Reason Interview Tarek Mansour
Source: Reason
“Are Prediction Markets Just Gambling? Kalshi CEO Responds.” (10/21/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/10/21/are-prediction-markets-just-gambling-kalshi-ceo-responds/
Author: Thomas L. Knapp
Judge rules against US heimatschutz’s door-to-door harassment/intimidation operations
Source: CBS News
“A federal judge ruled late Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s practice of knocking on doors and asking people about their immigration status — and whether they have voted in recent elections — likely violates the Voting Rights Act. … In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin ordered federal immigration authorities to stop carrying out ‘elections-related field operations and field interviews’ in nine states, including California and New York, if the operations are likely to involve people who government officials ‘know, suspect, or should reasonably know or suspect are U.S. citizens.’ Her order will remain in effect until polls close on Election Day. She stayed the ruling until 5 p.m. on Friday, which will give the government a chance to seek appeal.” (10/21/26)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/judge-dhs-noncitizen-voters-ruling/
Not always best to follow orders
Source: Eastern New Mexico News
by Kent McManigal
“Most people value obedience more than I do. To me, doing the right thing is what matters. I was more concerned with raising children who would grow into people who respected the rights of others than with raising compliant drones who obeyed every command. If I made a dumb rule, I wanted them to point it out, even when it was annoying or inconvenient. Show me how I’m wrong or convince me with a better argument. When I was wrong, which did happen, I usually admitted it. If I didn’t, I was wrong again. I wouldn’t want to be responsible for raising a child who follows bad orders. I wouldn’t want to raise a human who will harm others and say they are just doing their job. That’s repulsive and the height of evil.” (10/21/26)
Ukraine: Russian attacks kill one, injure 22
Source: ABC News
“Russian attacks on Ukraine’s capital with ballistic missiles and drones overnight into Thursday killed one person and wounded 22, Ukrainian authorities said. The strikes in Kyiv came hours after the Kremlin agreed to restart U.S.-brokered talks aimed at ending the war. The attack damaged homes, transportation infrastructure and other civilian sites in several districts of the city, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said. In the Dniprovskyi district, on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River, one person was killed and six were wounded, including a child, as fires broke out.” (10/22/26)
Rubio’s Grotesque Defense of Western Civ
Source: The UnPopulist
by Cathy Young
“Rubio’s speech was not without some good points. If nothing else, as the Journal notes, he ostensibly treated Europe as an ally and partner rather than a target for scolding like Vance. He said some nice words about the West’s tradition of liberty and representative government. And, amid MAGA world’s aggressive contempt for anything that smacks of intellectualism, there is something refreshing about a speech that name-checks Aristotle, Plutarch, Copernicus, Newton, and Michelangelo. Unfortunately, Rubio’s tribute to the Greek, Western, and American spirit is also a conceptual salad in which Socrates, the 300 Spartans who resisted a mighty Persian army unto death at Thermopylae, and the mythical Achilles who chose glory over long life are mashed up into the model hero willing to die for ‘a cause worthy of his loyalty.'” (10/21/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/rubios-grotesque-defense-of-western
Mexico: Regime levies rare treason charge against ex-official over US drug war op
Source: Reuters
“Mexican federal prosecutors charged a former state prosecutor with treason on Wednesday after accusing him of allowing US personnel to take part in a drug operation in northern Mexico without the federal government’s approval. … Prosecutors allege Jauregui allowed US agents to participate in an April raid on a suspected drug lab in Chihuahua, a border state that has long been central to Mexico’s fight against organized crime. The raid only came to light after two of the US agents were killed in a car crash returning from the scene, drawing scrutiny from President Claudia Sheinbaum and pitting her against opposition Governor Maru Campos. … Attorney General Ernestina Godoy said Jauregui allowed foreign agents to carry out activities reserved for Mexican authorities and failed to share information with federal officials as required.” (10/21/26)
Why Bitcoin Won’t Replace the US Dollar as the Global Reserve Currency Anytime Soon
Source: Karl Dickey’s Freedom Vanguard
by Karl Dickey
“Bitcoin is unlikely to replace the U.S. dollar as the global reserve currency. A global reserve asset is not just the hardest money available. Central banks and trading nations hold reserve assets to settle international trade, stabilize currencies, and service massive debts. Sound money protects individual wealth. Reserve currency provides systemic liquidity. Those are two very different jobs. … Bitcoin has no sovereign issuer, no fiscal authority, and no lender of last resort. For Bitcoin holders, these are its primary strengths. For state treasuries, these features represent structural liabilities. Central banks prioritize counterparty control and crisis management. The absence of a central authority makes state adoption difficult, not attractive.” (10/21/26)
https://palmbeachexaminer.substack.com/p/why-bitcoin-wont-replace-the-us-dollar
Canada: Carney points out that Trump’s tariffs hurt Americans most; US embassy whines “election interference!”
Source: Associated Press
“Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney mentioned] Wednesday that U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs have driven up costs for American[s] … ‘U.S. tariffs have upended a trade bargain that’s existed for decades,’ Carney said. ‘They’ve raised costs for American families while putting Ontario workers and businesses at a disadvantage and under a cloud of uncertainty.’ … Also Wednesday, the U.S. Embassy issued a fact sheet accusing Canadian politicians of seeking to interfere in American elections. The statement singled out Industry Minister Mélanie Joly for discussing retaliatory tariffs targeting Republican states and Ford for airing a U.S. advertisement featuring former President Ronald Reagan criticizing tariffs. Trump abruptly canceled trade talks with Canada after the ad aired during the World Series in October 2025.” (10/21/26)
https://apnews.com/article/canada-ontario-carney-ford-trump-tariffs-a9b923802d5e2d5a37f0e213db91ef56
How Low Can Vivek Go?
Source: The Bulwark
by Jim Swift & Andrew Egger
“Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s October surprise was supposed to make voters question Democrat Amy Acton’s character. Instead, yesterday, a leak of his attack ad featuring her estranged mother blew up in his face. By Tuesday evening, after the ad had been roundly condemned—including by other Ohio Republicans—Ramaswamy’s response was to announce he would spend $4 million promoting the ad. … This is not the first time Ramaswamy has had a problem involving a campaign ad and a child abuser. I reported just a week ago that Ramaswamy’s property-tax ad featured Vernon Edwards, a registered sex offender who pleaded guilty to two counts of gross sexual imposition involving his niece, who was younger than 13.” (10/21/26)
Guilty of Wasting Our Time
Source: Townhall
by John Stossel
“I shouldn’t get so angry. It isn’t healthy. Last week, New York state summoned me to jury duty. I went, of course. It’s the law, and my duty. A jury may protect the innocent from government abuse. Ordinary citizens, not officials, decide if you are guilty. But doing our patriotic duty shouldn’t mean surrendering hours of our lives to bureaucratic indifference. Serving justice is important. Sitting around doing nothing isn’t.” (10/21/26)
https://townhall.com/columnists/johnstossel/2026/10/21/guilty-of-wasting-our-time-n2685026