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: The Next Move
by Jay Nordlinger
“What can the public do about the poison, the indecency, in our politics? The answer: Not reward it. Not vote for it. If you reward something, you get more of it. If you penalize it, you get less. Something else: Decent people ought to stop backing indecent candidates, party politics be damned. The current governor of Ohio, Mike DeWine, is a famously decent pol. He and his wife, Fran, are known for their many charitable works. A Republican, he has endorsed Ramaswamy to succeed him. Why? And can’t he rescind his endorsement? After 50 years in public life, he is retiring at the age of 79. What does he have to lose?” (10/22/26)
https://www.thenextmove.org/p/who-will-say-no-to-ramaswamy
Source: Antiwar.com
“Iran Says Seven Tankers Struck in Hormuz, 155 Civilians Killed by Saudi Strikes Since July, and More.” (10/22/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrbqz0Ey_u0
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“Canada (thanks to just one of its 10 provinces, which holds 97.5% of national oil reserves) is among the world’s top five oil producers. But residents of that far western province, Alberta, have been increasingly frustrated by decades of environmental and green energy goals and regulations that, they say, have constrained the use of and benefits from the natural resource at their disposal. Still, on Monday, Albertans declared a clear ‘no’ to the notion of seceding from Canada in a referendum (on whether to hold a future binding referendum on separation). The 3-to-1 result bolsters Prime Minister Mark Carney’s stated goal of making Canada a ‘global energy superpower’ as well as the cause of national unity – for now.” (10/21/26)
https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/the-monitors-view/2026/1021/After-a-no-to-secession-in-Canada-the-next-step
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
“The Horrors and Fallacies of Socialism.” (10/22/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQMnV73g3dE
Source: Law & Liberty
by Thomas D Howes
“Stephanie Slade’s re-articulation of fusionist principles gives lovers of freedom an opportunity to rally.” (10/22/26)
https://lawliberty.org/book-review/a-comeback-for-freedom/
Source: Yascha Mounk
by Yascha Mounk
“In the wake of the Great Recession, economists faced tough questions: How could they have missed the imminent collapse of the world economy? Of what use were all their intricate models if they couldn’t predict such a huge systemic crisis? Just as economists failed to predict the Great Recession, so political scientists failed to predict a series of momentous political upsets. The most obvious is the dizzying rise of Donald Trump. But the story is bigger than that: In recent years, political scientists have overestimated the forces of stability time and again, failing to foresee Brexit, the chaos wrought in the Philippines by Rodrigo Duterte, and the serious threat posed to Polish democracy by its populist government, among other developments.” (10/22/26)
https://writing.yaschamounk.com/p/how-political-science-gets-politics
Source: CBC News [Canadian state media]
“New York City council passed a bill Thursday that would ban horse-drawn carriage rides by June 2028, pulling back the reins after the death of a teenage tourist last spring. The legislation requires Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office to develop a plan by next April to help the more than 150 remaining drivers and the rest of the industry find other jobs, though its provisions are vague and doesn’t set clear benchmarks for displaced workers. Instead, it requires city hall to come up with a program that includes job referrals, career counselling and educational opportunities. It also allows the administration to consider some form of compensation for industry workers.” (10/22/26)
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/new-york-horse-carriage-ban-9.7391918
Source: Pink Flame of Liberty
“Harpole v. Owens and Snow – Snow files second MOTION TO DISMISS.” (10/22/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQnofMiDbe4
Source: The Daily Economy
by Romina Boccia
“Congress may raise the debt limit again, as spending surges and the deficit widens. Does fiscal restraint have any defenders left?” (10/22/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/the-debt-limits-lame-duck-test-can-republicans-cut-spending/
Source: Jonathan Turley
by Jonathan Turley
“Years ago, I called Antifa ‘the Keyser Söze of the left’ (after the character in ‘The Usual Suspects’). In the film, the character Virgil explains how Söze stayed in the shadows: he became ‘a myth, a spook story that criminals tell their kids at night.’ The strategy was too simple: ‘the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist.’ Democratic leaders have long fostered the myth around Antifa, the largest and most violent group on the political left. For years, they have denied the existence of the group even as members were charged with crimes (including terrorism). Now, the French authorities have found that the nonexistent group is the largest of three ‘ideologically distinct groups’ responsible for the violence in France. It appears that either the entire French security system is delusional or the trick is up for the American left.” (10/22/26)
https://jonathanturley.org/2026/10/22/the-greatest-trick-the-devil-ever-pulled-french-police-identify-antifa-as-the-largest-ideologically-distinct-group-behind-the-recent-riots-despite-democratic-denials/