… because we’re within shouting distance of our goal!
We’re running a short (10-item) “weekend special edition” this morning. Enjoy.
THANK YOU to supporters CJTS, RT, and MB! Their contributions over the last 24 hours, totaling $130, bring our year-end fundraiser total to $1,828.84!
That puts us just $921.66 short of the finish line — and YOU can take us there by supporting the freedom movement’s daily newspaper at:
Once we’ve raised $2,750.50, supporter GL will “match funds” to get us to the goal of $5,501 … after which, I’ll stop talking about money ENTIRELY for the remainder of 2025, and MOSTLY until October of 2026.
If you think your prospective contribution is “too small to bother with,” you’re almost certainly wrong. $2.50, $5, or $10 makes a real difference, and if you value our publication in that amount and can afford to, I hope you’ll help out via:
Yours in liberty,
Tom Knapp
Publisher
Rational Review News Digest / Freedom News Daily
Source: Orange County Register
by Steven Greenhut
“There are two schools of conservative immigration thought. The first, to which I subscribe, acknowledges immigrants often flee countries ravaged by crime, tyranny and disorder. That’s why many people come to the United States. Our nation’s settlers fled persecution. My father escaped Nazi Germany, which was literally putting people in ovens (although many Republicans lately have struggled with their views on such horrors). Under this long-standing view, Americans should welcome immigrants, but promote E Pluribus Unum. The other conservative view, which is clearly embraced by national conservatives and populists, is that America is fundamentally a white, Christian nation and that immigration, to whatever limited degree we allow it, should align with those demographics.” (12/12/25)
https://archive.is/yjnoQ
Source: Fox News
by David Marcus
“The Democratic Party is a very old and venerable institution, and as such, it has a lot of rules, a lot of buffers, and yes, this thing of theirs, it has centers of power. You might even call them ‘families’. Now, these families, so to speak, they aren’t at war with each other, at least not usually, but they do have their own interests and priorities, and sometimes conflicts do arise. To truly understand the party, and where it is going, you have to understand the Five Families who lead it. So, let’s take a look, one by one. Which crews are in ascendency? Which are in chaos? And what will it mean for the party as it seeks to take Congress and the White House and put every agency in the country right in its back pocket?” [editor’s note: Yes, viewing the Dramacrat pols like mob bosses does clarify it a bit – SAT] (12/13/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/david-marcus-meet-five-families-democratic-party
Source: Providence Journal
“A shooting at Brown University has left at least two dead and nine injured on Saturday, Dec. 13. Two of the dead and eight of the injured have been confirmed as Brown University students. The school is still on lockdown as the shooter is not yet in custody. Providence police have released limited information about the suspected shooter – only that he is male, was wearing all black or dark clothing, and may be in his 30’s. … In what he described as the last regular update of the evening, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley emphasized that law enforcement has not received any additional credible information that there’s any ongoing threat.” (12/13/25)
https://www.providencejournal.com/live-story/news/crime/2025/12/13/brown-university-providence-rhode-island-active-shooter-live-updates/87754385007/
Source: BBC News [UK State Media]
“Cambodia has shut its border crossings with Thailand, as fighting continues between the two forces on Saturday despite US President Donald Trump earlier saying they had agreed to a ceasefire. The crossings will be closed until further notice, according to Cambodia’s interior ministry. Earlier, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said he told Trump a ceasefire would only be possible after Cambodia had withdrawn all its forces and removed landmines. Thai officials said four soldiers were killed on Saturday, as both sides reported continued bombing and artillery exchanges. Cambodia has not been updating its military casualty figure. Cambodia’s defence ministry said that Thai fighter jets bombed hotel buildings and a bridge, while Thailand reported several civilians were injured in a Cambodian rocket attack. The four deaths on Saturday bring Thailand’s total military death toll since Monday to 15, with 270 others injured. It added that six civilians had also been injured.” (12/13/25)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd0kkyx3vvxo
Source: The New Republic
“Trump Rages at Cratering Polls as GOP Losses Reveal Surprise Weakness.” (12/12/25)
https://newrepublic.com/article/204337/trump-rages-cratering-polls-gop-losses-reveal-surprise-weakness
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Roger Bate
“In December 2024, Congress did something unusual: it introduced a bill that openly acknowledges tobacco harm reduction. The POUCH Act of 2024, sponsored by Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI) and co-sponsored by Rep. Don Davis (D-NC), aims to prevent states and cities from banning or restricting FDA–authorized lower-risk products, including modern nicotine pouches and vaping products. … This should not be a radical idea, but within the chaos of American nicotine regulation, it almost counts as revolutionary. However, the bill also reveals a deeper truth about why the United States struggles so badly with harm reduction. It exposes the forces that keep smokers tied to cigarettes, protect government revenue streams, and effectively eliminate smaller innovators who cannot survive the regulatory gauntlet.” (12/12/25)
https://brownstone.org/articles/why-governments-prefer-cigarette-revenue-over-safer-alternatives/
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Supporters of 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi say she has been arrested while attending a memorial ceremony in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad. The Narges Foundation said on Friday that Mohammadi, 53, was arrested during an event honouring a human rights lawyer who recently died in unclear circumstances. Iranian authorities have not commented on her reported detention, and it remains uncertain whether she will be returned to prison to complete a previous sentence. The arrest comes amid a broader clampdown on activists and civil society figures as Iran faces sanctions, economic pressures and heightened regional tensions.” (12/12/25)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/12/nobel-peace-laureate-narges-mohammadi-arrested-in-iran-supporters-say
Source: Lions of Liberty
“Institutional Failure Everywhere: College Football Scandal, European Leverage and Covid.” (12/12/25)
https://www.lionsofliberty.com/episodes/institutional-failure-everywhere-college-football-scandal-european-leverage-covid
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by David Gordon
“The Constitution of 1787 — though not without its good points — had two main defects. First, although the preamble recognized that Americans came together as ‘We the People’ to choose their own form of government, it failed to failed to rule out explicitly the argument of the South that the Constitution was formed by the states, with states having the right to secede if, in their judgment, the terms of the original compact had been violated. Second, it restricted popular sovereignty and called for government by an elite who were deemed fit to rule over the masses.” (12/12/25)
https://mises.org/friday-philosophy/our-secret-constitution
Source: SFGate
“Scientists on California’s Central Coast recently spotted a giant, evasive seven-arm octopus while on a research expedition in Monterey Bay. The rare creature, called Haliphron atlanticus, was seen by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute’s biodiversity and biooptics team on Nov. 6, the institute confirmed to SFGATE via email. Prior to this sighting, scientists with MBARI had only seen the octopus four times in the past 35 years. Haliphron atlanticus was last seen by MBARI scientists in 2017, when they discovered the octopus is partial to a diet of jellyfish and gelatinous plankton. Last month, the team again witnessed the elusive animal. Led by senior scientist Steven Haddock, the MBARI team was studying marine life in the ocean’s midwater — a vast range between the water’s surface and the seafloor — when they came across Haliphron atlanticus at a depth of about 2,300 feet.” (12/11/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/centralcoast/article/seven-armed-octopus-california-monterey-21237565.php
