Microsoft's close affinity with ChatGPT maker OpenAI. That deal has attracted scrutiny from antitrust regulators in the European Union and the U.K., drawn by growing concerns that Big Tech is adopting a new quasi-merger tactic that seeks control and influence over nascent technologies without buying them outright -- for example, through hiring founding startup teams or by making strategic investments.

Microsoft is said to own a 49% stake in OpenAI, meaning there could well be a case to answer once European regulators have concluded their initial investigations -- regardless of whether Microsoft has voting clout in OpenAI or not.

Anthropic could find itself in a similar position. The three-year-old company has raised north of $7 billion from numerous investors, with corporates such as Google, SAP, and the venture arms of Salesforce and Zoom throwing cash into the pot. But Amazon, specifically, is responsible for more than half of Anthropic's fundraising to date, concluding a $4 billion investment in March. Even though its investment has not given Amazon a majority stake (similar to Microsoft with OpenAI), U.K. antitrust regulator the CMA last month confirmed it was looking at the deal to establish whether it might qualify for an antitrust investigation.

At the same time, the CMA also revealed it was looking into Microsoft's recent acqui-hire of Inflection AI (a year after Microsoft became Inflection's biggest backer), which saw Microsoft scoop up its founders and key colleagues to run a new consumer AI unit, leaving a bare-bones Inflection AI focused on the enterprise segment.

The CMA also confirmed it was investigating Microsoft's recent $16 million investment in French AI startup Mistral. But the regulator swiftly concluded that the deal didn't qualify for investigation due to its relative size.

"The CMA has considered information submitted by Microsoft and Mistral AI, together with feedback received in response to its invitation to comment," a CMA spokesperson said at the time. "Based on the evidence, the CMA does not believe that Microsoft has acquired material influence over Mistral AI as a result of the partnership and therefore does not qualify for investigation."

While Nvidia hasn't historically been shoehorned into the same "Big Tech" bracket as these aforementioned companies, it has emerged as one of the major players in the AI gold rush, and its clout can't be overstated: The company was valued at a not-insignificant $770 billion this time last year, but this figure has ballooned to more than $2.5 trillion in the intervening months. This positions Nvidia as the third most valuable company globally, behind Microsoft ($3.17 trillion) and Apple ($2.87 trillion), but ahead of Meta ($1.18 trillion), Amazon ($1.88 trillion), and Alphabet ($2.15 trillion).

Nvidia has invested in AI startup Hugging Face, alongside Amazon, Google, Qualcomm, Intel, and others. Elsewhere, Nvidia has bought stakes in Cohere, Perplexity AI, Inflection AI, Cohesity, Mistral AI, Weka, Wayve, and a host of other AI startups.

Big Tech is showing no sign of easing on its AI startup investment ethos, in the hope that procuring smaller equity stakes might just get them a regulatory pass. But that's not to say that the juggernauts of Silicon Valley and Seattle won't be able to exert some form of control over these companies -- they are stakeholders, after all, and can influence startups in all manner of subtle and not-so-subtle ways.

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Big tech companies are plowing money into AI startups, which could help them dodge antitrust concerns - Yahoo News Australia

Trump and RFK headline the Libertarian Party’s raucous convention – NPR

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This combination photo shows Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally on May 1 in Waukesha, Wis., left, and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during a campaign event, Oct. 9, 2023, in Philadelphia. Trump is addressing the Libertarian National Convention Saturday, courting a segment of the conservative electorate that's often skeptical of the former president's bombast while trying to ensure attendees aren't drawn to independent White House hopeful Kennedy Jr. AP/AP hide caption

The Libertarian Party is holding its national convention to select its presidential nominee, who will likely be overshadowed by speeches from Republican former President Donald Trump and independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

The gambit comes as Libertarians have seen internal struggle over the direction of the partys future and as third-party candidates could play an outsized role in deciding the outcome of the 2024 presidential race.

Kennedy and Trump do not have many ideological overlaps with libertarians, but they do bring outside attention and media coverage to the party and its platform.

Libertarians have ballot access in 37 states, including key battlegrounds like Georgia, Michigan and Arizona, as well as a consistent enough presence in those states to have some influence over who wins in November, even though it wont be a Libertarian.

Angela McArdle, chair of the Libertarian Party explained in a recent podcast interview the logic behind having Kennedy and Trump speak.

They need us, she said. And so we have a lot of bargaining chips right now, and theres so much that we can do without compromise, without ceding any ground its literally just inviting them to share the stage with us.

McArdle and others in the party say getting major candidates to the convention stage will have them engage with and hopefully eventually adopt libertarian views on a range of issues.

You have to go talk to Republicans and Democrats, that's how this works, she said. We're a political minority, we don't get elected and then only work with libertarians, you've got to work with other people and try to pull them in your direction.

Not everyone is thrilled by having the partys marquee meeting overshadowed by hosting two presidential candidates that dont support the partys goals. Some of that split was on display Friday, when there were several failed attempts to rescind the speaking offer for Kennedy and Trump and give the time back to Libertarian candidates.

The Libertarian Party has seen internal turmoil in recent years, with a faction called the Mises Caucus taking charge and taking a more aggressive, hardline and sometimes isolating stance on the party and its future. In many ways, they align more with the far right of the GOP.

Members of the Classical Liberal Caucus have pointed out that Trump and Kennedy dont align with libertarian values, and note that bringing these candidates to the convention increases the likelihood they poach voters from the Libertarian candidate.

In many ways, the spat over the convention is reminiscent of the meme that sees three Spider-Mans in a standoff pointing at each other, because the Libertarian Party, Kennedy and Trump are all competing for this same pool of voters.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during the Libertarian National Convention at the Washington Hilton in Washington Friday. Jose Luis Magana/AP hide caption

Kennedys Friday afternoon speech lambasted Trumps handling of the coronavirus pandemic and said the Republican took a hammer and tongs to the Constitution.

With lockdowns, the mask mandates, the travel restrictions, President Trump presided over the greatest restriction on individual liberties this country has ever known, Kennedy said.

Kennedys appearance at the convention comes as he seeks ballot access, so his speech is another higher-profile opportunity for his campaign to reach more people that could help sign petitions to get him qualified in more states.

The Libertarian Party usually earns a small percentage of the popular vote depending on the state and race and year, and with several swing states potentially decided by narrow margins again, more people voting Libertarian has more of an impact on who ultimately wins the White House.

Thats a reason Trump is there: to try and win these voters back into his fold, show them that he shares at least some of their values and that he can act on them as president.

But in an election cycle where appetite for third party support could be at an all time high, theres also potential for pretty low support, between RFKs polarizing views on vaccines, the libertarian infighting and voters thinking more strategically about how their vote counts.

The rest is here:

Trump and RFK headline the Libertarian Party's raucous convention - NPR

Libertarian National Convention: Are You Not Entertained? – Reason

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In this week's The Reason Roundtable, editors Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, Nick Gillespie, and special guest Zach Weissmueller rehash the events that took place this past weekend in Washington, D.C., during the 2024 Libertarian National Convention, where former President Donald Trump addressed the crowd ahead of the Libertarian presidential candidate selection process.

01:20Libertarian Party convention recap

38:14Weekly Listener Question

44:22Some Memorial Day memorializing

58:40This week's cultural recommendations

Mentioned in this podcast:

"WATCH: Libertarians React to Donald Trump's Speech at Their Convention," by Zach Weissmueller

"Chase Oliver Is the Libertarian Party's Presidential Pick," by Eric Boehm

"Trump, Who Wants To Execute Drug Dealers, Promises To Free Ross Ulbricht," by Billy Binion

"Libertarians Booed Donald Trump Because He Isn't Libertarian," by Robby Soave

"No, Vivek Ramaswamy, a Libertarian-Nationalist Alliance Doesn't Make Sense," by Eric Boehm

"Cato Institute President Peter Goettler on Why Trump is no Libertarian," by Ilya Somin

"Inside the Libertarian Party's Decision To Host a Trump Speech," by Brian Doherty

"Dave Smith: What Is a Libertarian?" by Zach Weissmueller and Liz Wolfe

"Debate: It's Time for a National Divorce," by Angela McArdle and Zach Weissmueller

"What Does the Mises Caucus Really Want?" by Zach Weissmueller and Nick Gillespie

"What's Next for Chase Oliver, the Libertarian Who Forced a Runoff in the Georgia Senate Race?" by Eric Boehm

"How's the New Libertarian Party Doing? Live With Angela McArdle" by Nick Gillespie and Zach Weissmueller

"The Libertarian Party's Internal Strife Is as Old as the Party Itself," by Brian Doherty

"Zach Weissmueller: Will the Mises Caucus Save or Kill the Libertarian Party?" by Nick Gillespie

"Ron Paul Revolution 2.0: Angela McArdle's Plan for the Libertarian Party," by Zach Weissmueller and Nick Gillespie

"'By Our Fruits, You'll Know Us': The Mises Caucus Mastermind," by Zach Weissmueller and Nick Gillespie

"Inside the Mises Caucus Takeover of the Libertarian Party," by Zach Weissmueller, Nick Gillespie, and Danielle Thompson

"Can a Post-'Takeover' Libertarian Party Improve on Its Historical Run of 201220?" by Matt Welch

"Super Size Me Was Not Groundbreaking Journalism," by Billy Binion

"South Park Libertarians," by Nick Gillespie and Jesse Walker

"It's Time for Over-the-Counter Ozempic," by Charles M. Silver, Jeffrey A. Singer, and Michael F. Cannon

Upcoming Reason Events:

Send your questions toroundtable@reason.com. Be sure to include your social media handle and the correct pronunciation of your name.

Today's sponsor:

Audio production byIan Keyser; assistant production by Hunt Beaty.

Music: "Angeline," by The Brothers Steve

Link:

Libertarian National Convention: Are You Not Entertained? - Reason

Trump and the Libertarian case for crypto – Fortune

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Theres nothing surprising about a presidential nominee addressing a party convention ahead of an electionunless, that is, the party is not the one theyre leading. Thats why it was curious to read of former President Donald Trump, the current head of the GOP ticket, addressing the Libertarian party convention on Saturday.

Trump did not exactly win over the crowd, which booed him repeatedly. Still, the appearance was a shrewd political move since, as Trump himself noted, the Libertarian party regularly pulls in 3% on Election Day, and winning over even a few of those voters could make the difference. Trump also used the event to tout his recent conversion to crypto, telling the crowd he would keep Elizabeth Warren and her goons away from your Bitcoin and promising to commute the sentence of drug kingpin Ross Ulbricht (a.k.a. Dread Pirate Roberts) on his first day in office.

These remarks reportedly elicited loud cheers, which is not surprising given that libertarians have supported crypto since day one. This includes the Free State crowd that helped make New Hampshire an early hotbed of Bitcoin, and Erik Voorhees, the radical libertarian who built the influential OG crypto projects Satoshi Dice and ShapeShift.

The libertarian viewas best as I can make it outis that the government has no business in any part of our lives, aside from national defense, and that society should be organized entirely around private contracts and the free market. Its a compelling idea. After all, many of us would like to live our lives with less meddling from government-backed factions of the progressive left and the religious right. Alas, the libertarian vision also feels unworkable in this day and age. Do we really want to leave things like highways, schools, policing, and pollution entirely to the market? Ditto with crypto.

Its neat in theory to imagine a world where anyone can mint and circulate their own currency. But the reality is the government has a legitimate interest in preserving the supremacy of the U.S. dollar. History teaches us it rarely ends well when a countrys leaders can no longer control its money supply. In this context, Trumps recent words should be viewed as simple political pandering rather than a decision to go full-metal libertarian on crypto or anything else.

I look forward to hearing about more of this at Consensus in Austin, where Ill be interviewing Tom Farley, former NYSE president and current Bullish CEO. The annual crypto confab will also feature a keynote speech from Voorhees, and a political debate between Trump convert Ryan Selkis and Uniswaps top lawyerand staunch DemocratMarvin Ammori. If youre on the ground, come say hello.

Jeff John Roberts jeff.roberts@fortune.com @jeffjohnroberts

A Nigerian judge adjourned the trial of Binance executives till June as one defendant, a U.S. citizen, is suffering severe malaria. (Reuters)

A recent series of raids on forex shops in China suggests crypto trading is still very active despite an official ban. (Bloomberg)

Ethereum-based memecoins PEPE and MOG hit all-time highs as some traders turn to them as a proxy bet to ride the latest ETF hype. (CoinDesk)

Caitlyn Jenner's X account is promoting a new memecoin named after her, though the news has been met with concern about hacks and deep fakes. (The Block)

Bitcoin prices dipped as trustees of the Mt. Gox exchange, which filed for bankruptcy in 2014 following a massive hack, finallybegan returning billions to former customers. (Bloomberg)

How America votes now?

Excerpt from:

Trump and the Libertarian case for crypto - Fortune

WATCH: Libertarians React to Donald Trump’s Speech at Their Convention – Reason

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Donald Trump appeared before a raucous crowd of Libertarian Party delegates and his own supporters at the Libertarian National Convention in Washington, D.C.

Starchild, a longtime Libertarian activist, was taken to the ground by security after he held up an anti-Trump banner. Trump drew his loudest boos after offering himself as the Libertarian Party nominee, and the loudest cheers when he pledged to commute the life sentence of Ross Ulbricht, creator of the black market website the Silk Road.

Freeing Ulbricht, something Trump failed to do when he had the chance as president, was an item on a list of 10 demands the Libertarian Party submitted to Trump before the speech.

After the speech, three Libertarian presidential candidates delivered a response, but most of the crowd and media had cleared out by then.

Reasoncaptured the crowd reactions and asked Libertarian Party delegates and Trump supporters in attendance what they thought of the event.

"It was the weirdest room I've ever been in," one delegate toldReason.

Watch the full video above.

Continued here:

WATCH: Libertarians React to Donald Trump's Speech at Their Convention - Reason

Trump to address Libertarian Party convention after RFK Jr. – Spectrum News NY1

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Donald Trump is addressing the Libertarian National Convention on Saturday night, courting a segment of mostly conservative voters that has often been skeptical of the Republican former president while trying to ensure attendees aren't drawn to independent White House hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The Libertarian Party will pick its presidential nominee during the gathering at a Washington hotel that wraps up Sunday. Kennedy, who ran in the Democratic primary before switching to an independent bid, addressed the convention Friday but has indicated he's not interested in being the Libertarian nominee.

Polls have shown for months that most voters even a majority of Democrats don't want a 2020 rematch between Trump and Democratic President Joe Biden. That dynamic could potentially boost support for an alternative like the Libertarian nominee or Kennedy, whose bid has allies of both Biden and Trump concerned that he could be a spoiler.

Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson won about 3% of the national vote in 2016, when Trump beat Democrat Hillary Clinton in a tight race. Party nominee Jo Jorgensen got only a bit more than 1% during 2020's exceedingly close contest between Biden and Trump.

Peter Goettler, president and chief executive of the libertarian Cato Institute, suggested in a Washington Post column published this week that Trump addressing the Libertarian convention violated the gathering's core values and that "the political party pretending to be libertarian has transitioned to a different identity."

A Libertarian candidate may try to draw support from disaffected Republicans, but also from people on the left who oppose perceived government overreach. Such voters could also gravitate toward Kennedy.

The son of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, he frames himself as a truthteller with a track record of fighting for the middle class against powerful interests. He is also trying to win over conservatives who want to see the national GOP move away from Trump.

His anti-vaccine activism has appealed to some on the right who oppose COVID-19 vaccine mandates. He has also suggested that some of the pro-Trump rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, may have been prosecuted for political reasons.

Having previously praised Kennedy and once considered him for a commission on vaccination safety, Trump has changed his tone. He suggested on social media that a vote for Kennedy would be a "wasted protest vote" and that he'd "even take Biden over Junior."

Trump, in office, referred to the COVID-19 vaccine as "one of the greatest miracles in the history of modern-day medicine." But the former president now says that should he win in November he will "not give one penny" to public schools and universities that mandate COVID-19 vaccination. He also accused Kennedy of being a "fake" opponent of vaccines efforts that could shore up his support among some in his base who might otherwise consider defecting to Kennedy.

In his own speech at the Libertarian convention Friday, Kennedy accused Trump and Biden alike of trampling on personal liberties in response to the pandemic that spanned their presidencies. Trump bowed to pressure from public health officials and shut down businesses, he said, while Biden was wrong to mandate vaccines for millions of workers.

Kennedy, who has long claimed to be a victim of government and media censorship of hisunorthodox views, said Americans have lost faith in their leaders and institutions, and he pledged to restore it.

Maybe a brain worm ate that part of my memory, but I dont recall any part of the United States Constitution where theres an exemption for pandemics, Kennedy said, referencing a New York Times report that he was diagnosed more than a decade ago with a parasite that lodged in his brain.

Neither of them upheld the Constitution when it really counted, he said of the current and former president.

Vaccines, including the COVID-19 vaccine, have been proven to be safe and effective in laboratory testing and in real-world use in hundreds of millions of people over decades. The World Health Organization credits childhood vaccines with preventing as many as 5 million deaths a year.

While no medical intervention is risk-free, doctors and researchers have proven that risks from diseases are generally far greater than the risks from vaccines.

An anti-vaccine group Kennedy led has a lawsuit pending against a number of news organizations, among them The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. Kennedy took leave from the group when he announced his run for president but is listed as one of its attorneys in the lawsuit.

Biden, meanwhile, has trumpeted winning the endorsement of many high-profile members of the Kennedy family, in an attempt to marginalize RFK Jr.

The advocacy group MoveOn Political Action, which supports Biden, is circulating a mobile billboard around the Libertarian Convention this weekend decrying Kennedy as "extremist," criticizing the different positions he has taken on abortion and arguing that a vote for Kennedy will ultimately help elect Trump.

Kennedy talked publicly about pursuing the Libertarian nomination as a way to secure ballot access, which sparked controversy in the party, where some members opposed supporting a candidate who is not always in step with their limited government views. His mere presence at the convention was controversial, with some delegates attempting to bar his speech. Kennedy was not on the list of nominees from which a Libertarian presidential candidate will be selected on Saturday.

Bearing the name of one of the Democratic Party'smost famous political dynasties, Kennedy acknowledged his differences with libertarians but focused is pitch on his view that the Biden and Trump administrations overstepped during the pandemic.

Trump, he said, was wrong to close businesses and shield companies from liability in developing products to respond to the pandemic. And Biden violated Americans' fundamental freedoms with hissupportfor vaccine mandates, Kennedy said. The mandates, which aimed to require inoculations for as many as 100 million workers, were partially blocked in courts and Congress, and most of the restendedin 2023 with the Biden administration touting them as tremendously beneficial.

Kennedy also took aim at social media companies he says bowed to government pressure to block dissenting views on the origins of COVID-19 and the safety of vaccines.

Democratic and Republican administrations have taken turns assaulting our constitutional rights and freedoms, Kennedy said.

He repeated his pledge to pardon WikiLeaks founderJulian Assange, who isfighting extraditionfrom the United Kingdom on U.S. espionage charges, and to drop charges againstEdward Snowden, a former intelligence contractor who revealed classified U.S. surveillance programs to capture communications and data from around the world.

Continued here:

Trump to address Libertarian Party convention after RFK Jr. - Spectrum News NY1

Is it possible to reach out to the Libertarians on a few issues? – Daily Kos

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No, I am not talking about voting for Libertarians, who pretty much support the same kind of Laissez-Faire Capitalism that existed in the so-called Gilded Age. I, for one, WANT government support on issues that are important to me, such as green energy, feeding the hungry, protecting the environment, and ensuring that the Constitutional rights of an individualisprotected, no matter what skin color, sexual orientation, or religious preference he or she has. I support labor unions as well, which would be illegal under a Libertarian government. So what do us Democrats have in common with Libertarians, based on the LP platform? Not much at all, but there are a few issues we have in common.

.

To be clear, I am not talking about how we can work with Libertarians during a normalelection cycle, but when elections are over, and other issues still need to be addressed, and proposals put on a special electionballot. Here are a few of those issues:

.

1-Ending marijuana prohibition, and making marijuana legal for recreational use: The LP goes too far here when they recommend the legalization of all drugs. Fentanyl, tranq, and other hard core drugs are killers, and is proper for the government to ban them. However,I agree with the LP position on marijuana. Can we work with the LP to legalize it?

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2- Abolishing the death penalty: I am fully on board with this one, for obvious reasons. So is the LP.

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3- Ending the criminalizing of sexuality, and the marginalization of the LGBTQ community: First of all, even though I support LGBTQ rights, someones sexual identity is none of my damn business in the first place. People should be free to love each other without restrictions. The LP platform expresses the same sentiment. On this issue, we also have something in common.

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4- Maintaining separation between Church and State: Religion belongs in church, not schools. This is also part of the LP platform.

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5- End the banning of books in schools. While localgovernments rightly should make sure that no pornography, Playboy magazines, etc be on the shelves of grade schools, it is none of the governments business whether or not classics like the Diary of Anne Franke, Huckleberry Finn, and others shouldbe banned. Florida has gone way too far here. I am not sure whether the LP stands exactly where we do on this issue, there does appear to be an intersection of interests here.

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These are a few of the issues I have in mind, and there may be a couple of others that I have left out. So heres the question: Do we hold our noses and work with the LP on those few issues we have in common and, if so, how do we do it? The how is simple. To get a proposal on the ballot we need to get signatures. It would not be that hard to give some signature forms to the Libertarians, and let them collect some signatures too. Its called working across the aisle. Back in 1974, when I was a Republican (Im in a 12 step program for that LOL), I collected signatures in Detroit for Governor William Millikens property tax relief proposal. I ran into some Democrats who were collecting signatures for the decriminalization of marijuana. We exchanged some of our forms, andcollected signatures for each other on both issues. It was a win-win situation for both parties. Can there possibly exist a win-win situation here? Some Libertarians will reflexively say Hell no, but there are others who will hold their noses and work with us to collect those signatures. The question is are we willing toalso hold our noses, and reach out? Just something to think about. What say you?

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Is it possible to reach out to the Libertarians on a few issues? - Daily Kos

RFK Jr. and Trump Go to Battle Over Libertarian Party Voters – The New York Times

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Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the independent candidate for president, pitched his bid to the Libertarian Party on Friday, telling a potentially critical group of voters that he stands with them on valuing personal liberty and vowing to protect their rights to speak, to assemble and to keep and bear arms.

In a speech that was as much a lecture on constitutional law as it was a political appeal, Mr. Kennedy, a former Democrat and environmental lawyer, railed against government overreach to a largely receptive audience of fellow government skeptics. He slammed what he called a program of coercion, and information control during the Covid pandemic, accusing President Biden and former President Donald J. Trump of failing to protect liberties.

Mr. Kennedy spoke as the party met to select its presidential nominee, a prize that will land the winner on ballots in at least 37 states. Mr. Kennedy has fitfully courted the nomination for months, as he undertakes the expensive and complex process of qualifying as an independent. But he recently said he did not intend to run as a Libertarian, and several party leaders and delegates say it is unlikely he will win the nod when the delegates vote this weekend.

Mr. Kennedy was not the only non-Libertarian presidential candidate on the convention lineup: Former President Donald J. Trump is set to address the group on Saturday night.

The attention to an often-overlooked minor party underscored the tug of war over right-leaning, independent-minded voters. In a race likely to be decided by narrow margins, Mr. Trump cannot afford to lose any votes. And Mr. Kennedy, with his anti-establishment message and zigzagging ideology, has been veering into Mr. Trumps lane.

Recent polls suggest that Mr. Kennedy could draw support away from both Mr. Trump and President Biden in a general election. He is polling at around 10 percent of registered voters across battleground states, recent polls from The New York Times, Siena College and The Philadelphia Inquirer show.

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RFK Jr. and Trump Go to Battle Over Libertarian Party Voters - The New York Times

My take on Trump speaking to Libertarians – Daily Kos

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(I would have posted this sooner, but someone in my life had a minor medical emergency. He is relatively fine now, and went on a rant about the US healthcare system. I hope this experience makes him want to register to vote.)

So I saw a few of my fellow Democrats giving Libertarians some credit for booing Trump when he was speaking at their convention. As a former Libertarian, I can assure you that not of them were booing Trump, and not all of them were booing for the right reasons. The LNC invited TFG, Brainworm Man, and even Joe Biden to speak at their convention. They knew Biden wasnt coming because thePresident of the United States has better things to do than talk to Libertarians.

I know all this because I used to be a Libertarian and Iwas raised by a Libertarian. Dad was very unhappy with his career working for the federal government. Instead of quitting, (our family need his salary and benefits), he started reading libertarian literature and even donated to the LP. During the 20th century, the Libertarian Party was the party of marriage equalityand marijuanalegalization, issues that were political poison until recently. As a idealistic young man, that level of commitment appealed to me. I felt that the Libertarian Party was the party of the future.

I had the dubious privilege of being the chairman of the Libertarian Party of Allen County, Indiana during the COVID-19 pandemic. I advised members to stay home as much as theycould.I attended meetings via Zoom. I even said to comply with Indianas mask mandate because we would be able to accomplish more ifwe avoided getting sick or arrested.

They finally voted me out as chair after I denounced the J6 riot as a terrorist attack and blamed the attack on Trump. They were repeating a lot of Trumps talking points about election integrity.

Some Libertarians are smart enough to recognize that Trump is a threat to their freedom. But there are Libertarians who want Trump to be President, either because they want Trump to crash the system or because they think they have something else to gain from a Trump dictatorship.

Link:

My take on Trump speaking to Libertarians - Daily Kos

Libertarian Party of Iowa Celebrates Libertarian National Convention – River Cities Reader

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DES MOINES, IOWA(May 28, 2024) The Libertarian Party of Iowa (LPIA) is delighted to announce the success of the Libertarian National Convention held this past weekend in Washington DC. The event was a testament to the growing strength and unity of our movement, bringing together passionate advocates of liberty from across the nation. The convention received massive media coverage, with thousands of people around the world watching and hearing about the Libertarian Party, further amplifying our message of freedom and individual rights.

Over a dozen committed members and activists from Iowa attended the convention, showcasing our states dedication to advancing the principles of individual freedom and limited government. There were many Iowans on prominent display as well; key supporters of candidates, and one of the candidates for the LP presidential nomination, Joshua Smith. Their participation was a key highlight, reflecting the vibrant and active role that the LPIA continues to play on the national stage.

The convention was marked by significant achievements, including historic commitments from prominent presidential candidates. Robert F Kennedy Jr and former President Donald Trump have joined the LP delegates and pledged that they would prioritize the immediate release of Ross Ulbricht on their first day in office. This commitment underscores our ongoing fight for justice and against the overreach of federal power.

One of the key objectives for the Libertarian National Convention is the selection of candidates for the presidential and vice-presidential office for the Libertarian ticket.

Jules Cutler, Chairwoman of the Libertarian Party of Iowa, stated: The journey to selecting our presidential candidate has been a rigorous process, beginning with our First in the Nation Iowa Caucus back in January. With that we are proud to announce that Chase Oliver and Mike ter Maat will be representing the Libertarian Party as our presidential ticket. Both candidates have made multiple visits to Iowa throughout their campaigns, engaging with voters and building strong connections within our community.

Although both the Kennedy and Trump campaigns sought nomination for president on the Libertarian Party ticket, they were rejected outright on the first round of balloting. Cutler continued: The fact that both Trump and RFK Jr are courting the Libertarian vote is a testament to our strength as a voting bloc. Let their rejection from our ballot be one more proof that our party will not compromise on the principles of individual liberty and free markets in the face of political pressure.

Looking ahead, the Libertarian Party of Iowa isexcited to host Chase Oliver and Mike ter Maat at the Iowa State Fair this summer. This will be a major outreach event, providing an excellent opportunity to connect with thousands of Iowans and spread the message of liberty. We invite all attendeesto join us for this pivotal event.

The Libertarian Party of Iowa is committed to Americas heritage of freedom: Individual liberty and personal responsibility, a free-market economy of abundance and prosperity, a foreign policy of non-intervention, peace, and free trade. Find out more atlpia.org.

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Libertarian Party of Iowa Celebrates Libertarian National Convention - River Cities Reader

Libertarians jeer Trump, pick nominee – The Week

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What happened

The Libertarian Party chose activist Chase Oliver as its presidential nominee after a weekend convention that featured a poorly received speech by Donald Trump and a less-contentious appearance by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Trump's pitch for the Libertarian nomination included pledges to "put a libertarian in my Cabinet" and commute the prison sentence of online drug kingpin Ross Ulbricht. His speech was met with "skepticism and contempt," Semafor's David Weigel said. After prolonged booing and jeering, Trump told the crowd they "don't want to win."

Kennedy, who was eliminated in the first round of voting Sunday, had seen the Libertarian nomination as a "possible pathway" to ballot access, CNN said. He's on the ballot in six states so far, versus 36 states for the Libertarians.

Third parties have "rarely been competitive" in U.S. presidential elections, and the Libertarian candidate drew 1% of the vote in 2020, The Associated Press said. But the party is "getting more attention this year" because the election "could hinge again on small vote margins in a handful of contested states."

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Libertarians jeer Trump, pick nominee - The Week

Trump tried to woo Libertarian voters and got booed. Here’s what happened. – Yahoo! Voices

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Donald Trump was loudly heckled at the Libertarian Partys national convention in Washington, D.C., on Saturday night just one day after Robert F. Kennedy Jr., now in consideration to be the partys presidential candidate, attacked the former president for mishandling the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

The scene at the Washington Hilton, where the convention took place, brought together Trump supporters and Libertarians alike. But not everyone was happy to see the former president. His efforts to convince third-party voters to vote Republican in Novembers general election didnt sit well for some attendees, who reportedly responded with boos and chants like lock him up! while his supporters were seen wearing Make America Great hats and chanting, USA! USA!

On Sunday night, the Libertarian Party picked Chase Oliver as its candidate for the 2024 presidential election.

Heres what you need to know about Trumps contentious appearance.

Trump announced on May 1 that hed be speaking at the convention. The appearance was an attempt to woo voters and avoid losing Republican support to independent candidate RFK Jr. in Novembers 2024 presidential election, explained the Associated Press.

If Libertarians join me and the Republican Party, where we have many Libertarian views, the election wont even be close, Trump said in a statement at the time.

The 34-minute speech Trump delivered on Saturday was one of his shortest campaign speeches to date. It also marked the first time a current or former president has spoken at the third-party convention, according to the Washington Post.

During his speech, Trump called Joe Biden the worst president in the history of the United States before asking the crowd for their vote.

Im asking for the Libertarian Partys endorsement or at least lots of your votes, Trump said, inciting boos.

If you want to lose, do that. Keep getting your 3% every four years, he told the crowd, noting that Libertarians earned 3.3% of the national vote during the 2016 election, according to The Hill.

Trump, who suggested he may be a Libertarian without even trying to be one, added, If we unite, we will be unstoppable. He also promised to put Libertarians in senior posts in his administration, if elected, but that didnt seem to win over the crowd.

If I wasnt a Libertarian before, I sure as hell am a Libertarian now, he said. I want your support. We want Libertarian votes because you stand for what we stand for and dont waste the vote.

While Trump received a single nomination to be a Libertarian presidential candidate on the convention floor, he didnt submit the required paperwork beforehand, making him unqualified, according to CNN.

Trump sought to appeal to the Libertarian crowd, who largely support the decriminalization of drugs, by pledging during his speech to commute the sentence of Ross Ulbricht, the mastermind behind Silk Road, an online bazaar selling drugs and other illegal goods, who was sentenced to life in prison in 2015.

Many in the crowd held signs that read: Free Ross.

Trump also promised to pardon the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 roughly 1,200 of whom have been arrested as of December 2023, according to the New York Times.

It will be my great honor to pardon the peaceful January 6th protesters, or as I often call them, the hostages, he said. There has never been a group of people treated so harshly or unfairly in our countrys history.

Trumps invitation left the party divided. While some appreciated his highlighting of Libertarian issues, others thought it was disingenuous and a mere attempt to grab more votes.

It was a lot of politicking, Glen Lewis, chairman of the Libertarian Party of Mississippi, told the Guardian. He came here to tell us to pull our peoples votes towards him using the fear of Joe Bidens presidency. But real men and women vote on integrity.

Michael Rectenwald, another Libertarian presidential candidate, praised Trumps commitment to commute Ulbrichts sentence but said its not enough to get his vote.

There are no people in this room in the Libertarian Party at risk for falling for Trumps bullsh*t, he said at a news conference, according to CNN.

Katherine Yeniscavich, a national Libertarian party committee member, has a different viewpoint: Its one of the things we wanted from his first term, she told Politico. [Trump] wants Libertarian voters, and if he agreed to free Ross, he would get a lot of votes.

Chase Oliver, now the official Libertarian presidential candidate, told Politico of Trump, If he thinks he is going to win our nomination, hes more delusional than I thought.

In Kennedys own 45-minute speech on Friday, he accused Trump of closing over 3 million businesses with government lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

He was initially very reluctant to impose lockdowns, but then he got rolled by his bureaucrats. He caved in, and many of our most fundamental rights disappeared practically overnight, Kennedy said. He did not stand up for the Constitution when it really mattered.

Referencing his claim that, in 2010, a parasitic worm ate a portion of his brain, Kennedy added, Maybe a brain worm ate that part of my memory, but I dont recall any part of the United States Constitution that creates an exemption for pandemics.

A known vaccine skeptic, Kennedy waded into conspiracy territory, accusing Biden of colluding with the FBI to display medical misinformation on social media about the origins of the coronavirus. He also promised, if elected, to drop espionage charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and pardon government whistleblower Edward Snowden, whos in exile in Russia.

The Libertarian Party, which prioritizes small government and individual freedoms, was founded in 1971 and calls itself the party of principle on its official website. The party's uniting belief is to strongly oppose any government interference into their personal, family, and business decisions.

According to CBS News, the partys 2016 presidential nominee, Gary Johnson, received 4.48 million votes and earned 3.3% of the popular vote in that election.

Though unlikely, Kennedy could theoretically earn enough Electoral College votes needed to be president should he become a third-party nominee. As noted by the New York Times, research suggests that Kennedy whos polling stronger than any third-party candidate has in decades could take votes away from Trump and Biden in a general election, which makes Trumps pitch for the Libertarian vote all the more strategic.

According to ABC News, the Libertarian Party has 2024 election ballot access in at least 37 states, including battlegrounds like Arizona and Pennsylvania. A win for Kennedy in all those states could take him over the finish line.

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Trump tried to woo Libertarian voters and got booed. Here's what happened. - Yahoo! Voices

Atlanta Activist Chase Oliver Clinches Libertarian Nomination, Trump and RFK Jr. Left in the Dust for 2024 Race – Hoodline

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The Libertarian Party has cast its bet for the White House on Atlanta activist Chase Oliver, snubbing both ex-President Trump and outsider Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for the 2024 race. Oliver, the new face of Libertarian politics, walloped his competition after seven rounds of voting to become the partys nominee, grabbing more than 60 percent of the final vote, FOX News reported.

In a seismic shift from the political norm, Trump, who was booed at the Libertarian convention and failed to win over the delegates, claimed that he couldn't seek the Libertarian nomination despite his assertion that he could have seized it with ease. "The reason I didn't file paperwork for the Libertarian Nomination, which I would have absolutely gotten if I wanted it (as everyone could tell by the enthusiasm of the Crowd last night!), was the fact that, as the Republican Nominee, I am not allowed to have the Nomination of another Party," he said in a brassy post on social media. Meanwhile, Kennedys pitch at the convention seemed to resonate better, however, his support crumbled, as he managed to scrape together only 19 votes, a paltry 2 percent, and was cut from consideration in the early voting rounds, according to CBS News.

While the nomination of a third-party candidate might typically fly under the radar, Oliver's selection is turning heads due to the tight race anticipated between Trump and incumbent President Joe Biden. With such narrow margins potentially deciding the outcome in key swing states, Olivers campaign could play a pivotal role in the 2024 election. Olivers platform, highlighted on his campaign website, includes aggressive federal budget cuts aimed at balancing the books, the abolition of the death penalty, the closure of overseas military bases, and pulling the plug on military support to both Israel and Ukraine.

Oliver, characterizing himself as "armed and gay," stumbled upon the Libertarian Party during the 2020 Atlanta Pride Festival, "Politico" reported. He is a staunch supporter of individual liberties, with an inclusive stance on who should be allowed to partake in the American Dream. He thrives on the belief that if immigrants are coming to work and live peacefully, it is not his, nor the government's, business to interfere. His political rsum includes previous runs for the U.S. Senate and House from Georgia, in which he earned about 2 percent of the vote in both bids, demonstrating modest but tangible support.

With a former Florida police officer, Mike ter Maat, by his side as his vice-presidential running mate, Oliver is preparing to target a younger crowd, one thats disenchanted with the current political landscape and energized by hot-button issues like the Israel-Hamas conflict. He plans to take his message to college campuses and popular social media platforms like Twitch and TikTok in a bid to stir up enthusiasm and climb an uphill battle to the presidency.

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Atlanta Activist Chase Oliver Clinches Libertarian Nomination, Trump and RFK Jr. Left in the Dust for 2024 Race - Hoodline

Love in Atlas Shrugged – The Objective Standard

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Authors note: This article contains spoilers for Atlas Shrugged.

Love is about sacrificing, serving, surrendering, sharing, supporting, and even suffering for others, writes pastor Rick Warren.1 Hes not alone in this view; many claim that sacrificing for someone is a clear demonstration that you truly love him or her. People often hold up sacrifice (real or supposed) as the true measure of lovewhether the sacrifice is big, as when Jack sacrificed his life for Rose in Titanic; or small, as when Landon gave up his reputation for Jamie in A Walk to Remember.2 But is it true that love requires sacrifice?

First, what is sacrifice? Many consider giving up anything of value, regardless of what one gets in return, to be a sacrifice. For example, people often say that to succeed in your profession, you need to work hard and sacrifice. In this context, sacrificing supposedly means applying ones time and energy to building ones career and giving up or forgoing other goals or activities one might otherwise have pursued. But if you value your career more than those other things, this is not a loss of value but a gain of value. And to call that a sacrifice makes no sense. The reason we need the concept sacrifice is to identify instances when one gives up something of greater value for something of lesser value or of no value. For example, if someone wants to succeed in his career but fritters away his time on social media and thus fails in his career, he has engaged in a net loss. He has committed a sacrifice.

Given that we do not have unlimited time and resources, we must prioritize some values above others. To do so rationally, we must consider which are most important to building a thriving life and which are less important. For example, a career one loves and a creative hobby are both life-serving values, but people tend to spend more time on the work they love than on hobbies, not only because the work pays their bills, but also because a career one loves is a long-range activity that provides meaning and purpose in their lives. To spend ones time and energy on hobbies to the detriment of ones career would be a sacrifice. As Ayn Rand defined it, a sacrifice is giving up a greater value for the sake of a lesser value or a nonvalue; its an action that violates your value hierarchy.3 She further explained:

If you exchange a penny for a dollar, it is not a sacrifice; if you exchange a dollar for a penny, it is. If you achieve the career you wanted, after years of struggle, it is not a sacrifice; if you then renounce it for the sake of a rival, it is. If you own a bottle of milk and give it to your starving child, it is not a sacrifice; if you give it to your neighbors child and let your own die, it is.4

As Rand depicted in her magnum opus, Atlas Shrugged, healthy romantic relationships exclude sacrifice. By examining a few of the most important relationships in the book, we can better understand how sacrifice is incompatible with love and how a totally different approach paves the way for strong, loving relationships.

Hank Rearden is an innovative, self-made businessman. He struggled for decades to build up a steel business and develop a groundbreaking new alloy, Rearden Metal. He holds himself to high standards of integrity and productivity, and he takes pride in his work.

But hes miserable at home. His mother and brother shamelessly live off him, while his wife, Lillian, not only fails to appreciate his achievements but openly mocks them. They look down on him as a greedy materialist, and he accepts their standards and resulting evaluation, thinking, If his family called him heartless, it was true.5 More and more frequently, he escapes his home to spend time at his steel mills, where he uses every ounce of his rationality and energy to produce and innovate. In this, he excels, and his employees and customers appreciate him for it.

But Lillian, an icy, indifferent woman, doesnt appreciate Hank and instead demands that he essentially become someone hes not. She tells him,

To love a woman for her virtues is meaningless. Shes earned it, its a payment, not a gift. But to love her for her vices is a real gift, unearned and undeserved. To love her for her vices is to defile all virtue for her sakeand that is a real tribute of love, because you sacrifice your conscience, your reason, your integrity and your invaluable self-esteem.6

In other words, she demands that he sacrifice his mind, judgment, and values to prove his love for her. Hank cannot fathom such an idea; to expect a person to love another causelesslyor worse, for her failingsis beyond his comprehension. Why would he love a woman he doesnt admire or even respect?

Although Lillians standards dont make sense to Hank, he implicitly accepts the destructive idea that moral truth is different for different individuals. Having adopted this premise, he proceeds on the idea that if Lillian holds that sacrifice is how one shows love, he should respect her view and act accordingly. This very decision requires that Hank sacrifice his independent judgment and go by herssomething he would never dream of doing at work, because it is through his rational judgment that hes built his business. But in his marriage, he struggles to act on the idea that real devotion, as Lillian tells him, consists of being willing to lie, cheat, and fake in order to make another person happyto create for him the reality he wants, if he doesnt like the one that exists.7 And though Hank fortunately never engages in that level of self-deception, he does continue in their marriage for seven years, bound to her by a sense of duty. He spoils his own happiness by choosing to be weighed down by a wife whose values are the opposite of his ownand moreover, are self-destructive.

Surrendering that which makes life meaningful makes life meaningless, as one author put it.8 Though Hank would never do that at work, he does it at home. Hank is unhappy because hes sacrificing his values in his personal relationships. But when he pursues his true valuesnotably, another woman, one who embodies his ideals of rationality, productivity, and justicehe begins to achieve some measure of happiness.

That other woman is Dagny Taggart, a top executive at Taggart Transcontinental Railroad. Hank and Dagny have had a business relationship for a couple of years; she even defies her companys board, vociferous protests of the media, and staunch union opposition to rebuild the railroads most important line using Rearden Metal. Together, they successfully run the first train over the new track, and in the joy and pride of their celebration, finally act on their long-unstated attraction, beginning an affair.

That affair becomes the bright spot of joy and affection that sustains the two of them through a variety of attacks and manipulations by the government and the press. At this point in the story, Hank is beginning to sense that he should be with someone who shares and supports his values, not someone who demands that he sacrifice and destroy them. He adores Dagny, showering her with gifts and seeing her as often as he can. Ive always wanted to enjoy my wealth, he explains to her over a romantic dinner one evening,

I didnt know how to do it. I didnt even have time to know how much I wanted to. But I knew that all the steel I poured came back to me as liquid gold, and the gold was meant to harden into any shape I wished, and it was I who had to enjoy it. Only I couldnt. I couldnt find any purpose for it. Ive found it, now.9

He goes on to explain that the pleasure of treating her to luxuries gives him the feeling of having made it, of being able to experience the success hes worked for all those long years.

Dagny, for her part, loves and admires Hank for, among other reasons, his intelligence and his strength of character. At the beginning of their affair, she tells him, for [the past] two years, the brightest moments I found were the ones in your office, where I could lift my head to look up at you.10

She shows him how to approach personal relationships as non-sacrificially as he approaches his workby trading value for valuein this case, spiritual values, meaning those pertaining to the mind. They support each other through hardships, helping one another sustain their love for existence. For instance, when Hank ably defends himself at trial against unjust charges, his courage and integrity inspire Dagny: Hank, Ill never think that its hopeless, not ever again. . . . Ill never be tempted to quit. Youve proved that the right always works and always wins . . . provided one knows what is the right.11 Hank, following a meeting with fellow producers whom he is helpless to assist against invasive new government regulations, feels that the world [is] a loathsome place where he [does] not want to belonguntil he gets to Dagnys apartment and speaks with her.12 Then, he begins to notice the beauty of the city again, and slowly realizes that

the thing which was returning was within him: the shape coming back drop by drop was his love for the city. Then he knew that it had come back because he was looking at the city past the taut, slender figure of a woman whose head was lifted eagerly as at a sight of distance, whose steps were a restless substitute for flight.13

They admire each other and provide not only comfortable companionship, but inspiration and the sense that their values are achievable and right. Dagny is forthright with Hank about how she approaches their relationship:

My way of trading is to know that the joy you give me is paid for by the joy you get from menot by your suffering or mine. I dont accept sacrifices and I dont make them. If you asked me for more than you meant to me, I would refuse. If you asked me to give up the railroad, Id leave you. If ever the pleasure of one has to be bought by the pain of the other, there better be no trade at all.14

Through the affair, Hank remains married to Lillian. Though he doesnt share Lillians belief that love can be causeless, he does accept that in marrying her, he took on an obligation to her, and he is loath to default on that obligation. And rather than sensibly sever it via a divorce, he continues in the marriage even when they both know its a sham. He sacrifices time and happiness that could have been his if he had left Lillian and been with Dagny openly.

Nonetheless, he refuses to end his affair with Dagny; that is one sacrifice he wont make. Its so important to him that he insists to Lillian, no human being can hold on another a claim demanding that he wipe himself out of existence.15 That is what ending his affair with Dagny would amount to: giving up one of his most important sources of joy, a relationship based on his and Dagnys highest values. Not until Lillian helps government officials blackmail him does he finally divorce her, freeing himself from her clutches forever. He tells Dagny what hes learned: Just as he opposed bureaucrats attempts to stop him from selling the metal he invented to the customers he chose, he ought to oppose those who try to guilt him into hiding his love for the woman he admiresand who demand his support without earning it. He says:

I rebelled against the looters attempt to set the price and value of my steelbut I let them set the moral values of my life. I rebelled against demands for an unearned wealthbut I thought it was my duty to grant an unearned love to a wife I despised, an unearned respect to a mother who hated me, an unearned support to a brother who plotted for my destruction.16

Hank had always been rational and just in his professional life. But he hadnt applied the same standards to his personal life, and it cost him dearly. Only when he stops sacrificing his values to his familys irrational ideas and expectations, when he fully embraces that love is a celebration of ones self and of existence, can he achieve happiness.17

Many readers celebrate Dagny as a determined, intelligent heroine, which she certainly is. But one aspect of her character that is sometimes overlooked is that all her romantic relationships (and friendships) are healthy and non-sacrificial.

We see Dagny in three successive romantic relationships over the course of the novel. The first is with her childhood friend Francisco. Their time together gave her a feeling greater than happiness, the feeling of ones blessing upon the whole of the earth, the feeling of being in love with the fact that one exists and in this kind of world.18 But their youthful romance doesnt last, and Francisco begins to build a reputation as a playboy. We later learn that this reputation is merely a cover and that he is in fact still in love with Dagny; at one point, conversing with Hank, he cries out passionately, Ive never loved but one woman in my life and still do and always will!19

Later, Dagny has the aforementioned relationship with Hank and later still, one with John Galt. Though each relationship is unique, all three are based on their shared values. As well see, knowing this enables Francisco and Hank to take an unusually rational approach to the painful situation of being in love with Dagny when she chooses John over them.

When Dagny and John are initially falling for each other, Francisco (whos close friends with John) doesnt realize it. Dagny worries that John might sacrifice their budding romance to spare Franciscos feelings. She pictures what that would mean for the three of them. John, the novels primary hero, would be

giving up the woman he wanted, for the sake of his friend, faking his greatest feeling out of existence and himself out of her life, no matter what the cost to him and to her, then dragging the rest of his years through the waste of the unreached and unfulfilled.20

Given this, Dagny envisions a bleak future in which she turns for consolation to Francisco, a second choice, faking a love she did not feel, being willing to fake . . . then living out her years in hopeless longing, accepting, as relief for an unhealing wound, some moments of weary affection.21

Nor would Francisco benefit from the imagined sacrifice. Though hed have Dagny, hed be

struggling in the elusive fog of a counterfeit reality, his life a fraud staged by the two who were dearest to him and most trusted, struggling to grasp what was missing from his happiness, struggling down the brittle scaffold of a lie over the abyss of the discovery that he was not the man she loved, but only a resented substitute, half-charity-patient, half-crutch, his perceptiveness becoming his danger and only his surrender to lethargic stupidity protecting the shoddy structure of his joy, struggling and giving up and settling into the dreary routine of the conviction that fulfillment is impossible to man.22

As this reflection eloquently shows, if John gave up Dagny for Francisco, it would harm all three of them in the long run. But John knows this and therefore refuses to sacrifice his values. He admires Dagny, feels himself worthy of her, and pursues her. He spends all the time he can with Dagny and later makes his feelings for her crystal clear. They have a passionate, deeply loving romancethe kind most of us aim for.

When Francisco learns that Dagny and John are in love, he doesnt fault either of them for it. He still loves Dagny, and part of him is naturally hurt and even acknowledges his jealousy. He explains to her that theyll still have certain emotions for each other, because they still share the same values and see the other embodying those values. But, he says, there is a greater emotional response that you grant to another man. No matter what you feel for him, it will not change what you feel for me, and it wont be treason to either, because it comes from the same root, its the same payment in answer to the same values.23 Given that John embodies Dagnys values more completely, she should be with him, and Francisco accepts that. He deeply respects both Hank and John. When he first learns that Dagny and Hank are together, he tells her that if it had to be anyone, Im glad its he.24 When he later learns that John is in love with her, Francisco describes it as all but inevitable that his dearest friend would fall for the same womanincluding her brilliant virtues and sense of life.

Likewise, when Hank learns that Dagnys fallen for someone else, he understands and isnt resentful. He explains to her, What youll give him is not taken away from me, its what Ive never had. I cant rebel against it. What Ive had means too much to meand that Ive had it, can never be changed.25 The two remain friends and allies, sharing meals together and helping each other through the struggles of a collapsing world. When Hank eventually meets John, he sends Dagny a brief note reassuring her: I have met him. I dont blame you.26

All of Dagnys relationships are built on the strongest of foundationsshared fundamental values, including intelligence, honesty, and integrity. But John is the complete embodiment of Dagnys values, the man she didnt know existed but always wanted. Francisco and Hank recognize that encouraging Dagny and John to be happy together is not a sacrifice; theyre not giving up anything. Rather, theyre keeping two wonderful people in their lives, admiring and enjoying their happiness, and embracing a future in which they will meet many other women and, no doubt, fall in love with someone in a noncontradictory, non-sacrificial, mutually self-interested way. Its both healthy and in their best interests.

Through Hank, Dagny, John, and Francisco, Rand shows that healthy relationships are based on shared moral values and a harmony of self-interest, and they exclude sacrifice.

Angelica is a fellow at Objective Standard Institute, an assistant editor and writer for The Objective Standard. Her roles at OSI include managing the internship and scholarship programs, course administration and development, and editing On Solid Ground. She writes nonfiction articles and speaks about Objectivism and fiction; you can see her work at walker-werth.com. She is also a voracious reader of fiction in her spare time, and writes about the ideas in fictional works at fictionosophy.substack.com.

1. Rick Warren, Facebook, November 21, 2013, https://www.facebook.com/pastorrickwarren/posts/10152064979745903.

2. Anna Livia Brady, 5 Cinematic Couples Who Showcase the Power of True Love, Family Theater Productions, February 10, 2023, https://familytheater.org/blog/movies-selfless-love-princess-bride.

3. Ayn Rand, The Virtue of Selfishness (New York: Signet, 1964), 50.

4. Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged (New York: Signet, Kindle edition), 1027.

5. Rand, Atlas Shrugged, 128.

6. Rand, Atlas Shrugged, 305.

7. Rand, Atlas Shrugged, 304.

8. Andrew Bernstein, Heroes, Legends, Champions: Why Heroism Matters (New York: Union Square Publishing, 2019), 93.

9. Rand, Atlas Shrugged, 371.

10. Rand, Atlas Shrugged, 255.

11. Rand, Atlas Shrugged, 484.

12. Rand, Atlas Shrugged, 373.

13. Rand, Atlas Shrugged, 376.

14. Rand, Atlas Shrugged, 425.

15. Rand, Atlas Shrugged, 529.

16. Rand, Atlas Shrugged, 858.

17. Rand, Atlas Shrugged, 974.

18. Rand, Atlas Shrugged, 108.

19. Rand, Atlas Shrugged, 493.

20. Rand, Atlas Shrugged, 797.

21. Rand, Atlas Shrugged, 797.

22. Rand, Atlas Shrugged, 797.

23. Rand, Atlas Shrugged, 76768.

24. Rand, Atlas Shrugged, 767.

25. Rand, Atlas Shrugged, 861.

26. Rand, Atlas Shrugged, 1002.

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Love in Atlas Shrugged - The Objective Standard

Camaraderie and chaos take Spoleto by way of Cassette Roulette – Charleston City Paper

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Hes done it all, and shes sung it all. And in Cassette Roulette, which opens May 25 at Spoleto Festival USA, Tony Award winner John Cameron Mitchell and international cabaret performer Amber Martin come together to share it all.

As with many of the best New York City friendships, Mitchell and Martin met through a mutual fairy friends salon in the mid-2000s. The two bonded over their love of music, particularly 1960s and 70s vinyls. Mitchell had been working with longtime collaborator and friend PJ DeBoy on an event to help save the celebrated gay bar and queer haven Julius from being shut down. Martin had just moved to the city after a successful stint in Portland, Oregon, and with her came her 2,000-deep collection of albums.

John said, Hey, youve got all these records and were doing a record party why dont you do it with us? Martin said. And from there the record of their budding friendship was set.

The pair are set to perform their showcase of songs, stories and characters at Spoleto this year in a show that centers on love: Love for music, art, their community and each other, tracking their now almost 20-year friendship.

In fact, Origin of Love was the name of the show they first performed together. Mitchell originally presented it as a solo show heavy on songs from his glam-rock Broadway musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Once he learned of Martins singing skills and exceptional ear for harmony, he asked her to come along and sing background.

That bloomed into the two taking center stage together and, ultimately, the creation of Cassette Roulette.

Mitchell described the show as a compendium of different parts of our lives, our musical autobiography, one that covers the pairs combined 115 years in show business. The name Cassette Roulette leans into nostalgia (a time before Spotify or even CD players) but also the shows spontaneous nature.

At every performance, the audience spins a wheel that determines which of their 70 career-spanning songs Mitchell or Martin will sing and share a story about. No one show is the same.

We tell stories as we hit that song on the wheel, Mitchell said. Its a queer art/cabaret/karaoke/everything kind of show. Theres no script. Its just pure fun and chaos and not taking things too seriously or letting the audience take things too seriously.

Mitchell, who has performed, produced and directed for the stage and screen, is now focused on giving back and creating space for his community. Based in New Orleans and coming off an acting hiatus of more than a year (largely due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike), he is starting an artist residency where he plans to bring in artists from marginalized communities, provide resources and elevate their work.

Im happy because Im doing stuff I care about, Mitchell said. Im doing gigs, Im playing and doing short films with people I meet in New Orleans, Im nurturing other peoples work, theyre working on mine. Im in the sandbox and Im having a good time.

That collaborative and generous spirit is part of how Cassette Roulette came about. Mitchell said he wanted to be able to highlight Martins gifts and her illustrious career. People dont know her as well, and once they see her, theyre like, Who is this genius? Mitchell said. Ive been luckier than her [in this business], and I want to share that, I want to share my friends work and let this help their careers.

He said it also helps not having to carry the load of a solo tour, and Martin agrees. He loves singing with me because I can harmonize with him to anything he wants to do, she said. He was also getting tired and exhausted from holding a tour the whole time. He knew about my weird, obscure past, and he wanted to push me out front.

Martin comes from a musical family: Her great-grandfather was a fiddle champion, and her mother, who also sang, taught her to harmonize at the age of 5. What a great schooling that was, she said. If you can sing harmony and listen with your ears, you can sing anything.

And singing anything is exactly what she has done her entire career. From Stevie Nicks to Dolly Parton to Janis Joplin (who was also from the same Texas area where Martin was raised) to even a little Chaka Khan and Sam Cooke, Martin has covered it all. She honors her soul and rock influences on her 2016 album, A.M. Gold, which is included in Cassette Roulette.

Or at least could be included, depending on how the wheel turns. The audience really chooses their own destiny, Martin said. One wheel is my head and one of the wheels is Johns head and we spin the wheel and whatever it lands on thats going to be spontaneous.

The spontaneity has worked in venues ranging from the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Arts (MASS MoCA), where it premiered, to the Public Theater in New York City last year.

Martin, who hasnt been to Charleston before, said she is looking forward to seeing other festival shows during her stay. Mitchell recently performed at Blackstar Symphony: The Music of David Bowie at the Gaillard Center and is excited to return, this time with his dear friend.

We are soulmates in music and friendship, and we try to share that vibe onstage, he said.

The pair will be able to do just that when they take the festival for three back-to-back performances at the Festival Hall starting May 25 at 9 p.m., with two additional performances on May 26 at 6 and 9 p.m.

Rayshaun Sandlin is an arts journalism and communications graduate of S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University

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Camaraderie and chaos take Spoleto by way of Cassette Roulette - Charleston City Paper

No Way Out: The Roulette Starring Jo Jin Woong, Kim Moo Yeol, And More Confirms Full Cast Lineup And Broadcast … – soompi

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The upcoming mystery thriller drama No Way Out: The Roulette has revealed more cast lineup!

No Way Out: The Roulette is an upcoming drama that depicts the fierce confrontation between those who want to kill and those who want to survive amidst the situation where a bounty of 20 billion won (approximately $14.7 million) is placed for the murder of a heinous criminal who is released from prison.

Originally slated to portray the lead character Baek Joong Sik, the late actor Lee Sun Gyun withdrew from the project following drug-related allegations and his untimely passing.

Subsequently, Jo Jin Woong has assumed the role of Baek Joong Sik, a detective who finds himself in the ironic position of having to protect the notorious criminal Kim Gook Ho. Yoo Jae Myung plays Kim Gook Ho, the ex-convict now targeted for nationwide execution after his 13-year imprisonment.

Other key characters include those who seek to use the public assassination offer for their own purposes. Kim Moo Yeol plays Lee Sang Bong, Kim Gook Hos legal representative and lawyer. Driven by ambitions to achieve success in this corrupt world, Lee Sang Bong volunteers to become Kim Gook Hos lawyer. Yum Jung Ah portrays Ahn Myung Ja, the two-faced mayor of Hosan, who, upon facing the demise of her political career, sees Kim Gook Ho as her last hope and decides to use him.

Sung Yoo Bin stars as Seo Dong Ha, Kim Gook Hos son and a prodigious violinist burdened by the stigma of being a murderers son. Greg Han will star as Mr. Smile, a seasoned and ruthless killer who comes to Korea to kill Kim Gook Ho. Notably, this will mark his first debut in a Korean drama.

Lee Kwang Soo portrays Yoon Chang Jae, a butcher aiming to claim the substantial financial reward by killing Kim Gook Ho. Lastly, Kim Sung Cheol joins the ensemble as Sung Joon Woo, a young pastor who wields his influence over the believers of his huge church.

No Way Out: The Roulette will premiere on U+Mobile TV in July.

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No Way Out: The Roulette Starring Jo Jin Woong, Kim Moo Yeol, And More Confirms Full Cast Lineup And Broadcast ... - soompi

Cotton On to redesign kids tee over Nazi symbol resemblance – Geelong Advertiser

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Cotton On to redesign kids tee over Nazi symbol resemblance - Geelong Advertiser

Over 1000 killed on British soil in UK-based Nazi concentration camps – The Jerusalem Post

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Despite previous tallies claiming that 389 of the 4000 enslaved mixed prisoners had been killed at the Alderney concentration camps in the Channel Islands, a new inquiry has revealed that the actual number stands at over 1000 killed, British media reported on Sunday.

Nazi occupiers set up at least four camps in Alderney, part of the UKs territory, in 1941. Two of the camps were turned into concentration camps.

While most of those enslaved on the island were from Russia, prisoners originated from some 20 countries.

The discovery came as party of investigatory efforts launched last year and led by UK Holocaust envoy Lord Pickles.

Pickles had begun the efforts in 2023, explaining to a panel of experts that, Numbers matter because the truth matters.

Based on current evidence, the number of victims killed is more than double what had previously been thought.

The previous belief that 389 victims had been killed was based on a study from the 1960s, the Jewish Chronicle reported, which had been based on marked graves. However, Pickles led a panel of experts to discover a figure closer to the truth.

One document from the British war crimes branch described how lethal injections were used against prisoners.

The experts had also discovered why the Nazis who operated these camps had never stood trial, the JC reported.

In 1981, it was discovered that Nazis involved in running the UK-based camps were living freely in Germany, the Guardian reported. Now, an additional line of inquiry sought to answer if there was a government cover-up.

One Nazi who had helped in commanding the camps, Major Carl Hoffman, had been in British custody. However, in July 1945 the UK made the decision to not prosecute; for reasons not publicly known.

Margaret Thatchers advisor Professor Glees, cited by the Guardian, said What is truly shocking and needs to be emphasised is that, beyond the numbers, it is absolutely true that the Nazis brought their exterminatory mindset to Alderney and were involved in the most unspeakable and unimaginable brutality and sadism on the island that led to many deaths. Lord Pickles asked me to find out why those responsible were not brought to justice.

The inquiry described the conditions of the camps, and the treatment by the Nazis running the camps, as systematic terrorism, involving murder and massacre and torture.

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Over 1000 killed on British soil in UK-based Nazi concentration camps - The Jerusalem Post