The Good Fight, 10/31/26
Source: Yascha Mounk
“Dan Williams on Why AI (Probably) Won’t Kill Us.” (10/31/26)
Author: Thomas L. Knapp
What is Socialism? Don’t Ask Mamdani or Vance
Source: Independent Institute
by Scott A Burns
“Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Two socialists walk into a bar. One, a socialist of the more nationalist vintage—a self-styled ‘Heritage American,’ though he dares not utter the dreaded ‘S’ word. The other, a more traditional Marxist, with some critical theory and anti-Zionism sprinkled in for good measure. Both are politicians dripping with smarm. As soon as the two men belly up to the bar, an angry economist approaches them with a question: ‘Why should I vote for either of you bozos?'” (10/30/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/10/30/what-is-socialism-mamdani-vance/
The Mona Charen Show, 10/31/26
Source: The Bulwark
“Elon Musk’s DOGE Was a Colossal Con Job (w/ Max Stier).” (10/31/26)
Default Democrats
Source: The Bleeding Heart Libertarian
by Daniel Shapiro
“Why a longtime Libertarian Party voter thinks lovers of liberty should vote Democratic this year.” (10/30/26)
https://bleedingheartlibertarian.substack.com/p/default-democrats
Judge orders DOJ to stop threatening to prosecute election officials
Source: Politico
“A federal judge on Friday ordered the Justice Department to stop threatening state and local election officials with criminal prosecution over their handling of disputes about voter qualifications. U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson also ordered the Trump administration to cease demanding that election workers remove voters from statewide rolls, refuse to issue ballots to specific voters or segregate ballots cast in the midterms based on the administration’s claims that some voters are ineligible.” (10/31/26)
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/31/justice-department-election-officials-threats-ruling
The Fifth Column, episode 581
Source: The Fifth Column
“A Socialist Walks Into The Fifth Column (w/ Bhaskar Sunkara).” (10/30/260
https://www.wethefifth.com/p/a-socialist-walks-into-the-fifth
Christians Grapple With How Their Faith Can Renew Liberal Democracy
Source: The UnPopulist
by Berny Belvedere
“Under Donald Trump, much of the American church has gained a political ally at the risk of its soul—Mark 8:36 in concrete form. [Michael] Wear didn’t call MAGA Christianity a disaster for country and faith in so many words, but his diagnosis landed in the same place.” (10/30/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/christians-grapple-with-how-their
Germany: Shops looted as cost-of-living protests turn violent
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Rioters looted shops in central Frankfurt late on Saturday as clashes erupted in German cities over the cost of living. Besides Frankfurt – Germany’s financial hub – there were incidents of violence in Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg, with police saying they used water cannon to disperse protesters who were targeting emergency workers with fireworks, stones and bottles. … Overnight, a large section of Frankfurt’s main shopping street was closed off by police. A police spokesperson said many arrests were made in the city.” (11/01/26)
Nonzerio, 10/30/26
Source: bloggingheads.tv
“Is an AI Bubble Bursting? | Robert Wright & Liron Shapira.” (10/30/26)
Your Starbucks Balance Is Working Harder Than You Think
Source: The Daily Economy
by Jeffery L Degner
“Gift card and app balances aren’t just waiting to buy your coffee; they’re helping Starbucks grow. Customer loyalty is a surprising source of corporate financing.” (10/30/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/your-starbucks-balance-is-working-harder-than-you-think/