It’s Friday, October 23. In lieu of our midday recap yesterday, we posted our exclusive reporting containing never-before-seen videos, images, and stories exposing the true scope of the disaster on U.S. military bases overseas. Thank you to all who read and shared the story.
Before I get into today’s news, I want to start with something personal. My brothers and I have been truly humbled by the response to WTF America?!. So many of you are reading it, listening to it, finding it valuable, and spreading the word, and that means more to us than we can say.
The next 48 hours will be the most important in determining whether we make it onto the New York Times bestseller list. So if you haven’t grabbed a copy, now’s the time! Get the hardcover, get the ebook, grab the audiobook, buy a few extra as gifts, or donate a copy to your local library. Thank you. We appreciate you.
OK, now to the headlines:
Brent crude tops $117, Trump talks about taking “the whole country,” and the U.S. reportedly warns Iraq of a possible strike on Iran
Trump defends Elon Musk on Starlink, and the White House credits Melania for a narrow ceasefire Pope Leo was publicly pursuing
Trump says “we have all the cards” with Canada (where have we heard that one before?) and Mark Carney responds
Trump’s DOJ sues to block certification of Alaska’s Senate race if the Republican loses… Here we go…
Trump doubles down on his support for the vile Ramaswamy attack ad targeting Amy Acton, and Ramaswamy digs his hole deeper
Trump berates a female reporter, again…
Iran Updates and the Oil Price Spike
Donald Trump rushed out of the White House this morning on the way to Florida for yet another rally and he left a mess in his wake. Brent crude climbed above $117 a barrel, the first time since March 19. Brent is now just about $2 away from breaking its high of the year and inflation expectations are pushing even higher.
The driver is the growing fear that the U.S. will renew strikes on Iran. Trump certainly didn’t do anything to calm anyone down. Speaking to reporters, he claimed the U.S. could “take all of the oil” and “take the whole country” and he called the Strait of Hormuz “totally ours.” He then mused about whether to “finish it off or let it wither.”
This is the language of a lunatic. Meanwhile, the facts tell a very different story, as we’ve been reporting. Iran continues striking tankers in the Strait, and the closest U.S. aircraft carrier is roughly a thousand kilometers away in the Arabian Sea. Iran is an enormous country, the IRGC is deeply entrenched, and Tehran still has a large missile and drone arsenal. Any talk of “finishing it off” means a ground war that would demand hundreds of thousands of troops, likely a draft, and staggering casualties. Not to mention it would risk a much wider war.
The signs are pointing to escalation. Iraqi Kurdistan’s Channel 8 reports that Washington alerted Iraqi Prime Minister al-Zaidi to a potential strike on Iran. Al-Zaidi then warned armed groups inside Iraq not to intervene, even as major factions like the Nujaba Movement and Kata’ib Hezbollah refuse to give up their weapons. Iran has warned mediators that renewed U.S. strikes would bring attacks on Gulf airports, pipelines, and American personnel, at a time when U.S. regional interceptors are dangerously low.
Ukraine, Starlink, and Stolen Credit
A reporter today pressed Trump on who ordered the Starlink throttling on Ukraine. Trump said he had no idea and that he wouldn’t tell the reporter even if he did know. When he was told that Zelenskyy said Starlink still isn’t working in Ukraine, Trump claimed he hadn’t heard anything about that. Another reporter asked Trump whether it’s OK that the richest man in the world has so much power over a war. Trump insisted that Elon is “a very good person” who will “never do anything wrong.”
Then came the Melania announcement. The AP, citing the White House, reported that First Lady Melania Trump helped broker a ceasefire in Russian-occupied Oleshky for humanitarian aid and evacuations. The White House write-up claimed that she initiated the discussions.
That’s interesting. Because it took us about two seconds to research the truth.
Reuters report on October 16 that Pope Leo phoned Vladimir Putin and asked him to arrange a ceasefire so food and aid could reach Oleshky. Russia has occupied the small town since February 2022, and residents have reported a deepening food crisis.
The Vatican made clear the initiative was the Pope’s. So why is the White House taking credit? And why are publications like the AP taking the White House at its word?
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Oh, Canada
Trump attacked Canada and Zelenskyy in the same breath, saying, again, “we have all the cards. Just like I told Zelenskyy.” Prime Minister Carney, speaking in Istanbul, responded that Canada “will never be the 51st state,” adding that Canadians are preparing and getting stronger.
Here We Go Again…
Earlier, Trump’s DOJ filed a lawsuit asking a federal judge, before a single vote is counted, to block certification of the U.S. Senate race in Alaska if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses to Democrat Mary Peltoa. The DOJ says certification should be stopped if Sullivan loses, but would have won every vote if not for the candidacy of Daniel J. Sullivan. There’s no equivalent remedy if Peltoa loses, of course.
We’ve seen this movie before. After 2020, Trump pressured state officials, pushed fraud lies, backed fake electors, and leaned on Mike Pence, all leading to January 6. Now his own DOJ is fighting certification before votes are even cast.
And Trump is admitting the orders came from him.
Speaking in Florida, Trump admitted, “I'm the one that said do it. They have two Dan Sullivans.”
There you have it.
Trump admits the DOJ takes his direct orders.
Blanche has repeatedly denied this.
Their corruption knows no bounds.
Trump and Ramaswamy Double Down on Amy Acton
A reporter mentioned to Trump that Amy Acton is estranged from her mother because her stepfather was indicted for raping her as a child, and asked whether he’d change his mind about the attack ad featuring that mother. Trump doubled down on his support for the ad.
Some of the back and forth between Trump and reporters:
Q: Amy Acton's stepfather was indicted for rape. Now that you know all that, sir, do you change your mind about the ad?
Trump: No. I don't careQ: Do the sexual abuse allegations mean nothing to you, sir?
Trump: Fake news. Quiet. You're a horrible little reporter, aren't you?
On the mother:
Trump: Anybody seeing that would say, 'no way I'm voting for her.' It's very simple. The mother looks like she's totally lucid. She looks very smart actually.
And Vivek Ramaswamy, when confronted about the ad by a reporter, said Acton being a victim of childhood sexual abuse makes her “flawed,” adding, “in politics sometimes it’s a tough sport.”
This is why I keep saying this isn’t a political thing for me. We are in a fight of good vs. evil. This is unconscionable behavior.
You’re a crucial part of this fight. So thanks for liking, re-stacking, and supporting our work. And thanks to all our paid subscribers for keeping us going.
Shoutout to the Meidas Mighty!
Thank you Brett. It's not usually this clear, but this is a case of good vs. evil. Absolutely.
Ramaswamy is despicable