They Wrecked Eisenhower’s World

Source: The Dispatch
by Kevin D Williamson

“Before D-Day, Eisenhower quietly composed a handwritten note taking personal blame for the operation’s failure—he was smart enough to know that success was uncertain and that he might not be in a position to talk about it afterward; Donald Trump, a dog-ate-my-homework guy if ever there were one, takes personal responsibility for precisely nothing. Eisenhower led Allied forces to victory in World War II and at the time of his retirement outranked George Washington (who received a posthumous promotion in 1976), but he was buried in a standard-issue soldier’s coffin and lay in state with no decorations on his field jacket except his two distinguished service medals and the Legion of Merit; Trump is a draft-dodging coward currently hard at work building himself a triumphal arch like some kind of limp Caesar.” (10/23/26)

https://thedispatch.com/article/eisenhower-trump-hegseth-nato/

Japan: US Marine indicted in Okinawa murder

Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]

“Prosecutors indicted a 20-year-old US Marine on Sunday on suspicion of robbing and murdering a woman in Okinawa earlier this month as the case renews anti-base sentiment among locals burdened with hosting the bulk of US military installations in Japan. Devin Ballard, who is stationed at Futenma Air Base, is charged with killing the woman by wrapping a phone cord around her neck at a hotel in Naha, the capital of the southern island prefecture, and taking her backpack containing a wallet on October 3, according to the indictment. The cause of death was suffocation, it said. … Following the incident, Okinawa Governor Genta Koja has stepped up calls on the central government to take preventive measures, with locals already angered by past crimes committed by American service members, including those against women and girls, in addition to noise and pollution issues.” (10/25/26)

https://archive.is/AzlP8

Free Talk Live, 10/24/26

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

Trump claims we’ve beaten Iran. But US isn’t close to victory

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/

Obama slams Ramaswamy and Trump in his first rally of the midterms

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

Peter Pan Tariffs for Companies that Never Grow Up

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/

Uganda: Regime to Impose 21-Day Quarantine on Returning Citizens With Congo Travel History

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

New Mexico’s $25 billion verdict against Meta is fundamentally about speech

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

Trump is doing everything he can to shake down voters ahead of the midterms

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