Source: EconLog
by Marcos Falcone
“For some reason, urban planning has become a hot topic on social media. Even more strangely, it has become ideologized. In the name of the community, left-wingers are generally for state-run public transportation and government housing. In the name of families or individuals, many right-wingers want more suburbs and, particularly, taxpayer-funded highways to accommodate cars. They all want the government to subsidize their lifestyles. But with regard to urban planning, we need to get it out of the way.” (10/02/25)
https://www.econlib.org/letting-markets-work-urban-planning/
Source: Fox News
by CJ Pearson
“Let’s get one thing straight: Vice President Kamala Harris didn’t singularly lose because of President Joe Biden. She didn’t lose because of so-called racism. She didn’t lose because of ‘misinformation,’ or because Mercury was in retrograde. Harris lost because millions of Black Americans like me abandoned both her and her party. And that’s the one truth she can’t stomach to say out loud. Her new memoir, 107 Days, is being sold as an inside look at the shortest presidential campaign in modern American history. But let’s call it what it is: a 320-page therapy session. A master class in finger-pointing.” (10/02/25)
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/kamala-harris-blames-everyone-black-voters-who-rejected-her
Source: Reuters
“U.S. President Donald Trump said he will meet with his budget director Russell Vought on Thursday to determine which ‘Democrat Agencies’ to cut, as he looks to inflict pain on his political opposition in the second day of a government shutdown. ‘I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity,’ he said in a social media post. Trump has already frozen federal transit and green-energy funding, opens new tab for Democratic-leaning states and has threatened to fire more federal workers during the shutdown, which began on Wednesday due to a partisan standoff in Congress. He is already on track to push out 300,000 federal workers by the end of the year. In his post, Trump mentioned Vought’s involvement with Project 2025, a plan by the conservative Heritage Foundation that calls for radically downsizing the federal government.” (10/02/25)
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-discuss-agency-cuts-with-ombs-vought-thursday-2025-10-02/
Source: SFGate
“California authorities have recently raided dozens of stores and distributors of kratom and related products, embargoing and seizing over $5 million worth of items in what appears to be a new crackdown on the widely used drug. The enforcement actions come as kratom and the related drug 7-hydroxymitragynine, commonly called 7-OH, undergo increased scrutiny across the country. Kratom is an herbal drug that has opioid-like properties and has been used for decades in the United States. The much more potent 7-OH drugs, which can be extracted from kratom or synthetically produced, have a high risk of addiction and can cause fatal overdoses, experts warn. Scientists estimate that 7-OH can be more than 10 times stronger than morphine. 7-OH has exploded in popularity in the past few years, and it is now widely available at gas stations and smoke shops in California, which means it can be easily accessible to minors.” (10/02/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/kratom-7oh-crackdown-in-california-21078833.php
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“At least 20 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since dawn across Gaza as Israel threatened tens of thousands remaining in Gaza City with a forced order to leave, saying it was their ‘last opportunity’ to flee or face the ‘full force’ of Israel’s assault. Defence Minister Israel Katz wrote on X on Wednesday that anyone who stayed would be considered ‘terrorists and terror supporters.’ … Reporting from the al-Rashid road, Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud said the Israeli military was ordering people to leave, then chasing them on the coastal route south with military choppers, drones and tanks, creating ‘mayhem and panic.'” (10/02/25)
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10/2/israel-threatens-all-staying-in-gaza-city-kills-at-least-13-in-enclave
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Trump Tries to Repair Ties With Qatar Following Israeli Assassination Attempt.” (10/02/25)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/kyle/coi-842-trump-tries-to-repair-ties-with-qatar-following-israeli-assassination-attempt/
Source: National Review
“Did the Financial Crisis Make Socialism Great Again?” (10/02/25)
https://www.nationalreview.com/podcasts/capital-record/did-the-financial-crisis-make-socialism-great-again/
Source: The Peaceful Revolutionist
by David S D’Amato
“Several decades ago, economist Herman E. Daly and philosopher and theologian John B. Cobb, Jr. pointed out that in a ‘full world’ with finite resources, economic growth can become uneconomic when the environmental and social costs outweigh the benefits. We are today deep into this dynamic. I think there are several questions we are duty-bound as rational people to ask at this stage in our adoption and use of GDP: What do we mean by growth fundamentally? What are we trying to grow and get more of? … GDP is not only a measuring tool; it is also itself a political ideology and system, one that is shared around the world, though not universally accepted.” (10/02/25)
https://dsdamato.substack.com/p/gdp-as-ideological-scam
Source: The Dispatch
by Mike Nelson
“Despite doomsaying about loyalty oaths ahead of Pete Hegseth’s gathering of top U.S. military officers this week, it appears not every decision the defense secretary makes is indicative of creeping fascism. We can take comfort in the fact that many of his decisions are not authoritarian, but rather incredibly stupid and amateur. Indeed, his conclave of the bulk of America’s generals and admirals falls firmly into the latter category.” (10/02/25)
https://thedispatch.com/article/hegseth-speech-warrior-defense-department/
Source: Engadget
“Two Amazon delivery drones reportedly collided with a crane this morning in Tolleson, AZ. The incident occurred about two miles from a fulfillment center run by the tech company and involved two of its Prime Air drones. No injuries have been reported. Law enforcement were called to the scene, however Sgt. Erik Mendez of the Tolleson police told local radio station KTAR that the Federal Aviation Administration would be taking over the investigation. … Amazon began offering a drone delivery option in the Phoenix area last year.” (10/01/25)
https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/two-amazon-prime-air-drones-crashed-in-arizona-224857013.html
