Behold, the Ugly Palace (il Palazzaccio, aka The Palace of Justice in Rome).
It’s nice to know we aren’t the only country that throws away money on hideous, grandiose buildings with terrible cost overruns and rumors of corruption. Of course, if it were built here, it would be excessively gilded, and would be a deathtrap.
Talk among yourselves about construction projects. Or whatever.
PopularInfo
NYT – Trump’s new press secretary: not-quite attorney at law
Rando:
Abortion, Every Day – Abortion ‘abolitionist’ joins the White House
Axios – TikTok, Newsmax say they won’t air possible public execution (Oct 13)
JoeMyGod – Newsmax host: Broadcast execution during Super Bowl
Gillian Brockell (TAP, Flight tracker) on Oct 2:
TheAmericanProspect – The city that brought down an ICE airline
CNN – Trump debates calling off livestream of firing squad execution after learning Fort Hood shooter was paralyzed (Oct 13)
Chris Geidner (Law Dork) on Oct 15:
Ron Deibert (Polisci prof, CitizenLab):
Rando 1: “Remember when Bibi said ‘Remember the beepers’ as a threat at the UN? That looks a whole lot worse knowing this.”
Rando 2: “Zero-click: As soon as you see the ad, you are infected. Thanks Google.”
Rando 3: “Am I correct that no one seems to know (or admit to knowing) what vulnerabilities are being exploited in these 0-click attacks, and there’s no fix except installing ad blockers?”
Zack Whittaker (TechCrunch): “That’s pretty much it; ad block all the things in any and every way possible”
Follow-up to Christopher Rufo stoking “Indian Question” incitement.
Matthew Gertz (MediaMatters):
[Illinois] Taco Bell workers prevented a possible mass shooting at an Aurora temple
Rando: “I’m sure the Vice President who has four Indian American children is going to condemn all of this stuff right?”
New White House press secretary is SoCal traffic scofflaw
The Hill – Vance announces plan to use wartime authority to boost fuel production
* Does not require a war to invoke. Still fun to rub the Iran not-war in their faces.
United24 – France opens its arsenal to Ukraine
Looks like Freethoughtblogs is having DNS problems again. I am able to connect and comment because I still have the IP addresses in my hosts file on this machine.
104.21.234.50 freethoughtblogs.com
104.21.234.51 freethoughtblogs.com
Had those entries in my /etc/hosts too, it didn’t even cross my mind that people were having trouble resolving. I figured it was an exceptionally unusual slow day.
Is Deathlord at it again? Does Ed Brayton require tribute? I hope we find out soon…
Follow-up on the Starlink speed cap.
Telegraph – Musk approached Trump to slow down Starlink in Ukraine (Oct 16)
Mark Chadbourn – Who Betrayed Ukraine? (Oct 15)
Wonkette – Hi and bye to Katie Zacharia
Yahoo Finance: “‘Flying cars are real!’ Elon Musk and Tesla showcase the new Roadster. [Video clip]”
Wired – Here’s exactly how Tesla made its new 230-mph car ‘fly’
Commentary
Teslas have been going airborne, in a bad way, for years.
Kyiv Independent – Zelensky confirms Ukraine’s Starlink access not fully restored
* Previously Ukraine’s Defense Ministry and a former advisor to the defense minister had said the cap was gone on Oct 15. A source in Ukraine’s drone industry that day had said, “in some cases, it works perfectly, in some places it does not.”
Wierd – Elon Musk is almost single-handedly funding the Republican midterms push
* Prior stories about America PAC. Yep, the abusive Blitz contractor is still at it.
https://freethought.online/@hjhornbeck
Haaretz – Kamala Harris says Biden should have done more to stop Israel’s ‘horrific conduct’ in Gaza (Oct 14)
From the previously linked Harris’ 2025 book tour:
Atlantic – Excerpt from Kamala Harris book, 107 Days (2025)
WSJ – Why U.S. airstrikes are failing to stop the global cocaine boom
Rando: “lol. The only price coming down during Trump’s presidency is cocaine. You can’t make this up.”
The Handbasket – ‘Tommy’ from viral El-Sayed video is former Sen. Hawley staffer with Christian nationalist ties
* [Video] JFK – Address on religion (At 12:53)
* Wikipedia – Do you condemn Hamas?
Commentary
Adjacent to the gotcha question @20.
Jan Crawford (CBS chief legal correspondent) tweeted:
Commentary
Justin Baragona (Zeteo):
Rando: “The key is she’s apologizing to CBS News for violating company policy, not apologizing to Abdul for baselessly calling him a terrorist sympathizer.”
Justin Baragona: “On the same day […] she also tweeted her thanks to Andrew Fox—who doesn’t believe Palestinians exist—for all of his efforts. [Screenshots]”
TheNewRepublic – CBS’s head of standards quits as Bari Weiss expands her influence (Oct 16, two days earlier)
Crossover between the former press secretary and the DC public golf course.
WaPo – Zacharia posts altered photos of Trump’s Oval Office desk (Oct 17)
WaPo – Trump shares plan to overhaul East Potomac golf course (Oct 18)
Dan Diamond (WaPo):
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick: “This design appears to completely eliminate the much-beloved loop road and public park at Hains Point, and cut down the cherry trees which line the road. The park is a public space used by tens of thousands of Washingtonians and heavily visited by tourists. [Photos]”
Rando 1: “This will completely ruin the courses of the Cherry Blossom 10 Miler, DC Half, and the Marine Corps Marathon—the nation’s largest amateur-only marathon—specifically the Blue Mile part of the course that honors military members who have given their lives in service. Ruining a military memorial in order to build a golf course is uhhh a choice.”
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick:
Bluesky thread of humorous disavowals (and sometimes avowals) of brotherhoods (and/or sisterhoods). And also serious comments on the topic (Ted Cruz just lies and tweeted that the disavowal did not occur).
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:qrz3lhbyuxbeilrc6nekdqme/feed/3017fd05f112
Jesus fell one more time.
Priest in Ecuador killed by falling crucifix during live streamed Mass
Wikipedia – Christ Carrying the Cross
Wikipedia – Stations of the Cross, Scriptural form
Follow-up on the French protests.
TheConversation – School protests focus attention on the chequered history of public order policing in France (Oct 8)
France24 – France faces reckoning after violent protest weekend (Oct 19)
The Guardian – ‘If we burn, you burn’: Protests across France—in pictures (Oct 17)
ProPublica – A few months into his second term, Trump DHS appointees asked their cybersecurity agency to secretly acquire a voting machine—and hack it
Eiynah Mohammed-Smith (Polite Conversations):
Commentary
Owen Barcala (NM civil litigator):
Rando 1: “the Mexicans calling themselves Americans before the Americans called themselves Americans”
Rando 2: “technically Mexico is also the United States.”
Mediaite – Trump sparks fury by reviving antisemitic trope at rally
Eric Columbus: “In 2014 Biden said ‘Shylock.’ The difference, of course, is that he apologized and didn’t do it again. [Politico article]”
CNN: ‘You Can See Everything’ becomes one of the biggest documentary releases in decades
The descriptions I have seen is that on one level it’s a straightforward documentary of Holmes, her instance she is innocent and what she goes through preparing for prison. The movie portraying her in a more human light while not buying into her innocence. On another level it’s a meta commentary on the documentary process and how Holmes is trying to generate sympathy with it. Parts are also a view of the personal connection and grift business in Silicon Valley. It’s apparently very good if you can stand the 3 hour running time.
Kotaku: Lawsuit Forces 2K To Explain Why NBA 2K Players Can’t Transfer Digital Currency: ‘You Have No Ownership Or Other Rights’ To Virtual Items
Interesting case because it’s narrow. They are not challenging the in game items being pinned to a specific version, they are only challenging the virtual currency also being pinned to a specific version, calling it theft when that currency can’t be brought to the new version. It’s a perfectly sensible concept but actually winning the case in court will be hard.
Several issues related to this have come up recently. Companies have become quicker to turn off old games, turning off the servers and shutting people out entirely after only a few years. Some companies have been turning off in game items, which becomes questionable when it’s simple cosmetics that they are turning off to try and force people to buy the new items for this season. It’s can be a complex issue when companies make game balance fixes to items after you have purchased them.
In both the EU and US draft proposals for laws to address this have been made but nothing has really gone forward yet. The companies are quick to get in the way.
The Verge: Websites are closing their doors to AI agents
Interesting bit that could get in the way of AI agents. I expect a lot of companies to go the way of Yelp, you can use an AI agent only if you pay. Either the company that makes the AI agent or the user will have to pay for access. It makes sense in several ways, a lot of sites are reporting a large portion of their traffic is AI sweeping the site over and over. Banks and investment companies may want to allow orders only from the people who own the account, not any sort of automated updates. The ones that run advertising have obvious reasons to keep anybody from using automated tools to access the site. And some of these sites are trying to convince you to sign up for their automated tools so don’t have much reason to let you connect with an AI agent.
CNN: Even LinkedIn is getting tired of your AI-written posts
LinkedIn has been garbage for some time, more a platform for advertising then a networking tool. They are working to do something about AI posts though because too much is distracting from what little value the site has.
LinkedIn was one of the first places Microsoft pushed AI but they have had to reverse course. They have to keep people using LinkedIn for it to have any value.
Just wanted to thank Lynna, OM and all the contributors for all their hard work in keeping people like me informed. It’s really noticeable how important something is when it goes missing due to a poor hosting IT Help Desk! If I could buy you all a beverage of your choice, I would. Cheers!
@ previously logged search for Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart researchers leave remote atoll empty-handed after ‘plane debris’ found to be a clump of trees
Shocked! I am.
But they never give up:
New Earhart expedition planned by deep sea exploration company after Purdue comes up short
They’ve done 3 previous searches, which all came up empty, but this time they are 90% confident? Is Wile E. Coyote on their planning team?
If you read the full article, their methodology sounds bogus. They got their hands on some old radios and mapped out signal strength, etc. This is problematic because received signal strength will depend not only on transmitted signal strength, but on altitude and atmospheric conditions, etc.
@20
Is Mr. Galaxy Brain going to call for the renaming of New England, New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, etc.?
Vacation spot slapped with US travel warning over crime, sexual assaults and kidnappings
Shock surprise! They’re not talking about he White House.
‘I Got Carried Away Basically’: Musk Expresses Some Regrets About His DOGE Era
‘I started ketamine at 14 and needed nappies at 22’ – the rise of young people going to rehab
Archaeologists Thought Malta’s Mysterious Stone ‘Railways’ Were Prehistoric. The Evidence Tells a Different Story
PHP warns it plans to release 2 emergency patches imminently
JM @29: This review lays out the plot.
WaPo – The Elizabeth Holmes documentary has broken my brain
Cheryl Rofer (Retired nuclear scientist):
Wired – How Elizabeth Holmes Tricked WIRED—and Everyone Else
Cheryl Rofer:
@26 CompulsoryAccount7746, Sky Captain:
There are good reasons to not go to the company and instead get a voting machine off the street for testing. If the machines have been hacked in a supply chain attack, where a company distributing the units is compromising them, then one from the company won’t have the issue. If somebody at the company is compromising them they will do what they can to make sure the one going to CISA is clean. There are other similar issues where a device as actually used in the field will reveal more information and flaws.
However, not turning over any flaws that are discovered is just bad. There is no good reason for that.
World protest roundup.
The Guardian – This carnival of protest on the streets of Delhi has shaken Narendra Modi like nothing before (Oct 19)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/20/milan-luxury-shops-close-italy-to-deploy-troops-youth-protests-europe">Italy to deploy 500 troops to Milan after days of protests(Oct 20)Italy: Far-right PM Giorgia Meloni is sending 500 soldiers as a show of force against cost of living protests. Also tougher penalties for violence/vandalism and liability for parents of minors. Sounds like an overreaction to 32 arrests (23 minors, 13 foreign nationals). And there are plans for tougher penalties on road blockades after truck drivers protested fuel costs. There’s an election next year.
France: Interior minister said military will be deployed to free up police. PM said police presence will be massive. PM will meet with unions to discuss security, didn’t invite students.
Albania: Over the past week, “fresh demands for better university conditions, anger over corruption and a controversial resort development linked to Donald Trump’s family.”
Portugal: Thousands protesting housing costs.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2026/oct/08/fresh-protests-sweep-madrid-after-death-of-maricarmen-symbol-of-spains-housing-crisis-video(Oct 8)https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/17/cost-of-living-protests-hit-belgium-italy-portugal-and-france(Oct 17)Belgium: weeks of protests against university registration fees.
https://www.dw.com/en/clashes-erupt-at-argentine-student-protests-against-president-mileis-austerity-policies/a-79676861(Oct 16)Argentina: A fifth protest against Milei having vetoed a law to finance universities. Thousands this time. In May, there had been 1.5 million.
https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/tunisians-stage-biggest-protest-years-against-president-saied-2026-10-17/(Oct 17)Tunisa: Thousands protested the autocratic prez, who dissolved parliament and dismissed judges and cracked down on journalist and opposition, and an economic crisis.
https://www.dw.com/en/brazil-thousands-of-students-march-against-bolsonaro/a-79586626(Oct 8)Brazil: Thousands marched against far-right Flavio Bolsonaro (son of former prez Jair Bolsonaro), who won the first round of the prez election. A run-off is coming.
https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20261015-thousands-protest-colombia-right-wing-president(Oct 15)Colombia: Thousands protested their new right-wing prez Abelardo.
Whilst in local protest / activist news here in South Oz – an amount here deliberately set by Premier “Possum Killer” MaliSantos to look reasonable whilst still being financally punitive and a deterrent against people trying to save our historic and vital public Parkland :
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-20/sa-golf-course-redevelopment-legal-fees/107288118
Of course there’s also been the extremely distuirbing national story here involving an attack on alocal -and good independent MP :
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-21/phil-haines-governor-general-speak-on-helen-haines-health/107293176
Aussie comercial telly but still informative YT SHORT Why Space Is Becoming The Next Theatre Of War by 10 News.
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-21/man-arrested-with-nunchucks-outside-hannah-beazley-office/107294364
@38
PHP devs publish critical bug fix as site owners warned: Pull ’em offline if you’re unpatched
The title says it all
Words. What do they mean?
Witkoff calls Putin a ‘humanitarian’ at Russia peace talks without Ukraine
Chemical leak forces evacuation for one-mile radius in Toledo, 3-mile shelter-in-place
@48
Rachel Maddow – 10/19/26
Rachel Maddow discusses the many policy issues that Trump (and/or his administration) have publicly admitted are so controversial that they will postpone action until after the midterms.
Included are:
— White House Officials told the DOJ to delay actions to further criminalize abortion ahead of the midterms (so they have plans to further restrict abortion … after the midterms).
— Trump says US will not attack Iran before midterm elections in November. (So he plans to attack after the midterms?)
— US delays rule threatening access to cheaper Canadian drugs (Until after the midterm elections. The rule was due to go into effect Thursday, but is now delayed until January 20. After January 20, Americans who order their prescription drugs from Canada will see sharp increases in prices.)
— Pentagon plans to hold report on Iran school strike until past the midterms. They have a report of the elementary-age school children that Pete Hegseth and Trump killed in that bombing strike, but they are delaying its release.
— Trump aides are getting ready to penalize defaulting student loan borrowers: rob more U.S. citizens of healthcare, cause Medicaid recipients to face draconian requirements as of 1 January. Trump admin officials are preparing to impose financial penalties on millions of Americans in default on their federal student loans. The Treasury Department is moving forward with plans to hire private debt collectors as soon as November. Those plans are unlikely to be announced before the midterm elections. “It would be politically insane to do this before the midterms,” one of the sources said.” Trump is planning to sic private debt collectors on approximately ten million Americans … after the midterms.
During the October 19 episode, Rachel Maddow covered a lot of other issues, including the No Kings protests; Trump staffers hiring lawyers in case Democrats win the midterms; and more.
Pay-to-play pardons, the Kennedy Center renovation/destruction, and Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding are all on the to-be-investigated list. Administration official personally face legal, reputational and financial risks. “Senior officials are scrambling to lock in their preferred counsel before someone else does. There is an influx of corporate clients as well … looking for advice on how to prepare for potential investigations.
Rachel’s show also presented more commentary on the obvious patterns from the Trump administration: stuff to be done before the midterms, and on stuff that should be postponed until after the midterms.
Rachel also commented on Trump exempting Russia from sanctions law; on Trump trying to do oil deals that involve Russia and Trump’s allies (and his family’s business associates). Trump’s message to Zelensky seems to be “don’t bomb my bribes.” Putin also wants Trump allies to invest in data centers located in Russia so that Trump can further pressure Zelensky to stop bombing Russian assets. Rachel follows that with a separate segment discussing “Trump jumping into Putin’s pants.”
The Maddow show episode covers a lot of other issues that I have not outlined in this summary. The entire video is worth watching.
Comment from a viewer:
Maddow discusses this problem with organizers of the No Kings protests.
Maddow also covered the “Vote Early” events that were the core of many No Kings events.
‘How desperate is Vivek?’: Fury over attack ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother
Video is 7:43 minutes
Ex-AG calls for AG Blanche to resign over Omar probe
Video is 10:41
Trump’s fixation on transactional politics becomes an election-season scandal.
Bits and pieces of campaign news, as summarized by Steve Benen:
‘We got Greenland’: Trump pushes a made-up line about ownership of the arctic island
“The more the president falsely claims he successfully acquired Greenland, the more important it becomes to set the record straight.”
Link
Satire
Link
Satire
Right on time, it’s Trump’s farmer bribe
https://www.wonkette.com/p/grandpas-tantrums-at-journalists
“Trump’s Tantrums At Journalists Getting More Confused, Confusing, Weak, Failing, Sad”
Lynna, OM @ 53
“a new national poll from The New York Times and Siena University offers nothing but good news for Democrats.”
.
Nooo! You are jinxing it! Now the Horror Clown will get the senate!
New York Times link
“In Trump’s World of International Diplomacy, Insults Are a One-Way Street”
“The latest rift with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine serves as a reminder that President Trump readily lashes out at other world leaders, only to grow outraged if they fight back.”
AP: New Mexico attorney general accuses Epstein attorney, accountant of abuse cover-up at ranch
The New Mexico AG has a good argument here. Epstein would have had great difficulty hiding an operation on the scale he did without help and it’s hard to believe that his attorney and his accountant were not aware of at least some of what happened on the ranch.
There is a good chance New Mexico’s AG has a bit of a hidden motive also. The discovery in this case could be very interesting and turn up all sorts of other crimes by Epstein.
During the blackout, Eli Noah and Heath were busy. Here are the links; (they keep blackmailing Cara Santa Maria from ‘Talk Nerdy’ to watch awful Christian movies. Did they find evidence she did 9/11? )
“The Scathing Atheist 709: Communion Busting Edition”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=7EFlTwmMw7w
.
“Skepticrat281: Sack-ariah edition”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=jNi-XcdUbgU
.
“God Awful Movies 579: Grandma’s Demon”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=whIOQZmsnAA
@47: Well, as a vegetarian myself, I would hardly be surprised if Putin really were a humanitarian.
Americans who go to church and trust science are also more likely to believe in ghosts and curses, research shows
.https://phys.org/news/2026-10-americans-church-science-ghosts-curses.html
Sexual violence concepts launched online are spilling into the real world
.https://phys.org/news/2026-10-sexual-violence-concepts-online-real.html
These garnet laser chrystals look…off.
.https://youtube.com/shorts/Yy4kuG_MP6w
SF author Douglas Adams on Have I Got News For You December 1992. Diana and Charles split up, George H Bush invades Somalia.
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=8_ieICHDNXA
Discovery of genetic switch could help turn rice into a perennial crop
.https://phys.org/news/2026-03-discovery-genetic-rice-perennial-crop.html
0163 02 Have I Got News For You 1996
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=-hrLgu7nr_c
Dermot Morgan (Father Ted), Eddie Izzard & Janet Street-Porter
.
There are reasons why this episode tends not to be chosen for repeats…
Lynna @50:
Weird that they *campaign* on restricting abortion but are reluctant to be seen doing it.
“What if Konosuba Was Chill”
An anime to watch if you feel overwhelmed by the current realities.
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=E-7rKdlkDR4
Bush family members back Democrat James Talarico in Texas Senate race
I like to remind people that George W. Bush was such a horrible president that Barack Obama was awarded a Nobel peace prize for not being George W. Bush.
How Trump’s FBI Purge Saved Lindsey Graham and James Clyburn From a Bribery Investigation
The Gospel according to Peter (Thiel)
Astronomers Pointed Webb at an Empty Spot in Space. Something ‘Highly Unusual’ Flashed Back
Follow-up on the Guinea-Bissau study.
Gavin Yamey (Global health prof) on Oct 21:
Rando: “Blaming the media. Ignoring the expected harmful outcomes. Lamenting lost opportunities. Insisting they were challenging assumptions. Presenting themselves as noble.”
Elizabeth Jacobs (Epidemiologist): “Imagine there are children who are starving. You are from a wealthy country and you decide to exploit those conditions to conduct a study of what happens when you withhold food from kids.” (A thread)
Colette Delawalla (StandUpForScience): “We sent an on the ground investigator to GB in Jan and presented the findings to Congress. Bernie and AOC’s teams started calling their govt officials and GB called off the study within 48 hours because of this pressure.”
A day earlier.
Gavin Yamey on Oct 20: “Holy shit, police have seized the hep B vaccines that the RFK Jr-funded Danes wanted to use in their highly controversial trial. [Guardian article]”
Jessica Offir (Pandemic social psych): “what wasn’t entirely clear to me (and I did read it twice, yesterday) was what the exact intention of the seizure was. (I also checked their fb post.)”
Conservative haunted house
.https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1JxSg4abDm/
Sinister whisper: ” We’ve got pronouns”
ForeignPolicy – Here’s what to do about Trump’s war crimes
^ One of several options therein. This happened to be news.
R. Scott Rogers (BBC): “A number of these are crimes of universal jurisdiction with no generally agreed upon statute of limitations. A single motivated judge or prosecutor in even a minor country could make it impossible for lots of Republicans to travel outside the United States.”
MP Broache (PoliSci prof): “the next Democratic administration could lodge an Article 12(3) declaration accepting ICC jurisdiction for the period of the Trump administration; this would not require ratification of the Rome Statute (and so would avoid the Senate). Additionally, ICC States Parties could refer situations involving Rome Statute crimes committed by US officials with elements on the territory of States Parties to the Court, e.g. El Salvador.”
David Raikow (Former UN diplomat): “Article 70 prosecutions don’t have the same jurisdictional restrictions as Article 5 prosecutions. There’s some debate on the topic, but by the letter of the statute the court should have Article 70 jurisdiction wherever the criminal act occurs.”
* 5 is ICC’s focus: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, aggression.
* 70 is entitled “offenses against administration of justice”, such as “retaliating against an official of the Court”.
Luc Dockendorf (Diplomat): “I humbly suggest also considering the Peacebuilding Commission? This often overlooked subsidiary body of both the [General Assembly] and the Security Council could help a struggling young nation like the U.S. get back on its feet after transition.”
Did I forget to mention Japan’s mission to Martian moonlet Phobos has now launched successfully during the latest hiatus?
Think I did.
This mission here – animation including the Idefix rover toland and drive in milligravity on the surface of a moonlet you could jump off into orbit.
Wikipage for that :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martian_Moons_eXploration
Clkarifying – FTB hiatus.
Plus see here :
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-20/japan-launches-mission-to-collect-mars-moon-samples/107283312
Mission website here :
https://www.mmx.jaxa.jp/en/
7 Days of Science also have their discussion of this mission here –
We’re Bringing a Piece of Mars’ Moon to Earth 8 mins long. Just on that.
Washington Post: Hegseth wanted Eisenhower’s globe for his office. His staff broke it.
The globes are stored in the Pentagon so moving one to his office would be OK if done carefully. It’s clearly under his authority. Trump administration officials don’t do careful. Hegseth or his staff sent a team to grab the globe rather then wait for the curators, who were out due to the government shutdown at the time. His team dropped it, much like they dropped the ball on so many things.
The globe is a big world globe, a 30 inch diameter one with a heavy duty wood/iron mount. It would have been sturdy originally but the globe itself appears to be a cardboard/paper sphere and is probably pretty fragile now.
Reuters: Wall St sees Tesla-SpaceX merger as inevitable, but split on price
There is overlap between what the two companies do, as both are heavily invested in electronics and programming. It doesn’t seem to be enough to justify a merger of two companies in radically different businesses. That probably isn’t Musk’s primary motivation. He likely wants to secure control and/or rewrite his compensation package. With an outside chance it’s cover for effectively dissolving Tesla. The car manufacturing part of Tesla is shrinking, this could be moving the profitable parts of Tesla to SpaceX so he can get rid of the car manufacturing.
FULL INTERVIEW: Rep. Ilhan Omar sits down with Chris Hayes after raid on her house
Judge orders Trump to sit for deposition in his own BBC defamation case
Bits and pieces of news, as summarized by Steve Benen:
Summarized from a Reuters report:
Reuters link. Note that a subscription is required in order to read reports posted on the Reuter’s website: $45 per year.
Further Houthi attacks were cited as a reason for the US State Department order.
New York Times:
U.N. projections say world losing ground curbing climate change, faulting U.S. a bit, a report by The Associated Press.
“If all the countries do what they promise to reduce heat-trapping emissions, Earth will likely still warm another 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit (1.2 degrees Celsius) above current temperatures.”
More at the link.
A partial update on Trump’s attempts to interfere when it comes to the midterm elections:
Link
Third Country Removal Update
The Retribution: Free Press Edition
Military won’t use cartoonishly evil ‘heat ray’—but Border Patrol will
Cartoon: Tom the Dancing Bug: A Simpsonian look at Trump, Putin, and Musk, by RubenBolling
Cartoon: No more wars, by Clay Bennett
https://www.wonkette.com/p/this-texas-ratfcker-pamphlet-promises
Asawin Suebsaeng (Zeteo):
Lost to Science for 89 Years, a Venomous Primate Has Been Sneaking Into People’s Homes and Gardens
Trump’s Latest Renaming Idea Was Too Much for Google, He Says
Social Security Administration pushes yet another Trump-centric message as elections approach
“For the fourth time, the ostensibly apolitical federal agency has sent an unsolicited political email to Social Security beneficiaries.”
Thursday’s Campaign Round-Up, 10.22.26: GOP opposition to Ramaswamy attack ad grows
“Today’s installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.”
Related video at the link.
Link
Metro UK – Pub hand dryer near urinal in Count Binface’s manifesto has been moved
https://www.wonkette.com/p/evangelicals-pretty-sure-that-jesus
“Evangelicals Pretty Sure That Jesus Wants You To Be A Sociopath!”
‘Empathy’: Is it terrible, the worst, or actually from Satan?
Link to a report written by The Washington Post’s Editorial Board.
“Oil’s great escape from the Middle East”
“Painfully high gas prices are diversifying production, opening new routes and increasing investments in renewables.”
Comments from readers of the report:
Wonkette, quoted by Lynna @106:
Skeptics Annotated Bible – Contradictions, Is Salvation by faith alone?
Skeptics Annotated Bible:
Abraham, the holy psychopath
Supreme Court says New Hampshire student IDs can’t be used to vote in November
Kushner had three secret bank accounts passing money through famously opaque banks in Azerbaijan and Cyprus.
VanityFair – Jared Kushner’s hacked phone revealed his secret negotiations
(Book excerpt from Princes and Thieves)
Brad Moss (Security clearance attorney):
Dave Levitan (Journalist): “Kushner should be sent to some very grim prison for any variety of crimes, but also, good god, stop saving this shit for books!”
LOLGOP: “It’s like they manifested everything they pretended was on Hunter’s laptop (hard drive).”
Gavin Yamey: “how do you get *$2 billion* deposited in your bank account??!!!”
Rando: “That’s what you get for not answering those emails from princes.”
Cheryl Rofer: “The thing is, why does anyone need $2 billion? […] this amount of money is ridiculously beyond any reasonable human need.”
Adam Silverman (NatSec):
A reminder of why Kushner needed bailing out.
Kirk Rudell (NewYorker):
Sir Derek Jacobi (from “I, Claudius”) turns 88 today.
Tim Wilson: Judge tired of Trump’s BS
“Trump Wants $10 Billion from the BBC. Now He Must Answer Questions!”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=fZGsKGJ4C6k
Lynna, OM @ 106
““I don’t feel guilty for anything. I feel sorry for people who feel guilt.”
“Wait, sorry. That last one was actually just Ted Bundy.”
.
So the liberals built a time machine and went back to the 18th century, deliberately starting the conspiracy called “the age of enlightenment”. Voltarie was just a paid agent.
Confucius and others have preached to treat people well since the beginning of the iron age (before that, scant resources led to life being a ‘battle royale’) but it was not until the 18th century we saw a successful push to abolish slavery and a bajillion other abonimations.
From a neoliberal / fundie xian viewpoint, that process has been evil.
And the art-school reject would argue suffering and death is necessary to weed out the weak from the race.
Should be
‘Abominations’.
Yaphet Kotto, Ian Holm, John Hurt, Harry Dean Statton and now Tom Skerrit. Only Veronica Cartright (Lambert) and Sigourney Weawer remain from Alien.
“Tom Skerritt, Alien and Top Gun actor, dies aged 93” ;The Guardian .https://share.google/JJru0bTbA21mpDeU8
Happy birthday, Earth.
According to Bishop Ussher the world turns 6029 years old today.
Autonomous triangular modules could build tomorrow’s mega-observatories in space
.https://phys.org/news/2026-10-autonomous-triangular-modules-tomorrow-mega.html
.
New study traces van Gogh’s famed ‘Starry Night’ to an actual night sky from 1889
.https://phys.org/news/2026-10-sky-van-gogh-starry-night.html
Embryonic development and genes: “Scientists Discover Our Hands Evolved From Our…Butts?”
.https://youtube.com/shorts/KR8U-v8W-Jw
Inside the huge [far-right] AfD email leak rocking German politics | DW News
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=mS3nanKsZb0
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-23/israel-west-bank-closure/107303622
Cosmic horror
The world’s scariest rock feature (It literally rained glass).
.https://youtube.com/shorts/i_q4_1hFw84
MAGA clone Reform UK: Latest Abuse of Girls Scandal for Farage
.https://youtube.com/live/1-f1XspYzhQ
Washington Sun: State Asked Foreign Service Officers Up for Promotion Whether They Voted for Trump
It would be legal but tacky in the ranks of the political appointees, in the career non-political ranks this is just illegal. Very much the sort of behavior that the law bars for exactly the reason the law bars it.
Britain:
“We’re teenage girls fighting to ban the use of school uniform in porn. Why have you left it up to us?” | The Guardian .https://share.google/mNsShPeUPd8z08FqM
Sky Captain @108, quoting the web archive of Interfaith Now:
Sounds sort of like test criteria for joining Trump’s cabinet. Maybe Trump is as cruel, and as lacking in empathy, as the Evangelical Christian version of God. Also, Trump expects his people to do what he says, no matter what.
I always disliked the biblical story in which Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son if God told him to do so.
Fear of God was a virtue touted in the Baptist church to which my mother took me when I was a child. Even as a child, I thought that was bonkers.
‘Nothing too low’: Chris Hayes slams GOP’s dirty politics
Video is 7:03 minutes, and includes shocking videos from Republican politicians. “Republicans and their associates are going to be pounding that same hateful message into voter’s brains over the next twelve days. That’s how they want to win.” “Really vile
Sky Captain @110 and 111, thanks for all that info regarding Jared Kushner and his dirty deals.
This excerpt from text you quoted bears repeating:
It’s all dirty business deals, including Kushner helping to launder money. And yes, that does help to explain Kushner’s and Witkoff’s repetition of Russian talking points … and their betrayal of Zelensky. I keep thinking about Witkoff’s recent praise of Putin as a “humanitarian.”
See comments 47, 60, 63, and 88.
Conclusion: Jared Kushner is bad at business, a failure when it comes to real estate management, and he is easily duped.
New York Times report
“Covert Russian Group Injects Baseless Claim Into the Texas Senate Race”
“Russian influence operations appear to be stepping up efforts to meddle in the midterms, according to intelligence officials. Most are targeting Democrats.”
More at the link, including descriptions of Russians using bot networks and A.I. tools to create video, etc.
Bits and pieces of campaign news, as summarized by Steve Benen:
‘Man of the Century’: Republicans keep presenting Trump with made-up awards
“The president has struggled to earn the kind of awards he desperately wants, but he’s managed to receive all kinds of fake honors.”
Awards;
“Trump Gets A Massive Wake-Up Call From The EU” (giving the International Criminal Court a prestigiuous not made up award as a big ‘Fuck you” to Trump)
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=7d3qI0ET3_8
@13, 16
Ukraine Says Starlink Is Back to Full Power
Alaska Dem Peltola calls DOJ lawsuit ‘corrupt’ and ‘desperate’
Britt McHenry resigns from State Department job after basketball game altercation
What, they’re worried she’s not classy enough for Trump’s Stae Department? They would probably give her a raise.
‘I don’t know anything’: Trump unloads on reporter over Ohio attack ad question
Video is 8:53 minutes.
Anime Reaction video; Parody of anime romantic high-school comedy
“Even The Student Council Has Its Holes”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=5RpH0OVcZhM
.
Ume has to join the student council to avoid having to repeat a year. We meet Ms.Hiratsuka the hungover chain-smoking teacher who clips her toenails in public. The engineering kid who zooms through the hallways with her latest robots. Kotobu the helpful but dangerously repressed council president. Otori-Tan the very capable femboy who is also a terrible brat without boundaries.
Terui the council treasurer is considerate (but has a violent side), she comes from a wealthy family and the father (or butler) cooks dinner only dressed in an apron. Michino is naive and prone to accidents, she keeps surviving getting hit by trucks on the way to school. You know, ordinary relateable people.
The author is a woman, but this is Japan soo…this was the least raunchy reaction video I could find.
.
Milder stuff: ‘Bocci The Rock’; a wholesome story about a shy introverted teenager that comes out of her shell when she joins a band.
“Bocchi’s Solo”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=QjmnsAWGm8E
Lynna, OM @ 136
A horrible little president.
If Chuck Shumer or Jeffries drag their feet after November, kick them out and replace them with people who match the aggression of the Trumpists.
Hillary Clinton thinks we should have 13 Supreme Court justices. Here’s why that matters.
“A once-fringe position in the Democratic Party has become mainstream – and the court only has itself to blame.”
New York Times:
Washington Post:
Pentagon-related news, as summarized by Steve Benen from a New York Times report:
New York Times link
Trump’s crusade against Ilhan Omar follows a familiar authoritarian playbook
“As the president demands the congresswoman’s resignation, we’re watching a case study in Authoritarian Politics 101.”
Related video at the link.
Nick Shirley and the White House Make Their Relationship Official
The Big, Beautiful Bill Taketh and Giveth Away
NBC – Florida officer found dead man, impersonated him for years and renovated his home
Commentary
Dem PAC ad featuring a creepy old man.
Progress Action Fund – Republicans in your bathroom (0:29)
From the group that made Republicans in your bedroom.
Newsweek – Indiana Democrat Jaime West admits to beers before viral interview
Rando: “That drunk Democrat made more sense than sober Trump or any other Republican I’ve heard.”
[Video] Fayette County Candidate Forum – 2026 Council, Jaime West interview (12:51)
[Video] Piers Morgan Uncensored – 2026-10-19 Indiana candidate admits she ‘had beers’ (1:05:22 to 1:23:15)
^ Other guest Ben Ferguson was a heckling jackass. (He hosts another show with Ted Cruz.)
@140 Lynna, OM: The increase is also because the arrival time for the Russian oil in the US was pushed back several times. It’s only now that the first tankers are on the way and they won’t arrive until after the election.
ABC News: Kremlin says first tanker of Russian diesel sets sail for the US
Timed to be very close to the election for maximum news impact but not arrive until after the election. That way the small real size won’t be noticed much and the high likelihood that Russia can’t keep up delivery won’t make the news for some time.
Newsweek: Ohio Governor Race Shifts in Amy Acton’s Favor Following Attack Ad
This is one particular poll but seems to be happening in others also. Not a big shift but an attack ad so offensive that actually backfires is rare. There are a lot of attack ads that offend members of the opposing party but they were not going to vote for the candidate anyway. Something so offensive that independents are moving against the person running it, people in the opposing party are more motivated to vote and members of your own party are less motivated is hard. Campaign advisors usually stop anything that bad from making it on the air, particularly for candidates already head.
The Hill: DOJ asks appeals court to intervene in California mail-in ballot lawsuit
Rush appeal going around the lower court. The DOJ wants to claim some emergency here despite not having shown that anything is wrong yet or that anything of significance would happen. The DOJ wants to say there is some doubt so all counting must be stopped until everything is verified.
This is some combination of the DOJ showing to Trump that it is doing something, the DOJ wanting to set a precedent for stopping counting and sowing doubt about the election.
Newsweek: Trump Says He Asked DOJ to Sue Alaska Over Two Dan Sullivans on Ballot
If the name was actually grounds to stop the election then it wouldn’t matter who won. The Trump DOJ doesn’t care if their guy wins, they only care about the illegal ballot if their guy loses. This case is about confusing the issue and sowing doubt, with a possible side bit of Trump not understanding the issue.
Alaska has ranked choice voting so this guy pulling a few votes won’t matter if people fill out their ballot correctly. If they only partially fill out the ballot it could take some votes.
Follow-up to 148.
Connersville News-Examiner – Fayette County woman clears the air on slurred speech, statements made (Oct 14)
Democrat Jaime West is a gig worker w/o experience. Cares about infrastructure, emergency services, & low property taxes. Opposes data centers. Been common-law married for 14yrs to a conservative never-Trump libertarian.
A Bold New Direction for 2028 (This Effing Guy)
Sarcasm for sure.
The TEC Show Senate Map Prediction | “Democrats May Reach 53 Senate Seats”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=5pV6f9RrOUY
Yeah. I will not be optimistic until they have been sworn in 2027.
https://www.wonkette.com/p/america-say-hello-to-your-new-secretary
https://www.wonkette.com/p/wonkette-book-club-sunshine-superpower
Lots more at the link, including book-ordering suggestions, a discussion concerning China’s solar panel factories, solar farms in arid regions, Australian rooftop solar installations, Europe’s boon in solar energy, and wind farms in South Africa.
A fire devastates the Eagle’s Nest retreat built for Hitler in Germany. A suspect is detained
Good luck distinguishing between political motives and mental illness.
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:vq3fn2jcelxumsyvq4entjl4/post/3mymfuujmck2s
Zelensky:
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:q4ovgljecfxpw4rh574pvqxz/post/3myl3g5jq4k2e
Archaeologists Unearthed a 476,000-Year-Old Wooden Structure. No One Knows Who Built It or Exactly Why
155:
Well, probably 52. That knuckle-dragger, Fetterman, is going to be Trump’s/AIPACs pet.
Have I Got News for You Season 72 Episode 4 Oct 23, 2026
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=__66g23oaiA
Jonny Saunders (Software developer):
Rando 1: “they’re using a *language* model to solve a visual captcha???”
Rando 2: “At last we have built the exploit-downloading nexus from the classic sci-fi novel.”
ProPublica – The secret terms of Trump’s Venezuelan oil deal
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-23/large-methane-plumes-above-chevron-gorgon-project-investigation/107288658
Informative and oddly soothing (at least I reckon so) Gingko Traces 35 mins long youtube video You Are Exploring the Early Triassic. Their latest in a great series.
Desperate MAGA Candidate Hit by New Embarrassment Over Vile Ad
Amgen says drug combo cuts risk of death by 58% in patients with aggressive lung cancer
Even though he will be leaving this arena soon, I think PZ (an others here) would be interested in this:
http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/timothy-scott/118444/the-university-s-soul-has-been-uploaded
Also, I offer the thoughtful article below, knowing only some here can or will appreciate its true depth and import.
https://www.frontporchrepublic.com/2026/10/the-great-work-an-interview-with-david-w-orr/
StevoR: I left some info about whitewashed violence in rights movements in that other thread. Wasn’t expecting a response. You might’ve missed it in the outage is all.
A Brief Look At the Israeli Election, by Josh Marshall
What Trump said;
Commentary:
Link
Ten relaxing minutes.
“A Kingfisher Appeared on My October Sunrise Kayak Trip”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=J5J-TAUK-rI
The cats had not yet returned from their nighttime trips so the pocaster took off alone this time.
Sherrod Brown described Trump’s decorating of the White House: “like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.”
Fighting for Ohio Rally” that features Sherrod Brown, Barack Obama, Dr. Amy Acton, and others. Obama comes on stage at about 46:00 minutes.
Video that features only Barack Obama’s remarks. The video is about 38 minutes.
Very good antidotes to Trump.
Correction to comment 175.
https://x.com/HQNewsNow/status/2114083087059730524
Video at the link
Followup to comments 175 and 176.
Commentary:
Link
See also:
Link
EXCLUSIVE Washington Post report
“Trump’s DOJ told a judge how to rule. Then it pulled her from court.”
“Karen Donoso Stevens offers a rare firsthand look at the administration’s campaign to transform the immigration court system.”
The Trump administration moves to treat millions of mentally ill veterans with psychedelics
“No regulator has found the drugs safe or effective, but a VA official says as many as 2.1 million ex-service members could find them helpful.”
Jan. 6 election deniers are back on the ballot
“Fall 2026 is way too stacked with Anime Sequels”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=GGJCFrUBXBg
.
To cheer you up during the Trump era; -More Anime Reaction video, 40 minutes.
“Even the Student Council Has Its Holes Ep.4”. Unhinged high school romantic comedy. ‘YEP. STILL UNHINGED. AND STILL PEAK’
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=WslYgTIMVPs
The engineering kid has invented some new weird gadget. The student union council checks the suggestion box, the tea ceremony club makes complaints about noise from the music club. Automaic door lock creates mayhem. (Any raunchy visual jokes are blurred, but it was still too much for US streaming services)
Source :https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-26/albanese-quiet-on-iran-war-as-uncertainty-grows/107306234
I hope not but fear so.
We Aussies really need to stop following the USA like a lamvb trotting afetr amother sheep as my primary school history teacher put it and forge outr own more independent -and anti-war path.
The Independent: Trump is still claiming vandals destroyed the Reflecting Pool – ignoring the facts laid out by his own team
The Reflecting Pool bit has reached the “I can’t admit I’m wrong” level and Trump is just spewing random garbage and repeating his previous incorrect claims. Evidence has no bearing at this point, if you challenge him on one of these he will get upset you are bringing up the issue and claim all other information is fake news.
BBC: A huge upset for Bolsonaro
I’m actually not really happy as this is Lula’s 4th term but blocking Bolsonaro is more important. Bolsonaro is already complaining, he will make legal/campaign appeals and there may be violence.
@ ^JM : Phew! That is great news and very glad to learn that. Aussie ABC news has more here too :
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-26/brazilian-president-luiz-inacio-lula-da-silva-wins/107308482
Doubt SCOTUS would be so decent sadly.
Oh and according to that ABC article Bolsonaro has refused to concede defeat..
Oh and note that :
Lula is spot on and same applies again.
Reminder – obligatory since not enough people seem to heed it historically :
If we want to see any progress in the USA and anything good come out of an election it is essential that everyone VOTEs BLUE NO MATTER WHO!
This is the way.
The ONLY way. Vote Blue. No matter who.
“How did amcient humans actually discover iron?” This Facebook video shows the process to create iron and steel was known during the bronze age, but it was the collapse of the bronze age trade network and the absence of tin that made smiths make the transition to the harder-to-work metal across the Old World.
.https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1CjR4ceuZm/
CNN: Trump rails against Bill Maher in his longest Truth Social post ever
Exceptionally long and parts don’t make sense. The apparent core of Trump’s complaint is that Bill Maher’s latest episode wasn’t entirely praise for Trump and Maher pointed to polls that put Trump’s support below 90%.
JM @ 184 beat me to it. Good news!
.
I just heard a rumor that The Idiot (TM) claimed Ilhan Omar has lost her seat in congress.
This is obviously not true. The investigation against her is pure harassment and she has not been indicted for anything. The legal term Trump used does not even exist, but the rumor is spreading on social media.
“How did amcient humans actually discover iron?”
This Facebook video shows the process to create iron and steel was known during the bronze age, but it was the collapse of the bronze age trade network and the absence of tin that made smiths make the transition to the harder-to-work metal across the Old World.
.https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1CjR4ceuZm/
The Serbian student movement beat the government.
And yesterday, 60% of Swedish electricity came from wind power.
.
Glenfiddish sponsors the Top Scot Award. Once, the award was given to the farmer next to Trump’s Scottish golf resort that refused to sell out. Trump banned all his properties from selling the Whisky brand. If you are not a non-drinker, I know which brand to recommend.
Reg readers land on ‘Binface’ as name for UK space cleanup mission
Effort to stop TV stations from running Hope Florida ad blocked
POV: Your boss is Swedish 🇸🇪
.https://youtube.com/shorts/Ht0bJxBPm2k
Southern Africa’s first known stenciled rock art found hiding in plain sight
.https://phys.org/news/2026-10-southern-africa-stenciled-art-plain.html
Newsweek: Catholic Bishops Say White House Exploited Prayer With Trump
Catholic bishops are not this politically innocent. They went to the White House only days before the election, did they think the White House was going to keep it private? These sorts of events at the White House are usually more publicity events then serious discussion to begin with. This is just covering their butt after doing something stupid.
The Independent: Trump demands metal detectors for Abdul El-Sayed at US Capitol as he spews attacks at Democrat during rally
With only days left until the election Trump has found an entirely new racist line to use. It’s crude but shows more creativity then most of what he has been spewing lately, I wonder if he copied it from somebody on his staff.
Mediate: Trump Seethes That ‘Fox is Doing Little to Help’ Republicans Win the Election — Hours After Appearing on the Network for a Fawning Interview
Trump’s already shifting blame. It can’t be that he is unpopular so it must be somebody else’s fault when Republicans do badly in the election.
I like the last bit “if it is indeed close”. It sounds like Trump realized what he said, corrected himself and then whoever was typing this rewrote it into regular English.
Mediaite: Pete Hegseth Reportedly ‘Angling’ for Senate Seat as Impeachment Fears Grow
The failures in Iran mean the risk that Hegseth gets impeached by a Democratic congress or Trump fires him are fairly high (he may or may not be largely responsible but Trump can easily dump the blame on him). Moving out on his own to replace somebody without an election in a Republican state probably looks like a good deal to Hegseth. It’s the sort of job he can hang onto for the rest of his career. The only thing getting in the way is that a bunch of people are looking for Blackburn’s job, as whoever she appoints to replace herself is probably set for life.
Followup to comments 184 and 185, plus comments on other issues.
https://www.wonkette.com/p/brazil-you-did-it-tabs-monday-oct
Washington Post link
“White House is sued again over media bans as press groups seek wider injunction”
“The new lawsuit says that prohibitions like the ones aimed at CNN, MS NOW and Politico — which a judge has paused — violate the rights of ordinary citizens.”
Who runs the Justice Department? Blanche and Trump aren’t bothering to hide the answer.
“The department is taking commands from the president and throwing spaghetti at the wall to file meritless lawsuits,” one former DOJ official explained.
Related video at the link.
Link
[Social media post and video]
Link
Link
Trump’s DOJ says they are going to appeal the decision.
The Trump library bribes are getting even more brazen
@201 Lynna, OM: I suspect Trump’s getting more involved and being more obvious about the Alaska case because he understands this case. A lot of his cases are matters of weird legal arcana. The multiple overlapping Attorney General cases has to do with a weird situation and a law about appointments that only the president can violate. The various cases about his construction projects look similar but are all different when you get into the details because the projects are controlled in different ways and through different laws. There are so many different ICE cases in court you would need a small book just to list them and explaining them would be a library itself.
The multiple Sullivans case is something even Trump can understand why it’s potentially a problem.
NBC News: Delegations meet in Iran with Middle East on edge over potential for renewed fighting
They have not really done anything yet except announcing their meeting. However, if Saudi Arabia and Iran can cut a deal without the US it could mean a total realignment of power in the middle east.
Likely Saudi Arabia is angry that they have spent years and a lot of money aligning themselves with Trump and people under Trump to discover those promises are worthless when it matters. It’s hard to see Saudi Arabia and Iran actually signing any strong deal but even just an agreement not to attack either other would be a big shift. If they come to some agreement on using the Strait of Hormuz that was recognized by other regional powers it would greatly complicate the US blockade.
JM @196:
Such concern for senators.
Trump on Jan 6, 2021:
And of course he’s excluding lawmakers already known to have brought guns to congress. Or handed out grenades.
A bit of humor.
Nordic Language Class: “Zipper” 🤐
.https://youtube.com/shorts/HSNxBTjNjg8
JM @206, good points.
Sky Captain @208, yes, I remember Hutchinson’s testimony. And you are right about some Republicans already having brought guns to Congress. Trump is such a hypocrite… and such a racist.
Trump offers $1M reward for voter fraud tips that result in conviction
No payment until conviction? A rare recognition of due process.
Elon Musk Says Ukraine Violated Starlink’s Rules
“The comments came after the disruption in the country’s satellite service. Earlier, Ukraine said drones using Starshield, the Pentagon-funded service, were back to normal speeds.”
Walter Koenig, Chekov on Original ‘Star Trek,’ Dies at 90
‘Absolute Acoustic Silence’: Triangular UFO Spotted by Federal Agents
Delta kite
Politico: Justice Department charges James Comey with sharing classified information
This was investigated before under the first Trump administration and no charges brought. This is really about revenge for Trump against Comey, likely the timing right now because Comey’s daughter just won her case against the Trump administration.
It will bounce around in court for a while then be dismissed. How long it lasts is up in the air, normally I would expect something like this to last for years but with the Trump DOJ something in the case could easily have been messed up. Comey’s lawyers have already said that the statue of limitations had passed for this and the Trump DOJ was playing legal games to keep it in play.
X has another new head of product.
Sounds like someone who would work for Elon Musk. If you want unnecessary details, such as his name, click the link.
Man accused of allegedly sending letters with white powder to 4 members of Congress in Illinois: DOJ
Re: Reginald Selkirk @ #217…
Talk about dumb criminals… Putting his own address on the envelopes as a return address?
“Airborne ESKAPE pathogens at inner-city clinic resist advanced antibiotics”
-We once had a tuberculosis hospital nearby where patients were cared for, waiting for the natural immune response to heal them as there were not yet any antibiotics. This situation might return as antibiotics fail.
.https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-airborne-eskape-pathogens-city-clinic.html
Reginald Selkirk @ 217
While there is no mention of his political affiliation, I am pretty sure he watches “Fox And Friends”.
Let’s Talk Elections: “Republicans Brace for Deep South Wipeout”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=HKWKaMMpTpQ
If Maher can give Trump a stroke he has served a purpose.
Trump calls Bill Maher a ‘total loser’ in 1,300-word Truth Social rant
.https://share.google/bseLrQ83KbDjwBpuh
StevoR, you have confidently claimed our votes won’t matter, and that there won’t be an election — that the final election took place in 2024.
Just admit that you have no idea what you’re talking about and that no one should take you seriously on the subject of U.S. politics. It saves us the headache of trying to puzzle out your mutually-contradictory ideas that you never bother to update with new information.
Via BBC World news :
Source : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crlykey9jywqo
@224 StevoR
I wouldn’t hold my breath about meaningful change in Israel. All of Netanyahu’s opponents are flanking him to the right — they apparently want to genocide even harder than he does.
The Zionist project will not reform itself. Change is instead imposed on it from its surrounding material reality.
Denmark’s bid to ditch Microsoft Office for open-source alternative Collabora collapses in under six months — employees cite issues with style, formatting, and tracking changes
U.S. designates helium a critical material following 60 Minutes report on supply chain crisis
National Helium Reserve
@ 223. Dishonest Trumpist troll “Beholder” : I have answered your objections & debunked your lies many times. As usual your reading comprehension either accidentally or deliberately sucks.
For clarity again :
I have always noted that IF
Note : IF
IF there was a chance for USAites to vote it was essential they take that chance to VOTE BLUE NO MATTER WHO as that is the ONLY rational and ethical option.
Voting for Trump via Stein as you (the Trump supporting dishonest troll “beholder”) did was irrational and unethical. (Same for any third party, vanity campaign, spoiler 3rd party “candidate.”)
Voting for Trump by staying home & not voting was irrational and unethical
Voting for Trump was obviously irrational and unethical.
It is still likely that Trump will cancel or suspend or annul the mid terms.
We already know as I have noted before that Trump is rigging the election – see :
https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/09/29/infinite-thread-xxxxi/comment-page-1/#comment-2314047
So IF there’s a chance however small and IF the votes actually mean anything a massive number of people need to vote BLUE NO MATTER WHO to overwhelm that rigging and deter Trump’s attempts to deny the result.
Its worth trying. What after all is the alternative?
Says the Trump supporting troll who tried to pretend that voting for Putin shill and anti-science klown Jill Stein was anything other than de facto voting for Trump!
I’d take my understanding of USAite politics over your disingenuous trolling rubbish any day. I hope most others here.would too.
BTW. What Trump troll a few questions you probly won’t answer :
1) What state do you actually.live in – aside from Denial obvs?
2) Do you still think Denmark “occupies” Greenland and Greenland would;d welcome Trump invaders as liberators? Do you seriously think NATO’s purpose is “…to crush Europe under the heel of the U.S. to prevent a future contest of European world powers” as you falsely claimed here :
https://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2026/08/11/this-is-what-happens-when-you-let-a-senile-fool-run-the-country/comment-page-1/#comment-2308992
3) Do you actually care about Gaza & its people.at all and the worse genocide now happening there thanks to your choice of POTUS “More& Worse Genocides Plural “ Don? Happy with what Trump is doing to them now you helped to prevent the anti-genocide candidate Kamala from winning?
Reminder – obligatory since not enough people seem to heed it historically :
If we want to see any progress and anything good come out of any election in the USA; it is essential that everyone VOTEs BLUE NO MATTER WHO! This is the way.
The ONLY way. Vote Blue. No matter who.
^Clarity fix :
BTW. Trump troll a few questions here you probly won’t answer :
1) What state do you actually.live in?
2) Do you still think Denmark “occupies” Greenland and do you seriously think NATO’s purpose is “…to crush Europe under the heel of the U.S. to prevent a future contest of European world powers” as you falsely claimed?
3) 3) Do you actually care about Gaza & its people.at all now they are no longer a handy excuse to vote for Trump who is far worse for Gaza than Biden-Harris ever were?
^ As I (& others incl Mehdi Hasan) predicted and warned everyone back when it most mattered.
Good.
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-27/randa-abdel-fattah-adelaide-writers-week-program/107311612
So, just a funny thought, is it coincidence that this year’s Día de los Muertos is the day before the US midterm elections?
@226 Reginald Selkirk: It’s a hard change to make. Microsoft Office is barely compatible with Office, it’s intentionally designed to making working with anything else difficult. Microsoft doesn’t want to make environments that mix Office and other platforms easy. Second, standards are often written with the assumption that people are using Office. So things like document spacing and heading position are written in terms of Office layout assumptions, not generic formats. Third, people who have used Office their entire career often find shifting hard. Year of experience with how the menu is organized is not easily changed.
Re; flex @ #232…
It’s a coincidence. The Day of the Dead is always on 2 Nov. US Federal elections are specified as “the Tuesday after the first Monday in November”. So the earliest that the election can fall is 2 Nov. (if 1 Nov. is a Monday). The latest it can fall is 8 Nov., if the 1 Nov, is a Tuesday.
Re: JM @ #232…
My late wife made the transition from Word for Windows 2.0 (she felt that later versions had added too much cruft that got in her way) when she finally got a machine 2.0 wouldn’t run on. I got her switched to OpenOffice (this was before the LibreOffice fork) and she was quite happy with it. This for someone who touch-typed at 100+ wpm. Granted, what she wanted was mostly something that would do standard manuscript format for submitting fiction for publication, so her formatting requirements were modest, though consistent.
Avoids jail.. Grrr..
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-27/sa-man-avoids-jail-in-milestone-deepfake-pornography-case/107313206
DW News incl interviw w Ofer Shelah Final election push in Israel, but where is push for peace? 17 mins long.
Aussie ABC’s 7.30 Report Why Israel’s election could be a turning point for the Middle East 9 mins long. Here’s hoping!
PBS Newshour Netanyahu faces Israeli voters in first election since Oct. 7 and Gaza war – 11 mins long.
PBS Newshour Netanyahu faces Israeli voters in first election since Oct. 7 and Gaza war – 11 mins long.
From reading the Israeli press my impression is that one of Israel’s top short-term goals in the Gaza Strip is to kill every last of the roughly 6000 who participated in the October 7th 2023 invasion as well as any Gazan whose home held any of the hostages. And if 5-10 unrelated others are also killed so be it. They make a big deal of every October 7 person they kill. They say they already killed about 4000 of them. As long as this goal is not fulfilled they don’t particularly care about the cease fire.
“And if 5-10 unrelated others are also killed’ – while killing one of the targeted individuals, that is.
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2026-10-27/jumping-spider-rem-sleep/107309370
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-27/community-opposes-proposed-data-centre-near-dark-sky-reserve/107312876
7 Days of Science Jurassic Flightless Bird and Green Stars plus Nobel prizes round up & much more under 15 mins long.
Latest updates Isreal’s election here :
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/oct/27/israel-elections-knesset-netanyahu-likud-eisenkot-gaza-latest-updates
Kushner denies ‘insane’ allegations in new book about foreign dealings
Video is 14:44 minutes
Hayes breaks down Trump’s ‘extremely telling’ rally riff about gas prices
Video is 8:12 minutes
Netanyahu pushed for new attack on Iran, which could have delayed Israel’s election: NYT
Video is 5:06 minites
JM @233, Reginald Selkirk @226.
Yep, that’s what happened. Interoperability. Even after their own migration, they’d still have to interact with other departments.
TechSpot
@235 whheydt: I should have been more specific. For a home user unless they have a program or game that requires Windows there usually isn’t a problem.
I was talking about business and government users. Where it isn’t good enough that you can open a word document, change it and save it. You have to be able to open the document, edit it, and have the images not move a pixel, that line wraps at the same point. That you can open and manipulate an excel spreadsheet so big that it isn’t safe to open on Windows.
The Brain-Eating Amoeba Kills 97% of Its Victims. Scientists May Have Found a Way to Stop It in Hours
RFK Jr., on the campaign trail in Michigan, trashes the accomplishments of ‘Arab Muslims’
“That the health secretary’s offensive rhetoric was factually inaccurate is part of a much broader problem.”
New York Times link
“After nearly a year of revamping the Oval Office, President Trump is nearly out of wall space.”
The New York Times recreated the president’s office in 3-D, using hundreds of photos taken in October.
The images are annotated with additional information.
Reginald Selkirk @250: That’s good news for neti pot users.
NPR – A man dies of a brain-eating amoeba, possibly from rinsing his sinuses with tap water (2023)
The article also warns about keeping warm fresh water out of your nose when swimming or bathing. Which sems a tad fearmongery given “150 cases ever reported in the U.S.” @250.
Link
“The self-immolation of America” .https://share.google/RnbXozWWnIV19hxD8
Mano Singham’s blog brings an excerpt of an essay.
“…It is in the region of soft power where we see the most precipitous decline of US power under Trump. Garrett M. Graff does a detailed analysis of this issue, dissecting carefully all the elements that led to the US becoming so powerful in the 20th century and how each of those elements has declined precipitously under Trump.”
Update from Josh Marshall regarding the election in Israel:
Trump Goes 0-3
More at the link, including this:
‘Shove that ballroom up your fat ass’: Trump gets heckled in Mississippi
The Guardian: Flávio Bolsonaro flees Brazil after presidential election loss, reports say
What he is really doing and where he is going is rumor but it looks like he is fleeing to the US. He shouldn’t have any trouble getting permission to stay from Trump. There are big money laundering charges against him so the government had good reason to keep him from leaving the country immediately after losing the election.
Monstrous size of Trump’s ballroom revealed in new video (helicopter flyaround)
Josh Marshall quoted by Lynna @256:
From previous reporting (2024-03)
NYT (2025-11):
Centrist party leader Benny Gantz, who in 2024 might’ve become Netanyahu’s replacement if an election occurred, is leaving now.
Wikipedia – Blue and White (political party)
A musical interlude to get the political stench out.
.
Ladytron – Runaway
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=zFp6G8FlYLk
This still looks futuristic after all these years
Trump rallies are still rockin’ with Neil Young’s music — so he’s suing, again
I think the best intro music for Trump would be Carly Simon’s You’re So Vain
@208, 210
DOJ fails to get indictment against ex-Trump aide Cassidy Hutchinson over her Jan. 6 testimony: Sources
Re: Reginald Selkirk @ #262…
I think the best music to accompany That Felon in the White House would be the G&S song from Mikado where the title character sings about how he is going to let the punishment fit the crime.
Hackers Target U.S. Federal Election Commission Website
I don’t need more information at this time. If, in the current state of the world, someone is willing to put that ‘R’ next to their name, they do not get my vote.
ProPublica – A Texas cop signed on to help ICE deport his neighbors. It tore the town apart.
Much of the article focuses on the cop’s delusions of decency. I’m reminded of the 2012 documentary The Act of Killing. Without the emetic epiphany at the end.
Kera: ‘Absolutely ridiculous’: Dallas still hasn’t received Republican midterm convention reimbursement
Dallas police also overspent their budget by at least 2 million providing security and there are other expenses. Because of overlapping groups that are supposed to help pay it isn’t clear who owes what for all of it.
It appears that the city government is unclear on how Trump does business. If they want paid they should have moved a month ago and gone on the news to complain they have not been paid and it reflects badly on Republicans.
Be intresting if the Arab parties in israel’s election and the high turnout of Arab-Israelis decide the election against Netanyahu and end his political career!
Aussie ABC has live blog coverage here :
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-28/israel-election-blog-october-28/107259780
Re: JM @ #267…
What Dallas should have done was to make their best estimate of what it was going to cost, doubled that, then demanded payment in full up front. Then they might have considered reimbursing anything left over…maybe.
Rando 1:
Al Jazeera – Paramilitary hitman linked to British right-wing group Turning Point UK (Oct 21)
Al Jazeera (Oct 21): “The UK’s Conservative Party has suspended Jack Ross”
Rando 2: “Wait… Turning Point UK, a violent fascist group whose COO [Nick Tenconi] throws seig heils, was being run by a Tory Party Member?”
Al Jazeera documentary – Contract Killers and the Far Right (46:09)
^ Conforms to the article without adding much.
* Wikipedia – 2024 United Kingdom riots
* Phase 1: F*** things up. Phase 2: ??? Phase 3: Profit.
Al Jazeera podcast – The Loch Ness Mobster (3x 40min)
^ Same story, padded with minor details.
* UVF membership increased from a few hundred to a few thousand members when drugs and organized crime paid better than patriotism.
* Nesbitt “is associated with the East Belfast Battalion, an offshoot so violent, so notorious, that it was expelled by the mainline UVF.”
For skeptics. Tibees: “Rorschach slop is out of control”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=zbWusaqZw98
The only Rorschach that is relevant today is the film character. This is on a par with the scuence of ‘lie detectors’.
BTW Tibees is this calm educator that you can just sit and listen to and unwind, like being on vacation.
Scumbag One Nation members handed out colouring books depicting Bluey being held up at knife point to children. This is not long after an independent MP lost both of her legs due to an attack.
One Nation primer for non-Australians.
Walter Koenig aka ensign Pavel Chekov, USS Enterprise, passed away this week.
re birgerjohansson@273: Also very well known as Alfred Bester on Babylon 5.
@ ^ johnson catman & birgerjohansson See Bester in B5 here – Bester Has The Comebacks (Babylon 5 Fan Video) under 5 mins long by Merrin Station Theater.
Astronomers May Have Just Discovered Our Solar System’s Sixth Dwarf Planet
Plus Koenig as Chekov Funny Chekov moments Part 1 by
geso101 and taking 9 mins to watch.
At least 64 killed in Spanish high-speed train crash with dozens seriously injured, regional government says
Not quite the right day – bit early but still Pumpkins Shouldn’t Exist almost 15 mins long & by PBS Eons.
A U.S. cruise ship ends voyage due to fuel costs and passengers lose their homes
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-28/ebola-latest-10000-cases/107318116
Latest israeli election news vuia The New Arab. Sadly it ain;’t good :
Source : https://www.newarab.com/news/netanyahu-led-bloc-leads-over-80-vote-counted
Israeli election wikipage :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Israeli_legislative_election
Which of c will get updated regularly by the editors there.
Trump accused of brutally raping the former Miss Switzerland at Plaza Hotel in 1993.
re birgerjohansson@284: I am totally surprised. I don’t understand why she wouldn’t let such a famous asshole grab her by the pussy.
The late Rick Mayall played a corrupt weasel politician in the lowbrow comedy “The New Statesman”.
I think of him as I read the review of “American scoundrel. Roy Cohn’s dark journey from Joe McCarthy to Donald Trump”.
Apart from helping Joe McCarthy and being a mafia lawyer he was the mentor of Donald Trump. It explains a lot.
Reginald @263, that’s good news.
Sky Captain @270, JFC!
StevoR @271, As far as I can tell, the Trump administration is ignoring the Ebola outbreak.
CBS News: 2 activists face felony charges after filming themselves posing as Minnesota voters
Usual stuff from O’Keefe but he made a mistake here. Usually he is using a fake identity to try and get somebody else to break the law or admit to breaking the law, here he tries to get in to vote himself illegally. They did not vote illegally but just trying to get past the poll workers is itself a serious crime. Hopefully in the current environment this isn’t tolerated at all.
‘We are begging’: Pretti family accuses feds of ‘shielding Alex’s killers’
The segment also discusses Trump’s mistreatment of Ilhan Omar.
Video is 9:47 minutes.
Twitter: US Dept of Education
US Dept of Education posts image of Malfoid. I’m sure somebody at the Dept of Education posted this without realizing it’s a meme. This is just funny not offensive, though I expect J. K. Rowling objects.
For those not up on internet memes: Malfoid
Eight months into the conflict, the U.S. war with Iran gets a revised price tag
“According to the Pentagon’s latest estimate, the cost of the war rose to $47.1 billion, while the actual number is significantly larger.”
Dolores Huerta, the fiery and resolute activist who helped launch the nation’s first enduring union for poor farmworkers, dies
‘A Real Genius’: Putin Showers Elon Musk With Praise
Question to Trump: You’ll respect the election results whatever happens?
Trump: If they’re honest elections.
Link
Followup to comment 263.
When weaponized justice flops: Cassidy Hutchinson case turns humiliating for Trump’s DOJ
“The fact that the case against the former White House aide was pursued at all reflects crisis conditions in federal law enforcement.”
Related video at the link.
Wired – A 28-Year-Old DOGE operative gutted USAID. HR had no record of him working there (Oct 27)
Reuters – Former DOGE staffer Jeremy Lewin departs US State Department policy role (Oct 27)
Laura Bassett (Journalist): “It wasn’t even his job. He just killed 750,000 people for the love of the game.”
Rando 1: “This guy has a law degree, he knew exactly what he was doing”
Rando 2: “Surely any one of us can now walk in & reinstate everything he messed up since it seems you don’t have to actually work there in order to make decisions & implement them.”
Previously Lewin was reported to have been a fashy sociopath prone to violent rages.
Trump’s four-minute homoerotic soliloquy
Cartoon: Decision 2026, by Jen Sorensen
https://www.wonkette.com/p/lulas-reelection-protects-the-amazon
Anjali Dayal (Intl relations prof):
Rando 1: “For fuck’s sake even if you believe Trump shouldn’t be impeached why the fuck would you say it out loud this close to the election?”
Rando 2: “Does Kamala *really* want to start a conversation about things that didn’t have enough votes to stop Trump?”
Anjali Dayal: “That there aren’t the votes to remove Trump from office isn’t the most important concern, or even the most salient answer. There might be votes to impeach Hegseth, for example.”
A unifying mechanism for cancer-driving mutations
Trump admin sues Utah to save Kalshi from the state’s total ban on gambling
@300
Fine, take two weeks to compile your evidence. You don’t really need to investigate because has so many impeachable offenses that are completely out in the open. And there is no point in investigating underlings because until you get rid of Trump, he can protect them with pardons.
@134, 152, 201, 206
Inside Democrats’ Secret Effort to Stack Alaska’s Ballot
This is a lot of bold allegations, and all they can show for it is statements made by one disgruntled former employee, and some ambiguous text messages. If Dem staffers text a reaction to Dan Sullivan #2 getting on the ballot, that is not necessarily a sign that they helped to put him there.
The Day Every Judge Ruled
Brent Taylor’s Sexting Problem
So 55 is ‘youthful’ ‽
Liz Oyer – Trump’s pardons might be worthless
(Former US pardon attorney fired on 2025-03-07)
https://www.borowitzreport.com/p/bolsonaro-accidentally-arrested-by
https://www.borowitzreport.com/p/ramaswamy-appears-in-new-ad-with
“Atheism of the gaps” or how to misrepresent atheism and abuse philosophy
@308
As Trump repeatedly assures us, he doesn’t like losers. That’s why he hangs out with Confederates and Nazis.
Texas barbecue joint says Paxton rally wasn’t approved by owners, but a ‘rogue employee’
Wired – ICE is running one of the largest anti-left surveillance operations in US history
Wired – Massive leak exposes 41,000 Homeland Security Workers—including undercover ICE Agents
Netanyahu claims stolen election amid failure to secure victory
roll- eyes. His is in charge and has been for years. How could anyone steal the election?
Flávio Bolsonaro denies fleeing Brazil after landing in Miami
OK, Brazil is better off without you.
Lynna: glad to see you still fighting the good fight. I’ll most likely recognize some other old timers from before, but not unwill i see you.
Wife and I voted by mail. We were (for the first time) a little reticent dropping it into the mail, but Wife and I are both on full disability and have significant mobility issues. Yet an old man from up around the corner (I talk to him walking Girl’s dog) insists that mail in voting should only be for the military, blah, blah. Nice guy, but thinks Fos News is too liberal.
Reginald Selkirk ( there’s a name i recognize): yeah, I read about Bolsonaro, the younger coming to the US. Will he be rounded up by ICE? Or wi.. he become one of Trums advisors/grifters?
Man granted first-of-its-kind religious exemption against mandatory AI use at work — Humanist argues that offloading his thinking to LLMs violates his beliefs, Title VII accommodation protects employee
Scientists Thought Comets Seeded Life on Earth. The Physics Says Otherwise
@304
Alaska governor orders probe into Democratic campaign’s alleged links to same-name candidate
Timed to be so close to the election that the actual outcome of that investigation doesn’t matter.
A simple liquid can stop cavities without drilling, major study confirms
Hegseth fires Pentagon’s top military planner over what official says were leaks to media
At least they called it polygraph and not lie detector.
The irony of Hegseth firing someone for leaking to the media!
Messages with Yemen war plans inadvertently shared with reporter: A timeline of the Signal mishap (Feb 2025)
DoorDash Is Buying Instacart for $17 Billion
Ha ha. “We’re building a monopoly and it will be good for small businesses.”
Politico: Hegseth, Mullin rebrand triumphal arch as ‘generational national defense opportunity’
The is it/isn’t it military use of the arch is back on. This is a probably a bad idea, drone defense in DC will have to be done but it should be placed centrally in the area it is protecting. More over, any such functionality will get in the way of the arch serving as a monument as it will need access points and need to be rebuilt as technology is changing rapidly.
That isn’t the point of course, the point is that the president has more freedom to build defensive military projects but a military project has it’s own set of complications. So the project switches back and forth based on which is better for passing the current lawsuit, law or regulation.
‘A whole of government response’: Obama mocks Trump’s Cheesecake Factory reaction
Video is 12:26 minutes
Rando 1: “Trumps Mississippi speech verbatim. [Video: TikTokker thepolichick reads aloud (3:41)]”
Rando 2: “When you remove his, let’s call it unique, cadence he really does sound out of his mind. I mean he already did, but his speech filtered through a normal functioning human adult really puts a spot light on it.”
Cartoon: Tom the Dancing Bug: Elon and DOGE pals hunt down the greatest threat to Western Civilization!
The Crank Lawsuits Start up — Where Else — in the Northern District of TX
Washington Secretary of State Pens Blistering Response to DOJ
BREAKING: Federal Judge Rejects Trump DOJ Bid To Interfere in CA Midterms
Reuters: Trump Admin Issues More Than 100 Subpoenas for Voter Info
RFK Jr. may hate vaccines, but he loves mystery shots
REPORT: Arizona Completely Collapses for Republicans
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=i7UPy8Odzpc
“Vote as if I was on the ballot” indeed…
The Scathing Atheist 711: Circling the John Edition
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=NRxb_o2SHZk
Sir Patrick Stewart 1940-2026
I feel compelled to share this:
Lee Camp is a journalist, an internet personality, a sarcastic video blogger and more. But, he backs up everything with credible sources which make his sarcasm credible, too.
He really provides a lot of (often disgusting) info on the maniacal muskrat.
However, he does leave out the fact that the maniacal muskrat is a criminal illegal alien who should be grabbed by ICE and immediately dumped in Sudan without any money, phone or other resources. He came to this country on a student visa. He violated the law about that visa by dropping out of his classes and illegally starting a business.
Any of these three links should work to reach Lee Camp’s article.
https://scheerpost.com/2026/10/29/the-real-elon-musk-is-even-crazier-than-you-think/
https://realleecamp.substack.com/p/elon-musks-true-history-is-horrifying
Quick summaries of some news reports, from Steve Benen:
Link
Team Trump pushes notorious phrase linked to white supremacists (again)
“It’s important not to shrug off the fact that the president’s official “war room” account published a “Which way Western Man?” message.”
birgerjohansson #331
I mourn.
[Video/Article] Jen Psaki – New report finds Trump Jr.’s Mongolia trip went far beyond hunting
Beavers chew down sign warning walkers about beavers in Poland
NY Times: Trump Erupted After Learning of Alina Habba’s $50 Million Deal
If your going to cut a big deal then the boss gets some action, understand?
Sounds like word got back to Alina Habba and I’m sure she has done something. She is likely still selling access to the White House and can’t let Trump get angry at her.
China expels a record number from Communist party amid Xi’s intensified purges of top officials | China | The Guardian .https://share.google/NnOOsyZXdK4dYrcD6
Visit Norway makes shithouses ‘great again’ after Trump insult . .https://share.google/tqjLTvNHwPqSGo7EH
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-30/christian-group-darwin-christmas-parade-rejection-dispute/107329402
Source : https://www.sci.news/paleontology/yujingia-glutenotunica-15143.html
Source : https://www.sci.news/astronomy/betelgeuse-atmosphere-15161.html
@339 birgerjohansson: There has been a lot of debate over the last 5-6 years of Xi’s control and he has aruged with military and other leaders for control of the party. It’s clear now that Xi has won and there won’t be any immediate moves to replace him. To do it though he has had to gut the military command and thin the ranks of party leadership heavily. He has held onto power like Stalin in his purge years, eliminate anybody with enough popularity, power or experience to replace him.
The Flesh-Eating Screwworm Is Spreading—and Now Burrowing Into Cats
New report reveals disturbing backstory to Ramaswamy’s attack ad
Video is 3:26 minutes
‘Shove that ballroom up your…’: Trump can’t escape the hecklers
Video is 8:22 minutes
Kansas’ Marshall faces yet another mess: a class-action lawsuit from a former patient
“At least one of the senator’s former patients is now suing him over his treatment of those who couldn’t afford their medical bills.”
birgerjohansson @340
I remember the Orange shitsack complaining about the dearth of immigrants from Norway during his first term
Democrats ask the right questions about Trump’s special treatment for Brazil’s Bolsonaro
“Why did the Republican administration extend special treatment to a suspected foreign criminal, welcoming him to American soil?”
The New York Times reported:
Commentary:
Link
The Hill: Judge opens East Potomac Park probe into potential DOJ misconduct
Another case of Trump digging a hole for himself. The DOJ presented in court that there was no plan to close the golf course. Trump then announced that no matter what the judge ruled the plans to close the golf course would go forward. The judge was not only annoyed with Trump announcing he planned to ignore a court order but the implication that the plans already existed. Its possible that Trump misspoke but otherwise there is a big question of the information the DOJ is providing in court. Is the DOJ lying, are they not actually investigating administration plans, is Trump lying to the DOJ?
Elon Musk, a Guy Who Destroyed the Future for Millions, Advises You Not to Save Money
Pope Leo XIV becomes first pontiff to vote in a US election
Uh? He’s kind of the head of state of a foreign nation.
30,000-year-old bone found in French cave reveals vast genetic connections between people of Eastern and Western Europe during the Stone Age
Reginald Selkirk @353
[Video] CGPGrey – The Pope is a king with absolute power (6:39)
Other trivia I learned recently, via Behind the Bastards on Adolf Eichmann.
DW – What did the Vatican know about the Nazi escape routes? (2020)
I’ve not seen a follow-up on that.
re Reginald Selkirk@352:
You first you fucking lying illegal immigrant asshole. Show your belief by giving away all your billions to help all the people who have nothing NOW.
Richard Norton, actor and martial artist, died after peptides triggered heart attack, coroner says
No explanation of what those peptides are, or what they are purported to do.
US approves sale of 500 Patriot missiles to Ukraine
Re: Reginald Selkirk @ #358…
The big question now is…WHEN will they be delivered?
MS NOW:
New York Times:
New York Times,”The Nasdaq and the S&P 500 had their worst day since June as investors worried about spending on A.I. infrastructure”:
Summary by Steve Benen:
Excerpt from New York Times report:
New York Tims:
South Park:
“Things may get better in November….
Thst’s when Grand Theft Auto 6 will arrive.”
That is what’s coming in November.
.https://youtube.com/shorts/lSwNDBnZIDM
9th Circuit again denies Trump administration request to block 20,000 California ballots
Judge orders Trump administration to stop threatening election officials with criminal charges
The viral anti-MAGA guy on Fox News is from Charlotte — and he has merch now
American Atheists Sues Trump, Hegseth’s Department of Defense
Naseeruddin Shah and the burden of being an atheist objector
Freud and C.S. Lewis go head-to-head at Chiswick’s Tabard Theatre
I Was an Atheist Until I Read “The Lord of the Rings”
FFS
An atheist’s ruminations on Christianity
Why Be Catholic and Not Atheist?
As if those were the only two options.
A timely and Pharyngula-appropriate recipe: Martha Stewart Spins a Spooky Spiderweb Cheesecake for Halloween.
‘Cretins, flunkies and psychos’: Hayes runs through list of ‘uniquely bad candidates’ on the ballot
Video is 10:57 minutes
@365 Reginald Selkirk: The California ballot case was bogus from top to bottom and the more details came out the worse it looked. It was just of question of when and who would stop it.
In a more competent administration I would take it as a given that they knew this was bogus and were just trying to create some doubt about the election. It was window dressing for political and public arguments they planned to make.
As has happened several times with this administration though, I am not sure. It could be Trump or one of his direct advisors issuing bad orders. Blanche and DOJ officials then feel they have to go through with it, no matter how legally questionable it is. It might even be one of the Trump appointed DOJ figures, they are used to pushing random garbage to delay cases for Trump not make high quality cases.
Trump’s quest to wreck DC extends to the skies above it
Follow-up to Reginald Selkirk @366
The Handbasket – I talked to Tom, the viral ‘Jonestown’ Trump rally guy
Los Angeles Times link
Commentary from Wonkette:
https://www.wonkette.com/p/big-honkin-freaking-wave-eats-last
https://www.wonkette.com/p/big-honkin-freaking-wave-almost-at
Sky Captain @377, LOL. Excellent assessment:
https://www.wonkette.com/p/senator-describes-trumps-iran-war
https://www.wonkette.com/p/all-good-things-in-loving-nerdy-memory
Followup to birger @331 and to my post @381:
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:cr3fnmpffz75d5qzxorshbwn/post/3mz2jutqi5s2v
Patrick Stewart talks about Donald Trump. Video is 1:53 minutes.
That video is also available on Facebook
This entire magat cult and their war fighter aholes have gone COMPLETELY INSANE!
Surface-to-air missiles installed at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago mansion
20261030 Surface-to-air missile systems have been deployed at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort as the Secret Service warns of a “heightened threat environment”.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/surface-air-missiles-installed-trump-195313926.html
And, the entire “heightened threat environment” has been caused by the destruction, murder and corruption of the maga cult and the plutocratic billionaires.
Cue Martha and the Vandellas.
New York Times link to “How Trump Is Dismantling America’s Scientific Research Machine.”
More at the link.
Oh, I almost forgot, as everyone needs to remember, trump couldn’t sell his obscene 250ft. arch monument to himself, so he turned it into a deadly munitions dump and military drone installation in the middle of Washington D.C. to justify it!
Cue the Animals from 1965 ‘We’ve gotta get outta this place”
Carney brushes back Trump on trade, Europe and Russia
Much more at the link.
@385 Lynna, OM posted about “How Trump Is Dismantling America’s Scientific Research Machine.”
I reply, We don’t need to worry about it, because Roadkill Fracking Kennedy Jerknozzle is preventing that by
Making America Sciency again!
Re: Lynna, OM @ #378…
I’ve commented on the underlying structure before, but it bears repeating…
The issue comes down to: What is “sea level”? Sea level is a geographical convention. On the US East and Gulf Coasts, sea level is defined as “mean low water”. That is, the average over time of the local low tides. However, on the West Coast of the US, the metric is “mean lower low water”, which is the average of the lower of the low tides each day. A result is that, on the West Coast, you get fewer (and higher) minus tides (that is, the low tide is below the average) and high tides can go farther above “sea level” than you might think (might think, that is, if you don’t spend a lot of time looking at tide tables).
In the SF Bay Area, besides the usual astronomical considerations–phase of the Moon, lunar perigee, planetary perihelion (which falls on or about 3 Jan.)–you can add in the present kelvin wave, storm surges and seasonal surges of water entering the Bay from the Sacramento river (which drains the entire west front of the Sierra Nevada and the Central Valley). In the worst case, that can add up to a lot of water.
Since the El Nino is expected to make this a very wet year in much of California, I wouldn’t be surprised at some exceptionally high water over the winter and–depending on temperatures–during the spring snow melt.
Infographic Show: The 11% Interest Trap Just Hit Wall Street. Elite Portfolios Are PANICKING Right NOW.
Some of the rich who have used the loan rather then income method have run into a roadblock as the stock market drops. These big loans are almost entirely backed with stocks and the loan terms let the bank demand more backing if the value of the goods backing the loan go down. For some of the rich who own little but stock it’s turned into a problem.
This won’t kill the really super rich who generally have only loans worth a fraction of their stock, their stock value being too large to actually spend in a lifetime. It’s some land developers and the well-off to rich that will be effected the most.
Axios: Judge tosses Trump lawsuit against WSJ, Murdoch over Epstein story
It doesn’t specifically say this but Trump’s refusal to sit for deposition in his own case plays into this also. This case requires clear claims of what harm it caused Trump’s businesses and Trump, his refusal to be clear about that really cuts into the claim the defamation harmed him.
@391 JM: My comment above is wrong. I was thinking about the BBC defamation case, not the WSJ one. In the WSJ case the primary reason for the dismissal may be Trump’s inability to prove malice. In this sort of case it’s necessary to prove that the journalist knew what they printed was a lie, not only show that it was wrong. Here Trump can’t prove the WSJ was even wrong.
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-11-01/us-midterm-election-officials-prepare-ice-agents-trump-meddling/107322620
#368: Wait, what? CS Lewis was one of the “twentieth century’s greatest thinkers “? Apparently this person hasn’t read any of Lewis’s “thoughts”, which were generally pretty shallow and stupid. ranks up there with Pascal’s Wager as a terrible argument for a god, that somehow believers find persuasive.
Holding science to a gold standard will hold it back
If California undid its ‘original sin’ and matched Texas on taxing property, it would raise more revenue than the billionaire tax, economists say
The phantom lighthouse: new research explains one of Australia’s strangest illusions
Wife and I love living in a district and a state where our vote truly matters. We also hate it. The commercials are endless and annoying.
The adverts for democracratic candidates are slanted honest and list real newspapers or disclosure statements for claims about, for example, Connecticut and Bresnahan. Bresnahan’s adds, though, list a few real journalistic publi nations, quite a few right wing sources from TV and internet, and, interspersed, are claims that have no source (such as Cognetti providing Medicare to ‘illegals’ (and how the mayor of a small city is providing federal benefits, I have no idea). And the polling is close. Bresnahan (the poster child for congressional insider trading) is only trailing by two to seven points (depending on the poll).
Wife and I have already voted by mail and our ba.lots have been received despite the attempted politicization of the Post Office.
If You Are Listening latest episode – half an hour long here -Israel’s October 7 inquiry hinges on this election.
Plus latest Kyplanet video here – Black Hole Planets which is just over 15 mins long.
Private prison was on sale for $75 million; ICE paid $495 million
Computerized clairvoyance: psychics push back against AI-generated readings
Meta discussed ‘whisper strategy’ against social media critic Jonathan Haidt, files show
Golden State Valkyries hold off Atlanta Dream for WNBA championship in second season
Steve Shives has an excellent rant here –
What Could Stephen Miller Possibly Like About Patrick Stewart? WARNING :Swearing, well justified sweringhere over the shadow POTUS and outright nazi. Minute over 15 mins long.
Social Security Administration Sends Out Email Praising Trump
See also: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:tbqqvyv6pjjww44glrmycaxl/post/3mz4xmam6lk2u
Comments from recipients:
Excerpt from that stupid email/letter:
New York Times:
https://www.wonkette.com/p/give-me-the-warm-power-of-the-sun
More at the link.
New York Times link
More at the link.
NBC – Binance hack spotlights North Korea’s multibillion-dollar crypto theft operation
Kevin Collier (NBC): “Far and away the biggest crypto theft in history.”
Rando: “That’s upwards of 20% of North Korean GDP.”
https://www.ms.now/opinion/trump-midterms-rallies-crowd-size
“Trump is entering the washed-up rock star phase of his presidency”
“He’s still playing the old hits, but the crowds aren’t there. And when Trump’s down, he lashes out.”
Shapiro’s strategy for tackling measles outbreak: Don’t listen to RFK Jr.
“Pennsylvania is home to one of the worst measles outbreaks in decades.”
Russian strikes leave thousands without power in Ukraine, says Zelenskyy
“The Ukrainian president’s remarks came as Moscow reported ‘significant damage’ to an industrial facility in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod region.”
Link
Wife and I have gotten, between the two of us, seven of those Social Security camoaign emails, each with a slight.y different subject line.
Disgusting.
Dogs React to Halloween Decorations
.https://youtube.com/shorts/ck-ATjxZ2xY
Al Jazeera – UK Court of Appeal upholds ban on Palestine Action as ‘terrorist’ group (Jun 15)
MiddleEastEye – Margaret Owen, 94, arrested again during Palestine Action ban protest (Nov 1)
Al Jazeera – Jewish human rights barrister, 94, arrested (Oct 1)
Al Jazeera – What is the Palestine Action group, and why is the UK banning it? (2025-06-25)
Elia Ayoub: “This is a Starmer policy that Burnham is maintaining.”
@ several Dan Sullivan ballot in Alaska
Judge tosses Trump’s attempt to block Alaska Senate results if GOP incumbent loses
Al Jazeera – More than 25 dockworkers’ trade unions in at least 110 ports in 22 countries are going on strike on October 30.
Ogvorbis @414, I agree, “disgusting.”
From New Yorker legend Tom Toro, a spooktacular zombie cartoon […]: “Must … eat… brains… elsewhere…”
https://www.borowitzreport.com/p/tbr-halloween-cartoon
Shows a Zombie walking away from the White House.
Sky Captain @418, that strike sounds like a good idea.
One Zionist candidate endorses the other, no big surprise, though the Vote Blue No Matter Who crowd is crushed.
Haley Stevens endorses Mike Rogers for U.S. senate [theguardian.com]
Some rando on Youtube named “Vaush” is unhappy about it.
But you know they’ll get away with it. The leaders of the Democratic Party will live to ratfuck another day.
New York Times link
‘S.N.L.’ Plays Trick-or-Treat When Trump Interrupts David S. Pumpkins
“Tom Hanks returned, all too briefly, to play his baffling Halloween character on a “Saturday Night Live” episode hosted by the ‘Obsession’ star Inde Navarrette.”
More at the link.
Somali pirates seize Iranian fishing vessel, raising fears of attacks on cargo ships
Here’s what ‘renoa’ — the first new fiber in 25 years — feels like
Billboards in Multiple Countries Hacked to Show Porn
beholder @421: Vaush is a garbage fire.
RationalWiki – Vaush
r/Enough_Vaush_Spam – A short list of Vaush’s liberalism, transphobia and other fuckery (2021)
Haley Stevens’ fiancé seems dedicated to ruining her career (Oct 31)
MotherJones – Haley Stevens abandons fellow Democrats in opposition to Abdul El-Sayed (Nov 1)
NYT – Why Haley Stevens can’t stop talking about Abdul El-Sayed
https://archive.is/F6aKI^ NYT is just platforming her to smear him further.
Newsweek
I posted elsewhere on the Dem party’s Islamophobia.
Inside the Times’s Decisions on the Alaska Senate Race Story
When you commit good journalism, you don’t have to come back later and ‘splain it.
Those are good questions.
This apologia has no mention of Alaska’s ranked choice voting system, which nullifies the effect of ballot stacking.
Agnostics Anonymous: a new forum to explore matters of faith
New apostolate to atheists and agnostics takes off in Spain
No one expects the Spanish Inquisition.
The Salt Lake Tribune: Ammon Bundy says he has an ‘inalienable right’ to drive without registration. The Utah authorities who arrested him disagree.
Didn’t notice in the mess of campaign and more important issues but Ammon Bundy got arrested again. Apparently he has gone full sovereign citizen and was driving without a registered car or license plate and only had an expired driver’s license. He still has an open arrest warrant in Idaho for getting in the way of the government Covid mitigation program. I would guess too many offenses here and he gets some jail time for something.
Re: JM @ #431…
Perhaps someone should let the Idaho authorities know that Utah knows where Bundy is so that Idaho can start extradition proceedings.
Follow-up to 420, 427.
Mediaite – Haley Stevens thrown out of the Michigan Democratic Party
TPM – Haley Stevens’ High(est) Profile Meltdown
TPM – Michigan/Stevens folly continues
More about Haley Stevens.
Mediaite – Haley Stevens battles Anderson Cooper over her decision to turn on Abdul El-Sayed in awkward, surreal CNN interview (Video in 2 parts)
Aaron Rupar: “repeatedly dodging Anderson Cooper’s question about what changed from last night”
Aaron Rupar: “OOOOOF this Haley Stevens interview on CNN is BRUTAL.”
General Commentary
PoliticalWire – Abdul El-Sayed raised $1.2 million in four hours
“I hate to defend John Fetterman, but he literally has documented brain damage.”👍
.
E S was not a paedo. Nice to find good news for a change.
Hossenfelder: “Schrödinger’s Secret Diaries Have Surfaced. Here’s What They Say”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=op8nY2UvwwQ
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-11-02/citizen-science-shows-8000-sharks-rays-killed-by-algal-bloom/107327852
Tonight’s episode of Four Corners – 45 minutes long can be seen here – Will US Democracy survive Trump’s midterm crackdown? From Aussie ABC.
Approx 30 mins long by Pod Save America Even Chuck Schumer Was Disgusted By Haley Stevens’ Betrayal of Abdul El-Sayed.
Comment there by @Mattkittan
Seems spot on and FSM knows they and we on the left could really do with some unity right now.
BTW. gather Stevens has now been expelled from the Democratic party.
Via tonights 7.30 Report Aussie ABC and 10 mins long :
Mounting concerns as Trump considers fresh round of strikes on Iran interview w Brett McGurk, former senior National Security official on the Middle East.
The Skepticrat 282 — “Vote Right Now Edition”
.https://youtube.com/watch?v=S4GVObs-BuQ
Tonight’s ep of Aussie ABC’s Planet America previewing the mid terms in 31 mins The Mooch on White House press secretaries and how his old boss Trump is doing plus an awful lot more than the rather misleading by omission title suggests there.
Frozen part II: Hackers remotely defrost produce in Euro supermarkets … again
Landline phones will switch off across Britland in 100 days, no extensions – Openreach
OpenAI Would Reportedly Like You to Use Its Pleasant New Term for Data Centers
Climate Adam ten mins long The Paris Climate Agreement Was A Lie.
Englishman Karl Bushby returns home after 28 years walking 30,000 miles around the world
By the Just Have a Think yt chanel & 17 mins long Can Americans take back control of climate policy?
(Why no, I cannot get to sleep right now. How’d’ja guess?)
Politico: ‘A lot of Republicans have held their tongues’: Anger at Trump is growing
Blame shifting is already happening behind closed doors. Republicans are trying to shift all of the blame to Trump even though the party could have acted to stop the war or reign it in at any point. The war is a disaster point for publicity and Trump has taken such credit that it’s easy for other Republicans to shift blame to Trump and credit all problems to the war.
At some point it will go public but I expect it will be a couple of years. Trump is really vindictive about attacking his own allies that don’t blindly support him. Trump is the sort to order ICE or DOJ to attack a Republican that opposes him so the Republican will be quieter longer.
One thing Trump has done is turn the RNC into a Trump organization. Under previous Republican presidents the RNC would be quietly looking at who is running in 2028, now it is backing Trump until he anoints the next chosen one. It’s possible the RNC could collapse when Trump leaves or it may be a club that Trump uses to try and continue to control the Republican party. Collapse is more likely as people will shift donations around the RNC to reach candidates directly.
‘Mary Trump argued that her uncle’s apparent fixation on the ass of Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) at recent midterm campaign rallies amounted to “disinhibition” and was “a sign that all is not well with him cognitively speaking.”
.
Joe Rogan is as MAGA as anyone can get, and even he is speculating about Trump’s health. He had an uncle who got frontal lobe dementia, a condition that does not affect memory but reduces judgement and inhibition.
“He was still smart, but he could not make decisions”.
Brace for more like this after the midterms.
What I read in her post below is so hard to believe. But, digby is accurate and honest.
HE IS COMPLETELY INSANE!!
DaWeave
Published by digby on November 2, 2026
https://digbysblog.net/2026/11/02/daweave/
Regarding the Haley Stevens farce/fiasco, her bonkers endorsement of Mike Rogers actually benefitted Abdul El-Sayed.
El-Sayed was the recipient of a fundraising boost … and, El-Sayed is leading Rogers 53% to 45%.
Bits and pieces of campaign news, as summarized by Steve Benen:
Yeah, I’m not going to pay too much attention to polls. But we do see a trend that generally favors Democratic Party candidates.
Cartoon: Just the democrats
In other news: 60 Minutes: A Hit Job 48 Hours Before the Election
Comments from readers of the article:
Cartoon: Midterm mania
At the Reflecting Pool, Trump does a weird show-and-tell on election eve
“The president’s closing argument was already a mess. On the election cycle’s final day, he chose an embarrassing location to make matters worse.”
Related video at the link. Trump puts the focus on his failures.
Laughable, and also horrifying.
Exclusive: Sen. Lisa Murkowski Joins Senate Dems to Oppose Census Rule That Would Shift Political Power
‘Theobros’ Want to Strip Women of the Right to Vote—But Only After They Vote Republican in the Midterms
Bits and pieces of news, as summarized by Steve Benen:
https://www.borowitzreport.com/p/democrats-urge-haley-stevens-to-endorse
The Confusion Over the Candidate with the Same Last Name…in Nevada…with a Sneaky Republican-Backed Voter-Confusing (?) Ad Featuring AOC That I’m Sure DOJ Will Investigate (Ha!)
The Onion headline
Haley Stevens threatens to endorse one Republican every hour until demands met
Midterm elections live updates: Supreme Court denies Trump bid to segregate California votes
Reuters: Judge dismisses case against ex-FBI officials, says DOJ rushed charges before midterms
To be a crime the statement made by these two have to be be both intentionally false and matter. The DOJ couldn’t show either in this case and the judge said there isn’t enough to even open a prosecution. This attempt was made without a Grand Jury, which can be done but can then be challenged by the defendant, which is what happened here.
The DOJ still has the option of going to a grand jury and trying to indict them but from the sounds of things the judge came close to daring the DOJ to try it. He did directly say the DOJ rushed this case to squeeze it in before the election, a purely political decision.
APNews – Over 40% of names on DOJ list of alleged noncitizens are not on Calif. voter rolls, analysis finds (Oct 31)
Kyle Kulinski n a dreadful likelihood and despairing reality -19 mins long Iran REJECTS TRUMP In Final Message You Won’t Believe. I fear Tump’s going to nuke them isn’t he?
Uner 15 mins long via PBS Newshour interview with Zelenskyy here.
Source : https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/surprise-endorsement-in-michigan-senate-race-a-huge-distraction-says-rep-dingell
BREAKING NEWS as of 3 hours ago :
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-11-03/us-official-confirms-strikes-on-iran/107341252
just found a quote by Chekhov that explains bloody well everything today :
“Love, friendship and respect do not unite people as much as a common hatred for something.”
Chris Mowrey @ Youtube:
“If you invested $ 10,000 in Trump coin on January 20th, 2025, it would be worth $ 415 today.
.
You lost everything. He made half a billion.”
Aussie ABC’;s live election updates here :
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-11-03/us-midterm-elections-2026-live-updates/107335552
@ ^ From which :
@472
Fascism didn’t even make the list?
Iliana Yotova wins runoff to become Bulgaria’s first elected female president
‘I have two days until the food in my fridge runs out’: Thousands of Russian emigrants left scrambling after Serbia shuts down Alta Bank, freezing their savings
FSB Claims Ukraine Sent Drone Goggles Rigged With Explosives to Russian Volunteers
See also BBC live coverage here :
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cj1dw0ydn595t
I voted!
Russia’s $150 Million Su-57 Stealth Fighter Explodes Before It Even Takes Off
@ ^ Reginald Selkirk : Good!
Source : https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-11-03/us-midterm-elections-2026-live-updates/107335552
Rachel Maddow – 11/2/26
That’s the full episode.
Microsoft’s Canada timezone troubles leave admins fixing calendars, pretending they’re in Bogota
Microsoft just isn’t very good at what they do.
Two important points we need to remember. Even though they are just the tip of the deadly iceberg colliding with this country:
1) tRUMP is seriously thinking about using
»u.s. armed forces (a nuclear armed country)
against
»iran (a country with no nuclear arms)
as pushed by
» the zionist israeli gov’t (another country with nuclear arms)
2) tRUMP is already destroying a D.C. owned public golf course (he doesn’t own or control)
to turn it into a billionaires playground (using his trailer-trash sense of aesthetics) and then he will
Give D.C. residents, who can barely afford food, housing and gas, a measly discount
I ask you; How much more of this murderous insanity can this country stand?
REF.: 1) https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/not-discount-tucker-carlson-warning-145914586.html
‘Do Not Discount This!’ Tucker Carlson’s Warning That Trump May Nuke …
20261102 Tucker Carlson’s extraordinary warning that President Donald Trump could be days away from deciding whether to launch a nuclear strike on Iran sparked alarm across the political spectrum, even …
REF.: 2)https://digbysblog.net/
Aaron Rupar @atrupar
Follow
Trump on the East Potomac public golf course: “It’s in very dangerous and horrible condition. The walls are caving in. We’re going to make it a world championship course … we’re doing to give a discount to people who live in Washington DC”
12:52 PM · Nov 2, 2026
Tuesday’s Campaign Round-Up, 11.3.26: Trump failed to open his wallet during midterm cycle [and other campaign news]
I’ve just realised that Trump is an avatar of Zaphod Beeblebrox.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaphod_Beeblebrox#Achievements
8 months into the war with Iran, Trump remains ignorant about U.S. fatalities and costs
“Americans witnessed an unsettling amount of ignorance from a president who launched a conflict he apparently has no idea how to end.”
U.S. consumers confront the highest gas prices ever on an Election Day
“In 2022, gas prices set an all-time high for an Election Day in the United States. This year, prices set a new record — by a fairly wide margin.”
Georgetown law professor Steve Vladeck:
Link to “Elections and the Base Rate Fallacy”
Link
Same link as in comment 490.
Followup to Reginald @462.
Commentary:
https://www.wonkette.com/p/trump-administration-demands-to-speak
Cartoon; Trump’s guide to Dan Sullivans
In other news, as reported by The Washington Post: “Justice Department election monitors were standing on sidewalks outside polling locations across Virginia Beach on Tuesday morning, volunteers and local officials said.”
“The effort is part of the agency’s largest election monitoring campaign to date, involving about 1,000 monitors across all 50 states, the department said in a Tuesday morning news release.”
It’s not just the Social Security Administration: IRS pushes partisan pre-election message
“The tax agency has apparently joined a growing list of politicized agencies that are being used as partisan tools in the White House’s political toolbox.”
Court seems poised to side with Catholic preschools in religious discrimination dispute
So; they want that government money, in the form of vouchers, but don’t want to meet the rules required for them to qualify.
Reginald @495:
Yes. And that seems to be standard operating procedure for religion-based private schools.
In other news: While Rubio pleads ignorance, Trump pretends his Greenland policy wasn’t an embarrassment
“As the president plays make-believe about the acquisition of an arctic island, his secretary of state is claiming not to have noticed the brazen nonsense.”
Related video from a September 22 segment of The Rachel Maddow Show is available at the link. 4:33 minutes.
Indian navy rescues 20 crew from Iranian fishing boat hijacked off Somalia
New York Times:
The first strike was followed by a “double tap” strike as Russia tried to kill emergency workers.
MS NOW:
Treat with lots of skepticism.
New York Times: