“India’s opposition parties on Sunday renewed calls for the resignation of the country’s election chief, staging fresh protests in the latest display of public dissent against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. The protest, called by opposition bloc INDIA, drew tens of thousands of demonstrators, some carrying musical instruments and waving various flags, as they chanted slogans against the policies of the central government. Several opposition parties of the alliance, formed in 2023 to unseat Modi, mobilized their cadres from different states for the protest, which comes weeks after a police crackdown on protesters in New Delhi.” (11/01/26)
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Madsen Pirie
“There are many phrases of Adam Smith that are well worth echoing today, and one of the most significant is this: ‘The end of all production is consumption.’ It is not to create jobs. The people who talk of new industries creating many new jobs are putting the cart before the horse. The aim of production is not to give people work to do; it is to produce goods and services that people will freely buy because they help improve their lives.” (10/30/26)
“President Donald Trump said on Saturday it was ‘unacceptable’ for one of his former lawyers, Alina Habba Mildon, to secure a $50 million contract for herself while working at the US Department of Justice. … the family of Julio Herrera Velutini, a Venezuelan banker facing US felony bribery charges before striking a plea deal in August 2025, guaranteed Habba Mildon more than $50 million over four years. The deal, according to the newspaper, would pay $10 million a year plus bonuses. … Habba Mildon was serving as the acting US attorney in New Jersey when she signed the contract with Herrera’s family company, Concord Partners, days after it was registered in late October 2025, the New York Times reported.” (10/31/26)
“I just returned from a long visit to Yellowstone and Grand Teton. Great fun, but there’s a background climate of fear. Wherever you go, you see and hear warnings about bears — and admonitions to carry bear spray. The warnings and admonitions come from official signage, friends, and fellow tourists. Conveniently enough, bear spray is available at virtually every store, for a price of $40 a can. … soon after I bought my bear spray — and spotted our first bear — I decided to confirm the risk. I found much ado about next to nothing. Over the last ten years, Yellowstone saw just 9 bear attacks, with 0 deaths. Grand Teton had 1 bear attack, with 0 deaths.” (10/30/26)
“Turkey has moved the country’s Kurdish militant leader to a newly built part of an island prison where he has been incarcerated since 1999 as part of efforts to end decades of conflict, a senior Kurdish official said. Improving prison conditions for Abdullah Ocalan, who heads the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, has been a key Kurdish demand in the push to end the 42-year-long conflict between the militant group and Turkish authorities. Ocalan has been imprisoned in a penitentiary on the island of Imrali in the Marmara Sea – which links the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea – since he was captured in 1999.” (11/01/26)
“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)
