October 29, 2026

Anita Gates & William McDonald of the New York Times: “Patrick Stewart, who overcame a bleak childhood in England’s coal-mining country to find acclaim as a Shakespearean actor before making an unlikely career pivot in middle age that would bring him his greatest fame, playing a noble starship captain on the TV series 'Star Trek: The Next Generation,' died on Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 86.” The link is a gift link.

Zach Montague of the New York Times: “A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to provide a list of states it targeted with demands that state and local officials change how they will administer the midterm election, including that they set aside specific ballots for extra scrutiny. The order from Chief Judge James E. Boasberg in Federal District Court in Washington could provide new transparency into the Trump administration’s efforts to pressure local officials ahead of next week’s election. It came in a lawsuit brought by a broad coalition of Democratic politicians and party organizations that is seeking a court order prohibiting the Trump administration from interfering in election administration.” The link is a gift link.

Reid Epstein of the New York Times: “Sly maneuvering around third-party candidates is a time-honored, bipartisan tradition in politics.... In Ohio, Republicans have spent more than $2.2 million to promote a socialist candidate in the state’s vital Senate race, aiming to pull votes from the Democratic nominee, former Senator Sherrod Brown. In Virginia, a Republican group has sent mailers highlighting the Democratic-leaning positions of a self-described 'radical centrist' running as an independent in a competitive House race. And in Nebraska, both major parties are jockeying to help minor candidates peel votes away from Senator Pete Ricketts, the Republican incumbent, and his Democratic-backed independent challenger, Dan Osborn. With modern elections often decided by extremely thin margins and billions of dollars sloshing through campaigns, both parties have ample incentives and opportunities to gain an edge through mischief involving third parties. The jockeying around spoiler candidates is widely considered a legal yet shadowy part of political campaigning that has gone on for decades.” The link is a gift link.

Secretary Pete Has His Own Waffle House Index. Thanks to RAS for the lead. (BTW, I don't think Trump will be sending Scott Bissent out to call Pete Buttigieg an elisist):

A Very Special Undocumented Immigrant. Kim Young-a of SBS News (South Korea): "It has been revealed that close aides to ... Donald Trump were deeply involved in the process of Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro fleeing to the U.S. after being defeated in the Brazilian presidential runoff election. The U.S. daily The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 28th that Senator Flavio Bolsonaro's entry into the U.S. was the result of a "joint operation" between high-ranking U.S. officials, including close aides to President Trump, and the camp of Argentine President Javier Milei. According to the report, Senator Bolsonaro's "Brazil escape operation" began in earnest on the 26th, the day after the presidential election defeat.... It was learned that U.S. figures, including Jason Miller, an adviser to ... [Donald] Trump, directly arranged a charter flight to the U.S. to help Senator Bolsonaro, who was facing the threat of arrest." Thanks to RAS for the lead. ~~~

     ~~~ Update. Edward Wong, et al., of the New York Times: “Flávio Bolsonaro, the Brazilian presidential candidate who faces multiple criminal investigations, is staying in Florida on a temporary status that was given following orders by ... [Donald] Trump, and will likely be granted permanent residency later, U.S. officials said. Mr. Bolsonaro fled Brazil after losing an election this week. U.S. border agents allowed him and his family to enter the United States on what is called parole, usually given for humanitarian reasons, after they landed in Miami on a private jet on Wednesday morning, a U.S. official said that day. The jet had been arranged by a White House official.... [Mr.] Trump said later that afternoon that Mr. Bolsonaro had been given 'a pass' to enter the country....

“The Department of Homeland Security ... said Mr. Bolsonaro and his family 'were met and inspected by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in accordance with applicable immigration laws and procedures. At the conclusion of the inspection, Mr. Bolsonaro and his accompanying family members were released.' A public U.S. government record suggests that Mr. Bolsonaro presented a canceled Brazilian diplomatic passport on arrival, according to a review by The New York Times.... The State Department [and the White House] said ... on Tuesday that it planned to issue visas to Mr. Bolsonaro and his family allowing them to enter the country.” MB: Ha Ha. Here I was, counting on Markwayne to kick that guy's ass to the curb, the way he does with all the other refugees.

~~~~~~~~~~

Brendan Rascius, et al., of the Independent: “... Donald Trump and Barack Obama held dueling midterms rallies Wednesday night to drum up support for their parties ahead of next Tuesday’s elections. Trump was speaking in Ohio and stumping for Republican Sen. Jon Husted, whose physique he was once again admiring, when a protester began yelling about Jeffrey Epstein.... Obama, stumping for Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in Georgia, meanwhile laughed off the drama surrounding his joke last week about Trump’s White House renovations leaving it looking like a Cheesecake Factory restaurant opened by the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. The remark angered the president’s MAGA base, which accused Obama of “elitism” and being out of touch with working Americans. 'This was all crazy,' he said in Atlanta. 'They mobilized a whole government response to that joke – not inflation – but to that joke.'” ~~~

     ~~~ Here's an excellent clip. "These are not serious people": ~~~

~~~ MEANWHILE, Jen Psaki said this was the "crowd" who came to see Donald Trump speak in Chillicothe, Ohio: ~~~

~~~ Kathryn Wilkins of Mediaite: Garrett Haake, NBC News' chief White House correspondent, said on social media, “I’ve covered dozens if not hundreds of Trump rallies and I can’t recall him ever holding one in a room as small as this arena in Chillicothe, Ohio.” MB: BTW: Reportedly, 10,000 people attended President Obama's rally in Georgia. ~~~

~~~ Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), Classic Bigot, Is Unfamiliar with U.S. Constitution. Michael Luciano of Mediaite: “Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) said on Wednesday night that anyone who does not believe that Jesus died for their salvation is unfit to serve in the Senate.... 'On Monday, I went up and campaigned with Mike Rogers& [R-Michigan] because he’s in a race with somebody that just is an affront to me as an American,' Moreno said. 'By the way, an affront to me as a naturalized citizen to this country.' Moreno was born in Colombia. [Rogers' Democratic opponent Dr. Abdul] El-Sayed was born in suburban Detroit. 'This character, Abdul El-Sayed, can be nowhere near Washington, D.C.,' he continued before saying non-Christians have no business in the Senate. 'Do you think he understands that concept? That our rights come from God Almighty? That Jesus came here for our salvation. He should be nowhere near Washington, D.C. And Mike Rogers is gonna kick his ass on Tuesday.' Moreno’s litmus test – that only people who believe that “Jesus came here for our salvation” should serve in the Senate – would exclude not only Muslims, but Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, atheists, and everyone else who does not subscribe to his religion. It is worth noting that Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, a Hindu, also spoke at the rally.”

Grumpy Old Man. Katie Rogers of the New York Times: “The White House has been rocked by turnover and anxiety over the midterms. The president, who is tightening his inner circle, has lashed out at critics, held meandering rallies and feasted on a diet of news clips and 'A.I. slop,' as one aide put it.” The link is a gift link.

Trump: You Loser-Peons Can't Afford Mar-a-Lardo! David Gilmour of Mediaite: “... Donald Trump sparked a wave of ridicule online after joking, for the second time, that his promised $5,000 dividend would barely cover a hamburger at his luxury Mar-a-Lago resort, just days after conservatives accused former President Barack Obama of elitism over a Cheesecake Factory joke. Trump made the remarks during a Tuesday rally in Corpus Christi, Texas.... The president told supporters they could spend the [$5,000] at his Florida club, before acknowledging that it might not stretch very far. 'The problem is that for $5,000 the most you’ll be able to buy is a hamburger and maybe a small dessert,' Trump said. 'I’m not even sure you could buy that!' 'No, don’t go there,' he added. 'It’s not a good place if you’re price conscious.'... Congress has not authorized Trump’s proposed $5,000 payments, and the administration has yet to explain how it would be distributed.” (Also linked yesterday.)

Zach Montague of the New York Times: “The Trump administration will close most of East Potomac Park in Washington beginning on Nov. 15, embracing ... [Donald] Trump’s plan to redevelop the municipal golf course there into a championship-level course geared toward professional golfers, the government said in a court filing on Wednesday. The notice, filed in a lawsuit aiming to stop the redevelopment, served as the federal government’s first official acknowledgment that it was embracing the president’s vision to turn the space into a property resembling the golf courses his family company owns and operates. It followed months of denials by the government in court that any changes to the site — including the removal of hundreds of trees earlier this month — were part of preparations to realize Mr. Trump’s plan. Just last week, Stanley Woodward Jr., the third-ranking official at the Justice Department, contradicted Mr. Trump’s post online the day before and told Judge Ana C. Reyes of the Federal District Court in Washington in court on Oct. 19 that there was no plan to close the course. She had ordered Mr. Woodward to appear in person again on Friday to clarify.” The link is a gift link.~~~

     ~~~ Rick Maese of the Washington Post: “Trump, meanwhile, said in a social media post Wednesday night that East Potomac was 'highly dangerous, dilapidated, and absolutely disgusting,' citing holes in the driving-range netting, deteriorating wood and what he described as unsanitary conditions. He said an unnamed White House staffer had been struck in the chest by a ball that went through the netting and argued that the driving range should be closed 'immediately.' ... Trump['s] only known visit to the course came in June with [Tom] Fazio, the famed golf architect. 'The current condition of the golf course is a National Disgrace, but we will make it a WORLD CLASS PUBLIC Golf Course that is AFFORDABLE for locals.' He closed by saying he would hold the federal judge 'fully responsible for anybody who is hurt, or killed, on this very dangerous, dilapidated, and unsightly Golf Course.'”

Arc de Trump News. Ashley Ahn of Politico: “A soaring triumphal arch that ... Donald Trump wants to erect near Arlington National Cemetery would be a 'generational defense opportunity' and not merely decorative, two of his Cabinet secretaries argued in court declarations Wednesday. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, in court filings submitted to a federal court hearing a challenge to the project, said the 250-foot arch would be used to counter drone attacks and to serve as a base for snipers and drone operators.” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: First, it was going to be a wonderful tourist destination. Then it was going to be a military facility holding an arsenal & hosting snipers. Then a couple of weeks ago, The National Capital Planning Commission ... posted new renderings ... [who do not mention] a military purpose for the arch, with officials instead offering information on planned tourist visits and other ceremonial functions," according to the Washington Post. Now, it's back to being a cartoonish (Bang! Swish!) military installation. The right hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing.

Anton Troianovski of the New York Times: “Russia is discussing sanctions relief with the Trump administration for the country’s flagship state investment fund, the Kremlin said Wednesday, underscoring President Vladimir V. Putin’s efforts to wring economic benefits from the negotiations on ending his war with Ukraine. Mr. Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, described the discussions in comments to Russian journalists on Wednesday, confirming a New York Times report this week.... The Trump administration is considering lifting sanctions on the fund, the Russian Direct Investment Fund, The Times reported on Tuesday. A U.S. official said the administration was assessing the fund’s application for sanctions to be removed through established procedures as part of an effort to 'improve U.S.-Russia relations and help end the war.' The Biden administration imposed sanctions on the fund days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, calling it 'a slush fund' for Mr. Putin that was 'emblematic of Russia’s broader kleptocracy.'” The link is a gift link.~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I guess it would be ridiculous to expect Trump to lift sanctions that (a) Putin wanted lifted, (b) were initiated by President Biden, and (c) promoted kleptocracy, Trump's favorite form of government.

Farnaz Fassihi & Tyler Pager of the New York Times: “Vice President JD Vance has contacted a top Iranian political and military official to propose a renewal of comprehensive peace negotiations, according to a senior U.S. official and an Iranian official.... Mr. Vance made the outreach in a letter sent last week via Qatari meditators and delivered Sunday to Gen. Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and former commander in chief of the Revolutionary Guards Corps, the officials said. In the letter, Mr. Vance suggested that American and Iranian officials meet soon, adding that he would lead the talks for the United States. The proposal was received well by Iran’s leaders, many of whom view Mr. Vance as an influential figure who could help bring an end to hostilities, the Iranian official said. Mr. Rezaei was expected to formally reply by Thursday. Mr. Trump read the vice president’s letter and approved it before it was sent to Tehran, the U.S. official said.” The link is a gift link.

Dan Lamothe of the Washington Post: “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his team have forced out another top general at the Pentagon, the latest in a long-running purge of senior military officials, four people familiar with the matter said. Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia served as director for strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Staff, reporting to Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Caine’s staff released a statement Wednesday night thanking Sylvia for his 32 years of service, without explaining what precipitated his departure.... Sylvia’s abrupt removal has infuriated colleagues, who saw him as a battle-tested and thoughtful leader....” An ABC News story is here.

Shawn Hubler of the New York Times: “A federal judge on Wednesday rejected the latest Trump administration attempt to intervene in the midterm elections, denying an effort to force California to immediately set aside 20,000 ballots from people the administration suspects are 'likely noncitizens.' In a scathing ruling, Judge David O. Carter wrote that the administration’s demand for urgent action 'would wreak havoc and disrupt the election that is already underway, create a chilling effect on election workers and voters alike, and discount the votes of United States citizens.... Never before in American history has the federal government, on the eve of an election, sought to coerce a state and local government to abandon their own constitutional elections procedures and bend to the will of the executive branch.... In bringing this lawsuit, the executive would have this court believe that it reigns as a sole sovereign. But California and its people are sovereign, too.' The Justice Department immediately appealed the ruling. In a social media post, Bill Essayli, the top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, framed the request to set aside the ballots as an attempt to safeguard the election.” The link is a gift link. A Courthouse News Service report is here.

Meet Your ICE Agent! Maria Sacchetti, et al., of the Washington Post: “An activist group published a searchable database of more than 41,000 Department of Homeland Security employees and contractors on Wednesday, exposing the identities and contact information for immigration officers, border agents and undercover investigators, according to documents posted online. A 'hacktivist' group that calls itself the Department of Peace said online that it gained access to secure DHS databases through the single sign-on service that agency employees use to log into internal systems. The group shared the records with the nonprofit group Distributed Denial of Secrets and a Swiss hacker whose online identity is maia arson crimew. The Swiss hacker then created a searchable online database that includes 'employee names, offices, contact information, and assignments,' the nonprofit said.” A CNBC report is here.

Ali Winston of Wired: "Attorneys for 15 Minnesota residents facing federal conspiracy charges have obtained evidence of a sweeping, possibly unconstitutional spying operation carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement against left-wing social movements in Minnesota and beyond. The high-profile Minnesota 15 prosecution makes clear that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), flush with federal funds and newly hired personnel, is now ... Donald Trump’s primary tool against dissent, with a powerful array of post-9/11 investigative authorities brought to bear against everyday Americans organizing their communities. Nothing of this scale has been seen in the United States, experts say, since the federal government’s counterinsurgency against the New Left and the anti-war movement in the 1960s and 1970s." MB: If you've used up your Wired freebies for the month, digby has republished some of Winston's report. Digby's comments on the spy ops are notable.

Sideshow Medicine Man. Christina Jewett of the New York Times: “Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on Wednesday that he would allow widespread patient access to unapproved peptide injections made popular by internet influencers, sparking serious concern among drug safety experts. The plan would bypass the most standard Food and Drug Administration safeguards for approving drugs, such as tests to see if the compounds work better than a placebo and whether they might cause cancer or birth defects. To do so, Mr. Kennedy announced 'enforcement discretion,' meaning he will tacitly allow companies to produce the unproven injections without going through the usual review process. Mr. Kennedy, who has said publicly that he has benefited from using peptides, propelled the matter forward, declaring on podcasts early this year that the F.D.A. would lift restrictions to widespread use. But in a highly unusual turn of events, the document released Wednesday suggested that his action was unilateral and couched the decision as Mr. Kennedy’s alone. F.D.A. scientists previously advised against widespread use of the peptides, and none were present in at least one meeting Tuesday finalizing the policy.” The link is a gift link. An ABC News story is here.

Annals of “Journalism,” Ctd. Stephanie Kaloi of Mediaite: “Former 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley accused his old bosses at CBS News of ordering him to 'put a thumb on the scale' for President Donald Trump Wednesday, something he also said 'was anathema to all of us who had worked at 60 Minutes for so many years.'” (Also linked yesterday.)

Robert McFadden of the New York Times: “Dolores Huerta, who with Cesar Chavez founded what became the United Farm Workers and led strikes and boycotts in the 1960s and ’70s that unionized many California table-grape growers, changing laws and the lives of thousands of migrant laborers, died on Wednesday at her home in Bakersfield, Calif. She was 96.” The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~Sí, Se Puede. Lawrence O'Donnell, & Barack & Michelle Obama remember Delores Huerta.

~~~~~~~~~~

⭐Alaska Senate Race. New York Times Fingers Peltola. Kellen Browning of the New York Times: “The Peltola campaign has repeatedly denied any involvement in [the] candidacy [of Dan J. Sullivan, the candidate who shares a first and last name with the sitting Republican senator]. But The Times has found, based on interviews and text messages, along with documents prepared for a potential lawsuit against the campaign, that not only did [former Rep. Mary] Peltola’s team work with people trying to recruit Mr. Sullivan to run for Senate, but the effort was much broader. The group worked to coax other would-be spoilers into the race, to dilute the incumbent’s support and help catapult the Democrat to victory. The endeavor, which was internally called the ballot composition project, involved secret trips to far-flung Alaskan communities and the appearance of a mysterious Midwestern operative, who traversed the state using a fake name and made his pitch to would-be candidates over beers at brew pubs. It also involved the Peltola campaign’s lawyers, as well as senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which directs the party’s campaign strategy in Senate races across the country....

“'Alaskan voters need to know,' said Elisa Rios, Ms. Peltola’s former campaign manager and longtime aide, who was fired amid a staff shake-up in August, and agreed to a series of interviews with The Times since then.... Ms. Peltola was not directly involved in the project, Ms. Rios said, but she was 'definitely aware.' The operation had impact. On Tuesday, Ms. Peltola will be the only Democrat on the ballot, facing off against the two Mr. Sullivans and a long-shot candidate named Gerald Heikes who was also recruited into the race, according to The Times’s reporting. Polls give Ms. Peltola a strong chance of winning.” The link is a gift link. Read on. Rios tried to retract her remarks to the Times, but the Times said nothing doing inasmuch as her statements were consistent with the Times' other reporting. (Also linked yesterday.)

     ~~~ Marie: This stunt could be what costs Democrats a majority in the Senate. I don't mind the stunt as much as I do being lied to about who engineered it. ~~~

~~~ Kellen Browning & Anna Griffin of the New York Times: “Alaska’s [Republican] governor [Mike Dunleavy] on Wednesday night said he was ordering an investigation into whether Mary Peltola’s campaign for Senate should face criminal charges or civil penalties over its role in recruiting candidates to draw votes from the state’s Republican incumbent.... Earlier in the day..., [Donald] Trump demanded that Ms. Peltola, a Democrat, be removed from the ballot and prosecuted without explaining what crime, if any, was committed....

“Lauren French, a spokeswoman for the Senate Majority PAC, a Democratic group aligned with Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader, posted a series of examples of G.O.P. chicanery on X. Her posts included the instance of a super PAC with Republican ties spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in Alaska to prop up Democratic and Green Party candidates in this year’s Senate primary. In 2024, the Alaska Republican Party participated in a lawsuit arguing to keep on the ballot a Democratic candidate for the U.S. House who was a federal inmate campaigning from a prison in New York.... Scott Kendall, a lawyer in Anchorage who has worked for Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican, and former Gov. Bill Walker, an independent, said the Democratic effort to influence the ballot might amount to a “dirty trick,” but one with a long history in American politics.” The link is a gift link.

Minnesota. Kathianne Boniello of Mediaite: “Authorities in Minnesota charged two right wing influencers with unlawful voting and identity theft after the pair attempted to impersonate Muslim voters at a polling place — complete with burqas and phony accents. James O’Keefe, who is known for his undercover videos, and Cam Higby said they were trying to call attention to a Minnesota law which allows a person to vouch for others who may not yet be registered — up to eight people, who are then permitted to vote without showing ID. The pair showed up at polling places during the August primary and later posted video of their efforts. On Wednesday, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced O’Keefe, 42, and Higby, 26, were being charged with felony unlawful voting and identity theft.... Moriarty alleged the pair used names of registered voters without those people’s knowledge....” (Also linked yesterday.)

New Hampshire Senate Race. Jess Bidgood of the New York Times: “On Wednesday night, Representative Chris Pappas, a Democrat, and former Senator John E. Sununu, a Republican, clashed in a tense debate at the WMUR television studio in Manchester, fighting over Social Security and the cause of the high cost of living, and seeking to yoke each other to unpopular figures in their respective parties. Mr. Pappas and Mr. Sununu are running for a seat currently held by the retiring Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat.... Mr. Pappas, who leads in polling, seized opportunities to attack Mr. Sununu and present him as beholden to President Trump — perhaps reflecting a degree of discomfort that Mr. Sununu has been able to keep the race competitive by presenting himself as independent of the unpopular president. Here are five takeaways from the night.” The link is a gift link.

Texas Gubernatorial Race. Kayla Guo of the Texas Tribune: "A remarkable amount of money flowed into the Texas governor’s race over the last month, marked by a furious fundraising push by Gov. Greg Abbott as he finds himself in an unusually competitive race against Democrat Gina Hinojosa. From Sept. 25 through Oct. 24, the span covered by new campaign finance reports due Monday, Abbott raised $26 million — the highest total he has posted in any reporting period this cycle.... Nearly one-fifth of Abbott’s latest haul came from one man: Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, who has also bankrolled a nine-figure GOP spending binge in the U.S. Senate race. Abbott also spent heavily, dropping $35.8 million in the last month. Hinojosa picked up her fundraising, too, in the past four weeks, raising $17.5 million and spending $19.1 million. Both totals are her highest for a reporting period this cycle. The Austin lawmaker ran on a shoestring budget for much of the campaign, overshadowed by the intensely competitive U.S. Senate race between [Ken] Paxton and Democrat James Talarico, and the perception that Abbott was nearly unassailable. But Hinojosa has gained sudden momentum in the final months...." (Also linked yesterday.)

~~~~~~~~~~

Brazil/U.S. Ana Ionova, et al., of the New York Times: “Flávio Bolsonaro, the presidential candidate defeated in Brazil’s elections, landed in Miami on Wednesday, according to a U.S. official, fleeing his country after Brazilian authorities asked him to surrender his passports as part of a money-laundering investigation. Mr. Bolsonaro arrived in the United States after apparently vanishing for a whirlwind 24 hours during which it was largely unclear where he was and how, or if, he would reach the United States. The State Department plans to issue visas allowing him and his family to enter the country, a senior department official said on Tuesday.... Just after 9:30 a.m., Mr. Bolsonaro could be seen leaving a plane at a private airport outside Miami along with his family, according to news media video footage. The group was ushered into an S.U.V. shortly after exiting the airport, hidden under umbrellas.” The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~Update. New Lede: “Flávio Bolsonaro, the candidate defeated in Brazil’s elections, landed in Miami on Wednesday, declaring himself the legitimate leader of the nation he fled after Brazilian authorities asked him to surrender his passports as part of a money-laundering investigation.” Emphasis added.