October 15, 2026

The New York Times is liveblogging developments in a grade school shooting in Bend, Oregon. This is a gift link. From the pinned item at 7:30 pm ET: “Three children and one adult were killed on Thursday in a shooting at an elementary school in Oregon, and the shooter was also dead, a senior law enforcement official briefed on the investigation said. The suspect, who was not identified, was shot and killed, possibly by a bystander, the Bend Police Department said in a news release. The senior law enforcement official ... cautioned that the information was preliminary and could change as the investigation developed. Dispatchers were called at about 1 p.m. to Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Ore., for a report of gunshots fired into a car..., a spokeswoman for the Bend Police Department, told local reporters in streamed remarks. At least two people were transported to St. Charles Bend, a hospital less than five miles from the school, the authorities said. They did not provide information about their condition.”

Steve Zalusky & Madhu Krishnamurthy of the Chicago Tribune: "A jammed gun and workers at an Arlington Heights[, Illinois] Taco Bell restaurant prevented a potentially devastating mass shooting Sunday at a Hindu temple in Aurora[, Illinois]. Those were among the details to emerge Thursday as authorities released additional information about the arrest of a 19-year-old Palatine[, Illinois,] man accused of plotting a terrorist attack on the Sri Venkateswara Swami Balaji Temple. Cook County prosecutors said Alexandros Paporakis told a Taco Bell co-worker he had gone to the temple Sunday and attempted to shoot someone from his car, but his rifle jammed.

"He indicated he intended to return later Sunday to try again, but a co-worker called 911 and stopped the potential massacre, authorities said.... Palatine police said they arrested Paporakis Sunday evening as he left his home in the 1300 block of North Baldwin Court. Investigators later found a manifesto attributed to Paporakis entitled “Why I Fought: A.K.A. (Aurora Shooter’s Manifesto)” and containing statements expressing white supremacist and extremist ideologies, police said.... U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi said he and his family were at the Aurora Hindu temple Sunday."

Erin Banco & Gram Slattery of Reuters, published by Yahoo! News: "The order to limit a satellite system used by Ukraine for battlefield communications and drone operations came from inside the White House, according to two US officials and a Western official briefed on the matter. The officials said leaders at the Defense Department received ‌a message that the SpaceX Starshield service for the Ukrainian military needed to be slowed. The officials ... did not specify who in ‌the White House made the decision or who was responsible for implementing the order.... Ukrainian officials said this week that military-grade Starlink receptors stopped ​working in Ukraine when mounted on fast-moving objects, interfering with the performance of Ukrainian drones that rely on them for onboard guidance systems over Ukrainian territory. A person in Ukraine's Defence Ministry said on Thursday that the receptors were now working when in motion, but only at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour (160 kph)." ~~~

~~~ Lim Hui Jie of CNBC: “SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk said Wednesday that the U.S. government and ... Donald Trump are responsible for any curbs on Ukraine’s military-grade Starlink network. Writing on X, Musk said that 'Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the U.S. government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.'” ~~~

~~~ Robert Jimison of the New York Times: “A bipartisan group of senators on Thursday demanded an investigation into disruptions to critical satellite communications and intelligence-sharing systems in Ukraine that they warned had undermined the country’s defenses against Russian attacks and endangered U.S. military and diplomatic personnel. In a letter to the Pentagon, the lawmakers, led by Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, called on the Defense Department’s inspector general to determine whether the Trump administration or its contractors were responsible for the disruptions.... Republican Senators Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and John Cornyn of Texas signed the letter. Ms. Shaheen was also joined by fellow Democratic Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, as well as Senators Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, Chris Coons of Delaware and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut.” The link is a gift link. ~~~

~~~ Ford McCracken of the Hill: “Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) called Ukraine’s loss of access to Starshield, the military version of Starlink internet, a 'major problem' and said Congress would respond if the U.S. abandons its support for Ukraine.... Fitzpatrick threatened 'consequences' if the U.S. 'goes dark' on Ukraine, telling The Wall Street Journal that Congress could halt funding for federal agencies responsible.... Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), who is retiring at the end of the term, said Congress will not advance Trump’s agenda if he abandons Ukraine.”

Dancing with the Big Grifter at the Oligarchs' Ball. Jonathan O'Connell, et al., of the Washington Post: “A list obtained by The Washington Post reveals all the major donors to ... Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project, including previously undisclosed contributors who have benefited from regulatory decisions, government contracts and, in one case, a pardon for a family member. Tech giants Nvidia and Apple each committed $25 million, the top contribution amount, the list shows. The Adelson family, one of the GOP’s largest donor dynasties, committed that sum as well, as did billionaire Charles Ergen, co-founder and chairman of telecommunications company Dish Network. Absent from the list is Trump himself, who has said that he is helping to pay for the project. 'It’s being paid for a hundred percent by me and some friends of mine,' he said last year, days after demolition began on the old East Wing....

“The list and other documents offer a panoramic view of a fundraising campaign that is extraordinary both for its size and opacity. Ordinary political giving requires public disclosure and is subject to campaign finance rules. The ballroom donations are collected by a nonprofit and then channeled to the government and into a White House account the president directly controls. Independent experts and scholars have expressed alarm at the potential the arrangement has for influence buying and coerced giving.” Emphasis added. The link is a gift link. 

Maura Judkis of the Washington Post: “This week the administration’s effort to remove trees from a public golf course in D.C. that ... Donald Trump hopes to overhaul was halted by a federal judge, Ana C. Reyes, who wrote a blistering opinion on the case, saying the work was being rushed because President Trump demands haste on his redesign.... Here,' she wrote, 'the Court can measure the evidence of environmental injury by looking at the tree trunks.' In a footnote she added: 'Just ask the Lorax.' As Dr. Seuss fans know, the reference invokes the author’s famous book about a little orange guy who rebukes an industrialist for cutting down all the trees and spoiling his habitat.” Judkis responds with a Seussian poem (but with footnotes!).  

Scott Nover of the Washington Post: “Katie Zacharia, the new White House press secretary, appeared to confirm Thursday that she didn’t pass the California bar exam, saying the results were 'somewhat inconsequential' because she planned to move to China in 2011 for her husband’s work.... The White House repeatedly told The Post and other outlets that Zacharia practiced with 'all the appropriate credentials.' Two nonprofit groups on Wednesday filed formal complaints over Zacharia, asking the State Bar of California to investigate whether she engaged in the 'unlawful practice of law' by providing legal advice in media appearances and in her work as general counsel at Fix California, a nonprofit started by Trump administration official Richard Grenell. One group asked California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) to investigate as well.” ~~~

~~~ Alec Dent of the Washington Post: “During the 2024 presidential campaign, [Donald] Trump repeatedly derided then-Vice President Kamala Harris for not passing the bar exam. (Harris did, in fact, pass it on her second attempt, in 1990.)... 'She’s not an intelligent person,' Trump said.... Trump similarly criticized Hillary Clinton when he ran for president against her, saying at an Oct. 12, 2016, rally that Clinton 'went to Washington D.C., she took her bar exam and she failed, right? Oh, she’s a genius. No, no. She failed on a bar exam.'”

Oh, so you think a QAnon conspiracy theorist posing as a lawyer is a bad choice for a top government job? Well, how 'bout this? Huh? Huh? ~~~

~~~ Trump's First AG Pick Sued for Running Sex Trafficking Ring. Sammy Westfall of the Washington Post: “Two women are accusing former congressman Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) and two other men of involvement in a sex trafficking scheme involving recent high school graduates and drugs, according to a federal lawsuit filed Thursday. The plaintiffs, identified as Jane Does 1 and 2, allege that Gaetz and former Seminole County, Florida, tax collector Joel Micah Greenberg coordinated 'recruitment, payments, drugs, and travel' to obtain 'commercial sexual acts' from young women. The lawsuit also accuses former Florida state representative Chris Dorworth (R) of having knowingly participated in these events' by making his home available for them. The alleged 'sexual exploitation' took place from 2017 through January 2019, when Gaetz was a sitting member of Congress, according to the complaint, filed in the Middle District of Florida.”

Devlin Barrett & Laurel Rosenhall of the New York Times: “The Trump administration on Thursday sued the state of California and a Los Angeles County official, seeking to temporarily block the state from counting mail ballots submitted by voters it suspects are noncitizens. The suit, which would apply to some 20,000 people in the state the administration has cast as 'likely noncitizens,' is a long shot.... Over the past 18 months, the Trump administration has sued California and other states over voter rolls, and has lost resoundingly in court.... Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement that California ... was given 'an opportunity to self-correct its records, and we requested that it segregate the suspected illegal ballots for the upcoming election,' he said. 'California has refused to comply and intends to facilitate noncitizens in voting, which is a violation of federal law.'” The link is a gift link. 

Marie: As Ken W. writes, David French of the New York Times gives a helpful tick-tock of Trump's betrayal of Ukraine, his embrace of and aid to Putin, and I would add, his anti-American, anti-democracy, acts of treason. Trump -- and French -- go all the way back to 2015 & '16. The link is a gift link. Trump is not consistent about much, but for at least a decade he has been mostly consistent in his deference to Putin. 

Well, look, I have to make deals with people, so I don’t go around calling them names. I’m a dealmaker. I’ve always been a very good dealmaker. I became very rich because of deals. So I don’t go around mocking people. You know, part of the reason you have that war in the first place is Biden went around mocking Russia and mocking everybody else and didn’t know what he was doing. – Donald Trump, when asked by a reporter why he doesn’t call Putin a dictator 

Right meatball Ron, Talafreako, Little Marco, Trannie Andrews, AOC of Tennessee, Sleepy, slow and Autopen Joe, Mini Mike, Fat Alvin, Alfred E. Neuman (Pete Buttigieg), Sloppy Chris Christie, Crooked Hillary, Slimeball James Comey, Liddle' Bob Corker, Lying Ted Cruz, Crazy Kamala, Peekaboo (Letitia James), Mamdani the Commie, Governor Newscum, Pee-wee Herman (Jon Ossoff), Jerome Too Late Powell, Shifty Schiff, Deranged Jack Smith, Pocahontas, and Marjorie "Traitor" Brown. ALL TRUMP nicknames. F this guy. -- James Tate on X, via Joe.My.God.  

I know he is a liar, but it still can twist my brain sometimes listening to him describe the opposite of everything he fundamentally is. -- RAS, in Thursday's Comments 

Jack Detsch & Gregory Svirnovskiy of Politico: “... Donald Trump on Thursday called off livestreaming the execution of the convicted Fort Hood shooter, following widespread backlash to the planned broadcast of his death. 'Streaming the execution for all to see might have been a strong deterrent for the World to witness how America deals with Terrorists and SCUM like [Nidal] Hasan but, many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die, through streaming, or through any other visual device,' he wrote on social media. 'He will die, as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed.' Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week announced plans to livestream the Dec. 3 firing squad execution of Hasan that were immediately denounced by Republicans, Democrats and the Catholic Church.... Until Thursday, the president had stood by the Pentagon chief’s plan.” Thanks to RAS for the lead. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This has to be a bitter disappointment to Drunk Pete, who -- as one could tell from a video embedded here last week -- was positively giddy at the thrilling prospect of livestreaming a death-by-firing-squad snuff video. See results of related opinion poll, linked below, to understand the reason for Trump's sudden fake display of prudence, as RAS implies in Thursday's Comments.

~~~~~~~~~~ 

Colby Smith of the New York Times: “Higher energy prices drove up inflation in the United States in September, a warning shot to President Trump ahead of midterm elections that have centered primarily on affordability concerns. The uptick in consumer prices will also keep the Federal Reserve under pressure to raise interest rates for a second time this year. The Consumer Price Index report, released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Wednesday, showed that overall prices rose 0.6 percent, the largest monthly increase in five months. Compared with the same time last year, prices were 3.7 percent higher. The bulk of the increase stemmed directly from energy prices, which have shot higher this year because of the war with Iran. That has translated into increased costs for Americans, who are paying more to fill their cars, heat their homes and travel by air. Gasoline prices, which in late September rose to nearly $4.50 a gallon, surged 9.1 percent for the month. That accounted for more than half of the overall monthly increase in prices. Gas prices are up 34.2 percent over the past year.” The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

Lauren Gurley of the Washington Post: “Since the start of ... Donald Trump’s second term, Americans have seen no real wage growth on average, according to data released Wednesday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Between January 2025 and September 2026, both prices and average hourly pay have risen by about 5.4 percent. Plus, average hourly earnings, in real terms, fell 0.5 percent from August to September, Wednesday’s data showed, as inflation fueled by a recent surge in energy prices wiped out yet another month of wage gains. Americans’ shrinking purchasing power helps explain why so many people feel gloomy about the economy heading into the Nov. 3 midterms.” ~~~

~~~ Marie: I have little sympathy for the dummkopfs (most people don't know "dummkopf doesn't have a "b" in it) who voted for Trump and are now all upset that hamburger is too damned expensive. (I am sorry for their children.) Trump is a vile, anti-democratic tyrant, running roughshod over the rule of law, fair play, and in general, decades of American norms. And you feel sorry for yourself because you have to add more beans to the chili? Screw you & vote Democratic. Selfish blockheads.  

Now Trump Thinks What We Need Is a Boots-on-the-Ground War. Eric Schmitt, et al., of the New York Times: “The United States is sending several hundred Army soldiers to train and conduct exercises with local forces in Latin America as the Pentagon expands its campaign to combat drug trafficking in the region, according to U.S. military officials. The first elements of a 600-soldier battalion from the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, N.Y., have begun deploying to a new jungle training facility in Panama, the officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss operational matters. The troops will eventually train with local forces in Colombia and Honduras, and could also support U.S. Special Operations troops advising militaries conducting raids against accused drug traffickers, the officials said. In addition to the deployments to Central and South America, officials said that several hundred soldiers from the 10th Mountain were scheduled to help staff a new command for Western Hemisphere operations based in Miami.” The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I suppose this is part of the plan for the next two years: not content with ousting brown people from the U.S., we are now going to kill them in Latin America. Some will be drug dealers and some will be collateral damage. Either I'm crazy or Trump is.

Kyla Guilfoil of NBC News: “... Donald Trump said at a campaign rally Wednesday that there should be fatal consequences for any government worker who leaks sensitive information to the media. 'Leakers should be, in my opinion, leakers should be shot,' Trump said. 'You know, when they leak what time you’re going to attack a country.' Trump described what he said was a planned raid on Iran that he had to call off after someone 'leaked the time we were leaving, the time we were arriving.' He appeared to be referring to the U.S. military strike on Iran nuclear facilities in June 2025, which still went ahead.... Trump, who has called the news media the 'true Enemy of the People,' then pointed to the journalists covering his rally in Bullhead City, Arizona, and compared them to leakers. 'Those same people up there, they’re almost as bad as a leaker, because they leak,' Trump said. 'Oh, they leak false information. That makes them a leaker, right?'” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Obviously, Trump is promoting violence against journalists to a crowd of people who are violence-prone anyway: shouting "Shoot!" in a crowded room, so to speak. ~~~

~~~ AND here's Lawrence O'Donnell on executing leakers: ~~~

Trump Defends His Grifting. AP, published by the Times of Israel: “... Donald Trump shows off the new Air Force One and defends accepting the luxury jet from the Qatari royal family as he campaigns for Republicans in an economically struggling corner of rural Arizona. His first substantive comments after he gets off the plane to address the airport rally describes learning that the Qataris had 'the best of all the 747s.' He says he called to ask the country’s leader to borrow the aircraft before the emir offered it instead as a gift. Trump accepted the airplane last year despite strong bipartisan criticism.... 'When you’re given gifts, you take ’em, right?' Trump tells the crowd in Bullhead City. 'When they give you a 747 you say two words: “thank you.’””

Here's more from the New York Times on stories linked yesterday. It's all sickening: ~~~

~~~ Constant Méheut of the New York Times: “Nearly five years into its fight for national survival, Ukraine has entered a moment of intense vulnerability, under growing pressure not only from Russia but also now from the United States. A double blow came overnight on Wednesday. Ukraine said that its military, with no warning, had lost access to a military version of Starlink, a pillar of its battlefield communications. Kyiv relies on the satellite internet network, known as Starshield, which is paid for by the Pentagon. That led Ukrainian officials and analysts to surmise that the restrictions had come from Washington, as ... [Donald] Trump is locked in his latest feud with Ukraine’s leadership.

“At the same time, Russia unleashed dozens of ballistic missiles in a broad attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure early Wednesday, cutting power to 600,000 people in the capital, Kyiv. It was a dark omen for a rapidly approaching winter in which Russia is gearing up to try to push Ukraine to the breaking point as Kyiv runs low on lifesaving air defenses. It was unclear how long the Starshield restrictions would remain in place. Still, the Trump administration’s treatment of Ukraine has caused outrage in a country already reeling from a string of challenges.” The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

~~~ Zelensky Responds to Trump's Treachery. Francesca Regalado of the New York Times: “President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has said he will no longer abide by ... [Donald] Trump’s demand to stop striking Russian oil refineries, as Kyiv’s anger at what it sees as a betrayal by Washington appeared to boil over. Mr. Zelensky’s remarks — in an interview with The Financial Times published on Thursday — brought to a head days of mounting tensions with the Trump administration. Ukraine stopped striking Russian refineries to comply with an energy cease-fire that Mr. Trump unilaterally declared on Sunday, and it shrugged off the U.S. leader’s calls for Mr. Zelensky to be replaced. While Kyiv said it was unfair that Russia continued to attack Ukraine’s power plants and substations, it abided by the halt for three days, partly over concerns that Washington could stop sharing the intelligence Ukraine needs to warn its population of incoming Russian strikes. Then, on Wednesday, Ukraine said that its military, with no warning, had lost some critical access to a military version of Starlink, a pillar of its battlefield communications.... Mr. Zelensky suggested in his interview that a decision had been made to slow the [intelligence sharing], but he did not say by whom.” The link is a gift link. ~~~

     ~~~ Julian Barnes of the New York Times: “The United States has not cut back intelligence sharing with Ukraine, U.S. officials said on Wednesday, as questions grew about American support for the country in its war against Russia.... Some Ukrainian officials and analysts suggested that Washington might have ordered the restrictions as the Trump administration pressured Ukraine to limit its strikes in Russia. Confusion about the U.S. stance also grew after a recent meeting between Ukrainian officials and top American negotiators. Some people in the meeting thought the U.S. negotiators made a veiled threat about curbing intelligence sharing....

“Ukrainian officials have expressed worry that new restrictions on Starshield have hampered their defenses. Sometime overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday, the country’s satellite terminals stopped working for devices traveling at speeds faster than 100 miles per hour. A person briefed on the restrictions said that the changes made it all but impossible for Ukraine to operate drones, airplanes and helicopters at high speeds. It also became more difficult for Ukraine to intercept Iranian-designed Shahed drones that Russia has used to attack. SpaceX has not commented on the issue, although Elon Musk, the founder of the company, posted on his social media platform on Saturday that 'Zelensky has gone too far.'” The link is a gift link. ~~~

Barak Ravid of Axios: "The rupture between ... [Donald] Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over last week's diesel deal deepened Wednesday after an Elon Musk-owned satellite system used by Ukraine unexpectedly restricted service — undercutting Ukraine's fight against Russia.... Service was partially restored Wednesday, but Ukrainian officials were still searching for answers about why the service was throttled and who was responsible.... The [Ukrainian defense] ministry said it remains in communication 'with partners and SpaceX regarding stable service conditions and the prevention of sudden restrictions.'" ~~~

~~~ Julia Jester of MS NOW: "After bipartisan backlash on Wednesday, Elon Musk said it was the U.S., not his company SpaceX that provides the systems, that made the call [to limit connectivity necessary for battlefield communications and other capabilities].... Musk said the Starshield satellite connections the Ukraine military relies on are ultimately controlled by ... Donald Trump.... SpaceX provided no prior warning to the Ukrainian government about the limitation, [a] source said."  

Shelby Talcott, et al., of Semafor: Republican candidates for office continue to distance themselves from Trump's diesel deal with Putin even as Trump doubles down on it. "The Russia deal completes a trio of Trump economic moves that are politically toxic to swing-state Republicans, joining his bid to encourage beef imports and his Canadian trade war. All three are unpopular enough among members of Trump’s own party to create significant discord about the GOP plan to tackle rising prices." MB: Bear in mind that this "distancing" is for electoral purposes only; these toy soldiers will fall in strict formation with Trump if they're elected. 

MEANWHILE. Susannah George of the Washington Post: “Two ships sank in the Strait of Hormuz this week after being hit by Iranian attacks amid an escalation in violence in the critical waterway. A Singapore-registered container ship, the GFS Pride, was attacked while transiting the strait on Tuesday, according to a statement from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. The vessel caught fire after the attack, the statement said, but all crew members were evacuated and no injuries were reported. In a separate incident, a bulk-carrier sank Wednesday after sustaining an Iranian attack last month, according to the International Maritime Organization.... Iranian attacks in the Strait of Hormuz have been on the rise in response to a U.S. push to increase oil flows through the waterway. In the past two weeks, Iran has struck more than 14 vessels in the strait. October has been one of the most violent months in the waterway since the war involving Iran, the United States and Israel began on Feb. 28.”

Hafiz Rashid of the New Republic, republished by Yahoo! News: "The Trump administration ordered federal financial regulators to retract a report flagging suspicious oil trades. Only 15 minutes before President Trump decided not to strike Iranian power plants on March 23, a few traders sank billions of dollars into predicting that the S&P 500 would go up and oil prices would fall, making a hefty profit, Bloomberg reports. The traders reportedly used a two-minute window at 6:49 a.m. that day to make the massive deals in futures markets. 'The fact that this trading preceded a headline driven sell-off means that either someone got very lucky or knew something,' Tim Skirrow, head of derivatives at Energy Aspects, said to Bloomberg.... Mel Gunewardena, an adviser to the Trump-appointed chair of the CFTC, Michael Selig, told a supervisor on the commission's market oversight team to retract the referral [of the suspicious trade]....

"This kind of move was unprecedented. The oversight team reportedly didn't know what to do.... The Trump administration is trying to make [the CFTC] the main oversight body for prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket, and this incident won't help the White House beat accusations of insider trading, with suspicious events becoming all too common since the Iran war began in February." Thanks to RAS for the link. MB: Obviously, I don't know who the suspicious traders are, but why do I think they just might be entities owned in whole or in part by DJT or by Friends of DJT? (Also linked yesterday.)

The Travails of Katie, Lady Attorney Lawyer. Shawn McCreesh of the New York Times: “Is ... [Donald] Trump’s new press secretary a lawyer — or did she just play one on TV? Three days into her job, Katie Zacharia is facing questions about whether she has embroidered her credentials. She describes herself as a lawyer, and the president called her 'an attorney.' When she was asked on Tuesday in which state she passed the bar exam, she twice replied, 'When I moved to China.' Huh?... On Wednesday evening, she told The New York Times that this whole mishegas over 'lawyer,' 'attorney,' and 'China,' has been one big misunderstanding. 'I assumed the question was, “Where were you after law school?’” she said.... 'That’s all I could hear over the sound of Marine One.... And, wanting to respect protocol, the distance behind the president, kept me from moving closer to hear the question.'... She ... [said] that when she first began appearing on cable news, she consulted with Pepperdine’s president as to how she should identify herself. She said she was warned not to use the words 'attorney' or 'esquire,' but that 'lawyer' was OK. 

“But what about 'general counsel,' would that be OK? Because, on LinkedIn, Ms. Zacharia identified herself as such for Fix California, a group led by Trump loyalist Richard Grenell. 'You can’t be a general counsel to a company in the United States unless you’re admitted to the bar to practice law,” said Erwin Chemerinsky, the dean of the law school at the University of California, Berkeley.... The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that she sat for the California bar exam after graduating law school, but didn’t pass. The Times was unable to find a law license for her in California, or anywhere else she has lived in the United States.... On Wednesday, a watchdog group filed a complaint with the California State Bar Association, calling for an investigation into whether Ms. Zacharia “repeatedly held herself out to the public as entitled to practice law without a license to do so, conduct California law treats as a crime.”” The link is a gift link. ~~~

~~~ "Hacks, Grifters & Scoundrels": ~~~

Grifters Gotta Grift. Marc Caputo of Axios: Donald "Trump has directed his White House counsel to examine explosive allegations dropped on him Friday in the Oval Office: Former Trump attorney Alina Habba told the president that another one of his top advisers — former Kennedy Center leader Ric Grenell — failed to deposit a multimillion-dollar donation that her billionaire husband made to the center a year ago, according to four senior administration officials and three insiders.... Grenell denied the accusations as 'absurd' and a 'lie.'... The total value of the contribution in question: nearly $6 million, White House sources said Habba told them.... Habba's attorneys plan to give the White House documentation — reviewed by Axios — to support her allegations about Grenell soliciting a Kennedy Center donation from Mildon.... [Habba's husband Turhan] Mildon never checked to see if it was deposited." The story of the missing millions is complicated, but Caputo lays it out.

He will throw the incompetent women under the bus a lot faster than the incompetent men. -- Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) ~~~

~~~ Erica Green of the New York Times: “The ouster of Kimberly Guilfoyle, who until this week was the U.S. ambassador to Greece..., was part of a larger pattern in ... [Donald] Trump’s second term: The prominent figures who have departed the administration, either voluntarily or involuntarily, overwhelmingly are women. Ms. Guilfoyle was the latest high-ranking woman to leave this year. In the spring, four of Mr. Trump’s eight female cabinet-level officials resigned or were fired in just three months: Attorney General Pam Bondi; Lori Chavez-DeRemer, the labor secretary; Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem; and Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence.... The women in Mr. Trump’s orbit do not seem any more inclined to controversy than the men; his male appointees have repeatedly drawn scrutiny and calls for their ouster.... Experts on presidential appointments said the single-gender exodus was highly unusual.... In many instances, the female officials who departed appeared to have failed some kind of loyalty test to Mr. Trump.” The link is a gift link.

Speaking of grifters, Jared, the Crown Prince of Grift, is getting a bit of blowback ~~~

~~~ Sharon Zhang of TruthOut: “A government watchdog has filed a lawsuit seeking to prohibit Jared Kushner from serving as special envoy for the Trump administration amid reports of conflicts of interest related to his role as a top Middle East negotiator. The complaint, filed by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) on Wednesday, argues that courts should block Kushner from his role because he has not been subject to Senate approval and financial disclosure requirements that are required for people with his level of power. CREW argues that such requirements, set out by the Constitution’s Appointments Clause and the Ethics in Government act of 1978, were instituted to ensure that government officials who wield such power as Kushner are properly vetted by lawmakers and the public. Kushner holds his position 'in clear violation of these protections,' the lawsuit states.” MB: Good for CREW, but what about Witkoff?

Yet Another Big Grifter Fail. Cat Zakrzewski of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump uses Truth Social daily to shape the course of the war in Iran, announce new policies and share AI-generated videos of himself. But the audience for his social network is shrinking. Traffic to Truth Social fell more than 30 percent in the year ending in September, according to an analysis by digital intelligence firm Similarweb. The platform averaged about 260,000 daily users last month, down from a peak of 420,000 in June 2025. Trump, who has by far the largest following of any Truth Social user, posts on the social network many times each day. This week, he has used the service to tout an investment in semiconductors, share positive media coverage about himself and repost a graphic video of a man being attacked by a tiger.”

Amy Wang & Alauna Safarpour of the Washington Post: “An overwhelming majority of Americans oppose live-streaming the firing squad execution of convicted Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan, according to a nationwide poll released Thursday by The Washington Post, ABC News and Ipsos. A narrow 53 percent majority of Americans support executing Hasan by firing squad, while 42 percent are opposed. But 8 in 10 Americans say the execution should not be live-streamed to the public, according to the poll, which was conducted in the days after the Defense Department said last week that it planned to do just that. Those opposed include majorities of nearly every demographic and political group surveyed — including people who support Hasan’s execution by firing squad.” The ABC News story is here. ~~~

Al Jazeera: "The administration of ... Donald Trump is investigating Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar to revoke her citizenship and eventually deport her, The Wall Street Journal has reported, citing US officials and people familiar with the investigation. The inquiry centres partly on how the Minnesota representative obtained citizenship after arriving in the US as a refugee from Somalia, the newspaper reported on Wednesday. Authorities are examining her family’s immigration records and have issued more than a dozen subpoenas, including to some of her relatives, seeking testimony before a grand jury in Minnesota."

Jazmine Ulloa & Madeleine Ngo of the New York Times: “Unaccompanied minors went without legal representation in about 55 percent of nearly 50,000 immigration cases completed as of August this year, the highest percentage since 2019, according to an analysis by the Vera Institute of Justice, a nonprofit research group. Deportation orders for the children who Vera identified as unaccompanied minors have also surged, topping 7,300 in July, up from 3,500 in May. By comparison, that number was 2,000 in January 2025, according to the group. The surge in deportations comes amid a monthslong contract battle between the Trump administration and the network of nonprofits that have long provided legal services to migrant children who have arrived at the southern border without their parents or guardians. (Vera held the federal legal services contract until December 2023.)... Although migrant children do not have a right to court-appointed representation, under a 2008 law meant to protect children against human trafficking, the federal government is required to ensure unaccompanied minors have representation 'to the greatest extent practicable.'” The link is a gift link. Read on for part of the explanation & the Trump administration's lame excuses. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I don't get it. Americans have a Sixth Amendment right to an attorney. And I've read multiple reports that courts have determined that noncitizens residing in the U.S. have the same rights as citizens (with the exception of foreign diplomats in some circumstances). But children don't have Constitutional protections? How does that comport?

Mark Miller of the New York Times: “Retirees and other beneficiaries will receive the largest annual cost-of-living adjustment since 2023 in their Social Security checks next year, driven mainly by persistently high inflation. The Social Security Administration announced a 3.6 percent annual cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, on Wednesday after the release of government inflation data for September. The COLA is determined using the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, or CPI-W. The index values for July, August and September are averaged to produce the official adjustment figure. For the average Social Security beneficiary, the COLA will translate to a $75 monthly increase, the government said. However, the actual amount for any retiree enrolled in Medicare will vary. The Part B premium, which covers outpatient care, is usually deducted from Social Security benefits, changing net COLAs. Separately, Social Security said the maximum amount of earnings subject to the Social Security payroll tax would rise to $192,300, up from $184,500 this year.” The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Call me Debbie Downer, but I suspect this may turn out to be a net loss for most of us on Social Security who also pay a Medicare Part B premium.

Elijah Wolfson of the Washington Post: “Every week this summer and so far this fall has brought reports of record-setting heat or historic storms: This July was the hottest month ever for the contiguous United States. In California alone, the last four days were over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the longest such streak on record; and driven by an unprecedented El Niño, the last five Pacific hurricanes have set new highs for their power and permanence. Now, a seventh annual 'state of the climate' report, published Wednesday in BioScience, underlines with data what 2026 has felt like: A dangerous and unpredictable climate is here. The study assessed the latest available numbers for 16 major indicators of climate change, such as atmospheric carbon levels, ocean temperature change and amount of land burned in fires.”

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Maryland House Race. Thanks to RAS for bringing this to light. It helps explain why voters may be turning on Republicans this elections cycle: Here's Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) at a debate with Democratic challenger Dan Schwartz showing how not to treat constituents who exercise their First-Amendment right to laugh at his lame talking point: ~~~

      ~~~ Andy wasn't through being stupid. He doesn't just misunderstand the First Amendment; he also misunderstands Maryland law: ~~~

     ~~~ Zachard Leeman of Mediaite: “Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) was quickly corrected and slammed on social media on Wednesday after going viral for a meltdown in which he falsely accused a reporter of illegally recording him. Harris, a physician who sits on the House Freedom Caucus and has served in Congress since 2011, accused Cat Murphy of Capital News Service of breaking Maryland’s “two-party consent” laws about recording. People in the room explained to Harris that he was wrong and such consent refers to private conversations not in a public forum, but the congressman remained confident in his declaration. 'Take her camera,' the congressman said. 'You’re gonna take a camera. She is violating the law. In fact, get an officer in here. She’s violating the law on two-party, two-party recording.'... CNN’s Jake Tapper and others laid out just how wrong the congressman is on his own state’s laws. 'To say the very least on this, the congressman is incorrect on the law. Two-party consent is relevant only to private oral conversations, and he has zero expectation of privacy here,' Tapper wrote on X. '1st Amendment gives you the right to record public officials in public places as long as you’re not interfering with their official duties.'” (Also linked yesterday.) Here's Harris, threatening the reporter: ~~~

      ~~~ If you were trying to decide how to vote, would you vote for a guy who lashes out at constituents AND reporters? Update: According to CBS News Balto, the report Harris threatened with arrest was a student journalist. So pick on the most vulnerable, Andy: a female student who might not know you're lying about the law. Nice work.

Texas Senate Race. Marie: Oh, that 1986 photo I linked yesterday without identifying the subject? It's A Portrait of a Con Artist as a Young Man: someone whose appearance Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized: Texas attorney general and candidate for the U.S. Senate Ken Paxton. Vote Talarico. BTW, if you're wondering what Donald Trump looked like in 1986, here's a photo-portrait, which I imagine he approved. There's no accounting for taste, but I think he looked really creepy. (As for me, I looked like that self-portrait at the top of the page; I don't think Paxton would have asked me to the prom.): ~~~

 

 

~~~ Marie: Maybe I've never said so, but JayDee is a prick: ~~~

 

~~~ Katie Rogers of the New York Times: “During a visit to Tyler, Texas, on Wednesday, JD Vance opened a rally in support of the Republican nominee, Ken Paxton, by addressing a man in the crowd who expressed his admiration. 'I love you too sir,' Mr. Vance said. 'In a totally platonic way, to be clear. I’m the vice president, not James Talarico.' He paused for effect, smiling as he waited for applause.... His claim about the sexuality of Mr. Talarico ... shows the kind of personal broadsides that Mr. Vance embraces in a tough campaign environment. Mr. Vance, who just published a book about his conversion to Catholicism, has for weeks been road-testing unfounded, innuendo-based salvos against Mr. Talarico, a Presbyterian seminarian. At the Republicans’ midterm convention in Dallas last month, the vice president suggested that Mr. Talarico’s past statements supporting transgender children were evidence of inappropriate behavior.” The link is a gift link.

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