“Saudi [terror kingpin] Mohammed bin Salman arrived to a grand welcome from President Donald Trump at the White House on Tuesday, greeted at the South Portico with an honor guard of black horses and herald trumpeters, a remarkable turnaround for the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia who had been branded a pariah in 2018 after the CIA concluded that he had approved the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. The arrival, filled with more pomp than any world leader thus far in Trump’s second term, was a measure of the U.S. president’s affection for the Saudi [terror kingpin] and his rehabilitation following the killing. … The leaders are expected to sign deals ranging from weapons sales to agreements around artificial intelligence and critical minerals, according to White House officials.” (11/18/25)
“Toyota said it plans to invest nearly a billion dollars in U.S. manufacturing across five southern states to grow its hybrid model line. On Tuesday, Japan-based Toyota Motor announced it will invest around $912 million as part of separate plans to invest up to $10 billion in the United States by 2030. … The Japanese automaker currently holds more than 51% market share in hybrid vehicle manufacturing, and the new finance boost in its American facilities is largely intended to build upon that.” (11/18/25)
THANK YOU to long-time supporters PD and SZ! Their contributions yesterday, totaling $70, bring our year-end Fundraiser total (as of 5am on Wednesday) to $1,260.84!
Here’s the hump we need to get over: We’re a little more than halfway through the fundraiser period, but only 45% of the way to our goal. Making it to $1,375.25 TODAY — with donations of at least $114.41 — would put us at the halfway mark.
Please support the freedom movement’s daily newspaper and get us over that 50% “hump-day hump” at …
“Russian lawmakers endorsed new tax hikes on Tuesday as Moscow looks for new revenue sources to boost its economy during its nearly four-year war with Ukraine. Legislators in the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, approved the key second reading of a bill that will raise value-added tax from 20% to 22%. The changes are expected to add as much as 1 trillion rubles (about $12.3 billion) to the state budget. The new legislation also lowers the threshold for businesses required to collect VAT from 60 million rubles (about $739,000) in annual sales revenue to 10 million rubles (about $123,000). The changes, which will be introduced in stages up to 2028, are designed to stop firms from dividing their operations to avoid taxes. But they are also expected to hit many small businesses that were previously exempt.” [editor’s note: Tax hikes don’t boost economies; they boost governments at the expense of economies – TLK] (11/18/25)
“A daily glass of orange juice might do more than deliver vitamin C. It may influence gene activity in ways that support heart health, according to new research. In a small but detailed study, 20 healthy adults drank about two cups of 100% orange juice every day for two months. Researchers from the University of São Paulo in Brazil, North Carolina State University and the University of California, Davis, tracked changes in more than 1,700 genes within participants’ immune cells, finding broad shifts in genetic activity tied to blood pressure, fat metabolism and inflammation — all key factors in cardiovascular health. The findings highlight how citrus flavonoids — plant compounds also found in berries, tea and cocoa that act as antioxidants and anti-inflammatories — may influence the body at a molecular level. The research was published in the journal Molecular Nutrition & Food Research in late October.” (11/18/25)
“Hundreds of National Guard troops deployed to Chicago and Portland are being sent home, and those who will remain will continue to stay off the streets amid court battles over their domestic mission by the Trump administration, a defense official said Monday. The withdrawal of soldiers — sent from California and Texas — is part of a larger change to troop deployments after President Donald Trump began his immigration crackdown in various cities with Democratic leadership. The official was not authorized to publicly discuss the issue and requested anonymity. U.S. Northern Command said in a statement Sunday it was ‘shifting and/or rightsizing’ units in Portland, Los Angeles and Chicago, although it said there would be a ‘constant, enduring, and long-term presence in each city.'” (11/18/25)
“Former US Treasury Secretary and former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers announced on Monday that he would be ‘stepping back from public commitments’ following the release of communication documents between him and the late convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. Summers, a current Harvard University Professor, stated that while he will ‘continu[e] to fulfill my teaching obligations,’ the withdrawal from public roles is ‘one part of my broader effort to rebuild trust and repair relationships with the people closest to me.’ … The documents revealed that Summers and Epstein continued to exchange messages until July 5, 2019 — just one day before Epstein’s arrest on new sex-trafficking charges.” (11/18/25)
“A prisoner is challenging an Australian state’s ban on inmates eating Vegemite, claiming in a court suit that withholding the polarizing yeast-based spread breaches his human right to ‘enjoy his culture as an Australian.’ Andre McKechnie, 54, serving a life sentence for murder, took his battle for the salty, sticky, brown byproduct of brewing beer to the Supreme Court of Victoria, according to documents released to The Associated Press on Tuesday. Most Australians revere Vegemite as an unfairly maligned culinary icon, and more than 80% of Australian households are estimated to have a jar in their pantries. But inmates in all 12 prisons in Victoria are going without.” [editor’s note: I suspect Vegemite is an acquired taste. After giving it a try, I decided I don’t really want to acquire it – TLK] (11/18/25)
“The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said Monday it’s investigating a new sexual battery allegation against hip-hop mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, who is serving a four-year prison sentence on prostitution-related convictions. … A male music producer and publicist said he was asked to come to a photo shoot in 2020 at a Los Angeles warehouse, where Combs exposed himself while masturbating and told the accuser to assist, according to NBC News, citing a police report. Combs then tossed a dirty shirt at the man, the producer said. The accuser, whose name is redacted in the police report, said he did not tell anyone for several years because he felt embarrassed. He came forward to police in Largo, Florida, this September, shortly after Combs was convicted on other charges.” (11/18/25)
“The Kessler twins, who were best known for their postwar entertainment in the ’50s and ’60s, have died by joint assisted suicide. Alice and Ellen Kessler died at age 89 at their home in Grünwald, near Munich, Germany, on Monday. The sisters ‘no longer wanted to live’ and they ‘had chosen to end their lives together’, as reported by the German newspaper Bild. According to CNN, Alice and Ellen were assisted by advocacy organization the German Society for Humane Dying (DGHS). The DGHS provides people with access to lawyers and doctors and other tools. The organization told CNN that the twins contacted the DGHS over a year ago and became members. ‘The decisive factor is likely to have been the desire to die together on a specific date,’ DGHS spokesperson Wega Wetzel told CNN. However, Wetzel noted that she wasn’t aware of why each woman chose this method.” (11/18/25)
