“Democrat Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City on Tuesday, becoming the youngest man picked to lead the five boroughs in modern history …. Mamdani, a 34-year-old democratic socialist who will also be the city’s first-ever Muslim and South Asian mayor, was declared the winner of the 2025 race for City Hall by the Associated Press shortly after 9:30 p.m. The election was marked by massive turnout, with more than 2 million votes cast and Mamdani capturing more than a million of them himself, according to early Board of Elections tabulations. … with nearly 98% of votes tabulated, Mamdani led his closest opponent, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, by more than 150,000 ballots — a 50.4% to 41.5% margin that the mayor-elect declared is ‘a mandate’ for enacting his affordability agenda.” (11/04/25)
“I consider it lazy to assert, as many opinionators do, that ‘no one’ supports, or ‘everyone’ wants, this or that particular thing, but if there’s a subject that commands anything close to societal unanimity, it’s opposition to the sexual molestation of children. Pretty much all of us who aren’t sexual abusers of children want sexual abusers of children stopped and punished. Many even advocate capital punishment as a permanent individual solution and future collective deterrent, and while I’m opposed to the death penalty myself, I do find the opinion understandable. It’s odd, then, that so many opponents of child molestation also advocate for laws which increase, rather than decrease, the likelihood that someone with such tendencies will act, in that way, on those tendencies.” (11/04/25)
“Three Chinese astronauts have been forced to extend their six-month stay in space over concerns their return ship may have been hit by debris, China’s space agency said. Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie were due to return to Earth on Wednesday –– they had even handed over the keys to the Chinese space station to a new crew –– but their journey home was postponed due to a suspected impact on their Shenzhou-20 spaceship, China’s National Space Administration said Wednesday.” (11/05/25)
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger
“Last week, Jeffrey Tucker, a columnist for the Epoch Times and the president of the Brownstone Institute, authored a piece entitled ‘Why We Need Border Control’ (paywall), in which he explained his reasons for abandoning the libertarian position favoring open borders and adopting the Republican-Democratic position favoring government-controlled borders. In my new book The Case for Open Borders: A Primer (available for one dollar at Amazon in both Kindle and Audible formats), I addressed most of the arguments that Tucker raised to justify his abandonment of libertarian principle with respect to immigration, but what I stated in my book deserves repeating.” (11/04/25)
“The US has presented the United Nations Security Council with a draft resolution to establish an international force to govern and protect Gaza for the next two years, according to a report. The proposed resolution, sent to security-council members Monday, would give the US and its allied nations a broad mandate to oversee Gaza in place of Hamas and provide security through the end of 2027, Axios reported. The component of an International Security Force was a key part of President Trump’s cease-fire deal to maintain peace between Israel and Gaza.” (11/04/25)
“Some folks who know my work presume that I am implacably opposed to all federal agencies. Not true. I have always appreciated federal agencies who exposed the waste, fraud, abuse, and brazen lies committed by politicians and bureaucrats. The second Trump administration has warred against such truth tellers since its first week in office. On January 24, President Donald Trump fired seventeen inspector generals working for a wide array of federal agencies. … Trump is repeating the same anti-oversight jihad that the George W. Bush administration launched earlier this century.” (11/04/25)
“Dick Cheney, widely regarded as the most powerful vice president in American history … died Monday. He was 84. The cause was complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease, according to a statement from his family. … A consummate Washington insider, Mr. Cheney was an architect and executor of President Bush’s major initiatives: deploying military power to advance the cause of democracy abroad, championing tax cuts and a robust economy at home, and strengthening the powers of a presidency that, as both men saw it, had been unjustifiably restrained by Congress and the courts in the aftermath of the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal.” (11/04/25)
Source: Bluegrass Institute
by Jaimie Cavanaugh & Caleb O Brown
“In May, a Powell County paramedic saved snake expert Jim Harrison’s life after a bite from a Jameson’s mamba. Harrison called for emergency transport, but before the helicopter arrived, local paramedic Eddie Barnes acted swiftly to assist. Harrison, who keeps his own antivenom on hand because time is critical following a snake bite, begged Barnes to administer the antidote, saying he would die without it. Out of caution, Barnes called Clark Regional Medical Center, where an emergency room doctor granted him permission to administer the antivenom. Instead of celebrating Barnes, the Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services notified him that his emergency medical services (EMS) license was at risk of revocation. Following a rule change two years ago, only wilderness paramedics are permitted to administer antivenom in Kentucky.” (11/04/25)
“Peru has severed diplomatic relations with Mexico after accusing it of granting asylum to a former Peruvian prime minister who is on trial over an alleged coup attempt in 2022. The announcement on Monday came hours after former Prime Minister Betssy Chavez – who served under former President Pedro Castillo – fled to the Mexican Embassy in Peru. … While Castillo has been in preventive custody since his impeachment, Chavez was released on bail in September. Prosecutors had sought a 25-year term for Chavez for allegedly participating in Castillo’s plan to dissolve Congress.” (11/04/25)
