EconTalk, 10/27/25
Source: EconTalk
“A Mind-Blowing Way of Looking at Math (with David Bessis).” (10/27/25)
https://www.econtalk.org/a-mind-blowing-way-of-looking-at-math-with-david-bessis/
Trump’s Pivot to the Americas
Source: The American Conservative
by Leon Hadar
“The Trump administration’s apparent pivot toward the Western Hemisphere — most vividly displayed in the massive military buildup and maritime strikes around Latin America — represents a rare moment of strategic clarity in contemporary U.S. foreign policy, even if the specific bellicose actions getting attention are misguided. Whether intentional or not, this reorientation aligns with basic geopolitical logic that should have guided U.S. policy all along. The Western Hemisphere, after all, is where America’s genuine strategic interests lie. This isn’t jingoism or imperial nostalgia — it’s simple geography and economics.” [editor’s note: The simple geography extends to a brownstone in New York and a private island; the economics to their wealthy owner; both those things, added to Donald Trump’s desire to distract from his long, close, personal relationship with that owner, the late Jeffrey Epstein, they explain the entire theatrical production – TLK] (10/27/25)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/trumps-pivot-to-the-americas/
Report: Antonio Gates allegedly hosted and played in rigged Miami poker game
Source: New York Post
“NFL Hall of Famer Antonio Gates allegedly hosted and played in a rigged Miami poker game, according to a new report. Sports investigative journalist Pablo Torre reported on Sunday that the Hall of Fame tight end hosted and participated in an allegedly rigged game that was organized by Curtis Meeks, who was indicted by federal prosecutors as part of the massive gambling scandal that rocked the NBA. Details were limited, but Torre’s report follows a report by The Post on Saturday, where one purported victim said that he and his friends had been scammed of nearly $1 million, with an ex-NFL player serving as the ‘face card’ for a game in which Meeks was a main participant.” (10/27/25)
First Brands: Are The Cockroaches Coming Home to Roost?
Source: Racket News
by Eric Salzman
“There are still two months left in 2025 but unless something intergalactically stupid happens soon, the collapse of First Brands Group Holdings will take home the prize of 2025’s most embarrassing moment of the year for Wall Street. First Brands, an owner of 24 auto-supply companies, including Fram oil filters, Anco windshield wipers, Autolite spark plugs, and Centric brakes, managed to create a financial disaster that might exceed $10 billion in losses. Major players in commercial bank lending, private credit lending, investment banking, fund management, credit insurance and public accounting have taken a bite of the rotten apple.” (10/27/25)
China’s industrial profits surge 21.6% in September, biggest jump in nearly two years
Source: CNBC
“China’s industrial profits soared 21.6% in September from a year ago, the National Bureau of Statistics said Monday, as Beijing’s campaign to curb price wars helped ease pressure on manufacturers despite persistent trade tensions with the U.S. That sharp jump, extending a strong rebound that began in August when the industrial profits jumped 20.4% year-on-year, marked the biggest gain since November 2023. For the first nine months of the year, profits at major industrial firms grew 3.2%, the official data showed, accelerating from a 0.9% rise in the January to August period.” (10/27/25)
The Dispatch Podcast, 10/27/25
Source: The Dispatch
“Retribution | Interview: Jonathan Karl and Declan Garvey.” (10/27/25)
True Crime: Murder on the High Seas
Source: CounterPunch
by Ron Jacobs
“In the past few weeks, the US military has killed around thirty people in cold blood. The murders occurred on boats traveling in waters on both sides of Latin America and were undertaken without any warning to the crews on the boats. The rulers in Washington DC claim that those in the boats were involved in drug smuggling; they make this claim without showing any proof …. The former president of the Philippines Jose Duterte is currently in prison in the Hague after being charged with being an ‘indirect co-perpetrator’ in the murders of hundreds of alleged drug dealers by Philippine military and law enforcement during his time in office. If we apply this same reasoning to the aforementioned murders by the US military, then Donald Trump, Marc Rubio, Pete Hegseth and others should be arrested on similar charges.” (10/27/25)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2025/10/27/true-crime-murder-on-the-high-seas/
Trump Admin Helping America Kick Its Addiction to Big Pharma
Source: Town Hall
by Rachel Alexander
“Big Pharma is panicking. The Trump administration’s probe into international pharmaceutical pricing and its executive order to reduce the cost of drugs by up to 80 percent come as both President Donald Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. urge Americans to put fitness and lifestyle ahead of popping pills. Big Pharma is responsible for setting the price of drugs. So, in order to maintain this power, it’s no wonder the industry has promised to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in infrastructure here in the U.S. It also pledged to provide financial assistance to millions of patients who have been ‘failed by a broken health insurance system’ and to launch a new consumer-focused website that allows Americans to buy drugs directly from manufacturers.” (10/27/25)
Trump in Japan to meet with Takaichi
Source: SFGate
“U.S. President Donald Trump is now in Japan for his first meeting with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, an early diplomatic test for the first woman to lead Japan, who took office only last week, backed by a tenuous coalition. Trade is the focus of Trump’s Asia trip. In Malaysia, he participated in a regional summit, seeking to realign the international economy with his ‘America First’ vision. A trade deal between the U.S. and China is drawing closer, officials from the world’s two largest economies said Sunday as they reached an initial consensus for Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping to aim to finalize during their high-stakes meeting.” (10/27/25)
How Stockholm Used a $3 Toll To Tame Its Traffic Congestion
Source: Reason
by Katarina Hall
“If you love walking, Stockholm was built just for you. Spread across 14 islands linked by bridges, the city brims with waterfront promenades, ferries gliding through inlets, the whir of bicycle wheels, and pedestrians spilling into lively café-lined squares. Not long ago, traffic clogged the bridges between the city’s neighborhoods. Despite a world-class public transit system and a relatively small population, Stockholm’s congestion rivaled that of London and Paris. For decades, city leaders proposed fixes, but nothing stuck until 2002, when Sweden’s parliament approved congestion pricing. The idea was simple: Charge a small fee for vehicles entering and exiting the city center to reduce traffic, improve accessibility, and clean the air.” (for publication 11/25)