In this episode, we delve into the RESTRICT Act, also known as Patriot Act 2.0. The Mises Caucus broke it down on Twitter, revealing that it grants the government the authority to control all forms of communication, domestic or abroad, and enforce any measure to address any risk to national security, now or in the future. It also allows the Director of National Intelligence and Secretary of Commerce to designate new "Foreign Adversaries" without notifying Congress, and a 15-day window to notify the President. Congress needs a joint resolution to overturn this. The bill identifies five main categories of risks that include coercive or criminal activities by foreign adversaries designed to undermine democratic processes and institutions or steer policy and regulatory decisions in favor of foreign adversary objectives. The bill imposes severe fines and prison sentences for any violation, which raises concerns over free speech and open-source movements. We also highlight how the bill grants unlimited hiring power to positions of enforcement and un-reviewable unlimited funds, with immunity to FOIA. We discuss the reactions to the bill, including Rand Paul's opposition to it and Lindsey Graham's questionable support. We also examine how the percentage of Congress members that served in the military has declined in the past 50 years, leading to a discussion on the differences between politicians and statesmen. Links:

Bill: https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/3/f/3f2eaae6-09ad-49e1-b254-46289cf20cca/843D73B1823EA0D4122B4365262410D6.restrict-act-final-text.pdf?ref=discreetlog.com

Lawfare Blog on it: https://www.lawfareblog.com/two-new-bills-tiktok-and-beyond-data-act-and-restrict-act