US Politics
An unnamed civilian intervened in a shooting at Silver Rail Elementary in Bend, Oregon, in under three minutes. A 2022 campus policy bans guns, including for permit holders. A teenager with a long gun killed children ages 5, 8, and 11 and a teacher, and a 7-year-old and a 54-year-old teacher were fighting for their lives. Police found the gunman already dead. State law requires campus guns to be unloaded and locked in a car. Police have not said whether the bystander was allowed to carry there. Despite the anti-gun law, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek praised the bystander for having “heroically intervened to stop further loss of life.”
In other school news, 13 of 24 girls on the Camas, Washington, cross-country team walked off after 50 meters rather than race Logan Mihailoff, a male athlete competing on the girls’ team who placed second. Parent Sarah Burns said a biological boy has bigger lung capacity, more muscles, and longer legs. Coach Matt LeGrand said the girls should feel free to express their opinions. Principal Travis Drake said the school must follow Washington law. Seniors, captains, and much of the other team also declined to run. The Seattle Times described the athlete as a “transgender girl” who had competed in a boys’ junior varsity race earlier in the season before switching categories.
Speaking of transgenderism, Rep. Mary Miller introduced the Yaeli Martinez Child Protection Act to bar federally funded child-welfare agencies from removing children from fit parents who affirm biological sex. The bill would declare that such affirmation is not child abuse, protect foster and adoptive families on the same grounds, block use of the Parental Kidnapping Prevention Act to seize custody, and penalize noncompliant states with lost funds plus a private right of action. Joseph and Arlene Kutzko of Massachusetts reportedly lost custody of their 15-year-old daughter after declining to use male pronouns. The school had facilitated a transition without their knowledge.
In other health-related politics, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced the removal of 189,000 subsidized health enrollments identified as improper. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services projects the change could save taxpayers up to $1.5 billion a year after finding duplicate coverage and records of deceased enrollees in Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Kennedy said the step would save about $738 million in 2026 and that the money would otherwise have gone to insurers rather than American citizens. CMS contacted enrollees or estates and allowed 30 days to correct errors before ending subsidies. Critics have warned that eligible people could miss notices and lose support unfairly.
On election integrity, the Justice Department on October 13 gave California 48 hours to review voters it suspects are noncitizens and to set aside their mail ballots until citizenship is confirmed, or it would seek emergency relief. A spokesperson said only citizens may vote in federal elections. The DOJ claims thousands of potential noncitizens are registered in the state. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin flagged likely noncitizen registrants. A password-protected drive listed people who had been sent ballots. Officials were told to segregate, not cancel, those ballots. Los Angeles County Registrar Dean Logan has not accessed the drive, citing privacy rules and the need for verifiable data. Governor Gavin Newsom’s office and the California secretary of state said the demand was unlawful and would fuel distrust.
Speaking of elections, a Center Square poll of 2,527 registered voters found 55 percent concerned about Democratic Socialist candidates winning office, 35 percent of them very concerned, while 37 percent were not. An August poll found 63 percent concerned about the growth of socialism or communism in American politics. The Democratic Socialists of America cite 67 wins among 93 candidates. Sen. John Fetterman, a Democrat, cited a CBS poll showing nearly 60 percent of Democrats view socialism positively. This poll found 49 percent of Democratic voters concerned about the rise.
Lastly, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is updating Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108 to address glare from modern LED headlights, which often emit 3,000 to 4,000 lumens compared with about 1,000 from halogen bulbs. The agency will consult industry, safety groups, and lighting and vision experts on LEDs, automatic high beams, dusk sensors, lamp height and aim, testing, and global standards. Public comment runs through November 9. That said, an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study found glare cited in only 0.1 percent to 0.2 percent of nighttime crashes, and well-rated LED headlights were associated with fewer nighttime and pedestrian crashes.
Health
Cleveland and Santa Fe schools have replaced ultra-processed cafeteria food with local scratch cooking, backed by the Chef Ann Foundation. Cleveland added buffets of local produce, meats, eggs, and cilantro-lime rice. Santa Fe uses local produce and nearby ranch beef. USDA and HHS launched Harvest to Hallways to connect districts with farmers. A Senate-referred Scratch Cooked Meals for Students Act would pilot scratch kitchens, and Alaska, California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania have advanced related bills. Both districts report less waste, and Cleveland has cut packaging costs.
Separately, the Department of Energy testified in Congress for restoring incandescent bulbs after 2007 Bush-era rules effectively banned them in favor of LEDs that use about 75 percent less power. A DOE official asked why lighting should be centrally planned. Typical LEDs spike in blue, emit little near-infrared, and flicker hundreds of times a second. Dr. Glen Jeffery of University College London has reported that blue-heavy LED light lowers mitochondrial membrane potential. Evening blue light can suppress melatonin. Incandescents emit a full spectrum with red and near-infrared akin to firelight.
Environment
American Prairie’s free-roaming bison herd reached 1,016, the first four-digit count in more than 20 years at the nation’s largest private conservation project. The Montana reserve covers 603,657 acres, 167,070 deeded and 436,587 leased, with a 3.2 million-acre aim. If treated as a national park, the acreage would rank among the ten largest in the Lower 48. A September 4 federal injunction blocked the Bureau of Land Management from forcing bison off three grazing allotments after the agency revoked permits in May 2026, reading the Taylor Grazing Act as limited to commercial food and fiber. The judge said the group’s view that the Act draws no such line was highly likely correct. Montana classifies bison as livestock.
Sources
Bystander Stops Oregon School Shooter in 3 Minutes Despite Campus Gun Ban
So the system said no guns, the killer brought one anyway, and the only thing that stopped him was someone who may have also broken the rule.
DOJ Gives California 48 Hours on Suspected Non-Citizen Voters or Faces Court
This should not be controversial, as the criminal statute is clear: Only American citizens may vote in federal elections.
RFK Jr. Purges 189,000 Ghost and Duplicate Health Enrollments, Saving Taxpayers $1.5 Billion
CMS identified 189,000 subsidized enrollments involving duplicate Medicare, Medicaid, or CHIP coverage on record showing the enrollee has died.
Private Conservation Hits 1,000 Bison After Court Blocks BLM Grazing Crackdown
The resident herd of relatively free-roaming bison now numbers 4 digits for the first time since the organization’s founding more than 20 years ago.
School Cafeterias Ditch Ultra-Processed Junk for Local Scratch Cooking
We’re getting back to the basics. If there’s a will, there’s a way. If you want to serve locally, you can.
Poll: Majority of Voters Concerned About Socialist Candidates Winning Office
A majority of American voters are concerned with socialist candidates running and possibly winning political office, according to a new poll.
New Bill Protects Parents Who Affirm Kids’ Sex From Having Them Taken Away
“Raising your son as a boy or your daughter as a girl is fundamental to parenthood, not child abuse,”
Trump DOT Tackles Blinding LED Headlights After Decades of Regulatory Neglect
The long-overdue update to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108 demonstrates the Trump Administration’s commitment to bolstering driver safety, slashing red tape, and embracing new technologies.
DOE Backs Incandescent Comeback as LED Health Costs Surface
Unfortunately, the efficiency spreadsheet that ushered in LED bulbs left out what is most important.
Camas Girls Forfeit Cross-Country Race Rather Than Compete Against a Boy
They signed up for women’s sports to play against women, not men.
In addition to sources submitted by community members, the following were also used in the creation of this report: IBTimes UK, The New York Times, Land Line Magazine, The Seattle Times, Fox News, and Marine Le Pen.
by aaronmckeon 
