How to Fix It with John Avlon, 11/09/25
Source: The Bulwark
“Ken Burns: The Revolutionaries Were Exactly Like Us.” (11/08/25)
The Hostage Problem
Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman
“The Fenris wolf has a problem. He would like to prove his strength by breaking the third fetter as he proved it by braking the previous two that the gods put on him. But he does not trust the gods — would you trust someone who wanted to tie you up? — so will only let them bind him if he has a guarantee that if he cannot break it they will free him. The gods have a problem. There is no power above them to enforce contracts, so their promise to free him is worthless — and besides, they don’t actually plan to keep it. … The solution Fenrir proposes is for the gods to give a hostage to guarantee performance of their promise.” (11/08/25)
The West’s Three Options in a Multipolar World
Source: The American Conservative
by Peter Slezkine
“According to the ‘global majority’ (as the Russians call it), the sun is finally setting on the West. After 500 years of dominance, the West is showing signs of relative decline across almost every dimension. A protracted period of historical anomaly is passing, and the world is entering an age defined by a reassertion of sovereign interests and a resurgence of ancient civilizations. At a certain remove, this image seems a reasonable enough representation of new realities. But as a roadmap for navigating international politics, it is far too rough a sketch.” (11/08/25)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/the-wests-three-options-in-a-multipolar-world/
Happy Birthday to Me (Year-End Fundraiser Update)!
THANK YOU to long-time supporters SS and JR, whose $75 over the weekend brings our year-end fundraiser total (as of 5am on Monday) to $1,110.84!
Our goal is $5,501. Once we’ve raised the first half ($2,750.50), supporter GL has pledged to “match funds” for the other half.
Today’s my 59th birthday! If you haven’t supported the freedom movement’s daily newspaper yet this year, and want to help me celebrate, may I suggest a one-time donation of $5.90, $59, or even $590?
https://news.rationalreview.com/support-rrnd
Have a great day!
Yours in liberty,
Tom Knapp
Publisher
Rational Review News Digest / Freedom News Daily
Egypt’s gift to the world, and itself
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff
“Within sight of the towering pyramids of Giza, the just-opened Grand Egyptian Museum draws a line across thousands of years of history to a modern nation redefining its own political and cultural identity. While today’s Egypt plays a key role in world affairs, its various problems, from authoritarian rule to economic woes, have left its citizens looking for direction. So this month’s glittering opening of the museum and its exhibits – built and curated over two decades – has provided a welcome dash of color, glamour, and national pride. ‘It is a gift from Egypt to the world and we are proud to finally share it,’ Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathi said. (Ancient Egypt’s other gifts to the world include inventions relating to mathematics and metallurgy, the solar calendar, the sickle, and papyrus.)” (11/07/25)
US, Israeli regimes accuse Iranian regime of plot to kill ambassador
Source: The New Arab [UK]
“The United States and Israel on Friday accused Iran of trying to kill Israel’s ambassador to Mexico, with Tehran rejecting the claim as a ‘big lie’ and the Mexican government saying it was unaware of the plot. The purported assassination attempt came as tensions soared to new highs between Israel and Iran, which have each attacked the other’s territory. Israel said Mexican authorities had intervened to stop the attempt to kill its ambassador, Einat Kranz-Neiger, but Mexico’s foreign ministry later said it had ‘received no information’ on the alleged incident.” (11/08/25)
https://www.newarab.com/news/us-accuses-iran-plot-kill-israeli-ambassador-mexico-0
Pink Flame of Liberty, 11/08/25
Source: Pink Flame of Liberty
“The LNC Shark Tank: Post-McArdle JC Edition — PART ONE.” (11/08/25)
Ecuador: Prison riot leaves four inmates dead and dozens injured
Source: CBS News
“Four inmates died and more than 30 others were injured Sunday when a riot broke out at a prison in Ecuador, corrections officials in the South American country said. The riot stemmed from the ‘reorganization of inmates’ to a new maximum-security prison that will soon begin operating in a different province, according to a statement from Ecuador’s prison oversight agency. The violent incident happened less than two months after 14 inmates died at the same facility in what authorities described as a dispute between gangs.” (11/09/25)
Were the Anti-Federalists Right?
Source: Tenth Amendment Center
by Michael Boldin
“‘A monarchy, or a corrupt, tyrannical aristocracy’ … That’s what George Mason predicted we’d get under the constitution. And he was far from alone. The Anti-Federalists repeatedly warned that the constitution wouldn’t actually create a federal union. Instead, they argued, it would result in a consolidated national government. They pointed to specific parts of the document – what they considered weapons baked into the system – that would guarantee this outcome. What follows are five of those weapons – including taxation – straight from Mason, Cato, Elbridge Gerry, the Pennsylvania Dissent, and Luther Martin.” (11/08/25)
https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2025/11/08/were-the-anti-federalists-right/
Things Are Shitty Because We Are Ruled By People Who Want Things To Be Shitty
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Which sounds more likely: (A) that things are bad because the population keeps organically voting for policies which just so happen to hurt ordinary people while benefitting the rich and powerful, or (B) that things are bad because the rich and powerful want things this way? Does it seem more likely to you that (A) the democratic process consistently leaves people unable to advance basic human interests because the population always organically splits itself into an exact 50–50 deadlock that leaves everyone unable to get anything done long term, and that this deadlock always just so happens to land on a status quo that serves the interests of the rich and powerful, or (B) that the rich and the powerful artificially created this status quo via manipulation?” (11/08/25)