Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Angel Eduardo
“In August, FIRE sued Secretary of State Marco Rubio for violating the First Amendment. Since March, Rubio and the Trump administration had been detaining and attempting to deport legally present noncitizens for protected speech — including writing op-eds and attending protests — because they disliked that speech. To do it, they invoked two provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act: one that allows the secretary of state to initiate deportation proceedings against any noncitizen for protected speech if the secretary ‘personally determines’ the speech ‘compromises a compelling foreign policy interest,’ and another that enables the secretary of state to revoke the visa of any noncitizen ‘at any time’ for any reason. This, as FIRE has argued, is unconstitutional.” (10/21/25)
Source: The Peaceful Revolutionist
by David S D’Amato
“We cannot reasonably expect the modern state to behave as a neutral arbiter or as inherently interested in the maintenance of a free, fair society or marketplace. Taking the state seriously historically and materially means understanding that it is the central engine of corporate power and the version of growth and progress offered by capitalism. And while some forms of intervention are salient to the political class as corporate welfare, much of the state’s power and influence over the economy are less conspicuous, implicit structural buttresses (for example, the promise of bailouts, regulatory advantages, non-fiscal interventions generally).” (10/21/25)
“Large-scale Russian attacks on Ukraine’s capital overnight have killed at least two people and injured five, including a two-year-old child, according to officials. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Wednesday that Russia launched a wave of drone and missile attacks on the capital. One person was killed and 10 rescued in the Dniprovskiy area after drone debris hit one of the floors of a residential tower. The second casualty was reported in the Dnipro district, where a building caught fire, Klitschko said …. Other areas in Ukraine were also struck overnight. … [Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin] had agreed to meet for talks, but those expectations were dashed on Tuesday when officials from both sides said the meeting would not take place any time soon.” (10/22/25)
“‘You cannot qualify war in harsher terms than I will,’ Union general William Tecumseh Sherman wrote in an 1864 letter warning the citizens of Atlanta — which his advancing army had just occupied — to evacuate. ‘War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it.’ Over the last two years, Sherman’s words come to mind whenever an opponent of Israel and/or supporter of the Palestinians confidently asserts that the violence in Gaza is ‘not a war’ because it is so terrible. It IS a war, and that’s why it’s so terrible. … That many of the dead in all wars, and most of the dead in this one, are civilian non-combatants, doesn’t turn those wars into non-wars. It just turns them into worse wars.” (10/21/25)
“Robby Soave gives his take on Twitter Founder Jack Dorsey’s endorsement of Rep. Thomas Massie (R – Ky.) for president amid partisan gridlock over the budget.” (10/21/25)
“Bitcoin’s two-way price action is squeezing both leveraged bullish and bearish plays, underscoring challenging market conditions for traders. In the past 24 hours, BTC’s price has traded back and forth between $107,000 and $113,000, wiping out roughly $600 million in market-wide bullish and bearish futures bets. … Leveraged positions on perpetual futures exchanges are automatically closed when traders’ margin levels fall below maintenance thresholds, often causing cascading price moves as positions are sold into thin liquidity.” [editor’s note: A good case for either buying and holding/spending crypto or not doing so, rather than treating the market as a casino gaming table – TLK] (10/22/25)
“Especially prominent in New Right conversations are thinkers of the right-wing European continental tradition like De Maistre, Bonald, Donoso Cortés, Maurras, and Carl Schmitt. The latter, we are told, has profound insights into politics despite his membership in the Nazi Party, and thus we should not dismiss him outright because of ideological puritanism. … There are indeed academics like Adrian Vermeule who are genuinely attracted to Schmitt’s criticisms of liberalism, his theory of history, and his views on the economic-technical rationality of liberalism, which they consider to be on the point of collapse. … Let’s not fool ourselves, however, about why the non-academic New Right appeals to Schmitt. It’s not about theoretical illumination. In popular politics, people push Carl Schmitt because he helps them rationalize their tribal politics …” (10/21/25)
“A federal marshal and a man targeted by immigration authorities were injured by gunfire during an [abduction] operation in Los Angeles on Tuesday, federal officials said. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, said that during a targeted traffic stop, an undocumented immigrant who was trying to flee had rammed a law enforcement vehicle with his car. Officers with the Homeland Security [gang] fired shots, striking the man in the elbow. A federal marshal was struck in the hand by a ricochet bullet, Ms. McLaughlin said. The [kidnapping victim] and the injured [gang member] were both hospitalized, according to the Department of Homeland Security.” (10/21/25)
“Wearable technology, or ‘wearables,’ is one of the latest, hot consumer technologies. Wearable technology is any kind of electronic device designed to be worn on the user’s body, and can take many different forms, including jewelry, accessories, medical devices, and clothing. An Apple Watch, which combines fitness tracking, health monitoring, and smartphone capabilities in a wrist-worn device, is one of the earliest examples of a wearable. The advance in wearable technology has been rapid. And these devices are transmitting their information to data banks that house increasingly personal information, from how many steps you take per day to how many trips you take to the bathroom per night. Yet many public leaders are promoting wearables.” (10/21/25)
“Last week, authorities in England banned fans of Israeli soccer team Maccabi Tel Aviv from attending the team’s November 6 match against Aston Villa in Birmingham, calling the event ‘high risk.’ The ban comes on the heels of a terror attack on Jews attending Yom Kippur services about 90 miles north in Manchester. Birmingham police cited security concerns for their decision, ostensibly anticipating a repeat of last year’s violence between Maccabi fans, Ajax Amsterdam fans, and protestors before a match in Holland. … Security concerns must never become a cudgel for viewpoint discrimination. By excluding only Maccabi fans, Birmingham authorities effectively granted critics of the team, or its home nation, a heckler’s veto.” (10/21/25)
