Politico Playbook Audio Briefing, 10/07/26
Source: Politico
“Trump’s Latino coalition cracked.” (10/07/26)
Author: Thomas L. Knapp
The Invisible Heroes of Our Tradition
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Connor O’Keeffe
“On August 3, 1940, a mere six months into World War II, Ludwig von Mises arrived with his wife in New York City. The fifty-eight-year-old Austrian economist had narrowly escaped Europe as the continent was engulfed by war. Because air travel was not an option amid the escalating fighting, the couple had to cross by bus from their home in Geneva, Switzerland, across southern France, into Spain, and eventually to a port in Portugal, where a ship would take them across the Atlantic. The bus had to stop and reroute several times to narrowly avoid the advancing Nazi forces pushing into France. An invading army is dangerous to anyone attempting to flee in its path. But Mises was also a known Jewish intellectual opponent of the ideology fueling the German war effort.” (10/07/26)
Kosovo: Lawmakers elect a new president in a late-night vote to avert snap election
Source: WSLS 10 News
“Lawmakers in Kosovo elected economist and academic Justina Shiroka Pula as the country’s new president in a marathon late-night session, moments before a constitutional deadline that would have forced a snap election. The election late Tuesday was a significant moment in a political crisis in the small Balkan nation that has caused legislative deadlock for over 19 months and two early parliamentary elections. Just before Shiroka Pula was elected, lawmakers also approved a law limiting the powers of a special court in The Hague, Netherlands, which was set up to investigate and prosecute war crimes committed by the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) during the country’s 1998-99 war for independence from Serbia. … She will have to endorse the law limiting the power of the Hague court for it to become binding.” (10/07/26)
Fountainhead Forum, episode 496
Source: Fountainhead Forum
“Jan Bertram on the Free Cities Foundation, ‘free cities,’ and the situation in Germany.” (10/06/26)
John Cleese is not a terrorist
Source: Washington Post
by Andrew Doyle
“We cannot even be secure in our use of the word ‘terrorist’ any longer, given that so many are determined to abuse it. How else to explain the fact that comedian John Cleese, of Monty Python and ‘Fawlty Towers’ fame, has been reported to Prevent, the British government program designed to stop people from becoming terrorists? Are dead parrots, silly walks and disgruntled hoteliers now deemed early warning signs of radicalization? The complaint to Prevent against Cleese was made by a member of the public, and the details passed to 5Pillars, an Islamist media outlet based in London. In its report, 5Pillars characterized the complaint as alleging that Cleese’s social media jokes and comments ‘go beyond legitimate criticism of Islam and instead portray Muslims collectively as violent, criminal and morally depraved.'” (10/07/26)
Trump threatens to “terminate” top campaign advisers after revelation of work for pro-Russia Bosnia party
Source: New York Post
“President Trump threatened Wednesday to ‘terminate’ two key advisers after they were revealed to have raked in ‘hundreds of thousands of dollars each’ advising a pro-Russian political party in Bosnia as Republicans brace for a potential bloodbath in the Nov. 3 midterm elections. ‘Chris LaCivita and James Blair are outside consultants. They do not work for me, other than as outside consultants. They most likely have numerous clients, but for that, you would have to ask them,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social. ‘They are allowed to do work for others, just like all consultants in Washington, D.C. I do not have any idea who else they work for but will, on reflection, ask them and, if there’s a conflict, I will terminate them, immediately!'” (10/07/26)
The Opinions, 10/07/26
Source: New York Times
“The Problem With Hegseth’s Pentagon.” (10/07/26)
AI Consciousness Could Become a Regulatory Moat
Source: The Daily Economy
by Peter C Earle
“Incumbent AI firms may benefit from a regulatory regime in which machine consciousness is considered plausible but remains impossible to prove or disprove.” (10/07/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/ai-consciousness-could-become-a-regulatory-moat/
Nepal Ends Search for Thousands of Flood Victims as Family Reactions Range From Anger to Relief
Source: US News & World Report
“Nepal announced its intention to cease search and rescue operations for victims of the Aug. 26 flood that killed at least 1,455 people with thousands more still missing. Family members of 5,285 people who remain unaccounted for, including hundreds of foreign nationals, expressed mixed reactions, with some relieved and others unhappy with the decision by Nepal’s government announced late Monday. The office of Prime Minister Balendra Shah said the government will concentrate on rehabilitation and reconstruction including restoring roads and bridges cut off by floods, particularly in remote areas where damaged infrastructure has made aid deliveries difficult. The government estimates reconstruction and recovery will cost $4.77 billion.” (10/07/26)
Politics Politics Politics, 10/06/26
Source: Politics Politics Politics
“Can You Trust Senate Midterm Polling? A Tale of Two Economies (with J.D. Durkin).” (10/06/26)
https://www.politicspoliticspolitics.com/p/can-you-trust-senate-midterm-polling