Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman

“Many years ago I noticed that being paid to give a speech felt better than being paid to be a professor even though it was much less money. My payment for a speech was by people who wanted to hear it. My pay as a professor was decided by administrators, only indirectly by the students who were the consumers of what I was producing. It felt to my intuition less real, less something I deserved. I got the same pleasure out of collecting royalties when my books were first published. A friend and fellow professor who was also a serious gambler, a card counter at blackjack, told me that the money he got the most pleasure from was money he won from other players in open combat. I conclude that for me, perhaps for many others, being paid for something cuts both ways.” (11/11/25)

https://daviddfriedman.substack.com/p/trade-and-status

Source: TomDispatch
by Kelly Denton-Borhaug

“It’s been a while since I’ve written for TomDispatch, and there’s a reason for that. About 16 months ago, I experienced a catastrophic car crash. An SUV veered across the double yellow line of the highway I was traveling on and hit my little Chevy Spark head-on — on the driver’s side. I’ve been told that I’m lucky to be alive. I was left with multiple injuries and have been on the slow road to recovery. I’ve always seen myself as a person who pushes forward to overcome obstacles. Since the collision, however, doing so has become more complicated, because I’m learning that recovery is a long road, filled with detours I couldn’t have predicted. Time and again, my expectations have been turned upside down. I’ve had to take deep breaths, sit back, and pay close attention.” (11/11/25)

https://tomdispatch.com/military-moral-injury-violence-and-the-parable-of-the-guinea-worm/

Source: Libertarian Institute
by Ted Galen Carpenter

“President Donald Trump professed to be extremely pleased with the results of his recent summit meeting with Xi Jinping in South Korea. Indeed, with his typical hyperbole, he rated it ‘a 12 out of 10.’ Trump expressed special satisfaction with the conclusion of new trade agreements that significantly eased bilateral economic tensions between the United States and the People’s Republic of China (PRC). In what amounted to a casual comment, he also stated that he had received a pledge from Xi that the PRC would not take any military action to change Taiwan’s political status during the remainder of Trump’s term. Interestingly, neither the United States nor PRC documents summarizing the summit indicated that the Taiwan issue was discussed at all — a very surprising omission given the usual importance of the topic.” (11/11/25)

https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/will-taiwan-make-noise-in-trumps-second-term

Source: New York Post
by staff

“The shutdown’s uselessness is demonstrated by the fury of those who want it to keep it going (and indeed are still delaying the Senate’s final floor vote). ‘People want us to hold the line,’ thundered Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Bx-Queens), furious that eight of her Senate colleagues crossed the aisle to get the government working again (at least until January). Who to blame for the sanity caucus quashing the six-week tantrum? Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-Brooklyn) of course. Sure he voted to keep the shutdown going, but he’s friends with the ‘traitors’ and failed to make them obey the demands of the Trump-deranged.” (11/10/25)

https://nypost.com/2025/11/10/opinion/democrats-despair-as-colleagues-cave-on-schumer-shutdown/

Source: Karl Dickey’s Freedom Vanguard
by Karl Dickey

“Senate defeats Rand Paul’s amendment protecting Kentucky hemp farmers. ACA enhanced premium subsidies expire in bipartisan vote. ACA regular subsidies remain.” (11/11/25)

https://palmbeachexaminer.substack.com/p/2025-shutdown-ends-amid-hemp-cronyism

Source: Common Dreams
by Martin Burns

“While the media has covered extensively Democratic successes in the 2025 off-year elections, there is one story that has been dramatically undercovered. This is the fact that the 2025 Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races show that Democrats can win over Trump voters. Granted, these are not dramatic slices of the Trump coalition, but they are enough in these hyper-polarized times to win elections. According to CNN polling, in New Jersey Rep. Mikie Sherrill in her race for governor was able to win 7% of those who had voted for Donald Trump in 2024. Interestingly, the Virginia exit polling data shows that Rep. Abigail Spanberger won the identical (7%) of Trump voters.” (11/11/25)

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/dems-win-back-trump-voters