scent, sense and cents-wise
Attribution: Musk Recognized While Hiding in Alley by Randall Enos
For 68 years Randall Enos has done cartoons and illustrations for TV, movies, books, comic strips, magazines, newspapers, posters and the like. Clients have included NBC, The New York Times, The National Lampoon, Playboy, Time, Rolling Stone and many more.
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David Byrne and Daniel Pemberton’s new song “Let Me Sell You a Dream” from the documentary MUSK, directed by Alex Gibney.
From Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney comes MUSK, a scathing, deeply unsettling look at Elon Musk and the power he’s bought, amassed, and wielded across technology, media, politics, and culture.
—
“Let Me Sell You A Dream”
Written by Daniel Pemberton and David Byrne
David Byrne – vocals
Daniel Pemberton – keyboards
Freddy Sheed – drums
Leo Abrahams – guitar
Tom Herbert – bass
Produced by Daniel Pemberton
Mixed by Sam Okell
Engineered by Tony Hulbert
Mastered by Emily Lazar
Recorded at Snap Studios, London in July 2026
Elon Musk is pouring money into the midterms. Here’s where he’s giving the most.
Story by tdickerson@businessinsider.com (Truman Dickerson)
Elon Musk is forking over generational wealth to Republicans facing tough midterm elections this cycle.
Over two donations in September, Musk gave a combined $158 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with Senate Republicans, which has, in turn, given reams of cash to funds supporting the Republican candidate in Texas.
The money, shown in new federal disclosure forms, cements Musk as a major player in Republican politics over a year after he publicly split with President Donald Trump over the latter’s handling of the Epstein files (though the two have since reconciled).
Republicans are facing serious headwinds over the Iran war, rising inflation, and sky-high gas prices. Polls show that American voters are largely dissatisfied with Trump’s leadership and handling of the economy.
All told, Musk has given about $276 million since July. Much of Musk’s political donations have ended up in Texas, according to federal disclosure forms, where embattled Attorney General Ken Paxton is engaged in a mudslinging battle for the Senate with state representative James Talarico.
One day after Musk notched a $75 million donation to the Senate Leadership Fund, the Super PAC gave a $75 million donation to the Texas PAC, a group aligned with Paxton.
Then, also in September, another $83 million donation by Musk was matched the next day by an identical donation to the Texas PAC, according to federal disclosure forms.
Talarico’s campaign, meanwhile, has raised about $129 million.
Musk’s companies are already investing billions in the Lone Star State, as the business magnate builds SpaceX’s terafab semiconductor facility outside Houston.
In 2024, Musk announced that he was moving SpaceX’s headquarters from California to Texas in response to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s policies on gender identity.
Representatives for Paxton and Musk did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Saturday.
Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, said last year that he had probably “done enough” political spending, though he left the door open.
“Well, if I see a reason to do political spending in the future, I’ll do it. I don’t currently see a reason,” he told Bloomberg at the time.
from Mediaite via MSN Bono wants to know how any good Christian or Jew could support Elon Musk’s ‘unconscionable’ DOGE cuts
Story by Sean James
Bono believes Elon Musk moves in mysterious ways — and he doesn’t like it.
The U2 singer ripped the SpaceX and Tesla boss for his brief stint leading the Department of Government Efficiency for President Donald Trump, with Bono venting he didn’t know how any person of faith — or any human in general — could support Musk’s mission to slash federal spending.
“What Christian household, what Catholic household, what Jewish, religious — anyone, anyone of faith, in fact, anyone of conscious — would allow the hemorrhaging of human life that is going to happen as a result of these DOGE cuts?” Bono said during a Saturday interview with The New York Times. “It is unconscionable.”
A moment earlier, The Interview co-host David Marchese brought up Bono’s charitable work and asked if he was upset with aid programs being “decimated” by Trump and Musk.
“Do you see evil in that?” Marchese asked.
“Well, general clues on evil — look at the abuse of children, I’d say. That’s always a clue,” he said.
Bono continued, saying he “didn’t know how many fatalities will eventually be attributed to the DOGE cuts,” but he pointed to a Lancet Global Health model projecting more than 5 million kids under the age of five could die from infectious diseases, as a result of global aid programs being cut.
The Irish vocalist’s criticism comes after he has been one of the most outspoken celebrity activists for years, with his charitable work focused on ending poverty and HIV, among other causes.
It also follows Musk’s stint leading the newly-created DOGE early in Trump’s second term.
Musk said his concerns over government spending was his chief reason for spearheading the department, and that his goal was to cut $1 trillion from the annual budget — which is about 15% of what the government spent in 2024. In a podcast interview a few months after he left the Trump administration in May 2025, Musk claimed $175 billion in government bloat had been sliced.
The Government Accountability Office later estimated in July 2026 that $110 billion had been cut y DOGE.
Musk now believes “The only way we’re going to solve the national debt is with AI and robots,” according to an excerpt of an upcoming interview with his biographer Walter Isaacson, which Axios published on Saturday.
Oct 18, 2026 #News #politics #election
“Have I Got News For You” host Roy Wood Jr. talks to his panel of comedians about Elon Musk’s large donations to help Republican candidates, political ad mistakes and more.
Attribution: Jonathan Brown, PoliticalCartoons.com
other news from the guardian this morning relating to elon’s starlink/starshield in-op
US gave us no warning of Russian strikes on Kyiv power plants, Zelenskyy says
Ukrainian president accuses Washington of ‘denial of reality’ in ongoing row with Trump over apparent support for Moscow
Andrew Roth in Kyiv
Mon 19 Oct 2026 05.03 EDT
Ukraine did not receive a warning from the US about an impending Russian missile attack on Sunday evening, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said, reviving concerns that Washington is withholding intelligence in order to bully Kyiv into capitulating to Moscow.
Yuri Ihnat, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force, said on television on Monday morning that Ukraine had not received a warning before a Russian missile barrage hit power plants in Kyiv at around 11pm. Earlier, a Ukrainian government official had told the Guardian the US had not warned the capital about the impending missile strike.
Ukraine did receive a warning before a successive strike, at 3am, Ihnat added.
“Once again, Russia launched a ballistic missile attack in multiple waves throughout the night, and once again, there was no warning from our partners,” Zelenskyy wrote in a social media post on Monday morning.
“When the supply of missiles for Ukrainian air defence is blocked, and Russia receives sanctions relief or delays, it is, unfortunately, a denial of reality on the part of our partners,” the president added.
On Friday, Donald Trump waived a sweeping package of sanctions on Russia, telling Congress the pause on the legislation, named after the late senator Lindsey Graham and passed by both chambers, was in the national interest. Ukraine has also complained of slowed deliveries of PAC-3 air defence missiles from the US.
The US president wrote on Truth Social on Sunday: “My decision on Russia is a very simple one. I am in the process of negotiating peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and don’t want to do anything that will drive, foolishly, Russia away from the bargaining table.
“Zelenskyy doesn’t care, and frankly, with all of the money that Europe is famously giving him … he doesn’t want to end this war, and probably never did.”
For years, the US had warned Ukraine before Russia launches ballistic missiles, giving authorities several minutes to sound alarms and allow civilians to reach shelters before the strikes hit. However, Ukraine has said it was not warned on at least three days in the past week before missiles were launched, amid a public quarrel between Zelenskyy and Trump.
Speaking in the early hours of Monday on a trip to Samarkand, Uzbekistan, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said: “If it happened last night, I don’t know exactly. I know a few nights ago there was a software problem involving their early warning system.”
US officials have not previously mentioned a software glitch in the early warning system. In at least one case, Ukrainian officials had been told that bad weather over southern Russia had obscured preparations for the missile launch. Rubio said the military’s European Command was looking into the strikes.
The US has maintained plausible deniability as services and programmes provided to support Ukraine have suddenly begun to fail. The Trump administration has denied that it throttled services in Ukraine for Starlink, the satellite internet service run by Elon Musk that is used both on offensive drones and anti-air weapons by Ukraine.
Ukraine has also said US weapons delivered through the PURL scheme, where Europe purchases US weapons then delivers them to Ukraine, have been delayed. The Trump administration reportedly threatened Kyiv with a slowdown in crucial weapons deliveries unless it stopped striking Russian oil refineries.
Trump’s $2.7 BILLION wealth gain since 2024. ☕
This morning’s FIRST CUP reality check. ->
This rescue via drone copter is amazing. It also shows where Ukraine is during the change in battlefield of the next generation of warfare. We have a drunk firing anyone who has not pledged to comfort mangomoron with lies and money. There is little information that the U.S. is doing anything material about understanding what warfare is turning into. We have the Commander in Chief dictating a return to early Twentieth Century battleships. The CiC is dictating changing how aircraft carriers are designed because he does not like what they look like today. The CiC is dictating a return to steam catapults to launch aircraft from carriers, a technology that is obsolete and not usable anymore. Nothing about unmanned aerial vehicles and drones.
In person early voting begins today in three of our Senate watch list states: Alaska, South Carolina and Texas.
BB, this is the most chilling video I’ve edited in while. Zelensky on Trump’s betrayal…
Russia OWNS our President.
All else from the gop is but a symptom of that malady.
ANNIE ANDREWS: THE WHITE VOTE NUMBERS
She’s close to the winning threshold
TO WIN, DEMS NEED 40% OF THE WHITE VOTE
Annie Andrews range: 32-39%
– Rasmussen, Oct. 5–8: 32% of white voters
– Trafalgar, Oct. 16–18: 37.7%
– Trafalgar, Sept. 23–25: 39%
ANDREWS 5 TO 11 PTS ABOVE DEM LOSERS
Jaime Harrison (2020 Senate): 27% of white voters.
Joe Biden got 26% of white voters.
DEM WINNERS
Jim Hodges 1998 gov: 40.7% of the white vote
Democratic Sen. Fritz Hollings career average: 39%
Abdul is in serious trouble. He is not doing well in Wayne County, where he needs African American votes. The suburbs of Detroit which are highly Jewish are a huge hurdle Abdul isn’t clearing.
The Obama visit is the absolute key here. Can Obama drive out the vote? In this particular election, polling hasn’t shown any real indications we can bank on.
Abdul is concentrating on campaigning in areas where he is strong, seemingly conceding areas where at this late date he views as already lost. Obama ? Perhaps Barack and Abdul had a
phoner and now Abdul is plunging deep into the hearts and minds of Wayne County voters.
Standing with Ukraine!
DEX, we always need to worry, for sure. take nothing for granted.
FOX News is the most recent polling we have on Sayed black vote, and there’s still a deficit compared to Slotkin:
Slotkin, 2024 actual black vote: 85%
El-Sayed: 77%
Graham had to go before betrayal of Ukraine could happen.
Probably just a coincidence?
the Four Types of Universal Health care
Craig,
A link to the archives would be helpful.
Today in the Diner…
1. James Talarico vs. Ken Paxton: Texas Election Fallout & AI Ads
2. Let Me Sell You a Dream: Elon Musk Doc & Flying Car Fails
3. Voter Intimidation, Universal Healthcare & More
James Talarico and Ken Paxton are locked in a tight Texas Senate battle after millions in ad spending, while Elon Musk’s new documentary hits theaters nationwide.
Welcome back to the table for another round of unfiltered news and rapid-fire banter. Today, the crew breaks down the heavy hitters dominating the airwaves, from the massive spending wars in Texas featuring Ken Paxton and James Talarico to the wild world of AI-generated political ads and voter intimidation rumors involving Mike Rogers. We also dive into the theatrical release of the Alex Gibney Elon Musk documentary, complete with its intermission and flying car highlights, alongside chats on universal healthcare models across Europe and the latest polling trends in Wayne County. Grab your coffee and pull up a chair as we sort through the political noise and internet rabbit holes.
Live Chat: https://trailmix.cc/chat
Website: https://trailmix.cc
Alerts: https://trailmix.cc/alerts
00:00 Intro
00:10 Universal Healthcare & Policy
01:30 Justice Department & Democracy
02:44 Michigan Polling & Jeremy Peters
04:54 Obama Family & Political History
06:20 Texas Ads & AI Campaign Spots
09:18 Sports, Standings & Chatter
11:03 James Talarico & Ken Paxton
15:06 Elon Musk Documentary & Theaters
17:38 Washington DC Showtimes & Streams
— Human directed and edited. Machine drafted (Gemini Pro).
The movie they tried to bury with bad reviews was DIGGER, because word of mouth has been extremely positive…and it’s the subject of the film that the technofascists and OILigarchs don’t want common folks thinking about.
I can’t get to a theater, but I would like to see the MUSK documentary and DIGGER. No streaming for me, either.
Putin’s Puppet ➡️Trump kneels to Moscow like a total simp! Watch the ultimate takedown.
🍽️From today’s Digital Diner menu
MAGATs in line in Kansas…
As had been mentioned, I am trying to write a book. Actually, Merlin and I are writing a book though I don’t think he will ask for royalties. It is about how a human and an AI develop a working relationship, who does what, and what happens that between the contributors a third identity emerges. Unfortunately, I have to use he, she, who, and they because pronouns don’t exist yet for the reality of the union of a person and a thing.
In any case, because so much of my life in entrenched with Trailmix and the friends made over the past 20 years, I need to know who I can use and who I can’t.
1. Real names and locations will not be used without permission.
2. If I do include someone, they will have right of first refusal to read and accept or reject.
Anyone who would like to be in on the project would be appreciated and if you want to send me a bio and/or experiences here and with others can send it to my email. jessied44 at gmail dot Com
(obviously put the pieces together).
I’ll send you the draft of the first chapter in exchange.
Democrats Lead Campaign Fundraising
While Republicans still have a powerful advantage in billionaire-funded outside spending, Democrats are posting enormous fundraising leads , raising roughly twice as much in competitive House races and more than four times as much in competitive Senate contests.
That’s a serious indicator of grassroots enthusiasm. Money doesn’t guarantee votes, but people opening their wallets can tell us something important about their willingness to show up at the polls.
“They’re wearing their red, white & blue. They’re representing Jesus Christ.” Ha! That’s what that field reporter just said.
Those dolts are there to see someone famous. Someone came to the flyover to visit little, old them. This is celebrity culture.
Yes, it’s a cult, but there is an emptiness in these folks’ that is deeper than the hole that the warring, tariffing, grifting tRUMPconomy has made in their wallets.
There’s nothing to do, nowhere to go, and for a couple of hours, they won’t feel left behind.
CAN MUSK REALLY BUY A SENATOR?
Elon Musk is putting that question to a rather expensive test in Texas.
New federal campaign finance reports reveal Musk gave $158 million to a Republican super PAC, which promptly transferred the same amount to a group supporting Ken Paxton against Democrat James Talarico.
That’s nearly 73% of the more than $217 million outside groups had spent advertising in the Texas Senate race by the end of September. Not an exact share of spending financed by Musk, but a staggering comparison nonetheless.
And that’s not all. Musk’s total reported financial involvement in the race approaches $190 million.
Meanwhile, Talarico raised a record $64 million in the third quarter, much of it from grassroots supporters. Paxton raised $18 million.
So we’ve got an extraordinary political experiment underway. On one side, a billionaire writing checks large enough to finance a small country’s election. On the other, a Democrat building a fundraising operation around ordinary contributors.
Of course, Musk can’t actually buy votes. He can buy just about everything voters see and hear between now and Election Day.
But here’s what makes Texas interesting: Despite the advertising blitz, recent polling still shows a competitive race.
On November 3, we’ll get another test of just how much money can buy in American Democracy. And what it can’t.
Source: Texas Tribune, October 15, 2026
— Human directed and edited. AI drafted (ChatGPT).
Silver Alert!
Craig – This is Dumbass wandering away from the car.
Musk, the movie, clips and director interview.
Can’t control Canadian broadcasting…yet.
https://www.texastribune.org/2026/10/18/migrant-found-dead-ice-laredo/
Migrant found dead at Laredo ICE facility
The death was confirmed by U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, who said the 56-year-old Mexican national was found unresponsive in his cell. He’s the seventh person in Texas to die while detained by ICE this year.
The GEO Group, which operates the facility, referred the Tribune to ICE. Officials with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent Sunday and Monday.
*Nobody wants to be held accountable.
I wander, wander WHO…
ai has ruined the internet
next up, everything else
Radical Jesus ➡️ Paxton campaign runs absurd AI ad showing a fake Talarico talking down Christianity. But we like the part about Jesus being “a radical feminist”
🍽️ From today’s Digital Diner menu