Hey, everyone …
THANK YOU to long-time supporter JR, whose $25 donation yesterday (with a note: “Not sure how much your copay is, but hopefully this helps” brings our annual fundraiser total to (as of 5am) $1,028!
Before going any further (it gets a little weird), let me mention that today is a “FIREHOSE FRIDAY” at the freedom movement’s daily newspaper, with no email edition but about 100 news stories, opinion pieces, and audio/video links lined up for you here at our web edition.
That “copay” remark from JR refers to yesterday’s update, in which I mentioned a medical appointment. I expected a 45-minute thing, but it turned into a four-plus-hour thing (not including an hour or so of travel time). A big chunk out of my usual work time, which is why I decided to go “web-only” today. Why more than four hours? Read on if you’re interested. But first:
We’re $1,723.50 short of our goal. Once we reach $2,751.50, supporter GL will “match funds” to get us to our goal of $5,503.
So: I went to the doctor to find out what kind of procedure I’d need to repair a hole in my left retina. Good news! The hole is too small to bother with, no surgery needed.
BUT!
Well, let me go with more good news: I PROBABLY don’t have cancer.
The four hours was all about multiple rounds of imaging because they saw something else in my eye. Optometrists doing regular eye exams have been mentioning a “freckle” in my eye for a decade or so, but the imaging at the specialist says it’s bigger than that. Ultrasound (one of, IIRC, four kinds of scans) says it is shaped “consistent with a choroidal melanoma.”
Which means more imaging every three months for probably a year to see if it is growing, changing, etc. It’s hard to biopsy the back of the eye, so all they can really do is watch and guess, then (if necessary) hit it with radiation, lasers, or surgery to remove the mass (or, possibly, the eye).
Am I worried? Yes. But there are worse things than rocking a Snake Plissken eyepatch for the rest of my life, which sounds like both a stretch and the worst even remotely likely outcome. Fortunately I have decent health coverage (through my wife’s employer).
If I was cynical, I’d say a cancer scare was just the thing I could use to get y’all to
Good thing I’m not cynical, huh?
I do hope you’ll support us because we bring you important content reliably, not because ooh, scary, poor Tom.
And I also hope you have a happy, healthy, and prosperous weekend!
Yours in liberty,
Tom Knapp
Publisher
Rational Review News Digest / Freedom News Daily
Source: Free Talk Live
“Dave Ridley calls about the Hugging Face attack :: NickBostrom.com :: NH rules ‘no more student IDs for voting’ :: Technology Support Office :: EU worsens data laws :: Michael in TX calls about police abuses of power :: Sarah gets yelled at by Nobody :: ‘heat ray’ may be used by CBP at southern border :: Skeeter gets yelled at by Nobody :: 2026-10-24 :: Hosts: Stu, Riley O’Bill, Nobody.” (10/24/26)
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/ftl2026-10-24
Source: USA Today
by Daniel R DePetris
“Serving as the world’s policeman in a highly contested environment like the strait is a resource-intensive mission even for the U.S. Navy – one that involves deploying significant air platforms, air defense systems and ships on a continuous basis to perform a variety of tasks, from coordinating sea lanes and protecting vessels from Iranian attacks to ensuring search-and-rescue assets are available if ships are disabled. The U.S. military is fully capable of doing this work, but stretched out over an indefinite period of time, the mission will exacerbate the depletion of precision-guided munitions the Pentagon needs for other potential conflicts.” (10/23/26)
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2026/10/23/trump-win-iran-war-oil-persian-gulf-midterms/92384243007/
Source: Fox News
by Dr. Kent Ingle
“The current narrative would have you believe that higher education is a dying institution. Experts consistently claim that a four-year degree is no longer worth the investment, warning that artificial intelligence (AI) is on the verge of rendering human labor obsolete. The prevailing message dictates that machines will soon dominate the workforce, leaving the next generation with no viable career paths. But a recent Gallup poll reveals a contrasting reality. While public anxiety is high, the job market tells a different story. According to a recent Gallup study, a staggering 80% of employers prefer to hire candidates with a college degree, even for roles that do not explicitly require one. Furthermore, six in 10 employers express a high level of confidence in higher education. While public trust in institutions has undeniably plummeted, the people actually handing out paychecks still find immense value in the university system.” (10/24/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/ai-replaced-humans-employers-college-degrees
Source: Politico
“In his first rally of the 2026 midterm cycle, former President Barack Obama slammed President Donald Trump and Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, calling out the latter’s much-maligned campaign ad centering on Democrat Amy Acton’s mother. ‘There’s gotta be something inside you where you just say no office is worth stooping that low,’ Obama said of Ramaswamy’s choice to run the ad. With the midterms just over a week away, Obama was rallying in Cleveland in support of Acton and Democratic Senate candidate Sherrod Brown. Trump, Obama said, had broken a slew of promises he made on the campaign trail in 2024, ensnaring the country in an ongoing war in Iran and failing to bring down costs. Instead, ‘he’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory,’ the former president said, taking aim at Trump’s renovations to the executive mansion.” (10/24/26)
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/24/obama-slams-ramaswamy-trump-ohio-rally-midterms-01134765
Source: Independent Institute
by Phillip W Magness & David J Hebert
“Of all the arguments for protectionism, the infant industry argument probably has the strongest theoretical appeal. By protecting a new industry from its more developed foreign competition, the story goes, tariffs give domestic producers the time to grow, learn, and become efficient enough to stand on their own. Domestic consumers feel the short-term pains of higher prices, but they enjoy the long-term gains of job growth and lower prices as the new industry blossoms. … When Hamilton made this claim in 1791, his argument may have seemed suitable for a new nation seeking to firm up its economy and security against established European powers. … Nearly 250 years later, those same infants apparently have yet to advance into adulthood.” (10/23/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/10/23/peter-pan-tariffs-for-companies-that-never-grow-up/
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“Multiple annual measures of political openness and the rule of law have found both in global decline in recent years. The latest Rule of Law Index, released by the World Justice Project (WJP) Wednesday, underscores this democratic recession. As checks and balances on governments have weakened, authoritarianism has ‘become entrenched’, the nonprofit noted. This, in turn, has constricted freedom of expression, association, and civic participation in about two-thirds of the 143 countries assessed. But there are also positive glimmers: The share of countries registering decline dropped from 68% in 2025 to 62% this year. And access to and affordability of civil justice have improved. Perhaps more significant, the WJP’s findings reaffirm the robust link between transparent, consistent rule of law and a key dimension of citizen well-being – economic prosperity.” (10/23/26)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/the-monitors-view/2026/1023/Elections-in-four-nations-highlight-the-role-of-rule-of-law
Source: US News & World Report
“Ugandan citizens returning to the country with a history of travel to Democratic Republic of Congo will be quarantined for 21 days, Health Minister Chris Baryomunsi said on Sunday as Uganda tightened Ebola precautions despite saying it remained Ebola-free. Uganda has been investigating a Nigerian Ebola case involving a woman who had travelled from Uganda. Officials said they were reviewing genomic sequencing, travel information, interactions and movements in coordination with Nigerian authorities and international partners.” (10/25/26)
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-10-25/uganda-to-impose-21-day-quarantine-on-returning-citizens-with-congo-travel-history
Source: Reason
“Could a Libertarian Swing the Texas Senate Race?” (10/23/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/10/23/could-a-libertarian-swing-the-texas-senate-race/
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Trace Mitchell
“Most coverage calls it a privacy case. But a jury judged whether Facebook’s moderation claims were true, creating a blueprint for policing moderation.” (10/23/26)
https://www.fire.org/news/new-mexicos-25-billion-verdict-against-meta-fundamentally-about-speech
Source: Los Angeles Times
by Robin Abcarian
“The end of the Trump era is in sight. … But we also know that Trump will never go gently. This is not conjecture. We already have proof that Trump is incapable of accepting defeat, that he is not above trying to cheat to get what he wants and that he is perfectly willing to sit back and watch a violent mob try to overturn election results he didn’t like. The Washington Post reported last week that a small, nonpartisan group of current and former U.S. national security officials ‘motivated by a growing sense of alarm’ has been quietly advising state and federal lawmakers on how to prepare for Trump administration interference with the midterm elections. It’s not just security officials. Most of the country is worried.” (10/25/26)
https://archive.is/58XPc
