I've got a website, I've been tabbing under my skin, my heart is Firefox, my X feed's boiling, my platform IBM ...
"As a lifelong Democrat, I have a very hard time finding myself at home in the Democratic Party right now," Michigan voter Eddie Rubin tells @tonydokoupil. Rubin, whose two youngest children survived the March 12 attack at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield when a man rammed a truck into the building, says antisemitism is one of the most important issues in the midterm elections and he wants to see leaders from both parties address it. "This should be an issue that is on everyone's mind and a human issue," Rubin says. "It's not a party issue." Tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT, watch voters like Rubin take their questions directly to Vice President JD Vance in "Things That Matter: A Town Hall with Vice President JD Vance," on CBS and @paramountplus.
— CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil (@CBSEveningNews) October 17, 2026
Rubin, whose two youngest children survived the March 12 attack at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield when a man rammed a truck into the building, says antisemitism is one of the most important issues in the midterm elections and he wants to see leaders from both parties address it.
"This should be an issue that is on everyone's mind and a human issue," Rubin says. "It's not a party issue."
Ed: It's not entirely a party issue, but only one party is mainstreaming antisemites. Only one party has elected an antisemite as mayor of NYC, and only one party has nominated several of them to the House and Senate. Republicans – and Vance in particular – may need to do better at marginalizing the antisemitic cranks on the Right, but the GOP isn't nominating Hamasniks and worse to Congress.
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Free Beacon: "I wish it was true that hurt people always help people; I'd love to live in that world," El-Sayed said. "I want us to understand pain for what it is and end the cycle of violence that we see anywhere against anyone."
El-Sayed's answer prompted a rebuke from Taylor Weintraub, whose five-year-old son attends Temple Israel. A lifelong Democrat, Weintraub has publicly supported El-Sayed's Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, saying it marks the first time she's voting for a GOP candidate.
"I just can't believe that there's any justification for somebody wanting to kill my five-year-old Jewish-American son over something that happened overseas," Weintraub told the Free Beacon. "I believe that when he's talking around it, it's actually making it worse," she added in reference to El-Sayed.
"I just need somebody who's going to stand up for us, say it for what it is, and stop spreading false things about Israel," Weintraub went on, "because it does spread right back into the Jewish population."
Ed: Let's hope that Michigan voters understand this more broadly, and not just the Jewish voters. It always starts with persecuting the Jews, but it never ends there.
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The reason you guys think there's no Democratic "Elon Musk" is because researching and reporting on that means looking into Reid Hoffman, which would be very inconvenient for the whole "Epstein class" narrative. It would also mean looking into Neville Roy Singham, who is funding the AI doomerism the media is all in on.
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) October 16, 2026
... who is funding the AI doomerism the media is all in on.
Ed: Not to mention the other pro-CCP messaging that Singham funds. He's also funding the Free Palestine movement, according to a May 2024 report from the Network Contagion Research Institute, in connection with Beijing. Hoffman has been funding the lawsuit brought by E. Jean Carroll against Donald Trump, too. And let's not even start on George Soros and his son Alex, or the now-defunct Arabella Advisors network and its active successor, The Sixteen Thirty Fund.
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BizPac Review (October 9): Democrat Texas Senate hopeful James Talarico’s campaign is being backed by a familiar name, leftist billionaire Reid Hoffman, a former associate of the notorious dead pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The Lone Star State lawmaker has Republicans fearful that Democrats could actually win the seat, with tens of millions being poured into the closely watched race against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has been endorsed by President Donald J. Trump.
The New York Post reported on a $10 million check that was donated to the pro-Talarico super PAC Lone Star Rising in June after the candidate beat out ghetto trash-talking Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) in the March primary. ...
While it pales in comparison to the GOP money, the at least $11.5 million from Hoffman has a serious stench given his past associations with Epstein, a fiendish sex trafficker of underage girls and reputed blackmailer of the rich and powerful.
Ed: The NYP reported it, BizPac Review reported it, and we have reported it, more than once. You know who hasn't reported it? The rest of the Protection Racket Media.
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Talarico compares his race to David and Goliath: "We are going up against our own Goliaths. Those billionaire mega donors..." He keeps pretending to not be funded by billionaires while being funded by Reid Hoffman. Legacy press is fine with the deception. https://t.co/AZTDCB5gKM
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) October 16, 2026
Ed: See above. The mainstream media has been entirely silent on Hoffman, Singham, and Soros while hyperventilating about Musk. Of the billionaires investing in this race, Musk is the only one who actually manufactures and produces. The rest are primarily financiers.
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NY Post: A Texas Democratic congressional candidate’s campaign reported more than $4,300 in spending on cookies, Mexican restaurant purchases and beer and wine earlier this year, according to federal election records, drawing renewed attention after a heated debate in which she apologized for a remark about her Republican opponent “making fun of Nazis.”
Katy Padilla Stout, the Democrat nominee for Texas’ 23rd Congressional District, reported expenditures totaling $4,338.14 in five transactions in March and April, according to spending details cited in an August report by RedState and records attributed to the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
The reported purchases included $675 for cookies for a campaign event, $1,289.22 at Total Wine and $2,373.92 at Las Guitarras Cocina Mexicana.
The expenditures have also become a line of attack for Republican Brandon Herrera, whose campaign website showcases the cookie purchase and accuses Stout of using donor funds to pay for the treats.
Ed: Can't wait for Stout to complain about body-shaming with these attacks. This seems like small potatoes for a congressional campaign, frankly, but it may stick as a sign of a lack of seriousness. TX-23 is an R+7 district that covers most of Texas' border with Mexico, roughly two-thirds Hispanic voters but particularly sensitive to border issues. It went 57/42 for Trump two years ago. The seat has been empty since Tony Gonzales resigned after an affair went horribly awry and his mistress killed herself by self-immolation. That may be the only cloud on Herrera's electoral chances.
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James talarico says he will "absolutely" vote to take your guns away. #TXsen #2A https://t.co/zRNr15laEO
— Lone Star Liberty PAC (@LoneStar_PAC) October 16, 2026
Ed: No one's surprised by this, right? Surely Texans will not be surprised that an Austin progressive plans to sell them out to curry favor with the hard-Left elite and the DSA.
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Politico: Donald Trump is barnstorming the country to boost Republicans in the final weeks of the midterms. But many candidates want to keep that support quiet.
The president is nowhere to be found in GOP ads, even in red states where Republicans were happy to tout his endorsement two years ago. And some candidates are hesitant to appear with Trump on the campaign trail — even as they hope he will help juice turnout among the MAGA base in November.
Democratic House and Senate candidates and outside groups have spent $145 million on general election ads mentioning Trump, while Republicans have spent just $8 million, according to a POLITICO analysis of data from AdImpact, which tracks political advertising. That’s in sharp contrast to 2024, when GOP candidates spent $62 million on ads mentioning Trump.
Ed: Come on, man. This is not brain surgery. Trump headed the ticket in 2024 and GOP candidates needed to show their connection to him. Trump isn't on the ticket, but Trump has campaigned far harder than any sitting president in history for a midterm cycle. Trump is already turning out the base; GOP candidates need to focus on voters in the middle. Much of the GOP candidate advertising is likely going to negative/comparison advertising that focuses on the radical shift of Democrats in this cycle. To do otherwise would be political malpractice.
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Multiple sources have confirmed to me that federal agents went dumpster diving to get DNA from Minnesota Congresswoman @IlhanMN and her family before the raid on her D.C. home earlier this week. Our reporting suggests investigations go far beyond simple immigration fraud. NewsNation sources say the likely coming indictments will be stunning in nature and far beyond anything the public has understood the case to be about.
— Leland Vittert (@LelandVittert) October 17, 2026
NewsNation sources say the likely coming indictments will be stunning in nature and far beyond anything the public has understood the case to be about.
Ed: I wonder if they're making a case that connects Omar's alleged immigration fraud to the massive federal-funds fraud that took place in Minnesota. The DoJ clearly has a vested interest in pursuing Omar, and that can't be simply to justify denaturalization.
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The College Fix: Two prominent conservative Christian speakers whose ministries are focused on college campuses say Baylor University — one of the largest Christian universities in the country — essentially forced them to cancel their visit by wielding administrative red tape and extra costly fees.
The two scholars also argue the incident is just the latest example of how the private Baptist research university in Waco is suffering from mission drift, which they say is prioritizing cultural Marxism and progressive ideology over Christianity.
Corey Miller, president of Ratio Christi, a nationwide group of campus apologetics ministries, and Frank Turek, founder of Cross Examined, which defends the Christian faith in talks at institutions across the country, were scheduled to speak at Baylor on Oct. 5.
A last-minute increase in security fees forced them to cancel the event, they said.
Ed: I spent a week in September working on this story, based on tips I received that claimed Baylor was doing exactly this. I got statements from sources on background, a statement from Baylor on the record, and consulted with people in the First Amendment sphere. When I reached out to Ratio Christi, their spokesman assured me that they were satisfied with the arrangements and happy to be working with Baylor, so I ended up dropping the story. They're complaining now, but they had an opportunity to air this out in time to deal honestly with Baylor's interference. I'm glad Ratio Christi finally told the real story, but it's a bit late. And yes, I still have the receipts on this.
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Lol Mike Rogers suggested placing cops to protect poll watchers from being intimidated and the Democrats think that’s a gotcha https://t.co/xTWr8Pbc0o
— GayLumberjack (@gay_lumberjack) October 17, 2026
Ed: Poll watchers are entirely legit, and Democrats know it. They're freaking out because Republicans are actually preparing for their shenanigans this time.
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Abdul El-Sayed wants to represent Palestine, I want to represent Michigan. pic.twitter.com/AuW5oKFvP4
— Mike Rogers (@MikeRogersForMI) October 17, 2026
Ed: This is an effective ad. Let's hope Rogers and the NRSC gives it plenty of air time.
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Sen. Susan Collins from the top rope, calls out Troy Jackson after he told her to “shut up”: “I was struck by how reflexive the response, ‘Oh, shut up,’ was. But then I thought about the reputation that Troy Jackson has in Augusta, particularly when he’s dealing with women with whom he disagrees…” Sen. Collins is one of the best to ever do it. https://t.co/MkROByOpKG
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) October 17, 2026
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Abdul El-Sayed Issues Fatwa Against Journalists Who Ask Questions About His Support For Terrorism https://t.co/kO4bn8m1Ua
— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) October 16, 2026
Ed: Yes, it's satire. I think.
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Last night's lyric: "Sussudio" by Phil Collins. Anyone figure out this week's theme yet? I don't plan to always have a theme, but John Ondrasik inspired this one with his karaoke-bar story last weekend...
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