ICE Planning $100 Million “Nightmare” Domestic Spy Program

Source: The American Prospect
by Whitney Curry Wimbish

“Immigration and Customs Enforcement is fast-tracking a $100 million domestic surveillance program to put 142 intelligence agents in more than two dozen cities and the District of Columbia, in what contracting and surveillance experts said would be a significant expansion of the agency’s ability to reach into private lives. The new program is called the Enforcement and Removal Operations Overwatch and National Security Enforcement, or ERO ONE, described in documents posted last month on federal procurement websites. Under the program, agents would analyze classified and unclassified information to identify ‘trends, patterns, relationships, threats, and intelligence gaps’, and provide ICE with briefings for Enforcement and Removal Operation missions, according to a statement of work published on September 18. A forecasting document published a week earlier said that the solicitation will likely be released on December 10. Intelligence contracting experts said the timeline suggests ICE will award the contract around February.” (10/14/26)

https://prospect.org/2026/10/14/ice-planning-nightmare-domestic-spy-program-ero-one/

Congo: Confirmed Ebola cases exceed 9,000 as containment efforts falter

Source: ABC News

“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)

https://abcnews.com/Health/wireStory/congos-confirmed-ebola-cases-exceed-9000-containment-efforts-137233349

Gambling, government, and …

Source: The Price of Liberty
by Nathan Barton

“The State of Wyoming, generally considered to be a conservative, not-quite one-party state, but with a strong streak of minarchist libertarianism, have some odd quirks. One of those has to do with gambling. Take an interesting little ‘fun game’ called ‘shake-a-day’ featured in many saloons, bars, and lounges in the Cowboy State. According to a recent Cowboy State Daily article, Wyoming this game is definitely illegal, since the State ‘clarified’ its laws and regulations. Which are, to put it mildly, confusing.” (10/13/26)

https://thepriceofliberty.org/2026/10/13/gambling-government-and/

Annual Fundraiser: Momentum, If You’ll Help Maintain It

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!

https://news.rationalreview.com/support-rrnd

… and have a great day!

Yours in liberty,
Tom Knapp
Publisher
Rational Review News Digest / Freedom News Daily

Ukraine: Russian strikes leave 600,000 without power, Zelenskyy says

Source: BBC News [UK state media]

“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)

https://archive.is/W8Ivf

Why I (Kind Of) Support Livestreaming The Nidal Hasan Firing Squad

Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp

“With a public execution, the US regime will join an exclusive club currently comprised of Iran, Afghanistan, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, and the Islamic State’s notional ‘caliphate.’ Those aren’t the only regimes with unlimited government. They’re just the only regimes that publicly flaunt their unlimited nature by killing disarmed, helpless prisoners in full view of the serfs they rule. I’m big on government transparency. Not on ‘good government’ grounds, but because transparency makes it easier for people to figure out that there’s no such thing as ‘good’ political government. … The US government killing Hasan is no different in principle than the Gambino crime family’s killing of Thomas DeSimone, sentenced to death for killing ‘made man’ William Bentvena (both killings are portrayed, using other names, in the film Goodfellas).” (10/13/26)

https://thegarrisoncenter.org/archives/20943

Federal judge issues longer-term decision blocking Trump’s White House media ban

Source: NBC News

“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)

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/prewrite-not-pub-judge-extends-order-blocking-trump-white-house-media-rcna602264

Protectionism and “Sandwich Economics”

Source: Libertarian Institute
by Thomas Eddlem

“The other day, my wife made me a sandwich, and I ate it. Who benefitted from this transaction? I enjoyed the good, but my wife did all the work. I like to think I benefitted from the transaction. It’s in the enjoyment of a good that’s the benefit of the good. The labor in creating the good is necessary, and often troublesome, but it’s not the benefit of the good. But President Donald Trump and defenders of economic protectionism who despise trade deficits think my wife cheated me because she had the privilege of doing all the work. Or, at least that’s the implication protectionists make in their public pronouncements on U.S. trade policy with the world. I now have a sandwich trade deficit with my wife, according to them.” (10/13/26)

https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/protectionism-and-sandwich-economics