Hey, everyone …
Yesterday was a “zero-dollar day” in our annual fundraiser. We’re stuck, as of 5am, at $1,003 — 36% of the way to our $5,503 goal (once we’ve raised $2,751.50, supporter GL will “match funds” for the second half).
None of this “we’ll have to shut our doors if you don’t smash that donate button” stuff. We’ve been at this for nearly a quarter century as RRND and for more than 30 years as Freedom News Daily and Libernet before that. We plan to keep on going.
On the other hand, we gotta eat, and this is the one time of the year when we lean on you about that. The big prize for getting across the finish line is that I’ll stop badgering you about money completely for the rest of 2026, and mostly for the first nine months of 2027.
So:
And have a great day!
Yours in liberty,
Tom Knapp
Publisher
Rational Review News Digest / Freedom News Daily
THANK YOU to subscribing contributors AN and DY! Their donations yesterday, totaling $12.50, prevented a “zero-dollar day” in our annual fundraiser and bring our total (as of 5am) to $1,003!
That leaves us just $1,748.50 short of our goal (once we’ve reached $2751.50, supporter GL will “match funds” to get us to the $5,503 finish line.
We’re not yet at the point where I hammer you, tediously and at length, with our glorious 30+ year history by way of trying to pry your wallets open. Here’s the short and sweet of it:
And thanks in advance for doing so. Have a great day!
Yours in liberty,
Tom Knapp
Publisher
Rational Review News Digest / Freedom News Daily
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Australian independent lawmaker Helen Haines has had both of her legs amputated after being rammed by a car outside her electoral office, her husband said, as the suspected attacker appeared in court. Doctors amputated the MP’s left leg after an attacker hit her twice with his car in Wangaratta, northeast of Melbourne, on Monday, Phil Haines said. They tried to save her right leg but failed to do so, he told a news conference on Wednesday. … The suspect in the attack, revealed to be a 43-year-old man called Brendan Nugent, made a brief court appearance on Wednesday. … The suspect’s lawyer said he has a rare neurological condition called idiopathic transverse myelitis and is also recovering from a concussion, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.” (10/21/26)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/21/australian-mp-loses-both-legs-in-vehicle-attack-as-suspect-appears-in-court
Source: Yascha Mounk
“James Marriott on the End of Reading.” (10/20/26)
https://writing.yaschamounk.com/p/james-marriott
Source: Reason
by Tosin Akintola
“On Monday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it would ‘make $8 billion available for one-time payments to American farmers this harvest season to provide relief during temporary market disruptions and increased input costs.’ … The $8 billion program is part of a windfall of taxpayer money the Trump administration has sent to farmers as relief for harms caused by the president’s actions. Last December, the USDA sent $11 billion in one-time bridge payments to more than half a million farmers nationwide. Earlier this month, the USDA announced it would provide a record $13.8 billion in gross payments to agricultural producers to cover revenue losses.” (10/20/26)
https://reason.com/2026/10/20/trumps-8-billion-diesel-bailout-pays-farmers-for-a-problem-he-created/
Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
“My previous post proposed an economics course built around World of Warcraft. I have much less experience teaching statistics than teaching economics and I suspect the game is less suited for the former than the latter purpose but it does provide quite a lot of opportunities for observing data and trying to infer patterns from it so could be used to both explain and apply statistical inference. And I suspect that, as in the case of economics, application to a world with which the student was familiar and to problems of actual interest to him would have a significant positive effect on attention and understanding.” (10/20/26)
https://daviddfriedman.substack.com/p/statistics-with-world-of-warcraft
Source: The Scott Horton Show
“Scott interviews Robert Wright, author of the book The God Test, about how AI will impact our future. They discuss the threats AI poses to our safety and our economies. And they talk about the right and wrong ways to minimize those risks without sacrificing the genuine benefits offered by the technology.” (10/20/26)
https://scotthorton.org/interviews/10-16-26-robert-wright-on-the-threats-posed-by-ai/
Source: Indepenent Institute
by Stephen P Halbrook
“On October 15, I published a post arguing that true ‘sensitive places’ where guns are banned must have armed protection. The same day, a murderer broke into a ‘gun-free-zone’ school in Oregan and began shooting children and teachers. A dad of two girls at the school just happened to be driving by and grabbed his pistol, rushed into the school, and ‘neutralized’ the killer with several shots. He was a concealed pistol licensee. … the brave community member who entered the school and ended the carnage would have violated the law, but for a ‘choice-of-evils’ justification defense.” (10/20/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/10/20/saving-lives-at-silver-rail-elementary-in-bend-oregon/
Source: CBS News
“A decision by Elon Musk led to restrictions on Ukraine’s use of SpaceX’s satellite communications network, people familiar with the matter told CBS News. The satellite service, which is used for drone operations, hitting certain targets and protecting sites in Ukraine, was slowed significantly last week. Musk held multiple conversations with administration officials leading up to the order, the sources said. He wanted clarity on the president’s thinking on the matter. Musk has expressed distaste with his company being seen as profiting from the continued war between Russia and Ukraine. It’s not clear how Musk’s order to curtail service was executed.” (10/20/26)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/elon-musk-ukraine-spacex-starshield-trump-administration/
Source: Pink Flame of Liberty
“Let’s Watch the LNC Meeting 10/20/26 (Martin SIC Report).” (10/20/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iANt3gdmiY0
Source: The Daily Economy
by Peter Jacobsen
“Politicians routinely promise benefits to current voters at future taxpayers’ expense. The president’s offer simply strips away the pretense.” (10/20/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/trumps-5000-offer-reveals-how-washington-works/
Source: Show-Me Institute
by Patrick Tuohey
“You can plug a 1,500-watt space heater into your living room wall without asking anyone. Plug in a 1,200-watt solar panel, however, and Missouri treats you like a small power plant. The two aren’t identical, since the panel can push power back into the wiring. But that difference calls for a safety standard, not a permit process built for commercial grade rooftop arrays. Under Missouri’s net-metering law, a panel that feeds power into a home’s wiring is a ‘customer-generator.’ Its owner must file an interconnection application with a wiring diagram, wait for the utility’s approval, and have a qualified electrician or engineer certify the installation. Bright Saver, a nonprofit that sells plug-in solar kits, won’t ship them to Missouri until the law changes. Two bills filed in the 2026 legislative session would have fixed that.” (10/20/26)
https://showmeinstitute.org/article/economy/missouris-rules-for-plug-in-solar-are-out-of-proportion-to-the-risk/
