“The world’s oldest shipwreck has been discovered off the coast of Turkey, archaeologists say. They have dated it to between 4,400 and 4,700 years old, which is the Early Bronze Age, and is around the same time that the Great Pyramid was being built. The ship’s wooden structure has not survived, but the ceramic storage pots it was carrying were lying on the sea floor and, remarkably, some still contain traces of what they held inside. The archaeologists who found the ship say it was about 10m in length and was a trade vessel carrying cargo across the Mediterranean Sea. ‘The shipwreck is a time capsule at the bottom of the sea’, said Prof Hakan Öniz, from Akdeniz University in Turkey, who led the Mediterranean Archaeology Association expedition.” (10/14/26)
“Gov. Gavin Newsom just got behind a ballot initiative that, if passed, would act as a kill switch for Proposition 40, also known as the billionaire wealth tax. The governor’s endorsement comes as the November election is weeks away and the billionaire tax continues to splinter the Democratic Party. Newsom endorsed Proposition 42, a ballot measure bankrolled by ultrawealthy donors such as billionaire and Google co-founder Sergey Brin, on Friday, writing in a statement that it will protect ‘blue-collar unions’ and other workers’ savings from new state taxes. ‘We all agree that Californians deserve to have their retirement and life savings protected from new state taxes so those savings are there when they need them,’ Newsom said in his statement provided by the Prop. 42 campaign. The ballot measure would block new taxes on assets like stocks and other financial property while also banning retroactive taxes, like the proposed billionaire tax.” (10/13/26)
“Confirmed cases in Congo’s Ebola outbreak have surpassed 9,000, with more than 4,300 deaths, as health authorities struggle to contain an outbreak spreading across seven provinces, according to government figures released Tuesday. The Health Ministry reported 9,066 confirmed cases and 4,381 deaths, with the death toll approaching half the number of confirmed cases. … The outbreak has created new hot spots as it spreads to more communities, with 65 health zones across seven provinces now affected.” (10/13/26)
HUGE THANKS to subscribing contributor MB and supporters JM and RW! They weighed in yesterday with a whopping $470, bringing our annual fundraiser total (as of 5am) to $755.50!
Caveat: I’m awaiting final confirmation from the donor on $100 which may require a refund due to error, but either way a REALLY great day for the fundraiser and we’re either just past or quickly approaching the 25% mark toward our goal of $5,503 (once we’ve raised $2,751.50, supporter GL will “match funds” for the other half)!
In other words, we need to raise somewhere around $2,000 more … and once we’ve hit our goal, you won’t hear from me about money at all for the rest of the year, or very much until NEXT October. So …
PLEASE SUPPORT THE FREEDOM MOVEMENT’S DAILY NEWSPAPER!
“At least 600,000 people across Ukraine are now without electricity after deadly overnight Russian missile and drone strikes, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said. He said ‘critical’ energy infrastructure had been hit in Kyiv and the capital region and also in the north-eastern city of Kharkiv – despite a claim by US President Donald Trump on Sunday that an ‘energy ceasefire’ was in place between Russia and Ukraine. In Kyiv, at least three people were killed and 21 injured, Ukraine’s state emergencies service DSNS said. Russia’s defence ministry said its ‘massive’ strikes overnight had targeted communications and energy facilities in the Kyiv and Kharkiv regions used by Ukraine’s military.” (10/14/26)
“A federal judge issued an order late Tuesday blocking the Trump administration from banning CNN, Politico and MS NOW from the White House complex while the organizations’ lawsuit over access proceeds. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly of Washington, D.C., issued the preliminary injunction in the wake of a hearing Thursday at which the administration contended it imposed the ban in part because of national security concerns; media organizations said it was because of ‘viewpoint discrimination.’ Kelly sided with the news outlets, noting that Trump used national security as a reason for the ban after their press passes had already been revoked and ruling that it also likely violated reporters’ freedom of speech and due process rights.” (10/14/26)
“A coalition of forces in Yemen led by Saudi Arabia carried out new airstrikes Tuesday on the Houthi rebel[sic]-held Yemeni capital of Sanaa, the Houthi-run broadcaster Al Masirah and residents said. The strikes marked a fresh escalation in the widening Middle East crisis and came shortly after a coalition spokesman urged residents to evacuate the area for their safety. Witnesses reported hearing strong explosions in Sanaa hours after the coalition struck the al-Suhaba fuel facility west of the city. In a rare statement earlier, the coalition had urged civilians in the Houthi-controlled capital to leave the Yemeni Oil Company site, on a hill overlooking the capital, and nearby storage areas ahead of a possible strike. Houthi officials appeared to have anticipated the attack there. The oil company said its storage facilities were empty and that a Saudi strike would not affect oil reserves or supplies for residents.” (10/13/26)
“President Donald Trump’s ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle, resigned on Tuesday after allegations of improper conduct but insisted she’ll ‘vigorously defend’ herself. Trump’s administration said earlier Tuesday it had asked Guilfoyle to leave her post after she faced severe criticism over allegations she engaged in improper and possibly illegal conduct before and during her tenure in Athens. … In a series of stories dating to late last month, The Wall Street Journal has reported questionable conduct by Guilfoyle, including an alleged threat to a host country official, accepting improper gifts and services and offering to use her influence inside the Republican administration in return for the payment of a large credit card bill.” (10/13/26)
“Argentina asked the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea on Tuesday to order Britain to halt the Sea Lion oil project near the Falkland Islands, two weeks after President Javier Milei’s government gave London a deadline to stop the activities. The project, led by Britain’s Rockhopper Exploration and Israel’s Navitas Petroleum, is located in the North Falkland Basin. Argentina claims rights to the area’s natural resources as part of its longstanding sovereignty dispute with Britain over the islands, which are administered by Britain and known in Argentina as the Malvinas.” (10/13/26)
“The French navy boarded a vessel suspected of illegally smuggling oil in an operation off the Indian Ocean island of La Réunion, President Emmanuel Macron said Monday, October 12. Macron vowed no let-up in the struggle against the ‘shadow fleet’ – a term used for the clandestine network of ships used by Russia to circumvent Western embargoes since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. … The DF Peak flies a Benin flag and is among the 700 ships on the EU’s sanctions list. Prior to 2024, it was called Kaliningrad. New measures permit European Union members to sell the oil or any other cargo seized from the ships. Moscow has bristled at the moves, with Russian President Vladimir Putin [noticing that it is] ‘piracy and banditry.'” (10/13/26)
