Column Science Fiction Film Club Robinson Crusoe on Mars: An Optimistic Space Age Survival Tale An astronaut and his monkey crash-land on the Red Planet… By Kali Wallace | Published on November 5, 2025 Credit: Paramount Pictures Comment 0 Share New Share Credit: Paramount Pictures Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964). Directed by Byron Haskin. Written by Ib Melchior and John C. Higgins, based on the novel Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. Starring Paul Mantee, Victor Lundin, Adam West, and Barney the Woolly Monkey. On November 28, 1964, NASA launched the Mariner 4 mission to Mars. It was NASA’s second planned Mars probe, as just a few weeks earlier Mariner 3 had been launched but soon lost power, putting it on a trajectory that would miss Mars by a wide margin. (Thankfully it was just a probe full of scientific instruments and not a futuristic cruise ship filled with depressed travelers.) This was during the height of the Space Race, when the United States and the Soviet Union were flinging spacecraft into space more or less nonstop. It wasn’t just about getting humans to the Moon; they were also racing for every other “first” in space exploration, and that included sending unmanned spacecraft to the other planets in our solar system. Mariner 4 was a success, and after more than seven months in transit it completed a two-day flyby of Mars in July of 1965. It sent back some 634 kb of data, which is less than a single one of the many thousands of cat pictures I have saved on my phone, but in 1964 it was a whopping amount. That data included information about Mars’ atmosphere (very thin), temperature (very cold), magnetic field (nonexistent), and Van Allen radiation belt (also nonexistent). Most strikingly, Mariner 4 captured 22 photographs of the surface of Mars, all of which revealed a planet that was pockmarked by craters and devoid of obvious signs of water or life. That was, alas, not quite what people had expected. Pardon me for a moment while I set aside my film writer hat and put on my somewhat dusty geologist hat… These days, living as we are in the era of fondly anthropomorphized Mars landers and abundant surface imagery, it’s a bit hard to conceptualize just how little we knew about Mars in the early ’60s. I’m not just talking about the general public, but about scientists actively involved in the research. Nobody was going there looking for a vast civilization made up of Percival Lowell’s canals, but they did have some expectations of a planet that was rather more similar to Earth than it turned out to be. The eternal problem of planetary geology, then and now, is that we have exactly one well-studied data point, so what we see on Earth inevitably colors all of our theories about how planets work. Prior to the ’60s space missions, scientists expected Mars to have a magnetic field, because it formed the same way and at the same time as Earth from the same raw material. Earth’s magnetic field protects our atmosphere from being stripped away by solar wind, which in turn protects the surface from ultraviolet radiation, which means that the large molecules necessary for life (such as DNA) are protected from the full force of the Sun’s radiation. So when the Mariner 4 flyby showed that Mars has no magnetic field and very little atmosphere, as well as significant cratering on the surface that indicates an “old” surface that has not been geologically active, planetary scientists had to very dramatically shift their understanding of exactly how Mars compared to Earth. The fundamental processes that shape the planets are the same, but Mars sits at a different place along the timeline of planetary evolution. Mars had a magnetic dynamo like Earth’s in the past, when it was still cooling and had a partially molten core, but that ceased when the interior completely cooled. (It’s a lot more complicated than that—geomagnetism is always more complicated—but that’s the general idea.) Mars also had a thicker atmosphere in the past, but without the magnetic field to protect it, the solar wind was able to scour most of that atmosphere away, which meant the surface temperatures would drop, most surface water would evaporate or freeze, and any life would be exposed to radiation. All of that new information hit the planetary science community like a ton of bricks in the summer of ’65. If you poke around scientific articles about Mars prior to Mariner 4, you can find things like scientists theorizing about the biochemical composition of the life they will inevitably find on Mars. Afterward, the focused shifted to searching for evidence there had been life in Mars’ distant pass, rather than expecting it in the present. All right, I’m taking off the geologist hat and putting the film writer hat back on now. Naturally, the new data from Mars also changed the way sci fi writers wrote about the planet. That includes movies, although there is a curious dearth of cinematic depictions of Mars between the mid to late ’60s and the ’80s. Robinson Crusoe on Mars sits right at the boundary of the old type of Mars movie and the new. It came out a year before Mariner 4 reached Mars, so the exciting new discoveries were not incorporated into its vision of the planet. But in the context of what people knew prior to Mariner 4, it is a significantly more grounded view of Mars than what we seen in many movies that preceded it. That’s by design, but the film didn’t start out that way. The first version of the screenplay was written by Ib Melchior, who had previously written and directed another Mars movie, The Angry Red Planet (1959), and would later write the English-language script for Mario Bava’s Planet of the Vampires (1965). Melchior was a man who liked to write about terrible things happening to people exploring other planets, and I like that about him. His version of Robinson Crusoe on Mars featured a Martian surface replete with plant and animal life—not quite the classic creature feature that was The Angry Red Planet, but definitely not a lifeless landscape. Melchior had intended to direct the film himself, but he had to abandon it in order to focus on The Time Travelers (1964). The studio (Paramount) found another director to helm the project, and that was Byron Haskin, who is best known for his collaborations with producer George Pal. Haskin directed The War of the Worlds (1953), as well as a couple of space exploration films: Conquest of Space (1955) and From the Earth to the Moon (1958). He was no stranger to sending characters into space, and with screenwriter John C. Higgins, he revised Melchior’s script to add some realism to both the portrayal of Mars and the process of exploring it. In a 2011 essay for the Criterion Collection, Michael Lennick points out that variations on the theme of Daniel Defoe’s novel would become all the rage in the second half of the 1960s, with television series like Gilligan’s Island and I Dream of Jeannie using the premise of characters getting stranded on remote islands as a foundation for camp and comedy. I’m sure there is some interesting cultural psychology to study regarding what was going on there, but it’s not relevant to our purposes today because Haskin takes a much more straightforward and earnest approach: An astronaut is stranded alone in a faraway place, and he has to survive. Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe was published in 1719. I’ll let the English lit majors in the audience argue about its impact and significance, but I think most of us have heard of it and know at least the basic premise. I’ve never read it, and my knowledge of it is limited to the general cultural knowledge one acquires as a person who grew up and attended schooling in the English-speaking world. That is, I’ve encountered deeply abridged children’s versions, and I’m aware of the outline of the story, but that’s about it. I didn’t know that the story was inspired by one or more real sailors who had spent years marooned on various islands; the man most frequently cited is Alexander Selkirk, a Scottish sailor who tried to mutiny against his captain, failed, and ended up spending four years on an island in the South Pacific. Nor did I know that in the book the titular character is participating in the Atlantic slave trade when his ship is sunk and he becomes stranded. They left the slave-trading out of the abridged versions I encountered as a child. The men traveling to Mars in Robinson Crusoe on Mars have no evil intentions. Commander Kit Draper (Paul Mantee) and Colonel Dan McReady (Adam West, a few years before he would become Gotham City’s caped crusader) are collecting data aboard Mars Gravity Probe 1. Along for the ride is Mona the Woolly Monkey (played by Barney the Woolly Monkey, who was required to wear a diaper to hide the fact that he was a male monkey, and probably also for the usual diaper reasons). While they are in orbit around Mars, Draper and McReady have to change course to dodge a meteor, which leads to them running out of fuel and ejecting from the ship in separate landers. (It does not, thankfully, lead to them soaring off course and into the unknown where they are obliged to start a doomsday space sex cult.) (Yes, I will continue referencing Aniara any time we encounter a Mars-bound flight gone awry.) Draper crash-lands on Mars, which looks a lot like Death Valley, because it is Death Valley. Specifically, it’s the gorgeous landscape near Zabriskie Point in the Amargosa Range, which you too would recognize immediately if you had also spent your college years studying rocks instead of reading Robinson Crusoe. Death Valley stars as Mars in nearly all of the exterior scenes, although some are augmented by matte paintings by artist Albert Whitlock, whose work we’ve seen before in The Thing (1982) and Dune (1984). The giant firestorm and balls of flame are not natural to Death Valley—nor to the real Mars—but they provide some nice peril to welcome Draper to the surface. He quickly realizes he can’t survive breathing the Martian atmosphere for long, so he takes what air and water he can from his wrecked lander and searches for shelter. What follows is a survival story that hits all the familiar beats, but it’s interesting and engaging as it does so. McCready doesn’t survive his own rough landing, although Mona does, so Draper is alone with a monkey companion. He’s lucky enough to find some rocks that not only burn but somehow produce oxygen while they burn, so he can take shelter in a cave, stay warm, and breathe for a little longer. Mona is the one who finds the Martian cave pools filled with edible plants that can somehow also be processed into fiber for textiles. (I have… so many questions about those plants. And about what happens to the digestive systems of both man and monkey after eating nothing but fiber for months.) Draper approaches it all with a can-do attitude, but he does suffer from some moments of despair. Mantee was chosen for the role largely based on being an unknown and resembling American astronaut Alan Shepard, but he plays those heavier scenes well. Even though I find the idea of NASA sending astronauts to Mars with videotapes of “How To Survive on Other Planets” hilarious, I still like that the film takes a practical approach to the problems Draper faces. I also really like that even when Draper thinks he’s never going to leave Mars, Draper dutifully records observations about what he finds. He’s an astronaut who has come to Mars to explore the planet, and nothing will keep him from doing that. Of course, just as in the original Robinson Crusoe, Draper’s solitude does not last. Defoe’s character encounters a group of cannibals and befriends one of their escaped captives, whereas the astronaut version encounters an extraterrestrial interplanetary mining operation and befriends one of the escaped slaves, who is played by Victor Lundin. (A few years later, Lundin would make an appearance in the Star Trek episode “Errand of Mercy” as one of the first Klingons shown in the series.) The two of them help each other (and Mona) survive, evading the relentless alien miners by first descending into volcanic caverns, then by heading for one of Mars’ polar ice caps (which have been known to astronomers since the 17th century). There, they are finally rescued by another mission from Earth. If you looked at the three-pointed shape of the alien spacecraft and thought, “Gosh, those look familiar,” well, there’s a reason for that, but it’s not quite the reason I first assumed. Like others before me, I thought Haskin had merely reused the models from War of the Worlds, but the truth is he just really liked that shape for alien spaceships and had special effects artist Albert Nozaki make him another set of similar ships for this film. Haskin also did the film’s small amount of spaceship animation himself, making use of the special effects experience he had developed during the earlier part of his career. Robinson Crusoe on Mars ends on a bit of a silly note—melting the Martian ice cap is a bit much—and there are moments throughout where the 1960s of it all invites a bit of eyerolling, but overall I found it to be an enjoyable movie and a fun sci fi take on one of literature’s most familiar survival stories. The film occupies an interesting spot in sci fi movie history. It’s one of the more grounded takes on space exploration from the era, making good use of what science was available at the time while leaving room for a fairly light and optimistic tone. Just a few years earlier, space exploration films had leaned more heavily into monsters and metaphors and cautionary tales; just a few years later and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) would enter the scene and nudge the genre toward high-minded solemnity. But right there in the mid ’60s sits Robinson Crusoe on Mars, which firmly set aside the paranoia and science skepticism of the Atomic Age to embrace the adventurous spirit of the Space Race. The film tries to match the mood of the era, and I think it does a pretty good job. What do you think of Robinson Crusoe on Mars? Does it make you want to go to Mars? It makes me want to go to Mars, even though I know Mars is not Death Valley and there are no fibrous cave plants to turn into hallucinatory sausage and weave into blankets. I still want to go. (A final note: I’m sure many of us have seen the premise of The Martian, the novel by Andy Weir, also described as “Robinson Crusoe on Mars.” I really like The Martian—both the book and the film version—but I have no idea if Weir has ever spoken about knowledge of the film Robinson Crusoe on Mars. I haven’t looked into it and, honestly, asking if an English-language author knows the premise of Defoe’s novel is a bit like asking if somebody in a swimming pool knows water is wet. Also, everybody should write more sci fi planetary exploration survival stories, so I can read them.)[end-mark] Next week: We can and will remember all kinds of things for you wholesale with Paul Verhoeven’s Total Recall. Watch it on Apple, Kanopy, or Amazon. The post <i>Robinson Crusoe on Mars</i>: An Optimistic Space Age Survival Tale appeared first on Reactor.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Australia’s continuing clash over online speech has deepened after the Federal Court ordered Telegram to define the limits of its lawsuit against eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant by November 7. The directive followed complaints from the regulator that Telegram had widened its challenge beyond what it originally filed, introducing new arguments at a late stage. The dispute centers on the controversial Online Safety Act 2021, which gives the eSafety Commissioner broad authority to demand information from online platforms about their handling of “harmful” content and to impose penalties for non-compliance. Telegram is challenging both the Commissioner’s authority under that law and the A$957,780 ($622k) fine issued earlier this year after it allegedly missed a reporting deadline. In March 2024, eSafety issued notices to six major technology companies, including Google, Meta, X, Reddit, WhatsApp, and Telegram. The notices required detailed reports about how each company was combating material connected to “terror and violent extremism” and demanded responses within 49 days. According to eSafety, Telegram failed to comply within that timeframe, leading to the fine on February 24, 2025. Telegram has rejected both the fine and the regulator’s jurisdiction. The company argues that it is not a “provider of social-media services” under the law and therefore cannot be bound by Section 56(2), which authorizes eSafety to compel cooperation from social media or electronic service providers. Telegram also claims that it never received the March 2024 notice because it was sent to an incorrect address in Dubai and to unrelated email inboxes. The company maintains that it only learned of the request in late August 2024 and still provided responses in October “in circumstances where it was not compelled to do so.” During a recent hearing, eSafety’s lawyer Philip Solomon said Telegram had suddenly expanded its case to challenge not only the legality of the reporting notice but also the fine itself. “ We want to know the case we have to meet. We want a fair opportunity to meet it,” Solomon told the court, urging clarity ahead of the next hearing. Judge Christopher Horan agreed, instructing Telegram to confirm by November 7 which arguments it intends to pursue. Any grounds left out of the amended filing will be treated as withdrawn. The case is scheduled for a two-day hearing in December. Telegram’s lawyer, David Klempfner, has criticized the “scope and volume of affidavit material” produced by eSafety, saying the regulator’s approach has complicated what should be a straightforward judicial review. Telegram is seeking to overturn the fine and recover its legal costs. Beyond the procedural fight, the case raises larger questions about the reach of government control over digital communications. Julie Inman Grant, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner, has become one of the most polarizing figures in the country’s digital policy world because of her strong support for far-reaching online regulation. Her office has given itself extensive powers under the Online Safety Act, enabling it to demand reports from technology companies, order the removal or restriction of content, and impose significant fines for non-compliance. While her supporters argue that these measures are essential to address online abuse and harmful material, others see them as an excessive extension of government authority into the realm of free expression. By allowing a regulator to define what counts as “harmful content,” the law gives broad discretion that many believe could lead to the suppression of lawful speech simply because it is unpopular or politically inconvenient. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Telegram Pushes Back as Australia’s Online Censorship Battle Heats Up appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

With the Elections Over, the Shutdown Will be Over Soon Too

Great News from ADP: Private Sector Hiring Increased By ... 42,000?

Deep, deep, deep in the ocean, life finds a way. But how?

On Friday's Fox News at Night, host Trace Gallagher devoted a segment to the problem of illegal aliens causing car crashes that could have been prevented if they had been deported for previous DUI offenses. He began by highlighting the case of a 14-year-old boy who was killed in a hit-and-run in California by a drunk driver from Mexico who had not been deported despite a history of drunk driving arrests: "And the case of a teenager struck down by a hit and run driver in Southern California turns out to be another tragic tale of an American killed by an illegal immigrant who should not have been in the country." Reporter Chanley Painter then informed viewers: Just a devastating story out of Southern California where a 14-year-old high school student who was riding his bike was allegedly killed in a DUI-related hit-and-run. La Quinta High School student Liam Cantu, he died in a hospital this week, and tonight we're learning that the suspect involved with that fatal crash was an illegal alien from Mexico that had a prior record. She added: Law enforcement sources tell Fox Jose Abelardo Villegas-Orbe had two prior DUI arrests in California, but, under the Biden administration's immigration enforcement policies, those misdemeanor arrests meant ICE detainers -- an ICE detainer, excuse me -- was not filed. Well, tonight the Trump administration has filed a detainer request. The California so-called sanctuary law could complicate that... During a discussion, Gallagher soon turned to immigration attorney Esther Valdez Clayton and posed: This illegal immigrant was arrested for DUI in August of 2024 and again in November of 2024 in Riverside County. He did not meet the Biden immigration enforcement priorities -- he was set free. Now, accused of killing a 14-year-old and being under the influence at the time that he killed the 14-year-old. It's, I mean, it's, we, we do this every single night, these types of stories, and yet they're protesting bringing these people out of the country. Clayton recounted the story of the deadly accident and noted that sanctuary states refuse to honor ICE detainers even when they are enacted: Now, when you get a misdemeanor conviction and ICE typically files a detainer with the police department, hand him over department to department. This is not what happens in sanctuary states like California. He was released back into the community. She went on to note that the victim was also an immigrant, illustrating that immigrants are often hurt by the actions of illegal aliens. Gallagher later brought up another case in which a couple in South Carolina were killed by an illegal alien who had a history of DUIs in Illinois: ... nobody goes easier on illegals than the people in Illinois. Now, you have an illegal -- put him up on the screen here -- accused of killing a Republican board member in a town in South Carolina along with his wife. And it's the same thing -- DUI, another accident, another -- and the sad thing here is previous DUIs. And it just goes on and on and on, and I wanted to put this up just to show that it's not a one-off thing -- is we do this all the time. And we get a couple of these a day, and nothing's done about it. Transcript follows: Fox News at Night October 31, 2025 11:28 p.m. Eastern TRACE GALLAGHER: And the case of a teenager struck down by a hit and run driver in Southern California turns out to be another tragic tale of an American killed by an illegal immigrant who should not have been in the country. Chanley Painter is live in New York City with the new information on this. Chanley, good evening. CHANLEY PAINTER: And good evening, Trace. Just a devastating story out of Southern California where a 14-year-old high school student who was riding his bike was allegedly killed in a DUI-related hit-and-run. La Quinta High School student Liam Cantu, he died in a hospital this week, and tonight we're learning that the suspect involved with that fatal crash was an illegal alien from Mexico that had a prior record. Law enforcement sources tell Fox Jose Abelardo Villegas-Orbe had two prior DUI arrests in California, but, under the Biden administration's immigration enforcement policies, those misdemeanor arrests meant ICE detainers -- an ICE detainer, excuse me -- was not filed. Well, tonight the Trump administration has filed a detainer request. The California so-called sanctuary law could complicate that... (...) GALLAGHER: This illegal immigrant was arrested for DUI in August of 2024 and again in November of 2024 in Riverside County. He did not meet the Biden immigration enforcement priorities -- he was set free. Now, accused of killing a 14-year-old and being under the influence at the time that he killed the 14-year-old. It's, I mean, it's, we, we do this every single night, these types of stories, and yet they're protesting bringing these people out of the country. ESTHER VALDEZ CLAYTON, IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY: People are so misled when they think that the Trump administration should only focus on worst of the worst because throughout this state, in particular, we have people like this gentleman who killed a high school student who had two previous DUIs. Now, when you get a misdemeanor conviction and ICE typically files a detainer with the police department, hand him over department to department. This is not what happens in sanctuary states like California. He was released back into the community. He was later arrested, convicted again for the same conviction in November. He was released yet again. ICE did not file a detainer because it's not an immigration priority. He should have been deported for having these misdemeanor convictions. Yet again he's released back into the community, and he slaughters possibly a young man also of immigration descent who's also Hispanic. He kills him when he should have been deported. He should never have been driving, but, of course, he probably had a state-sponsored driver's license given to undocumented immigrants. (...) GALLAGHER: Meantime, just kind of going back to the top of this subject we're talking about here, Sheriff. You've got, you know, nobody goes easier on illegals than the people in Illinois. Now, you have an illegal -- put him up on the screen here -- accused of killing a Republican board member in a town in South Carolina along with his wife. And it's the same thing -- DUI, another accident, another -- and the sad thing here is previous DUIs. And it just goes on and on and on, and I wanted to put this up just to show that it's not a one-off thing -- is we do this all the time. And we get a couple of these a day, and nothing's done about it.

Just one week apart from each other, MSNBC promoted two covert liberal activists under the guise of average Americans suffering from President Trump’s policies. MSNBC was not forthright with its audience and hid the extensive history of both guests, who were deeply involved in Democratic Party politics; one even ran as a Democrat. During the October 27th edition of The 11th Hour, Stephanie Ruhle welcomed on Illinois farmer John Bartman and described him as “a corn and soybean farmer, for real.” During his appearance, the undercover farmer oddly advocated for a specific piece of legislation and signaled his heroic commitment to environmentally-friendly farming practices: … what we really need the Secretary to do right now is to implement the 45Z sustainable aviation and biofuel tax credit. […] And more importantly, we get to save the environment because I farm sustainably and we're going to create a new industry. And it's going to be good for rural America, and it's going to be great for the environment. And we need to be supporting this type of legislation. […] But they don't, because why? Cause that was Joe Biden's plan, and they don't want anything to do that Joe Biden did. What Ruhle didn’t mention was that Bartman had a history of liberal activism and involvement with Democrat politics. Bartman was the star of a recent Democratic National Committee video whining about Trump’s trade policies. He discussed Trump’s trade war and bailout for Argentina with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Representative Sharice Davids (D-KS), and DNC deputy executive director Libby Schneider on a call for the DNC’s War Room.     He appeared alongside Illinois Governor JB Pritzker during a press conference in late October for an executive order Pritzker signed in response to Trump’s tariffs, and spoke on Pritzker’s behalf. In February, he provided testimony for Representative Bill Foster (D-IL) against Trump’s freeze on federal funding. Back in 2017, Bartman joined a group of farmers to meet with Democratic Congress members on Capitol Hill. And in 2016, Bartman ran (unsuccessfully) as the Democratic candidate to represent the 63rd district in the Illinois state House. Bartman has also been a bit of a busy media beaver this year, making appearances on NewsNation’s Morning in America in November and October, CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper in October, CBS News Chicago in May, and ABC 7 in April. Days later, Ruhle featured a video clip of Bartman where he, predictably, celebrated Biden and demeaned Trump (see transcript below). On the November 3rd edition of Chris Jansing Reports, MSNBC brought on “SNAP recipient” Hazel Willow: JANSING: … the Trump administration has said that it will at least partially pay for SNAP food benefits this month. Are you breathing a little bit of a sigh of relief? […] WILLOW: Yeah. I don't — it doesn't bring me relief. I'm very aware of the cycles of power and control that are happening right now since I've become, you know, more educated about it, becoming a survivor. And, you know, my abuser loved to do the bare minimum, too, after he abused me and deprived me of my basic necessities. The fact that it's temporary is ridiculous to me, because that's continuing the mental anguish and torture and uncertainty for all of the Americans that rely on this.     Interestingly, Willow has been the media’s go-to victim for when federal and state welfare programs were threatened with cuts over the past several years. In July, the Portland Press Herald highlighted Willow as one of the Mainers who would be impacted by the One Big Beautiful Bill’s cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. During debt ceiling negotiations in mid-2023 USA Today featured Willow due her status as a Temporary Assistance for Needy Families welfare recipient. The Maine People’s Alliance’s Beacon publication described Willow as “chronically unhouse since 2021.” A local news outlet quoted her months later about SNAP adjustments. She advocated for affordable housing as early as March of 2022. Willow has also been a vocal proponent of welfare programs outside of food stamps. Back in May, Willow testified and advocated in favor of a state bill to increase child care affordability. In April, Willow testified in favor of increasing the state’s child tax credit. In March, she protested against state cuts to child care. MSNBC never mentioned that Willow was a member of Maine People’s Alliance, the self-described “largest progressive community action organization” in the state that “has worked to build a powerful statewide grassroots movement for progressive social change.” So, when should MSNBC stop pretending their guests are normal, everyday Americans? How about right (MS)NOW! The transcript is below. Click "expand" read: MSNBC’s The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle October 27, 2025 11:40:10 p.m. EST STEPHANIE RUHLE: For clarification, Secretary Bessent himself is not a farmer. What he actually means is he collects rent on farmland that he owns in North Dakota. I want to welcome John Bartman. He is a corn and soybean farmer, for real, from Illinois. John, thank you for staying up late and joining me tonight. I want to start with what the Treasury Secretary said. What did you make of that? JOHN BARTMAN: Well, Steph, it's very obvious that we've got another Republican who's all hat no cattle. And, unfortunately, they think that they can buy their calluses, but, you know, you have to earn them. And the American people know that and they can see through it. RUHLE: China bought more than half of the U.S.-grown soybeans in 2023 and 2024. Tell us what this has been like, their boycott, how has it affected your day-to-day business? BARTMAN: Well, Steph, one thing I really appreciate your show is that you understand markets. And right now we're sitting on a billion bushels that don't have a home. That's about 25 percent of our market right now. And what I'm really concerned about is 2026. And if we don't get these bushels sold, we're really looking at economic disaster in 2026. RUHLE: You are not a cattle rancher, but the President proposed, you know, in this same vein, now buying beef from Argentina to bring beef prices down here. What do you think of that? BARTMAN: Well, it's his Argentina first agenda, that's what he's trying to do, unfortunately. I mean, we're giving $40 billion to Argentina, and the minute that they lifted their export tax, China came in and bought roughly $800 million worth of beans from them. That's $800 million that should be going back to rural America so that farmers can pay off their operating loans, and more importantly put some American factory workers back to work right now. Deere is laying off people, Case IH is laying off people, and we really need to step up to the plate and support Americans here. And I feel bad for the beef industry, because the beef industry they buy about 6 billion bushels of corn from us every year, and that's worth $25 billion of economic activity that goes back to grain farmers like me. And those poor cow calf producers are finally getting ahead after being in debt too. And, Stephanie, the American people need to realize that only 16 cents of every dollar goes back to me, the farmer and the rancher. And it's the packers who are making the money right now. And when I — I feel so bad for our seniors sitting at home saying, “Why are these farmers asking for a bailout?” We're not asking for a bailout. Donald Trump did this to us. And unfortunately, we're — we are hurting right now. We are the collateral damage to what's going on. And he had eight years to plan this. Why did he put us in the crosshairs of this collateral damage? He doesn't have a plan. And, unfortunately, what we really need the Secretary to do right now is to implement the 45Z sustainable aviation and biofuel tax credit. That's money that goes directly to me, the farmer. That would be worth about a dollar a bushel to me. And more importantly, we get to save the environment because I farm sustainably and we're going to create a new industry. And it's going to be good for rural America, and it's going to be great for the environment. And we need to be supporting this type of legislation. And it's sitting right there on his desk. He can implement that tomorrow if he really cared. But they don't, because why? Cause that was Joe Biden's plan, and they don't want anything to do that Joe Biden did. And that's the unfortunate reality. RUHLE: Damn, John. The goal of this show is to make our audience better and smarter every night, and you certainly did that for us tonight. I really appreciate you joining us. Thank you so much. Please come back soon. BARTMAN: Thanks for having me. Thanks for supporting American agriculture. RUHLE: Thank you. (…) MSNBC’s The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle October 30, 2025 11:23:14 p.m. EST RUHLE: I actually just a couple nights ago spoke to a soybean farmer who was talking to us about the impact of the trade war, about what's happening to cattle farmers. And he shared with us today his thoughts about this, quote unquote, “commitment” from China to buy tons and tons of soybeans. Here's what he said. [Cuts to clip] BARTMAN: So, Steph, here's the deal. The President is touting a 25 million metric tons purchased to China. But the reality is, Biden's administration they used to buy a lot more than that. And we've just gone through a hell of a trade war. Factory workers are let go, farm bankruptcies are up. Who's the real winner now? (…) MSNBC’s Chris Jansing Reports November 3, 2025 1:13:06 p.m. EST CHRIS JANSING: The questions now, when does the money start flowing again, and who will get it? I want to bring in Hazel Willow. Hazel lives in Maine and relies on SNAP food benefits. Hi. Hazel, it's so kind of you to come on the program. And I know this isn't easy to talk about, but I just wonder, before we get to the news today, can you help people understand — you’re a mom — what these last days and weeks have been like for you? HAZEL WILLOW: Hi, Chris. Thanks so much for having me. Yeah, it's difficult to be vulnerable about this stuff because in society, you know, we're not supposed to talk about the hardships we face. And I haven't had SNAP benefits, like, I ran out two weeks ago. So, it's been really difficult because I already didn't have enough. I found out last month that I was getting $140 in SNAP benefits because I was a participant in LIHEAP, a program that I didn't know qualified me, and then I fell off of them. So, I went from having $536 of SNAP benefits to [$]396. So, I've been out for a while. I have just, kind of, been taking it moment by moment, kind of how I've had to do for a long time. And I just try to stay focused on my kiddo and what he needs. And, yeah, I been asking our support services for information about different food pantries. There's a number of them, and there's all different kinds and times, but it can be really overwhelming. And I also have PTSD, and it makes it really difficult for me to go out in the world. And so, it's not just finding out where the food pantries are, it's how do they work? How many people will be there? Do I need to get a support person to go with me? And, you know, using a food pantry hasn't gotten easier in the past almost four years since I had to start accessing them. I thought it would. But I have to swallow my pride every time, you know, and try to stay focused on being able to meet my child's needs. But — JANSING: I did wonder, I know that you were brought up in a middle class family. You even told our booking producer that you volunteered at a food bank when you were in high school. WILLOW: Yep. JANSING: So, emotionally — and I know you're trying to be strong for your son, who I think is seven now — what is that moment even like when you have to start going to a food bank when you used to volunteer at one? WILLOW: [Tearing up] Thanks for asking. I try to tell myself that I'm just using it temporarily, that I'm accessing a support that's meant to be there. But, you know, I had all of my needs met as a teen. I was doing it for part of my community service, for my confirmation requirement. And so, it was very much like, “Oh, you know, look at me being a good person in my community.” Which I was, but I don't think I understood what it meant, how much it helped, and also how difficult it is. I have a gluten allergy, so that makes it difficult to access the food pantry. And also, like, weirdly, you feel ungrateful because you don't always have the ability to eat what's available. And so, you know, it's, again, something I'll do because I have to and I have and will always move heaven and Earth to take care of my child and get his needs met. I'm the adult, so it's my responsibility to move through the discomfort of these times. But it is — JANSING: How's he doing, Hazel? Does he have an idea what's going on? WILLOW: I've chosen not to tell him yet. I've intermittently, you know, introduced him to the supports that were on so that he grows up knowing that they're there, that they're meant to be used. I want to help destigmatize it. I think he might be aware because the school sent home some literature about food security and supports. Different people have offered to him, they said, like, “Hey, if you or your mom need anything, let us know. We can help you with food.” But, you know, he's got a high ACE score, Adverse Childhood Experience score, so he doesn't need the extra worry. If it becomes an issue, I'll raise it up to him. But, you know, right now in his world it's just we can't buy the fun treats. So, yeah. JANSING: So, we got this new information just, literally, less than half an hour ago, saying that the USDA, that the Trump administration has said that it will at least partially pay for SNAP food benefits this month. Are you breathing a little bit of a sigh of relief? Are you still nervous because there's so much uncertainty surrounding exactly what that might mean for you, and, frankly, all of the 42 million people who are waiting to hear? WILLOW: Yeah. I don't — it doesn't bring me relief. I'm very aware of the cycles of power and control that are happening right now since I've become, you know, more educated about it, becoming a survivor. And, you know, my abuser loved to do the bare minimum, too, after he abused me and deprived me of my basic necessities. The fact that it's temporary is ridiculous to me, because that's continuing the mental anguish and torture and uncertainty for all of the Americans that rely on this. And not just the Americans that rely on this, but the businesses that rely on this. There — especially in Maine and rural Maine, there are so many small country stores that take EBT and SNAP. I can't imagine what that's doing to their income. There's a lot of Maine farmers. We have an incredible program here using your SNAP benefits to get fresh produce at farmers markets. I can't imagine what that's doing to our local farmers. So, unless it's a full-throated, fully funded, like, reinstatement of our rights to programs we've already paid into that we deserve to have to meet our basic needs, I think it's, I think it's an arrogant and offensive attempt at anything. JANSING: Well, Hazel Willow, I can't tell you how important it is for people to hear real stories of people who are being impacted by this. And I thank you for your bravery and for coming on the program. WILLOW: Thank you so much for having me, Chris. I appreciate it.

Trump haters always think they haven't been aggressive enough in taking Trump down.  Politico senior writer Ankush Khardori posted an article on Election Day headlined  "Avoiding Merrick Garland’s Mistakes the Next Time Democrats Hold Power." The "mistakes" Khardori sees are that Garland did not push hard enough nor fast enough in his politically motivated lawfare against Trump, even though it resulted in two federal indictments as well as two federally influenced state indictments. Khardori's thirst for lawfare vengeance in the next future Democrat DOJ was inspired by a newly published book. Leftist journalists scold Garland as a spineless jellyfish.  On Tuesday, the journalists Carol Leonnig and Aaron Davis published a book that lays out exactly what not to do if accountability is the goal. Injustice: How Politics and Fear Vanquished America’s Justice Department is the most detailed account yet of the Justice Department’s disastrous effort to bring Donald Trump to trial during Joe Biden’s administration, which is likely to long rank among U.S. law enforcement’s greatest failures. History will not judge this effort kindly, but perhaps more importantly — at this fractious and precarious moment in American politics — the book contains critical lessons for a future administration that wants to focus on serious legal accountability for powerful political figures. It is not too soon for the thinking about this work to start, even though the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity decision last summer makes it much easier for Trump to avoid federal prosecution in the future. And, for all we know, Trump could issue a mass federal pardon for members of his administration when his term ends. The levers of accountability may have to come from other prosecutorial bodies or civil, rather than criminal, law. But if Democrats are to avoid making the same mistakes all over again, Leonnig and Davis’s book offers both an engaging and enraging opportunity to learn. It’s a journalistic tour-de-force that draws on interviews with more than 250 key individuals to reveal how former Attorney General Merrick Garland and top leaders at the DOJ and the FBI, in the authors’ words, “helped pave a path for Trump’s reascendance, and his eventual unraveling of the department’s core mission.” The lawfare under Merrick Garland's DOJ with its multiple indictments against Trump was unprecedented in American history for its utterly political motivation but Khardori is still upset with Garland for not going far enough or fast enough. The book includes forehead-smacking details about the Biden-Garland DOJ’s bungled prosecutorial effort. Perhaps chief among them is that DOJ and FBI leaders rejected at least three different proposals by career prosecutors over the course of 2021 to expand the department’s investigation of the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol to include Trump and his advisers’ efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The reason? Fear that investigating Trump would seem too political and would upset Republicans. Leonnig and Davis report that it took a year before the DOJ agreed in principle to begin an investigation that they knew might touch on Trump himself — starting with Trump’s “fake” electors scheme — but the FBI then still dragged its feet for a couple more months. It was not until April 14, 2022 — fifteen months after Jan. 6 — that Garland signed a memo approving the investigation into Trump, but even that was not the end of the delays. Things did not get underway in earnest until the Jan. 6 Committee publicly embarrassed the Justice Department in a series of hearings in summer 2022 and, really, until the appointment of special counsel Jack Smith after the 2022 midterms. Khardori concludes with a blatant appeal for the next  Democrat DOJ to go ahead and be utterly political without any pretense of fairness when pursuing Lawfare: The DOJ’s fatally delayed and failed effort to prosecute Trump is quite possibly the strongest evidence possible that this view is simplistic at best and foolish at worst. We have a political process that shapes the law, but at the same time, our legal system has to reckon with difficult political matters and political figures, whether we like it or not. In other words, the DOJ should have taken Trump down, and they should always put politics at the forefront in their prosecutions. 

On Wednesday's Morning Joe, Joe Scarborough sought to present himself as the kindly, non-partisan political consultant, saying he had warned Republicans not to overreach after their 2024 victories, or imagine they'd occupy the White House forever.  How phony. That was just cover for his gloating proclamation that Republicans didn't listen to him: "And if you go too fast, voters will knock you on your ass immediately. And that's what happened yesterday."  Democrat ex-senator Claire McCaskill didn't even bother trying to disguise her glee, saying of President Trump: "Yeah, I'd say he's on his ass."  Morning Joe proceeded to give the shortest, most misleading, of shrifts to the victory of Democrat Jay Jones in the Virginia attorney general race. The show devoted all of seven seconds to it. Here's the totality of what the show, via Mika Brzezinski, had to say: "Democrat Jay Jones won the race for Virginia Attorney General, overcoming a text message scandal that threatened his chances."  An unsuspecting viewer might have imagined that Jones had sent some racy texts. The reality, of course, is that he sent texts saying a Republican lawmaker deserved “two bullets to the head,” followed by a wish that the Republican lawmaker’s children “die in their mother’s arms.” What, Joe? No condemnation of Jones, or friendly-consultant warnings to Democrats not to support abhorrent candidates like him as Attorney General? Democrats often like to claim that whereas they are quick to disown their party members caught in scandals, Republicans tend to cover for fellow Republicans in hot water. But per Grok: According to NBC News exit polls from the 2025 Virginia election, 91% of voters who strongly disapproved of President Trump's job performance (a group that typically overlaps heavily with Democratic voters) supported Jay Jones in the attorney general race. So, 91% of heavily Dem-leaning voters were still willing to overlook those horrifying texts, and vote for him.  And the most striking moment from any election across the country was Virginia Democrat gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger's Profile in Cowardice, as she flatly stonewalled Republican Winsome Earle-Sears, refusing during their debate to utter a word in response to Earle-Sears demanding that she disavow Jones. Clearly, that worked.  Here's the transcript. MSNBC Morning Joe 11/5/25 6:01 am ET JOE SCARBOROUGH: I mean, we got Claire McCaskill here. Claire, we've been through this before, where a party wins big in 2008. You saw this. Party loses big in 2009. We saw it with Donald Trump.  Because I'm a nice guy, I've been trying to say: trim your sails. You're being too extreme. Don't do that with people on the streets. Don't. They couldn't help themselves.  And man, they learned what we try to tell people in White Houses over and over and over again, you don't buy the place, you rent it.  And if you go too fast, voters will knock you on your ass immediately. And that's what happened yesterday.  CLAIRE MCCASKILL: Yeah, I'd say he's on his ass.  . . .  MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Democrat Jay Jones won the race for Virginia Attorney General, overcoming a text message scandal that threatened his chances. 

Nebraska law enforcement officers said a 47-year-old woman early last week informed them that her 31-year-old boyfriend had strangled her five to six times that day and had been preventing her from contacting authorities and leaving his presence.It turns out the alleged victim was able to finally get the attention of police — with the help of a Walmart employee.Barnhouse didn't let her leave for the previous two days, as she was trying to get her belongings from the camper and return home to Kansas, officials added.Gage County Sheriff's deputies around 5:45 p.m. Oct. 28 responded to the Diamond T Truck Stop Camper Row on US HWY 77 just north of Beatrice for an assault that had occurred earlier in the day, the sheriff's office said.RELATED: Male, 55, accused of grabbing 15-year-old by neck, throwing him to floor of In-and-Out Burger — and it's all caught on video Image source: Gage County (Neb.) Sheriff's OfficeUpon arrival, deputies made contact with the 47-year-old woman from Hutchinson, Kansas, who told deputies that her boyfriend — 31-year-old Justis Barnhouse — had strangled her five to six times that afternoon, officials said.Barnhouse took the woman's cell phone so she couldn't contact police about the incident, officials said. Barnhouse didn't let her leave for the previous two days, as she was trying to get her belongings from the camper and return home to Kansas, officials added.However, officials said that when the woman and Barnhouse went to the Walmart in Beatrice, she got the attention of a Walmart employee and asked the worker to follow her to the restroom.The sheriff's office said that allowed the woman to give the employee details about the strangulation — and the employee notified law enforcement.When deputies arrived at the Diamond T Truck Stop Camper Row, officials said Barnhouse was there — and deputies arrested Barnhouse for assault by strangulation as well as third-degree domestic assault with two priors. Barnhouse was lodged at the Gage County Detention Center on his charges, officials said. Jail records indicate Barnhouse was still behind bars Wednesday morning. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!