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… While repulsive creatures like JD Vance and Donald Trump continue to defend and promote it, the fallout continues from the disgraceful ad being run by Republican Vivek Ramaswamy against his Democratic opponent Dr. Amy Acton in the OH governor’s race:
… OH Republican Gov. Mike DeWine: “The ad, on its face is, deeply, deeply troubling. But when you know the rest of the story, when you know the backstory, when you know that the husband of the mom was indicted by a grand jury after hearing testimony, and then he took off along with the mother. When you know that, it just makes it more serious. It makes it just more wrong. So it’s wrong to run this. I would just urge the Ramaswamy campaign to take this down.”
… Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) on CNN: “This ad is going to go down as the most shameful, disgusting, offensive ad this election season. I know that sometimes the things I say are offensive to your audience. Ramaswamy somehow managed to limbo under the lowest bar of decency in this country. The idea that the VP would go to the mattresses to defend this ad might have cost Vance the presidency.”
… Former OH Republican Rep. Jim Renacci:
“For those who follow the daily polls and political trends, the floor may have just fallen out from under the Republican campaign for OH Governor. And any Republican who fails to distance themselves from this ad risks taking on water as well.
Vivek Ramaswamy needs to pivot, and quickly. Stop defending the ad and start talking about his policies, his vision for OH, and why he believes he is the better candidate. If he chooses to double down, I don’t see anything good coming from it.
Here’s what too many people in politics seem to forget: Voters don’t always elect the most qualified candidate. They often elect the candidate they like, trust, relate to, or even sympathize with. You can have the strongest résumé, the best policies, and the most impressive background, but none of that guarantees victory if voters don’t like what they see or hear.
And when voters believe someone has been treated unfairly, sympathy can become a powerful political force. Elections aren’t won simply by convincing voters that your opponent is worse. They’re won by convincing voters that you’re better. That is a lesson every candidate, Republican or Democrat, would be wise to remember.”
… Trump posted:
Vivek Ramaswamy put up a very powerful Ad about a mother saying that her daughter, Amy Acton, is a liar, and much worse. The Press, in a concerted and well coordinated attack, is trying to get Vivek Ramaswamy to “take down the Ad.” Frankly, anybody whose mother spoke about a daughter in that way would normally lead to the daughter being precluded from serving in Office, let alone Governor. If my mother, the legendary Mary MacLeod Trump, said anything bad about me, the Fake News would play it up.
Our RINO Governor of Ohio, Mike DeWine, who I unfortunately helped get elected years ago, as usual, disloyal to the Republican Party. He strongly suggested that Vivek should, “take down the Ad.” He probably wants a Dumocrat to win, and certainly doesn’t want someone who will do a much better job than he is capable of doing. I suggested, on the other hand, that Vivek should keep it up.
The Press is trying to convince everyone that this Ad is bad, because it’s so good! Who wouldn’t use such an Ad? I would, it’s called, “hitting pay dirt.”
… Conservative journalist Pedro Gonzalez:
“When Vance first asked me to meet with him before he entered for Congress, I could tell he was still trying to figure out his personality and for the most part settled on this kind of softer populist who tried to ‘humanize’ Trumpism. He even asked me once for help on how to deal the very same white nationalist crowd he now winks at during Trump rallies.
Watching him transition from that to someone who is willing to downplay child sexual abuse and as a result make it harder for other victims to come forward for fear that they won’t be believed or will be ridiculed while simultaneously promoting a memoir about his fake faith, well.
I think Vance will be a footnote in the history of MAGA, but it’ll be a footnote about a man who sold his soul for a crumb of power and who never actually stood for anything.”
… JD Vance at a campaign rally today in Nebraska: “This Democrat Party needs an ass kicking.”
… WSJ: “Bipartisan lawmakers are calling for an investigation into Elon Musk after WSJ reported that the SpaceX chief restricted Ukraine’s access to the company’s satellite-based Starlink network.”
… Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) told CNN that Congress must have Musk testify and could block funding for any federal agencies or agency heads that played any role in throttling the network: “We got to investigate. We got to call the witnesses, got to bring them in, put them under oath and get to the bottom of it because this is a very, very serious matter.”
… Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) said the Senate must put Musk under oath: “National security decisions should be made in our national security interests, and not based on the personal whim of an unstable executive.”
… SpaceX investor Ross Gerber on CNN:
“As a SpaceX shareholder I’m disgusted with Elon Musk. I think these decisions were strategically horrendous and from a humanity perspective just horrible. Now they’ve given everybody a reason not to use Starlink, that Starlink isn’t reliable for national security for anybody but Trump.
Maybe he’d turn it off on the US if he didn’t like the president. So it imperative now that competitors to Starlink be made. They literally proved that we can’t just have Starlink.”
… Politico: “Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) said that he had concerns about Elon Musk’s influence over national security matters after Ukraine was blindsided by a disruption of a satellite communications service developed by Musk’s SpaceX.”
Cramer: “We’re putting too many eggs in one company’s basket when it comes to our space assets. One individual and one company has control over America’s ability to protect the domain of space, which is a war-fighting domain.”
… “Cramer received a briefing from AF Secretary Troy Meink that he said focused on getting an update on Starshield. Cramer told reporters before the briefing that he wanted Congress and the Pentagon to ‘pour a lot of resources into making sure there’s lots of competition both for satellite production and satellite launch.’”
Cramer: “I’m uncomfortable with the potential vendor lock in space, and I think the events of the last couple of weeks have demonstrated greater concern, even than just simply cost.”
… Musk responded with this post: “Live by the sword, die by the sword. Those who pick fights with me should understand that I will find out who is really pulling the strings and come for them, not just their puppets.”
… Vance was asked about it: Q: “Elon Musk said any decision on Starshield would come from the Pentagon or president. Do you agree with some Republicans that there should be an investigation? Vance: Fundamentally, Musk runs a private corporation, and I think it’s completely understandable that he doesn’t want to get in the middle of a war without the US govt directing him on what to do. I don’t think this is about Elon.”
… Sen. Cramer on Steve Witkoff’s disgraceful meeting yesterday with Putin where he called him a “humanitarian” after he released an American he illegally imprisoned for 4 years: “All I can say is, if I’m ever captured by Vladimir Putin, I’d rather die in in a prison in Russia than have somebody on my behalf refer to Putin as a humanitarian.”
… NYT: “Putin has never been so close to his goal of normalizing relations with Washington without having to make any compromises on Ukraine. Over the past week and a half, Trump has set aside years of US foreign policy by openly embracing Putin and easing the economic pressure on the Kremlin. At the same time, Trump has vilified Zelensky.
… On Oct. 9, Trump announced that the US would buy Russian diesel, asking for no concessions from Putin in return. The Trump admin went on to pressure Ukraine to stop striking oil refineries - Kyiv’s most powerful lever - and suspended Russia sanctions that Trump had just signed into law. Trump declared that ‘Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine.’
… Newly emboldened, Moscow is moving to assert itself as a global power equal to the US and China, promoting a trilateral summit among them in Nov.
… Pro-Putin Russian journalist Marina Akhmedova: “In my personal view, victory has already been achieved. It is not just a matter of the 20-25% of territory we have liberated. It is also about how the US now engages with Russia.”
… Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) on MS NOW: “There’s every reason to believe that our foreign policy with respect to Russia and Ukraine is being influenced by deal making Jared Kushner and Witkoff are undertaking in their negotiations with Putin that will directly benefit the first family’s cronies. It is like a kaleidoscopic spectacle of corruption unlike anything we’ve ever seen in the history of our republic.”
… Kash Patel was asked about reports he’s going to Russia: Q - “Were you ever planning to go to Moscow? For what purpose? Is going to Moscow something you would still consider doing? Patel: We’re not going to announce where we’re gonna go and when we’re gonna go, except to tell you that this DOJ is going to go wherever we need to go to mete out justice for the American people.”
… Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Ukraine’s Presidential Commissioner for Sanctions Policy: “So tomorrow, the first tanker carrying 40,000 metric tons of Russian diesel is set to depart for the US. Let’s do the math:
40,000 tons is roughly 300,000 barrels. The US consumes about 4 million barrels of diesel per day. That means this entire tanker covers less than two hours of American demand. At the same time, the US exports around 1.5 million barrels of diesel a day—meaning this shipment is equivalent to just 4.5 hours of US exports.
The voyage from Ust-Luga to US terminals takes 2.5 to 3 weeks. By the time the tanker arrives, the US will have exported over 4 million tons of its own diesel—a hundred times more than what this single tanker is delivering.
So, one of the world’s largest diesel exporters is buying diesel from an aggressor state just to cover two hours of domestic consumption?”
… NYT: “Even as Trump pursued a thawing of relations with the Kremlin this week, a covert Russian influence operation targeted the Democratic candidate for the US Senate in TX, James Talarico, by spreading a fabricated claim of misconduct.
… Several groups of researchers who track Russian disinformation operations attributed the claim to Storm-1516, a covert group that in 2024 peddled a similarly unfounded accusation against Gov. Tim Walz.
… The attack followed a flurry of Russian posts on social media in recent weeks and provided the latest indication that Moscow is once again targeting an American election with online influence operations. In recent weeks, Russia has ramped up those efforts.
… Most of the Russian content so far, spread by bot networks around the world, has targeted Democratic candidates, especially in closely contested Senate races that could determine control of Congress in Trump’s remaining two years in office. The initial post, followed by others on the same account, received little attention until 12 hours later, when 3 verified accounts on X with large followings reposted it.”
… JT Ennis, spokesman for the Talarico campaign: “The most powerful people in the world know they can’t beat James Talarico with the truth, so they’re slandering him with AI deepfakes, foreign bots and conspiracy theories to protect their broken, corrupt political system.”
… Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball ratings change. US Governors:
Alabama: Safe R —> Likely R
Michigan: Lean D —> Likely D
Oklahoma: Safe R—> Likely R
Ohio: Toss-up —> Lean D
… CNN: “More than 18 million people have already cast ballots in this election. We’re seeing the Democratic enthusiasm that we read about in polls show up in the early vote. What you’re looking at here is across some of the key states where we have information about party registration of the ballots that were cast.”
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On my weekly podcast Uncovered, we talked about Witkoff praising Putin, Vivek’s despicable ad, Vance making it even worse with his disgusting comments, Starshield being withheld from Ukraine by Musk and Trump, Trump using disaster aid and cancer money to bribe voters, Trump obsession with Husted’s butt, another corrupt pardon - this time featuring Alina Habba, and lots more! Link to the show is here.
We have made all our content available to free for the 6 weeks leading up to the midterm election. After that, free subscribers will still be able read the first third of each daily Bulletin and the entire Weekend Bulletin. Thank you to all subscribers and people who watch the podcasts. Link to the last Bulletin is here.
Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
… NBC to Republican nominee for senate it IA Ashley Hinson: “I just saw a report that said you were asking your supporters for gas money for your bus? I mean, is that how bad things are? Hinson: No. I’m out there, uh, campaigning through the state, um, on my bus. What I’m hearing from Iowans is they want a leader, a common sense mom.”
… Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) to Politico: “In the first quarter of Trump’s term I was hoping that it was just a little bit of bullshit that we had to work through. But when the bullshit becomes policy, that’s problematic. So you get this November, which I have labeled on my countdown clock on my phone as ‘Whoop ass’ day.”
… Democrat Adam Hamilton was excellent in his senate debate against Sen. Roger
Marshall (R-KS), who was as bad as Hamilton was good:
Hamilton: “He just said that the war in Iran is not the problem, the war in Ukraine is the problem. The Ukrainians trying to defend themselves are the reason we have record diesel prices? Nobody believes that. This happened in response to the war in Iran. Marshall supported that. I support the Ukrainians being able to defend themselves.”
Q: “Do you support the deal with Russia to buy diesel? Marshall: If this brings Russia to the bargaining table and ends the war, then I’m all for it. Hamilton: What you said just now is you’re gonna sell out our friends in Ukraine. That’s not okay. It’s indecent.”
Hamilton’s closing: “If you appreciate having record diesel prices, 50,000 people taken off of healthcare, thousands of children no longer receiving SNAP benefits, if you feel it is OK having ICE arrest in southwest KS and hurting our livestock industry, if you think the tariffs are good and the unpredictability and chaos and corruption are OK in Washington, then I would say vote for Roger Marshall.”
… Marshall then immediately fled the the scene after his dismal performance. The local TV moderator after his interview with Hamilton: “We offered the same time here on our post-debate show to Sen. Marshall. We understand he has left. He’s no longer in the building.”
… Marshall then went on Fox:
Q - “What is dragging down your campaign? Is it Iran, is it gas, is it diesel, is it all of it? Marshall: It is the cost of gasoline and the cost of diesel. No doubt about it that that is it.”
“My opponent led the DEI movement. This is the guy who applauds Joe Biden’s transgender policy.”
… That seems to be all he wants to say in this campaign. Over and over.
… CNBC: “The same week Trump imposed 50% tariffs on imported steel, the domestic supplier of the wire mesh Mark Brooks uses to make lobster traps in Maine hiked prices by 20%. When diesel prices began rising as the US war with Iran escalated, Brooks started paying freight surcharges on his materials and saw sales slow as lobstermen tightened their belts.
… And when Canadian PM Mark Carney slapped 50% tariffs on US lobster traps in Sept. as retaliation for Trump’s own duties on Canadian goods, the roughly $2 million in annual shipments Brooks typically sends over the northern border dried up virtually overnight.
… Brooks: “It’s basically the worst business climate for us that I’ve ever seen in 40 years. We’ve eaten as much cost as we can to try to keep our prices down, but we just can’t eat any more than we have already.”
… Few states have been as vulnerable in the US-Canada trade war as ME, which sends more than 40% of its exports to the US’s northern neighbor. Those challenges are also piling on top of cost-of-living issues that were already spiraling, especially relating to things like home heating oil, on which ME depends more than any other state.
… As a result, tariffs specifically - and affordability concerns more broadly - are center stage in this year’s toss up Senate race between Sen. Susan Collins and Democrat Troy Jackson. The key question here is whether that dissatisfaction will translate into votes against Collins, or whether she will be able to separate herself from an unpopular piece of Trump’s and the Republican Party’s agenda.”
… CNN’s Anderson Cooper played a montage of Trump lusting after Republican men at his various rallies, including his recent statement that he was admiring Sen. Jon Husted’s “ass” while saying it was “a pile of muscle.” Cooper concluded with this: “As for Sen. Husted, his ass may be hard, but his polling is soft.”
… Trump gave one of his most demented and cognitively impaired speeches at a rally in SC for Sen. Darlene Graham, where he was sweaty, slurred his words, lost his train of thought constantly, repeated himself, and rambled incoherently for nearly 2 hours. His speech was also interrupted 12 times by protesters.
“As much as I can fall in love with a man, which isn’t that much, I fall in love with Tim Scott.
“You have Darline and her very handsome husband. That’s a good looking husband.”
On Iran: “We could leave now, but we want to make sure it lasts for a long time. It’s amazing what we did. Our military is unbelievable.”
“We have a blockade on the Trump Strait. How do you think the Arabs would like me calling it that? I mean, we changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico, why can’t we change that name? I got a call from the President of Mexico. She was a ballerina. She went from ballerina to the President of Mexico. How the hell did that happen?”
“And recently I changed the name of a lake that fronts - well, you know the lake. I did it very lightly and the damn thing got changed actually. Called it the Lake of America. And then, I got rid of the ‘of’. And I just said - the of - just call it Lake America.”
“I think let’s keep it the Atlantic Ocean, right? Pacific Ocean—we’re going to call it the American Ocean. How do you think Europe would feel? Do you think they’d like that?”
“I got Greenland. I got it. Denmark - they’ve only had it from 1592. That’s not that old when because President Xi from China was here, I was showing him the WH. 1792, the WH, that’s when it was built, and I was showing Xi and I was so proud of it because I fixed it, you know, it, it was like a dump. They didn’t take care of it.”
“They gave the wonderful peace prize, right? Does anybody know the name of that peace prize? They gave the Pulitzer Prize to a young lady, she’s 80 years old, who nobody ever heard of. But I settled all these wars.”
“The fake news will say I rambled. I don’t ramble. I know everything. I got aptitude that they dream about.”
… This photo was taken today by Reuters photographer Nathan Howard of the happy orange warrior as he left the WH to head to another rally in Iowa.
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… Fortune: “When Trump told the world on ‘Liberation Day’ last year that foreigners had ‘torn apart our once-beautiful American Dream,’ his plan to restore it promised ‘jobs and factories will come roaring back into our country.’ Analysts and business moguls were dubious, given that the agenda was coupled with sweeping tariffs on the entire world.
… Citadel CEO Ken Griffin said the tariffs have been a disaster: "It has certainly taken supply chains around the world and severed them. And we're not going to industrialize efficiently in our country. Unemployment was low. If you have this dream of an industrialized America, number one is most people don't want to live that dream. They don't want to be in factories making Nikes and T-shirts."
… NYT: “The WH is using federal disaster relief as leverage while Republicans fight to keep power in Washington, with Trump saying on one occasion that voting for Democrats could mean less money for states. During a visit to NC communities still struggling to recover from Hurricane Helene two years ago, JD Vance promised more than $800 million in additional aid for the region.
… But weeks earlier, Trump had said he would withhold aid if Democrat Roy Cooper wins a hotly contested Senate fight in NC. Trump has linked disaster assistance there and in other states to his support for Republican candidates. States that tend to vote for Democrats have faced a longer wait for aid and seen their requests rejected more often.
… On the stump and on social media, Trump often references disaster aid. In OH last month, he approved a federal disaster declaration a day before speaking at a rally Jon Husted, who is running for re-election in a tight race with Democrat Sherrod Brown. The declaration allowed aid from FEMA to flow to communities affected by severe storms in August.
… In a social media post announcing a disaster declaration for WI this month, he did not name Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat. Instead, Trump said he had spoken about damage from July tornadoes and storms with Rep. Tom Tiffany, the Republican gubernatorial candidate ‘who has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Governor of the Great State of Wisconsin.’”
… CBS: “Armed and in uniform, federal agents from DHS have been knocking on doors in several states to ask residents about their immigration status - and to inquire if they have registered to vote or cast votes in past elections. The operation is part of an effort to root out potential noncitizen voters ahead of the midterms.
… DHS has alleged that there could be as many as 250,000 citizens illegally registered to vote, although election experts have disputed the accuracy of this figure. Just 156 people have been charged with voting-fraud related offenses since the beginning of the Trump admin. There are 227 million registered voters in the US.”
… Jessica Marsden with Protect Democracy, who is suing DHS to stop the campaign: “What we’re seeing now is the federal govt is inserting itself into the state process for verifying their voter roles in an unprecedented way. And they are doing it in a way that seems maximally designed to scare lawful voters from participating.”
… DHS spokesperson: "HSI is actively rooting out and investigating election fraud wherever it can be found. Under Trump, HSI is committed to restoring integrity to our election systems and ensuring that American citizens and only American citizens are electing American leaders."
… DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Fox: Q - “The Pentagon has reportedly approved DHS to test a military grade heat ray weapon at the southern border. Mullin: Any technology we can use to deter people from using country illegally we are doing. Q - Is it lethal? Mullin: No. I can’t comment on this but can I tell you that the technology we are looking at is less lethal or nonlethal.”
… Washington Sun: “The State Dept has asked some foreign service officers up for promotion who they voted for in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 presidential elections, raising concerns the agency is violation a federal law that bars politicized personnel decisions.
… Top officials in the State Dept made clear that only candidates who voted for Trump would be eligible for mid-to-upper level foreign service roles. They also told candidates that their campaign donation history would be examined and any donation to Democrats would be disqualifying.
… Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, says she is investigating: “These are critical national security positions and individuals should be chosen for experience and ability, not their political loyalty.’“
… WaPo: “Rep. Jamie Raskin, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, is asking DOJ why it has declined to assist state and foreign investigations sparked by the Epstein files, suggesting an area of focus for his party should it win a House majority in Nov.
… DOJ has not granted requests by Polish, Norwegian, British or Latvian law enforcement agencies for evidence, information and testimony for their investigations. Officials in NM, where Epstein maintained a ranch, have sued DOJ, alleging that it blocked the state from accessing unredacted records. DOJ argued in court filings last week that providing such records would hinder law enforcement operations.
… Raskin asked AG Todd Blanche for all records related to requests for mutual legal assistance from foreign countries investigating Epstein’s potential co-conspirators. Raskin also asked for all records related to DOJ decisions to deny requests for info or cooperation sought by any domestic state or local enforcement entity.”
… Raskin letter to Blanche: “Not only is the DOJ shamefully refusing to investigate Epstein-implicated individuals with your own resources, but it is also now reportedly refusing to share key evidence with other jurisdictions that are taking criminal investigations of Epstein’s potential accomplices and co-conspirators seriously.”
… NYT: “The US and Israeli militaries have developed specific plans for renewed strikes against Iran after the American midterm elections. As planning for a short but intensive operation progresses, the US and Israeli militaries have stepped up exercises, flying planes over Iraq to practice strike maneuvers. Pete Hegseth met with Netanyahu in Israel this week to discuss new strikes.
… The targets would likely include Iran’s energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and missile and drone arsenal. Some officials say one more big round of attacks could push Iran’s economy over the brink and force the country to make diplomatic concessions after nearly 8 months of conflict.
… Iranian officials have promised to retaliate this time by expanding their targets beyond commercial ships and energy infrastructure in the region to data centers and underwater internet cables. They say the fighting will neither be quick nor limited.”
… Reuters: “The State Dept has ordered some diplomats and family members to depart from its missions in Saudi Arabia and plans to withdraw family members from a number of other US missions in the region. The order came as attacks in Saudi Arabia killed at least one person and injured 8 others at a civilian airport in Dammam and two people were killed in a drone attack on an oil field.
… State Dept spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a post that the department ordered the departure of ‘non-emergency US govt employees and their family members in Saudi Arabia only’ amid attacks by the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen on civilian targets in the country.”
… Pigott: “Iranian-supported Houthis have increasingly engaged in hostilities against Saudi Arabia, including attacks on civilian airports and other critical infrastructure resulting in civilian casualties and severe travel disruptions.”
… Politico: “Rep. Chris Deluzio campaigned with John Fetterman in 2022, when both were seeking election to Congress. But he’s since grown more vocal in his criticism of the senator and has been essentially laying the groundwork for a challenge for months - taunting Fetterman in media interviews and social media posts, hammering him over and over again in particular for his embrace of Trump’s Iran war.
… He has slammed Fetterman for his unwavering support for Netanyahu and accused him of not being up to the job of representing the 5th-largest state. As a US Naval Academy graduate who served in Iraq, Deluzio said Fetterman’s endorsement of the war in Iran was the breaking point:
“We have a lot of pretty serious responsibilities, but deciding when and whether to send Americans to fight is one of the most solemn responsibilities we have, and he treats it like a video game.”
“He spoke at that GOP midterm convention. He’s on right-wing news constantly bashing the Democrats. Democratic committee people, candidates, you name it - they’re bringing up on their own how mad they are at this guy.”
“I look at the job I have in the Congress to represent the place that made me, represent three quarters of a million people. I don’t know, man - I still pinch myself that I get to do that. I cannot imagine somebody being a senator and just fucking blowing off the job, and you don’t do a public event for nearly a year. That’s different than disagreements on votes.”
… WHNT (AL): “A Mobile-based news outlet said Sen. Tommy Tuberville had one of its reporters removed from a campaign event after the journalist asked him about a previous promise to donate his senatorial salary. Lagniappe Daily said Tuberville had one of its reporters escorted out of an event as the senator continues to tour the state during his bid for AL governor.
… The Mobile event took a turn when their reporter asked the senator a question about an old campaign promise from Tuberville’s run for Senate. During that race in 2020, Tuberville promised to donate his Senate salary to AL veterans. His opponent in the race for Governor, former Sen. Doug Jones, has accused Tuberville of never keeping that promise.
… Lagniappe said the reporter asked the senator personally if he would take a question and began to ask a question about the salary donation promise.”
… He was then thrown out.
… AP: “A federal judge ordered Trump to sit for a deposition in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC by Dec. 11. The order from US Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett came as lawyers for the British broadcaster complained that Trump had delayed his appearance.
… Charles Tobin, the attorney for the BBC, said that with two months left in the discovery period, ‘we still haven’t been able to depose the plaintiff.’ He noted there was an agreed-upon date of Oct. 16, but that Trump had canceled it for a ‘matter of national importance.’ Tobin said the Republican president was in fact campaigning in GA that day.
… Lett said Trump must sit for a deposition by Dec. 11, or face sanctions up to dismissal of his lawsuit.”
… Economist Steve Rattner: “When first reported, 2025’s jobs reports added up to 1.2 million new jobs. After revisions, the economy added just 116,000 - 90% less.”
… Meidas reporter Aaron Parnas broke a major story today: “When the US went to war with Iran in late February, the American public was told little about what was happening to the troops stationed across the Middle East. There were no embedded journalists. Casualty details trickled out slowly. Images of damage to American bases were almost nonexistent.
… In coordination with our partner VALOR Media Network, we obtained dozens of never-before-published photos and videos showing damage to US military installations in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, UAE, and Bahrain, along with firsthand accounts from people who were there. They describe destroyed aircraft, bombed-out barracks and mess halls, troops digging their own foxholes, and military families hiding in parking garages while Iranian missiles flew overhead.
“It’s so much worse than people realize,” one source said.
… Many of the people who shared their experiences are not new to war. Several have deployed to combat zones before. And all of them said the same thing: nothing compared to this. “This is not a normal deployment,” multiple sources said. They described a level of mismanagement they had never seen before.
… One service member described being called up in mid-Feb and told to ship out immediately on what was supposed to be a 3-week temporary assignment. After arriving, they were told it would be closer to 3 months. They ended up staying more than 7
… Several said they had no advance knowledge of Operation Epic Fury, even though some of them were directly involved in it. They learned that hostilities had begun the same way most Americans did: from the news. “We are sitting ducks,” one said.
… Unlike past wars, the threat came almost entirely from the sky: drones, rockets, and ballistic missiles launched by an enemy they could not see. One service member described the Iranian drones that targeted their base:
“You can’t see them at night. They have no lights and are GPS navigated via coordinates. It sounds exactly like a small Cessna. Looks like a large falcon if it’s about 400 feet up. We had no defense against the drones.”
… NBC: “Federal authorities charged a prominent VA Democrat with racketeering and a money laundering conspiracy as part of an alleged public corruption case involving a cannabis business she co-owns. State Senator L. Louise Lucas, a frequent critic of Trump who is one of the most powerful Democrats in the state, surrendered to authorities.
… Among her charges was conspiracy to distribute marijuana. A half-dozen others were also in custody also charged in the alleged scheme. DOJ’s move, just 12 days before a midterm election, is unusual, as federal authorities have typically avoided taking overt investigative steps against political figures so close to an election.”
… The indictment alleges that members of the conspiracy ‘used various business entities’ to ‘disguise the proceeds of illegal marijuana distribution,’ and that Lucas ‘used her political position in the VA state senate to insulate’ the enterprise ‘from criminal scrutiny, to further the goal of wealth accumulation.’
… In one intercepted phone call in February 2026 with an unindicted co-conspirator, Lucas allegedly said that this was their ‘last chance at generational wealth,’ adding ‘I’ve gotten too old to not be greedy.’”
… Todd Blanche held a press conference: Q - “The typical practice is DOJ doesn’t usually release charges this close to an election. Even though Lucas isn’t on the ballot, her daughter is. So can you speak to the reason of the timing? Blanche: The 60 day or 90 day practice is not in writing. There’s nothing improper.”
… WaPo: “It was early this year when Pete Hegseth wanted to move the world. A replica of it, anyway. Two floor globes said to be used by Gen. Dwight Eisenhower during WWII are housed in the Pentagon, where subsequent generations of Army leaders became custodians of the artifacts.
… The globes date back to the 1930s. The historical significance was attractive to Hegseth, and his staff requested that the secretary’s office become the new home to one of the 30-inch globes.
… Ordinarily, moving historical items within the building is a deliberate process overseen by trained curators. Instead, Hegseth’s staff dispatched its own team to relocate an Eisenhower globe. They lost control of the artifact and dropped it, sending the globe crashing onto its base and impaling the fragile shell near Antarctica. The resulting gash appears to be several inches wide.
… Pentagon officials denied WaPo’s request for a photo of the globe or to examine the artifact in person, but The Post separately obtained images of the damage. The Army acknowledged that the globe was damaged and said it occurred during an ‘attempted move’. Aside from the hole, ‘the spherical portion of the globe was detached from the metal mounting that allows it to rotate.’
… The episode became instant fodder for gossip and jokes inside the Pentagon, with some decrying the apparent brashness and affinity for WWII nostalgia that they characterized as common themes throughout Hegseth’s tenure as defense secretary.
… Ty Seidule, a retired brigadier general who taught history at West Point: “Hegseth wants an Eisenhower totem to be like Ike, brilliant in war and peace. Hegseth is no Ike. The globe won’t give him Ike’s attributes of humility, intellect and judgment.”
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