Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills): Linda Ronstadt, Chaka Khan, Rita Coolidge

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:

Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills)

Saturday, October 24, 2026

Linda Ronstadt, Chaka Khan, Rita Coolidge

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