THANK YOU to long-time subscribing contributor JR! His $25 in monthly contributions yesterday brings our annual fundraiser total to (as of 5am) $1,287!
Our goal is $5,503. Half of that is covered by a “matching funds” pledge from supporter GL — but we have to raise the first half from everyone else first, and we’re $1,464.50 short at the moment.
“Mini-goal” — I turn 60 today, and hope to raise AT LEAST $60. Your donation, in ANY amount you deem commensurate with the value you get from our work, helps.
Have a happy, healthy, and prosperous day!
Yours in liberty,
Tom Knapp
Publisher
Rational Review News Digest / Freedom News Daily
Source: CBS News
“The United States, Ukraine and Russia have started talks in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday aimed at ending the war in Ukraine that began in 2022 when Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of his country’s neighbor. The two-day session is the first such meeting since February and will focus on security guarantees, a long-running demand from Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. … Ukraine argues that an immediate ceasefire is the necessary first step toward negotiating a wider settlement and says a direct meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy is the only way territorial issues can be settled.” (11/10/26)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-russia-ukraine-war-talks-peace-abu-dhabi-deal/
Source: The Daily Economy
by Jon Miltimore & Laura Williams
“Tariffs were supposed to rebuild American manufacturing and protect workers; mostly, they raised costs. Election results suggest protectionism’s costs have become a political liability.” (11/09/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/voters-hated-tariffs-here-are-the-receipts/
Source: Reason
“Thomas Massie Is Right To Impeach Pete Hegseth.” (11/09/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/11/09/thomas-massie-is-right-to-impeach-pete-hegseth/
Source: Associated Press
“California voters have rejected a first-in-the-nation tax on the net worth of billionaires following a contentious ballot fight that generated huge spending by some prominent tech leaders eager to stop their taxes from going up. The measure’s failure is a win for Democratic leaders who opposed it, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, who may run for president in 2028. Critics of the tax, known as Proposition 40, said it would have prompted ultrawealthy taxpayers to leave the state. Most Californians vote by mail, and any ballot postmarked by Election Day that arrives within a week is counted, meaning it often takes days or even weeks for close races to be settled. The Associated Press determined Monday that ‘no’ had received enough votes to win.” (11/09/26)
https://apnews.com/article/california-billionaire-tax-4ae8cbdc057b99579818016f02ac9d9e
Source: The UnPopulist
by Tom G Palmer
“The most socialist administration in American history has been resoundingly repudiated by voters. The opposition won the House of Representatives in a landslide and is on track for roughly 255 to 260 seats to about 175 for Trump’s party—its largest House majority since 2008. In the Senate, the opposition holds at least 54 seats to 44 for Trump’s party, with two races in former ‘Trump country’ still uncalled: in Mississippi, its candidate holds a narrow lead, while Alaska’s contest remains too close to call. Lawlessness, socialist cronyism, corruption, tariffs, and war seem to have sucked the wind out of the MAGA sails.” (11/09/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/the-make-socialism-great-again-president
Source: Yahoo! News
“Israel’s new parliament will be sworn in Tuesday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set to lose his majority even as rival Gadi Eisenkot still works to form a new government. President Isaac Herzog will deliver a speech at 4:00 pm (1400 GMT) for the swearing-in of the 120-seat parliament, in which neither Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc nor Eisenkot’s opposition will hold a majority. The opposition hopes to use its newfound legislative power to move quickly on key priorities, including a commission to investigate security failures under Netanyahu that allowed the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, the deadliest day in Israel’s history. Herzog on Sunday gave Eisenkot the initial mandate to form a government, starting the clock for him to cobble together a coalition within 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension.” (11/10/26)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/israel-parliament-sworn-eisenkot-seeks-091640633.html
Source: Washington Post
by LP O’Brien
“The holidays haven’t arrived yet, but many bars and restaurants are already testing recipes, calculating costs and placing bottle orders for what you’ll drink in December. That peppermint martini or cranberry cocktail takes time to reach the menu. Complicating the process this year: tariffs on countries that supply some of America’s favorite spirits. The latest is a ban on imports of certain Canadian whiskies, put in place by President Donald Trump to bring Canada back to the tariff negotiating table. As a longtime bartender and hospitality consultant, I hope the president’s negotiating gambit works. But I’m also worried about my colleagues in the hospitality industry, who need predictability to plan for the critical season ahead and are already facing tight margins as inflation curbs what customers are willing to spend.” (11/09/26)
https://archive.is/qvRVq
Source: The Guardian
“Donald Trump has said that the war in Iran is ‘effectively over’ as he played down concerns that the US would escalate its military campaign against Tehran after the midterm elections. During a White House press conference, Trump said that Israel and Gulf allies in the region were well protected from Iran and that an escalation was not needed. … ‘We’re seeing momentum toward the end of this conflict. I think it’s going to be ending fairly soon,’ he added. Trump has frequently exaggerated claims about the status of negotiations with Iran, saying a final peace deal was imminent dozens of times during the nearly nine-month long war.” (11/09/26)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/09/trump-iran-war
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Samuel J Abrams
“We spend an enormous amount of time arguing about free speech in America, especially on our college and university campuses. And too often, institutional leaders either stay silent or issue carefully worded statements that manage to say very little about how speech works in this country. … I think that too many forget that defending free expression does not require us to abandon judgment or pretend that every idea is equally worthy of respect. There is a difference between telling Americans what to think and reminding them why they are free to think for themselves.” (11/09/26)
https://www.fire.org/news/when-america-knew-what-it-was-defending
