Hey, everyone …
Yesterday was our annuual fundraiser’s second “zero-dollar day” in a row. Our total remains stuck at $1,003.
We need to reach $2,751.50, after which supporter GL will “match funds” to get us to the $5,503 goal … and things WERE moving pretty fast in that direction until the last couple of days.
Here’s where I point out that we’ve been bringing you Rational Review News Digest every non-holiday weekday for 24 years (as of this coming December 24), and for more than 35 years by incorporation of our predecessor publications (Libernet and Freedom News Daily).
Here’s where I point out that somewhere in the neighborhood of 5,000 of you find RRND/FND valuable enough to stick with and read via email, web edition, and social media feeds.
And here’s where I point out that “reader-supported” means we count on YOU to return some of that value received as financial support, in whatever amount you find justified.
I’m going to keep asking every weekday morning until we hit that $2,751.50 mark … after which I won’t mention it at all for the rest of 2026, or very much for the first nine months of 2027.
OK, I’m out of here for a medical appointment. It seems I have a hole in my retina, which kinda freaks me out. Not badly enough to keep me from bringing you your daily dose of news, commentary, and podcast action, though. And not badly enough to keep me from using my ailment as a fundraising prop. Feel free to help with my copay at:
And have a great day!
Yours in liberty,
Tom Knapp
Publisher
Rational Review News Digest / Freedom News Daily
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“Irish lawmakers voted Wednesday in favour of controversial legislation to scrap a mechanism preventing the overseas deployment of Irish military peacekeepers without a green light from the United Nations. The Dail, Ireland’s lower house of parliament, approved the bill by 79 votes to 71, despite opposition warnings that the move threatens the country’s longstanding military neutrality. Ireland is not a NATO member, but its small defence force of just over 8,000 personnel has traditionally engaged in international peacekeeping operations. … The government argues that Ireland should be able to respond to crises without waiting for approval from the UN Security Council.” (10/22/260
https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20261022-ireland-votes-un-veto-overseas-peacekeeping-missions
Source: NBC News
“In a win for Republicans, the Supreme Court said Thursday that student IDs cannot be used in New Hampshire for the midterm elections. The justices granted an emergency request filed by the state, which had the backing of the Republican National Committee. The ballot in New Hampshire includes a closely watched Senate race that could play a key role in deciding control of the chamber. Republican former Sen. John E. Sununu is pitted against Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas for the seat held by retiring Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. The brief court order said a federal judge should not have ordered a change in voting rules so close to the Nov. 3 election, citing existing precedent on that point.” (10/22/26)
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/new-hampshire-student-ids-cannot-used-vote-november-midterm-elections-rcna604570
Source: The Blessings of Liberty with Jeffrey Rosen
“Hamilton vs. Jefferson.” (10/22/26)
https://rosenjeffrey.substack.com/p/hamilton-vs-jefferson
Source: Semafor
by Eleanor Mueller
“As President Donald Trump continues buying government stakes in private companies, the rest of Washington is starting to appreciate the power of his new tool. The Trump administration has so far announced 43 equity stakes in firms producing everything from minerals to semiconductors, 36 of which were negotiated without explicit legal authority — and more are yet to come. … Thanks to the precedent Trump has set, a future Democratic president could reap multiple benefits from equity stakes in private companies. Among them, as former Biden administration officials suggested: reining in the AI industry, shrinking defense spending, boxing China out of critical sectors, and pressuring gun and oil companies.” (10/22/260
https://www.semafor.com/article/10/21/2026/trump-turned-the-government-into-an-investor-democrats-have-shopping-plans-too
Source: Cobden Centre
by Ryan McMaken
“The Treasury Department released its monthly statement on Friday and has now confirmed what we all suspected: the US federal government, under the Trump Administration, will finish the 2026 fiscal year with an annual fiscal deficit of about $2 trillion. To be precise, the federal deficit for the 2026 fiscal year, which ended on September 30, is $1.99 trillion. That’s the third largest deficit ever recorded.” (10/22/26)
https://www.cobdencentre.org/2026/10/gop-spending-swells-us-deficit-to-nearly-2-trillion-for-2026/
Source: Liberal Currents
by Chuck Babbage
“The backlash against Silicon Valley awfulness—call it a ‘techlash’—is a force that can be turned into remedying actions. It’s not a policy platform. It’s not a solution. It’s a question: How do we tame the corporate monsters to the point where they can be held accountable for making these destructive products? And here are two answers: by wielding the tools of product liability law and antitrust reform.” (10/22/26)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/the-techlash-is-coming/
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“A foreign national has been beaten to death by a crowd of about 50 people in Durban, South Africa, police say. According to police, the unidentified man, believed to be in his late 30s or early 40s, was first approached by two men by the roadside before being assaulted by a larger group. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police have launched an investigation into the murder, with the motive yet to be established. The killing follows a wave of protests against immigrants in South Africa this year, some of which have turned violent. Earlier this month, shops and cars were set on fire in Durban, as well as Soweto, near Johannesburg. Provincial police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda told the BBC they cannot speculate on the motive for the killing in Durban and that more information would be shared once verified.” (10/22/26)
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ck5yn9z3vnego
Source: Politico
“America’s Heartland sows doubt in the GOP.” (10/22/26)
https://traffic.megaphone.fm/POLL4606386451.mp3
Source: Antiwar.com
by Yves Engler
“Since Donald Trump began his second term, the US has bombed nine countries/territories. According to New America, the Trump administration has hit Somalia 211 times. Over the past thirteen months 71 US maritime strikes in the hemisphere have killed over 200 and in January US forces killed nearly 100 when they kidnapped Venezuela’s President. An eight-week US bombing campaign of Yemen last year killed at least 224 civilians as part of an effort to enable Israel’s genocide and last month the Trump administration gave the Jewish supremacist state $2.8 billion worth of mostly 2,000-pound bombs. Over 40 days at the start of the year the US launched 10,000 strikes on Iran. In one attack, 120 schoolgirls were killed. Carney has either supported or ignored all of that violence. But the prime minister responded to the US president announcing a plan to purchase Russian diesel as a threat to ‘peace’.” (10/22/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/yves_engler/2026/10/21/curious-what-canadas-pm-considers-threat-to-peace/
Source: New York Times
“The Election That Will Define Israel’s Future.” (10/22/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wesNDBz6AMs
