“Bruce Springsteen has a message for Michigan voters, and some of his longtime fans aren’t having it. The rock legend faced criticism from some social media users after backing Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, prompting angry fans to accuse The Boss of crossing a political line. Springsteen, who has never shied away from politics, took aim at President Donald Trump in his endorsement of El-Sayed, portraying the progressive candidate as a defender of American democracy. ‘Dr. El-Sayed is a fighter for our American Constitution, he’s a fighter for our American Democracy, and he’s a fighter against the corrupt, lawless, and anti-American leadership currently in the White House. That’s why I’m in his corner 100%. – Bruce Springsteen,’ he penned on social media. Critics questioned why the New Jersey-born singer was endorsing El-Sayed, given controversies over the candidate’s political associations and positions on Israel.” (11/03/26)
“A district court judge on Monday dismissed a Trump administration case against Harvard University related to admissions data, saying the government had not satisfied the requirements for a court order for the records. The administration sued Harvard in February, claiming the university had failed to provide records to ensure it was complying with a Supreme Court ruling banning affirmative action in college admissions. Harvard was a defendant in the Supreme Court case. The Justice and Education departments have launched numerous investigations into whether universities continue to consider race in admissions despite the 2023 ruling. Harvard has said it followed civil rights laws and provided data.” (11/02/26)
“Hackers who stole a record $6.3bn (£4.7bn) from Binance used fake job interviews and a compromised internal AI tool, the firm has revealed. Initial findings published by the company, which operates the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, said hackers gained access to its systems through a ‘sophisticated, multi-stage campaign’. It said they used a range of techniques such as malicious software downloads to compromise the computers of Binance engineers and gain control over tools to drain its wallet of billions of dollars worth of crypto. Binance called it ‘a serious and highly sophisticated security incident’ and apologised, saying ‘this should not have happened’. In a post on X, Binance said hackers targeted its engineers using social engineering techniques. These see hackers use approaches such as phishing to trick people into parting with sensitive or personal details, that can then be used to try and access their accounts.” (11/03/26)
“Belize has declared a state of emergency in 19 areas after a series of deadly shootings, giving police expanded powers to detain suspected gang members as the government considers studying El Salvador’s anti-gang strategy. The emergency took effect Sunday in parts of Belize City, Ladyville, Cotton Tree and Unitedville, according to Breaking Belize News. … National Security Minister Michel Chebat said Belizean officials plan to visit El Salvador to examine President Nayib Bukele’s approach to fighting gangs, according to Breaking Belize News.” (11/02/26)
After a “zero-dollar day,” our annual fundraiser total remains stuck (as of 5am) at $1,093.50.
We’re $1,658 short of our goal — and I’m as tired of hectoring you about money as you are of hearing it. Once we’ve hit the target, I get to shut up about money entirely for the rest of 2026 and mostly for the first nine months of 2027. Have a great day — but first,
PLEASE SUPPORT THE FREEDOM MOVEMENT’S DAILY NEWSPAPER!
“The US carried out strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, an American official said late Monday on the eve of crucial midterm elections, which US President Donald Trump has signaled could mark the start of resumed war with Iran. The strikes, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, appeared to be limited and were not a resumption of major combat operations, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Another official said the strikes were defensive measures against Iranians ‘using surface-to-air missiles against US assets.'” (11/03/26)
“The Supreme Court on Monday quickly rejected the Trump administration’s effort to force California officials to set aside 20,000 ballots it claims belong to likely noncitizens and must be investigated. The court’s one-sentence order contained no explanation and had no noted dissents. California and immigration rights groups question the veracity of the administration’s list and say its lawsuit is an attempt to disenfranchise legal voters. The administration raced its claims to the Supreme Court earlier on Monday after California persuaded lower courts that the administration has no legal right to push the state to comply. The administration warned that the clock was running out. All sides agree that ballots can’t be separated once they’re processed, and election officials have already received hundreds of thousands of mail ballots ahead of polls opening on Tuesday.” (11/02/26)
“Russian forces have bombed an aid centre in Ukraine, killing at least 29 people, according to Ukrainian officials, as the United States announced plans for new peace talks on November 10 and 11. The aid centre, at a school in the village of Komyshuvakha in the Zaporizhzhia region, had been closed to students because the village sits too close to the front line, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday. Instead, it served as a shelter and as a weekly distribution point for aid packages, which residents who remain in the village collected every Monday. … Hours after the attack, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said that delegations from Ukraine and Russia would meet in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, on November 10 and 11.” (11/02/26)
“The New York Times sued Brave, the 11-year-old, privacy-focused browser company, on Monday, alleging it scraped the outlet’s copyrighted content and unlawfully distributed it to customers the suit names as Anthropic, Perplexity, Mistral, xAI, and Cohere. Separately on Monday, the Daily News, the Chicago Tribune, and the Orlando Sentinel filed a similar lawsuit. Both were brought in federal court in Manhattan. The New York Times, which has also sued OpenAI and Perplexity over similar claims, likens Brave to a ‘supplier, dealer, and distributor of stolen [sic] copyrighted content’ for AI companies.” (11/02/26)
“Friday’s late-night confrontation at Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal, which drew riot police and protesters and prompted President Karol Nawrocki to turn his plane around and return to Warsaw, has reignited a bitter debate over whether Prime Minister Donald Tusk is restoring the rule of law or overstepping constitutional limits. The dispute erupted after the tribunal announced the suspension of its president, Bogdan Święczkowski, a move that supporters of Tusk’s government described as necessary to restore judicial independence, while critics denounced it as an unconstitutional power grab. Marcin Przydacz, the head of the International Policy Bureau in Nawrocki’s office, took to European TV Monday morning denouncing Tusk’s actions, saying, ‘Even lawyers who are close to the Tusk government say that there’s absolutely no legal basis for such behavior.’ The dispute is also triggering diplomatic fallout, with at least three Polish ambassadors resigning in protest.” (11/02/26)
