Desparadoes on the Run

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Attribution: The Mouse That Roared 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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122 thoughts on “Desparadoes on the Run”

  1. from Huffpo ‘So Desperate’: JD Vance Bashed For Hurling Homophobic Taunt At James Talarico
    “The Vice President of the United States… in 2026…,” wrote one critic of Vance’s comments before adding, “How terribly far we have fallen as a nation.”

    Vice President JD Vance attempted a Hail Mary pass of sorts for the GOP in the form of homophobia on Tuesday when he used a midterm rally to imply that Texas Senate Democratic nominee James Talarico is gay.
    “I love you, too, sir,” Vance began at an event in Tyler, Texas, seemingly in response to a rallygoer, before adding, “In a totally platonic way, to be clear.”
    “I’m the vice president, not James Talarico.”
    Vance’s schoolyard bully-like taunt takes notes from the anti-gay expression “no homo” that was popularized in the ’90s and ’00s and adds to his history of hurling anti-LGBTQ attacks toward Talarico, a majority of which have suggested that he’s a “freak” or a pedophile for supporting transgender children and drag performers (it’s worth noting that Vance himself has done drag). He’s even resorted to “Talafreako” as a way of referring to Talarico.
    Vance’s comments arrived less than 24 hours after The Wall Street Journal reported that Talarico’s opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), partied it up in Dubai with fugitives wanted in the U.S. for alleged healthcare fraud and embezzlement.
    During the Tyler rally, Vance did not address the report on Paxton, who is trailing behind his opponent in a growing list of polls.
    Critics on social media bashed the veep on Tuesday, including Reason reporter Billy Binion.
    “I remain amazed and mystified that some of the most powerful people in the world think ‘James Talarico seems gay!!’ is a compelling critique. I bet it goes so hard with JD Vance’s 9-year-old. It’s so desperate and small,” Binion wrote on X.
    Zeeshan Aleem, a political columnist/editor for MS NOW, also took on Vance, writing, “VP says ‘no homo’ and calls a candidate gay as a joke. We’re in high school, maybe middle school.”
    “Jeopardy!” champion Hemant Mehta summed it up bluntly, “Talarico is straight and has a girlfriend. Vance is just an asshole.”
    Others chimed in, too, calling the comments “beyond disgusting” for a U.S. vice president.
    “…The Vice President of the United States… in 2026…Trying to insult a Senate candidate…by implying he is gay,” wrote professor and policy consultant Adam Cochran of the clip.
    “How terribly far we have fallen as a nation.”


  2. Desperado, why don’t you come to your senses?
    You’ve been out ridin’ fences for so long now
    Oh, you’re a hard one
    But I know that you got your reasons
    These things that are pleasin’ you
    Can hurt you somehow

  4. saying questionable things


    New York Post
    Oct 13, 2026 #donaldtrump #jonhusted #rally
    At a campaign rally in Ohio, President Trump raised eyebrows by openly commenting on Senator Jon Husted’s physique. Remarking on Husted’s background as an athlete, Trump told the crowd he started “examining his body,” adding, “I don’t do this with men very often,” before quipping that he “looked at his ass.”

  5. er tu, Elon?
    from The Guardian Ukrainian soldiers in combat have access to Starlink satellite internet restricted
    Outage of terminals managed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX comes as Russia launches ballistic missiles at Ukraine without any advance warning from US

    Ukrainian soldiers in combat have suddenly had their access to Starlink satellite internet terminals restricted as the Trump administration has increased pressure on Ukraine to halt long-range strikes on Russia’s oil industry immediately.
    The terminals, which are distributed and managed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, are a key component of Ukraine’s military operations and the sudden restrictions on the high-speed terminals on Tuesday evening led to the failure of several combat missions, said an adviser on military technology to Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
    The sudden outage came as Russia launched ballistic missiles at Ukraine without any advance warning from the US for a second night. For years the US has provided Ukraine with intelligence when strikes were about to take place.
    Terminals travelling at more than 100mph and using a version of Starlink for the military and other national security agencies suddenly lost connectivity, said Serhiy Beskrestnov, in what appeared to be a targeted outage meant to disrupt military operations.
    “Our armed forces did not receive a warning about these restrictions and this led to the failure of a number of missions,” said Beskrestnov, who is also a popular military blogger. “It’s clear that this action cannot be a coincidence and is connected to the current political situation.”
    Musk, an ally of Trump, had previously cut off Starlink service to Ukrainian soldiers during an offensive that took a small amount of Russian territory.
    Serhii Sternenko, a political activist with close ties to the military, first reported the outage and later said that the speeds at which the loss of connectivity occurred had fallen even lower. “It is likely that the company ‘SpaceX’ resorted to such measures at the request of the Trump administration,” he said. “Ordinary satellite communication terminals are currently operational.”
    Trump has demanded that Ukraine stop striking Russian oil refineries, which he has blamed for the high cost of diesel, although most analysts say that the closure of the strait of Hormuz has had a far larger impact on global energy prices.
    Zelenskyy had suggested, though not said, that the US was intentionally withholding intelligence from Ukraine about impending Russian missile strikes.
    Russia carried out a massive strike against Ukrainian energy infrastructure late on Tuesday evening, Zelenskyy said, launching 39 ballistic missiles and 120 attack drones against Kyiv and Kharkiv. The strikes hit several power plants and key substations that carry electricity to the capital, including from a major power plant.
    “The strike was entirely deliberate and demonstrative in its scale – Russia has never before shown such ostentatious disrespect toward the United States,” he said. “Russia does not consider the American president’s statements strong.”
    At least 600,000 people were now without power, he said, adding that outages could become even more widespread.

  6. also from today’s Guardian
    Russia showing ‘ostentatious disrespect’ towards US with attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, Zelenskyy says
    “Russia has never before shown such ostentatious disrespect toward the United States,” Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, after a night of relentless attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure, despite Donald Trump’s claims of an energy ceasefire.
    “A targeted Russian ballistic missile strike specifically against energy infrastructure – the very infrastructure covered by the ceasefire announced by the American President. The strike was entirely deliberate and demonstrative in its scale,” he said.
    At least 600,000 people were left without power this morning, with temperatures falling below 10 degrees Celsius in Kyiv.
    Meanwhile, a senior aide to Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine has been left struggling after Starlink satellite connection speeds were apparently restricted, complicating military operations on the ground.
    Serhii Beskrestnov, widely known by his call sign, Flash, said:
    “Our defence forces received no warning about this restriction, and it led to the disruption of a number of missions. Clearly, this action cannot be a coincidence and is linked to the current political situation.”
    Ukraine’s Zelenskyy is expected in London today for talks with the UK’s prime minister, Andy Burnham, so we will probably hear more from him.


  7. Oct 13, 2026 FAVERSHAM
    We have created songs in support of Ukraine since the 2022 invasion, but this latest is in response to the grotesque decision by Trump to agree to buy Russian diesel in the coming months – a new level of violation (including quite possibly a violation of recent US law) that undermines Ukraine’s resistance to Putin’s ongoing attacks. In step with our “Don’t Abandon Them” ( • “Don’t Abandon Them” – Marsh Family adapta… ) we are adapting an intimate and simple Bob Dylan refrain and using only three voices.

  9. It is Wednesday and summerish weather is holding on. Where to start?

    Ellen has cut the satelite communications to Ukraine before. Ukraine will find a way to deal with it again.

    Ukraine destroying the russian communication sites and wiping out the bots, essentially silencing the gop campaign bots reminded me of when President Obama kicked the russians out of Kent Island. The russian spy agencies had a camp across the Chesapeake Bay from Annapolis-Baltimore and operated a major site from there. It included actions against me and my sites, including my accounts with U.S. Department of Agriculture, my employer. They were a pain. When Obama kicked them out of the U.S. their actions went to nil. You could watch the hits just go from hundreds or thousands an hour to nothing as they shut down Kent Island and the camp across from New York City. The people following me, taking my picture, went away. It was nice, very nice.

  10. BB, you inspired me to check my spam filter and sure enough what used to be a steady flow of Russian bots has actually disappeared completely. although China is still busy. Not a single one of these ever makes it through the filter to our comment section and all get rejected for registration, but they keep trying.

    on the weather by the way don’t rush things — tomorrow is cold here, and Saturday colder

  12. Right out of the fascist regime handbook — control the economic numbers so you can lie and hide…

    Administration delays release of IRS data showing impact of GOP tax cuts
    POLITICO: The tax agency was supposed to release detailed data on this year’s filing season in July. Months later, it’s still unpublished.

    It’s possible this year’s figures include less-than-flattering details about Republicans’ tax cuts — they could show the tax burden shifting between income groups, for instance, or a suspicious number of people claiming specific breaks, said Barry Johnson, a former top IRS official.

  17. professor and policy consultant Adam Cochran of the clip.
    “How terribly far we have fallen as a nation.”

    yeah 10 years ago, why are people still surprised

  19. Today in the Diner…
    Ken Paxton Ad Wars: Schumer Targets Texas

    Chuck Schumer targets Texas AG Ken Paxton with brutal new TV ads as the MAGA ad wars escalate across Ohio, Virginia, and Mississippi.

    The political ad market is fully unhinged. You have Chuck Schumer pouring money into Texas to hammer Attorney General Ken Paxton with brutal spots about Jeffrey Epstein and sweetheart deals. It is a desperate play to suppress the MAGA vote right when Donald Trump desperately needs them showing up. Meanwhile, the dark money super PACs can barely figure out geography. They are busy running attack ads against Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown all the way out in Virginia. It is peak grift.

    Then you have the absolute disaster classes in retail politics. Mississippi Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith is on tape telling voters complaining about grocery bills to just buy different proteins. Her Democratic challenger is practically doing backflips. Throw in Kansas Senator Roger Marshall getting hit with his own scandal ads and the sheer volume of cash burning through the college football television schedule is staggering.

    Live Chat: https://trailmix.cc/chat
    Website: https://trailmix.cc
    Alerts: https://trailmix.cc/alerts

    00:00 Intro
    02:50 Donald Trump Tiger Panic
    06:40 The New Trump Press Secretary
    18:50 Georgia Senate Debate Fallout
    20:00 South Carolina Transgender Ads
    26:20 Sherrod Brown Virginia Ad Mixup
    29:00 Roger Marshall Epstein Attack Ad
    40:10 Cindy Hyde-Smith Protein Gaffe
    43:30 Ken Paxton Texas Ad Takedown
    46:40 Nikki Sortor Ohio Fake News
    52:00 Russian Bots Vanish From Web
    — Human directed and edited. Machine drafted (Gemini Pro).

  22. https://www.kcur.org/politics-elections-and-government/2026-10-06/two-kansas-businesses-now-say-sen-roger-marshall-misused-their-images-in-an-attack-ad

    Both businesses — and court documents — say the reported abuse mentioned in the ad didn’t happen on their properties.

    “(The image being used) just implicates a lot of different things, and if people didn’t know better, or if they were hardcore, they could boycott them even though we had nothing to do with it,” Joe Spinello said.

    Combs is especially concerned that the photo used in the ad shows children who attend a church camp at Tall Oaks. Last month, an ad supporting Marshall used a photo of him holding a naked infant.

    “This is not the first time (Marshall has) used children inappropriately in his political ads, and won’t be the last time he fails to protect the children of Kansas,” Hamilton’s campaign manager Tyson Brody said in a statement. “Marshall lies and uses children as political pawns to distract from the fact he had pregnant mothers arrested and jailed over small medical debts, and voted to protect the predators named in the Epstein files.”

    Marshall originally said the documents detailing financier Jeffrey Epstein’s years of abuse were “not his focus,” but then later helped pass the bill to compel the release of the files.

    A New York Times investigation released in September revealed Marshall sued more than 700 patients over medical debt to his OB-GYN practice.

    The original ad featured an image of Camp Winnebago in Maine, but the new version scrubbed that one, too. Camp Winnebago did not respond to The Kansas News Service’s request for comment by the time of publication.

  24. Marist’s new Texas poll, conducted October 8–11, finds Democrat James Talarico leading Republican Ken Paxton 47%–45% among likely voters. In the governor’s race, Republican Greg Abbott leads Democrat Gina Hinojosa 49%–45%. Both results are within the poll’s ±4.9-point margin of error.

  25. 2027 COLA is 3.6% for many retirees, but some feds will see a smaller adjustment

    2027 COLA is 3.6% for many retirees, but some feds will see a smaller adjustment
    A 2027 COLA of 3.6% will be added to Social Security payments and retirement benefits in January. But FERS annuitants will see a smaller 2.6% adjustment.

    Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) annuitants receive the full COLA added to their federal retirement payments, but those in the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) often receive a reduced adjustment.

    The exact difference depends on how large the COLA is in a given year, based on the following formula:

    COLA over 3%: FERS annuitants receive 1% less than COLA
    COLA between 2% and 3%: FERS annuitants receive 2% COLA
    COLA less than 2%: FERS annuitants receive full COLA
    For 2027, the above formula means FERS retirees will see a 2.6% adjustment to their annuities. CSRS retirees will get the full 3.6%.


  26. Reflecting Pool liner failed in 85 places due to flawed renovation, inspection found

    The damage identified during an inspection commissioned by the contractor is far more extensive than has been previously reported.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/interactive/2026/10/14/reflecting-pool-liner-failed-more-places-than-previously-reported-inspection-found/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_content=alert&utm_campaign=wp_breaking_news_alert

  27. Mort, I was just reading that article in the Post. One comment said there were 85 different failures due to vandalism at 85 different places at 85 different times. Not sure whether it was meant to be sarcastic or merely clueless. And don’t forget – when dumbass announced the contract and repairs, he said the liner was so tough it could not be cut with a box cutter and that it would last 50 (i think he said 50) years. I’ll go looking and update if I find the clip.

    Yep, he said 50 years. The indestructible comment wasn’t in the same (rambling) announcement. Still looking for that one.

    OK, it was on May 4. “TRUMP, on May 4 at a White House event : “This will last for at least 50 years and you’ll never have a leak,” he said. “It’s very strong. You couldn’t — if you had a knife, I don’t want to give anybody ideas — if you had a knife you can’t even cut it.” ” https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/08/06/fact-check-trump-reflecting-pool-renovation/2f44074c-91dc-11f1-9fdc-0a725c989a7b_story.html

  30. Trump’s Message to Ukraine Is Now Crystal Clear
    The president’s actions over the past 72 hours look like an effort to force Kyiv to surrender.
    By Anne Applebaum

    In the past 72 hours, Donald Trump has dropped all pretense, torched a couple decades of American policy, and undermined 18 months of his own diplomacy. He lifted sanctions on the import of Russian diesel fuel, in violation of the letter and spirit of laws that he himself signed. He has threatened to stop sharing intelligence with Ukraine, unless Ukraine agrees not to target Russian refineries, thus demanding that Kyiv give up its most effective weapon while asking nothing from Russia in exchange. He has not criticized Russian attacks on Ukrainian power plants or factories, even those owned by American companies. He has offered no condolences for the recent deaths of Ukrainian children in Russian bombing raids.

    He has lied repeatedly. He declared that Ukraine and Russia had agreed to an “energy cease-fire,” an announcement that surprised the Ukrainians and that in any case the Russians immediately broke, hitting a power plant in Kharkiv only hours later. He accused Ukraine of blocking negotiations, when in reality the Ukrainians have repeatedly proposed cease-fires and Russia has never agreed to a cease-fire or any meaningful negotiation at all.

    He has described Ukraine’s democratically elected president as an obstacle to negotiations and told him to leave office. But on Friday, before making these new decisions, he held yet another long, friendly telephone conversation with the Russian dictator, who really could end the war today. All Vladimir Putin has to do is tell his soldiers to stop fighting, and then the war is over. The Ukrainians cannot stop fighting because, if they do, their country will be conquered and they will suffer the fate of their occupied territories: leaders murdered, children kidnapped, repression and concentration camps for everyone else. If Trump knows this, then he does not care.

    More at link

  31. Craig, Care to confirm?

    The 40 best restaurants in and around Washington DC

    here should you eat tonight, for lunch tomorrow, on your birthday or for a big anniversary? In short, what’s good? This list of the 40 best restaurants in the D.C. area is my answer to your most practical and pressing questions. But seeing as this is my first year wearing the critic’s bib and my first living in this city, I’ve also been chewing over a question of my own: What is our region’s culinary identity? What makes Washington, well, Washington?

    To find out, I ate at 189 restaurants over the course of 10 months, with meals ranging from a $9.99 plate of soul-reviving bread and chickpeas at Chaatwala in Herndon, Virginia (it made the list, at No. 36), to an eye-popping $739 dinner for one at Jônt (No. 14). You’ll find restaurants at every price point and for maximum usefulness — and, let’s be honest, fun — I’ve ranked them, rearranging sticky notes on my living room wall until a portrait of D.C. took shape. Passionately agree or disagree with my rankings? Let me know. We’ll talk.

    Names and list follow article.

  32. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/elon-musk-spacex-imposes-stunning-restrictions-ukraine-could-have-deadly-consequences

    Elon Musk’s SpaceX imposes stunning restrictions on Ukraine that could have deadly consequences

    *Elon: How dare Zelensky interfere with my election interference.

    Ukraine is urgently pressing Elon Musk’s SpaceX to reverse new restrictions on its Starshield satellite service that Kyiv warns could hamper its ability to intercept Russian attack drones and conduct other military operations, a source familiar with the situation told Fox News Digital.

    The restrictions were imposed without advance warning despite Ukraine relying on the service under arrangements contracted through the U.S. government meant to last until May 15, 2027, according to the source.

    Ukrainian forces discovered the change overnight after experiencing connectivity problems and contacting SpaceX customer support.

  33. That’s a gas price increase of 46.405.22.. % and inflation increase of just a frog’s hair under 1% from last October to this September. pretty impressive if you ask me.

    Jamie, the money line from that piece is “If Trump knows this, then he does not care.” He does, and he doesn’t.

  36. What does $150 million for 30 days of attack ads get you?
    In Texas, Marist’s September-to-October comparison shows Talarico’s unfavorable rating up five points.

    That’s noticeable, but it’s no Dukakis-sized collapse. In 1988, Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis’s unfavorable ratings rose double digits as George H.W. Bush’s campaign hammered him on crime (WIllie Horton), patriotism and gay rights.

    This is a warning sign for Talarico, but nowhere near the collapse Republicans paid for. Most of the ads centered on anti-transgender messages plus other culture war themes, and more than half the spending came from Elon Musk.

  37. Paxton’s numbers point to a persistent liability, not a sudden collapse. His unfavorable rating rose only modestly from September, but a clear majority of Texas voters now view him negatively, and his image is especially weak among independents. The month-to-month shift is small; the deeper problem is how unpopular he already was.

  38. Craig
    I realize it is Texas, but how do you win with those numbers?
    And isn’t Shumer’s attack ads a waste of money. I don’t see how Paxton can go any lower or recover.
    Also, some of those Talerico numbers may reflect Texans coming home.
    While it may be difficult for him to get over 50%, I doubt that Paxton can.

    Jack

  39. Yes, Jack, my hunch is both sides are wasting their money in Texas. This one seems baked in, but it’s close enough overall maybe moving the needle just a tiny fraction makes the difference.

  41. BID

    A Texas developer wants to give De Soto residents $1,000 a year for 10 years as it seeks tax incentives to build a data center. (Kansas City Business Journal)

    Turns out it was even better than I remembered, $10,000 dollars.

    Jack

  42. no one ever talks about who that money goes to

    their friends who own the media

    like Jamie pointed out, they’re good investments

  43. We were discussing all the blunders that the political operatives have been making with their ad buys this time around. I suspect it may be a effect of the huge amounts of money being thrown at this election. The political marketing folks don’t have enough qualified staff to keep up. They have interns making decisions on multimillion dollar ad buys.

    Jack

  44. Never heard of the place. I do know there’s a De Soto in TX. Anyway, they would have to give folks $1 million so they can move away from that data center. Property values in the area will plummet if they build it.

  50. Sabato’s Crystal Ball just moved five Senate races toward Democrats on:

    • Alaska: Toss-up → Leans Democratic
    • Iowa: Leans Republican → Toss-up
    • Kansas: Leans Republican → Toss-up
    • Michigan: Toss-up → Leans Democratic
    • North Carolina: Leans Democratic → Likely Democratic

    Ad Update: The Democratic Senate Majority PAC announced another $3.7 million for Michigan and $3 million for Maine, while pulling back in North Carolina and Georgia, where Democratic candidates already hold substantial advantages.

  55. good news for Abdul. apparently the Detroit vote where he had trouble in the primary is turning out,:

    The latest Detroit figure I found is 28,869 absentee ballots returned as of October 13—about 7% of ballots issued, and roughly twice the number returned at the same point in 2022.

  56. I know that Guilfoyle’s corruption is minor compared to the big cheesedicks, but she shucked and jived her way thru that whole ordeal and then danced in that tent with slime-ball Jr while watching the pandemonium on Jan 6.
    So yeah, I know she’ll ultimately be ok in maga world, but I am enjoying her discomfort.
    A lot.
    And by the way, she has really let herself go, hasn’t she…..

  57. EARLY VOTE WATCH — OCTOBER 14

    Early voting is underway in several Senate watch-list states, but the data do not yet offer a complete partisan read. Maine and North Carolina report ballots by voter registration. Michigan, Georgia, Ohio and Mississippi do not provide party breakdowns in the figures below.

    • Georgia: On the first day of in-person early voting, October 13, 188,667 people voted. The state also reported 10,267 accepted absentee ballots. The Secretary of State reported a record first day, about 40% above 2022. No party breakdown. Georgia Secretary of State
    • Michigan: 440,677 absentee ballots had been returned by October 13, about 6% of active registered voters and slightly above the total at the same point in 2022. Detroit reported 28,869 returned ballots, about twice its 2022 count at the same point. Michigan does not register voters by party, so these totals have no partisan breakdown. Michigan Secretary of State | CBS Detroit
    • Ohio: 228,470 ballots had been cast by October 13: 194,841 in person and 33,629 absentee. No party breakdown in the state’s release. Ohio Secretary of State
    • Maine: The latest state file contains 59,542 ballots, including a partial count for October 13. For the last complete day, October 12, the breakdown was 26,327 registered Democrats, 8,684 Republicans and 12,486 unaffiliated or other voters. That is a 37.1-point Democratic advantage over Republicans by share of ballots. Party registration does not show how anyone voted. Call the Map’s analysis of state records
    • North Carolina: Through October 13, 31,581 mail ballots had been returned: 14,005 from registered Democrats, 5,352 from Republicans and 12,224 from unaffiliated or other voters. The total is 28% below the same point in 2022. In-person early voting begins October 15. Party registration does not show candidate choice. Call the Map’s analysis of state records
    • Mississippi: The Secretary of State reported 17,591 completed absentee ballots received by October 12. The report did not include a party breakdown. Mississippi Secretary of State

    Still missing from this snapshot: Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, South Carolina and Texas. Iowa and Kansas began advance voting October 14; Alaska, South Carolina and Texas begin in-person early voting October 19. I could not verify current, comparable statewide totals for those states.

    These figures cover different voting methods and reporting dates. Party registration is not a vote, and early turnout alone does not tell us which candidates are ahead.

    — Human directed and edited. AI drafted (ChatGPT)

  58. Hey, Sturg, that letting herself go costs a shitload of money. She obviously missed the old warning that when it comes to plastic surgery less is more.

  64. The name of the show was “nip tuck” and the idea was a tune up every five years or so.. Jane Fonda is a perfect example of doing it right. This is recent and she is 88!

  67. Kimbo ain’t going to tear down nothin’
    Only thing she’ll tear down will be to tear down the highway to get to the bank to deposit her
    “I no talkee” check.

  74. wow this is why I love real people Town Halls. somebody just asked about the high cost of garage parking at hospitals. that’s a very real issue only folks on the ground would ask

  75. Odds are good that she won’t surprise me but what the hell, MTG happened, so there’s hope of a sort.
    But I don’t see Guilfoil being overly concerned about the Epstein Files.

  82. the last half hour around 9:00 p.m. will be quite interesting, haven’t seen anything quite like it:
    “Change My Mind” — Talarico faces undecided and Paxton voters one on one, and tries to persuade them. Based on the Jubilee-style, direct-conversation debates that are a hot thing on social media

  83. “ICE should be going after the cartels, not our communities”

    he is really skilled at repeating lines he’s said thousands of times as if he’s saying it for the first time

  86. A fun little article from NYT.

    Democratic Donor Emerges to Blitz Red-State Senate Races With Late Ads
    Steve Pajcic, a lawyer and philanthropist in Florida, started a group that is airing ads in Kansas and South Carolina. Florida and Mississippi are next.

    Oct. 14, 2026, 6:56 p.m. ET
    A surprise Democratic donor has emerged as a financier of a late effort to help the party deliver upsets in four red-state Senate seats.

    Steve Pajcic, a lawyer and philanthropist in Florida, and his children are spending at least $7 million for a blitz of ads in Florida, Kansas, Mississippi and South Carolina, a quartet of Senate seats in traditionally Republican territory. Mr. Pajcic, a co-founder of the personal-injury law firm Pajcic & Pajcic, is behind a new group called New Deal for All that was formed in the beginning of October and started to air ads Tuesday in Kansas and South Carolina.

    The group will soon expand to Florida, where it plans to spend most of its money, and Mississippi. The injection of even a modest amount of cash shows the optimism among Democrats about winning Senate seats that were thought beyond their reach as recently as last year.

    “Democrats have been way too timid and modest in their expectations in the past,” Mr. Pajcic, 80, told The New York Times. “There’s a real chance for something big happening with this election, and I’m kind of old. So why not see if you can if there’s anything you can do to help?”

    Mr. Pajcic has never donated at this scale before. He contributed $147,000 to a Democratic Senate super PAC in 2024, but he said he did not want to simply hand over $7 million — the most he has ever donated, he said — to outside groups.

    “If I’m going to put this much into it, I want to make sure it’s effective and doing what I want it to do,” he said.

    He said that he named his super PAC New Deal for All because he wanted to see Democrats win as many as 56 Senate seats and usher in a historic movement “comparable to the changes we had with the New Deal.”

    National Democrats in recent weeks have begun shifting more of their resources to these red states, particularly Kansas. But they are still spending relatively little in Florida — one of the country’s most expensive states to campaign in — as well as South Carolina and Mississippi.

    “We were looking for places where we might make a difference with a little bit of money with some creative and informative ads,” Mr. Pajcic said.

    One new spot in South Carolina targets the Republican candidate, Senator Darline Graham, who was appointed to the seat after her brother, Senator Lindsey Graham, died this summer. The ad labels her as “Data Center Darline” and features a quote from her primary runoff debate in which she declared, “I’m not that informed on national security.”

    Mr. Pajcic has been involved in politics for decades. He served in the Florida Legislature in the 1970s and ’80s and was the Democratic nominee for governor in 1986. He lost to the Republican, Bob Martinez.

    His political connections extend to former President Barack Obama. He raised money for Mr. Obama’s campaigns, and Mr. Obama — while president — even served as a groomsman in his daughter’s wedding in 2017 to one of Mr. Obama’s closest friends, Marvin Nicholson.

    “He was very unassuming at the wedding,” Mr. Pajcic said.

    Thoughtful spending.

  92. Finally, somebody talking about the national debt — griping about big democratic spending, a wide opening for blasting billionaire tax cuts — “Big Ugly Bill gave $3 trillion to the top 1 percent”

  100. hmm, this line about transgender politics provoked one his biggest applause reactions from this bipartisan audience so far:

    “Powerful people are using small minorities in our community to distract from their corruption”

  101. The questioner is right that the medically necessary gender surgery for minors is absolutely miniscule, but the ones who need it, need it then. They are completely different than gender dysphoria Which can wait.

  104. Talking to the rabbi criticizing his pro-Palestine statements: “I’m always careful to direct my criticism to Benjamin Netanyahu, not the Israeli people”. That’s exactly how to navigate this one.

  107. how is it possible that the crowd intensely applauds for an earnest plea about the homeownership crisis in this country, and its hardly ever discussed in media coverage of the campaigns. it’s not just gas and groceries!

  109. She’s right about the aquifers. They were filled over millennia and are being drained down to bedrock. California is in even worse shape than Texas.

  111. https://www.wgal.com/article/cyberattack-disrupts-refrigeration-european-supermarkets/74136038

    European grocery store hack raises concerns about US supermarket cybersecurity

    Approximately 700 grocery stores in France, Spain, Portugal, Poland, and Germany were affected when hackers turned on the defrost cycles in display cases, forcing all food in those cases to be discarded. No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the attack or demanded a ransom.

    *Smart refrigerators aren’t.

  113. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/oct/14/joni-mitchell-becomes-us-citizen-a-journey-that-began-62-years-ago

    Joni Mitchell becomes US citizen: ‘A journey that began 62 years ago’

    It means that Mitchell can now vote in US elections, something that she had complained she wasn’t able to do.

    At a concert in 2024, Mitchell said: “Fuck Donald Trump, I love that song,” referring to the rap track by YG. She added: “I wish I could vote … I’m a Canadian. I’m one of those lousy immigrants.”

  117. It’s like debates. Mort. The clips are what matters, how they play in ads and local news. That’s what most people see.

    Here’s the first two clips the Talarico campaign posted:

  119. Yes I understand that Craig but viewing the whole thing would be a powerful experience for undecided voters who usually see only clips and ads. He would earn their trust.

  120. I agree Mort, that was a powerful performance. I’ll be monitoring local news coverage tonight in the morning to see how much breaks through the clutter. will show clips in tomorrow’s podcast

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