$442 Million

Do you know what that amount represents?

That is the amount that Musk spent on the election! That is immoral! According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, that is roughly 162 times greater than the entire lifetime earnings of an average American worker.

Musk jokes about GOP losses after spending big in midterms

The Hill

by Julia Shapero

11/04/26

Tech mogul Elon Musk joked about the GOP’s steep losses early Wednesday, after spending more than $442 million boosting Republicans in the midterm elections.

Democrats swept control of both chambers of Congress on Tuesday, winning competitive races across the board and even ousting Republicans in several races viewed as long shots.

Can you imagine being able to joke about tossing over $400 million away like that? What arrogance! When a single individual has the financial power to spend more on a political campaign than hundreds of families will ever see in their lifetimes combined, it naturally sparks intense conversations about wealth, influence, and democracy.

“Guess my election-interfering space lasers didn’t work this time,” Musk wrote on the social platform X, which he owns.

Ha, ha!

He also poured money into America PAC, the super PAC he launched during the 2024 elections. The technology executive gave $76.8 million in October alone, on top of the $76 million he contributed to the super PAC between July and September.

“Data centers in space looking pretty appealing right now,” Musk added in a separate X post early Wednesday.

It was just an investment to him.

And it all when up in smoke yesterday... poof! Four hundred dollars. Gone!

This Is Me!

I'm the little bird.

Asking Eric: GLP-1 use has changed our beloved dinner tradition. It's all a rush now

Nov. 04, 2026

Dear Eric: I’m part of a group of six women who get together every three months for dinner to catch up on our lives. We rotate on who decides where to eat. We have been doing this for four years now.

My question revolves around eating with GLP-1 users. There are now four women in the group using GLP-1s. Two are diabetics, two use it for weight loss. I and one other are not using them.

As you can imagine with six people eating and talking, we would usually be at a restaurant for one-and-a-half to two hours. Now it seems everything is so rushed.

The women on these medications are done really fast. The other woman and I feel rushed, and sometimes the waitresses see the others done and we feel we have to be done too. We have even stopped eating the salads.

What used to be an enjoyable time for all of us has turned into not fun for the other woman and me. It’s not relaxing and enjoyable anymore.

We have suggested other things like craft classes or walks, but it never works out.

Any suggestions for how to make this enjoyable again for me and the other friend? Or are we just the odd women out now?

— Dining Out

I'm on Ozempic. And I eat like a bird, when I go out to eat you know I will need a doggie bag. I don't like it. I am diabetic and the drug brought down my A1C to below 6 the first time in a decade. My weight went from 255 to 205!

Dear Dining Out: Is it possible for any of the group members to host at her house? This would alleviate the pressure to pay the check and leave. Each member could pitch in the cost of the meal toward food or catering. Or you could do it potluck-style, which might help people who are on specialized diets.

If hosting at home isn’t doable, consider adding a second location to your dinner plans, like a tea house or a dessert shop. These places might be better equipped for lingering with conversation than a restaurant would be anyway. Or meet up for a round of drinks or coffees before sitting down to dinner.

It’ll probably help to talk about this at the group level. If the shared goal is to find a way to talk for two hours and meals aren’t taking two hours anymore, you’re going to need to be creative, but you don’t have to find the solution on your own.

Eating out is not jut about the meal... before the food is brought out, is a social time. When the food is out on the table you just don't wolf it down. I try to pace myself so that I finish with them.

---

Through out the day I will be commenting on the elections here.

Fake

 I was watching the PBS show Fake: Searching for Truth in the Age of Misinformation, and it made me think: What do I do to make sure what I write about isn't fake?

Whatever my original source is; Facebook, a news aggregator like Google News, or Yahoo News, if it isn’t from a mainstream media outlet, I verify whether other places are carrying the story. Or, I ask an AI about the topic and research it further. Even so, I am always looking for a mainstream media source to back it up.

Even with all of this, I still get caught taking the bait.

A Shellacking?

As of 1:00AM

I will be updating this as results come in.

In governors races...

Democrats flipped at least 3 Republican-held governor seats:

• Georgia: Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms defeated Republican Rick Jackson, flipping the governorship after more than two decades of Republican control. She will succeed term-limited Republican Governor Brian Kemp.   
• Iowa: Democrat Rob Sand won the Iowa governor's race, defeating Republican Zach Lahn. He succeeds Republican Governor Kim Reynolds, who chose not to seek re-election.   
• Ohio: Democrat Amy Acton defeated Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, shifting the seat from Republican to Democratic control. She will succeed term-limited Republican Governor Mike DeWine.  

In the House...

According to projection reports from news outlets:   

• Colorado's 8th District: Democrat Manny Rutinel defeated incumbent Republican Rep. Gabe Evans.
• Iowa's 2nd District: Democrat Lindsay James defeated Republican Joe Mitchell to take the seat previously held by GOP Rep. Ashley Hinson.
• Kentucky's 6th District: Democrat Zach Dembo won the open seat previously held by Republican Rep. Andy Barr.
• Missouri's 2nd District: Democrat Fred Wellman defeated incumbent Republican Rep. Ann Wagner.
• North Carolina's 11th District: Democrat Jamie Ager flipped the seat, marking the first Democratic victory in the district since 2010.   
• Ohio's 15th District: Democrat Don Leonard defeated incumbent Republican Rep. Mike Carey.
• Pennsylvania's 8th District: Democrat Paige Cognetti defeated incumbent Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan Jr.
• Pennsylvania's 10th District: Democrat Janelle Stelson defeated incumbent Republican Rep. Scott Perry.

In the Senate...

Flipped Senate Seats

• Maine: Democrat Troy Jackson defeated five-term Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, ending her 30-year tenure in the Senate.   
• North Carolina: Democratic former Governor Roy Cooper won the open Senate seat left by retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, defeating Republican nominee Michael Whatley.   
• Ohio (Special Election): Democrat Sherrod Brown reclaimed his U.S. Senate seat by defeating Republican incumbent Sen. Jon Husted.   
• Texas: Democrat James Talarico defeated Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for the open seat previously held by Sen. John Cornyn, becoming the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in Texas in decades.

---

So far in Alaska (The results are not official yet)...

Major Contests Overview

• U.S. Senate: The race features Democratic candidate Mary Peltola and Republican incumbent Senator Dan S. Sullivan. Early reported figures show preliminary leads as votes continue to be tallied.   
• Gubernatorial Race: The four-way general election includes Democrat Jonathan S. Kreiss-Tomkins alongside Republican candidates Dave Bronson, Treg Taylor, and Bernadette M. Wilson.   
• U.S. House (At-Large Seat): Alaska's single U.S. House seat remains uncalled while preliminary totals are processed state-wide.

Update @ 7AM

Preliminary returns from Alaska show tight contests in key statewide races:

• U.S. Senate: Incumbent Republican Dan S. Sullivan holds a narrow lead over Democrat Mary Peltola. Neither candidate has reached an outright majority, and no race call has been made while initial precincts continue reporting.   
• Governor: Democrat Jonathan S. Kreiss-Tomkins is currently leading the broad multi-candidate field, followed by Republican Bernadette M. Wilson and other primary contenders.   
• U.S. House (At-Large): Ballot counting is ongoing for Alaska's single U.S. House seat, with initial tallies remaining too early to call.

---

Does it meet the defining of a Shellacking? Believe it or not... it doesn't. The election fits the pattern of a normal mid-term election but,

I will say yes.

---

Early Voting & Total Ballots:

Record Early Voting Volume: Approximately 54 million Americans cast ballots during the pre-Election Day early voting period, exceeding early voting totals from the 2022 midterm elections by nearly 9 million.   

State Highs: In Texas, over 7.7 million voters cast ballots during the early voting window—a 40.5% turnout of registered voters before Election Day.

Break down by age groups:

Demographic Group	Electorate Share	Key Voting Pattern & Alignment
Young Voters (Ages 18–29)	~10% of total voters	Supported Democratic U.S. House candidates by a +47 margin (71% Democrat vs. 25% Republican).
Middle-Aged Voters (Ages 30–44)	Moderate share	Favored Democratic House candidates over Republicans (59% to 36%).
Older Adults (Ages 65+)	High proportion of voters	Slightly preferred Republican candidates (51% Republican vs. 47% Democrat).
Hispanic Voters	~16% of eligible voters	Backed Democratic U.S. House candidates over Republicans by roughly 60% to 33%.

It is us old fogies that "stood by our man" everyone else saw the light!

Neither major statewide race in Michigan has been officially called yet, as vote counting remains active across the state:

• Gubernatorial Race: Democrat Jocelyn Benson leads Republican John James as ballots continue to be processed.
• U.S. Senate Race: Democrat Abdul El-Sayed leads Republican Mike Rogers as precincts report preliminary totals.
• U.S. House Delegations: In Michigan's congressional districts, 9 of the 13 U.S. House seats have been called so far.

It looks like the Democrats picked up House seats in Michigan.

---

Historic LGBTQ+ Federal Milestones

• First Openly Gay Man Elected to the U.S. Senate: Democratic Representative Chris Pappas won the U.S. Senate election in New Hampshire, defeating Republican nominee John Sununu. Pappas becomes the first openly gay man elected to serve in the upper chamber of Congress.   

House Re-Elections & New Entrants:

• Sarah McBride (D-DE): The nation's first openly transgender member of Congress won re-election to represent Delaware's at-large district.   
• Sharice Davids (D-KS): Secured a fifth term representing Kansas's 3rd Congressional District.
• Ritchie Torres (D-NY): Won a fourth term representing New York's 15th Congressional District in the Bronx.  
• Mark Pocan (D-WI): Won re-election to extend his tenure as one of the longest-serving LGBTQ+ members of the U.S. House.   
• Jeremy Moss (D-MI): Won Michigan's 11th Congressional District, becoming the state's first openly LGBTQ+ member elected to the U.S. House.   
• JD Ford (D-IN): Won election to the U.S. House, unseating an incumbent to become the first openly gay member of Congress from Indiana.   

Key State Legislative Wins:

Bentley Hudgins (D-GA): Won a seat in the Georgia House of Representatives (District 90), making history as the state's first openly transgender and nonbinary state lawmaker.  

Voting Pattern & Demographic Alignment

According to nationwide voter surveys, LGBTQ+ voters turned out heavily for Democratic candidates down the ballot, supporting Democratic House candidates by wide margins as part of the broader surge in young and suburban voting blocs.

---

Trans Referendums:

In the 2026 U.S. midterm elections, a small number of statewide ballot measures concerning transgender issues were put directly to voters.

Passed Referendums

Nebraska — Initiative Measure 442 (Sex Requirement for School & College Sports): Passed. This initiative constitutionally restricts participation in female athletic teams at public schools and postsecondary institutions strictly to individuals categorized by biological sex at birth.

Defeated Referendums

Missouri — Amendment 3 (Gender Transition Procedures for Minors & Abortion Ban): Rejected. Voters defeated this constitutional amendment, which sought to ban minors from receiving gender transition procedures, cross-sex hormones, or puberty blockers, alongside other provisions.

Still being counted, Colorado (Proposition 134 & Proposition 135), Arizona (Proposition 318), and Washington (Initiative 638)

[Update 4:45PM: Colorado Proposition 134: Voters rejected the measure, with approximately 70.55% voting NO and 29.45% voting YES. It would have required school and college sports teams to be assigned based on biological sex.]

Several openly transgender women won their races in the 2026 U.S. midterm elections across federal and state levels:

Federal Elections:

• Sarah McBride (Delaware — U.S. House of Representatives): Democrat Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender person elected to the U.S. Congress, won reelection to represent Delaware's at-large congressional district.   

State Legislative Elections:

• Leigh Finke (Minnesota — State House): Representative Leigh Finke, Minnesota’s first openly transgender state legislator, won reelection to her seat in the Minnesota House of Representatives.  

State & Local Races: 

• Other historic state legislative victories include Bentley Hudgins in Georgia (winning a seat in the Georgia Assembly as a transgender nonbinary lawmaker). In Alabama Democrat Allison Montgomery won the election for Alabama House District 25. She defeated Republican incumbent Phillip Rigsby in the Huntsville-area district, making her the first openly transgender person elected to the Alabama State Legislature.

We run... we win!

---

Trump's reaction (The blame game is in full stream):

• Blaming Candidate Quality: Trump distanced himself from the defeats by claiming he had no personal responsibility. On Truth Social, he posted: "I wasn't on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE!" He stated that voters simply didn't like some of the Republican candidates, adding that certain candidates had alienated his MAGA base by fighting him in the past.
• Targeting Specific Republicans: Trump specifically criticized defeated Texas Governor Greg Abbott, calling him a "RINO" (Republican in Name Only). However, he expressed no regrets about endorsing other losing high-profile candidates like Ken Paxton in Texas or Darline Graham in South Carolina.
• Praising Democrats: In a shift from his usual rhetoric, Trump congratulated the Democrats, stating that they "did a good job" and "fought hard".
• Veto Warnings & Bipartisanship: While Trump noted he is prepared to work with the new Democratic majority, he also warned that he holds total veto power and will reject any "insane" legislation they send to his desk.
• The Impact of the Iran War: Trump acknowledged that his decision to go to war with Iran impacted the midterms due to rising gas prices, though he maintained it was a "very wise decision" that he would make again.

---

8:20AM Overall Spending Breakdown

Total Cycle Advertising: Estimated to reach $11.6 billion.   

House Races ($1.5 Billion total):

• Democratic-aligned advertisers: ~$787.3 million   
• Republican-aligned advertisers: ~$678.9 million   

Senate Races:
Total ad spending in key Senate battlegrounds has seen record levels, led by the Texas Senate race, which alone attracted over $500 million to $573 million in total advertising spend.  

---

10:00 AM: Gerrymandering!

How It Worked for yesterday's Midterms?

The Republican Strategy: 

States controlled by Republican legislatures redrew congressional maps to turn previously competitive or Democratic-leaning seats into safer Republican districts. They used cracking (diluting Democratic concentrations) and packing (bundling heavy Democratic voting blocs together) to engineer a favorable baseline map.   

The Goal: 

Protect their U.S. House majority by picking up a buffer of redrawn seats heading into the midterm cycle.   

Did it block the Democrats?

No — yesterday's results showed that the aggressive gerrymandering largely backfired.   Because a strong "blue wave" national environment took hold, the defensive buffers Republicans drew were breached:

Dems Surmounted the Maps: 

In states like Texas and Florida, Democrats won key seats and held onto competitive Rio Grande Valley and Central Florida districts that Republicans had specifically redrawn to flip.   

Gerrymandering Backfire: 

When a party stretches district lines too thin to maximize seats (giving themselves modest 5-to-10 point advantages across multiple districts), a larger-than-expected swing by the opposing party can cause all of those newly drawn "safe" seats to collapse simultaneously.   

Outcome: 

Rather than insulating the GOP, Democrats claimed majorities in the House by winning multiple seats drawn explicitly to favor Republicans.   

---

(I used Gemini AI & ChatGPT AI to organize and tabulate the results and the HTML table)

---

My analysis:

The Democrats do not have enough votes to overturn a veto... so it is going to be a cantankerous two years. The big question is has any of the Republicans developed backbones? So for the next two years with a divided Congress without a veto-proof majority guarantees a combative, high-friction. environment.

In Maine: it looks like Sen. Collins backed Trump one too many times in critical votes.

Some voters complained about Trump not being on the ballot. Irish Business Times reported...

A confused voter demanding to know why Donald Trump's name was missing from his ballot has sparked a political talking point, after a video shared on X appeared to show a man complaining that he could not find the US president among the candidates.

According to the footage as described, someone explains that Trump is not running in the midterm election. The exchange serves as a reminder of a basic fact about American politics, even as Trump himself urges voters to treat the November contest as a referendum on his presidency.

Well if it was... Trump lost!

---

To do list:

• I think that the Democrats need to balance the budget with a "Cut the deficit tax" on those making more than a million dollars a year!
• Investigate fraud & corruption. (I don't think any criminal cases going forward. Because if they find corruption it will be the DOJ to prosecute the case. Do you really think the DOJ will go against Trump family?)
• Impeach cabinet members who put Trump before the Constitution (i.e. DOJ and the Department of Defense)
• Investigate DOGE

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3:30PM

WTF!

You all know what that stands for... so what earned that...

RI Hospital sends more than 112,000 pages of youth gender-affirming care records to Texas judge

by: Jusolyn Flower

WPRI Ch12

Posted: Oct 29, 2026

Rhode Island Hospital relinquished thousands of pages of medical records related to youth gender dysphoria treatment to a federal judge in Texas over the last five months, newly filed court documents show.

According to an Oct. 19 status report, R.I. Hospital has submitted a total of 112,647 pages of records to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas through 12 “in camera” productions conducted every two weeks since May. The most recent production was Oct. 16.

“In camera” is a Latin term that translates to “in chambers,” meaning the judge must review the records without any members of the press or public present. It is usually invoked to protect the subjects’ privacy.

WTF does Texas need medical records from Rhode Island for perfectly legal procedures? Here in Connecticut that would be a violation of Connecticut law!

Shortly afterward, the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island and attorneys with the Lawyers’ Committee for Rhode Island filed an emergency motion on behalf of the state’s Office of the Child Advocate to quash the DOJ’s order. They described it as an “unprecedented intrusion” into patient privacy and accused the Trump administration of using it as part of a “coordinated campaign” to deny the existence of gender identity, strip rights from transgender people and eliminate access to gender dysphoria care.

This is nothing more than a fishing expedition!

The Rhode Island judge used the law and quashed the subpoena but... in another federal they didn't so now...

Although McElroy quashed the subpoena, O’Connor found her ruling only blocked the DOJ itself from obtaining the records. He said it did not prevent the Texas court from holding the records under seal and left the enforcement order requiring compliance in place.

Duh! WTF!

Now, two conflicting rulings involving the same administrative subpoena are being reviewed in separate federal court systems: The Fifth Circuit is reviewing the Texas order requiring enforcement, while the First Circuit is reviewing the Rhode Island order that quashed the subpoena.

Tuesday you can vote. You can vote to bring this tyranny to an end!

Law & Order!

When Congress has no backbone, it is like a lawless Western town where corruption runs rampant and the sheriff looks the other way.

Trump Skirts Court Commands as Distrust Between Branches Spirals

Repeated compliance disputes and personal attacks on judges are straining relations between the executive branch and the judiciary.

New York Times

By Charlie Savage

Nov. 2, 2026

Since President Trump returned to office nearly two years ago, courts have frequently ordered his administration to pause or halt aggressive actions after they drew legal challenges. But again and again, his executive branch has skirted judicial constraints through delayed, contested or incomplete compliance, all while Mr. Trump has attacked judges appointed by presidents of both parties.

An examination of confrontations across the country shows a widening breakdown in trust between the executive branch and the federal judiciary. Judges increasingly greet Justice Department representations with skepticism. Administration officials, meanwhile, have treated courts with disdain — accusing judges of bias and seeking their removal. In an extraordinary step, the administration recently filed a misconduct complaint against nearly every active district judge in Minnesota.

The result has been a poisoning of the relations between the branches to such a degree that it is now straining the judiciary’s ability to serve as a check on executive power, as Mr. Trump approaches the second half of his term.

Judges throw out a case, the DOJ brings it back with a slight twist, or they lie to the judges like in the golf course case. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes has ordered an investigation if DOJ lied to him!

CBS News reported that,

Reyes has sparred with the government since it cut down hundreds of trees earlier this month with little notice to the court or plaintiffs. In a hearing two weeks ago, after more than 430 trees were felled, the judge told lawyers for the government that they had "lost credibility," and she was "furious" and "thoroughly unamused."

[...]

She said she only intervened "because the Government did what it assured all it would not do," by chopping down hundreds of trees on the golf course.

Reyes found that the D.C. Preservation League is likely to succeed in showing the Trump administration's plans for the golf course violate the legal requirement for an environmental review.

The judge said she was appointing a special master to investigate whether the court had been intentionally misled or whether the government had acted in bad faith regarding the renovation timeline and the sudden removal of the trees.

The New York Times article went on to say,

Others have been more complex and less clear-cut. Judges and the administration have fought over interpretations of specific judicial commands and failures by officials to live up to assurances they made to courts without explicit written orders. Sometimes, the executive branch has gotten around the courts by coming up with a new legal rationale for a policy that a judge said was not authorized by the authority officials initially cited.

Just like Trump did contractors he shorted on his hotel constructions!

USA TODAY exclusive: Hundreds allege Donald Trump doesn’t pay his bills

Donald Trump casts himself as a protector of workers and jobs, but a USA TODAY NETWORK investigation found hundreds of people – carpenters, dishwashers, painters, even his own lawyers – who say he didn’t pay them for their work.

Steve Reilly

USA TODAY

June 9, 2016

During the Atlantic City casino boom in the 1980s, Philadelphia cabinet-builder Edward Friel Jr. landed a $400,000 contract to build the bases for slot machines, registration desks, bars and other cabinets at Harrah's at Trump Plaza.

The family cabinetry business, founded in the 1940s by Edward’s father, finished its work in 1984 and submitted its final bill to the general contractor for the Trump Organization, the resort’s builder.

Edward’s son, Paul, who was the firm’s accountant, still remembers the amount of that bill more than 30 years later: $83,600. The reason: the money never came. “That began the demise of the Edward J. Friel Company… which has been around since my grandfather,” he said.

Donald Trump often portrays himself as a savior of the working class who will "protect your job." But a USA TODAY NETWORK analysis found he has been involved in more than 3,500 lawsuits over the past three decades — and a large number of those involve ordinary Americans, like the Friels, who say Trump or his companies have refused to pay them.

Just as Trump did with contractors who say he shortchanged them on his hotel construction projects!

The Times in the article also said:

In some cases, skeptical judges have dismissed high-profile indictments and quashed investigative subpoenas, including at times finding that the Justice Department had improper motivations. And judges have increasingly been concluding that the department has been misrepresenting facts in civil litigation hearings and filings.

There is a common thread running through all of this: Trump has a long history of using his power and resources to bully his way through disputes, whether dealing with contractors or business associates. Now, he is using the institutions of government to bully those he considers his enemies.

How Trump Is Using the Justice Department to Target His Enemies

The New York Times
By Alan Feuer and Lily Boyce

Oct. 17, 2025

From the moment Donald J. Trump began his campaign to return to the White House, he has expressed a clear desire to seek vengeance against his perceived enemies. In the last few weeks, the pressure campaign has intensified with two of his foes — James Comey and Letitia James — now indicted.

Back in power, Mr. Trump has weaponized the Justice Department to his own ends, critics say, in a more direct manner than any president since the Nixon era. The department, now led by Mr. Trump’s former personal lawyers, has fired dozens of career prosecutors, many of whom had worked on cases involving Mr. Trump. And the president and his allies have targeted or pushed out several U.S. attorneys as he seeks quick movement on cases involving a number of his political adversaries.

Why is he able to get away with it is because the Republicans are afraid of him... but as he loses his luster some of them are getting backbone and we shall if those who bowed down to him get re-elected. And those that just squeaked by will see that the emperor has no clothes.

The Pot Trade!

New York and all of New England—except for the “Live Free or Die” state—sell pot! Talk about ironic.

If you drive by a pot store in Massachusetts near the northern border, you see a parking lot filled with New Hampshire cars. If you live near the Connecticut/Massachusetts border, you see the exact same thing with Connecticut cars packing the Massachusetts lots. Why? Because when Connecticut was looking at the $$$ in tax revenue to milk the potheads, and the Republicans pushed through an amendment capping the potency of the pot.

Capitalism at its best... let your wallet do your voting. Massachusetts has reasonable laws, so their border stores stay packed.

New Hampshire wants to allow pot, but they have a problem unique to their state. First of all, pot isn't legal there yet; you can still get fined for possession. (Meanwhile, in some Republican states, you can actually get jail time for possession!)

But let me digress a little. New Hampshire operates state liquor stores, no private stores allowed. When my brother lived in Maine, he used to stop at the state liquor stores right on I-95. Yep, the state has massive liquor stores built right onto the interstate highway! It’s easy off, easy back on, and let me tell you, sometimes you can’t even find a parking space during the holidays.

So the real problem is: does the state want to go into the business of selling pot? One major issue is that the feds might take a dim view of a state government directly selling marijuana. And since pot sales still have to be done in cash... well, it gets complicated.

Most importantly, New Hampshire doesn’t want to jeopardize its lucrative booze business. The state makes roughly $120 million to $144 million in pure, net profit that goes straight back into the government's wallet every single year—and not from the taxpayers' pockets!

They simply don't want to upset their cash cow.

Oh, what a tangled web we weave when we try to make a buck!

Tammany Ring

[Editorial]

Did you ever hear of it?

It was a major corruption ring in New York City back in the 1890s. The "Tammany Ring" was the inner circle of corrupt political bosses and leaders who ran Tammany Hall, the headquarters of a private political organization. Then in the 1920s, we had the "Teapot Dome" scandal, where public officials bypassed normal channels to hand out lucrative federal assets to private corporate friends behind closed doors.

Hey, wait a minute… we’re not talking about Trump, are we? We’re talking about something that happened a century ago... right?

We’re not talking about the Reflecting Pool fiasco, where the job was rushed through a no-bid process... correct? Teapot Dome was in the 1920s.

And we’re not talking about the "Bleeding Statues" you know, the gold-plated statues on the bridge over the Potomac?

What? You haven’t heard of the "Bleeding Statues"? Well, you know how Trump rushed a $5 million no-bid federal project to regild the "Arts of War" and "Arts of Peace" bronze horse statues near the Lincoln Memorial? Turns out you can’t do that in a week or two. It’s a multi-year project requiring proper curing of the materials used. As a result, the protective layers are bleeding down onto the stone pedestals. Now, where have we heard that before? Oh! I know... the Reflecting Pool!

Meanwhile, the "Arc de Trump" is also a no-bid contract!

And Trump’s pièce de résistance, the White House Ballroom, is yet another no-bid contract! The icing on that cake is that no one can find any building inspection records... you know, for plumbing, electrical, or structural safety. If any of the work was substandard or if corners were cut, we’ll never know!

Now, questions are being raised over Trump’s War. Before the invasion of Iran, financial watchdogs and federal authorities uncovered multi-billion-dollar spikes and suspiciously timed oil market bets made just minutes or days before major conflict announcements.

The "Tammany Ring" and the "Teapot Dome" scandal used to be the benchmarks for American corruption... but Trump has set a whole new gold standard.

[/Editorial]

The Flyover!

Do you remember the flyover by Air Force 1 of the White House on Halloween?

Trump billed it as a special treat for the trick-or-treaters on Halloween. Well people noticed that there were an awful lot of camera crews recording it!

This is from the White House photo...

A photo op... that cost us taxpayers hundred of thousand of dollars, as one commenter wrote, it cost more than most people make in a year.

You want to make a bet that you see this photo creeping up in ads for Trump

The Quite Before The Storm

It is the day before the elections. It is the quiet before the storm. Everyone is poised to see what Trump will do next. Here in Connecticut, early voting is closed today.

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Trump is trying to get his grubby little hands on the elections. So far, the courts have slapped his hands away.

The latest development came just yesterday, when Republicans once again got their hands slapped in Alaska. The brouhaha centers on candidates running for Congress with duplicate or nearly identical names—specifically, Daniel J. Sullivan.

So far, the courts have heard, and will hear, two state-court proceedings, one federal district-court proceeding, and a federal appeal. In the proceedings so far, the courts have ruled against the Republicans. And the odds are that they will lose their appeal as well. There was nothing illegal about Daniel J. Sullivan's candidacy!

But there's another name on the ballot that you don't hear much about. He's also running for office, but against a Democrat. Perhaps that's why Republicans have been so quiet about him.

His name is Eric Hafner. He's sitting in a federal prison in New York, has never set foot in Alaska, and is running for Congress as a Democrat.

So I have three questions about the coverage of the Alaska brouhaha:

Political incentives: Which party benefits from highlighting each controversy?

Media incentives: Which story generates more national attention, conflict, and audience interest?

Editorial consistency: Why wasn't the Hafner precedent made a central part of the national reporting on Sullivan?

The third question is the biggie! It points out the hypocrisy of the Republicans and the news media.

Well It Did What It Was Designed To Do!

Alternate title: Rinse and Repeat!

Alaska Democrats ask judge to remove imprisoned out-of-state U.S. House candidate from November ballot

September 5, 2024 by Eric Stone, Alaska Public Media – Juneau

The Alaska Democratic Party is asking a judge to kick a convicted felon serving a 20-year sentence in a New York federal prison off this November’s general election ballot. Eric Hafner is challenging Democratic Congresswoman Mary Peltola for Alaska’s lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Hafner placed sixth in the top-four primary. He advanced to the general election ballot after the third- and fourth-place candidates dropped out in an apparent effort to consolidate the Republican vote.

Hafner is currently in federal prison for threatening public officials in New Jersey and has never lived in Alaska. He’s running as a Democrat but does not have the backing of the state party. Any candidate can run under whatever party banner they like under Alaska’s open primary system. The Alaska Democratic Party’s executive director did not respond to an interview request.

Yep… the Republicans did it in the last election too! What is the difference between the two?

The party says that means he never should have been certified as a candidate in the first place. They also argue that Alaska’s election laws don’t allow the sixth-place candidate to advance to the general election under any circumstances. The Democrats say his presence on the ballot could also siphon voters from Peltola.

Oh gee, where have we heard that before?

The courts allowed him to stay on the ballot just like they ruled now! Newsweek wrote about him here…

Who Is Eric Hafner? Democrat on Alaska Ballot Accused of Being GOP Ploy

By Steve Mollman and Joshua Rhett Miller

Oct 29, 2026 

A Democrat serving a 20-year federal prison sentence has advanced to Alaska's general-election ballot for a second time, renewing scrutiny of an unusual candidate whom the state's Republican Party went to court to help keep on the ballot.

Eric Hafner, who has never lived in Alaska, advanced from the state's 2026 U.S. House primary after also making the general-election ballot in 2024. His candidacy is drawing fresh attention amid the explosive controversy over Alaska's two Dan Sullivans.

Why isn’t this all over the evening news?

Why isn’t the FBI investigating him and the Republicans? Huh?

I want to repeat… under Alaskan law, all it takes is $100 to get on the ballot! That allows anyone to get on the ballot… if anything needs to be changed, it’s their law.

---

Updated: 3:20PM

The judge has ruled on the case...

Judge tosses Trump's attempt to block Alaska Senate results if GOP incumbent loses

November 1, 20262

NPR News

Hansi Lo Wang

A federal judge has thrown out the Trump administration's highly unusual attempt to block the certification of results from a key U.S. Senate race in Alaska if the Republican incumbent loses.

In a ruling released Sunday, U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason found the federal government does not have the ability to bring this lawsuit, which cited the preamble of the National Voter Registration Act.

It asked the judge to stop state officials from certifying election results to allow for an investigation into whether voters were confused by having two similarly named Senate candidates appear on Alaska's ranked-choice ballot.

But Judge Gleason concluded that such a court order would likely violate Alaskan voters' right to a secret ballot.

"The absence of any explanation from the United States as to how its requested relief could redress its alleged injury while simultaneously maintaining the secrecy of the ballot is telling," wrote Gleason, a nominee of former President Barack Obama.

Of course Trump's team is going to appeal!

---

Updated: 11/2 @ 7:30AM

Ball & Strikes reported that;

This case started back in May, when Daniel J. Sullivan filed to run for Senate as a Republican, despite never having previously been affiliated with the party. After the state GOP complained, the Alaska Division of Elections determined that under state law, Daniel J. Sullivan was ineligible to run because he did not file “in good faith for the purpose of genuinely pursuing election,” and instead sought to “confuse or mislead” voters. The letter noted, for example, his request to be identified as “Dan,” like the incumbent. It also alluded to the subject matter of the Times story, highlighting his work with a political consultant who is a “known longtime supporter of Democratic candidates,” including Peltola.

Sullivan appealed, and in June, an Alaska trial court judge reversed the Division of Elections’s decision. The gist of Judge Thomas A. Matthews’s order, which the Alaska Supreme Court later affirmed, is that under state law, the qualifications to run for Senate straightforwardly track the language of the U.S. Constitution: Candidates must be at least 30 years old and citizens for at least nine years, and live in the state they seek to represent. Given that Daniel J. Sullivan checks all three boxes, Matthews found that officials had no authority to invent an additional “good-faith” requirement and use it to “exclude an otherwise qualified candidate.”

Look, everyone knows that this was done to “confuse or mislead” the voters... however it is not against the law.

Whatever you think of Daniel J. Sullivan’s candidacy, it is not an illegal effort to stop people from voting: He is running for office, under his real name, in the state where he lives. Anyone who gets “tricked” into voting for him (and only for him) is still, in fact, voting. Even if one of the more ambitious Trump prosecutors decides to give it a shot, the First Amendment will present serious challenges, since going after candidates and their supporters for ostensibly harboring ulterior motives would criminalize a lot of things that parties in this country already do.

You know what they always say... if you don't like the law change it! I did.

---

For The First Time!

[Editorial]

We have been on the ballot before. They wanted to ban us, but voters in the past voted for us in referendums. However, this election appears to be different! For the first time, referendums might take away our rights guaranteed under Constitution and the Fourteenth Amendment!

In his famous 1963 "Letter from Birmingham Jail," Martin Luther King Jr. critiqued people who sit back, watch the political landscape, and stay silent while their rights are rolled back. We are in a similar situation now!

King famously wrote about the danger of people who prefer "order" over justice:

"I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Council-er or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to 'order' than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice…"

It is not just the Trumps and the MAGAs of the world; it is the ordinary person who votes to take away

the rights that every other citizen has, people who know nothing about trans people but are willing to deny us of our rights!

In the South, laws were passed banning Black people from playing sports and banning them from using White bathrooms. Why? Because it made White people uncomfortable to sit at a lunch counter with a Black person. They used religion to justify it… they quoted the Bible to show that it was alright to discriminate.

They normalize bigotry. White people said they were not racist, but they kept Black people in menial jobs… because "that’s just the way it is." Children growing up in school thought nothing of the fact that there were Black and White schools—it was perfectly normal to them. That is what the Republicans are doing to LGBTQ+ people… making it seem okay to discriminate against us. Making it seem okay to refuse to sell us a cake because your religion says it's okay. The Republicans are hoping for another generation of bigots.

White people voted for racist candidates because of their economic policies or because they brought new factories to town… totally ignoring their bigotry and discrimination!

In two days, we go to the polls… how are you going to vote? Are you going to take away a person's rights because you believe the Republican lies about us? You believe that a child gets a “sex change” at school. You hear them say, “Well, I’ve always voted Republican,” as they put their blinders on to what ICE is doing, to the corruption, to Trump being cozy with Putin, to the war, and to the lunacy of Trump. They turn a blind eye and hold onto fantasy visions of the era of Father Knows Best.

Vote to end the craziness of the Republican party. Vote for sanity! Don't take away our right to be ourselves.

[/Editorial]

No Body Wants Him.

Sniff, sniff.

The Alaskan Republicans told Trump to stay out of it!

The Republican candidates said... "You're not welcome!"

Alaska officials ask judge to deny Trump administration’s ‘impossible’ demand to set aside Senate ballots

The Republican-led state government urged the judge to dismiss the “unwarranted federal interference” in the Alaska Senate race.

NBC News

Oct. 31, 2026

By Kyla Guilfoil

The Republican-led state government in Alaska implored a federal judge on Saturday to permanently dismiss the Trump administration’s lawsuit that seeks to block the certification of the Alaska Senate race if GOP Sen. Dan S. Sullivan loses.

“The United States’ opposition provides no reason for this Court to entertain this meritless lawsuit any longer,” the filing said, adding that “the relief demanded is inappropriate and not even possible given Alaskan voters’ vital right to ballot secrecy.”

Wah, wah... they don't want me!

Some Republicans want Trump to stay away from their midterm campaigns: ‘We’ve told them he cannot come’

President told battleground lawmakers at a Rose Garden dinner Wednesday that he will be heavily involved in the final 30 days

The Independent

Andrew Feinberg

Friday 04 September 2026

Republicans in some of the most competitive races in the country have told President Donald Trump's political operation that they do not want him campaigning in their districts this fall — including in seats he won by double digits two years ago.

"We've told them he cannot come," a senior Republican working on a competitive House race in such a district told Politico, which reported the account Friday. "Candidly, he would not be helpful here."

Wah! Nobody wants me!

The crowds are dwindling, and he is looking more and more like an "old man" on stage. They are booking him into smaller venues so the empty seats don't show!

The British Mirror is telling it like it is...

Donald Trump humiliated as Ohio rally held in 'tiny' venue as crowd size dwindles

President Donald Trump appears to be getting humbled with the turnout for his recent campaign rallies as the president seems to be struggling to get more attendees

Angelica Cheyenne

28 Oct 2026

President Donald Trump doesn't appear to have the same turnout for his campaign rallies for the upcoming midterm elections as he did for his 2024 presidential election — and it's showing.

While the 80-year-old POTUS continues to brag about how many people are either attending his recent rallies or who want to, the venues where his events are being held tell a different story. For example, Trump's Mississippi rally on Monday took place in a venue that only held 1,400 people despite claiming that 22,000 people were outside watching in a town with only 14,000 residents.

Despite much of Trump's MAGA base believing there to be a phantom crowd of thousands, there hasn't been any video evidence this far to support the commander-in-chief's claim of 22,000 attendees.

Wah! Nobody is coming anymore! Sniff, sniff!

Saturday 9: I've Written a Letter to Daddy

Saturday 9: I've Written a Letter to Daddy (1962)
On Saturdays I take a break from the heavy stuff and have some fun…

Unfamiliar with this week's featured song? Hear it here.
 
1) This song is from Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, which was released on Halloween Day, 1962. Do you like scary movies?
I did when I was knee high to a grasshopper but not now.

2) The "Baby Jane" of the title is Baby Jane Hudson. Jane was a child star, singing and dancing in vaudeville. She was so popular that Baby Jane dolls sold well at her shows. Tell us about one of your favorite childhood toys.
I used to have a teddy bear… which my brother took gleeful delight in hiding from me.
 
3) Baby Jane's career hit the skids when she hit her teens and audiences no longer found her cute. Adolescence can be a tough time for many of us. Did you ever go through an awkward phase? 
Yes, my whole childhood looking back I probably have been diagnosed with a learning disorder now a days.

4) Meanwhile, Jane's older sister Blanche blossomed into a beauty and became a major movie actress. Her career was cut short when, at the height of her popularity, her back is broken in a car accident involving a drunken Jane. Most of the movie takes place in the mansion Blanche bought back when she was a star. Blanche is confined to a wheelchair and completely dependent on Jane, who is bitter, jealous, and well, bonkers. Very bad things happen. Can you think of another movie where scary things happen in a big old house?
Naw. Like I said I don’t watch scary movies. Now, a nice SiFi movie...

5) As a (crazy) older woman, Jane convinces herself she can relaunch her career and recapture the love of the public. She dresses like she did as a little girl and makes up her face to look like those Baby Jane dolls that were sold long ago at her childhood performances. Then she rehearses this week's song. The result is so memorable that now, more than 60 years later, you can still find "Baby Jane" Halloween costumes online. Tell us about a Halloween costume you really enjoyed wearing.
I just dressed in standard homemade costumes… a pirate, a solider, a doctors… etc.

 

When I was growing up we made our own costumes, an old eye patch, a bandana, and burnt cork for a mustache... but now they are all store bought! 

6) Which kind of spooky movie villain do you find scarier: supernatural monsters (Dracula, Wolfman, ghosts, etc.) or human monsters (Baby Jane, Michael Meyers from the Halloween franchise, etc.)?
Bikini Beach (1964) caused a rash of "Teenage Werewolf" costumes at the high school Halloween Dance. [Do they still have high school dances?] 

Questions inspired by Halloween ....

7) Orange and black are the traditional Halloween colors, with orange representing the autumn harvest and black symbolizing all things scary and mysterious. Are you wearing either color as you answer these questions?
Nope… just my pj… it is 4:30AM!

8) Jack-o-lanterns originated in Ireland, though instead of pumpkins, they carved gourds. When Irish immigrants arrived in the US, they used pumpkins because they were more readily available. Did you decorate your home with a jack-o-lantern, or anything else, for Halloween?
Nope.
But my neighbor did!
When I went out at night it took a half hour to get in and out of my house. I had to get in line just to pull out of my driveway.

9) Think back to your trick-or-treating days. Which candy were you happiest to find your bag?
Well if it had any chocolate… it met the criteria. Candy Corn… never even made it out of the driveway.

“The U.S. economy is booming"

Quote Trump.

So why, according to Trump & Company? Because of cuts to regulations! You know, like gutting the EPA, OSHA, and the whole alphabet soup. Not because of skyrocketing energy prices! Not because of Trump’s war with Iran. No, it’s all because, according to Trump, he’s polluting the planet, cutting workplace safety protections, and slashing programs for people with disabilities.

The Washington Times writes;

Mr. Trump says the U.S. is in a “golden age” of economic production and contends that prices will come down once he settles the war after the midterms. He also says new factories from foreign investments will spark a job boom.

Investment in new equipment increased by 21% for the quarter, according to the Commerce Department. 

Mr. Trump attributed the surge to tax credits in GOP legislation and his tariffs, which forced some foreign companies to set up shop in America to avoid the levies.

“All these companies are coming in. They’re flooding America,” Mr. Trump said.

Dream on, dream on!

We know that economic growth, corporate investment, and prosperity for ordinary Americans are not the same thing. And the lies just make us even angrier. Does Trump think we're stupid?

Something Big Is Coming Our Way!

Connect the dots!

Item #1: Automatic military draft registration starts this year: What to know.

Item #2: US Army Starts Practicing Digging Mass Battlefield Graves

Item #3: Iran War Updates: Trump says war "going to end soon" as Qatar pushes for a U.S.-Iran deal

Item #4: Putin fires warning that Russia stands ‘ready for war’ with Europe and ‘there will be no winners’

Item #5: Taiwan demands that China end its military activity in nearby waters

Item #6: What Is FORTRESS? Pentagon’s 90-Day Plan to Keep US Military Bases Running

Item #7: ‘Their Plan Is Insane’: Senator Issues Grave Warning About Post-Election Assault on Iran

I don’t like the way the dots connect! There is a lot of “Saber Rattling” going on. There is a lot of instability going on around the world right now...

I asked ChatGPT about this;

That perspective gets right to the heart of **why historical parallels feel so intense**.

The fear today isn't usually that a single leader *wants* to press a button to start World War III; it’s the fear of a **1914-style diplomatic domino effect**—a situation where separate crises in different regions overlap, create miscalculations, and spiral out of control before anyone can step back.

### The Parallel to 1914

When people look at current events through the lens of WWI, they notice three main structural similarities:

1. **Multiple Flashpoints Active at Once:** In 1914, it was the Balkans, Franco-German border friction, and naval rivalries in the North Sea. Today, news streams jump between the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and the Taiwan Strait.

2. **Shift to "Peer Competition" Doctrine:** For 20 years after 9/11, Western militaries focused on counterterrorism and asymmetric warfare. Today, military exercises like the U.S. Army testing temporary battlefield interment procedures during *Operation Dragon Covenant Phase II* reflect a shift back to planning for high-intensity, peer-vs-peer conflict.

3. **Rigid Postures & Deterrence Traps:** In 1914, mobilization schedules were so strict that once troops started moving, leaders felt they couldn't stop without risking defeat. Today, massive regional deployments, red lines, and public declarations can make backing down politically difficult for any country involved.

---

### Key Differences from 1914

While the structural pressures feel familiar, historians and strategic analysts point out several critical safeguards that exist today that were entirely absent in 1914:

* **Nuclear Deterrence (MAD):** In 1914, European leaders genuinely believed a modern war would be "over by Christmas." Today, direct conflict between major nuclear powers carries an undeniable threat of total devastation, which forces high-level caution even during intense posturing.

* **Instant Direct Communication:** World War I escalated partly because leaders communicated via slow, formal telegrams, misinterpreting intent at every turn. Today, hotline communications, direct military-to-military channels, and third-party diplomatic intermediaries (like Qatar or regional partners) allow rapid de-escalation dialog.

* **Economic Interdependence:** While supply chains are shifting, major world economies remain deeply intertwined, creating massive financial disincentives against full-scale war.

---

### Summary

Comparing today's atmosphere to 1914 is understandable—it highlights how dangerous "saber-rattling" can be when multiple regional conflicts exist simultaneously. But while the *preparations* look alarming, the fundamental objective of modern military posturing and diplomacy remains **deterrence**: demonstrating capability so that a major conflict never actually begins.

---

Updated: @ 2:30PM: Added item #6.

Updated: @ 2:45PM: Added item #7.

Alaska!

That is all I have to say, and you know exactly what I mean.

There are two Dan Sullivans on the ballot:

Sullivan, Dan S. (Registered Republican) Incumbent

Sullivan, Daniel J. Jr.

Can you tell the difference? Can you pick out which Sullivan is the Republican? Can you tell who is the Independent?

That is what the battle is about! The Republicans are hopping up and down, pointing fingers! "SEE! SEE! See what they did!"

Okay, how did he get on the ballot? For that, we have to look at how you get on the ballot in Alaska. In most states, you have to collect "X" number of signatures from voters, but not in Alaska.

In Alaska, all you have to do is pay $100 and... voilà, you are on the ballot!

The Alaska Supreme Court has put in its 2¢!

In June, CBS News reported that…

The battle of the Dan Sullivans is on. 

The Alaska Supreme Court ruled Monday that a Republican candidate with the same name as GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan can challenge the sitting lawmaker in the state's Senate primary in August. The high court upheld a ruling from a lower court judge that cleared the way for Daniel J. Sullivan to appear on the primary ballot, reversing a decision by state officials earlier this month that he was ineligible because he was allegedly trying to confuse voters.

The state Supreme Court directed Alaska's Division of Elections to decide how Daniel J. Sullivan should be listed on the ballot "within the confines of existing Alaska ballot design law."

The Alaska Supreme Court ruled on whether the state could keep the second Sullivan off the ballot. The court said no. The feds have zero jurisdiction over Alaska!

Verdict writes:

Yet the fact that there is a genuine reason for concern does not mean that there is a legal basis for the DOJ’s lawsuit. There is not, as should be apparent to anyone with even a rudimentary legal education who reads the DOJ complaint. It cites no provision of federal law obligating states to mitigate any confusing effect of candidates with similar names. That’s because there is no applicable federal law.

But you know darn well this is going to the Supreme Court!

However, I don’t think that it will end in the courts; I think that it will end on January 3rd, when Congress begins the new term and swears in members as mandated by the Twentieth Amendment.

The question will be… "Will Congress vote for the party or the voters?"

If there is a problem, then it is with Alaska state law. Here in Connecticut, you need 1% of voters to sign a petition for you to get on the ballot in Alaska the is simply too low. But that is a state decision to make, not a federal one!

Then we have this...

[/Political Analysis]

You Know How We Feel…

When foreign money comes in for our elections… we hate it and have laws against it. So why did the Vice President think it was okay to try to sway a Brazilian election? And under whose authority? 

Item #1 & #2: Rockbridge Network & the Investigations

Was This JD Vance Group Trying to Fund Bolsonaro? Brazil Wants to Know

Brazil has ordered an investigation into a donor network tied to Vice President JD Vance.

The New Republic

Hafiz Rashid

October 28, 2026

A Brazilian judge has ordered an investigation into a donor network co-founded by Vice President JD Vance, saying it may have aided right-wing candidate Flávio Bolsonaro in Brazil’s presidential election.

The Washington Post reports that Brazil Supreme Court Justice Flávio Dino has ordered Brazilian federal police to investigate the contacts between Vance’s Rockbridge Network and any Brazilian political operatives or companies. It’s illegal in Brazil for political candidates to accept assistance or aid from overseas.

[…]

“The Brazilians made false representations about their relationship with Rockbridge and created documents representing or referencing Rockbridge without Rockbridge’s knowledge or consent,” the network said in a statement Tuesday.

Bolsonaro is under investigation for fraud and money laundering in Brazil, and has fled to the U.S. after the State Department reportedly granted him and his family visas. He left before Brazilian police could seize his passport, as the country’s Supreme Court had ordered. If Vance’s group was helping Bolsonaro, that would only add to his charges, and show how far the Trump administration is willing to interfere in other countries’ elections even as it fearmongers about the same happening in the U.S.

Folha de S.Paulo reported that…

Rockbridge Network, a U.S. conservative group founded by Vice President J.D. Vance, reached out to Brazilian businesspeople and politicians about a possible expansion into Brazil. The interest gained prominence after presidential candidate Renan Santos (Missão) suggested that the Americans would support Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign, an allegation denied by those involved but which prompted a request for an investigation by Brazil’s Supreme Court.

So the Trump administration thinks it's alright to interfere in other countries' elections like we have done in the past? Like in Colombia & Panama (1903), Egypt (1952), Iran (1953), Panama (1989), and now Iran (2026).

Here in the U.S. we have laws banning foreign influence in our elections: the Foreign Money Ban (52 U.S.C. § 30121) and the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA - 22 U.S.C. § 611)—both designed to prevent what the Vice President is doing in Brazil!

Meanwhile, Flávio Bolsonaro flees Brazil with the government hot on his heels for fraud and other crimes, heading to the United States to join his pal Trump.

Brazil Orders Election Interference Probe Into Vance Donor Network, Polymarket and Meta

A sweeping Supreme Court order targets alleged foreign financing, paid influencers, social media algorithms and AI-powered political manipulation.

Meidas News

Oct 28, 2026

By Brett Meiselas

Key points:

• Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered a federal investigation into alleged foreign interference in its presidential election.
• Authorities will examine donor networks, influencers, Polymarket, Meta algorithms, artificial intelligence, and potential mineral deals.
• The allegations remain unproven; investigators will determine whether unlawful foreign assistance or manipulation occurred.

Brazil’s Supreme Court has ordered a sweeping federal investigation into alleged foreign interference in the country’s presidential election, placing a powerful American donor network co-founded by Vice President JD Vance under scrutiny alongside allegations involving Polymarket, Meta, paid political influencers, artificial intelligence and even potential deals involving Brazil’s valuable mineral resources.

The 38-page ruling, issued Tuesday by Supreme Court Justice Flávio Dino, directs Brazil’s Federal Police to investigate whether foreign actors secretly provided financial or other assistance to the presidential campaign of Flávio Bolsonaro, the right-wing son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who lost Sunday’s election to incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

But the investigation extends well beyond traditional campaign financing. It also raises questions about the increasingly sophisticated digital machinery that can be deployed to influence elections: undisclosed payments to social media personalities, online betting markets used to promote political narratives, algorithms that allegedly favor one candidate over another, and artificial intelligence technology capable of flooding the internet with fake accounts and disinformation.

And this is the guy Trump opened his arms to!

What's ironic is that this is not the first time a Bolsonaro has fled to the United States: Jair Bolsonaro (the father), and now Flávio Bolsonaro (the son).

I guess sleazebags flock together, just like birds of a feather.

So follow the money!

1. U.S. Networks Export Political Money & Strategy

 (Rockbridge Network / Foreign Tech Channels) 

2. Target Nation Investigates Illegal Interference

 (Brazil Federal Police & Supreme Court Probes)

3. The Candidate Defies Courts & Flees to U.S. Safe Harbor

 (Flávio Bolsonaro lands in Miami)  

4. The Domestic Backlash Reaches the U.S. Backer

(Brazilian authorities probe U.S. networks/JD Vance)

Big Brother Is Watching You!

It is a marriage made in a Brave New World and 1984... it is a "Thought Crime" it is the marriage of AI and ALPRs! The feds are using a network of more than 120,000 cameras being fed into AI. It’s not about whether you have committed a crime, but whether you "may" be committing a crime according to an AI!

More drivers pulled over as AI deems driving patterns ‘suspicious,’ ACLU warns

News Nation

Sana Azem

Oct 27, 2026

More American drivers are being pulled over as law enforcement agencies use automated license plate readers and Artificial Intelligence tools to deem their driving patterns “suspicious,” according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

The civil rights group warns that police are using AI-identified driving patterns as a reason to pull people over, saying that the growing use of AI license plate surveillance from Flock and other companies is leading to more people being stopped, even if they did not do anything wrong.

Not that you are doing anything wrong... you are just acting ‘suspicious’ according to a computer!

In their report, ACLU spoke to a woman who was taking a road trip, which included driving through Oregon, Texas, and Louisiana, when she was stopped by an officer.

When the woman reportedly left New Orleans, she noticed that a police car was following her, and although she was going at a normal speed, an officer pulled her over.

The woman, identified as Grace Knowles in her 20s, said that the officer made an excuse for stopping her, which was that she had been in the left lane for too long. Knowles, according to the ACLU, told the officer she was taking a road trip. He asked her for proof, and when she showed the proof, he relaxed.

The officer eventually identified himself as a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who was on a project for human and drug trafficking. He told her that he had to be sure because when he scanned her plate, he could see she had suspicious travel patterns.

Do you remember how in the novel 1984 surveillance by the Party was constant using two-way telescreens in homes and workplaces? Well the Institute for Justice writes:

Dozens of Innocent Motorists Have Been Pulled Over, Detained at Gunpoint, or Jailed Due to AI License Plate Camera Errors

As the number of automated license plate readers (ALPRs) has skyrocketed nationwide, erroneous stops, detainments and arrests are becoming increasingly common.

Christopher Ingraham

July 20, 2026

In February of this year, a Flock camera in Sherwood, Arkansas, misread the license plate of an SUV, leading officers to detain an innocent couple at gunpoint while their six-week-old baby sat alone in a car seat in the back of the vehicle.

“Those cameras are placed everywhere, and they hit license plates,” one of the officers explained as they uncuffed the couple after realizing their error several minutes later. “I’m not gonna say they’re completely perfect, because, you know, that’s modern technology.” 

As the number of automated license plate readers (ALPRs) has skyrocketed nationwide, errors like this one are becoming increasingly common. An Institute for Justice (IJ) review of media reports and court records finds there have been at least 27 such cases since 2018, with the majority of those happening since 2023. 

[...]

“Every one of those stops is a high-risk encounter where a wrong move, a misunderstanding, or a moment of fear can turn deadly,” said Michael Soyfer, an IJ attorney who is representing residents of San Jose and Norfolk in lawsuits challenging their cities’ ALPR surveillance networks. “No one should have to prove their innocence on the side of the road because a camera couldn’t tell a zero from an O.” 

The recent uptick in ALPR errors owes largely to Flock Safety, which in the past several years has become the leading ALPR provider in the market. The company claims its cameras accurately capture 93 out of every 100 license plates that pass by them.  

And I wouldn't brag about an error rate of 7%!

Also, people think that the camera photos are kept at the local police station in their town... WRONG! They go into a national database where a computer builds a profile on you: your habits, your favorite stores, the places you go to relax! Big Brother is watching you!

I’m Not Voting!

How many time have you heard… the parties are the same! Or “My vote won’t make a difference? 

Didn’t you see ICE agent kill a person in cold blood and then lie about what happened? Haven’t you heard about the war in Iran? Haven’t you seen all the anti-trans laws that have been passed? Haven’t you heard all the lies? One party is trying to wipe us off the map. One party is passing laws to protect us! 

As for your vote not making a difference? 

Three dictators have just been voted out of office! In just over six months, Hungary voted Orbán out, Serbia's voters rejected Vučić's ruling party, and Brazil reelected Lula over Bolsonaro's son. Elections can change the course of a country. Show up and vote!