Friday, October 3, 2025

October 3, 2025

Good morning,

Welcome to the news for independent thinkers

Leading the News . . .

Trump says US in 'armed conflict' with drug cartels in memo to Congress . . . Trump sent a memorandum, obtained by the Washington Examiner on Thursday, to Congress declaring the cartels to be terrorist organizations and their members unlawful combatants. It follows Trump's authorization of several deadly military airstrikes in the Caribbean to take out suspected drug smuggling boats coming from Venezuela — strikes that have raised legal questions over the administration's use of immediate lethal force to take out the suspected traffickers. Washington Examiner

Politics

U.S. to Provide Ukraine With Intelligence for Missile Strikes Deep Inside Russia . . . The U.S. will provide Ukraine with intelligence for long-range missile strikes on Russia's energy infrastructure, American officials said, as the Trump administration weighs sending Kyiv powerful weapons that could put in range more targets within Russia. President Trump recently signed off on allowing intelligence agencies and the Pentagon to aid Kyiv with the strikes. U.S. officials are asking North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies to provide similar support, these people said. Wall Street Journal

Got it. And what's the plan for when Russia strikes back with a missile into a NATO country?

Trump pauses $2.1B for Chicago infrastructure projects, leveraging shutdown to pressure Democrats . . . President Donald Trump's administration will withhold $2.1 billion for Chicago infrastructure projects, the White House budget director said Friday, expanding funding fights that have targeted Democratic areas during the government shutdown. The pause affects a long-awaited plan to extend the city's Red Line train. The money was "put on hold to ensure funding is not flowing via race-based contracting," budget director Russ Vought wrote on social media. Associated Press

Any chance this will stop the massive, insane exercise in hubris otherwise known as "The Obama Presidential Library"?

Trump considering $2K tariff 'dividend' for Americans . . . President Trump said Thursday that he's still weighing the idea of giving Americans up to $2,000 in rebates derived from the revenues his tariff agenda has generated. Trump's proposal to share some of the hundreds of billions of dollars the federal government has collected since he slapped foreign nations with steep levies in April, comes as the Supreme Court is slated to hear arguments in a case next month that will decide whether the president has the power to impose sweeping global tariffs. New York Post

Culture

'SHOCKING': FDA Approves New Abortion Drug . . . The drug, which is a generic version of the abortion pill mifepristone, was quietly rubber-stamped by the agency in a letter Tuesday, with reports only surfacing of its approval on Thursday. The drug's approval took many by surprise, as it followed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Sep. 19 announcement that the FDA would be reviewing mifepristone's safety. Daily Signal

Harvard Hires Drag Queen 'LaWhore Vagistan' as Visiting Professor . . . Harvard University hired a drag performer as a new professor — who is expected to teach a class on TV show "RuPaul's Drag Race" in the spring semester, the Ivy League school announced over the summer. The institution welcomed Kareem Khubchandani in a July message to the college community and revealed that the visiting professor from Tufts University will teach in the Studies of Gender and Sexuality program thanks to the Harvard Gender and Sexuality Caucus. New York Post

Hmm. Harvard doesn't seem to be getting the message.

Elon Musk digs in on 'Cancel Netflix' crusade . . . Billionaire Elon Musk is leading the charge on a campaign by right-wing media personalities and influencers urging Americans to cancel their Netflix subscriptions over an animated show that features a transgender character. Musk is promoting a series of posts from Chaya Raichik's "LibsofTikTok" account, Benny Johnson and other conservatives urging users cancel Netflix over the show "Dead End: Paranormal Park." The Hill

Hmm. Netflix doesn't seem to be getting the message.

Bari Weiss To Direct CBS News As Editor-In-Chief As Part Of Free Press Deal . . . Paramount Skydance is poised to name Bari Weiss as editor in chief of CBS News in the coming days — giving the hard-charging journalist unusual clout to revamp the struggling network as it also acquires her scrappy news site the Free Press, The Post has learned. Weiss — a 41-year-old former New York Times opinion writer who has built the Free Press into a buzzworthy site with a contrarian bent — is expected to be named to the top post in a Monday announcement, although the talks are in flux and the timing could change, a source close to the situation said. New York Post

Trust in Mass Media Plummets to Another All-time Low . . . "Americans' confidence in the mass media has edged down to a new low, with just 28% expressing a 'great deal' or 'fair amount' of trust in newspapers, television and radio to report the news fully, accurately and fairly," reports Gallup. "This is down from 31% last year and 40% five years ago." "When Gallup began measuring trust in the news media in the 1970s, between 68% and 72% of Americans expressed confidence in reporting," the report adds. Breitbart

National Security

BREAKING: Kash Patel's FBI Cuts All Ties to Southern Poverty Law Center . . . The FBI has confirmed that it severed all ties to the Southern Poverty Law Center, a far-left activist group that puts conservatives and Christians on a "hate map" along with Ku Klux Klan chapters. The "hate map" has inspired at least one terrorist attack against a conservative organization. "The Southern Poverty Law Center long ago abandoned civil rights work and turned into a partisan smear machine," FBI Director Kash Patel told The Daily Signal in a statement Friday. Wall Street Journal

Apple takes down ICE tracking apps after pressure from Bondi DOJ . . . Apple dropped ICEBlock, a widely used tracking tool, from its App Store Thursday after the Department of Justice raised concerns with the big tech giant that the app put law enforcement officers at risk. DOJ officials, at the direction of Attorney General Pam Bondi, asked Apple to take down ICEBlock, a move that comes as Trump administration officials have claimed the tool, which allows users to anonymously report ICE agents' presence, puts agents in danger and helps shield illegal immigrants. Fox Business

International

Victims in Manchester synagogue attack named, one shot accidentally by police . . . Two men killed in an attack on a synagogue in Manchester have been named by police as Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66. One of the men killed was hit by police gunfire as they shot the attacker, police said. Three others remain in hospital with serious injuries after Jihad Al-Shamie rammed a car into people before stabbing others on Thursday morning. BBC

Sarah Mullally named as new Archbishop of Canterbury . . . Dame Sarah Mullally has been named as the new Archbishop of Canterbury designate - the first woman to be chosen for the role. A former NHS chief nurse, the 63-year-old became a priest in 2006 and was appointed as the first female Bishop of London in 2018 - the third most senior member of clergy in the Church of England. It is the first time in nearly 500 years of history that the Church nominated a woman to lead it. BBC

Japan faces Asahi beer shortage after cyber-attack . . . Japan is facing a shortage of Asahi products, including beer and bottled tea, as the drinks giant grapples with the impact of a major cyber-attack that has affected its operations in the country. Most of the Asahi Group's factories in Japan have been at a standstill since Monday, after the attack hit its ordering and delivering systems. Major Japanese retailers, including 7-Eleven and FamilyMart, have now warned customers to expect shortages of Asahi products. BBC

Money

L.A.'s Entertainment Economy Is Looking Like a Disaster Movie . . . The entertainment industry is in a downward spiral that began when the dual strikes by actors and writers ended in 2023. Work is evaporating, businesses are closing, longtime residents are leaving, and the heart of L.A.'s creative middle class is hanging on by a thread. "This is the first year since 1989 that I haven't had a show to work on," said Pixie Wespiser, a 62-year-old production manager and producer who has worked on 36 TV series, including the original "Night Court" and its recent revival. "I look around and I see so many people who are seriously suffering." Wall Street Journal

You should also know

Massive fire erupts at Los Angeles oil refinery after explosion . . . massive explosion at an oil refinery in Los Angeles triggered a huge fire ball that sent shockwaves through the city. The blast took place just outside of the bustling LAX airport and was seen for miles across Los Angeles after it ignited at the Chevron refinery in El Segundo, police said. Firefighters arrived to the scene at around 9:35pm local time, several minutes after people in surrounding areas reported hearing a loud blast. Daily Mail

Would-Be Kavanaugh Assassin Should Be Let Off Easy Because He Identifies As Transgender, Family Says . . . In startling letters dated September 19, Roske's family describes the 29-year-old attempted assassin as "Sophie," use female pronouns to describe Roske, and pushes for leniency for their family member, who pleaded guilty to the attempt to kill a United States Supreme Court Justice in April 2025, three years after authorities arrested him in Kavanaugh's neighborhood, carrying a bag full of weapons and burglary tools. Daily Wire

Guilty Pleasures

Python found slithering through In-N-Out drive-through in California . . . A curious customer slithered through the drive-through of an In-N-Out Burger in Southern California, prompting a surprise snake rescue by fast food staff. Pasadena Humane said in a social media post that the "beautiful python" was discovered Monday in the drive-through area of the In-N-Out Burger in Monrovia. One of the restaurant's employees made the scaly discovery and transported the snake to the shelter. UPI