THANK YOU to subscribing contributor BT, whose $2.50 monthly donation yesterday saved us from a “zero-dollar day” and brings our annual fundraister total to (as of 5am) $1,289.50!
We’re about 47% of the way through our 92-day “annual fundraiser window,” and about 47% of the way to our goal … technically “on track,” but the faster we get there, the sooner I can stop bothering you about it every day.
Thanks to supporter GL’s “matching funds” pledge, we only have to raise $2,751.50 from everyone else to get $2,751.50 from him.
Another sweetener: GL usually pays his pledged half in Bitcoin, and it’s my impression that Bitcoin’s price is at or near its current bottom — so wrapping this fundraiser up early would likely result in a “bonus” as the value of that second half goes up after we receive it.
That URL again:
Thanks in advance for helping us put this thing to bed!
Yours in liberty,
Tom Knapp
Publisher
Rational Review News Digest / Freedom News Daily
Source: Common Dreams
by Klaus Moegling
“US President Trump is fighting the International Criminal Court, whose mission is to prosecute and convict high-ranking suspected criminals who have violated international law and human rights in The Hague. The US government under Trump is now imposing sanctions against the entire International Criminal Court as an institution. This represents yet another attack on global justice. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has 125 member states and, since 2002, has been prosecuting war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide—including those committed by high-ranking officials. Like China, Israel, and Russia, the US is not a member of the ICC. However, a clear majority of countries worldwide (125 member states) do support it. The US government is now not only imposing sanctions on the ICC as an institution but has also previously taken action against members of the court. Thirteen judges and the chief prosecutor of the ICC have been placed on the U.S. sanctions list.” (11/12/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/trump-vs-icc
Source: ABC News
“Two Iranian men who spied on journalists working for a Persian-language broadcaster in London were found guilty Thursday of spying for Tehran. Jurors at Woolwich Crown Court in south London found Mostafa Sepahvand, 41 and Farhad Javadi Manesh, 46, to be working on behalf of the Iranian state and convicted of assisting a foreign intelligence service. A third defendant, Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 57, was acquitted of all offenses against him. … The defendants were accused of visiting addresses linked to their targets, taking photos and videos, and using platforms such as ChatGPT to research them online.” (11/12/26)
https://abcnews.com/International/wireStory/london-court-finds-2-iranian-men-guilty-spying-138075096
Source: Politico
“Big Tech pivots left.” (11/12/26)
https://traffic.megaphone.fm/POLL4198576392.mp3
Source: Antiwar.com
by Dan Steinbock
“Defense Secretary Hegseth’s term is likely to be seen as one of the most disastrous ones in the Pentagon’s history. The lack of personal integrity and even basic executive experience compounds an aggressive, ideologically overdriven campaign that has triggered a chilling effect, tanked military approval ratings and alienated America’s allies, partners and adversaries alike.” (11/12/26)
https://original.antiwar.com/dan_steinbock/2026/11/11/the-rise-and-fall-of-defense-secretary-pete-hegseth
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Joseph Solis-Mullen
“In mid-September 2026, former Green Beret Tim Kennedy was shot multiple times in the leg during an ambush in the Minembwe Highlands of South Kivu, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He was part of a small Vectus Global team, one of Blackwater founder Erik Prince’s private security companies, accompanying Congolese forces. The event prompted, for a moment, a degree of American media coverage of the Congo. To be sure, the coverage was as shallow as it was fleeting, mostly focused on Kennedy’s own story; but make no mistake, there is much more here than just a seemingly random firefight involving private contractors in some remote African hinterland.” (11/12/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/rebels-minerals-and-contractors-trouble-and-opportunity-in-the-drc
Source: Pink Flame of Liberty
“Matt Walsh TORCHES Trump!” (11/12/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_n0MCrsVCU
Source: CounterPunch
by Dean Baker
“It may be too early to start the celebration, but some of the AI stocks took a big hit last week. But not all companies were hit equally. The biggest hits by far went to the neo-clouds, with several of the large chip makers also getting seriously whacked. The hyperscalers seemed little affected.” (11/12/26)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/11/12/the-beginning-of-the-end-for-the-ai-bubble/
Source: CBS News
“Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported a record 483,200 people in fiscal year 2026, according to new Department of Homeland Security figures obtained by CBS News, marking a historic escalation in President Trump’s signature immigration crackdown, even as voters grapple with the increase in interior enforcement. … ICE also reported more than 491,000 immigration [abductions] during the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, including nearly 475,000 administrative [abductions] — another record, according to DHS.” (11/12/26)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ice-deportations-arrests-hit-record-high/
Source: Expression
by Sarah McLaughlin
“Most people probably don’t recall all of the things they said last week, let alone four years ago. But for widely-read French writer Michel Houellebecq, comments he made in a 2022 magazine interview may spell legal trouble for him today. Houellebecq is now formally facing a judge-led investigation in a Paris suburb for ‘complicity in incitement to discrimination, hatred or violence against a group of people on account of their origin or their belonging or not belonging to a particular ethnicity, nation, race or religion.’ … Should authorities pursue charges and find him guilty, Houellebecq could face large fines and up to a year in prison. Even if they ultimately drop the investigation, the message is clear to both Houellebecq and everyone else: If you speak your mind on a controversial issue in France, you might get wrapped up in a lengthy and chilling investigation. You might even end up in jail.” (11/12/26)
https://expression.fire.org/p/prosecuting-michel-houellebecq-will
Source: LP Alliance
“Join us for our anything goes podcast every Wednesday at noon eastern!” (11/11/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM-5S6pDz3o