Hey, everyone …
It’s a FIREHOSE FRIDAY, with 107-ish news stories, opinion pieces, and audio/video links awaiting your attention at our web edition.
As I mentioned yesterday, we’re “web-only” because my wife, Tamara, had carpal tunnel surgery yesterday. It went well and she’s recovering nicely, but things like that take a chunk out of any work day. Thanks for your understanding.
As I also pointed out yesterday, every day that nobody donates to our annual fundraiser, a cute little puppy dies. Thanks to subscribing contributors JF and IH, and to long-time supporter CH (who opined “Nooo! Not the puppies!”) for their contributions totaling $25.50 — they surely saved a few puppies AND brought our annual fundraiser total up to (as of 5am on Friday) $1,083.50!
Short and sweet: Our goal is $5,503. Once we’ve raised $2,751.50, supporter GL will “match funds” to get us to the finish line. So we are $1,668 short.
I think a reasonable “mini-goal” is to hit the halfway point ($1,375.75) by Monday, with weekend contributions totaling at least $292.25. That URL again:
Thanks for all you do, and please have a happy, healthy, and prosperous Halloween weekend!
Yours in liberty,
Tom Knapp
Publisher
Rational Review News Digest / Freedom News Daily
Source: CoinCentral
“Binance reported a security breach affecting about $6.3 billion in assets, and suspended deposits and withdrawals. More than $1.5 billion in leveraged crypto bets were forcibly closed in 24 hours, per CoinGlass. Long positions made up about 84% of the liquidations, and Binance handled nearly half the total. Bitcoin dipped to about $76,460 before recovering toward $78,500, and ether traded near $2,240. Tether and Circle froze a combined $2.4 billion in stablecoins tied to the incident.” (10/30/26)
https://coincentral.com/binance-hack-triggers-1-5-billion-in-crypto-liquidations-as-bitcoin-falls/
Source: The Bleeding Heart Libertarian
by Matt Zwolinski
“Among some young libertarians, especially online and in radical anarcho-capitalist circles, Hoppe is venerated. … Outside the Rothbardian and Austrian circles where he made his reputation, though, Hoppe’s name is largely unknown. Most mainstream political philosophers have never heard of him, and those who have rarely engage with his work. His admirers say that’s because the academy is a left-wing monoculture afraid of him. But there’s a better, simpler explanation. Hoppe’s central philosophical arguments just aren’t very good. In particular, ‘argumentation ethics’ doesn’t come close to justifying libertarian rights. And even if it did, it wouldn’t do anything to justify the politics of exclusion he attaches to them.” (10/29/26)
https://bleedingheartlibertarian.substack.com/p/the-trouble-with-hans-hermann-hoppe
Source: The Political Orphanage
“Why Did We Close the Asylums?” (10/29/26)
https://politicalorphanage.libsyn.com/why-did-we-close-the-asylums
Source: Defense Post
“Ukraine’s HIMERA and Denmark’s GomSpace have placed a test satellite into orbit for a planned sovereign communications network, as Kyiv seeks to reduce its reliance on SpaceX’s Starlink amid concerns over its dependence on an external provider for critical communications. Launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on the Transporter-18 mission on October 1, the OBRIA Nano satellite is undergoing technical tests to inform the design of a constellation intended to provide communications coverage across Ukraine and complement European satellite networks. The next phase will involve localizing satellite and ground-terminal production in Ukraine, developing domestic expertise and expanding manufacturing capabilities.” (10/30/26)
https://thedefensepost.com/2026/10/30/ukraine-satellite-starlink-alternatives/
Source: The Daily Economy
by Caleb S Fuller & Scott Burns
“From aluminum wrappers to beef, cheese, and tomatoes, Washington has found a way to make every bite more expensive. ‘TACOs’ shouldn’t cost so much.” (10/29/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/who-put-tariffs-in-my-20-burrito/
Source: investinglive
“US initial jobless claims came in at 194K versus 199K expected, while continuing claims fell to 1.701 million against expectations of 1.720 million. The previous readings were revised to 195K and 1.722 million, respectively. US Jobless Claims measure the number of people filing for unemployment benefits and provide a timely indicator of labour market conditions. Initial claims track new applications and offer insight into layoffs, while continuing claims measure the number of people still receiving benefits, providing clues about how easily unemployed workers find new jobs. The report points to continued labour market resilience, with both initial and continuing claims coming in below expectations.” (10/29/26)
https://investinglive.com/news/us-initial-jobless-claims-194k-vs-199k-expected/
Source: The UnPopulist
by Robert Tracinski
“Democratic candidates spent much of the midterm campaign talking themselves into a false choice over whether to focus on ‘affordability’ or on the abuse of executive power. Yet in its final days, the election has come to center on an issue that combines the two: the spectacular corruption of the Trump administration. Many Democrats are adopting this as a closing message on the campaign trail …. This election’s focus on corruption has been encouraged by a series of late-breaking revelations about the sheer scale and brazenness of the cash grabs by Trump and his appointees.” (10/29/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/a-democratic-congress-should-make
Source: Killeen Daily Herald
“A Liberian-flagged vessel that was hit by drones off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast has sunk, the local maritime administration said Thursday. Three maritime drones struck the container ship Contship Jet about 21 nautical miles off the coast of Bulgaria on Wednesday, Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said. It was the fifth drone attack in the NATO country’s exclusive economic zone this month. The Greek-managed container ship was en route from Israel’s port of Haifa to Constanța in Romania. All 18 crew members, 14 Filipinos and four Ukrainians, were rescued by Bulgarian naval and border police vessels and taken to the port city of Varna for medical checks. … Russia has not taken responsibility for the recent attacks, but suspicion has fallen on Moscow.” (10/29/26)
https://kdhnews.com/news/world/ship-sinks-off-bulgarias-black-sea-coast-after-being-hit-by-drones/article_dcca3e88-37f5-5d0f-b779-91dedab4944c.html
Source: EconLog
by Saray Levy-Carciente
“For millions of entrepreneurs, the greatest barrier to generating wealth is no longer market competition but the relentless expansion of regulations and administrative procedures. While governance is ostensibly designed to ensure order, modern bureaucracy has morphed into a formidable ‘invisible shackle.’ Rather than functioning as a neutral tool of oversight, excessive red tape treats a citizen’s inherent right to produce as a conditional concession granted by the state through endless, discretionary hurdles.” (10/29/26)
https://www.econlib.org/econlog/the-invisible-shackle-how-bureaucracy-stifles-the-economy-and-constrains-our-freedom
