“Sarah says New Mexico voted to way overpay their state reps :: Sarah said she paid into the system enough the one year in her life that she worked a job :: Tim from FL calls in with questions for Skeeter :: Dan O’Neil calls in from the Exit and Build conference in Texas to promote parallel systems :: Sterling Lujan tells us about living in a Pop Up City in Austria :: What made R’s turn their backs on MAGA? :: Are hackers attacking the US food supply like in Europe? :: 2026-11-07 :: Hosts: Bonnie, Colin, Angelo.” (11/07/26)
“Now look, guys, I know it doesn’t feel that way. You not only took an epic thumping; you’ve probably lost any hope of holding the presidency in 2028. That doesn’t feel great, especially because Democrats are already murmuring about retribution. So I don’t blame you for failing to look on the bright side. But there is a bright side. In fact, there are two. For one thing, you have a chance to rebuild your party around something other than Donald Trump. That needed to happen. At 80, Trump has neither the energy nor the actuarial lifespan to lead the party into the future. But Trump didn’t want that to happen, and until now, he has had the power to prevent it, by ruthlessly purging anyone who tried to build an independent Republican identity. After this midterm defeat, that power will wane.” (11/08/26)
“It shows good growth achieved by sensible policies and a willingness to work. It is rising faster than most competitors, and will likely soon overtake many of them, including ourselves, in living standards. Poland is a strong bet. Few countries have done so much, so fast, from such a low base. In 1994, Poland’s GDP per capita at purchasing power parity was $7,040, less than a third of Japan’s. By 2024 it stood at $51,263, just behind Japan’s $52,039. The IMF and World Bank expected Poland to pass Japan this year, and the IMF forecasts that by 2030 Poland will also surpass Israel, Spain and New Zealand on the same measure. Twenty years ago Poland stood at 48% of the EU average, but by 2024 it had reached 82%. It is not slowing much.” (11/06/26)
“President Donald Trump on Saturday said he had ordered the Justice Department to look into ‘threats’ by Democrats against Republicans in the wake of the GOP’s midterm electoral defeat, adding that those responsible should be imprisoned. Across two Truth Social posts, Trump accused Democrats of threatening Republican donors with imprisonment and Attorney General Todd Blanche and other administration officials with impeachment. He also said Democrats were targeting people ‘just because they happen to be Republicans, or Republican supporters.'” (11/07/26)
“[T]he two sets of governing principles in our society—liberalism for the state and capitalism for the economy—are second-best arrangements. In other words, they do not coincide with most people’s sense of what an ideal world would look like. (Just to be clear, they are not second-best in the real-world sense. In the real world, they are the best that we can hope to attain, at least for the foreseeable future. The problem is that they are second-best with respect to most people’s personal values and moral ideals. They are not à la hauteur de nos espérances. This is why people got so annoyed at Francis Fukuyama for declaring the end of history.’ (11/06/26)
“Israeli authorities have released Palestinian journalist Abed Abou Shhadeh after detaining him for five days without charge. Speaking after his release, Abou Shhadeh said on Sunday that his detention was part of ‘political measures’ intended not only for him ‘but to intimidate Arab society as a whole’. … Abou Shhadeh was held in a Shin Bet intelligence facility in Petah Tikva, on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, after being detained on Tuesday on suspicion of ‘contact with a foreign agent’. He was suspected of receiving money from foreign sources in order to support Israel’s Arab voters, according to the legal rights group Adalah, which is part of his defence team.” (11/08/26)
“For the last eight months, the Iran war has been a topic of fierce debate: is the war in our national interest? Was Iran an imminent threat? Should we stay the course or escalate? … The American people settled the debate. It’s time to end the war in Iran. This is irrefutable, as Vice President Vance has admitted. Over 70% of voters blamed the Iran war and our off balanced relationship with Israel for the out of control inflation that affects their daily lives and have zero tolerance for more wars of choice. With this clear message from the American people, Trump must immediately end the war – today.” (11/06/26)
“The Justice Department closed its antitrust investigation into Fox Corp.’s $22 billion acquisition of streaming platform Roku after the media company agreed to measures aimed at protecting competing streaming services, officials said Friday. The decision allowed Fox to complete its acquisition of Roku, combining its television, news and sports operations with a streaming platform reaching more than 100 million households worldwide. Federal regulators had investigated whether the merger would reduce competition or allow Fox to favor its own programming over rival content on Roku devices. DOJ officials said its investigation found that competition from other streaming platforms would likely prevent the combined company from harming consumers.” (11/07/26)
