Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills): 10/18/26

Saturday, October 24, 2026

Linda Ronstadt, Chaka Khan, Rita Coolidge

Linda Ronstadt didn’t really need to be cagey about any of her musical opinions.

She knew that there was a hierarchy when it came to great pop singers, and even though there were plenty of artists that she needed to live up to, there were others that she found to be the most fun to sing with, no matter what era she found herself in. But even if she worked with some of the greatest legends, there were always going to be those few people who had a different kind of charisma whenever they got onstage to sing.

As far as Ronstadt could tell, though, the live stage is where she was able to truly be herself. Some of the biggest opportunities that she ever had came when she was up there with some of the greatest musicians that she could find, and while the studio was a much different environment, it wasn’t until the 1990s before she felt that there was a lot more that she had to offer in the studio other than just singing the songs that she had already been belting out in the clubs.

All of the window dressing of being in the studio wasn’t her idea of a good time, but given where the 1980s were about to go, she couldn’t have picked a better time to leave the traditional pop industry behind. Some of the biggest stars of all time were now having to show their stuff on MTV, and while Ronstadt wasn’t cut out for that kind of work when she was singing standards with Nelson Riddle, there were still some incredible voices out there when she bothered to look for them.

She knew that Annie Lennox had one of the finest voices that she had ever heard when listening to those early Eurythmics songs, and Sinead O’Connor was responsible for one of her all-time favourite vocal performances on ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’, but there were just as many people who didn’t seem to gel right with her. She knew that the main objective was the spectacle in the 1980s, and Madonna seemed to radiate that out of every pore in her body.

While people like Lennox were a bit hesitant when she saw Madonna’s performance of ‘Like a Virgin’ at the MTV Video Music Awards, Ronstadt understood what she was going for immediately. It was all about getting the most eyes on her when she was singing all of her tunes, but that didn’t always translate to her being a good singer whenever Ronstadt heard her sing tunes like ‘Holiday’ or ‘Like a Prayer’.

She was a fabulous entertainer, but Ronstadt was much more comfortable sticking with the classics than listening to Madonna, saying, “Madonna, she’s more an entertainer than she’s a singer. Celine Dion is a voice. Madonna’s not much of a singer but she’s a stylist, and she does something that’s evocative.” Given the massive fanbase she has garnered over the years, though, it’s not like the rest of the world necessarily agrees.

Linda's done a number of things over the years that have sullied her image. Most obviously with her decision to journey to apartheid South Africa in the 90s and perform there breaking the cultural boycott. She did it because the racist government was willing to pay big money.

Moving over to someone who is worthy of honors,, Julie Stein (PARADE) reports:

From fronting Rufus to launching a hit-making solo career to belting alongside a gospel choir in The Blues Brothers, Chaka Khan has done it all. Now, the Queen of Funk is being celebrated at this year’s Soul Train Awards.

BET announced on Thursday, Oct. 22, that Khan will receive the Classic Soul Honor at the 2026 ceremony, which airs Nov. 27 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on BET and CBS, Billboard reported. BET President Louis Carr called the 73-year-old singer “the embodiment of soul music” in a statement.

It’s hard to argue with that. Born Yvette Stevens in Chicago, Khan broke through in the early 1970s as the powerhouse voice of Rufus, scoring hits including “Tell Me Something Good” and “Sweet Thing.” She released her debut solo album, Chaka, in 1978, featuring “I’m Every Woman,” and later topped the charts with the Prince-penned “I Feel for You.” According to People, she has notched eight No. 1 hits on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Good for Chaka. And good for Rita Coolidge for keeping it real. Jacqueline Burt Cote (PARADE) notes:

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Rita Coolidge isn’t what you’d call a household name, but considering she either wrote or helped to write some of the most famous songs of all time, it seems like she should be. The problem is that Coolidge wasn’t given songwriting credits for her contributions to the classic rock hit “Layla” by Derek and the Dominoes or the easy listening chart-topper “Superstar” by the Carpenters.

In a 2016 interview with Relix about her memoir, Delta Lady, Coolidge opened up about her decades-long career, starting as a background vocalist for such artists as Delaney & Bonnie Bramlett, Joe Cocker, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and many more. Eventually, she pursued a career as a solo artist, also collaborating with Kris Kristofferson, her husband at the time.

Unfortunately, Coolidge never got to reap the benefits, critically or financially, of some of the most significant work she ever did, including the iconic piano coda in “Layla.”

“I’ll preface this by saying I haven’t heard a word from Eric Clapton or his camp — I’m sure that he’s aware, but that’s kind of the way it’s been all along,” Coolidge began.

“Jim Gordon and I became a couple and dated for probably a year — he was the drummer with Delaney & Bonnie for a while and, during that time, the Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour took place,” she continued.

“Before then, we had written a song called ‘Time (Don’t Let the World Get in Our Way).’ Jim had come over to my house one day and sat down — he was just noodling around at the piano and played a couple chords. He was not a great piano player, barely even competent, but he started noodling around and I sat down and started playing some chords and then started writing lyrics. We finished the song and decided that we should make a demo since we were on the way to England to record with Eric. The day we were in the studio with Eric, I sat down at the piano and played it and sang. Eric seemed to like it, so I gave him a cassette and left it on the piano. Everybody in Delaney & Bonnie were there— Bobby Whitlock, Carl Radle. The whole band who was there witnessed it.”

It wasn’t until the next year that Coolidge heard “Layla” and figured out she’d essentially been robbed.

“I was in the studio having pictures made for my new album on A&M and I hear this music come over the PA system in the studio and it sounded so very familiar,” she said. “As it went on, it suddenly dawned on me — that’s my music, that’s why it’s so familiar. It had become the coda for ‘Layla.'”

[. . .]

As for “Superstar,” while the most well-known version was performed by the Carpenters and released in 1971, it was initially called “Groupie (Superstar)” and was released in 1969 by Delaney & Bonnie. Coolidge played a crucial role in the writing of the song, but the single was officially credited to “Delaney and Bonnie and Friends featuring Eric Clapton.”

“I’ve told this story my whole life and, when the book was released, I saw where people had written stuff, which I stopped reading, saying, ‘Why are you just telling this story now?'” Coolidge said.

“Well, it’s not just now,” she added. “I’ve been telling this story since 1970. I didn’t sit back on my thumbs — I knew what had happened. And with ‘Superstar,’ when that record came out, and I saw Bonnie Bramlett and Leon Russell, Bonnie even said, ‘Why didn’t you say something, Rita?’ And I said, ‘Because, I knew if I did, then Delaney would beat the s–t out of you and it wasn’t worth it.'”

Closing with C.I.'s "The Snapshot:"

Friday, October 23, 2026. Chump's DESPERATION TOUR gets more desperate, Darline Graham cannot hide behind 'this is a family matter' and must address the revelations regarding her dead brother, Ramaswamy's huge error in taste and judgement is now Chump and Vance's failure as well, and much more.

"I'm just going to be honest here -- I'm not that informed on national security."

That was Darline Graham earlier this year revealing her stupidity and lack of training for the job of US senator in a GOP debate. It matters.

And it matters that brother Lindsey paid for prostitutes.

Lindsey was gay, everyone knew it. I knew it. I didn't know he was paying for prostitutes.

Annie Karni (NEW YORK TIMES) reports:

A video released on Thursday by a left-wing online news channel features three men who claim that Senator Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican who died suddenly in July, paid them for sex.

In the 30-minute video released by the Young Turks network, titled “The CLOSETocracy,” one man who identifies himself only by a first name, Kelvin, claims that Mr. Graham paid him for sex when he was 17 and surreptitiously taped him during the encounter.

Another man said he was picked up by a chauffeured car that delivered him to the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, where he said he was paid to have sex and spend the night with Mr. Graham. That man, who is identified in the film as Cory, said he did not realize it was Mr. Graham until months later when he recognized the senator on television during the 2016 presidential race.

A third man said he was paid to have a sexual encounter with Mr. Graham.

Christopher Wiggins (THE ADVOCATE) adds:

The Advocate, which has not independently verified the documentary’s allegations, contacted Sen. Darline Graham’s office for comment about her brother and also reached out to Burns. Lindsey Graham, who died July 11 at 71, publicly denied being gay during his lifetime.

[. . .]

Them and The Advocate previously reported allegations from transgender author Jesse James Rose, who said Graham hired her for sex work before her transition.

[. . .]

In a separate collaboration, the publications interviewed Taylor Snider, a transgender woman who alleged that Graham paid her for sex in June 2015. Them reviewed purported appointment messages but could not independently authenticate them. A relative recalled Snider discussing the allegation in 2020. Former Graham aides contacted for that story did not respond.

Graham voted against repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” federal employment protections for LGBTQ+ people, and the Respect for Marriage Act. The film’s participants cite the conflict between those positions and his alleged private conduct as a reason for speaking publicly.

Darline appears to think she can treat this as a personal matter and that she doesn't have to address the revelations.

That's not accurate.

She does have to address them because she's not a private citizen, she's someone seeking to be elected to the Senate seat her brother held.

"I'm just going to be honest here -- I'm not that informed on national security."

No, Darline, you're not informed on national security.

Your brother was but that didn't stop him from behaviors that could have led to blackmail. Prostitution is illegal. Prior to 2015, when Lindsey retired as a JAG officer, it could have gotten him kicked out of the US military and it certainly would have resulted in him being reduced in rank.

He had a lot to hide by breaking the law.

And that made him a national security risk.

Some might argue that just being closeted made him a national security risk.

I would disagree because of the fact that the press largely looked the other way -- and they knew he was gay. The press doesn't out you unless they feel they have reason to. They had reason to: He voted for so many anti-LGBTQ+ -- voted and advocated for -- pieces of legislation. But the press is uncomfortable with LGBTQ+ issues to begin with.

Laura Loomer noted he was gay over a year ago. Publicly noted. She wasn't the first. But the

In 2025, she said in a court deposition, "Yeah, I called him gay. It's well-known. Several of President Trump's staff have told me in confidence that Lindsey Graham is gay." And some of the press noted that and then went back to not commenting.

She also noted he had male partners that he took to dinners with other Republicans.

So he was closeted but that his shame. I don't believe it would have, in his final years at any rate, led to any compromising issues because he was known to be a closeted gay and he'd already seen, for some time, that the national press was going to ignore it.

But prostitution is a crime. And he was a sitting US senator. And he was using the services of sex workers. That meant he was open to blackmail.

"I'm just going to be honest here -- I'm not that informed on national security."

Darline's not. But she wants to be elected to the US Senate and she wants to take her brother's seat and continue his work. Well his work included prostitution. And so this isn't a family matter anymore.

Her brother was a security risk.

She needs to address that. If she did it wisely (yes, that would be a first), she might see a bump in the polls. But she needs to address it. She has no national security experience and we now know her brother was a national security risk. So, yes, Darline needs to answer questions or she needs to bow out of the race.

11 days. That's all that's between us and the last day of midterm voting (November 3rd). Chump continues his DESPERATION TOUR. AFP notes:

After an hours-long wait, a plane flew low overhead: Trump had arrived. He strode onstage to the strains of "God Bless the USA," which has become a core part of his political events.

The president launched fierce attacks -- sometimes tinged with racist overtones -- against his opponents, claimed against all evidence that he won the 2020 election, and cracked oft-repeated jokes before he yielded the stage to a local Republican US Senate candidate.

His rambling, repetitive Greenville speech clocked in at 111 minutes. As always, he left the stage to the Village People's "Y.M.C.A."

But these moments, celebrated by the "Make America Great Again" faithful, are the vestiges of a fading political traveling roadshow that only Trump has been able to pull off.

The crowds and venues are getting smaller. Trump, constitutionally barred from a third term, must step down in January 2029.

Chump's final tour. If he's alive and not behind bars in the fall of 2028, he'll be used some by the GOP presidential candidate. Some. They'll have to keep him on a tight leash so he doesn't make it about himself and steal focus from the actual candidate. He'll get his feelings bruised and probably sulk and bow out of some of the planned events as a result.

This is his final attempt on the stage in many ways. And that's why he rambles and makes it all about himself and not about the needs of the American people. It's Chump trying to bask in self-glory yet again, feeding his narcissism. Offering nothing to the American people after he's destroyed the economy. He's vanity stroking and that's all he's doing.

William Vaillancourt (DAILY BEAST) notes of Chump's stop Wednesday in North Carolina:

The 80-year-old president spoke at Clemson University to support Sen. Darline Graham in her race against Democrat Annie Andrews. Over the course of his roughly 90-minute speech, Trump made at least four comments that raised eyebrows.

In one moment, the president was on a tirade when he mixed up two prizes he hasn’t won: the Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Peace Prize.

“I settled all these wars, and they gave the wonderful peace prize, right—does anybody know the name of that peace prize? The peace prize?” he asked the crowd. “They gave the Pulitzer Prize to a young lady—I think she’s 80 years old—a young lady who nobody ever heard of.”

Trump previously grumbled that the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, 85-year-old Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, a former U.N. human rights chief and International Court of Justice judge, wasn’t widely known.

“I know nothing about this woman, and neither does anyone else!” he wrote on Truth Social earlier this month. “In fact, to the best of my knowledge, no one ever heard of her other than the fact that she, very obviously, hates Israel. I don’t know what the woman has done. I settled 8 Wars...”

At another point in his speech, Trump provided a drastically different dollar amount for the new investments he argues are coming into the U.S.

Trump has often claimed $22 trillion in new investments, even though the White House itself says it’s half that amount. Economic experts have also said Trump’s number isn’t real.

“We secured commitments for $22.2 trillion in new investments coming into the United States,” he said Wednesday. “We’ve never had so much money. $22.2 million. Uh, billion. Sorry. Billion with a B, not an M. If it was an M, we’d be in big trouble. With a B. $22 billion.”

It’s unclear where Trump pulled this new figure, or if it was a mistake and “$22 trillion” was in his prepared remarks.

[. . .]

Later, Trump fantasized about renaming the Pacific Ocean, and then wondered how Europe—no part of which touches that body of water—would respond.

After recalling an alleged conversation with Google head Sundar Pichai, who, in Trump’s telling, resisted renaming the Atlantic Ocean to the “American Ocean” in Google Maps, Trump said he would keep the name unchanged.

But then he said, “Pacific Ocean—we were going to call it the ‘American Ocean.’ How do you think Europe—how do you think Europe would feel? Do you think they’d like that?”

None of that is putting food on the table for Americans struggling with inflated grocery prices.

With nothing to offer, Chump returns to his attacks on trans people. Joey Garrison (USA TODAY) notes:

"We will not let them cut our children," Trump said as he made a sharp cutting motion with his right hand. "It's called mutilization."

Trump was referring to gender-affirming surgeries, one of his go-to subjects to fire up the MAGA base. He then moved to another favorite attack on Democrats: transgender athletes in women's sports, spending several minutes telling stories of an undermatched female weightlifter and a swimmer who stood no chance against trans opponents.

"Who the hell ever thought we'd be fighting to keep men out of women's sports?" Trump said.

The material isn't new for Trump, who ran anti-trans advertisements in the 2024 election and targets the trans community often during public remarks. But now, in the homestretch to the Nov. 3 midterms, the president is leaning harder on his daily campaign swings into a familiar mix of hot-button, culturally divisive issues ‒ from fears about migrants and Islamophobia to "transgender insanity" ‒ despite polls showing the economy and cost of living are at the center of voters' minds.

The focus is part of a broader strategy for Trump during a weeks-long campaign blitz that has taken him to mostly deep-red areas in Republican-leaning states. It's not about winning over new voters to support Republican midterm candidates. The goal is to energize low-propensity voters who backed Trump in three presidential elections and ensure that they will turn out in November when Trump is not on the ballot.

"They expected him to fix the economy, and he hasn't. So if you don't have the No. 1 issue, you have to pivot to a different issue," said Todd Belt, director of the political management program at George Washington University. He said Trump and Republicans want to shift the midterms from a referendum on the president, whose approval ratings have reached all-time lows, to a "choice election" against Democrats.

No child was getting surgery without the consent of their parents. Chump's a liar. A trashy, filthy liar who will leave the White House as the same joke and social pariah he has been his entire life. Moving to Florida did not give him class. It was him finally admitting that he would never, ever be part of polite society in NYC. He's seen as a cheap hood and that's all he is.

Another group he demonizes is Arab-Americans. No surprise, many of them are stepping away from supporting him. Laura Beveridge and Scott Clement (WASHINGTON POST) note:

Arab American voters have swung toward the Democrats this midterm election cycle, a significant shift for a group that evenly split its votes between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris in 2024.

Among Arab American registered voters, 58 percent support Democrats for Congress this year, while 34 percent support Republicans, according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll conducted in August and September. The poll finds that 41 percent of Arab American registered voters report that they voted for Harris in 2024, while 39 percent backed Trump, in line with previous estimates.

The swing comes amid the voter group’s low approval rating of Trump’s handling of the economy and wars in the Middle East, and the perception that the president and his party are “unfriendly” toward Arab Americans.

The 3.5 million Americans with Arab ancestry make up 1 percent of the U.S. population, and a quarter of them live in the Midwest. Arabs make up 2 percent of the adult population in Michigan, where the race between Republican former congressman Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, could decide control of the U.S. Senate.

In the Age of Chump, the sewage rises to the surface. That's the best explanation for Vivek Ramaswamy's attack ad on Amy Acton. Matt Ford (THE NEW REPUBLIC) explains:

President Donald Trump won Ohio by 11 points in 2024. Vivek Ramaswamy, the GOP’s candidate for governor in the Buckeye State, was trailing his Democratic opponent, Amy Acton, by seven points in a Marist poll released yesterday. Ramaswamy now hopes to revive his campaign in the most morally depraved way imaginable: by siding with the man who raped his opponent when she was 12 years old.

Ramaswamy’s campaign admitted this week that it was behind a grotesque attack ad targeting Acton that featured Donna Arthur, her mother. In the ad, Arthur calls her daughter a liar and tells voters not to vote for her in the upcoming election. “Don’t let her become your governor,” Arthur says. “If you think she’ll make your life better, you’re fooling yourself. It will only get worse.”

What the ad does not mention is that Acton is estranged from her mother and has not spoken to her since Arthur lost custody of her children in the late 1970s. Acton accused her mother’s husband, Cledith Arthur, of abusing her as a child, in 1978. Acton’s father reported it to the police, who found it credible—the man had faced prior allegations before—and a local prosecutor brought criminal charges against him.

Before he could be brought to trial, Cledith fled town. Donna Arthur sided with Cledith over her own daughter. She lost custody of her children and remained married to him until his death in 2004. Acton told the Youngstown Vindicator in 2019 that she had last seen her mother in the courthouse after he was charged. “I went to give her a kiss, and she just turned her cheek away,” Acton said. “That was the last time I ever saw her.”

A copy of the Ramaswamy ad circulated without the usual disclaimer language from a candidate, raising initial questions about who was responsible for it. The ad drew a furious response from Phillip Stearns, Acton’s brother, who denounced Ramaswamy and his mother in a statement. “After he was arrested and Amy and I were removed from their custody, our birth mother stayed married to Amy’s rapist until he died,” he said. “This desperate, disgusting attack reveals exactly who Vivek Ramaswamy is at his core—a pathetic excuse for a man who is willing to hurt anyone as long as it gets him what he wants.”

Ramaswamy has previously mocked the abuse that Acton experienced. At one rally, he told voters that as Ohio’s governor, he would “lay out a positive vision for our state, versus a governor who has none at all other than to complain about what someone else did to her.” His campaign initially demurred on whether it was connected to the Donna Arthur ad, out of cowardice, only to admit it was responsible and double down by committing $4 million to broadcast it.

This has come to be one of the key moments of the midterms. And that would have been the case had Ramaswamy stood alone in this attack. But others elected to join him.

Both Chump and Miss Sassy JD Vance have disgraced themselves by refusing to call out the ad. In fact, Alex Griffing (MEDIAITE) notes Chump's gushing over the ad:

President Donald Trump fully endorsed Vivek Ramaswamy’s highly controversial attack ad against Amy Acton Thursday, despite bipartisan backlash to the ad.

“Vivek Ramaswamy put up a very powerful Ad about a mother saying that her daughter, Amy Acton, who is running for Governor of Ohio, is a liar, and much worse. The Press, in a concerted and well coordinated attack, is trying to get Vivek Ramaswamy to ‘take down the Ad,'” Trump fumed on Truth Social.

A rape survivor is being called a liar in an ad by the woman who was supposed to protect her but instead went along with her husband's rape of her daughter and when husband had to go on the run to avoid the authorities the woman went with him. Years later, when her daughter, the rape survivor, is running for public office, the bitter and disgraced woman shows up to scream "Liar!" And this is something that Chump and Vance are defending?

Hugh Cameron (NEWSWEEK) provides a rundown of the woman Ramaswamy has elected to highlight:

The campaign accused Donna Arthur of “facilitating the rape of her daughter and spending decades protecting Cledith Arthur.” And beyond this, court records reveal that Acton’s mother has a troubled history of allegations and convictions in Pennsylvania where she resides.

Public records show that Arthur has faced several charges of animal neglect, at least one of which resulted in a conviction. In a summary of the case, a court said that in 2021 Arthur was “keeping several cats and/or newborn kittens in a locked and filthy vehicle, with the windows rolled up, on an unseasonably warm spring day, and with an internal vehicle temperature of one hundred twenty degrees Fahrenheit.” The conviction was later vacated on appeal over denial of counsel.

During the trial, the court described Arthur’s testimony as “not credible.”

In 1995, Arthur was charged with “Theft By Decep-False Impression”—when a victim parts with their money or property after being misled—which included passing “bad checks.” Arthur pleaded guilty in the case.

And a 1996 record shows that Arthur was found guilty on separate charges of the same crime and sentenced to a maximum of 24 months confinement. It is unclear how much of this, if any, she served.

There is a large, growing outrage to this ad and to Chump and Vance for approving of it. This is only going to increase. It's an Anita Hill moment that pops up near the end of an action and is registered in real time but continues to register with outrage continuing to grow in the months and years after. This is not going away and will continue to prompt outrage long after the midterms are over.

Turning to other corruption in the Chump administration, Frank Yemi (ALTERNET) reports:

President Donald Trump's State Department is facing allegations of giving career diplomats political loyalty, including asking whether they voted for Trump in recent elections, in what appears to be an illegal scheme.

Mid-and-upper-level Foreign Service personnel were reportedly asked about their political loyalty, which could violate federal protections that bar political affiliation from influencing decisions about career personnel.

According to The Washington Sun, candidates were asked who they voted for in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 elections.

Top State Department officials reportedly told them only candidates who voted for Trump would be eligible for mid-to-upper-level foreign service roles. They also told candidates that their campaign donation history would be investigated and anyone who gave money to Democrats would be disqualified.

The report states six officials, current and former, were interviewed with knowledge of the alleged scheme and three had spoken directly with people who were asked the questions.

Unlike political appointees, career diplomats serve across administrations regardless of whether the president is Republican or Democrat or which party controls the Congress.

Marco Rubio is the Secretary of State and overseas the State Dept. David Edwards (RAW STORY) reports:

Secretary of State Marco Rubio faces congressional and legal scrutiny as critics accuse his department of an illegal policy that promotes only staffers who voted for President Donald Trump.

The Washington Sun reported Thursday that the State Department asked some foreign service officers who they voted for in the 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections. Top department officials made clear that only candidates who voted for President Donald Trump would be eligible for the mid- to upper-level jobs, according to the report.

Candidates were also told that officials would examine their campaign donations and that any donation to Democrats would disqualify them, the Sun reported.

The Sun based its report on six current and former State Department officials. Three of them had spoken directly with people who were asked the questions.

Under the Foreign Service Act, personnel decisions for diplomats must be free from discrimination based on political affiliation.

A State Department spokesperson declined to comment on the voting questions, the Sun reported.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Jamaica Luis Moreno wrote on X, “I came into the Foreign Service under Ronald Reagan, served under every president, even a few months under Donald Trump. NO ONE, absolutely NO ONE, ever asked me who I voted for or doubted my ‘fidelity’ to my country. They don’t want professionals, they want political hacks.”

“In 27 years as a Foreign Service officer, I executed policies of presidents I voted for and presidents I did not vote for. That’s what a nonpartisan service does. This is outrageous, Steven Pifer, a retired Foreign Service officer and former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, posted on X.

And, of course, Kristi Noem's alledged lover Corey Lewandowski remains under investigation by the Justice Dept. Hannah Rabinowitz, Evan Perez, Kaitlan Collins, Priscilla Alvarez and Holmes Lybrand (CNN) report:

Justice Department prosecutors are investigating allegations of contract misconduct at the Department of Homeland Security, including the role of Corey Lewandowski who worked as de facto chief of staff to former Secretary Kristi Noem, according to multiple people familiar with the investigation.

The probe follows a criminal referral for Lewandowski from the DHS Inspector General’s office, which has been examining contracting practices at the agency during Noem’s and Lewandowski’s tenure, according to one of the people familiar.

[. . .]

Noem’s handling of contracts within DHS was one of the main catalysts for her ouster by Trump earlier this year, notably when she claimed that Trump knew of a $220 million ad campaign prominently featuring the secretary.

All of the sewage Chump bathes in is coming to the surface and it's not going to be pretty or easy for him after the midterms.

Let's wind down with this from Senator Elizabeth Warren's office:

Warren demands USDA reverse course after over 5 million Americans—including 2 million children—lose SNAP benefits.

“Together, rising food prices and cuts to SNAP are trapping more and more American families in a food insecurity crisis.”

Text of Letter (PDF)

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wrote to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Brooke Rollins, highlighting a new analysis by her office that quantifies the devastating toll of President Trump’s economic policies on American households. Warren revealed the “food misery index,” which shows that under President Trump, the combined impact of skyrocketing grocery prices and cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has stripped more than $22 billion from American families since July 2025.

“These outcomes are not inevitable. They are the direct result of President Trump’s failed policies – and I urge the Department of Agriculture to act now to reverse them,” Senator Warren wrote.

Grocery prices rose 2.3 percent in 2025, almost double the rate in 2024. These prices continue to rise due to President Trump’s chaotic tariffs and illegal war in Iran. While grocery prices continue to climb, President Trump and Congressional Republicans have gutted SNAP, ripping away more than five billion dollars in food assistance from American households. The impact of these cuts will only grow, as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) slashed nearly $187 billion over the 2026 to 2034 period – the biggest cuts in the program’s history.

“SNAP participation is falling because the Trump administration has intentionally kicked people off of the program – leaving Americans hungry and still struggling to afford food,” wrote Senator Warren.

OBBBA has further restricted eligibility for lawful immigrants, capped future benefit increases, and shifted a substantial portion of program costs onto already-strained state budgets. One recent analysis of 28 states with a decline in SNAP participation found that, of the 3.6 million Americans who lost their food assistance, nearly half were children.

The “food misery index” combines the more than $17.2 billion in increasing grocery costs since July 2025 with the more than $5.1 billion in lost household SNAP benefits to reveal that the true cost of the Trump administration’s food assistance failures on American families exceeds $22 billion since the enactment of the OBBBA last July.

“Instead of reaching for tools to mitigate these threats to families and working to bring down costs, the administration continues to sit idly by, peddling false narratives about the drop in SNAP participation, while delivering a one-two punch to American families who are struggling to put food on their tables. With grocery prices and food insecurity on the rise, I urge the administration to work with Congress to immediately reverse its harmful cuts to SNAP.” concluded Senator Warren.

###

The following sites updated:

Thursday, October 22, 2026

Eminem, Lou Gramm, Cardi B, Alexander Skarsgard and the Rolling Stones

Let's start with Eminem who has recorded again with Kid Elderly Rock. Alex Galbraith (SALON) notes:

He might look like something found in the dumpster at a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert. He might shamelessly plunder the sonics of decades of deep-fried and gravy-smothered hits. But despite everything about his presentation and performance, Kid Rock is not actually southern.

If he were, he might have done the friendly thing and warned Eminem off of collaborating on “Heal My Faith,” a song on his recent Christian album “Halfway 2 Jesus.” He might have stopped his longtime friend and fellow Michigander from irreparable reputational damage. Instead, he let Slim Shady learn a hard lesson that true southerners know: You lay down with dogs, you wake up with fleas.

“Heal My Faith” is genial to the point of being unmemorable, a bit of cringy Christian pablum that encourages loving someone even when you’re outside of the pit. It’s student-athlete core, a mish-mash of choirs, electric guitar noises over pounding drums that all sound like keyboard presets. Kid Rock’s contributions are entirely lifted from inspirational T-shirts, table scraps from rejected Jelly Roll songs. The result is that “Heal My Faith” offers very little to chew on — until Eminem shows up.

The boilerplate praise chug of the song has one upside: It forces the “Rap God” to slow down. Left to his own devices, middle-aged Eminem has been the hip-hop equivalent to masturbatory guitarists, his late-stage work full of technically impressive displays of chops that nonetheless lack the fun and melody of his radio hits. Hearing him enter the song with a flow that’s not indebted to a J.J. Fad outro offered a glimmer of hope. But it was short-lived.

On “Heal My Faith,” the rapper who first gained mainstream attention by lighting the pop chart’s sacred cows afire wonders why we can’t all just get along. It’s shocking stuff from the rapper who famously mused about dropping an “awfully hot coffee pot” on Donald Trump in a freestyle at the BET Hip Hop Awards in 2017. Now, Slim Shady seems to be saying, “We might believe in fundamentally opposed directions for this country. We might differ on the idea of extending dignity to all people, but can’t we put that aside for the sake of a new single you can buy?”

Yesterday, I noted Lou Gramm was retiring from music. There's one stop he's about to make before retirement, however. Andrea Flores (LOS ANGELES TIMES) notes:

Jones retired from the band in 2023 after announcing a battle with Parkinson’s. Gramm revealed that the two reconciled prior to the band’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2024. In a 2026 interview with Spin Magazine’s Lipps Service, the singer shared that Jones was in the end stages of Alzheimer’s.

Gramm still has plans to join the current Foreigner group during a handful of appearances; Ultimate Classic Rock and Culture reports that he will appear with the group on the Rock Legends Cruise, which will depart from Miami on Feb. 21. He is also scheduled to be included in six shows during the band’s March 10-20 gig at the Venetian in Las Vegas.

“I think this is for me a high point, this tour, and finally getting into the Rock Hall of Fame and all the good things,” Gramm said on the podcast. “I think I just want to go out with a bang, and I think this summer tour is it.”

Now we all have our personal favorite albums. And we all have our picks for greatest albums of all time. Michael Saponara (BILLBOARD) reports Cardi B's pick:

Cardi B loves her some Keyshia Cole. As part of her New York Times T Magazine feature about artists the publication considers its "Greats" published on Wednesday (Oct. 21), Cardi ran through plenty of her own "Greats" for a video segment, which found her naming Cole's The Way It Is debut as the greatest album of all time.

"I was listening to that album when I was, like, 13, and I'm still listening to it when I'm 33," she said. "Every woman should listen to that album."

The Way It Is arrived in July 2005 and debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 with features from Jadakiss, Eve, Chink Santana and Metro City.

The Platinum-certified album remained on the chart for 64 weeks, powered by singles such as the Ye-produced "I Changed My Mind," top 40 Billboard Hot 100 hit "I Should Have Cheated" (No. 31 peak) and "Love," which reached No. 19 on the Hot 100.

Cardi isn't the only artist to champion The Way It Is; R&B singer Ari Lennox hailed the project as "one of the most phenomenal debut albums ever" in 2019.

Lastly, I've noted the new Rolling Stones video for "Mr. Charm." Tommy McArdle and Abby Stern (PEOPLE) report:

Alexander Skarsgård had an underlying motive in mind when he agreed to star in The Rolling Stones’ latest music video.

Skarsgård, 50, told PEOPLE at the Los Angeles premiere of his new movie Wicker on Tuesday, Oct. 20 that he agreed to star in the music video for the legendary English band’s recent single “Mr. Charm,” released on Oct. 1, largely to get a reaction out of his famous actor father, Stellan Skarsgård.

“Yeah, yeah,” Alexander says, when asked if he is a fan of the Stones himself. “But I primarily did it to piss off my dad, who is a hardcore Rolling Stones fan. I’ve tried to get him jealous my entire career, and he’s incredibly supportive of everything I do. I’ve never succeeded in getting him to be jealous until now.”

Here's the video one more time.

Closing with C.I.'s "The Snapshot:"

Thursday, October 22, 2026. Chump's DESPERATION TOUR gets more desperate, JD Vance argues on behalf of pedos to defend the indefensible, New Mexico gets closer to holding the powerful accountable for Jeffrey Epstein's actions, Chump is attempting once again to do away with FEMA, the many enemies Priss Pot Hegseth has made are willing to come forward and testify if Democrats retake the House, and much more.

With 12 days left until November 3rd, when midterm voting ends, Chump continues his DESPERATION TOUR ignoring the low turnout and the lack of upward movement in the polls. Joe Sommerlad (INDEPENDENT) reports:

President Donald Trump’s decision to hit the road to campaign ahead of November’s midterms has been met with a mixed reception from political strategists, with some wishing he would keep a lower profile.

“He should stick to the White House; he should just stay there,” a frustrated GOP operative in Georgia told The Washington Sun after Trump’s visit to Dalton last week. “All he’s doing is hurting Republicans.”

Conversely, a rival Democrat from the Peach State, gloating over the president’s divisive presence, told the same outlet: “If Trump could come to Georgia every week, we’d invite him.”

Another Democrat reached the same conclusion after watching the president’s speech in Park City, Kansas, Monday, at which he was heckled by protesters: “If Trump wants to stay in Kansas for the next two weeks, I wouldn’t mind!”

The president has been mired in dire approval ratings for months thanks to the ongoing affordability crisis and his unpopular Iran war, which have conspired to leave the public deeply frustrated over his failure to lower inflation and deliver the “golden age” he once promised.

The latest pre-midterms poll from Reuters/Ipsos put Trump on just 31 percent, a record low for either of his two terms that CNN data analyst Harry Enten described as “a five-alarm Trumpster fire.”

Shay Bottomley (NATIONAL SECURITY JOURNAL) points out, "The GOP has only two weeks to win over supporters reluctant to vote for Republican candidates. Progress so far has been minimal, with the deficit to the Democrats remaining large and Election Day just under a fortnight away." As Chump goes about his DESPERATATION TOUR, he leaves whole generations behind. Matthew Rozsa (ALTERNET) reports:

President Donald Trump has traditionally performed far better among older voters than younger ones, and now at least one pollster is seeing evidence of this disaffection in the president's own policies.

"Gen X and elder Millennials in shambles," said pollster Frank Luntz on Tuesday.

Max Burns (THE HILL) adds:

The young voters who upended expectations by shifting 21 points toward President Trump and the Republicans in 2024 aren’t done surprising the country just yet. In a sign of just how badly Trump’s party has fumbled its historic gains with Gen Z, a new batch of swing state polls shows America’s youngest voters deserting the party in record numbers.

Gen Z’s 50 million eligible voters now back Democrats by an eye-popping 30-point margin. That easily beats 2020, when Joe Biden won young voters by 25 points. It approaches Barack Obama’s record-setting 34-point margin in 2008. Their political realignment could prove decisive in states like Michigan, where Abdul El-Sayed (D) is locked in a tight race with former House Intelligence Chair Mike Rogers (R), and in swing districts across the country.

Republicans have no one to blame but themselves. Despite promising young people economic prosperity, Republican mismanagement has instead delivered the worst job market for new graduates since the pandemic.

Chump destroyed the economy. That's all there is to it. The economy was recovering under Joe Biden. Then came Chump with his tariffs and his war on Iran and war on immigrants and our economy tanked and it continues to tank. It doesn't bother Chump, doesn't bother him one bit. But imagine you are a young person looking for a job in this economy and you better believe you would be bothered.

Badar Shaikh (BENZINGA) notes:

As Iran war-induced Energy shocks continue to hit American consumers, GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan says the excess dollars spent on Gas by Americans could buy hundreds of thousands of houses.

In a post on the social media platform X on Tuesday, De Haan highlighted the growing strain on household budgets due to higher prices at the pump. According to the analyst, Americans spent an extra $138.8 billion on gasoline and diesel since March 1.

“That’s roughly the same as buying 337,897 homes at the median US home price of $410,700,” he said, adding that the houses could accommodate a population of 845,000 to 860,000 people, which is comparable to the entire resident population of Indianapolis, Indiana.

In Texas, Chump's experienced a lot slippage. Alfredo Corchado and Dudley Althaus (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS NEWS) report:

Less than two weeks before a pivotal midterm election, Bobby Pulido appears poised to flip the 15th Congressional District seat in this heavily Latino district where Trump dominated in 2024.

The poll - commissioned by the San Antonio Express-News, El Pais and the nonprofit Puente News Collaborative - found that likely voters favor Pulido 51% to 44% over Republican Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz.

Among Latino likely voters, the gap widens, with about 57% for Pulido, compared with 40% for De La Cruz. The Latino population accounts for about 82% of 15th District residents and 65% of its likely voters.

Early voting is taking place across the country and, in Texas and other areas, record numbers of citizens are turning out to vote. S.E. Cupp (TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY) notes:

In states all over the country, including where we’re watching hotly contested Senate races, voters are smashing early voting records — which means they’re more motivated and enthusiastic than ever before in a midterm cycle.

While we don’t know who, exactly, these early voters are, it’s hard to imagine that in this environment, with the president’s approval numbers in the gutter, with the economy in such a terrible state, and with no end to the Iran war in sight, that these people are running out to the polls to vote for…two more years of this.

Jonathan Wolf (ABOVE THE LAW) offers:

The midterm elections are less than two weeks away. It sure looks like voters are ready to finally punish Republicans for elevating devotion to Trump above every interest or need of America and Americans. Even so, no matter what happens this November, barring a well-timed coronary event or some other form of seemingly divine intervention, Trump is going to remain president for the next two years, the Republican majority on the Supreme Court is going to continue letting him do whatever he wants (I won’t flatter them by calling them “conservatives,” because they’re not), and the remaining Republicans in Congress will still glaze him for every increasingly ill-conceived decision.

But for now, Chump's DESPERATION TOUR continues.

In one of his many desperation moves, Chump threatened military families. It took place Tuesday as the tour pulled into North Carolina. Marita Vlachou (HUFFINGTON POST) reports:

During an appearance in North Carolina, President Donald Trump said he would order the U.S. government to settle any outstanding claims from people exposed to contaminated drinking water while living or working at Camp Lejeune, but only if his party maintains control of Congress following the November midterm elections.

“If we win the House and the Senate, I am directing the Department of Justice to settle all remaining legitimate claims as soon as possible and get it off the books and get it finished,” Trump said.

“If we don’t win, there’s no money. If we do win, you’re getting it, and it’s going to be finally over with that nightmare that’s been going on for so many years,” he continued.

That is an abuse of the office. That is threatening people who are entitled to payments that they won't get them if they don't vote for him. "So many years"? I think members of the House and Senate's veterans affairs committee know about "so many years." They worked forever to get us to the point where the victims and survivors could receive monetary compensation.

My remarks will focus on one exposure issue that is very personal to me – the contaminated drinking water at Camp Lejeune in my home state of North Carolina.　 I know we’ll hear from several witnesses about this issue, but I’d also like to acknowledge two former Marines, Jerry, who is here today, and David Briscoe, who could not be here.　 They both lived on Camp Lejeune during the years the water was contaminated and have their own painful stories.

David, who lived on Camp Lejeune in the 1980s, was later diagnosed with cancer of the hard palate and underwent treatment that reduced his ability to eat, speak, and work. Jerry’s daughter, who was born on Camp Lejeune in 1975, was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of six and, tragically, died three years later.　　 Jerry, I commend your personal strength in the face of such tragedy and appreciate you being here.

Unfortunately, Jerry’s and David’s heart-wrenching stories are not unique for veterans who served on Camp Lejeune between 1957 and 1987.　 The residents of Camp Lejeune didn’t know it at the time, but the water they were drinking, cooking with, and bathing in contained harmful chemicals – including TCE, PCE, benzene, and vinyl chloride -- which are known or probable human carcinogens.

Some of them are now living with rare cancers, like one of our witnesses today, Mike Partain.　 He is the son of a Marine, a former resident of Camp Lejeune, and one of over 20 former Lejeune residents diagnosed with rare male breast cancer at an unusually young age – he was just 39 years old. This condition usually strikes less than 2,000 men each year in the U.S. and most are over age 55.

Although a number of studies have suggested a possible link between the water at Camp Lejeune and these types of conditions, we still don’t have an answer about what made Jerry’s daughter, or Mike, or David sick or what has caused other former Lejeune residents to become ill.　

The government’s role in scientific discovery is clear. Camp Lejeune was designated by the EPA as a National Priority List site.　 Under Title 42 of the US Code, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry is conducting a number of studies of the Camp Lejeune contamination.　 These studies include sophisticated computer modeling and future mortality and health surveys.　 It would have been valuable to have ATSDR here so that they could respond to testimony being given by our witnesses and answer questions from this Committee. Mr. Chairman, in order to strike a balance of scientific opinion on this important issue, I ask that ATSDR’s official response to the National Research Council’s report on Camp Lejeune be included in the record.

We have an obligation to figure out how much of these dangerous chemicals veterans and their families were exposed to at Camp Lejeune and what impact these exposures have had on their health. For these patriots who have endured unbearable heartache and suffering, they deserve no less than our best efforts to provide them with answers about why they are sick.　 Also, we must make sure that the claims these families have pending are not prematurely denied by the government before science has had the opportunity to provide more answers.

But, while we wait for the science, we must deal with the fact that many of these exposed veterans and their families continue to suffer from devastating conditions.　 It is simply not right for us to continue to tell our veterans and their families to just wait for another study.　 They have already waited two decades.　 We owe them much more than that.

Who said that? Former US Senator Richard Burr who worked on that issue for decades. And there was nothing in the hearings he participated in where he or any other Senate Veterans Affairs Committee member tied the compensation into who someone voted for.

Bennito L. Kelty (RAW STORY) notes:

President Donald Trump drew swift condemnation from critics after making a promise to ailing families that came with a political string attached.

On Tuesday, Trump vowed that his administration would settle outstanding claims from people sickened by toxic water at Camp Lejeune, the Marine Corps base in North Carolina, but only if Republicans prevail in both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections.

[. . .]

Critics wasted little time tearing into the remarks.

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein (D) accused Trump of playing politics with the health of his state's residents. "Real leaders fight for the people, not for power," Stein wrote. "To condition doing the right thing by sick North Carolinians on who wins the election is foul."

HuffPost senior White House correspondent S.V. Dáte boiled the president's message down to a single word. "Extortion," he fired back.

Political scientist Norman Ornstein was equally blunt, branding Trump a "thug."

Washington Post reporter Dan Merica, who has chronicled the struggles of affected families, highlighted the human cost. "Camp Lejeune veterans and their families have been pleading for help for years. Their stories are heartbreaking," Merica argued, before noting that Trump was tying aid for those families to his party's performance at the ballot box.

Chump is losing support from farmers ahead of the midterms so he announces money to come. Some see Chump's promise of an $8 billion aid package to farmers as a bribe. If it is a bribe, it's an ineffective one in a number of ways. First, Sarah Holzmann (BARCHART) reports:

The U.S. agricultural sector is buckling under a record $605 billion in total debt, a staggering figure that renders the Trump administration's newly announced $8 billion bailout package — covering barely 1.3% of outstanding farm obligations — more symbolic than structural in its relief.

The bailout represents the latest in a series of emergency interventions for American farmers, yet the gap between the scale of the crisis and the size of the response has never been wider, arriving as producers simultaneously contend with surging diesel prices, elevated borrowing costs, and a geopolitical landscape that has upended both energy and export markets.

Second, there's no money for Chump to give. Nick Hilden (ALTERNET) reports:

On Tuesday, a new report revealed that President Donald Trump doesn’t have the cash to pay the $8 billion his administration had only hours earlier promised to farmers suffering under high diesel prices. According to Politico, the fund the administration would use doesn’t have enough to cover the payments, meaning Congress will have to approve a funding package, which won’t happen until after the midterms, if at all.

“Republicans locked in tight races this November are desperately hoping the Trump administration’s last-minute gambit to send farmers $8 billion in taxpayer money will work,” explains Politico. “The move comes as White House officials have scrambled to address anger in farm states from Republicans. Trump’s decisions to import more foreign beef, his tariff regime and high fuel costs amid the Iran war have riled already strained farmers and ranchers — a key GOP voting bloc.” But according to sources close to the plan who spoke with Politico on condition of anonymity, “Farmers won’t know how much money to expect for several more weeks. Even then, if approved, they won’t receive the payments until late November or early December at the earliest.”

That may be too late to help top Republicans who are banking on the announcement to stem GOP bleeding in farm states — especially in the Midwest, where Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), GOP Senate nominee Ashley Hinson in Iowa, and GOP Senate nominee Mike Rogers in Michigan have been floundering.

Let's move over to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Anna Skinner (NEWSWEEK) reports:

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan will get the death he “deserves” at his public execution come December.

Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding more than 30 others in a 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas. President Donald Trump has approved his execution by firing squad for December 3. The Army has scheduled the execution for 1 p.m. at Fort Hood.

The attack arrived during the peak of the global “War on Terrorism” initiative and investigators concluded that Hasan was motivated by Islamic extremist beliefs. They cite his pre-attack email exchanges with Anwar al-Awlaki, the al-Qaeda-linked cleric who later praised the massacre, as well as Hasan’s own statements. During his court-martial, Hasan said he had acted in defense of the Taliban, describing himself as having “switched sides.”

Hegseth made the statement on Tuesday when traveling to Ohio and Wisconsin as part of his Arsenal of Freedom tour. They are the first public comments Hegseth has made since Trump rejected his plans to livestream Hasan’s public execution.

“I agree with the president, we spoke about it at length, positively,” Hegseth said on Tuesday when asked by a reporter if he was disappointed that the execution wouldn’t be livestreamed. “We both, you know, recognize that death by firing squad is what Nidal Hasan, a terrorist, a traitor, deserves. He will get that. The families will observe it. And the point is there’s a deterrent effect to that also, which follows through whether it’s livestreamed or not. So, I fully support the president’s approach.”

Stiff upper lip, Priss Pot, don't let them see you cry. Maybe Chump will let you live stream the next execution. And if that doesn't do the trick, just remember that you met with Netanyahu this week and no doubt laughed about how they wouldn't drag either of you before The Hague for your War Crimes.

Amy Anderson (OOTWD) reminds US House Rep Thomas Massie has called for Hegseth to be impeached:

On Tuesday, September 15, 2026, Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky introduced eight articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The 34 page resolution says Hegseth has been "engaging in hostilities in Iran for more than 90 days without congressional authorization."

Massie said Hegseth is "abusing the power of his office," and that Congress had "exhausted every other remedy to make things right."

Articles one to three are about the War Powers Resolution, a 1973 law that limits how long a president can keep troops in combat without approval from Congress.

Massie says Hegseth helped start and continue the fight with Iran without a declaration of war or a law allowing it.

When Congress returns after the midterms, Speaker of the Closet Mike Johnson will have to let a vote take place on the articles of impeachment. Johnson, last month, sent the House home early to avoid a vote being taken. After the midterms, it might get worse for Priss Pot if the Democrats retake the House. Benedict Smith (TELEGRAPH OF LONDON) reports:

Current and former Pentagon officials are set to “spill their guts” to Congress about Pete Hegseth, sources have said.

Democrats are preparing to investigate the US defence secretary if they regain control of the House after November’s midterms, and have already made contact with potential whistleblowers, The Telegraph can reveal.

They plan to subpoena Mr Hegseth’s inner circle and rake over controversies from his tenure, such as “Signalgate”, when he accidentally leaked US military plans to a journalist.

With the help of informants, they hope to force embarrassing disclosures from his time at the Pentagon, which would either build an impeachment case against him or provoke Donald Trump into dismissing him.

Sources said the defence secretary is vulnerable because he has committed a string of costly blunders in office while isolating himself from potential allies.

“There’s going to be a lot of people that are going to very quietly go to the chair of the armed [services] committee and are going to spill their guts, provide them with everything they can and leak everything they can,” said a well-connected source.

“It’ll be horrendous. It’ll be consistent embarrassment.”

Priss Pot Pete is only one member of Chump's cabinet. Thomas Frank (POLITICO) reports on another:

The Trump administration’s disaster chief told state officials Tuesday they must increase their financial reserves and emergency capabilities to handle most disasters on their own, without federal help.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Cameron Hamilton gave unprecedented detail at a conference in Little Rock, Arkansas, about the administration’s long-planned shift of disaster responsibilities to states.

“Every state must have the appropriate financial reserves” and other abilities “to ensure that recovery efforts can start immediately and not necessarily be held up simply because of the federal [disaster] declaration process,” Hamilton said, according to a recording of his remarks obtained by POLITICO.

“A future that I hope we would shoot for is one where we wouldn’t require as many disasters because the capability of states is so high and so substantial,” Hamilton added, referring to presidential authorizations of federal disaster aid.

Chump tried to kill FEMA last year. Now he's trying to wipe it out slowly like he's doing to the Dept of Education.

Though never a member of his Cabinet, Alina Habba was a favorite of Chump's as evidenced by his repeated attempts to make her a federal attorney over New Jersey. Yesterday's snapshot noted:

Last night on MS NOW, Jen Psaki noted a NEW YORK TIMES report about Habba.

Tyler Pager (NEW YORK TIMES) reported last night:

Julio Herrera Velutini really wanted a pardon.

A billionaire banker from a prominent Venezuelan family, Mr. Herrera faced felony bribery charges in the United States and struck an unusually lenient plea deal in August 2025 for a misdemeanor campaign finance violation. But he felt that reduced charge was still a stain on his record.

So Mr. Herrera deployed his lawyer, Christopher M. Kise, the former Florida solicitor general who was on Mr. Trump’s personal legal team, to help with a plea for clemency. His 27-year-old daughter, Isabela Herrera, who is an American citizen, donated $3.5 million to a super PAC tied to Mr. Trump. But as of last fall, the pardon remained elusive.

Then the Herrera family hired Alina Habba, who had been one of Mr. Trump’s personal lawyers and at the time was an adviser at the Justice Department. They offered her $10 million a year for four years along with a range of bonuses. In total, including bonuses, she was guaranteed more than $50 million over four years, according to interviews and documents obtained by The New York Times.

Under the agreement, Ms. Habba would become general counsel at Concord Partners, a company that Ms. Herrera set up in late October 2025 in Florida. The company has no public profile and its business remains unclear even to some people associated with the Herrera business empire. Ms. Habba finalized her deal days after the company was registered, while she was still serving as U.S. attorney in New Jersey.

She formally began her work for Concord Partners on Jan. 1. Weeks later, Mr. Trump granted Mr. Herrera a full and unconditional pardon.

David McAfee (RAW STORY) reports

Alina Habba, President Donald Trump’s former lawyer, is pushing back hard on a New York Times report about her work for the family of a billionaire who was seeking a pardon. She blamed the paper, the “radical left” and the calendar.

The Times reported Tuesday that the family of Venezuelan billionaire Julio Herrera gave Habba a deal worth $50 million while he was trying to win a pardon from the Trump administration. Habba had served as an adviser to the attorney general and briefly led the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey before federal courts ruled she was serving unlawfully.

Habba, who now goes by her married name, Alina Mildon, answered on X with a sarcastic “Big Scoop.”

“After leaving public service, I’ve gone back to doing what I have done for my entire career: being a lawyer,” she wrote.

She said the Times had already credited “another capable attorney for what he successfully did without me and took credit for.” She called any suggestion that her employment “had anything to do with securing a pardon” “false and defamatory.” She also said the work had been “vetted and disclosed to the D.O.J.”

Last week, Alina was in the news for accusing former Chump official Ric Grenfell of corruption. Lindsey Granger (THE HILL) provides an update:

People close to the president keep being accused of trading money for access — it seems that in this administration, proximity to power has becoming a currency of its own.

Axios broke this story, reporting that the White House is investigating allegations involving former Kennedy Center director Ric Grenell, Trump adviser Alina Habba and her husband, Turkish businessman Turhan Mildon.

Here’s what’s being alleged and what we still don’t know.

According to Axios, Habba told President Trump that Grenell directed her husband to send $17.6 million to a Texas defense and security company, with approximately $5.6 million supposedly earmarked for the Kennedy Center. A text message provided to the White House allegedly promised Mildon VIP events and access to administration officials, including the president, in connection with arranging a donation.

That is a serious allegation. There is a financial record reportedly showing a transfer to the company. But Axios also reported that the money came from Congo’s finance ministry, rather than directly from Mildon’s personal account as initially suggested. The relationship between that payment, a purported Congo software deal and the Kennedy Center donation, remains unclear.

Aaron Blacke (CNN) does an analysis of the corruption allegations -- some of the corruption allegations -- in the Chump administration.

Chump's always been corrupt and always been attracted to the corruption in others. His former roll dog Jeffrey Epstein may have died in a jail cell back in 2019 but he remains in the news. Kaanita Iyer and MJ Lee (CNN) report:

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez on Wednesday filed a civil lawsuit against two of Jeffrey Epstein’s closest advisers, accusing them of having “facilitated and concealed” Epstein’s crimes.

The advisers, Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn, have faced scrutiny over their ties to the late sex offender since the Justice Department released files related to Epstein late last year.

Indyke, a longtime Epstein employee and attorney, and Kahn, Epstein’s longtime accountant, are the co-executors of Epstein’s estate. Earlier this year, Torrez’s office began investigating the property Epstein owned in the state, known as Zorro Ranch, after allegations about it were included in files.

The two advisers have denied any knowledge of or involvement in Epstein’s sex trafficking operation.

Torrez said during a news conference on Wednesday that the civil lawsuit aims to prevent Indyke and Kahn from getting any money from Epstein’s trust. CNN has previously reported that as part of Epstein’s will, Indyke was left with $50 million and Kahn was left $25 million.

Chump and Vance have pedo problems. Both hang around with a number of pedos and they defend them. Ford McCracken (THE HILL) reports:

Vice President Vance criticized the response by some Republicans to a campaign ad for Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy (R), saying he is “disgusted” by those in his party who pushed back on the video.

“I have to admit that I'm a little bit disgusted when I see Republicans across the country who are whining more about that advertisement than they are about what the congressional Democrats and other Democrats want to do to the United States of America,” Vance said at a fraud task force press conference Wednesday.

The ad features the mother of Ramaswamy’s Democratic opponent, Amy Acton, who accuses Acton of being a “liar” and saying “my daughter needs help.”

Acton’s brother released a statement and a competing video hours later saying that he and Acton have been estranged from their mother for years because she stayed married to the man who sexually abused Acton at a young age. Acton was removed from her mother's care at the age of 12, something unmentioned in the Ramaswamy ad.

He's disgusted by people criticizing Ramaswamy. He's okay with Ramawamy giving a pedo enabler -- Deborah Acton, the candidate's mother -- a platform. And let's not call Deborah a pedo enabler, she's a pedo herself. She let her husband attack Amy Acton. Assault her. And when it went to court and the stepfather was found guilty, he split and Deborah split with him. She'd rather be with him than with Amy and her brother. So she's not just a pedo enabler, Deborah is a pedo herself.

Amy Acton was victimized as a child. She's a survivor. But Ramaswamy wants to give a platform to the voice of the predator. And JD doesn't want anyone objecting to that.

So, yes, that makes JD a pedo enabler as well.

If you're late to the story, you can refer to Rebecca's "shame on ramaswamy and donna arthur" and Trina's "One-Pot Spinach Beef Soup in the Kitchen." Madison E. Goldberg (PEOPLE) reports:

Acton responded to the ad in a Facebook post on Tuesday, expanding on her previous allegations of abuse by her stepfather and claiming that her “birth mother did nothing to protect me” from the abuse.

“Growing up in Youngstown, my brother Phil and I endured abuse, hunger, and neglect — even spending one winter homeless living in a tent. We were often kept in a dark basement, were frequent-fliers with child protective services, and lived in fear of our birth mother’s violent and erratic temper,” she wrote. “Between the ages of 10 and 12, I was sexually abused by her husband, while my birth mother did nothing to protect me. I’ve always known that she was deeply sick and unwell, and it’s sad to see Vivek Ramaswamy exploit her all for his own political gain.”

In the post, Acton said that she has no relationship with Arthur and hasn’t seen her in decades following a trial in which she says Arthur’s late husband was arrested and charged with rape in 1978.

“I haven’t seen my birth mother since that day in 1978,” Acton’s post continued. “She and her husband fled the state and he was declared a fugitive. I know what it feels like to be a child who is hungry, frightened, and uncertain of what tomorrow will bring. I know what it means to feel powerless and to depend on the courage and compassion of others to find a way forward.”

Stearns’ brother, Phil, echoed his sister’s remarks in his own statement.

“It’s not surprising that Vivek Ramaswamy has stooped to such a despicable low as to attempt to turn the sexual abuse Amy endured at twelve years old from our birth mother’s husband into a political talking point,” Phil said on Tuesday. “After he was arrested and Amy and I were removed from their custody, our birth mother stayed married to Amy’s rapist until he died. This desperate, disgusting attack reveals exactly who Vivek Ramaswamy is at his core - a pathetic excuse for a man who is willing to hurt anyone as long as it gets him what he wants.”

Let's wind down with this from Senator Elizabeth Warren's office:

“The culture of overcharging within the defense industry that has driven this
behavior has come with significant costs to both readiness and the American taxpayer.”

Text of Letter (PDF)

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) sent a bipartisan letter to Deputy Secretary of Defense Stephen Feinberg requesting the Department to hold defense contractors accountable and enforce the Pentagon’s August 18 directive on Supplier Cost and Pricing Transparency.

For decades, defense contractors have taken advantage of the Pentagon’s inability to prevent price gouging. The Department notoriously paid $436 for hammers and $640 for toilet seats in the 1980s. More recently, Boeing charged the Air Force a nearly 8,000% markup on lavatory soap dispensers.

“The culture of overcharging within the defense industry that has driven this behavior has come with significant costs to both readiness and the American taxpayer,” wrote the senators.

In August 2026, the Department issued a new directive on “Supplier Cost and Pricing Transparency” to improve access to contractors’ cost and pricing data and help the Pentagon’s contracting officers negotiate fair prices. The senators welcomed the effort but raised concerns that a key gap in the policy – applying a $10 million threshold for obtaining certified cost and pricing data – could leave the Department without access to critical information for more than 60 percent of its contracts. They urged the Pentagon to apply its new directive to lower-value contracts and use its existing authority to make contractors ineligible for awards when they refuse to provide requested data.

They also urged the Department to support Senator Warren’s bipartisan Stop Price Gouging in the Military Act as well as their Transparency in Contract Pricing Act in the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Both bills would better arm contracting officers with statutory backing during negotiations, improve pricing transparency, and ensure taxpayers get a fair deal.

“To ensure our understanding of how this directive ‘resets the Department’s expectations regarding supplier cost and pricing information,’ and how it will gain transparency through ‘modern information technology and current business best practices,’ we seek to clarify how the Department will gain such data from refusing companies, conduct consistent oversight, and hold non-compliant companies accountable,” concluded the senators.

The senators requested answers to their questions by November 3, 2026, to inform legislation aimed at strengthening pricing transparency, preventing contractor abuse, and protecting taxpayer dollars.

Senator Warren has long led bipartisan efforts to crack down on defense contractor price gouging and protect taxpayers:

In July 2026, she pressed Deputy Defense Secretary Feinberg on conflicts of interest related to companies bidding on the major Golden Dome missile defense program.
In June 2026, she further pressed DoD on the potential conflicts of interest surrounding lucrative DoD loans and deals following reporting that the White House allegedly intervened to secure an OSC loan to a Trump Jr. company.
In March 2026, after DoD failed to answer most questions in her January letter, she pressed DoD and OSC on the processes in place to ensure DoD contracts and loans are awarded fairly to companies.
In January 2026, she raised concerns about DoD and OSC handing out loans and contracts to companies with ties to the Trump family.
In September 2025, she introduced the Transparency in Contract Pricing Act of 2025 to root out price gouging by military contractors.
In March 2025, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) wrote to Deputy Defense Secretary Nominee Stephen Feinberg, urging him to recuse himself from all matters related to Ligado Networks. Mr. Feinberg’s private equity firm, Cerberus Capital Management, is heavily invested in Ligado, which has a pending $39 billion lawsuit against the Department of Defense (DoD) over highly sought-after telecommunications spectrum space that the military has said is “essential for its various satellite communications, radars and navigation systems” usage.
In September 2023, she called for further transparency surrounding DoD’s OSC and how it is interpreting ethics restrictions.
In June 2023, she reintroduced the Stop Price Gouging the Military Actto address widespread price gouging in the military.
In June 2023, she reintroduced the Department of Defense Ethics and Anti-Corruption Act to strengthen ethics laws in DoD contracts.
On May 25, 2023, Senators Warren, Sanders, Braun, and Grassley sent a letter to DoD urging an investigation into contractor price gouging.
On May 25, 2023, Senator Warren and Representative John Garamendi sent letters to DoD, Boeing, and TransDigm on companies’ refusal to provide cost or pricing data.