Two years since the October 7, 2023 massacre
It's been two years since hordes of murderous Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, an event that represents the biggest failure of the Israeli intelligence services and military in the nation's history, killing about 1200 people, mostly civilians, often in utterly barbaric ways.
While there are negotiations taking place in Egypt right now, there's no way to guess with high confidence how they will turn out.
Israel has accomplished some incredible things during these two years, things that many thought impossible, including successfully (with American help) crippling Iran's nuclear program(s). But the cost to the Israeli people and to the reputation of the nation (especially among the left, where there has been a significant rise in anti-Israel and anti-Semitic mindset over the last couple of decades) has been enormous.
This is a must: The Legacy of October 7 - The Free Press
How two years of war in Gaza have changed the Middle East forever
Israel marks 2 years of Oct. 7 attack as war in Gaza grinds | AP News
Has Israel won? - The Spectator World (may require subscription)
See more below in the "Today's Guests" section...
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Just One Thing: Egyptian tomb opens to visitors after 24 years of restoration
The Valley of the Kings which was part of my 2023 listener trip to Egypt is one of the most remarkable places I've ever been. A tomb that we didn't get to see is open now:
Egypt opens one of the Valley of the Kings' largest tombs – DW – 10/04/2025
For a deep dive into the pharaoh...who MIGHT have been King Tut's grandfather, though there are many theories:
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Today's Guests
Joe Vostrejs (Last name pronounced like Vos-trees) is Co-Founder & Principal of City Street Investors, the group that's buying The Fort restaurant which has been owned and operated by one family since it opened in 1963.
The Fort, a historic landmark in Colorado, will be sold
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Ruthie Blum is one of listeners' favorite show guests. She's a former Netanyahu advisor and currently a senior contributing editor at JNS and co-host of the Israel Undiplomatic podcast. She'll join us from Jerusalem where we'll discuss the ongoing negotiations about a so-called peace deal between Israel and Hamas.
Ruthie Blum | Co-host of Israel Undiplomatic
Good note on where we stand now: Two years after Oct. 7, Trump will decide the war’s outcome - JNS.org
Democrats are drifting significantly against Israel. It's tragic and shows some serious brainwashing by antisemites, but I'll hope that when the war ends and Netanyahu is no longer prime minister, some of these numbers will change.
How Americans View the Israel-Hamas Conflict 2 Years Into the War | Pew Research Center
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Other Stuff
The Nobel Prize in physics has been awarded to three engineers who developed the basis of quantum computing, called quantum mechanical tunneling: Press release: Nobel Prize in Physics 2025 - NobelPrize.org
See the end of this blog for the official Nobel Prize announcement and discussion.
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For the birdwatchers: So What Should We Call This – a Grue Jay? | College of Natural Sciences
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A very thoughtful note by Chris Rufo: The Conservative Movement at a Crossroads
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Westword's taco ideas for this Taco Tuesday: 10 Best Taco Tuesday Deals in Denver
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Now that he's facing a felony charge, I amend my prior comments that he’d serve not more than a month in jail. Also, with a felony I withdraw my guess that he might plead guilty to avoid a trial. (And now we learn he pleaded "not guilty".)
Ex-NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez charged with felony over violent altercation
Mark Sanchez's family says it's been 'deeply distressing' since FOX broadcaster's arrest
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Remember Milton Friedman's maxim that "Nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program."
Wow...it's the Washington Post! Opinion | Government shutdown over ACA subsidies demands more fiscal seriousness - The Washington Post
What use is the GOP if they go along with this? And it’s a reminder that MAGA people are NOT necessarily conservatives.
A majority of Trump supporters back extending Obamacare subsidies
One of my favorite lines about politics, one that Trump sometimes embodies, is "leaders don't follow polls; they change them." The problem is that Trump is not actually a fiscal conservative and probably will cave in to the left on this issue.
Breaking down the ACA subsidy fight - POLITICO
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I didn’t realize the existing law didn’t apply to streaming services. I’ve noticed this a LOT lately and it’s very very annoying.
‘Dial it down’: California forces Netflix, Hulu to lower ad volume - POLITICO
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Et tu, judges?: US senator asks judges if they used AI in withdrawn court rulings | Reuters
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Ukraine's new defense industry is quite remarkable. Not just what it produces, but how fast it does so and how much more efficient their process seems to be than existing processes. Of course they have the "advantage" of being able to test weapons in an actual war right away. Cutting-edge drone, anti-air expertise has world focused on Ukraine's battlefield innovations - Washington Times
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Thanks to listener Andy for sending this...about the gal who's will be Rush's drummer on their upcoming limited tour: How Anika Nilles Became Rush's New Drummer
This from 5 years ago:
And this from a couple of weeks ago, with a band that she plays with frequently:
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Same question as yesterday: did you notice there's a gov't shutdown going on? Me neither. This is SUCH an inside the beltway story right now but Dems are trying to make the public care by talking about Obamacare subsidies (see above) and Republicans are claiming that Dems are trying to get healthcare for illegal aliens (in the current negotiation) which is a massive exaggeration:
Senate fails to pass GOP funding bill to end shutdown (ABC News)
It is and will remain illegal for illegal aliens to participate in Medicaid (and generally illegal for them to participate in federal entitlement programs.) There is a provision in the BBB that limits Medicaid reimbursements to hospitals that treat illegal aliens. It's part of a bigger section of BBB that contains efforts to reduce fraud in the system. Dems want to repeal all of that which could let a very small amount of funding indirectly support medical care for illegals though not actually allowing them to participate in Medicaid. This is a difficult situation and has been for a long time because on the one hand many people (including yours truly) don't want any taxpayer money supporting illegal aliens. On the other hand, if there is no way to help hospitals cover the costs of providing medical care to anyone who shows up with an emergency (including someone about to give birth), the hospitals will have to pass along those costs to others through higher bills which then results in higher health insurance premiums. This assumes that politicians won't let a hospital go out of business for this reason and also assumes that hospitals won't refuse to save someone's life regardless of immigration status.
This could shake things up on the Democratic side: White House memo says furloughed federal workers aren't entitled to backpay
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The people attacking or threatening ICE agents are giving Trump cover to bring in the National Guard. I don't like any of it. Trump threatens use of Insurrection Act in Chicago as governor says feds used Black Hawk helicopters in immigration raid - ABC News
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I have to try it even though I don't love pistachio flavor. (I like pistachios but not pistachio ice cream!) I've been turned off by the crazy-high prices of these chocolate bars: The Dubai chocolate craze is now about more than bars | AP News
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It was interesting to get the Bari Weiss/CBS News story yesterday morning when I already had this to talk about: Trust in Media at New Low of 28% in U.S.
The guy who runs Paramount which owns CBS made the hiring of Bari Weiss about increasing trust in CBS News. That's absolutely the right focus.
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Some stories I didn't get to yesterday:
Somewhat unusual for a judge to go with just what the defense wants, with no movement at all toward the higher sentence usually requested by the prosecution. Also interesting to note that the would-be assassin is now identifying as a female and the judge noted that as one reason to give the low-end sentence. If I were going to make an argument for a low-end sentence, it would be that the person did not actually commit the crime and turned himself in and seems truly remorseful.
Justice Kavanaugh's attempted assassin sentenced to 8 years in prison
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Let's see if other companies can figure this out as well... Sharpie Found a Way to Make Pens More Cheaply—By Manufacturing Them in the U.S. - WSJ
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One of this term’s SCOTUS cases comes from Colorado: ‘Conversion Therapy’ at the High Court - WSJ
Trump cases dominate SCOTUS term (Semafor.com)
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This really does feel like political retribution as much as restraining gov't spending:
Trump cuts nearly $8B in clean energy projects in targeted states | AP News
Trump administration cancels $500 million in energy grants to Colorado
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France is such a mess...and you probably don't want to own French bonds: Lecornu Resignation Plunges France Into Political Crisis Again - Bloomberg
French Assets Sink Amid Growing Fears of Political Paralysis
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Just because they're trying to scare us doesn't mean there's nothing actually scary: Risk of AI bioweapons laid bare by flaw in security software, scientists warn
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This should be an interesting lawsuit. I doubt that Merck would actually stop selling the drug in Colorado in any case: Colorado sets price ceiling for arthritis drug Enbrel
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Today's Videos
30 years ago...
Today's announcement of the 2025 Nobel Prize in physics