October 18, 2026

Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed uses what sounds a lot like the Talmudic method to school a student in the U.S. Constitution:

So now we find out why that map of the Potomac Golf Course was sitting on Trump's desk & why it was obscured in a photo Katie Zacharia (remember her?) posted (original story linked down the page): ~~~

~~~ Rick Maese & Dan Diamond of the Washington Post: “... Donald Trump said Sunday his administration has developed a plan to transform East Potomac Golf Links into a championship-level golf course, saying the historic public facility will close Nov. 15 and reopen approximately 15 months later. In a social media post, Trump said the Interior Department and golf architect Tom Fazio had 'developed a plan' for the property, which he said would be capable of hosting events such as the U.S. Open and the Ryder Cup. The rendering Trump released alongside the announcement depicts a dramatically remade Hains Point, with a single 18-hole championship course stretching nearly from shoreline to shoreline. It bears little resemblance to the existing course — or to the more modest historic-restoration plan that government attorneys have cited in court.

“The design also appears to eliminate Ohio Drive, the roadway that loops around Hains Point, a century-old grove of cherry trees and the historic miniature golf course. If implemented as depicted, the plan would reshape space used daily not only by golfers, but also by thousands of cyclists, runners, walkers, anglers, birdwatchers and other visitors. The announcement comes at a consequential moment in a bitter federal court fight over the property — one day before a senior Interior official is scheduled to testify about work already undertaken at the course. Government attorneys have repeatedly emphasized in court that Trump’s broader redevelopment remained conceptual and that there was no final plan being implemented, while maintaining that the recent removal of hundreds of trees was a separate effort stemming from a years-old historic-landscape report.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Gee, RAS wrote yesterday that government lawyers keep lying to the judge. Nice of Trump to confirm that. Bigly.

Here's Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) explaining, in layman's terms, Jarhead & Witless's corrupt negotiations: ~~~

Alexandra Marquez of NBC News: “... Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday dodged three times when asked whether Ukraine is an ally of the United States. 'We provide the three different things ... to Ukraine, so that’s what you do for an ally. We’re not providing those to Russia,' Bessent told NBC News’ 'Meet the Press” the second time he was asked whether the U.S. considers Ukraine an ally. Asked for a third time, the treasury secretary simply said, 'I’m not the secretary of state. I’m not the president.' Earlier, Bessent said the U.S. supports Ukraine in three keys ways, including providing intelligence, Starlink support and allowing NATO to purchases U.S. weapons to resell to Ukraine. He then accused Europe of falling short in its support for Ukraine.... Bessent’s comments came shortly after Zelenskyy appeared on the program and told “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker that it would be a 'historic mistake' for the U.S. to side with Russia in the ongoing war.” ~~~

~~~ Ukraine/Russia. Kyiv Independent: "Ukrainian forces struck an oil terminal, a data center, and a bridge in a large-scale overnight attack on St. Petersburg on Oct. 18, Russian officials and media reported. Ukrainian drones hit the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal and a data center belonging to Russia's largest social media platform VK, formerly known as VKontakte. VK confirmed that a drone had attacked its data center, saying its services remained operational. However, users reported disruptions across the social network and its affiliated platforms, according to Downdetector, a service that tracks online outages. Russian e-commerce giant Ozon reported a drone attack on one of its logistics centers. Ozon said some orders may be canceled as deliveries are rerouted to other logistics centers. The company is one of Russia's largest e-commerce platforms and a major rival of Wildberries, often dubbed 'Russia's Amazon.'" ~~~

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Tim Balk of the New York Times: “The fourth round of 'No Kings' rallies unfolded across the country on Saturday, barely two weeks ahead of the midterm elections, though they did not draw many of the Democrats running in the country’s most closely watched races. The demonstrations, which were more subdued and in many cases smaller than past 'No Kings' gatherings, were singularly focused on the election, as organizers hope to push Americans to the polls. At the same time, they were intended to be nonpartisan, organizers said. Here are four takeaways.” The link is a gift link. ~~~

~~~ Jennifer Bahney of Mediaite: “Meta inexplicably yanked the main Instagram accounts for the No Kings Coalition in the midst of Saturday’s protests across the country.... Organizer Ezra Levin told Meidas Touch, 'In the middle of that joyful experience at the protest locally, I got word from my team that Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta had suspended the Instagram account for the No Kings Coalition.... We didn’t have access to it. We couldn’t post to it. Nobody could go to the page. That was for about an hour-and-a-half, during the height of the mobilization while people were still getting their No Kings protests together. As I talk to you, there are people still pulling their No Kings protests together, but we can’t access the account now.'... [Levin said,] '... Look, this is strikingly reminiscent of what we saw in Brazil just this week. A court ruled against Meta for favoring the authoritarians in that country. And we might be seeing something similar from Meta in our country right now....'” META's communications officer Andy Stone claimed the No Kings blackout was an erroneous automatic action triggered by high-volume usage of the site. Thanks to Akhilleus for the link. See also his commentary below.

Dan Balz & Scott Clement of the Washington Post: “Two weeks from Election Day, Republicans face a bleak political landscape.... Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen to a new low, and support for Democrats in the race for control of Congress is rising as inflationary pressures contribute to an acrid mood among voters, according to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll. Trump’s approval among U.S. adults now stands at 33 percent, with 66 percent disapproving; 52 percent said they disapprove strongly. That approval rating is four percentage points lower than in July and eight points lower than at this point last year. Among likely voters, Trump’s approval is 38 percent, with 62 percent disapproving. The poll also finds that, for the first time in more than a decade, Democrats are seen as more trusted to deal with the economy.” The ABC News report is here. ~~~

~~~ Meryl Kornfield & Lydia Sidhom of the Washington Post: “Nearly 2 in 3 Americans say ... Donald Trump is using the presidency to enrich himself — and most of the increase over the past year has come from people who lean Republican, according to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll. Among Republicans and independents who lean Republican, 34 percent believe Trump is enriching himself, up from 22 percent in September 2025. Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents were already nearly unanimous, at 88 percent a year ago and 92 percent now, while independents who don’t lean toward either party were unchanged.”

Zachary Basu of Axios lists some of the stupid things Trump has done just in the first half of October that could hurt Republicans' chances in the election. "Trump is treating a moment of maximum political vulnerability like business as usual, betting that the instincts that carried him this far won't fail him now." MB: Of course Trump is proud of the stupid things he does. He boasts about them. He boasts about how powerful he is. ~~~

The Lyin' King in Winter. AP, published by CBS News: Donald "Trump touted his power in his second go-around in the White House Saturday while rallying in Kentucky to bolster Republican turnout as his party struggles in the midterms, saying, 'I can do stuff that is unbelievable.' Mr. Trump, who spoke in the city of Highland Heights to boost Republican candidates ... was riffing on his decision to change how the U.S. government refers to the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. 'I don't think I could have done this in my first term. This is a much more powerful term,' Mr. Trump said. 'Google wouldn't have taken my call in the first. Now, they kiss my ass.... Well, I also changed the name of a lake in Canada to the Lake America.'... Mr. Trump's self-proclaimed power is set against voter frustration with how he's wielded it, with tariffs and the Iran war driving up prices and more Americans seeing the president looking out for his own interests and not those of the country."

Trump Threatens California Officials with Jail. Suryatapa Chakraborty of the Hill: Donald “Trump reupped the Justice Department’s (DOJ) warning that California officials could face criminal charges if they include the mail-in ballots of the over 200,000 people the federal government identified as potential non-U.S. citizens in their midterm election count. 'They will all go to jail for a long period of time!!!' Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Friday, sharing a copy of a letter the DOJ sent to the Los Angeles County Counsel’s Office.” In fact, the feds identified 20,000 -- not 200,000 -- people it claimed were non-citizens registered to vote in California. California officials say the 20,000 list is riddled with mistakes & omissions making it impossible to comply with the federal demand. ~~~

~~~ Amanda Carpenter, writing in the Bulwark, looks at the broader Trump administration efforts to interfere with the midterm elections: "Even though ... [Donald] Trump’s efforts to bend elections to his will have so far largely failed, don’t mistake defeat for retreat. The federal government’s highest power centers are working overtime to tilt the election in the administration’s favor."

Tired of Paying TrumpGas Prices? Trump's Solution: PutinGas. Anton Troianovski & Jim Tankersley of the New York Times: “A key element in the Trump administration’s broad plan for securing peace in Ukraine is a proposal that would turn years of American energy policy upside-down. Europe, the U.S. pitch goes, should resume buying more Russian gas — a move that would be an economic boon for Moscow and give it renewed influence in the region.... [Donald] Trump’s peace envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, have brought up the idea in talks with Ukrainian and European officials, including with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv last month, according to people familiar with the talks. To help entice Russia to end the war in Ukraine, the Americans have argued, Ukraine should consider restarting pipelines that used to carry Russian natural gas to Europe. European officials in the talks have recoiled at the idea, which would undo the European Union’s years of efforts, backed by Washington, to rid itself of Russian gas. But Trump officials see Russian gas exports as a potential part of a peace settlement, given the revenues that would flow to Ukraine and what they see as the inevitable desire for cheaper energy by European voters, the people said, discussing sensitive diplomacy on the condition of anonymity.” The link is a gift link. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Why not just give Trump a job redecorating the Kremlin? I'm sure he & Putin share an affinity for all things dictator-chic. ~~~

~~~ Victoria Craw & Natalia Abbakumova of the Washington Post: “U.S. lawmakers and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday condemned ... Donald Trump’s order putting a sweeping sanctions package against Russia on hold. The executive order, signed by Trump on Friday night, waived the Russia sanctions in a bill named for the late senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), who had championed the effort before his unexpected death in July. Trump said he was issuing the waiver for reasons of national interest but did not elaborate. The sanctions were scheduled to kick in Sunday under the legislation, which was designed to squeeze Russia’s economy and deprive it of cash to fund its war against Ukraine. The legislation also targets the world’s top five buyers of Russian oil and gas, and extends sanctions against Iran.... [Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas)] circulated a column in the National Review that called on Congress to investigate the 'aid and comfort' Trump was providing to Putin. In a separate post, the Texas Republican said helping Putin was 'reckless' for America’s national security interests. “[Putin] would not stop with Ukraine and our NATO allies would be next,” Cornyn said....” Politico's story is here. An Axios report is here.

RAS & Akhilleus are amused/aghast that Trump couldn't find his ride & walked -- zigzag fashion -- right past it. Secret Service agents corral him moments later & lead him back to the Beast's open door, which he had just skirted. It's remarkable: ~~~

oh man remember when the media used to creatively edit videos to make it look like Biden was wondering off?

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— Henry (@henrythedog.bsky.social) October 16, 2026 at 9:33 PM

     ~~~ Marie: I get that these rallies are exhausting & it's all Trump can do to hang on for the hour or so of free-association ramblings. He won't have to do these rallies anymore, but I still don't see how he can last for two more years-plus. I told my local ACLU lady in December 2024 that I was afraid Trump would make it till maybe June 2028, then die or be 25th-ed out, leaving the presidency* to JayDee. Then all would be forgiven & everybody would vote for JayDee because they felt so sad about Trump. That remains my biggest fear.

Katie Hides the Evidence. Dan Diamond & Rick Maese of the Washington Post: “Katie Zacharia, who was ousted as White House press secretary on Friday, posted two photos that appear to have been digitally modified to conceal an image on ... Donald Trump’s Oval Office desk. Zacharia on Friday night posted a photo with the president in which a blurred image can be seen atop a stack of blue guidebooks on the desk. Local advocacy groups said that the image appeared to be East Potomac Park, where Trump wants to make major changes to a federally owned golf course — an initiative that is the subject of a lawsuit.... After her first post drew scrutiny, Zacharia on Saturday afternoon posted a second photo with the president in which the blurred image on the desk is not visible. Digital traces show the image has been modified, including alterations to the cover of the book on which the image was sitting — the White House Historical Association guidebook, which normally shows a picture of the executive mansion. In Zacharia’s second post, the picture of the mansion is missing from the book’s cover.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: As the reporters point out, a map of a public place & a White House guidebook cover are not exactly items that must be hidden for reasons of national security. But my guess is that Katie isn't the culprit behind the altered pix. She isn't bright enough to have recognized that the photos contained evidence against Trump. Some other malevolent White House staffer ordered the golf course image (and for some reason) the guidebook image to be obscured. As to the golf course case itself ... ~~~

~~~ DOJ Seeks to Disqualify Judge Whose Orders The Government Has Ignored. Zach Montague of the New York Times: “The Justice Department on Friday filed a motion seeking to disqualify the federal judge presiding over a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s changes to the East Potomac Golf Links, demanding that she recuse herself from the case. The motion in the escalating standoff followed a remarkable clash on Monday, when a group of preservationists and Washingtonians behind the lawsuit informed Judge Ana C. Reyes that the Trump administration had moved to abruptly clear hundreds of trees from the golf course. Judge Reyes had previously ordered the government in blunt terms not to carry out any surprise work on the municipal course, which ... [Donald] Trump has proposed transforming into a championship-level one. The revelation that the government had appeared to surreptitiously clear cut large sections of the course over a holiday weekend while giving less than 24 hours of notice drew Judge Reyes’ fury.... She did not indicate whether she would agree to recuse herself.... Mr. Trump and top administration officials have repeatedly attacked and diminished federal judges who have ruled against the president.” The link is a gift link. Thanks to RAS for the link.

Tim Balk of the New York Times: “As he stumps for midterm candidates, the president has been especially eager to talk about the physical appearance of some men.... Here are five times the ever-unscripted president has hailed or assailed men for the way they look in recent months.” The link is a gift link.

JayDee Sits for a CBS News "Town Hall" Meeting. Joe Walsh of CBS News: "In an hour-long town hall hosted by CBS News, Vice President JD Vance argued the Trump administration's handling of the economy and Iran strategy will pay dividends in the future. He was also pressed on the Trump administration's controversial immigration tactics, widespread discontent about the cost of living and his own political future during [the so-called town hall] which aired Saturday evening and was hosted by 'CBS Evening News' anchor Tony Dokoupil. Vance took questions from voters in Michigan...." ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I read through the report, which makes JayDee sound like the most reasonable fellow in the nation. Not once does Walsh contradict JayDee's pleasant platitudes, most of which are lies & fairy tales. Remarkably, Kathianne Boniello of Mediaite called it "a tough CBS News town hall" in which Tony Dokoupil & voters "pulled no punches." Boniello concentrates more on the questions than on JayDee's glib responses.

Marie: I imagine some of you like Gavin Newsom for president. I've never been a fan. I've thought for decades that he was slick & insincere. Comes now an example of what I mean: weasel words straight out of the GOP playbook & Bible Mike Johnson's mouth: ~~~

~~~ Jennifer Bahney of Mediaite: Saturday, CBS News' Jared Ochacher asked Gavin Newsom, “'Recently, your ex-wife Kimberly Guilfoyle was involved in a scandal and pushed out of her ambassadorship. Could you please share what your reaction was to that news?'... [Newsom replied,] 'I don’t know enough about it. I haven’t talked to her in a while,' Newsom said. 'I just wish her the best, and I don’t have much, honestly, much more to say on it. It’s unfortunate.'” MB: Most people would not blame Newsom for placing discussion of his ex-wife out-of-bounds. That's what he could have said. Not "I don't know enough about" a story that was front-page news all over the country.

The world is full of schemers & grifters. ~~~

Shirsho Dasgupta & Jacqueline Charles of the Miami Herald: "A private security firm founded by two people close to late country music legend Dolly Parton is at the center of an unusually complex arms deal in Haiti that several sources with knowledge of the matter say was worked out with little due diligence. The security firm, Fencebridge Strategic Risk, entered into a multimillion-dollar agreement about a year ago to supply the Haiti National Police with semi-automatic rifles and thousands of rounds of ammunition, as the agency struggles to combat violent gangs that have claimed the lives of more than 25,000 Haitians since 2021. While part of the deal has been fulfilled — some batches of 9-millimeter, 5.56-millimeter and 7.62-millimeter rounds reached Haiti recently — the delivery is still incomplete and at least $7 million of Haitian public funds paid to acquire the weaponry is unaccounted for.

"Fencebridge was founded in Tennessee in 2015 by Daniel Nozell, Parton’s longtime manager, and Bryan Seaver, one of Parton’s nephews who was also her head of security. The company lacked the necessary U.S. regulatory permits and licenses — and faced long delays getting them approved — when it decided to enter the highly lucrative and opaque world of arms purchases for Haiti’s beleaguered security forces. Under State Department policy, the country is subject to an arms embargo and export controls on purchases for the police." The link is a gift link.

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Voter suppression efforts of course are not coming from only the Trump administration. State & local Republican officials are helping out, too. For instance, how do you suppose students at a prominent historically Black college are likely to vote? ~~~

North Carolina. Brandon Caldwell of the Grio (Oct. 16): "On the first day of early voting in North Carolina, students at UNC Greensboro, Bennett College and North Carolina A&T took to the streets. In videos shared to social media, hundreds of students could be seen marching for hours to and from their new polling location.... NCA&T and UNC Greensboro both had early polling locations on their respective campuses for the 2024 general election. The Guilford County Board of Elections, however, denied both polling locations afterward, prompting students from both colleges to walk 45 minutes to their nearest early polling location. The vote against North Carolina A&T’s polling location, home to the largest 4-year historically Black college in the country, occurred earlier this summer. In January, the state Board of Elections voted 3-2 along party lines to deny NCA&T its polling site. The GOP-led Election Board then again denied NCA&T its polling location in August." Thanks to RAS for the lead.

France. Catherine Porter & Ségolène Le Stradic of the New York Times: “France was in a state of shock on Sunday, as citizens woke to streets littered with shattered glass and images of burned-out government buildings after the country’s largest demonstrations in years devolved into riots and looting. The unrest on Saturday — which led to some 1,200 arrests — caused widespread damage to several symbols of the state, including a 19th-century city hall in Limoges, a town in central France..., that was largely destroyed in a nighttime arson attack. Rioters attacked city halls from Lille in northern France to Marseille in the south, where masked infiltrators broke into the local government headquarters and tipped over a bust of Marianne, a symbol of the French Republic. Fires also destroyed a tourist office in Lyon.” The link is a gift link.

Israel. Gerry Shih, et al., of the Washington Post: “A group of European diplomats was assaulted in the West Bank on Saturday, allegedly by Israeli settlers, a day after an attack by settlers that seriously injured Washington Post photographer Heidi Levine near the Palestinian village of Abu Falah. Israeli police and military officials said they had opened an investigation into the incident involving the diplomats in Taybeh, northeast of Ramallah, and about a half-hour drive south of Abu Falah. Video showed the delegation, including representatives of France, Belgium and Poland, being assaulted by masked figures.... U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, on Saturday called the attack on Levine 'vicious' and 'cowardly,' in a post on X.” A New York Times story is here; this is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Lucia Sang of CBS News: "A police investigation is underway after European diplomats said they were assaulted by Israeli settlers while visiting the occupied West Bank on Saturday, authorities said. Meanwhile, the prime minister's office urged caution before 'drawing conclusions,' and the reports come 'amid concerns about a coordinated campaign to smear Israel.'" (Also linked yesterday.)