James seeks to dismiss Virginia charges saying DA unlawfully appointed

Source: The Guardian [UK]

“The New York attorney general, Letitia James, on Thursday revealed that her legal team plans to ask a federal judge to dismiss the criminal charges against her on the grounds that the US attorney in eastern Virginia who obtained the indictment was unlawfully appointed, according to a court filing. James’s legal team made the move the day before James is scheduled to be arraigned in the US district court in Norfolk, Virginia, where she is expected to plead not guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of making false statements to a financial institution. Lindsey Halligan was appointed by Donald Trump last month as US attorney for Virginia’s eastern district, after her predecessor was forced out of his job after he expressed concerns with the strength of the evidence against both James and the former FBI director James Comey.” (10/23/25)

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/23/letitia-james-challenge-criminal-charges

UK: Police Arrest Three in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia

Source: US News & World Report

“British counterterrorism police arrested three men in London on Thursday on suspicion of spying for Russia. The Metropolitan Police force said that the men, ages 44, 45 and 48, were detained at addresses in the city under the National Security Act ‘on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service.’ Police said that the country in question is Russia. The force said that officers were searching several London properties in connection with the investigation. British authorities allege that Russia is conducting an increasingly bold campaign of espionage, sabotage and cybermeddling against the U.K.” (10/23/25)

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2025-10-23/uk-police-arrest-3-men-in-london-on-suspicion-of-spying-for-russia

Firehose (and Fundraiser) Friday

It’s a FIREHOSE FRIDAY at the freedom movement’s daily newspaper. We’ve got at least 118 news stories, opinion pieces, and audio/video links lined up for your attention, appreciation, and edification — maybe more by the time you read this. That’s nearly twice the size of our regular email edition, so it’s all right here at the web edition today.

THANK YOU to long-time supporter KL, whose $100 donation yesterday brings our year-end fundraiser total (as of 5:30am on Friday) to $785.50!

We’re now less than $2,000 away from reaching our $5,501 goal. Please help us over the finish line!

https://news.rationalreview.com/support-rrnd

Wait a minute, you might ask … how does $5,501 minus $785 come to less than $2,000? Well, supporter GL has generously offered to “match funds” for half our goal, meaning we only need to raise $2,750 from others to get there. So we are “really” at $3,536 … only $1,965 to go!

As for those “others” mentioned above, well, that’s YOU. If you haven’t supported the freedom movement’s daily newspaper this year (or, maybe, ever), please do so now at:

https://news.rationalreview.com/support-rrnd

Once we reach our goal, I’ll shut up about money entirely for the rest of the year, and mostly until next October. If I had a dollar for every time someone wished I’d shut up, this fundraiser would already be over. Shut me up at:

https://news.rationalreview.com/support-rrnd

Have a happy, healthy, and prosperous weekend! We’ll be back with the regular email edition on Monday.

Yours in liberty,
Tom Knapp
Publisher
Rational Review News Digest / Freedom News Daily

Some “No Kings” protesters don’t like capitalism, but are Republicans practicing It?

Source: Orange County Register
by Veronique de Rugy

“When House Speaker Mike Johnson lashed out at last weekend’s ‘No Kings’ rallies soon to arrive on Washington’s National Mall, he reached for an old conservative refrain: ‘They hate capitalism. They hate our free enterprise system.’ I am sure he’s correct about some of the protesters. But the message rings hollow coming from a party leader that stands by as President Donald Trump does precisely what Johnson rightly decries: substituting political control for market choice and ruling by executive order. Indeed, what began as a populist revolt against so-called elites has become a program of state ownership, price fixing and top-down industrial control. Take a look.” (10/23/25)

https://archive.is/hEkO7

DC man who followed troops around playing Darth Vader theme sues over his arrest

Source: Independent [UK]

“A Washington, D.C. man is suing police, a National Guard member, and the district itself, claiming his constitutional rights were violated after being detained last month for trailing a National Guard patrol while playing Darth Vader’s theme from the Star Wars franchise.Sam O’Hara, 35, represented by an attorney from the American Civil Liberties Union, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against four D.C. police officers, an Ohio National Guard member, and the District of Columbia itself.” (10/23/25)

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/crime/washington-dc-man-sues-troops-star-wars-b2851167.html

US regime alleges executive sold secrets to Russian regime for $1.3 million

Source: Reuters

“U.S. prosecutors have accused a former executive of a government contractor that provides cyber intelligence tools to federal agencies of selling trade secrets to a buyer in Russia for $1.3 million.
In an October 14 filing in U.S. District Court in Washington, prosecutors said Peter Williams stole eight trade secrets of two unnamed companies from April 2022 to June 2025, with the intent to sell those secrets to a Russian-based buyer. The filing does not identify where Williams worked or the companies whose trade secrets were allegedly stolen. But Williams is listed in British business records as general manager of L3Harris Trenchant from October 2024 until his resignation on August 21. The company develops hacking tools that support national security operations and says it has U.S. government contracts.” (10/23/25)

https://archive.is/qdxOH

Russian drone kills two Ukrainian journalists on Donetsk eastern front line

Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]

“A Russian drone has killed two Ukrainian journalists and wounded another in the eastern [formerly] Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, according to their outlet and the regional governor of the Donetsk region. Freedom Media, a state-funded news organisation, said on Thursday that Olena Gramova, 43, and Yevgen Karmazin, 33, had been killed by a Russian Lancet drone while in their car at a petrol station in the industrial city. Another reporter, Alexander Kolychev, was hospitalised after the attack. … Kramatorsk, which had a pre-war population of about 150,000 people, is one of the few remaining civilian hubs in the Donetsk region still under Ukrainian control [after Donetsk’s secession from Ukraine in 2014]. Russian forces are approximately 16 kilometres (10 miles) from the city, where officials earlier this month announced the mandatory evacuation of children from some parts of the town and outlying villages.” (10/23/25)

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10/23/russian-drone-kills-two-ukrainian-journalists-on-donetsk-eastern-front-line