It’s coming fast. November 3 is Election Day, and Americans will see who was right/wrong among the prognosticators, observers, gadflies, and political junkies who share their predictions.

Karl Rove, in the WSJ, tells readers: Democrats will take the House, but they’re unlikely to flip as many seats as they did in 2010.

Security Issues

Democrat Abdul El-Sayed is running for Michigan’s open Senate seat. Mr. Sayed has troubling ties to radical Islamist movements and the security issues those ties pose. Perhaps voters aren’t aware that Mr. Sayed, if elected, will have automatic access to classified information, particularly if he sits on a national-security committee. If he were required to apply for a security clearance like many unelected government employees, offers Zach Kessel in the WSJ, he’d likely have a tough time receiving one.

Standard Form 86, the questionnaire candidates for national-security jobs fill out during the hiring process, asks applicants to list relatives, both living and dead, including parents, stepparents, siblings and half-siblings, parents-in-law and children. That would include the two relatives whose histories have sounded the most alarms over the course of Mr. El-Sayed’s campaign: his mother, Fatten Elkomy, and his father-in-law, Tayeb Jukaku.

Allegedly Funneling Money to bin Laden

Take a look at Ms. Elkomy, who worked at the Islamic American Relief Agency (IARA) from 1999 through at least 2004, when the group was designated by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control for allegedly funneling money to Hamas and Osama bin Laden. In 2007, according to Zach Kessel, the Justice Department charged IARA’s U.S. operations with illegally transferring funds to Iraq. “Court documents name Ms. Elkomy 14 times, including eight wire transfers she participated in that went to the group’s Iraqi branch.”

Then we have Mr. Jukaku, who has been associated with the Islamic Society of North America since at least 2007 and led the Michigan state chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations from 2005-10.

Federal prosecutors in the Holy Land Foundation terror-financing case listed ISNA among groups that “are and/or were members of the US Muslim Brotherhood” and named both ISNA and the national CAIR organization as unindicted co-conspirators.

Though the evidence prosecutors cited largely predated Mr. Jukaku’s earliest documented relationship with the groups—he claims he can’t remember when he joined ISNA—he was involved with ISNA and CAIR in 2008, when the Holy Land Foundation case ended in convictions for five of its leaders.

Not Tied to the Muslim Brotherhood

Mr. El-Sayed does deny any familial ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Both ISNA and CAIR have disputed their inclusion in the Holy Land case, though a federal judge found “ample evidence” of their association with the foundation and refused to strike them from the list of unindicted co-conspirators.

Zach Kessel continues,

SF-86 only asks whether noncitizen relatives are “affiliated with a foreign government, military, security, defense industry, foreign movement, or intelligence service.” The Muslim Brotherhood is undoubtedly a “foreign movement,” but it’s likely that Mr. Jukaku is a U.S. citizen; he gave $300,000 to the main super PAC backing Mr. El-Sayed’s campaign, and federal law bars foreign nationals from making political donations.

Mr. Rogers certainly has a political motivation for attacking his opponent’s background and connections. But he happens to be right, Mr. Kessel writes:

Any investigator would have second thoughts before recommending Mr. El-Sayed have access to classified information. Of course, he won’t need a security clearance if elected; he’d get automatic access to classified information by virtue of his Senate seat. But his record is littered with national-security red flags.

Troubling Ties with Radical Islamist Movements
Debbie Young

Yesterday, in one of my conversations with you, we talked about your recent trip to Germany, where you spent some time near the Swiss border and plan to spend more time in the future.

“Would you consider living there?” I asked.

“You know, it’s funny you ask, because usually we would say no, but this time was different. We are going to go back, and yes, we could see ourselves living there for part of the year.”

The Barometer of a Country’s Health: Its Elderly

He went on to explain that, for him, a good barometer of a country’s health is how its elderly are getting around.

“I saw a 93-year-old gentleman get off his bike with his cane and walk away to wherever he was going. That’s saying something.”

How Do They Treat Their Elders?

During Your Survival Guy’s travels, I’m always observing how different groups act in public places. Do they elbow their way through a doorway like they’re chasing a loose puck? Do they hold the door for you, taking a moment out of their busy chase? And how do they treat their elders and their family?

In Paris, plenty of boxes are checked. There are joggers, bikers, and those out walking of all ages. There seem to be fresh-cut flowers outside storefronts on every other block. You see what appear to be old friends sharing a bottle of rosé on a beautiful afternoon, as if there’s nowhere else they’d rather be. In other words, they’re enjoying their lives.

Every Trip Is the Best So Far

Your Survival Guy’s favorite trips have been with my family to places that still live in my mind like they were yesterday: trips to Fort Wilderness, golfing in Myrtle Beach, sailing to Martha’s Vineyard and, of course, Paris. Every trip has been the best trip we’ve had so far.

So far…

Action Line: It’s never too late to make memories. You won’t regret spending your money somewhat foolishly. Tell me about your favorites. Email me at ejsmith@yoursurvivalguy.com.

Originally posted on Your Survival Guy.

Barometer: “Would You Consider Living There?” I Asked
E.J. Smith - Your Survival Guy

DARPA demonstrated four autonomous unmanned ground vehicles at Fort Knox, Kentucky, on Oct. 15, showcasing technology developed under its Robotic Autonomy in Complex Environments with Resiliency (RACER) program. The vehicles independently navigated difficult terrain, coordinated their movements, and detected and tracked simulated enemy targets. The demonstration combined autonomous mobility with kinetic and non-kinetic payloads, including Anduril’s one-way attack platforms integrated onto Overland AI’s ground vehicles.

The system enables robotic vehicles to conduct reconnaissance and identify potential threats while maintaining human control over engagement decisions. Using satellite imagery, an operator tasked the vehicles to search designated areas, with onboard sensors detecting potential targets and transmitting information to a human supervisor for approval. Although movement, surveillance, and target detection were autonomous, the vehicles could not engage targets without human authorization. DARPA described the exercise as its first demonstration integrating the process from satellite imagery through tactical ground operations.

The RACER program aims to improve the speed, resilience, and adaptability of autonomous ground systems for military operations. Beyond reconnaissance and combat support, the platforms could potentially support logistics, ammunition and supply transport, and casualty evacuation. The demonstration was conducted with potential applications for U.S. European Command in mind, including detecting threats beyond the forward line of troops. DARPA plans to gather feedback from soldiers in December to help evaluate operational requirements and guide future development.

DARPA Advances Ground Combat Robotics
Steve Schneider

Mike Waltz, US ambassador to the United Nations, is at it again. On Tuesday, he was back making the right enemies. Mr. Waltz was at the General Assembly podium seeking to expose the private wealth and corruption of Cuba’s Communist officials.

So riled were the Cuban foreign minister and his subordinates, reports the WSJ, that they marched all the way to the stage to shout and harangue.

But the stunt backfired, explains the Journal:

When a regime lackey shouted that “this individual” was Cuba’s foreign minister—in other words, watch your tongue—Mr. Waltz was unfazed. “And I’m the representative of the United States of America. Back up,” the retired Green Beret said. “This isn’t Havana.”

The Cubans continued ranting. One Cuban goon repeatedly shoved J.P. Freire, a Waltz aide who was filming the attempt to cut off Mr. Waltz’s microphone. The Cubans succeeded only in amplifying the U.S. ambassador’s message.

Mr. Waltz outlined regime repression and theft from the suffering Cuban people, with billions of dollars stashed abroad by the regime’s military conglomerate while the Castro family enjoys a private island and flashes cash and Rolex watches.

At the outset of the disruption, Mr. Waltz raised a good point:

“Imagine,” he wondered, what would happen when someone asks these questions about the regime in Havana, not in a room full of ambassadors and cameras?

Cuba’s some 800 political prisoners were not available for comment, reports the Journal. The U.S. Ambassador could not have asked for a better demonstration of the Cuban regime’s character.

Mr. Waltz told the delegation from Cuba, “I know that you don’t like to hear these hard truths, but I am speaking for the Cuban people.”

The Journal recognizes this as in the best tradition of U.S. diplomacy at the U.N…. “rejecting the lies of the world’s tyrannies and holding them to account.”

Making the Right Enemies
Debbie Young

You need to have a boots-on-the-ground perspective to understand and see what’s going on today. You need to use your own two eyes because, in a world overflowing with dramatic events, what is reported may be true, but how does it relate to you?

It’s not like you’re running into the fire where there are cars burning and looting at LVMH. You have ways to avoid it. Paris is huge. The live reports on the streets make it seem like the whole city is under siege. That’s not the case.

It’s Different When You’re There

I say this having braved the streets of Paris during the worst night of the riots. I say this knowing some streets of Boston, MA, by comparison, are fine to walk by day but are a different story by night.

How Does this Relate to You and Me?

For selfish reasons, it would have been a shame to have missed out on our favorite meal that Saturday night in Paris at Le Bon Georges. We could have easily stayed in at the Lutetia for champagne at Bar Josephine and dinner at the brasserie and had another lovely night.

But according to our friend who helped us get the reservation, this was a meal we did not want to miss, so we hit the streets.

When Your Survival Guy and Gal talk about places here where the grass may be greener, we often land on Nashville, TN. Sorry, the secret’s out. But do we really want to leave the ocean? No.

You Won’t Know If You Don’t Go: Spend It

What’s the reality of anywhere worth living in and visiting? At the end of the day, it just costs more. Rising costs are part of life. It’s why you saved your money. Spend it.

I want you to invest in your peace of mind and safety and to take the trips you so richly deserve. It’s expensive not because of inflation but because other people want it, too (and maybe somewhat because of inflation). It’s because you have common sense that you spend it on yourself and your loved ones.

Action Line: You got this. Spend the money on your peace of mind. You won’t regret it, but you won’t know if you don’t go. Take the time to spend money somewhat foolishly and to live your retirement life.

Originally posted on Your Survival Guy.

Paris: You Won’t Know if You Don’t Go
E.J. Smith - Your Survival Guy

Anduril and Qualcomm Technologies have announced BlueChip, a new initiative to rebuild U.S. computer manufacturing and reduce dependence on overseas supply chains. The project will begin with a laptop powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Series platform, designed and assembled in the United States for government, defense, public safety, and other critical industries. Anduril has developed functional prototypes and plans to begin accepting orders in 2027.

More than 90% of the prototype’s component procurement costs currently come from U.S. and allied-country suppliers. Anduril plans to expand domestic production of components, including enclosures, batteries, circuit boards, and display assemblies, with circuit board assembly planned for its Arsenal-1 facility in Ohio.

The initiative aims to address supply chain vulnerabilities by rebuilding the domestic manufacturing capabilities and supplier networks needed to produce computers at scale. BlueChip will initially prioritize domestic sourcing before working toward a fully U.S.-based supply chain, with the manufacturing expertise developed through the laptop program intended to support future computing products.

Anduril and Qualcomm Launch BlueChip
Steve Schneider

Originally posted September 1, 2026.

The WSJ talks about the latest pessimism hitting Americans: data centers. For certain, data centers are unlikely to pop up in NYC or, for that matter, on Martha’s Vineyard.

Data centers look like warehouses. They also are crucial for artificial intelligence. The US is in competition with China. Should the US lose to China, you can be pretty darn certain China will not be a benevolent winner.

Without the energy and the data centers to power it, notes the Editorial Board of the WSJ, “America’s safety and prosperity will be compromised.”

Attribute starting the firestorm on the left to Sen. Bernie Sanders, who would like a nationwide halt to new data centers. Now the issue has become a nationwide political battle.

In Ohio, Sherrod Brown is making the issue the center of his comeback bid against appointed GOP Sen. Jon Husted.

Why are politicians, who once supported these centers, turning?

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker once courted data centers but now is giving them a cold shoulder.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who has a huge lead in his re-election campaign, this month issued an executive order restricting their development.

Republicans aren’t about to be left out of this about-face:

GOP Rep. Tom Tiffany is running ads in Wisconsin in his campaign for Governor calling his opponent “Data Center David Crowley.” “Our lakes run dry, family farms paved over,” says the fear-mongering spot.

Isn’t it time for politicians to fess up to what’s going on? This summer, Gov. Greg Abbott (TX) paused new construction pending the completion of a statewide audit, citing concerns about data center power and water use. Abbott blamed AI firms: “They basically dug their own grave for the problem that’s been caused for them, and that’s why they got the backlash they deserve.”

By many measures, the AI industry has hurt its own cause by fueling speculative anxiety about mass unemployment. AI developers also have failed to explain how data centers benefit local communities. But the larger failure has been the lack of political leadership in explaining the technological and economic transition now underway and how to address it.

It’s not only utilities that benefit from AI (monitoring natural disasters and preparing for power outages); AI models also diagnose cancer earlier and help develop cures, and building the data centers creates a lot of jobs.

Data centers bring high-paying construction jobs, and skilled blue-collar workers are needed to run them.

What about pollution from data centers? Good question. Scant.

Their CO2 emissions mainly stem from the natural gas plants that power them. But modern gas generators produce upward of 90% less fine particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, and carbon monoxide than a steel mill.

How about wastewater? Aren’t data centers notorious for producing wastewater? Data centers also deploy efficient systems to recirculate wastewater, so they don’t affect the supply of drinking water.

For example, Microsoft’s new data center in Wisconsin will use about only four Olympic swimming pools of water this year, half as much as a car wash. Golf courses use about 30 times more water than data centers.

Understandably concerning for all Americans are higher utility costs.  But data centers aren’t to blame, explains the WSJ.

Average electric rates nationwide have increased roughly in line with inflation since 2016, with larger increases in the Northeast and California, largely because of climate policies such as net-metering that lets homes with solar panels free-load on the grid. A study by the Electric Power Research Institute found that data centers between 2015 and 2024 reduced residential rates by 3.5%, reports the WSJ, spreading the grid’s fixed costs over a larger electric load.

What’s the Reality?

The surge of opposition to data centers, reports the Journal, reflects misinformation and anxiety about the future more than it does reality.

President Trump is speaking up, however, noting that data centers will provide “far lower taxes and jobs all over the place.”

Please keep it up, pleads the Journal.

President Trump rightly notes that if the bipartisan campaign against data centers succeeds, the winner will be the Chinese Communist Party.

The Politics of Data Centers
Debbie Young

Your Survival Guy was at the gym yesterday, speaking with an acquaintance who winters in Nice, France.

I hadn’t spoken with him since my return from burning Paris, and we talked about the riots.

“That isn’t happening in Nice,” he said.

“The education system there is excellent because, in France, localities and families fill the gap in costs not covered by the state. It’s like state colleges here, but even here, they’re hardly free. They’re close to free in France. There’s just not enough money to go around anymore.”

Shocker.

Not long ago, it was President Macron who lamented that France doesn’t have a spending problem (really?); it has a revenue problem.

France hasn’t balanced its budget since 1974.

The middle class is getting skewered, forced to send their children to private school and live in a country they no longer recognize.

Action Line: When the money runs dry, there will be changes. The bond market has been awakened. No more free lunches. Hard decisions will be made.

Originally posted on Your Survival Guy.

Deficit: France Hasn’t Balanced its Budget Since 1974
E.J. Smith - Your Survival Guy

South Carolina-based defense startup Powerus unveiled its fully autonomous Guardian 3 drone interceptor at the Association of the United States Army’s annual meeting, marking its latest advance in counter-drone technology. According to co-founder and president Brett Velicovich, the company has progressed from the manually controlled Guardian 1 to the semi-autonomous Guardian 2 and now the Guardian 3, which uses radar cueing, artificial intelligence, and navigation systems to detect and engage incoming drones with less human intervention.

Powerus’s development comes amid growing U.S. military demand for affordable air defense, as the conflict with Iran has strained supplies of expensive missile-defense interceptors. Drawing lessons from Ukraine’s battlefield experience, the company aims to deliver scalable systems that require fewer specialized operators and reduce human error.

Guardian 3 is compatible with just about any radar in the U.S. military inventory.

The radar reads the incoming drone’s speed and altitude.

The system launches into that trajectory, leads the target, and finishes with a point or proximity detonation.

Brett Velicovich walks through it here.

— Powerus (@powerus_usa) October 23, 2026

The company is also partnering with Netherlands-based defense firm Destinus to bring missile-interceptor systems to the U.S. market, expanding beyond drone defense to address broader Pentagon demand for lower-cost air defense solutions.

This demand reflects the growing challenge posed by increasingly advanced attack drones in Ukraine, where Russia’s faster, jet-powered models have reduced interception rates to just over 50%, compared with around 90% for slower, propeller-driven drones, according to the Atlantic Council. Their greater speed and improved guidance make them harder and more expensive to stop, while sustained attacks on Ukrainian cities continue to damage civilian infrastructure and disrupt daily life.

Ukraine currently relies partly on fighter jets and costly missiles to intercept these drones, creating an urgent need for more affordable alternatives. With Russia planning to expand production and move manufacturing underground, autonomous systems such as Powerus’s Guardian 3 highlight the broader push to develop scalable, cost-effective defenses against evolving aerial threats.

Powerus Targets High-Speed Shahed Drones With Guardian 3
Steve Schneider

When Democrats campaign to make the “rich” pay their “fair share,” Allysia Finley wants voters to remember that wealth and fairness are in the eye of the tax assessor. They may rail against billionaires, she adds, but Joe the HVAC repairman, not Elon the trillionaire, is their real target.

In their new book, The Everywhere Billonaire, economists Owen Zidar and Eric Zwick make clear that most of the nation’s wealth is concentrated among small-business owners.

In their view, auto dealers, fast-food franchise owners and plumbers are the primary cause of inequality in America, and they aren’t paying anywhere near their fair share in taxes.

The authors calculate that there are three million “Main Street millionaires” who own private businesses and have a net worth of at least $5 million:

“Collectively, Main Street Millionaires have more than thirteen times the wealth of the Forbes 400. For every member of the Forbes 400, more than four thousand private business owners each have at least $10 million in net worth.”

They write, “For every large public company CEO, more than one thousand private business owners have at least $25 million in wealth.”

“Far more than a few high-profile billionaires on the coasts, these are the real rich in America.”

The Best Deal in America

Messrs. Zidar and Zwick continue, owning a small business “is the best tax deal in America.”

They gripe that Main Street millionaires use their political clout to promote lower taxes that help them expand their businesses and—oh no—accumulate wealth.

Eviscerate the Estate Tax

As Ms. Finley explains, “No battle better illustrates Main Street Millionaires’ political influence,” they write, “than their long and successful campaign to eviscerate the estate tax.”

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 doubled the federal estate tax exemption to $11.2 million per decedent and adjusted the amount annually for inflation. Republicans last year made permanent the larger exemption (now $15 million, or $30 million for married couples). Assets exceeding the exemption are taxed at 40% before the estate is distributed to heirs.

The larger exemption, continues Ms. Finley, is an acknowledgment that the estate tax punishes investment and saving. “If you listen to Democrats—or for that matter, to United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby—punishment is the point.”

Come On

Too many so-called rich are dodging taxes by investing their hard-earned money and leaving the bounty to their kin.

Mr. Kirby last week said he favored “inheritance taxes that get close to 100% at some level.” “If you’re wealthy enough, you can have passive income, you can just make an investment, and the laws are set up that you literally never pay taxes on all that growth that can happen,” he told Bloomberg News. “And that just feels unfair to me.”

Kirby, a high-flying CEO, has the means and wherewithal to hire accountants and lawyers to help him dodge death and income taxes and potential wealth taxes. Less so, writes Ms. Finley, small business owners.

Why Lambaste Billionaires?

“Because targeting Main Street is not popular. “

Democrats instead lambaste billionaires. See California’s Proposition 40, which seeks to impose a 5% tax on the fortunes of residents with more than $1 billion in net worth. French economist Emmanuel Saez, one of the initiative’s architects, recently explained to the New York Times that targeting only billionaires was a strategic choice, since they “are no longer very popular.”

Mr. Saez in 2020 helped 14 California Democratic lawmakers, including now-Attorney General Rob Bonta:

craft a bill to impose a 0.4% wealth tax on taxpayers with more than $30 million in assets. It foundered amid opposition from Gov. Gavin Newsom, but if Proposition 40 passes, don’t be surprised if wealth tax proponents later seek to lower the threshold.

Ms. Finley next visits New York City.

NYC  Mayor Zohran Mamdani names and shames billionaires like Citadel CEO Ken Griffin. This is a head-fake. His proposed tax hikes would primarily whack owners of local bodegas, plumbing companies, and other small businesses. So, too, “millionaire taxes” are popping up in states across the country.

What About Michigan?

Abdul El-Sayed, Michigan’s Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, favors imposing an additional death tax by requiring heirs to pay income tax on inheritances worth more than $1 million.

Some 24 million Americans could get soaked, most of whom are solidly middle-class. He also wants to remove the $184,500 earnings cap on the 12.4% Social Security payroll tax “to make sure the rich pay their fair share.”

If you earn more than $184,500, Ms. Finley would congratulate you.

Progressives don’t merely want to redistribute wealth. They want to raise taxes to aggrandize their own power and level opponents. Then they can decide what’s fair and who has enough.

You’re Rich, Loser
Debbie Young