“Irish lawmakers voted Wednesday in favour of controversial legislation to scrap a mechanism preventing the overseas deployment of Irish military peacekeepers without a green light from the United Nations. The Dail, Ireland’s lower house of parliament, approved the bill by 79 votes to 71, despite opposition warnings that the move threatens the country’s longstanding military neutrality. Ireland is not a NATO member, but its small defence force of just over 8,000 personnel has traditionally engaged in international peacekeeping operations. … The government argues that Ireland should be able to respond to crises without waiting for approval from the UN Security Council.” (10/22/260
“In a win for Republicans, the Supreme Court said Thursday that student IDs cannot be used in New Hampshire for the midterm elections. The justices granted an emergency request filed by the state, which had the backing of the Republican National Committee. The ballot in New Hampshire includes a closely watched Senate race that could play a key role in deciding control of the chamber. Republican former Sen. John E. Sununu is pitted against Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas for the seat held by retiring Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. The brief court order said a federal judge should not have ordered a change in voting rules so close to the Nov. 3 election, citing existing precedent on that point.” (10/22/26)
“A foreign national has been beaten to death by a crowd of about 50 people in Durban, South Africa, police say. According to police, the unidentified man, believed to be in his late 30s or early 40s, was first approached by two men by the roadside before being assaulted by a larger group. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police have launched an investigation into the murder, with the motive yet to be established. The killing follows a wave of protests against immigrants in South Africa this year, some of which have turned violent. Earlier this month, shops and cars were set on fire in Durban, as well as Soweto, near Johannesburg. Provincial police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda told the BBC they cannot speculate on the motive for the killing in Durban and that more information would be shared once verified.” (10/22/26)
“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)
