Source: Brownstone Institute
by Joseph Varon

“I have been a doctor for over 40 years. I have cared for patients in their most critical moments, seen families face unexpected diagnoses, and made split-second decisions in intensive care where every second counted. I have witnessed both remarkable recoveries and painful losses. I have taught new doctors, published research, and worked on treatments to help people I might never meet. All this time, I thought I knew what it meant to be a physician. When Covid began, something shifted in me. It didn’t happen all at once or because of one argument with an administrator or a policy. It was a slow realization that grew as I kept caring for sick people.” (10/16/26)

https://brownstone.org/articles/ive-rediscovered-why-i-became-a-doctor/

Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Zachary Paikin

“As the U.S. midterms approach, headlines regarding the Ukraine war are emerging at breakneck pace. But amid the noise and recurring outrage, the fundamental dilemma has not changed: how can the United States build up a self-sustaining European equilibrium that maximizes Washington’s room for maneuver in an increasingly multipolar world? Achieving a comprehensive settlement to the war in Ukraine is a necessary, albeit insufficient, part of the answer. European leaders perceive Russia’s war of aggression not just as a security threat but as a fundamental breach of the post-Cold War continental compact. It will not soon be forgotten. As long as the fighting continues — and even in the event of a ceasefire that leaves deeper political cleavages unaddressed — Europe and Russia will not arrive at a stable balance of power on their own.” (10/16/26)

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/europe-ukraine-peace-talks/

Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff

“The European Union’s long project to build the continent into a fortified zone of peace and prosperity has hit a new pitfall. Over the past two weeks, the war in Ukraine has expanded far into the Black Sea. Several merchant ships carrying grain and other civilian cargo were struck by drones – widely viewed as Russian – off the shores of two NATO members, Bulgaria and Romania. Nearly two dozen sailors from many countries were either killed or are missing. ‘The Kremlin is testing the EU and Nato, and will act depending on the results of the testing,’ a popular Ukrainian blogger, Boryslav Bereza, wrote on Facebook.” (10/16/26)

https://www.csmonitor.com/Editorials/the-monitors-view/2026/1016/Russia-s-gray-shadow-over-the-Black-Sea

Source: The Daily Economy
by Alexander W Salter

“Trump’s effort to fire a Fed governor may be political interference, but it exposes a real problem: central bankers exercise enormous power with little accountability for their mistakes.” (10/16/26)

https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/cook-case-tests-the-limits-of-fed-independence/