It’s Friday, October 30. We made it to the end of another week.
Here are the top headlines:
Trump’s rambling Iran interview as tankers get hit in the Strait of Hormuz
The rally cancellation and the rally un-cancellation
Trump insulting a Reuters reporter’s weight, and the White House piling on
A federal judge launching an investigation into Trump DOJ attorneys over the East Potomac golf course
Ted Cruz warning of a Republican “bloodbath”
A DOJ criminal probe into California voter rolls
JD Vance’s disastrous Fox town hall
The Pentagon telling Europe to go easy on Russia
Trump amplifying calls to court-martial a fired general
Trump relitigating the “Russia hoax” as his regime embraces Russia
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Trump on Iran: “Minor Details”
Trump called into KCMO’s “Mundo in the Morning” in Kansas City and said that if Iran had a nuclear weapon, he’d be addressing them as “sir,” and he refuses to do that. This has to be the WORST message I’ve ever heard. Trump is telling the entire world if you want respect, get a nuclear weapon. That’s how you incentivize proliferation.
He also said the U.S. needs a guarantee Iran will never build a nuclear weapon. That guarantee existed. It was called the JCPOA, AKA the Obama nuclear deal, and Trump ripped it up. He then claimed that Iran’s leaders are “so gone, we don’t know who to negotiate with,” and called that a minor detail. He also claimed he didn’t start this war because Iran started it in 1979.
Meanwhile, the war Trump says is wrapping up keeps escalating. The IRGC says a supertanker was struck in the Strait of Hormuz this morning, the third oil tanker hit today. A UAE-managed tanker called STONE was hailed by the IRGC Navy and slowed from about 14 knots to 4.5. Iranian state news agency IRNA confirmed Qatari mediators arrived in Tehran, led by a senior adviser to Qatar’s prime minister, as the regime scrambles for something to show before Tuesday.
CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper posted a video saying he flew over the Strait, saw no IRGC, and that the U.S. has helped Gulf partners export more than 1.5 billion barrels of crude. Diesel and gas still near record highs and there’s no plan to end this. Propaganda videos aren’t going to fix that.
Even worse, as we reported yesterday, the U.S. Army is training soldiers to dig mass battlefield graves for American troops for the first time in decades, something the Army says it hasn’t needed at scale since the Korean War. More on that here.
Sen. Chris Murphy said this week that after a briefing on the administration’s plan for restarting military operations, he considers the plan insane and expects it to cause devastating escalation. Murphy said the plan involves the destruction of civilian infrastructure: power plants, bridges, etc… In other words, blatant war crimes.
Voters are noticing. On MS NOW’s “State of Play,” a North Carolina Trump voter said it breaks her heart that Trump is starting wars that are destroying the economy. Another, asked for one word to describe the war, chose one I won’t print here. But you can watch for yourself:
Another 2024 Trump voter, asked what she would tell herself if she could go back to Election Day, said: “Don't [vote for Trump]. I didn't use my better judgment.”
The Rally Flip-Flop
Last night, Trump’s team scrapped in-person rallies this weekend in favor of “tele-rallies,” and MAGA Inc. announced phone rallies across 19 states. CNN reported Trump dropped a Kansas trip for Sen. Roger Marshall, who explained Trump was probably skipping him because Marshall is doing so well in the polls. Yeah, I’m sure that’s it.
When a Reuters reporter asked Trump why he was no longer going to Kansas, Trump snapped, calling the reporter disgusting and telling him to get in shape because he looked like hell. Then the official White House Rapid Response account posted images of a man, apparently that reporter, eating snacks in a car with the caption “Sloppy!”
Here’s a photo of the “man” who berated a reporter for being overweight yesterday:
By this morning, per CNN’s Kaitlan Collins and Fox News, the Kansas and Iowa rallies were apparently back on for Sunday. Trump probably didn’t like the optics of him appearing to throw in the towel days before midterms. This comes after weeks of Trump speaking in small high school gyms, often to hecklers demanding the Epstein files, while Barack Obama fills arenas.
Judge Launches Investigation Into Trump DOJ Attorneys
I wrote about this one today for MeidasNews, based on live courtroom reporting from our own Scott MacFarlane. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes will appoint a special master to investigate whether Trump administration attorneys misrepresented facts about closing and renovating the East Potomac Park golf course, including whether they advised a National Park Service official to leave details out of an October 9 declaration. She also ordered evidence preserved. Work at the park is already frozen by court order.
The core issue is simple. On October 18, Trump posted that the course would close November 15. The next day, DOJ said there was no such plan. Days later, the administration admitted there was.
Reyes opened by reading the rules against misleading the court. One DOJ attorney said he’d made no false statements “to my knowledge,” explaining he was new and they have lots of binders. An Interior official asked what Reyes meant by “involved,” so she pulled out a dictionary. When Assistant AG Stanley Woodward suggested interpreting Trump’s public posts implicated executive privilege, Reyes pointed out that Trump posted it and called that an extraordinary view of privilege.
Then the money. DOJ disclosed the seawall alone could cost $150 million to $400 million. No one has appropriated it. Asked for a total estimate, an attorney said there wasn’t one and asked why she’d assume there was. When Reyes said someone at Interior must have thought about the cost, the attorney called that “deliberative.” Reyes asked whether Interior doesn’t want the American people to know what this costs. As MacFarlane noted, Trump is poised to spend roughly half a billion dollars on a golf course on the eve of an election about affordability.
Midterms: Four Days Out
More than 23 million mail ballots have been cast, per CNN/AP/Catalist data. In Texas, Ted Cruz warned Republicans could lose every statewide race and said that if the election were today it would be a bloodbath. At a Ken Paxton event, a speaker begged attendees not to leave so the media wouldn’t report that people don’t like Paxton.
I’ve been enjoying showing you these funny clips:
In Alaska, Trump claimed you need a 190 IQ to understand the ballot because people don’t know what “incumbent” means. He thinks so highly of the intelligence of his own voters, doesn’t he?
An Anchorage voter told CNN it was clear in black and white, without her glasses on. No confusion whatsoever. Alaska’s courts and elections board have already weighed in. This is a manufactured election attack.
In Ohio, pop superstar Olivia Rodrigo wore an “Amy Acton for Governor” shirt at her concert, a major endorsement for Acton ahead of the gubernatorial election.
Also in Ohio, Canton farmers Anita and Sam Smith told CNN a proposed data center next door will bring nothing but destruction to the life they planned at 70.
Also: The New York Times reports the DOJ has opened a criminal investigation and issued grand jury subpoenas to California election officials in its push to claim noncitizens are on voter rolls, days before the election.
Expect a lot from the Trump regime working to delegitimize and attack these elections. But don’t let them scare you. Ignore the noise and vote.
Vance’s Fox Town Hall
At Jesse Watters’ Fox town hall in Fort Worth, a TCU Turning Point USA leader asked JD Vance how her generation can afford homes and families. It was a genuinely good question, which demanded a serious answer.
Vance opened by noting he was disappointed he’d only been asked about Jon Husted’s ass once. He also attacked Obama as elitist over the Cheesecake Factory jab and fielded a question about Halloween costumes.
Here’s the Vance “ass” joke. Buckle up for second-hand embarrassment.
A Texas mom said her daughter received a letter about transitioning, and Vance said he wants DOJ to investigate. These fliers have already been found to be sent by a REPUBLICAN group in order to scare voters.
Quick Hits
Russia: Reuters reports Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby urged NATO allies to stop “poking” Moscow. Meanwhile, reports say Russia fired around eight Iskander ballistic missiles at Kyiv in minutes.
Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia: Trump reshared influencer smears that Hegseth fired Sylvia over alleged leaks, plus a Catturd post demanding a court-martial and Leavenworth.
“Russia hoax”: Trump was sharing posts from allies about the “Russia hoax” on the same day his Pentagon was asking Europe to be nicer to Russia.
Mississippi: A viral clip with millions of views shows a woman reading Trump’s Corinth rally remarks verbatim. You have to watch this.
P.S. Thank you to a Meidas Mighty by the name of Tracy who posted a video and photos about WTF America?! We’re loving the book collection (see below)!
WTF America?! The Way Out of This Hell and Back to Democracy is now officially a best seller on The New York Times (debuting at No. 2), USA Today, The Globe and Mail, Toronto Sun, and Publishers Weekly best seller lists. YOU made this happen! THANK YOU!!! Lets keep it going!
That’s where things stand for now. We’ll be reporting all day and all weekend into Tuesday and beyond.
Shoutout to the Meidas Mighty!
