SPEAK UP!
REGISTER BEFORE NOON TODAY
Federal planners will consider Trump’s 250-foot “triumphal arch” November 5. The meeting is entirely online, and anyone, anywhere can speak for 3 minutes, but you must register by Noon Today.
Trail Mixers, here’s your chance to get your objections into the official public record
The National Capital Planning Commission is scheduled to consider final approval of Trump’s proposed 250-foot triumphal arch at Memorial Circle, near Arlington National Cemetery, on Thursday, November 5. To address the commission register by NOON EASTERN TODAY, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28.
HOW TO REGISTER
1. Visit the “National Capital Planning Commission’s official registration page“
2. Click Register to Speak at a Meeting.
3. Enter your name and contact information.
4. Select New Monumental Arch from the project menu.
5. Add a brief comment explaining your position and submit your registration.
Individuals generally receive three minutes to speak. Commission staff will send additional instructions about online testimony and scheduling.
Why does that matter? Under the commission’s procedures, a proposed action item with no registered speakers by the early deadline can be moved to a consent calendar and approved without individual presentation or discussion.
Anyone can watch the meeting without registering: “NCPC Official Livestream” (https://www.ncpc.gov/live/)
a bit of “arch humor” to start things off:
Attribution: Arch on the Fast Track… by Monte Wolverton
Attribution: TRUMP’S TRIUMPH ARCH by Marian Kamensky, Austria
Jun 15, 2026 #PoliticalSatire #ProtestSong #Trump
They really tried to build a golden Trump arch and turn it into a shrine—so we 86’d it in song. This is your new protest anthem.
“86 The Arch” is a satirical political protest track taking aim at cult-of-personality monuments and the ego politics behind them. Chantable, angry, and darkly funny, it’s built for crowds, rallies, and anyone tired of marble mirages and spray‑tanned “greatness.”
best ‘toon of all
Attribution: Midterm Blue Wave Threatens Trump by Joe Heller
Craig, what happened to the arch protest that the vietnam vets had scheduled for yesterday and today? can’t find any news on it other than this old story https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/951127939/vietnam-veteran-ronn-easton-to-lead-october-27-28-protest-against-trump-s-proposed-arch-near-arlington-national-cemetery
Yes PatD, i couldn’t find it either. I tracked down Ronn Eason’s publicist last night, who answered with this: “Hi Craig, The protest takes place tomorrow, so get back to me around noon central, I should have a link and footage.” All along it looked the bigger protest, organized by one of the No Kings groups, is set for next week, Nov. 5, the day the commission meets.
and here’s coverage by PBS NewsHour last month on the lawsuit
Sep 4, 2026
The Trump administration plans to break ground within two weeks on a 250-foot arch just beyond the gates of Arlington National Cemetery. Critics say it would disrupt historic sightlines intended to symbolize the nation’s reconciliation after the Civil War. Geoff Bennett spoke with retired Army Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton of VoteVets, a veterans organization supporting a lawsuit to stop the project.
Oct 27, 2026 #DailyShow #Trump #Obama
Obama roasted Trump’s White House renovations, so conservative media rushes to the defense of… The Cheesecake Factory? Jordan Klepper dives into the headlines as we approach the 2026 midterms, and chats with a very fishermanly John Hodgman, who comes bearing updates on Maine’s contentious Senate race.
Did I tell you that big oil is trying to get the price of gasoline below four bucks for regular before the election? I’m going through the area that has the cheapest gas in the three County area that I drive around in routinely and they have gas as low as $3.78 per gallon for regular. The others are $3.99. Told you.
🔴 TRUMP ARCH WATCH — NEW COURT FILING
Seven major preservation, architectural and national parks organizations have joined the legal effort to stop Trump’s 250-foot arch at Memorial Circle.
Their central arguments: Congress never authorized the arch, required historic-preservation review was improperly curtailed, and environmental review was inadequate.
The coalition includes the American Institute of Architects, National Trust for Historic Preservation, National Parks Conservation Association, DC Preservation League, and three other preservation organizations.
— American Institute of Architects
I see a standing argument looming.
ISRAEL: What Now?
Covering the Coverage
The media’s coverage of the 2026 Israeli election exposes a fractured narrative landscape. While mainstream outlets cautiously tally a deadlocked coalition math between Netanyahu and Eisenkot, partisan channels prematurely crown victors. Mainstream consensus: Israel’s paralyzing electoral math guarantees weeks of caretaker governance.
— Human Prompted and Edited. Machine Drafted. (Gemini Pro)
If the people of Israel keep this madman in power I’m with with what Jack said yesterday: I don’t care what happens to you guys.
yeah big gas price drop here also
i must not understand the oil markets
winky emoji
I just had to share this rather excellent takedown of Vivek from The Lincoln Project that I saw on TV in Ohio last night:
Look who just got an instant visa…
Thanks for that catch Claire, will tee that up for podcast today
The clock is running. The races are tightening. The campaigns are scrambling, and the voters are having the last word.
Join our Midterm Countdown LIVE at 11am ET every day until Election Day.
Bring your coffee, your predictions, and your objections.
Watch our new Midterm trailer 🎥
ISRAELI ARABS: The Kingmakers?
AXIOS: Arab parties are poised to win 18 to 19 seats in what would be an unprecedented electoral achievement. Bibi opposition could try to swear in a minority government supported by the two Arab parties.
speaking of dubious ads
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/republican-attack-ads-mocking-troy-jackson-s-relationship-roil-maine-senate-race-against-susan-collins/
Maine’s battleground Senate race is being roiled by a late burst of Republican ads mocking Democratic nominee Troy Jackson over his relationship with his longtime partner, whom Sen. Susan Collins and GOP allies have said is his second cousin.
Collins has distanced herself from one radio ad from the Senate Leadership Fund, the top Republican super PAC in Senate races. “If he’ll screw his own family, he’ll screw yours, too,” says the ad, styled as a song about Jackson.
“Senator Collins believes there have been far too many personal attacks in this campaign,” Collins campaign spokeswoman Blake Kernen said in a statement. “She called for this ad to be taken down the day it went up.”
But Jackson’s allies believe Collins implicitly approved scrutiny of his relationship with Lana Pelletier during a September interview.
When asked by Politico’s Jonathan Martin whether Jackson’s “personal life and the mother of his children” were “relevant” to the race, Collins replied, “Well, I’m not going to bring up the fact that the mother of his two children is his second cousin.”
“She’s the one who unleashed this,” said Rebecca Millett, a former state senator who helped lead a “Women for Troy” news conference after the radio ad’s release. “It’s the typical her: Bait and run. And then, ‘Oh, no, this is terrible.’”
The ad’s line of attack has been noteworthy in a state whose politics is known to be relatively civil, amid a race against a battle-tested incumbent whom Democrats almost certainly need to defeat to win Senate control. Jackson and Collins, both from northern Aroostook County, have traded allegations of corruption and ineffectiveness in public office.
Their tension was encapsulated by a recent debate in which Collins said a protester in the crowd was one of Jackson’s supporters and he responded with a curt, “Oh, shut up.”
Pelletier is a social worker from Allagash who has been in a relationship with Jackson for nearly 40 years. They are not married, but Pelletier describes him as the father of their two children and a grandfather to a recent newborn. The Jackson campaign has not responded to inquiries about whether Pelletier and Jackson are second cousins.
“I have never seen anything like that in Maine politics,” Mark Brewer, a political science professor at the University of Maine, said of the radio ad. “That does definitely represent something different.”
Jackson’s campaign said Collins’ call for the ad’s removal rings hollow.
“Susan Collins herself spread these disgusting personal attacks on Troy’s family,” campaign spokesperson Dan Gottlieb said in a statement. “Now she wants Mainers to believe she’s above the very attacks she helped spread.”
The Senate Leadership Fund did not respond to a request for comment. But it has since launched a different radio ad in the race that more obliquely references the relationship, alluding to a report that Jackson in 2022 helped get a cell tower built on land owned by Pelletier’s parents.
SLF has also released a TV ad in the state that brands Jackson a “creep” and suggests it’s partly because he “fathered two kids with his cousin.”
The chorus of attacks grew loud enough that Pelletier broke her silence in a recent opinion column for the Bangor Daily News. She wrote that she “never imagined U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and her allies would stoop this low.”
“Our children have been dragged into this campaign,” she said. “Our relationship has been mocked. Our family has been talked about as though there is something shameful about who we are or where we come from. There isn’t.”
Chris Lydon, the chairman of the Republican Party in Aroostook County, acknowledged family is a sensitive matter for some voters. He questioned whether Jackson’s relationship with Pelletier is “the primary thing to judge someone on” but suggested it was worth mentioning.
“I think people do have a right to know,” Lydon said.
[continues]
BTW, from wiki: Marriages between second cousins are legal in all 50 states.
[…]
Cousin marriage was legal in all states before the Civil War.
also according to wiki discussing Elvis’ 1964 movie The song “Kissin’ Cousins”, which was performed as the movie’s finale, reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Gold by the RIAA.
Vote Vets says 4 groups are filing a legal brief FOR the Epstein Arch.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/10/27/some-veterans-groups-sit-out-fight-over-trumps-arch/
Vietnam Veterans of America
301-585-4000
The National Vet Court Alliance
703-338-3357
Military Order of the Purple Heart
703-642-5360
The Korean War Veterans Association
843 521-1896
From VoteVets.Org
“This Wednesday, four veterans organizations are planning to file a legal brief that would help clear the way for Trump’s 250-foot triumphal arch on the ceremonial approach to Arlington National Cemetery.
Let’s be clear about what this arch is. It’s a self-glorifying monument for a five-time draft dodger that would cast a shadow over sacred ground that generations of veterans earned with their service. The federal review meant to protect Arlington was cut short to rush it through, and veterans are already in court trying to stop it.
If you belong to Vietnam Veterans of America, the Korean War Veterans Association, the National Vet Court Alliance, or the Military Order of the Purple Heart, call or email your organization today. Ask them two things: don’t join the brief, and speak out against the arch instead. The deadline is Wednesday, and one message could make the difference.”
today’s meme….
The seven races that will decide control of the Senate
Polls show tight races in a handful of states, making it hard to tell whether Democrats or Republicans will prevail next week.
More at link.
Dodo’s deporting innocent people to third shit hole countries but he’s helping a corrupt would-be dictator escape justice in his own country by bringing him IN to our country. Come on, maggers, wake up.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/27/americas/flavio-bolsonaro-brazil-passports-latam-intl?
https://www.juneauindependent.com/post/no-indication-of-targeted-attack-behind-peltola-car-crash-in-anchorage
By James Brooks
Alaska Beacon
An official with the Anchorage Police Department said Monday that there is no evidence that Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mary Peltola was deliberately targeted in a weekend car accident that injured her and members of her family.
“There is nothing new to share and at this time, there are no indications that this was a targeted attack,” said Gina Romero, director of the department’s community relations unit.
Australian lawmaker Helen Haines was critically injured after someone repeatedly rammed her with a car earlier this month.
Public polling indicates Peltola may have a small lead over incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan in the ongoing election. Alaska’s U.S. Senate race is one of a handful that could determine whether Democrats or Republicans control the Senate.
According to a weekend bulletin from the Anchorage Police Department, a vehicle containing Peltola and members of her family was hit from the rear shortly before 7 p.m. Saturday while stopped at the intersection of O’Malley Road and Lake Otis Parkway.
The crash was severe enough that it pushed Peltola’s vehicle into another car ahead of it.
“The occupants of vehicle 2, which included U.S. Senate candidate Mary Peltola, were transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries. The driver and sole occupant of the first vehicle was also transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries,” the department said on Saturday.
The Beacon submitted public records requests Monday for video, audio and documents about the crash.
In a statement Sunday, Peltola’s campaign manager said events scheduled Sunday and Monday were being postponed.
“Mary and her family sustained minor injuries but are in good spirits. Unfortunately, per the advice of medical professionals, Mary’s upcoming events in Fairbanks and Bethel will be rescheduled for later in the week as she takes time to recover,” said campaign manager Cheryl Bruce by email.
Today in the Diner…
1. NYT Siena Polls: Peggy Flanagan Leads Tafoya
2. Why Fleeing Dictators Keep Moving to Florida
3. Vivek Ramaswamy’s Sick Attack Ad Backfires
NYT Siena polls show Peggy Flanagan crushing Michelle Tafoya in Minnesota, while Vivek Ramaswamy doubles down on a disastrous attack ad in Ohio.
The latest New York Times Siena polls are out and the numbers are giving us a clear picture of the midterms. In Minnesota, Peggy Flanagan is running a massive grassroots campaign that has her surging 14 points ahead of Michelle Tafoya. While Tafoya relies on her TV personality status, Flanagan is doing the actual retail politics that wins elections, channeling the spirit of the late Paul Wellstone.
Over in Ohio, Vivek Ramaswamy is desperately trying to save a failing campaign with attack ads targeting Amy Acton. Instead of pulling a disastrous ad featuring a convicted abuser, Vivek is pulling a Donald Trump and doubling down. Meanwhile, we’re tracking the Maine Senate race where Troy Jackson is suddenly pulling ahead of Susan Collins, proving that big money doesn’t always guarantee a safe seat.
We also take a detour into international hypocrisy. Flavio Bolsonaro just secured a US visa to hang out in Miami, continuing the grand tradition of right-wing dictators using Florida as a retirement plan. From Ferdinand Marcos fleeing the Philippines to the current chaos in the Israeli Knesset with Benjamin Netanyahu, we break down why the Epstein class always seems to find a comfortable landing spot.
Live Chat: https://trailmix.cc/chat
Website: https://trailmix.cc
Alerts: https://trailmix.cc/alerts
00:00 Intro
01:14 Mike Johnson Empty Arenas
02:45 NYT Siena Polls Minnesota
04:01 Flanagan Leads Michelle Tafoya
06:48 Troy Jackson Leads Susan Collins
14:24 Angie Craig Florida Polls
18:59 Netanyahu and Israeli Knesset
22:30 Bolsonaro Flees to Miami
26:10 Vivek Ramaswamy Ohio Ad
34:44 Self Defense for Women
39:50 Adam Hamilton Trans Rights
50:26 Cindy Hyde-Smith Gaffe
— Human directed and edited. Machine drafted (Gemini Pro).
people just can’t drive anymore
and
they’re on their phones
I want proof it wasn’t a Tesla
Vivek’s Sick Attack Ad Drags Down All Republicans ➡️ Ramaswamy defends abusers to save his doomed campaign. The Epstein class strikes again.
🍽️ From today’s Digital Diner menu
Hey Dexter, I finally got in touch with Ronn Easton, the anti-arch guy — trying to get him on our podcast tomorrow
I know this has been posted awhile back… but it still applies…
Renee, it’s as applicable today as it was when it first appeared, if not more so.
https://www.npr.org/2026/10/28/nx-s1-6020519/tech-the-ai-bubble-has-already-burst-in-china-could-the-u-s-be-next
The AI Bubble Has Already Burst In China. Could The U.S. Be Next?
US technofascists beg for guardrails publicly; Elon, Altman, and Amodei all agree publicly.
You’re correct! You’re absolutely correct! I completely agree! Smelled fishy to me.
Now, rogue Ai has infiltrated US banking and there’s nothing the technofascists can do. A new kind of stink emerges.
Ai bubble is about to burst, tRUMPco is pushing his mafia famiglia’s World Liberty as US digital currency. (By the way, there’s not only nothing stable about stablecoin, but there’s no there there.)
Power grid warning for 13 states.
Hegseth puts out 90-day supply memo to troops.
Dan Bognino tells us regular folks to stockpile food and water.
FEMA announced nationwide emergency alert test for November 17th.
Donuts to dollars they will do something to bank accounts and tell us they have to freeze accounts, blame rogue Ai, and we’ll end up with not dollars but “stablecoin” and in the meantime it will be “The Purge” on the streets.
https://www.tampafp.com/ex-fbi-deputy-director-warns-americans-to-stockpile-supplies-as-pentagon-prepares-for-long-outages/
“The Pentagon’s doing its job to keep our national security safe and make ‘Fortress America.’ You have to make ‘Fortress my house,’ ‘Fortress my apartment.’ Please, do it for everyone. Your neighbors are not going to have any extra food,” Bongino said. “Have yourself an emergency radio, have yourself some batteries, get yourself some emergency food, get yourself a rain collection and water filtration, some filtration tablets. Get your stuff today. Please. Do it for your family.”
Hmmm, “have yourself” a merry, little Christmas.
https://www.newsweek.com/democratic-candidate-meta-suspended-campaign-page-key-rally-12627633
Florida U.S. Senate candidate Angie Nixon, a Democrat, said that Meta “suddenly took down” an Instagram account her campaign had created to connect with Latino voters while “actively posting” information on a rally in Osceola County.
In a post shared on Instagram, the 50501 Movement, a progressive grassroots political movement founded in January 2025 to organize the 50501 protests against the second Trump administration, wrote that the “Latinos Con Angie” account was “shut down for well over an hour.”
The group also reported that Meta shut down the Instagram account @nokingscoalition in the middle of “No Kings Day” on October 17; this suggests that Meta’s actions were not a mistake.
Ramaswamy served as “the frontman” for a “dubious pharmaceutical company” and “cashed out weeks before its dramatic crash.” He hired his own mother to manipulate data from failed clinical trials to make the drug look promising, despite her lack of clinical trial experience. Ramaswamy used his own mother’s analysis to scam his way into hundreds of millions of dollars.
“Vivek Ramaswamy’s multi-million dollar ‘pump and dump’ scam makes clear he will do anything to line his pockets, including hiring his own mother to manipulate clinical trial data for an Alzheimer’s drug that clearly didn’t work,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokeswoman Katie Seewer. “Whether it’s Alzheimer’s patients or hardworking Ohioans, Vivek Ramaswamy can’t be trusted to fight for them because he only cares about himself.”
bongino just up to some ol’ fashioned pre-election fear-mongering
for the regime
And so it begins…
Alaska: The Justice Department has sued to block certification if Mary Peltola defeats Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. The October 22 complaint demands that Alaska withhold certification if Peltola wins while another candidate named Dan Sullivan remains on the ballot. Current Officeholder Donald Trump said October 23 that he personally ordered the lawsuit. AP News
The Alaska Supreme Court already rejected efforts to remove the second Sullivan, but DOJ now argues—under the National Voter Registration Act—that the state must investigate possible voter confusion before certifying a Peltola victory. Election-law experts quoted by Alaska Beacon describe that theory as exceptionally weak, but the litigation could still delay the result and create a federal-state constitutional confrontation.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/28/are-gcc-countries-looking-for-a-regional-security-pact-with-iran
Gulf countries have stepped up diplomacy with Iran in a bid to de-escalate tensions across the Middle East, amid fears of renewed US strikes on Tehran and intensifying hostilities between Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
The three nations that signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement in August – Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye – and diplomats from Qatar met with high-ranking Iranian officials on Monday in an effort to prevent the resumption of all-out war.
Meanwhile, during a diplomatic visit to the United Kingdom’s University of Cambridge on Monday, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi called for a regional security framework, including a “non-aggression pact”, between the Gulf countries and Iran
under which the United States would no longer be the primary provider of security.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridgefy
Bridgefy’s smartphone ad hoc network technology, apparently using Bluetooth Mesh, is licensed to other apps. The app gained popularity during protests in different countries since it can operate without Internet, using Bluetooth instead.
The app gained popularity as a communication tactic during the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests and Citizenship Amendment Act protests in India, because it requires people who want to intercept the message to be physically close because of Bluetooth’s limited range, and the ability to daisy-chain devices to send messages further than Bluetooth’s range.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BitChat
Bitchat is a peer-to-peer encrypted messaging app
Bitchat enables users to send messages via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh networks without requiring internet connections, cellular service, user accounts, or central servers. Bitchat also uses the internet-based Nostr protocol for global reach.
It has been widely used for bypassing local internet shutdowns during protests in countries such as Madagascar, Iran, Uganda, Nepal and India.
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/10/28/james-okeefe-and-cam-higby-charged-with-unlawful-voting-for-youtube-videos
Conservative influencers charged with voter fraud in Minnesota primary
Hennepin County prosecutors on Wednesday said they charged conservative provocateur James O’Keefe and another man with felonies for unlawful voting and identity theft for filming themselves misrepresenting their identities to election judges during the Minnesota Aug. 11 primary.
Videos posted by O’Keefe’s operation show them wearing burkas outside precincts during the primary. Moriarty said the voter names they used included some residents who were dead and at least one who voted.
In the videos, O’Keefe, using an accent, asks workers at polling places if he can vouch for other voters. The election workers explain the law around vouching as one of his team members films and then his team walks out.
*And Dumbass won’t be able to pardon them because MINNESOTA
Here’s the final version, including the race footage:
Last night, 17th Street turned into a runway, a racetrack and one fabulous Washington party. And the winner? All the way from Montana. 🏁👠
Our latest Capital Detour takes you inside the race, the costumes and the crowd. See who took home the win 👉
Campaigns are starting to put out their closer ads. This one from the Talarico campaign is a bit strange and long for today’s TikTok world. Does it work?
Election Interference Monitor: Federal efforts reported today
Wyoming officials say federal election monitors will return to Cheyenne for Election Day, under limits that keep them outside polling places.
— Human directed and edited. Machine drafted (ChatGPT)
Dolores Huerta, Labor Leader and Force for Civil Rights, Has Died
She founded the United Farm Workers with Cesar Chavez. In early 2026, she told The Times that she had been raped by him decades earlier. She was 96.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/28/us/dolores-huerta-dead.html
Like the Talarico ad, but I kept expecting the theme from Giant
Democracy Docket’s Marc Elias just posted his five biggest concerns about the midterms right now:
DOJ lawsuits over ballot counting: He worries the administration could try to dictate which ballots states count, with cases spreading beyond California.
The Alaska certification lawsuit: He says the DOJ is challenging whether election results can be certified unless its preferred candidate wins.
Pressure on election officials: Federal officials could threaten state and local workers with investigations or prosecution to push them to break state law.
Red-state cooperation: Elias fears some Republican-led states may willingly help Trump’s efforts to suppress votes or challenge results. He says this is a concern, not something he has confirmed is happening.
Seizure of ballots or voting equipment: His greatest worry is that Trump could order federal agencies to take ballots or machines after a loss, disrupting the count. Elias argues that internal guardrails that resisted such a move in 2020 may no longer be in place.
Hegseth calling Epstein’s Arch as a great place for snipers.
Guess who the government will be shooting at.
it’s actually a terrible place for them
he thinks like it’s call of duty
What About Mary?
Worth understanding the argument that’s about to be made against Peltola: The New York Times reports (Trail Mix Free Link) that people tied to her campaign and the national Democratic Senate committee helped recruit candidates—including another Dan Sullivan—in an effort to split votes from Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. Peltola’s campaign denies involvement. The likely attack is that this was a deliberate, deceptive attempt to manipulate the ballot for her benefit. The Times’ reporting describes a campaign tactic; it does not establish that Peltola personally directed it or that it was illegal.
Flanagan Crushes Tafoya ➡️
NYT Siena polls drop a bomb. Peggy Flanagan surges 14 points while Tafoya hides from voters.
🍽️ From today’s Digital Diner menu
Dems Beating The Baseline
This chart compares each Democrat’s latest poll share in the seven Senate toss-up races with Kamala Harris’s share of the 2024 presidential vote in that state. The numbers show how far the candidate is above or below that recent Democratic baseline.
Six of the seven Democrats are polling above Harris’s share, with the biggest gaps in Texas (+7.5), Alaska (+5.6) and Kansas (+4.0).
That’s an encouraging sign for Democrats: their Senate candidates appear to be running stronger than Harris did in several states Trump carried.
Maine is the exception, though Jackson’s result varies across recent polls.
— Human directed and edited. Machine Drafted (ChatGPT)
I do wish Abdul was outperforming by more than 2.7. I was already worrying about Troy, now more so.
Poobah, I read the Matthew Cullen NYTimes article on the Peltola dustup. Even the prior campaign insider (Elisa Rios, Ms. Peltola’s former campaign manager and longtime aide, who was fired amid a staff shake-up in August), who has retracted her interviews with the Times reporter told him that Peltola was not involved in the recruitment effort. I think it’s bullshit. Sounds more like an undercover hit piece (it wasn’t though) than NYT reporting. I’m on my phone so I can’t provide the link , but will later. The way I see it, the Republicans are just complaining because they didn’t think about doing the same fucking thing – in an act of political malpractice.
Anon – They’ll be so whacked out on ketamine wafers that it won’t matter.
SOUTH CAROLINA IS NOW A REAL SENATE RACE.
A new New York Times/Siena poll has Democrat Annie Andrews and Republican Darline Graham tied at 48% among likely voters, with just 3% undecided.
This is not one lonely polling UFO. Other recent surveys show Graham ahead by only one to four points. The polling average is now roughly Graham plus two.
Trump carried South Carolina by nearly 18 points in 2024. A dead-even Senate race represents an enormous Democratic overperformance—and a Republican emergency in a state that was never supposed to require rescuing.
The poll surveyed 707 likely voters from October 19–26 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.
New York Times/Siena poll
— Human directed and edited. Machine Drafted (ChatGPT)
I’d say Trump ‘s SC results were as much a result of Lindsey’s popularity as his own. Lindsey’s sister doesn’t have Lindsey’s popularity to draw on, and dumbass doesn’t have the Lindsey glow to shine on her. *
* Don’t mistake this as praise for Lindsey – it’s not.
Pog, I posted guest link above — The New York Times Peltola report (Trail Mix Free Link).
will be interesting to see how she handles it. this is a test
Ossoff introducing Obama now…
No evidence so far that Elisa Rios was a “double agent” or deliberately set Peltola up. There is a reason to scrutinize her: she was fired in August and, according to the Times, had been planning a wrongful-termination lawsuit.
On Peltola’s knowledge, Rios told The New York Times (Trail Mix Free Link) that Peltola wasn’t directly involved but was “definitely aware.” Then, shortly before publication, Rios asked the paper to retract all her statements and said she no longer wanted to be a source. The Times says it hadn’t agreed to that condition and published her on-the-record interviews. Rios hasn’t publicly explained the reversal or, as far as I can find, reaffirmed the awareness claim since. So the careful answer is: the claim remains in the Times’s reporting, attributed to Rios, but she later tried to withdraw it.
BTW, Obama is knocking it out of the park in Atlanta. The side by side with dumbass in Chillicothe OH is priceless.
Speaking of knocking it outta the park, gotta do a WS check-in.
Milwaukee up 1-0 in the top of the second.
Update: How Alaska is reacting to the Peltola story
Alaska coverage has surfaced a few distinct reactions, but no direct answer from Mary Peltola to the New York Times allegations.
Lisa Murkowski is demanding answers. Alaska Public Media/KTOO reports that she called on Peltola and her campaign to tell “the honest truth” and criticized the alleged ballot-stacking effort.
Reaction in Petersburg is mixed. One Peltola voter dismissed Elisa Rios as a disgruntled former employee. Another resident said the Times was focusing on an issue with little consequence for people in Petersburg.
Peltola’s reported comment was about a separate issue. Alaska’s News Source quoted her on the Justice Department lawsuit, saying she trusts Alaska voters and believes in the rule of law. That was not a response to the Times story.
No new statement from Rios has surfaced in the local coverage I found. The Juneau Independent reports that she asked the Times to retract her comments before publication.
The central question remains unanswered: What does Peltola herself say about the allegation that she knew about the recruitment effort?
Sources
Alaska Public Media/KTOO: Peltola campaign and national Dems recruited spoiler candidates
Alaska’s News Source: Peltola comments on DOJ election lawsuit
Juneau Independent: NYT report on Peltola-aligned operatives
— Human directed and edited. Machine Drafted (ChatGPT)
This is how you thread the needle in a red state. ➡️ Adam Hamilton flips the script on trans haters. Stop attacking marginalized people for cheap political points.
🍽️ From today’s Digital Diner menu
BOOM!
Obama tonight:
Obama hit it out of the park.
And Tampa is now down 4-0 in the top of the seventh. …
and after 7.
… and Milwaukee wins 4-1 (score and series).
Collected and Counted ✔️
Winning “I Voted” Digital Sticker Design submitted by Halle G.
Design based on Mustang © 2008 Luis A. Jimenez, Jr.
The newest Alaska media coverage reports that Mary Peltola herself has now commented. Alaska Public Media reports that, while campaigning in Soldotna on Wednesday, she called the New York Times story “a distraction.” The outlet does not report her addressing the allegation that she knew about the recruiting effort.
Craig, Ronn likely won’t remember me as we have only traded ideas across Facebook postings over the last few months a few times. And today is the day I will be in Toledo if I can get to where I have to be before my appointment time I’ll try to check in remotely from my car. Ronn and I are in lockstep when it comes to the current policies of The White House.
Night Watchman, out. Yeah, I woke up ready to start the day at 1:30 AM.
Blue: it is true there are a lot of veterans who are pro Trump. This is because there are a lot of Veterans. While many of us lament losing our friends in a war like that, there are other veterans that are mad because, and I’m being serious here, because we didn’t drop nuclear bombs and turn the northern part of Vietnam into glass.
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