“The winner of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, has many striking similarities to two previous winners: Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi and Iran’s Narges Mohammadi. Yes, all three are women. Yes, all are champions for democracy inside dictatorships. And all are either in prison or in hiding. On those aspects alone, they are worthy of a Nobel and inspiring to millions of followers. Yet what really links them in a meaningful way is how they describe a mental strength that helps them stand for civic virtues such as individual freedom and democratic equality.'” (10/10/25)
“Two powerful offshore earthquakes struck the same region in the southern Philippines hours apart on Friday with the first 7.4 magnitude temblor killing at least seven people, setting off landslides and prompting evacuations of coastal areas nearby because of a brief tsunami scare. The second one had a preliminary 6.8 magnitude and also sparked a local tsunami warning by authorities. It was caused by movement in the same fault line, the Philippine Trench, at a depth of 37 kilometers (23 miles) off Manay town in Davao Oriental province, Philippine Institute of Seismology and Volcanology chief Teresito Bacolcol said. ‘The second one is a separate earthquake, which we call a doublet quake,’ Bacolcol told The Associated Press. ‘Both happened in the same area but have different strengths and epicenters.’ Bacolcol and other authorities expressed fears that the second nighttime earthquake could further weaken or collapse structures already undermined by the first one.” (10/11/25)
“Democrats shut down the government partly to force Republicans to extend COVID-era boosts in Obamacare subsidies that Dems once called ‘temporary’ but now say are needed to keep the program viable. This reveals what a true disaster Obamacare has been, as its critics warned even as Dems were ramming it into law with not a single Republican vote in 2010. Blindly tossing fresh trillions down that hole is nuts: Time to fix it — or scrap it altogether. The 10-year cost of Dems’ current demand totals almost a half-trillion dollars, to benefit primarily insurers and wealthier Americans. Under the expiration that Democrats wrote into law, 1.6 million Americans (just 0.5% of the population) would see their subsidies return to pre-COVID levels. That would leave their Obamacare plans so pricey that many would drop them altogether, especially those who could get cheaper and better coverage through their employers.” (10/11/25)
“Arctic seals are being pushed closer to extinction by climate change, and more than half of bird species around the world are declining under pressure from deforestation and agricultural expansion, according to an annual assessment from the International Union for Conservation of Nature. One bright spot is green sea turtles, which have recovered substantially thanks to decades of conservation efforts, the IUCN said Friday as it released its latest Red List of Threatened Species. While many animals are increasingly at risk of disappearing forever, the updated list shows how species can come back from the brink with dedicated effort, Rima Jabado, deputy chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission, told The Associated Press.” (10/10/25)
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Israel continued to hammer Gaza with military explosives on Thursday despite the announcement of the first stages of a ceasefire agreement with Hamas. Israel always does this. When normal people get a ceasefire agreement they think ‘Good, this means we can finally stop fighting and killing!’ Whenever Israelis get a ceasefire agreement they go, ‘This means we have to hurry up and kill as many people as possible before it takes effect.’ But it does appear that the killing and abuse will at least diminish for a time, which is an objectively good thing no matter how you slice it. The first stages of the agreement reportedly entail a partial withdrawal of IDF troops, Israel’s starvation blockade officially ending, humanitarian aid being allowed into the enclave, and both Israel and Hamas releasing captives and stopping the fighting.” (10/10/25)
“Socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani was chased out of Lower Manhattan by a serial City Hall gadfly who slammed him as an ‘antisemite’ and got into a shoving match with the politician’s staffer. The enraged protester, identified by sources as Raul Rivera, 55, of the Bronx, followed Mamdani as the pol was ushered by security into his waiting SUV, video of the encounter shows. Rivera (who was arrested in June for allegedly biting a Mamdani campaign volunteer) shouted and cursed as Mamdani ignored him and climbed into the vehicle, the footage shows. Mamdani had been in Foley Square for a protest where he and other lefty pols and activists stood in support of state Attorney General Letitia James as she faces federal charges of bank fraud and making a false statement to a financial institution.” (10/11/25)
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Ted Galen Carpenter
“Donald Trump has long been a fan of using the U.S. military to wage a more vigorous war against drug cartels in Latin America. He also shows signs of using that justification as a pretext to oust regimes considered hostile to other U.S. interests. The most recent incident in the administration’s escalating antidrug campaign took place on October 3 when ‘Secretary of War’ Pete Hegseth announced that U.S. naval forces had sunk yet another small boat off of the coast of Venezuela. It was one of four destroyed vessels and a total of 21 people killed since late September. The administration claims they were all trying to ship illegal drugs to the United States.” (10/10/25)
“Creatine is often associated with hitting the gym and building muscle, but the supplement, typically taken in powder or capsule form, has recently been linked to a variety of other uses and benefits. Singer Ciara told Business Insider last month that she takes creatine not just for muscle boosting, but to support energy levels throughout the day. Actor Mark Wahlberg has also hopped onto the trend, creating his own creatine monohydrate product, while health gurus like Stanford neuroscientist Andrew Huberman have touted its various neurological benefits. According to registered dietitian nutritionist Sam McKinney of Life Time Fitness in Minneapolis, creatine is a natural compound mostly stored in the muscles, with smaller amounts in the brain, liver and kidneys.” (10/11/25)
“Ben Hubbard, the long-time Middle East correspondent for the New York Times, is known for his high standards. So too is Karen DeYoung, the long-time reporter and foreign affairs editor for the Washington Post. Yet they, and their editors, share a common, recurring failure by misleading their readers about the serious undercount of Palestinian deaths during the Israeli regime’s genocidal destruction of Gaza. How so? By repeating in article after article the Hamas claim of 67,000 deaths since October 2023. The real death toll estimate is probably around 600,000.” (10/11/25)
“Opposition leader Patrick Herminie won the presidential election in Seychelles, defeating incumbent leader Wavel Ramkalawan in a runoff vote, according to official results released early Sunday. Herminie garnered 52.7% of the vote, with Ramkalawan taking 47.3%, the results showed. Herminie represents the United Seychelles party, which led the country for four decades before it lost power in 2020. It was the governing party from 1977 to 2020. Ramkalawan, of the governing Linyon Demokratik Seselwa party, sought a second term. … The race between the two main contenders in Seychelles’ election was decided in a runoff after there was no outright winner in the presidential vote two weeks ago.” (10/11/25)
