“The U.S. military struck four vessels suspected of carrying drugs in the eastern Pacific, officials said Tuesday, a significant escalation of the Trump administration’s campaign against traffickers in the Western Hemisphere. Fourteen alleged traffickers were [murdered] in the strikes, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on social media, bringing the total to nearly 60 [murdered] in more than a dozen strikes since early September. The latest operation, carried out Monday, included a rescue mission of one survivor launched by Mexican authorities, Hegseth said.” (10/28/25)
“Peace talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan have hit an impasse in Istanbul after three days of negotiations, with state media in both countries Tuesday blaming each other for the failure to reach a deal while efforts by Turkey were still underway to end the deadlock. The Istanbul talks are part of a broader diplomatic push to ease months of heightened tension between Islamabad and Kabul over cross-border attacks and militant safe havens — issues that have strained relations since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan four years ago. Delegations from the two neighbors remain in Turkey, but it was not immediately clear whether a fourth day of talks would be held.” (10/28/25)
Yesterday was a “zero-dollar day” in our year-end fundraiser, leaving our total (as of 5:30 Wednesday morning) at $820.50.
Our goal is $5,501. Once we’ve raised $2,750.50, reader GL will “match funds” and we’ll be DONE.
We’re $96.34 short of our “1/3 of the way to the goal” point. Please help us make that “mini-goal” today! You can support the freedom movement’s daily newspaper at:
“India’s largest oil refiner, Indian Oil Corp. Ltd (IOC), on Tuesday said it will ‘absolutely not’ halt buying Russian crude and will also comply with international sanctions. The statement underscores India’s attempt to balance energy security with growing global restrictions, even as fresh US measures target major Russian suppliers Rosneft and Lukoil. … Supplies from Rosneft and Lukoil, the two Russian energy companies sanctioned last week account for about 55% of the total Russian oil supply to India. On Monday, the chairman and managing director of Indian Oil Arvinder Singh Sahney had said the company would comply with all sanctions imposed by the international community. Currently, Russian supplies comprise 19-20% of the company’s overall crude oil import basket.” (10/28/25)
“House Republicans are calling on the Justice Department to launch an investigation into the Biden administration’s use of an autopen, an effort they hope will unwind various actions taken by former President Biden. … ‘The validity of the executive actions allegedly approved and signed (largely by autopen) by the President Biden must be reviewed to determine whether legal action is necessary to ameliorate consequences of any illegitimate [sic] pardons granted, or executive actions implemented, throughout the Biden Autopen Presidency,’ the report [says], asking [US attorney general Pam] Bondi to review ‘all executive actions attributed to President Joe Biden.'” (20/28/25)
“Nokia announced on Tuesday that Nvidia is taking a $1 billion stake in the networking company, the latest partnership for the artificial intelligence chipmaker. Nokia shares soared 26% higher following the news. Nokia will issue over 166 million new shares and will use the proceeds to fund its plans for AI and other general corporate purposes. The two companies also struck a strategic partnership to work together to develop next-generation 6G cellular technology. Nokia said that it would adapt its 5G and 6G software to run on Nvidia’s chips, and will collaborate on networking technology for AI.” (10/28/25)
“Nigeria’s Nobel Prize-winning author Wole Soyinka said on Tuesday the United States had revoked his non-immigrant visa issued last year and he was told to re-apply if he wished to try again to visit the U.S. The 91-year-old writer said in 2016 that he had torn up his U.S. green card and renounced his American residency in protest at the first election of President Donald Trump. The Nobel laureate has had regular teaching stints at America’s Ivy League universities since the mid-1990s following his Nobel Prize for Literature in 1986. On Tuesday, Soyinka showed reporters a copy of a letter from the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos asking him to bring his passport for physical cancellation of the visa. The letter, dated October 23, said ‘additional information became available’ after the visa was issued.” (10/28/25)
“Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ sweeping plan to overhaul Wisconsin’s aging prison system, which includes closing a prison built in the 1800s, moved forward Tuesday with bipartisan support despite complaints from Republican lawmakers that their concerns weren’t being addressed. A bipartisan subcommittee of the state building commission approved spending $15 million to proceed with planning for the Evers proposal. The full building commission, which Evers chairs, was expected to green-light the spending later Tuesday. Evers in February presented his plan as the best and only option to address the state’s aging facilities. Problems at the lockups have included inmate deaths, assaults against staff, lockdowns, lawsuits, federal investigations, criminal charges against staff, resignations and rising maintenance costs. Republicans have opposed parts of the plan that would reduce the overall capacity of the state prison system by 700 beds and increase the number of offenders who could be released on supervision.” (10/28/25)
“Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara was reelected to a fourth term in an election marked by low turnout and empty streets in the economic capital of Abidjan, provisional results showed Monday. Ouattara, 83, who first came to power in the West African nation in 2011, won 89.7% of the vote, Electoral Commission head Ibrahime Kuibiert Coulibaly said Monday. Jean-Louis Billon, a former commerce minister from one of Ivory Coast’s richest families, came in a distant second with 3% of the vote. Simone Gbagbo, a former first lady, came in third with 2.4%, under the provision results. … Ouattara was challenged by what experts considered a weakened opposition after the exclusion of major candidates, Tidjane Thiam and Laurent Gbagbo, from the polls.” (10/28/25)
“Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, who has spent more than a decade warning that the world was on the brink of unimaginable peril due to rising global temperatures, now says climate change ‘will not lead to humanity’s demise’ in a stunning reversal. Gates, 70, who has sunk billions of his vast fortune into initiatives ostensibly meant to combat global warming, penned a lengthy blog post this week urging a shift away from the ‘doomsday outlook’ many climate activists have adopted to terrify nonbelievers into seeing things their way. ‘Although climate change will have serious consequences — particularly for people in the poorest countries — it will not lead to humanity’s demise,’ he wrote. ‘People will be able to live and thrive in most places on Earth for the foreseeable future.'” (10/28/25)
