News of the Week for October 26th, 2025
- Abortion
- Gun Rights
- Hide the Decline
- Socialized Medicine
- War & Terror
- National News
- Economy & Taxes
- International News
- Opinion
Abortion
Court Cases & Legislation
Democrats are talking about abortion on the campaign trail again
Virginia’s race for governor has been dominated by economic issues, the government shutdown and the violent text messages sent by the Democratic candidate for attorney general.
Court Rules Against State; Abortion Exceptions Lawsuit Continues
Legislation from this year’s Tennessee General Assembly was not enough to quash case
Gun Rights
Supreme Court will consider whether people who regularly smoke pot can legally own guns
The Supreme Court said on Monday that it will consider whether people who regularly smoke marijuana can legally own guns, the latest firearm case to come before the court since its 2022 decision expanding gun rights.
Second Amendment Roundup: 3d Circuit Oral Argument on N.J. Rifle Ban
The en banc court exhibited a deep understanding of the issues.
Hide the Decline
Environment &“Green Energy”
NYU Law School Clinic Attempting to Obtain Copyright for a Forest
As I have noted here before, NYU Law School’s radical MOTH (More Than Human Life) program embraces neo-earth mysticism as part of its efforts to promote “nature rights.” Here’s the latest example. MOTH participants are seeking to force the Ecuadorian Copyright Office to grant a copyright to a forest as the supposed co-composer of music called Song of the Cedars.
Wind Energy: Britain’s China Syndrome
Angela Merkel resumed Germany’s decommissioning of nuclear stations and decided that the smart approach was to buy “cheap” Russian gas at the same time as Germany invests heavily in wind energy. Remarkably (or not), Germany’s final decision to go ahead with the second pair of Nord Stream pipelines was taken after the initial Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Socialized Medicine
Government in Healthcare
Assisted-Suicide Slippery Slope Keeps Slip-Sliding Away
When assisted suicide is first proposed for legalization, we are assured by death activists that strict guidelines will protect against abuse. But they don’t mean it. Once the laws pass, the supposed protections — which are always flaccid to begin with — are soon redefined by activists and the media as “barriers,” et voila, the laws are soon loosened. It’s all a con, but people seem to fall for it every time.
War & Terror
It’s an Ill Wind: Europe’s Defense Stocks
In another encouraging sign that Europe is beginning to react more forcefully to the challenge on its eastern doorstep, the prices of some of its defense stocks have been moving up.
Rheinmetall Shares Surge as $4 Billion Combat-Vehicles Order Heralds Defense-Spending Drive
Shares in Frankfurt rose 5%, lifting other defense companies in Germany and across Europe
Colombia’s Leader Accuses U.S. of Murder, Prompting Trump to Halt Aid
President Gustavo Petro said a U.S. strike in the Caribbean had killed a fisherman. President Trump said he would cut aid and impose new tariffs on Colombian imports.
The U.S. plan to blow up drug boats has some major leaks
Military strikes on vessels in the Caribbean aren’t what could bring Venezuela a better future.
Maduro boasts of ‘thousands’ of Russian anti-aircraft missiles as Trump threatens military action inside Venezuela
Venezuela has 5,000 Russian-made anti-aircraft missiles in “key air defense positions,” its President Nicolás Maduro claimed on Wednesday, amid growing tension over the United States’ military deployment in the Caribbean.
Can Japan convince the U.S. not to go wobbly on Taiwan?
The island’s fate remains top of mind as Donald Trump visits America’s most important Asian ally.
Foreign hackers breached a US nuclear weapons plant via SharePoint flaws
A foreign actor infiltrated the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Kansas City National Security Campus through vulnerabilities in Microsoft’s SharePoint browser-based app, raising questions about the need to solidify further federal IT/OT security protections.
Trump Moves Closer to an Actual War in Venezuela
It would be a colossal mistake for the president to glide into a war in South America for which he sought no public support or congressional buy-in.
National
Coast Guard Buys Two Private Jets for Noem, Costing $172 Million
Public documents show the Department of Homeland Security has contracted to purchase a pair of top-of-the-line Gulfstream jets for the secretary and other top officials.
Duffy says NASA will open Artemis 3 lander contract to competition
NASA’s acting administrator says he plans to “open up the contract” SpaceX holds to land astronauts on the moon for the Artemis 3 mission because the company has fallen behind schedule.
ICE’s ‘Athletically Allergic’ Recruits
Push-ups, sit-ups, and a brisk jog pose a threat to Trump’s deportation campaign.
Pardoned Capitol rioter arrested for allegedly threatening to murder Hakeem Jeffries
A pardoned Capitol rioter has been arrested for allegedly threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries while he spoke at a New York event.
Trump nominee says MLK Jr. holiday belongs in ‘hell’ and that he has ‘Nazi streak,’ according to texts
Paul Ingrassia’s bid to lead a whistleblower agency is set for a Senate confirmation hearing Thursday.
The U.S. plan to blow up drug boats has some major leaks
Military strikes on vessels in the Caribbean aren’t what could bring Venezuela a better future.
Trump’s Venezuela operation expands in the dark
The U.S. military has killed at least 32 people in seven strikes off the coast of Venezuela without telling Congress or the American people who was killed, or on what evidence.
Trump Said to Demand Justice Dept. Pay Him $230 Million for Past Cases
Senior department officials who were defense lawyers for the president and those in his orbit are now in jobs that typically must approve any such payout, underscoring potential ethical conflicts.
Arizona sues US House over delay in swearing in Democrat Grijalva
The state of Arizona on Tuesday sued the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives over the delayed swearing in of Democratic Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva.
Smart beds flipped out during the AWS outage, and so did their sleepy owners
Banks failed to transfer their clients’ money. Gamers lost their streaks. Peloton riders struggled to log into classes.
Comey Pretrial Motions: Selective, Vindictive Prosecution
Yesterday, we posted my piece looking at former FBI Director James Comey’s first round of pretrial motions seeking dismissal of the Trump Justice Department’s two-count indictment, charging him with making a false statement and obstruction of Congress, both allegedly arising out of his September 30, 2020, testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. In the column, I addressed why I believe it’s already clear that the indictment should be dismissed because (a) it fails to state a charge and (b) Comey’s disputed testimony was obviously true while the government’s version of it is incoherent — even though the defense won’t be filing a formal motion along those lines until the second round, due in a couple of weeks.
The White House Renovation Is Underway. Next Up, a Presidential Yacht
The renovation of the East Wing has begun. The privately funded refurbishment will bring capacity for events from 200 to 650 people. The East Wing is where the President traditionally signs bills, announces major initiatives, and hosts international delegations and other major White House events. It is where Nancy Reagan announced her “Just Say No” anti-drug movement, and where Michelle Obama unveiled her “Let’s Move” children’s health program. The current space also happens to be too small and often requires augmentation with an unsightly white circus tent on the White House grounds. Expansion is both pragmatic and overdue. It will be used to the benefit of both Republican and Democratic administrations for years to come, at no cost to taxpayers.
New poll shows Lombardo has slight lead in 2026 governor matchup
Ford within margin of error
Sandra Jauregui, the No. 3 Democrat in Assembly, to run for Nevada lieutenant governor
Jauregui was elected to the Legislature in 2016 and has championed gun control bills and expanding the state’s film tax credit program.
Highway Patrol Leads Florida in Immigration Arrests, Data Shows
“They should be called ‘Florida Show Me Your Papers Patrol,'” immigration activist Thomas Kennedy says.
Comey Pretrial Motions: Disqualification of Interim U.S. Attorney
This is the third of four posts on round 1 of the Comey pretrial motions that were filed earlier this week. (See post 1 and post 2.) In this post we’ll address the defense argument that Attorney General Pamela Bondi’s appointment of Lindsey Halligan as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virgina (EDVa) was illegal. I’ve contended since Halligan’s appointment that there are grounds for disqualification.
New FEC reports reveal Nevada House members’ strength — and challengers who pose a threat
Republican congressional hopefuls are pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars of their own money into beating Democrats who have won year after year.
ICE Is Mounting a Mass Surveillance Campaign on American Citizens
Without strict oversight, the agency’s new technology threatens Americans’ free speech and privacy.
Bari Weiss Eyes Fox News Star Bret Baier to Anchor CBS Evening News: Report
CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss is eyeing Fox News anchor Bret Baier – among others – to potentially helm the CBS Evening News, according to sources inside the network.
Two Federal Judges Apologize For Issuing Opinions With AI Hallucinations
An intern and a law clerk used generative AI, and the judges didn’t catch the hallucinations.
SCOTUS Still Has PTSD From The 2020 Election
The Court will likely find standing in Bost to avoid the “nightmare scenario” of cancelling votes after they are cast.
Armed police swarm student after AI mistakes bag of Doritos for a weapon
Concerns over AI surveillance in schools are intensifying after armed officers swarmed a 16-year-old student outside Kenwood High School in Baltimore when an AI gun detection system falsely flagged a Doritos bag as a firearm.
ICE Spent Over $71 Million on Guns, Armor, and Chemical Munitions in 2025 So Far
The total is over 600 percent more than what the agency spent from January to October 2024.
MAGA Lobbyists’ Advice to Clients: Help Pay for Trump’s Big, Beautiful Ballroom
A who’s who of Trump allies is helping corporate America fund the White House renovation. ‘Everybody wants to get in the door,’ says one Republican consultant.
Big Tech sues Texas, says age-verification law is “broad censorship regime”
Texas app law compared to checking IDs at bookstores and shopping malls.
Trump to Use $130 Million Donation to Help Pay Troops
It is not clear how far the gift will go toward covering the salaries of the nation’s 1.3 million troops.
Donor Who Gave $130 Million to Pay Troops Is Reclusive Heir to Mellon Fortune
Timothy Mellon is a billionaire and a major financial backer of President Trump.
Billionaire Timothy Mellon Is The Mystery Donor Who Gave $130 Million To Pay Military, Report Says
The Pentagon said Friday it had accepted the money to help ensure the military doesn’t miss a paycheck during the government shutdown. Trump first revealed Thursday a “friend,” provided the donation, but said the person wanted to remain anonymous, telling reporters Friday “he doesn’t want publicity.” Forbes has reached out to Mellon for comment. The New York Times reported Mellon and his representatives could not be reached for comment. The Pentagon accepted the donation “under its general gift acceptance authority,” though some lawmakers and experts have questioned its legality under the Antideficiency Act, which prevents the federal government from spending money that hasn’t been appropriated by Congress.
Short Circuit: An inexhaustive weekly compendium of rulings from the federal courts of appeal
Solar panels, campus protests, and not much due process.
‘You’ll go down as a wimp:’ Pence’s never-before-published notes key evidence in case against Trump, book says
Donald Trump berated Mike Pence, calling his then-vice president a “wimp” during their final phone call on Jan. 6, 2021, hours before Congress certified the 2020 election of Joe Biden, according to Pence’s previously unpublished notes included in a new book by ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl.
Economy & Taxes
Lower-Income Americans Are Missing Car Payments
Inflation and a tough job market are making it harder for some people to pay back the car loans they signed in better times.
The Warning Signs Lurking Below the Surface of a Record Market
Utilities, healthcare and consumer staples are leading the S&P 500 this month
Gold Bars, Gold Necklaces, Gold Earrings: The Rush to Cash In
Gold prices are soaring to historic levels, drawing newcomers and regulars alike to New York’s diamond district.
Restaurants Are Pitching Water as a Fine-Dining Experience
Menus highlight provenance and traits like acidity, minerality and sweetness; no ice or lemon allowed
Supreme Court Is Told Trump Tariffs Are Illegal $3 Trillion Tax
Small businesses challenging many of President Donald Trump’s global tariffs urged the US Supreme Court to affirm lower court rulings that the import levies amount to a massive illegal tax on American companies.
Trump administration agrees to deliver more student loan forgiveness
The Trump administration has agreed to forgive student debt under income-driven repayment programs it had partially blocked. The outcome is the result of an agreement between the American Federation of Teachers and the U.S. Department of Education. More than 2.5 million borrowers are in either the original Income-Contingent Repayment plan or the Pay as You Earn plan, according to an estimate by higher education expert Mark Kantrowitz.
Molson Coors to Cut 9% of Americas Workforce in Restructuring
The maker of Miller Lite and Blue Moon said the move will allow for a focus on growth areas and investment in new product categories
Nearly a quarter of American workers didn’t take any of their vacation days this year, says new survey
Going on vacation is a great way for workers to decompress from their busy schedules, but some don’t feel comfortable taking even a few days off, according to a new report from FlexJobs.
‘Finances are getting tighter’: US car repossessions surge as more Americans default on auto loans
Wall Street sounds alarm over strain throughout car lending market as experts warn of potential risks for wider economy
Bubble-talk is breaking out everywhere
But more optimistic investors continue to bank on the cavalry arriving if things get really dicey
U.S. Inflation Picked Up to 3% in September
Report on consumer prices was delayed by the government shutdown
Companies Have Shielded Buyers From Tariffs. But Not for Long.
Cars, toys and tea are among products set to get more expensive as tariffs weigh on corporate profits.
Trump’s growing beef in the heartland
President Trump is facing a growing political problem in America’s agricultural heartland, as he looks to import Argentinian beef to help bring down prices for U.S. grocery shoppers.
Ambrose Evans-Pritchard Lays Down His Trumpflation Marker
The business editor of the Daily Telegraph, put down a strong prediction in his column on AI and the Trump economy this week. Ambrose Evans-Pritchard doesn’t believe that the current AI boom looks very much like the dot-com bubble of 2000. The companies involved in AI are real, have considerable revenues, and can take some hits. Plus their prices aren’t as out of line as anything from the Pets.com era.
The GOP’s ‘Capitalism’ is Central Planning with MAGA Branding
Socialism is government control of the means of production. When the government becomes your largest shareholder, that’s a strong first step.
Trump Wants Higher Beef Prices and Also Lower Beef Prices
The president somehow believes that tariffs can deliver wins for both producers and consumers. It is maddening and nonsensical.
Argentina’s Long Weekend (and Scott Bessent’s, Too)
As we discussed in a recent editorial, the U.S. has been using some of its financial muscle (and/or the promise that it will be used) to head off a collapse in the Argentinian peso ahead of critical midterm elections on Sunday
Trump raises tariffs on Canadian goods in response to Reagan advert
US President Donald Trump has said he is increasing tariffs on goods imported from Canada after the province of Ontario aired an anti-tariff advertisement featuring former President Ronald Reagan.
USDA won’t shuffle funds to extend SNAP during shutdown, in about-face from earlier plan
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a memo Friday the agency’s contingency fund cannot legally be used to provide food assistance benefits for more than 42 million people in November, as the government shutdown drags on.
International
Brazen Louvre Heist Embarrasses France
On the menu today: Call Inspector Jacques Clousteau. See if Lady Gaga has an alibi. Put out an APB for Lupin, particularly the one from the Netflix series. (Don’t bother calling Robert Langdon, he’ll just give you a long, historically dubious and probably sacrilegious I’m-smarter-than-you lecture about symbols.) Does Wonder Woman still work there?
Swiss Man Faces Jail for Stating Only Biological Sex Exists
A Swiss wind instrument repairman is set to spend ten days behind bars after refusing to pay a fine imposed for what authorities deemed an “offensive” Facebook comment about biological sex.
Opinion
Calling Out the Cancer Within the Right
When “A Warning Against the Unmooring of the American Right” was published this past Friday, many readers reached out asking me to elaborate—to name names, to point directly to the people and patterns I had in mind. That’s a fair request.
Take What You Can Get
The organizers of this past weekend’s “No Kings” protests against the Trump administration say that it was one of the best-attended political demonstrations in American history. Estimates indicate that between 5 million and 8 million Americans made an appearance at one of the 2,600 or so protests across the country. And their causes were myriad.
No frenemies to the right?
We must defend truth and oppose moral evil, even if it means criticizing the home team
‘Law and Order’ for Thee
The president has elevated the phrase “restoring law and order” to part of his political movement’s brand. He campaigned on such a pledge. He has predicated his immigration deportation regime on it. He appealed to it to justify the deployment of National Guard troops to American cities. And to judge from the polling, voters overwhelmingly believe Trump’s Republican Party is better suited to safeguard them against crime than the Democratic Party.
Why the Waywardness of Academic Geography Matters
Returning the discipline to its regional roots would offer numerous benefits.
Why Left and Right Can’t Understand Each Other’s Fears
Early this September, the Irish comedy writer Graham Linehan was greeted at Heathrow Airport by five armed police officers, who placed him under arrest for a series of social media posts attacking transgender activists. It was a particularly prominent example of a general United Kingdom trend: By some estimates the British police made over 12,000 arrests for offensive posting in 2023, an average of about 33 per day.
The Visible Demagogue and the Invisible Institution
Of course, there is nothing inherent in left-wing politics that precludes having a charismatic frontman; quite the contrary. Barack Obama wasn’t that long ago. But even then, it was the case that Obama was smooth, credentialed, and apt to outsource a lot of his dirty work. Future progressive leaders might be more populist. Douthat’s core point is that people on the left see the demagogic leader as the problem without parallel on their own side, while people on the right see the illiberal institutions and their apparent immunity to popular accountability as the problem without parallel on their own side.
Paul Ingrassia’s Story Is Not That Exceptional
Tuesday night, the White House acknowledged the inevitable and withdrew the nomination of Paul Ingrassia to lead the Office of Special Counsel.
Thomas Sowell: A Free Man
This special episode of Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson features our most requested guest: Hoover senior fellow and acclaimed economist and author Dr. Thomas Sowell. But rather than discussing Sowell’s many books, this conversation explores the full arc of Sowell’s life — from his childhood, along a dirt road in North Carolina, through his years in Harlem, the Marine Corps, Harvard, and ultimately to his long tenure at the Hoover Institution.
U.S. boat strikes in the Caribbean, an unclear and present danger
Blowing up vessels that may or may not be smuggling drugs won’t bring Venezuela a better future.
The Foolishness of ‘No Enemies to the Right’
As the CEO of The Babylon Bee, I’m in the business of mocking bad ideas. They’re on the right as well as the left.
DOJ Potentially Paying Trump $230 Million Would Be an Uncommonly Open Form of a Common Scandal
According to a report in the New York Times by Devlin Barrett and Tyler Pager, Donald Trump filed two administrative claims in 2023 and 2024 threatening to sue the Justice Department and asking for compensation of as much as $230 million over alleged violations of his rights in the Russiagate probe (which led to no charges against him) and the 2023 FBI search of Mar-a-Lago (which led to his indictment). The story quotes Trump mentioning the claims last week: “I have a lawsuit that was doing very well, and when I became president, I said, I’m sort of suing myself. . . . It sort of looks bad, I’m suing myself, right? So I don’t know. But that was a lawsuit that was very strong, very powerful.”
Why We Still Whisper
A new political correctness is emerging on the right.
Clearer Student-Loan “Guidance” Isn’t Enough
A new Department of Education initiative is welcome but will not solve the underlying college-costs problem.
Help Legislators Legislate Again
Legislative disfunction is at the root of many current controversies, and past legislation bears part of the problem.
Vance’s Reaction to Racist Group Chats Will Embolden the Worst Republicans
Shrugging off the radicalization of right-wing political culture is a mistake.
Trump’s Big, Sleazy Crypto Pardon
On the menu today: A pardon from President Trump that is stunning in its shamelessness, recklessness, and moral inversion; and some thoughts on what happens to individuals when they’re no longer useful to the political movements that embraced them.
What Did Conservatives Conserve Before 1955?
Comparing the past 70 years with the pre-NR era
JD Vance is from the government, and he’s here to help
“The nine most terrifying words in the English language” are, Ronald Reagan said in 1986, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”
The Fight Against the New Deal Never Ended
Conservatives’ fresh instructions to history
There’s a war on the bachelor’s degree. Can anything replace it?
Ever since the government began tracking the share of the American population with a bachelor’s degree, that figure has grown. At last count, about 2 million people across the country were receiving one each year.
The Trump Administration’s Revisionist 2020 History Project
Naturally, President Trump has now added a Truth Social post to the theatrical outrage triggered by Senator Chuck Grassley’s publication of an FBI document related to the January 6 investigation into President Trump’s attempt to reverse the 2020 election. It is a document everyone should have known existed: it was required to approve the opening of the investigation. We have known for nearly four years not only that the investigation was opened but that it resulted in Trump’s indictment.
The Faux Freak-Out over ‘Arctic Frost’
“Arctic Frost” is the code name the FBI gave its investigation of President Trump’s soft-coup attempt to reverse his 2020 election defeat by peddling false claims of material election fraud (i.e., a quantum of fraud sufficient to change the outcome).
The State of the Federal Prosecutions of President Trump
The Justice Department, acting as an adjunct of the White House political operation, portrays federal cases brought against Trump as if they were rejected by courts on the merits and, therefore, that Smith is a “disgraced” former prosecutor. This is sheer propaganda.
