“Millions of Americans are expected to receive a settlement check from Amazon credited to ‘President Trump’s Federal Trade Commission’ in an unprecedented move coming weeks before the midterm elections. The checks, part of a $2.5 billion settlement Amazon agreed to in 2025 for allegedly deceiving customers into signing up for Prime subscriptions, mark the first time an FTC refund has attributed the payments to a specific president, two former FTC officials told POLITICO. A notice with the checks in question uses the phrase ‘President Trump’s Federal Trade Commission’ three times. … A review of refund checks distributed by the FTC during the current Trump and previous Biden administrations shows the Amazon payouts are the only ones in which a president is credited. That includes settlements with companies including Epic Games, Grubhub, Credit Karma and Walmart.” (10/21/26)
“Virginia state Senator Lillie Louise Lucas was indicted Thursday on five charges that include drug trafficking, money laundering, fraud and firearms charges after being accused of running a marijuana distribution enterprise, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Lucas is among seven indicted in the sprawling racketeering scheme, a group that includes her two daughters, Lisa Lucas-Burke and Theresa Lucas-Lamb, and her grandson Ryan Eichelberger, Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a Thursday press conference. ‘Louise Lucas has served in a position of public trust in the Commonwealth of Virginia for over three decades,’ Blanche said in a DOJ statement. ‘The charges alleged in this indictment reveal the behavior of a public servant who put her own financial interests before the people she was elected to serve.'” (10/22/26)
“Italy and Spain have agreed to lift border controls on each other’s citizens, the interior ministry in Rome said on Friday, ending a three-month dispute triggered by the rush of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. Italy’s right-wing government first suspended its open-border arrangements with Spain on July 31, saying it wanted to make sure no migrants entering Ceuta could travel on to its territory. Madrid responded by taking similar action against Rome, describing the Italian measures as ‘unjust, contrary to European Union interests, and discriminatory to the population of Spain’. The Italian and Spanish interior ministers spoke on the phone and agreed not to extend their suspension of the European Union’s open-border Schengen arrangements, the Italian statement said.” (10/22/26)
“The first Ebola patients confirmed in Kenya and Nigeria might have crossed paths at an airport in Uganda earlier this month, African health officials said Thursday as they race to trace and slow an outbreak that has spread to several African countries. Both patients are known to have traveled through Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport on Oct. 3, said Dr. Wessam Mankoula, head of emergency preparedness and response at the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ‘One of the issues we are currently investigating has been some sort of interaction between the two cases at the airport,’ Mankoula said. The current Ebola outbreak emerged in Congo in May and the disease has since been detected in three other African countries, becoming the continent’s most geographically widespread Ebola outbreak in history.” (10/22/26)
“Meta’s board wants Mark Zuckerberg to stick around. The company announced a new category of non-voting Class C stock in its third-quarter earnings report. It listed several reasons for creating the new class — one of which is to keep the CEO in control. … The stock class will also provide Meta the ability to finance its growth, the earnings report said. Meta is spending big on AI and the data centers needed to power it. The company reported $34.91 billion in third-quarter capital expenditures. Meta’s press release said the distribution would effectively amount to a two-for-one stock split for existing shareholders.” (10/21/26)
Yesterday was our annuual fundraiser’s second “zero-dollar day” in a row. Our total remains stuck at $1,003.
We need to reach $2,751.50, after which supporter GL will “match funds” to get us to the $5,503 goal … and things WERE moving pretty fast in that direction until the last couple of days.
PLEASE SUPPORT THE FREEDOM MOVEMENT’S DAILY NEWSPAPER!
Here’s where I point out that we’ve been bringing you Rational Review News Digest every non-holiday weekday for 24 years (as of this coming December 24), and for more than 35 years by incorporation of our predecessor publications (Libernet and Freedom News Daily).
Here’s where I point out that somewhere in the neighborhood of 5,000 of you find RRND/FND valuable enough to stick with and read via email, web edition, and social media feeds.
And here’s where I point out that “reader-supported” means we count on YOU to return some of that value received as financial support, in whatever amount you find justified.
PLEASE SUPPORT THE FREEDOM MOVEMENT’S DAILY NEWSPAPER!
I’m going to keep asking every weekday morning until we hit that $2,751.50 mark … after which I won’t mention it at all for the rest of 2026, or very much for the first nine months of 2027.
OK, I’m out of here for a medical appointment. It seems I have a hole in my retina, which kinda freaks me out. Not badly enough to keep me from bringing you your daily dose of news, commentary, and podcast action, though. And not badly enough to keep me from using my ailment as a fundraising prop. Feel free to help with my copay at:
“US troops have been evacuated from bases in the Middle East as reports suggest Trump is planning major strikes on Iran. The State Department is also reducing its staff at diplomatic posts across the region, including in Saudi Arabia where Iran-backed Houthi rebels [sic] continue to launch attacks. A US official and two people familiar with the orders told NBC News that troops stationed at bases in Jordan, Qatar and Kuwait have been ordered to move in recent days. Sources claimed the move is part of the military’s planning as Trump considers restarting major combat operations in Iran – potentially before next month’s midterm elections.” (10/22/26)
“A federal judge ruled late Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s practice of knocking on doors and asking people about their immigration status — and whether they have voted in recent elections — likely violates the Voting Rights Act. … In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin ordered federal immigration authorities to stop carrying out ‘elections-related field operations and field interviews’ in nine states, including California and New York, if the operations are likely to involve people who government officials ‘know, suspect, or should reasonably know or suspect are U.S. citizens.’ Her order will remain in effect until polls close on Election Day. She stayed the ruling until 5 p.m. on Friday, which will give the government a chance to seek appeal.” (10/21/26)
“Russian attacks on Ukraine’s capital with ballistic missiles and drones overnight into Thursday killed one person and wounded 22, Ukrainian authorities said. The strikes in Kyiv came hours after the Kremlin agreed to restart U.S.-brokered talks aimed at ending the war. The attack damaged homes, transportation infrastructure and other civilian sites in several districts of the city, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said. In the Dniprovskyi district, on the eastern bank of the Dnipro River, one person was killed and six were wounded, including a child, as fires broke out.” (10/22/26)
“Mexican federal prosecutors charged a former state prosecutor with treason on Wednesday after accusing him of allowing US personnel to take part in a drug operation in northern Mexico without the federal government’s approval. … Prosecutors allege Jauregui allowed US agents to participate in an April raid on a suspected drug lab in Chihuahua, a border state that has long been central to Mexico’s fight against organized crime. The raid only came to light after two of the US agents were killed in a car crash returning from the scene, drawing scrutiny from President Claudia Sheinbaum and pitting her against opposition Governor Maru Campos. … Attorney General Ernestina Godoy said Jauregui allowed foreign agents to carry out activities reserved for Mexican authorities and failed to share information with federal officials as required.” (10/21/26)
