- Finland: Regime seeks one million land mines
Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]
“Finland is seeking to acquire one million anti-personnel mines. The plan to spend 100 million euros ($112 million) on the munitions comes after Helsinki and regional peers withdrew from a United Nations compact rejecting their use. With Moscow increasingly accused of mounting hybrid warfare against supporters of Ukraine, and possibly planning military provocations, Finland exited the Ottawa Convention last year. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, all also among the staunchest allies of Ukraine, also quit the agreement, citing the potential threat from Moscow. … Finland shares a border of roughly 1,340 kilometres (830 miles) with Russia. It has beefed up its defences since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and reported that migrants have been pushed across from the east.” (10/19/26)
- Woman accusing Cornell students of rape says president’s response made her feel “disbelieved”
Source: SFGate
“The woman who has accused seven students of raping her at a Cornell University fraternity house has weighed in on a looming faculty vote of no confidence in the school’s leadership, saying the university’s president questioned why she waited to report being assaulted — an alleged remark she said left her feeling ‘unsupported and disbelieved’. Her case has prompted student protests, renewed scrutiny of the university’s disciplinary system and a state investigation into the alleged assault. In an Oct. 14 letter to faculty leaders obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday, the woman, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, described a conversation she said took place shortly after she reported the alleged assault in November 2024. According to her secondhand account, the president of her sorority told her that Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff had questioned Jane Doe’s delay in reporting the alleged assault, which the sorority leader interpreted as casting doubt on her story.” (10/20/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/woman-who-accused-cornell-students-of-rape-says-22485983.php
- MO: AG announces she doesn’t understand the phrase “interstate commerce”
Source: Bitcoin.com
“Missouri is targeting prediction market platforms that offer sports-linked event markets. Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway announced that her office sent cease-and-desist letters to several companies operating platforms that let Missourians access these sports event contracts—elements that her office considers illegal under state law. Polymarket, Kalshi, Crypto.com, Novig, Underdog, and Robinhood have been affected by these actions, as Hanaway labeled the provision of these services as operating an unlicensed sports wagering business.” [editor’s note: None of these businesses operate from Missouri, and any use of them by Missourians is by definition interstate (or international) commerce, regulation of which the US Constitution assigns to Congress, not to Catherine Hanaway – TLK] (10/19/26)
https://news.bitcoin.com/regulation-and-legal/missouri-hits-polymarket-kalshi-cease-desist-orders/
- It Came From Beneath the Annual Fundraiser
THANK YOU to subscribing contributors AN and DY! Their donations yesterday, totaling $12.50, prevented a “zero-dollar day” in our annual fundraiser and bring our total (as of 5am) to $1,003!
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Rational Review News Digest / Freedom News Daily - Canada: Alberta voters reject independence process
Source: Associated Press
“Voters in Canada’s oil-rich Alberta province overwhelmingly backed remaining in Canada, with early referendum results Tuesday delivering a boost to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s push for national unity amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war and annexation threats. With more than 1.5 million votes counted, 76% supported remaining in Canada, while close to 24% backed beginning a process toward separation, according to unofficial results from Elections Alberta. The referendum wasn’t a direct vote on independence. Approval would have set Alberta on a path toward a future vote on separation from Canada.” (10/20/26)
- US DoJ charges 28 green card holders in California over alleged voter fraud
Source: The Guardian
“The US Department of Justice has filed criminal charges against 28 green card holders in California accused of fraudulently registering to vote and casting illegal ballots. The crackdown marks another escalation in the federal government’s ongoing efforts against alleged noncitizen voting, efforts that Democrats and voting rights groups say are part of a strategy by the Trump administration to sow doubt in the results of the upcoming midterm elections. The justice department announced Monday that 28 noncitizens from across California were facing charges, including making false statements in a naturalization application and fraudulently signing up to vote, felonies that could carry five years in prison. The defendants are lawful permanent residents, who have legal status in the US but are not citizens authorized to vote. A justice department spokesperson said 21 of the 28 defendants had cast unlawful ballots.” (10/19/26)
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/19/california-illegal-voting-charges-doj
- FL: GOP sues Democrats to stop ad mentioning GOP election-rigging scandal
Source: CBS News
“The Republican Party of Florida filed suit on Friday against the Florida Democratic Party, many of its candidates, and a slew of television stations, seeking to stop the airing of a political ad that highlights the leaked grand jury presentment in the Hope Florida scandal. … State statutes ‘make it unlawful for any person to knowingly broadcast the content, gist, or import of testimony of a witness examined before a grand jury. The advertisement does exactly that,’ the lawsuit states.” [editor’s note: If I was a Republican official or candidate, I wouldn’t want the Democrats to mention that prominent people in my party misappropriated $10 million and used it to rig an election, either. But I might want to look up “Streisand Effect” before filing suit over it – TLK] (10/19/26)
- Trump open to summit with Xi and Putin — to discuss denuclearization
Source: Axios
“President Trump wants to hold a trilateral summit with Chinese President Xi and Russian President Putin in China next month to discuss ‘denuclearization’ — but not necessarily Ukraine. Such a summit between the leaders of the U.S., China and Russia would be unprecedented. Trump has been talking for two years about his aspiration to reach a deal with Russia and China to reduce the number of nuclear weapons. But so far Putin and Xi haven’t shown much openness to the idea. … The Kremlin has been floating the idea of holding such a meeting since July. Putin raised the issue in two phone calls with Trump, including one last week. The Chinese government hasn’t expressed willingness to hold such a summit. … When asked on Monday whether such a summit could discuss ending the war in Ukraine, Trump said he wants to hold such a trilateral meeting, but in order to discuss other issues.” (10/19/26)
https://www.axios.com/2026/10/19/trump-summit-xi-putin-denuclearization-ukraine
- Mahmoud Khalil takes legal fight to SCOTUS
Source: The Hill
“Mahmoud Khalil, the Columbia University demonstrator who became a flashpoint in the Trump administration’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian foreign students, asked the Supreme Court on Monday to take up his case, his lawyers said. … The Supreme Court turns away the vast majority of petitions to hear cases and will consider Khalil’s at a closed-door meeting in the coming months. His lawyers expressed hope it will be on track to be heard this term. Until the justices decide how to proceed, Khalil will remain free. The green-card holder has emerged as a face of the Trump administration’s [abductions] of noncitizen college students and faculty who’ve expressed pro-Palestinian support. Immigration authorities [abducted] Khalil in March 2025, and he was jailed until a federal judge ordered his release a few months later.” (10/19/26)
- Haiti: Domestic gangs target foreign gangs in biggest attack since foreign gang invasion
Source: ABC News
“Gangs in Haiti have opened fire on an armored vehicle, leaving four [gang members] from El Salvador unaccounted for in the first major attack since an international gang suppression [gang] began operations in the violence-wracked country. The attack occurred Sunday in Croix-des-Bouquets, a once peaceful community in Port-au-Prince now controlled by violent gangs. The Armed Forces of El Salvador said in a statement Monday that the four [gang members] were returning to camp when the armored vehicle was attacked with explosives and set on fire. It noted that the four men managed to flee the burning vehicle and it is working with international forces to ‘establish contact and determine the location of our [gang members].'” (10/19/26)
- Israel: Regime arrests ten squatters in attacks on journalists, diplomats
Source: United Press International
“Israeli police on Monday said they arrested 10 [squatters] accused of attacking a group of Palestinian olive pickers and journalists in the West Bank last week, including Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine. Some of the Israelis arrested were accused of also attacking a group of European diplomats visiting the Palestinian town of Taybeh on Saturday, CNN reported. The diplomats represented Belgium, France, Poland and the Catholic Church, the BBC reported. … On Friday, video captured the incident as dozens of masked Israeli [squatters] attacked the Palestinians gathering the harvest in Abu Falah. The attackers set the olive tree groves on fire and hurled rocks, Andrey Khrzhanovskiy, a blogger who recorded the incident, told The Washington Post.” (10/19/26)
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2026/10/19/journalist-attack-arrests/8371792418000/
- SCOTUS rejects alleged 9/11 mastermind’s attempt to revive plea deal
Source: NBC News
“The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal brought by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two other alleged 9/11 plotters seeking to hold the government to a plea deal it later withdrew. The court action removes one barrier to Mohammed standing trial before a military commission in 2028, where the death penalty is a possible punishment. He has been held at the U.S. base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, since 2006. Mohammed is accused of being the ringleader of the plot to crash hijacked planes into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. A fourth plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. The other two men who appealed to the Supreme Court were Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi and Walid bin Attash, who are also held at Guantanamo and set to face trial.” (10/19/26)
- Kenya: Starvation cult leader found guilty of murder of 190 children, one adult
Source: CBS News
“A self-proclaimed Kenyan preacher and his associates were found guilty of murdering 191 people, all but one of them children, in an infamous starvation cult by a Mombasa court on Monday. … Hundreds of bodies have been discovered since 2023 at the cult base inland from the Kenyan beach resort of Malindi, in what became known as the ‘Shakahola Forest Massacre.’ Paul Mackenzie is alleged to have incited his acolytes to starve to death in order to ‘meet Jesus.'” (10/19/26)
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kenya-starvation-cult-leader-paul-mackenzie-guilty/
- Florida: Regime issues arrest warrant for former Cuban president Raúl Castro
Source: Yahoo! News
“A murder warrant was issued Oct. 19 in Florida for former Cuban leader Raul Castro in connection with two humanitarian planes shot down 30 years ago. The warrant, signed by Chief Judge Ariana Fajardo Orshan of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, charges Castro with one-count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. Castro, then Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and First Vice President of Cuba, was a final decision-maker in the chain of command that authorized the shootdown, according to the affidavit. Two planes, operated by the Miami-based exile group Brothers to the Rescue, were shot down by the Cuban Air Force in [allegedly] international waters Feb. 25, 1996. Four people were killed.” (10/19/26)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/florida-issues-arrest-warrant-former-174748548.html
- United Airlines CEO calls for national wealth tax, inheritance taxes approaching 100%
Source: Fox News
“United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby is calling for a national wealth tax and inheritance taxes approaching 100% for certain estates, arguing that growing wealth inequality poses a threat to American society. Kirby made the remarks when asked about declining public trust in corporate executives during an interview with The New York Times. ‘Wealth inequality has become a danger to our society, and we need to address that,’ Kirby told the outlet in an interview published Sunday. The airline executive argued that a wealth tax would need to be implemented nationwide rather than at the state level to prevent wealthy Americans from relocating to avoid paying it.” [editor’s note: Nothing is stopping you from giving your own money away, troll – SAT] (10/19/26)
https://www.foxbusiness.com/fox-news-travel/united-airlines-ceo-scott-kirby-wealth-inheritance-tax
- Serbia: Prosecutor probing Trump Tower in Belgrade targeted with spyware
Source: Politico
“A Serbian prosecutor investigating alleged corruption surrounding a Trump real estate project in Belgrade was targeted with Israeli-made Pegasus spyware after speaking out about political interference and abuses of power, according to research made public Monday. Rade Bajić, a member of Serbia’s Public Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime, is reported to be the latest target identified in a growing spyware scandal that has engulfed the country’s political opposition, civil society and institutions. … The spyware revelation comes amid mounting controversy over plans to redevelop the former Yugoslav military headquarters in Belgrade into a luxury Trump Tower skyscraper. The project, associated with Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, has faced allegations of political interference and irregularities surrounding the removal of the site’s protected heritage status.” (10/19/26)
- Exiled critic of Rwandan president found beheaded
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“A former Rwandan army sergeant major, who became an outspoken critic of President Paul Kagame, has been found beheaded in neighbouring Uganda. Robert Kabera, 50, fled Rwanda after being accused of sexual assault, which he denied. He sought asylum in neighbouring Uganda, citing political persecution. Ugandan police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke on Monday said that Kabera’s head had still not been recovered. His body was discovered by local residents on the outskirts of Kampala over the weekend. The Rwandan government has not publicly commented on the killing. Several critics of Kagame have been killed, both in Rwanda and abroad. His widow, Jeanne d’Arc Rwigema Uwizeye, told BBC Great Lakes in a written message that she now feared for her family’s safety. ‘It is scary. I feel crazy, the children and I don’t have security,’ she said.” (10/19/26)
- Texas Democratic candidate for governor sues to review emails between Elon Musk and Greg Abbott
Source: NBC News
“Texas state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic nominee for governor, announced a lawsuit Monday against Gov. Greg Abbott over emails between his office and Republican ally Elon Musk. Hinojosa — who is challenging Abbott in a tight contest — said at a news conference that she filed the suit to obtain redacted documents that ‘Abbott refused to release,’ claiming they were being withheld because they are ‘intimate and embarrassing.’ A spokesperson for Abbott called the lawsuit ‘baseless’ and ‘nothing more than an act of desperation.'” (10/19/26)
- Australia: Prime Minister Says Lawmaker Critically Injured by Car Is “No Accident”
Source: US News & World Report
“A car hit an Australian federal independent lawmaker on Monday, critically injuring her in an apparently deliberate attack, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. The driver was arrested. Helen Haines, 65, was struck by a Toyota Land Cruiser SUV outside her electoral district office midafternoon in the city of Wangaratta in Victoria state, police said. Albanese said the national counterterrorism team, incorporating police and intelligence agencies, was investigating. … Haines, who was first elected to the Parliament in 2019, was taken to a hospital with critical injuries, police said.” (10/19/26)
- Trump signs order aimed at boosting women’s health research
Source: SFGate
“President Donald Trump on Monday directed the government to bolster federal research into women’s health, a move pushed by his wife, first lady Melania Trump. The order creates a new women’s health division at the National Institutes of Health and a White House task force to focus on the issue. That panel was set to hold its first meeting Monday after the Trumps held a Rose Garden signing ceremony. Meanwhile, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islander adults have become more disillusioned with Trump and Republicans as the Nov. 3 midterm elections approach, according to a new AP-NORC/AAPI Data poll, giving Democrats a substantial edge on major issues like the economy and health care.” (10/19/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/the-latest-democrats-gain-ground-with-aapi-22483319.php
- What the United States Can Learn from Ancient Civilizations
Source: Independent Institute
by Ivan Eland“The Roman world lasted 2,000 years, transforming from a kingdom to a republic and finally to an empire. At 250, what can the United States, which has been through its own stages, learn from Rome? As Americans prepare for what seems like a pivotal election—amid not just rising prices but, more seriously, rapid systemic decay—they may profit from an examination of what made the long-lasting Roman and Chinese civilizations so successful.” (10/19/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/10/19/united-states-ancient-civilizations/
- Talking with China, say what you’re told you can’t say
Source: Asia Times
by Gran Newsham“For years, the idea of speaking forthrightly to China would evoke an admonition from the US State Department and most of the American policymaking class: ‘We can’t do that. They won’t like it.’ They’d often add, ‘China has red lines, don’t you know?’ There are things you are told you just can’t say – questioning China’s political system, Taiwan, democracy, human rights and China’s ‘development rights’ (challenging China’s right to do anything it wants – legal or illegal – to develop its economy and industry). In short, you can’t mention any of the things that make communist China such a threat to peace and prosperity. … When it comes to the Chinese Communists, if you won’t say it in public – as Reagan did with the Soviets – it’s a win for the communists.” (10/19/26)
https://asiatimes.com/2026/10/talking-with-china-say-what-youre-told-you-cant-say/
- The Possible Socialism of Andy Burnham
Source: The American Prospect
by Robert Kuttner“Imagine that the U.S. had a gifted progressive president, with a common touch and a large majority in Congress. That’s basically what Britain has today with its new prime minister, former Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, whose Labour Party has a working majority of 167 seats in the House of Commons. For a generation, Labour had been badly fragmented into Corbynites on the left and Blairites on the center-right, as well as a middle group representing a ‘soft left’. Burnham mercifully bridges over yesterday’s schisms. He has explicitly repudiated neoliberalism (both Margaret Thatcher’s and Tony Blair’s), espousing and defining a new kind of leftism that he calls business-friendly socialism, rooted in his success as an effective northern mayor far from the infighting of Westminster.” (10/20/26)
https://prospect.org/2026/10/20/andy-burnham-britain-labour-party-prime-minister/
- The Car That Could
Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob“A little later than expected, flying cars have arrived. Welcome to the 21st century. A rockets-enhanced Roadster can zoom up a nearly vertical ramp and execute a flip in mid-air before landing. Also, ‘on cold gas thrusters,’ the prototype can jump into the air from a stationary position on the ground, fly for a few seconds, and do a flip before landing.” (10/19/26)
- Hero Oregon Dad Showed the Importance of Defying Restrictive Gun Laws
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille“Last week, not only did Oregon’s restrictive gun laws fail to stop a shooter intent on killing innocent people, but a passing good Samaritan had to violate those laws to end the murder spree. Fortunately, authorities don’t appear intent on prosecuting Kaylub Giamanco, father to two girls who attend the school, for ignoring the ban on guns on school grounds to save lives. But the law is clearly more of a threat to people with good intent than it is to those bent on doing harm. Such laws should and must be defied, but lawmakers need to remove these legal minefields before they do more damage.” (10/19/26)
https://reason.com/2026/10/19/hero-oregon-dad-showed-the-importance-of-defying-restrictive-gun-laws/
- South Korea’s Hedging Strategy
Source: Antiwar.com
by Ted Galen Carpenter“South Korea is making a concerted effort to avoid becoming entangled in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, to promote a possible rapprochement between Washington and Pyongyang, and to ease the ROK’s own tensions with North Korea. Lee and his advisers are also attempting to steer a middle course with respect to the mounting animosity between Japan and the People’s Republic of China. Both Beijing and Tokyo seek Seoul’s backing regarding a number of disputes. One emotional spat is the territorial dispute between Japan and the PRC over control of the Senkaku (Diaoyu) islands, which has led to several provocative deployments of maritime vessels in the past year.” (10/19/260
https://original.antiwar.com/ted_galen_carpenter/2026/10/18/south-koreas-hedging-strategy/
- The Internet Needs a Memory
Source: The Atlantic
by Brewster Kahle“Many people assume that once something is published online, it will remain forever retrievable. The saying that ‘the internet never forgets’ has produced a dangerously false sense of permanence. In reality, the internet forgets continuously. Websites are constantly revised, deleted, and abandoned altogether. This is why, 30 years ago, I founded the Internet Archive. I wanted to build a mechanism for permanence in the internet age. Soon after that, I helped build the Internet Archive’s most-used resource, the Wayback Machine, a system that would preserve webpages as they appeared at any one moment in time, allowing future readers to return to those moments. … What began as an effort to preserve the web has become an essential tool for journalists, researchers, historians, and the broader public.
Yet the future of this tool has become extremely vulnerable.” (10/19/26) - The US Government’s Really Big Debt Problem
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
by Ron Paul“The idea that tax cuts, deregulation, and a slightly less destructive monetary policy can produce enough economic growth to eliminate deficits has been an article of faith among many conservative economists and Republican politicians since the late seventies. An insight of supply-side economists is that, since cutting taxes incentivizes people to work and invest, government can increase revenue by cutting taxes. Over time, the growth produced by low tax rates is expected to enable government to reduce or even eliminate its debt without making spending cuts. This theory benefits Republicans who can campaign promising to cut taxes while avoiding discussing what may be unpopular spending cuts. One of the problems with this theory is deficit spending itself inhibits economic growth by causing the Federal Reserve to monetize the federal debt.” (10/19/26)
https://www.ronpaullibertyreport.com/archives/the-us-governments-really-big-debt-problem
- Trumpian Corruption and Minnesota Fraud
Source: Beat the Press
by Dean Baker“The Republicans have been so successful at hyping the fraud around the Feeding Our Future child nutrition program in Minnesota that even liberal Democrats reflexively all say ‘fraud’ when they discuss Minnesota. Apparently, it is news to even well-informed types that Trump and his sycophants lie about liberal politicians, especially successful ones like Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Rather than wallow in contrition over the fraud that took place, it would be worth spending more time in Reality Land. No one should ever apologize for fraud. It is a serious crime, especially when the money was designated for a nutrition program designed to help children from low- and moderate-income families. But we need a sense of proportion. Fraud in government programs will never be zero.” (10/19/26)
https://cepr.net/publications/trumpian-corruption-and-minnesota-fraud/
- Anthropic Would Kill 50 Humans To Roll Out The Next AI Model
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone“Politico has a new article out titled ‘Anthropic quietly pitches its own AI safety bill to lawmakers’, revealing the contents of a leaked confidential draft on regulations the tech giant would be willing to accept in the name of public safety. Buried in paragraph four of the article, we come to the real story in these revelations: ‘The bill would let the government block a model’s release or use only if it poses a foreseeable, imminent risk of more than $1 billion in damages, or of killing or seriously injuring more than 50 people.'” (10/19/26)
- Can a Million AI Agents Create Superintelligence?
Source: Noahpinion
by Ramez Naam“In my previous post, we asked whether AIs could improve themselves all the way to absurdly high levels of superintelligence. My conclusion: today’s feedback loop is probably too weak, because improving AI faces diminishing returns at every step. Even fully autonomous AIs doing all the research and coding don’t make those diminishing returns disappear. We should keep updating that conclusion as real-world parameters and data change. But we didn’t look closely at another possibility: running millions or billions of AI minds in parallel. How much do they help? That’s what we’ll look at here.” (10/19/26)
https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/can-a-million-ai-agents-create-superintelligence
- Why We Broke the Orélien Story
Source: Persuasion
by “Balance ton Claude”“What if people care only about the quality of the words, not the production mechanism? What if they are very happy to read AI-generated novels? Then two points would be worth noting. First, although one of my conclusions falls (humanity doesn’t stop reading), human writing does cease with profound consequences. Second, the doubt over watermarks should in theory go away—if readers care only about the quality of the output, AI watermarks would not be detrimental to those who publish AI-generated content. But that scenario suggests a weakness in the position of those who most strenuously advocate for AI writing. The vehemence with which they oppose watermarks (or the use of Pangram) suggests that they do not believe this. They know that what they sell depends on the readers not knowing the source. They are fighting to prevent people from acting on their preferences.” (10/19/26)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/why-i-broke-the-orelien-story
- Don’t let history repeat: The next Congress must end the Iran War
Source: The Hill
by William S Becker“For many obvious reasons, America needs an aggressive Congress to emerge from the November elections ready to restore the government’s balance of power. If the Iran War is still underway, one of the new Congress’s first jobs should be to end it. President Trump says he won’t resume strikes against Iran before the elections. It is not clear what he plans for afterward. But in addition to usurping Congress’s war powers, hurting the economy and costing U.S. and Iranian lives, this war of choice violates a sacred contract between commanders-in-chief and American families: the assurance that our sons and daughters will be sent to war only when there is a clear and present danger to national security and no other option but the military. Instead, Trump’s greed, personal grievances, ego and failure to learn from history all appear to play a role in this war.” (10/19/26)
https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/6155154-congress-must-end-iran-war/
- It’s No Coincidence That Authoritarianism Rises as Journalism Dies
Source: OtherWords
by Sonali Kolhatkar“Journalism is experiencing one of its worst crises when it’s needed the most. Overall, news consumption is dropping. And it’s worse among young people, who largely get their news through social media, not news outlets. People under 30, more than any other age group, trust social media sources of news. The problem is that it’s hard to tell if your favorite social media source is a citizen journalist or a paid promoter. In a recent in-depth report, The New York Times revealed that social media platforms are rife with accounts that are paid to promote campaigns parading as personal opinion. Rather than hire well-known influencers with huge followings, politicians and organizations are now hiring huge numbers of accounts with smaller followings.” (10/19/26)
https://otherwords.org/worried-about-american-democracy-save-journalism/
- Trump the gangster’s new clothes
Source: Asia Times
by Bill Emmott“Should this be seen as the Hans Christian Andersen story, in which the narcissistic emperor is finally exposed as a naked fool by a truth-telling child? Donald Trump is certainly all of these things: narcissistic, naked in his support for Putin and a fool. But the parallel doesn’t quite work because it hasn’t taken a child to reveal this. He has done it himself, in plain sight …. a better literary parallel might be Ian Fleming’s James Bond novel Goldfinger, in which the evil Auric Goldfinger attempts to stage his theft from Fort Knox with the help of a group of American mafia bosses, one of whom is the gloriously named Pussy Galore.” (10/19/26)
- Supreme Showdown: Investigative Reporter & Accused Chinese Operative Face Off in Press Freedom Case
Source: Jonathan Turley
by Jonathan Turley“This month, journalist Catherine Herridge is in the fight of her life — and the stakes for the country could not be higher. The former Fox and CBS reporter has long been one of the most prominent investigative journalists in the U.S., particularly on national security stories. She is now on her last appeal to the Supreme Court, attempting to protect the most vital prerequisite of the free press: confidentiality of sources. At issue is a 2017 story that aired on Fox News concerning a Virginia-based training firm patronized by Pentagon officials. Herridge exposed ties of the University of Management and Technology to the Chinese military. It was the kind of difficult, complex story that made Herridge such a respected figure in her profession. The subject of the story, University of Management and Technology founder Yanping Chen, sued, claiming that the exposure had led to her loss of employment.” (10/19/26)
- Much Ado About Russia
Source: Future of Freedom Foundation
by Jacob G Hornberger“Right-wing and left-wing interventionists and interventionist mainstream-press commentators are up in arms over President Trump’s decision to ease economic sanctions against Russia in connection with the Russian government’s agreement to supply diesel fuel to the United States. The notion is that nothing — not even the midterms — must be permitted to interfere with the Cold War II racket that holds that Russia is an aggressor nation that is hell-bent on conquering the world and, therefore, that it is necessary to target the Russian populace with severe impoverishment and even death by starvation or illness with ever-more economic sanctions. … In the eyes of national-security statists, it is imperative that we continue hewing to the official narrative. Russia is coming to get us, just like before.” (10/19/26)
- Don’t Allow Donald Trump to Shoot an Unarmed Man
Source: Common Dreams
by Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood“Before his nitrogen execution last year, Anthony Boyd wanted to figure out a way to help people understand the horror he was about to experience. He told me to watch his legs. When he couldn’t go any further, he was going to lift up his legs one final time. Once and for all, he wanted to settle that nitrogen executions were neither quick nor humane. The State of Alabama controlled the gas, the mask, the restraints, the room. Boyd had nothing left to control but himself… his legs. At approximately 5:57 p.m., the nitrogen began flowing. Boyd clenched his fist. He raised his head. Then he lifted his legs several inches, exactly as he had promised me. By my watch, he fought for his life for at least sixteen minutes, maybe even closer to nineteen depending on when the gas actually entered the mask.” (10/19/26)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/nidal-hasan-firing-squad
- It’s not just Ilhan Omar — Trump is targeting U.S. citizenship for all immigrants
Source: Philadelphia Inqirer
by Lui F Carrasco“The government raid on Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Washington home last week is yet another example of the president abusing his authority to go after his political foes. It also shows how the vile anti-immigrant sentiment that used to mold the fringe of the American tapestry now sits at the heart of power. The Trump administration is reportedly trying to strip Omar of her U.S. citizenship. … This is not the first time that Omar has been targeted. According to the Washington Post, officials scrutinized her record in 2019 and found no evidence of fraud. Has anything changed in the meantime? The biggest difference is that since Donald Trump returned to the White House, the government has not only engaged in mass deportation efforts of undocumented immigrants, but it has also waged war against unquestionably legal immigrants like Omar.” (10/19/26)
- Be Prepared for Elizabeth Warren’s Reign of Economic Error
Source: Reason
by Nick Gillespie“As gratifying as it might be to see unprincipled Trump enablers reduced to minority status after signing off on economy-wrecking tariffs, inhumane immigration detentions, and wars of choice, there’s at least one good reason to dread a Democratic majority too: Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts progressive who is spending the run-up to the midterms freaking out over possible consolidation in the condiments business and accusing private equity firms of gutting such shopping-mall favorites as Claire’s and Toys R Us. There’s every reason to believe that a Senate run by Warren and other economic interventionists will waste time, money, and resources trying to prevent a world in which, per the X wag Iowahawkblog, ‘a panopticon conglomerate owns two brands of hot sauce.'” (10/19/26)
https://reason.com/2026/10/19/be-prepared-for-elizabeth-warrens-reign-of-economic-error/
- Conkers, Custard Pies and the Cult of Caution
Source: Adam Smith Institute
by Madsen Pirie“There was a time when the most dangerous thing in a British autumn was a well-aimed conker. Children threaded them on string, soaked them in vinegar, baked them in the oven and smashed them together until one shattered. Knuckles were bruised. Pride was punctured. Nobody died. That was before the clipboard came to town. In South Tyneside the council decided to fell six horse chestnut trees lining a suburban road. The trees had done nothing wrong except produce conkers. A boy had fallen out of one, and children had been throwing sticks to knock the conkers down. The answer was not to teach children to climb with care, or to throw with better aim. It was to remove the trees. Residents protested. The chainsaws won. Elsewhere a head teacher told pupils not to walk under a conker tree without a helmet.” (10/19/26)
https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/conkers-custard-pies-and-the-cult-of-caution
- “Moderate” Slotkin pretends she’s a stickler for “defending democracy”
Source: New York Post
by Miranda Devine“Elissa Slotkin was elected to the Senate in 2024 as a supposed ‘moderate’. But of course we know that, apart from Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, that species of Democratic politician doesn’t exist in Congress anymore. Sure enough, it didn’t take long for Slotkin, a former CIA analyst who served under John Brennan, to show her true colors. The Michigan senator told students at the University of Chicago last week how she plans to use the power that will come to Democrats if they win Senate control in the midterms next month. She wants to unleash a barrage of political investigations on Trump officials in order to frighten young people away from taking jobs in the administration. ‘The people around Donald Trump … have no immunity the way the president does … So you go after the people who do his bidding,’ she told the audience during a live podcast recording Tuesday.” (10/18/26)
- The Native Language of Social Media Is Slurs
Source: Liberal Currents
by Nathan Goldwag“Recently, Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York City announced the launch of a new municipal Strategy to Combat Antisemitism, beginning his video with an oft-repeated Talmudic quote: ‘Whoever saves a single life is considered by scripture to have saved the whole world.’ That lesson is something of a cliché in Reform Jewish circles, and not at all controversial. But given the nature of social media, it shouldn’t be surprising that the replies to Mamdani on Elon Musk’s X were a cesspit of antisemitism, islamophobia, and general hatred. What surprised and even alarmed some observers was how much of the negative reaction came from popular left-wing influencers and journalists.” (10/19/26)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/the-native-language-of-social-media-is-slurs/
- Weak Institutions and the AI Scare
Source: Law & Liberty
by Andy Smarick“Institutions help us make sense of change; without them the AI revolution could be especially disruptive.” (10/19/26)
- AI and the Knowledge Problem in Higher Ed
Source: The Daily Economy
by Stephen C Miller“Information isn’t expertise. Universities rushing to teach AI strategies risk promising specialized knowledge their faculty cannot deliver.” (10/19/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/ai-and-the-knowledge-problem-in-higher-ed/
- The S&P Is Soaring, But Two-Thirds of Stocks Are Stalling
Source: The Daily Economy
by Peter C Earle“The S&P 500 promises broad exposure to American business. But with ten companies accounting for 40 percent of its value, investors may be far less diversified than they believe.” (10/19/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/the-sp-is-soaring-but-most-stocks-are-stalling/
- How Congress Fixed Social Security During Its Last Crisis
Source: Foreign Policy
by Julian E Zelizer“Social Security faces a major fiscal challenge. The program, which has provided retirement, survivor, and disability benefits to millions of Americans since its creation in 1935, is projected to soon cost more than its total income. The budgetary shortfall is already prompting the government to draw down reserves, which will reach unsustainable levels by the early 2030s. … In the early 1980s, Congress faced a similar crisis and acted. Although the solution that a bipartisan coalition put into place in 1983 has itself contributed to the challenges policymakers face today, the political approach they took remains instructive. Indeed, it is the only viable path forward.” (10/19/26)
- Indians reach for an identity beyond caste and creed
Source: Christian Science Monitor
by staff“Expectations of a quality education and decent job prospects are common to many around the world. The notion that these are slipping away has brought young people into the streets across Asia, Africa, and Europe over the last three years. Their distress often resonates with fellow citizens who share concerns about unresponsive institutions and unethical governance. This week, for example, France began a national self-examination after youthful protests led to looting and destruction. In India, meanwhile, a Generation Z-led protest movement succeeded in forcing the resignation of the country’s education minister in July, over repeated corruption in the highly competitive national examination system. Now, that loosely organized, satirically named Cockroach Janta Party has taken on the even larger issue of election integrity in the world’s largest democracy.” (10/19/26)
- The Modernist Case for Originalism
Source: Law & Liberty
by Zachary Chambers“Originalism’s position seems unassailable, with both a majority of Supreme Court justices pledging fidelity to some variant of the theory, and tremendous institutional backing within the conservative legal world through institutions like the Federalist Society Despite this dominance, a number of conservative intellectuals and academics have for years expressed deep skepticism of originalism. A 2021 article coauthored in part by Professor Hadley Arkes labels originalism a positivist theory that ‘ignores both our broader Anglo-American tradition and the influence of natural law on our nation’s founding,’ forcing judges to act as ‘technocrats focused entirely on the text, with no attention to the underlying principles that give meaning to that text.’ This is not a new critique.” (10/19/26)
- Donald Trump is Politically Bankrupt. Be Very Afraid
Source: Paul Krugman
by Paul Krugman“Trump says that he won’t order a strike [on Iran] before the midterms. But Robert Pape, author of the Substack Escalation Trap, argues that we shouldn’t believe him — that the bombs may well drop before the midterms. And while I am not a strategic expert, I believe that Pape may well be right, because his analysis of Trump’s political position is something I recognize from financial economics. You see, it’s a well-understood proposition that the owners of businesses that are on the verge of going bust often engage in destructive behavior. And Trump is about to go bankrupt — not financially (he’s made billions through corruption) but politically. So he, like a failing businessman, has strong incentives to wreak havoc.” (10/19/26)
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/donald-trump-is-politically-bankrupt
- “Sensitive Places” Issue Coming to a Head?
Source: Independent Institute
by Stephen P Halbrook“The pattern was consistent: where the government required citizens to disarm, it supplied the protection itself. At other times, the government required citizens to arm themselves, such as in colonial times when going to church. ‘Sensitive places’ was never meant to be a blank check. … If the government takes no steps to prevent armed aggressors from entering a place, calling it a ‘sensitive’ location is meaningless and reckless joke.” (10/19/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/10/19/sensitive-places-issue-coming-to-a-head/
- Seventy Years of Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl”
Source: The Dispatch
by Henry Begler“What are we to make of Allen Ginsberg, and of Howl, on the 70th anniversary of its publication? The poem seems to belong more to popular culture than high culture, closer to Elvis or Easy Rider or ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ than Elizabeth Bishop or John Berryman. … Ginsberg’s magnum opus is brash, insistent, and unsubtle. It has never attracted the kind of critical scrutiny that other 20th-century poetry has …. Changing sexual mores have done to the Beats in this century what sniffy articles in National Review and Partisan Review failed to do in the last one: made them uncool, cringey, Bad Boyfriend Literature. … But Howl endures, and part of what keeps it alive these seven decades on is its pure musical quality. … it is perhaps the best-sounding American poem of the century.” (10/19/26)
https://thedispatch.com/article/allen-ginsberg-howl-counterculture/
- A Message From Canada About Immigration
Source: Town Hall
by Mark Lewis“A Canadian friend of mine, who is currently teaching in China, recently sent me an interesting video. It recorded a dark-skinned man who spoke perfect English, telling how he and his family, in 1996, immigrated to Canada. They ‘went through the process’, legally, to become Canadian citizens, working hard, earning what they got, and honoring the country. That kind of immigrant most countries don’t mind having. But, he said, ‘it was a whole lot different back then’. The man on the video was very respectful and said, several times, in his two-minute video, ‘I say this very respectfully’. But his message was, ‘When you come to Canada, please stop doing s**t; it makes the rest of us look bad’.” (10/19/26)
- Quantum Vibe, 10/19/26
Source: Big Head Press
by Scott BieserCartoon. (10/19/26)
- Thanks to Trump’s war, Dems successfully co-opt “America First”
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Jack Hunter“In battleground races across the country, Republicans have lost access to one of the president’s most salient — and longstanding — campaign slogans.” (10/19/26)
- Chris Edwards on Freedom Works with Paul Molloy
Source: Freedom Works
“Amtrak.” (10/19/26)
https://internetradiopros.com/freedomworks/?name=2026-10-20_zfw0010192026.mp3
- Quillette Podcast, 10/19/26
Source: Quillette
“Podcast host Jonathan Kay speaks with Amy Hamm about Steven Galloway’s legal campaign against the University of British Columbia scholars who promoted baseless allegations that he was a rapist.” (10/19/26)
https://quillette.com/2026/10/19/watching-a-cancelled-novelist-confront-his-false-accusers/
- Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 10/19/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“Hegseth Meets Netanyahu During Unannounced Visit to Israel, Ansar Allah Hits Military Camp, and More.” (10/19/26)
- Reason Roundtable, 10/19/26
Source: Reason
“France’s Welfare State Is Finally Imploding.” (10/19/26)
https://reason.com/podcast/2026/10/19/frances-welfare-state-is-finally-imploding/
- Ron Paul Liberty Report, 10/19/26
Source: Ron Paul Liberty Report
“Trump To Bibi: ‘Finish The Job’ In Iran.” (10/19/26)
- Rising, 10/19/26
Source: The Hill
“Robby Soave gives his radar on Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin saying she wants young people to be deterred from working in the Trump administration.” (10/19/26)
- Radio Rothbard, 10/19/26
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
“The Black Box of Government Secrets.” (10/19/26)
https://mises.org/podcasts/radio-rothbard/black-box-government-secrets
- AI Summer, 10/19/26
Source: AI Summer
“Garrison Lovely on the case for banning superintelligence.” (10/19/26)
https://www.aisummer.org/p/garrison-lovely-on-the-case-for-banning
- The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 10/19/26
Source: The Dispatch
“A Modest Defense of Lulu Lenin | Interview: Tyler Austin Harper.” (10/19/26)
- Chasing Ghosts, episode 89
Source: Libertarian Institute
“The CG Mailbag: Question Time [Fall 2026].” (10/19/26)
https://libertarianinstitute.org/cgpodcast/episode-089-the-cg-mailbag-question-time-fall-2026/
- EconTalk, 10/19/26
Source: EconTalk
“Lives Wasted and Well-Lived: David Wolpe on The Death of Ivan Ilyich.” (10/18/26)
https://www.econtalk.org/lives-wasted-and-well-lived-david-wolpe-on-the-death-of-ivan-ilyich/
- The Climate Realism Show, episode 221
Source: Heartland Institute
“Crappy Feet: Penguins Cause, And Maybe Stop, Climate Change.” (10/18/26)
- Pink Flame of Liberty, 10/18/26
Source: Pink Flame of Liberty
“Filling out my 2026 Colorado Ballot.” (10/18/26)
- Neon Liberalism, episode 95
Source: Liberal Currents
“The Department of Homeland Security’s decision to raid U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar’s residence is continuous with President Donald Trump’s birther politics and immigration obsessions, but it also touches on elemental constitutional issues—similar to the issues that once sparked the English Civil War. And what does it mean for the imminent U.S. elections? Samantha Hancox-Li is joined by Adam Gurri, publisher of Liberal Currents.” (10/18/26)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/ilhan-omar-vs-regime-politics-neon-liberalism-95-with-adam-gurri/
- The Kyle Anzalone Show, 10/18/26
Source: Libertarian Institute
“Connor Echols: Trump Turns on Zelensky as Iran War Threat Grows.” (10/18/26)
- The Permanent Questions, 10/18/26
Source: The Atlantic
“Are We Too Political?” (10/18/26)
https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/2026/10/are-we-too-political/689011/
- Free Talk Live, 10/18/26
Source: Free Talk Live
“Elon Musk debuts ‘flying car’ :: ‘Irregular’: the company behind the rouge AI attacks :: Sarah in NM calls about the poor, unsalaried state reps 🙁 :: Tim in FL calls about the Jehovah’s Witnesses buying a data center :: Skeeter calls and makes false claims :: DST debate :: Houthis use Claude AI to develop missile guidance :: Tom in NH :: three reptilian beings allegedly killed near area 51 :: black market delivery for In-N-Out burger :: 2026-10-18 :: Hosts: Stu, Riley O’Bill, Rich E. Rich.” (10/18/26)
- Antiwar News with Dave DeCamp, 10/18/26
Source: Antiwar.com
“Trump Wants Netanyahu To ‘Finish the Job’ Against Iran, Saudis Kill More Civilians in Yemen and More.” (10/18/26)
- Unattended Baggage, episode 359
Source: Unattended Baggage
“I can’t go for that (no can do).” (10/17/26)
https://unattendedbaggage.substack.com/p/episode-359-i-cant-go-for-that-no
- Free Talk Live, 10/17/26
Source: Free Talk Live
“Quoting Shakespeare and considering the Shakespearian conspiracy theories :: There’s a lot of jobs in government that Nobody should do :: Are Boomers at fault? :: in 2020, Trump printed 90% of all dollars ever printed :: Mark believes the government can steal your property because it’s theirs :: Caller Derek’s ghost story! :: Government is just the idea of giving a corporation a monopoly on violence and making it only accountable to itself :: Kids for Cash and will accountability ever come? :: 2026-10-17 Hosts: Bonnie, Nobody, Lori and Mark Edge.” (10/17/26)