Tuesday October 21st, 2025

"It Is Not A Question of Who Is Right Or Wrong But What Is Right Or Wrong That Counts."
--Geoff Metcalf
 Providing an on line Triage of the news since 1998
Will
My son has narrated the last book I wrote.
Please consider listening to it and encouraging others to do so too.
(Click HERE)

                                                                                                                                                  
World & Nation

Trump: Mideast Ready for 'Heavy Force' to 'Straighten Out Hamas'

Trump says MidEast allies ready to ...

The Middle East guarantors of Gaza peace are ready to "go into Gaza with a heavy force and 'straighten out Hamas,'" President Donald Trump declared Tuesday as Vice President JD Vance arrived to ensure the peace deal and ceasefire holds.

"Numerous of our NOW GREAT ALLIES in the Middle East, and areas surrounding the Middle East, have explicitly and strongly, with great enthusiasm, informed me that they would welcome the opportunity, at my request, to go into GAZA with a heavy force and 'straighten out Hamas' if Hamas continues to act badly, in violation of their agreement with us," Trump wrote Tuesday on Truth Social.

"The love and spirit for the Middle East has not been seen like this in a thousand years! It is a beautiful thing to behold!"

Despite the warning after Hamas terrorists reportedly violated the ceasefire near the demarcation lines Sunday morning, temporarily forcing Israel's military to take action, Trump urged Hamas to keep the peace.




Colombia’s president muses about getting ‘rid of’ Trump in menacing interview as drug feud intensifies

Colombia's president muses about ...

Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro mused about getting “rid of” President Trump in a shocking interview — as a bitter feud over Trump’s crackdown on drugs intensifies.

Over the weekend, Trump threatened to close up the “killing fields” in Colombia and announced he was slashing US subsidies for the Latin American country after Petro accused the US of “murder” over a Sept. 15 attack against an alleged drug boat.

“Humanity has a first offramp, it is to choose to change Trump in various ways,” Petro told Univision’s Daniel Coronell, per a translation, when asked about his goal of getting the best possible negotiation for his country.

“The easiest way may be through Trump himself,” Petro added. “If not — get rid of Trump,” he continued, snapping his fingers dramatically.



Trump to Resume Loan Forgiveness for Teachers, Borrowers Until 2028

cancel student debt ...

The Trump administration says it will cancel student debt for millions of borrowers under a new agreement with the American Federation of Teachers.

The move marks a reversal from earlier efforts to block some loan forgiveness programs, the New York Post reported Monday.

Under the deal, the White House will restart processing student loan forgiveness for borrowers enrolled in two income-driven repayment programs — Income-Contingent Repayment and Pay As You Earn — until they expire.



CNN Data Guru Reveals a Twist Trump Critics Didn’t See Coming

CNN Data Guru Reveals a Twist Trump ...

The government shutdown isn’t hurting President Donald Trump where it matters to him most, according to CNN’s data guru.

Harry Enten said the president’s net approval rating went up by a point even as the shutdown dragged into its 20th day on Monday, reversing his fortunes during the 35-day standoff in his first term.

Popular support for Trump had dropped three points by the 20th day of the December 2018 to January 2019 shutdown, Enten said. But things are starkly different the second time around, as Democrats and Republicans remain at an impasse over the extension of healthcare subsidies expiring at the end of the year.




Joe Rogan and Andrew Schulz mock Harris' claim of people calling her most qualified presidential candidate

Joe Rogan and Andrew Schulz mock Harris ...

Podcaster Joe Rogan and comedian Andrew Schulz blasted former Vice President Kamala Harris’ recent book tour, arguing it is an ironic boon to President Donald Trump.

Harris joined liberal journalist Kara Swisher at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C., to discuss her new book, "107 Days," which details her whirlwind experience in the 2024 election. During the interview, Harris touted her own credentials, comparing them to those of the Trump administration and said, "Some people have actually said I was the most qualified candidate ever to run for president."

"I like the ‘some people say,’ very nice, but go ahead," Swisher joked in response.

The phrases "some people say" and "many people are saying" are often considered to be some of Trump’s common phrases typically used before he touts the accomplishments of himself and his administration.



Trump can deploy National Guard to Portland, Oregon, 9th Circuit court rules in major legal victory

Deploy National Guard in Portland ...

President Trump can move forward with his plan to deploy National Guard troops to Portland, an appeals court ruled on Monday in a major legal victory for the administration.

A three-member panel of the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals delivered the 2-1 decision, striking down one of two temporary restraining orders issued by lower courts that halted the National Guard deployment to the ultra-woke city.

Judges Ryan Nelson and Bridget Bade, both appointed by Trump, sided with the president, who has continued to push for the federal troops in Democrat-led cities.



With legacy on the line, Obama hitting campaign trail to boost Democrats in key governor elections

Obama swooping back on campaign trail as Democrats face crucial ballot box gubernatorial tests in New Jersey and Virginia
Virginia governor races ...

New Jersey Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli joins ‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ to discuss the tightening race and former President Barack Obama’s endorsement of his Democratic opponent.

With Election Day in New Jersey and Virginia's very competitive and combustible races for governor just two weeks away, Democrats are bringing in one of their party's best campaign trail closers.

Former President Barack Obama will headline rallies in New Jersey and Virginia — the only two states in the nation to hold gubernatorial contests the year after a presidential election — on Nov. 1, the Saturday before Election Day.

For Democrats, who are aiming to escape the political wilderness after last year's stunning election setbacks when they lost the White House and Senate majority and fell short in winning back the House, the 2025 ballot box showdowns are their first major shot at redemption, and they hope that Obama's two-state swing will energize their base voters.



House GOP to Release Biden Autopen Report

Trump doubles down on autopen claims as ...

House Republicans are preparing to release a report on the findings of their investigation into former President Joe Biden and what they allege is potential misuse of the presidential autopen during his term.

The report, which is likely to be released in the coming weeks, centers on contested and thus far unsubstantiated claims that Biden not only visibly aged while in office, but that his mental state declined to a degree that allowed White House officials to enact policies without his knowledge.

"The House Oversight Committee has uncovered how the Biden Autopen Presidency ranks among the greatest scandals in U.S. history," Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said in a statement. "As President Biden declined, his staff abused the autopen to carry out unauthorized executive actions. We have concluded interviews with key Biden aides and will soon report our findings to the American people."



Biden's FEMA Denied Aid to Trump Supporters During Disasters: DHS Probe

Lawmaker presses FEMA boss over scandal ...

An internal probe found that FEMA officials under Joe Biden's administration refused to help disaster victims who displayed support for President Donald Trump, the Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday.

DHS investigators said the politically motivated discrimination stretched from Hurricane Ida in 2021 to Hurricane Milton in 2024.

The DHS Privacy Office concluded that FEMA workers "systematically bypassed" homes with pro-Trump or Second Amendment signs, collecting political data on survivors in direct violation of the Privacy Act of 1974.

The report described the behavior as "a troubling overreach" that weaponized federal disaster relief against Americans in crisis.



Stephen Colbert and Karine Jean-Pierre clash over Biden’s mental acuity, accusations the ex-president was betrayed

Jean-Pierre on Biden's mental acuity ...

Late-night host Stephen Colbert sparred with former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Monday over former President Joe Biden's mental acuity and the accusation that the former president was betrayed.

"It was very personal for those of us who watched it too, because it was a shock to our system to see that. Because — I mean, you’re talking to a guy who helped raise $25 million for Joe Biden in March of that same year," Colbert, a staunch Biden supporter, told Jean-Pierre. "And three months later, I saw a guy who I had not seen backstage at the benefit that I did. It seemed like a dramatically different person. And at 81 years old, that’s not entirely unexpected. You can imagine why people got so worried."

Jean-Pierre insisted she had seen Biden every day and argued he was able to govern. The former press secretary has expressed frustration with the Democratic Party for pressuring the former president out of the race, and wrote in her new book, "Independent," that she couldn't "stomach" being part of it anymore.

"I’m not questioning his heart or his policies, but it takes more than that to be the president of the United States," Colbert said. "And in a moment of great pressure on stage, we saw someone shock us and worry us. And nothing could assuage that worry. So I don’t think it was necessarily a betrayal of Joe Biden as other people saying, ‘We don’t think we were shown the Joe Biden that you saw.'"



If Trump’s cease-fire holds, the anti-Israel haters will have little to rant about


The Israel-Hamas cease-fire has many hurdles to clear before it can be deemed a success. Yet if it succeeds, its consequences will reverberate far beyond the Middle East, reshaping our own domestic politics — especially the anti-Israel activism in higher education.

For two years, anti-Israel activists in the United States anchored their protests in the war itself. Their “Cease-fire now” slogan depended on the war’s persistence to maintain moral urgency.

Activists didn’t anticipate a cease-fire actually taking hold, and their silence following the deal’s announcement exposed the disingenuousness of their calls for peace.



Hey New York City Republicans, vote for Cuomo for mayor

A vote for Sliwa is a vote for Mamdani

If Republicans in New York City vote in large numbers for former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for mayor between October 25 and November 4, the greatest city in the world will avoid a plunge into a spiral of collapse on many fronts.

New York City is home to 8.5 million people; 4.7 million of them are active registered voters and over another 700,000 are "inactive" voters. 

Democratic Party registrants make up the largest bloc, at nearly two-thirds of the electorate. Unaffiliated voters are the second-largest group, accounting for 21.1% of registered voters. Republican Party registrants make up a mere 11.0%.

New York City employs "ranked choice voting," which led to a final result in the Democratic primary of 573,169 votes for Zohran Mamdani and 443,229 votes for Andrew Cuomo.

Curtis Sliwa ran unopposed for the GOP nomination. (Sliwa was the GOP nominee in the 2021 NYC mayoral election and got blown out by Democratic nominee Eric Adams, with Adams receiving 753,801 votes and Sliwa receiving 313,385.)