The Headlines, 10/29/26
Source: New York Times
“At Least 68 Killed in Spain Train Crash, and Democrats’ Secret Effort to Stack Alaska’s Ballot.” (10/29/26)
Author: Thomas L. Knapp
Democracy’s False Dawn
Source: Law & Liberty
by Gianna Englert
“The story Europeans like to tell themselves may not be entirely true.” (10/29/26)
The Power of Trump Compels Them
Source: The Bulwark
by Jonathan V Last
“Someday the Lord will call Donald Trump home. At that happy hour, as Trump is welcomed to eternal life, there will be a great deal of uncertainty in American politics. What will happen next? My thesis is that there will be no return to normal because Trump has fundamentally changed the character and desires of a large group of American voters. This is the sort of idea that’s hard to quantify because you can’t come at it head-on. You have to look for oblique angles. The Public Religion Research Institute just gave us some interesting data points. I want to talk about them, and the Gospel, and the future of American politics. And empathy.” (10/29/26)
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/the-power-of-trump-compels-them-christian-nationalism-empathy
How a Jo Jorgensen Presidency Would Have Prevented Our Current Crises
Source: Karl Dickey’s Freedom Vanguard
by Karl Dickey
“How a Jo Jorgensen Presidency Would Have Prevented Our Current Crises.” (10/29/26)
https://palmbeachexaminer.substack.com/p/how-a-jo-jorgensen-presidency-would
Bill Buppert on The Scott Horton Show
Source: The Scott Horton Show
“Scott interviews Bill Buppert about Iran, the defense industry, the geopolitical delusions of the West, how evolving weapons technology will shape the next few decades and more.” (10/29/26)
https://scotthorton.org/interviews/10-23-26-bill-buppert-on-iran-ukraine-and-modern-militarism/
The $3.44 Walmart Pillow vs. Local Monopoly Power
Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan
“I need six pillows to sleep comfortably. Two under my side, two between my legs, one against my back, and one to hug. That’s too many pillows to pack …. Fortunately, Walmart doesn’t just make obtaining pillows convenient throughout the United States. It makes it dirt cheap. Every Walmart I’ve visited has the same $3.44 pillow for sale, so I routinely buy them wherever I go, and just abandon them when I leave. I’ve done this over and over, yet only on my last trip to Wyoming did I reach a profound economic epiphany. I have bought Walmart pillows in dense urban areas. I have bought them in suburbs. I have bought them in rural areas. And the price is always $3.44… plus tax. … Which has a shocking implication: The degree of local competition has absolutely no effect on the price of the pillow.” (10/29/26)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/the-344-walmart-pillow-vs-local-monopoly
Why is Egypt jumping into Houthi war? First, follow the money.
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Elfadil Ibrahim
“Cairo buys an increasing amount of fuel from abroad, owes billions to foreign lenders, and depends on open Red Sea-Suez traffic, among other pressures.” (10/29/26)
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/egypt-saudi-arabia-houthis/
South Korea: Prosecutor seeks death penalty for former president
Source: ABC News
“A South Korean special prosecutor on Thursday demanded the death penalty for ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol, ahead of an appeals court verdict on rebellion charges over his brief imposition of martial law in December 2024. The Seoul High Court has yet to set a date for a verdict on Yoon’s appeal of a life sentence handed down in February by the Seoul Central District Court. The court found that he illegally mobilized troops and police to seize the legislature, arrest political opponents and establish unchecked rule for a ‘considerable time.’ Investigators led by Special Prosecutor Cho Eun-suk also appealed the ruling, arguing Yoon deserves the death penalty because his actions posed a grave threat to the country’s democracy. An execution would be unlikely. South Korea has not executed anyone since 1997, effectively maintaining a moratorium on capital punishment following calls for its abolition.” (10/29/26)
Politico Playbook Audio Briefing, 10/29/26
Source: Politico
“Moderates put the left on notice.” (10/29/26)
AIPAC Isn’t Retreating. Here’s How It’s Already Shaping the Next Congress.
Source: The Intercept
by Akela Lacy
“A new project by The Intercept reveals the hundreds of candidates still taking the pro-Israel lobby’s cash, and how AIPAC is obscuring its spending.” (10/29/26)
https://theintercept.com/2026/10/29/aipac-israel-midterms-spending-elections-congress/