… Eric Deters, who Kim Guilfoyle pleaded with to pay off her $100,000 Amex bill before her senate confirmation hearing, says he has a recording that he is going to release tomorrow which will bring down Trump and JD Vance. He posted a lengthy video today which included this:

“Today the defamation lawsuit has been filed against Kimberly Guilfoyle in circuit court in KY. This might just bring down the entire Trump admin, and admin I have supported from day one. It also may end the 2028 JD Vance/Marco Rubio ticket after you hear the phone call that I’m going to play tomorrow.”
“Trump and the defendants can do the right thing or pay the price for not doing so. (He wants a public apology and $1 million in damages) I can assure you that by the end of tomorrow, I am going to play for you a phone recording that is the most explosive and devastating about Kim Guilfoyle to date. It is a 16-minute phone conversation I had from Greece.”
“I brought down the Ambassador to Greece. It is my opinion that Susie Wiles is going to go. This is going to be the Jack McCall of the Trump admin, without the violence. Google Jack McCall if you’re wondering who he is.”

… Okay, I did. Here’s what I found on Wikipedia:

McCall was intoxicated while drinking alcohol at Nuttal & Mann’s saloon in Deadwood, Dakota Territory, on Aug 1, 1876, when one of the players dropped out of a poker game that included “Wild Bill” Hickok. The inebriated McCall quickly took his place. McCall proceeded to lose several hands, and was soon out of money. Hickok offered McCall money to buy breakfast and advised him not to play again until he could cover his losses. Though McCall accepted the money, he reportedly felt insulted.

The following day on August 2, 1876, another poker game was taking place at the saloon. On this particular evening, Hickok had his back to the door, in contrast to his normal practice of sitting in a corner to protect his back. Among the players at the table (sitting in the corner) was Charles Rich, who refused Hickok’s request to switch seats. Hickok reluctantly took the empty seat and joined the game, which was a fatal mistake.

A drunken McCall entered the saloon, and ordered a drink from the bar. He proceeded to move down the bar, and stopped a few steps behind Hickok, as if to look at the hand he had been dealt. Not noticing McCall, Hickok said to another player, “The old duffer. He broke me on the hand,” his final words. McCall shot Hickok in the back of the head with a single-action .45-caliber revolver, shouting “Damn you! Take that!”

… Tomorrow should be interesting.

… Daily Beast: “Kimberly Guilfoyle is threatening to bring the Trump family down with her following her shock ouster this week, insiders say. The former attorney and Fox personality, who was previously engaged to the president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., has no plans to go quietly into the night.

… Source: “Having her back in America will be a nightmare. Kimberly knows where the bodies are buried. She knows the people, the secrets, the fights, the relationships. Nobody wants an angry Kimberly back with nothing to lose.”

… Another insider: “Kimberly knows everything. She was way inside that family and political operation for years.”

… A third source: “Keeping Kimberly happy keeps Kimberly quiet.”

… NYT: “The ouster of Kimberly Guilfoyle was surprising in its particulars. It was announced on live TV, during the first-ever briefing by the new WH press secretary. But Guilfoyle’s forced resignation also was part of a larger pattern in Trump’s second term: The prominent figures who have departed the admin, either voluntarily or involuntarily, overwhelmingly are women.

… Guilfoyle was the latest high-ranking woman to leave this year. In the spring, 4 of Trump’s 8 female cabinet-level officials resigned or were fired in just 3 months: AG Pam Bondi; Lori Chavez-DeRemer, the labor secretary; DHS Secretary Kristi Noem; and Tulsi Gabbard, the DNI.

… The women in Trump’s orbit do not seem any more inclined to controversy than the men; his male appointees have repeatedly drawn scrutiny and calls for their ouster. Experts on presidential appointments said the single-gender exodus was highly unusual.

… Kathryn Dunn Tenpas, who has tracked diversity in presidential admins for Brookings since Reagan: “I’ve never seen a situation where all of the first set of cabinet departures have been of one gender - all women.”

… Axios: “Trump has directed his WH counsel to examine explosive allegations dropped on him Friday in the Oval Office. Former Trump attorney Alina Habba told the president that another one of his top advisers - former Kennedy Center leader Ric Grenell - failed to deposit a multimillion-dollar donation that her billionaire husband made to the center a year ago.

… The extraordinary row between the two top-tier presidential advisers and former allies provides a rare and acrimonious behind-the-scenes glimpse into the intersection of power, influence and money in Trump’s Washington. The total value of the contribution in question: nearly $6 million.

… Just a few months ago, Grenell was friends with Habba. But he was notably absent from her $10 million wedding that was attended by Trump world officials, power brokers and luminaries last month. ‘This is the ultimate MAGA blood feud,’ said one Trump world insider with knowledge of the conflict.”

… Daily Mail is reporting that Trump is furious and just had a heated phone call with Grenell: “Trump called Ric Grenell from the Oval Office to confront him over Alina Habba’s claim that a $5.6M Kennedy Center donation from her billionaire husband never arrived. Grenell denied it. By Wednesday, her husband’s lawyers delivered their evidence to the WH counsel.”

… The latest Fox poll on the issues voters are concerned about most about heading into the midterms included some encouraging data. While affordability remains a key issue, the most important issue to most Americans is corruption in govt. That is something we haven’t seen since the post-Watergate 1974 midterms where Democrats gained 49 House seats.

… Fox: “When voters rate the economy and the president negatively just weeks before Election Day, the incumbent party is vulnerable, and that’s certainly the case in the latest Fox survey. The economic landscape is stark.

… Majorities rate the economy negatively (74%) and expect it to worsen next year (53%), while two-thirds are dissatisfied with how things are going in the country (66%). Few, 18%, say their family is better off compared to two years ago. Independents say they’re worse off (52%) and think the economy will get worse (70%).

… A majority of voters, 55%, say inflation is ‘not at all’ under control. That’s up from a low of 45% earlier this year, and includes 30% of Republicans. Trump’s lowest job rating is on inflation: 22% approve, a new low. Last summer, 36% approved.

… Disapproval of the job Trump is doing has reached 77% on inflation, 70% on the economy, 69% on tariffs and 64% on foreign policy. A smaller share, but still a majority, disapprove of his handling of immigration (56% disapprove), while border security is the only issue that is close to positive (50% approve, 50% disapprove).

… Trump’s overall job approval is 36%, his lowest ever in a Fox survey for either term. It had been holding steady at 39% since May. The decline is mainly driven by decreases among voters under age 45, those with annual household income below $50,000, non-White voters, and those without a college degree.”

… WSJ: “Lawmakers and executives crowded into the East Room of the WH in July 2025 to watch Trump sign the Genius Act, a landmark crypto bill that set rules for selling stablecoins pegged to the US dollar. From a podium, Trump rattled off thank-yous to the law’s architects. ‘Where’s Bo Hines?’ he asked. The president’s 29-year-old crypto adviser rose from the front row to applause.

… What most people in the room didn’t know: While Hines was leading the WH’s push to pass the Genius Act, Tether—the company with the most at stake in the legislation—was steering millions of dollars to a business he co-owned.

… Hines exchanged Signal messages showing that while he was in the WH, he took part in a group chat with his company partners, where he discussed legislative developments and relayed Genius Act talking points as his partners were communicating with Tether’s chief executive.

… Once the bill was signed, Tether hired him—to run its US operations.”

… Economic Times: “US wholesale prices rose much faster than expected in Sept as a sharp increase in gasoline costs pushed producer inflation to its biggest monthly gain since March 2022. The Producer Price Index, which measures prices domestic producers receive for their goods and services, increased 1.3% from Aug. Economists had expected 0.5% rise.

… Producer prices were up 6.3% from a year earlier, compared with a 5.6% annual increase in August. The latest reading marked the largest year-over-year rise since December 2022. Energy prices drove much of the increase in goods prices in Sept. Prices for final-demand goods rose 2.6%, their largest monthly increase since the govt began tracking the series in 2009.

… Gas prices surged 20.3%, while diesel, jet fuel and residential electricity prices also rose. Overall energy prices increased 10.8%. Food prices moved higher, too. Wholesale food prices climbed 1.2% after falling for 3 consecutive months.”

… Economist Heather Long: “Another day, another hot inflation report.
Business inflation surged in September to 6.3% (!). The expectation was 5.4%. Every category of business inflation was hot, even after stripping away energy costs. It’s inevitable that companies will pass some of these costs along to consumers.”

… Fox as today’s numbers were released: “I’m going to break in. We are getting hot hot, hot PPI. Our month over month headline numbers are 1.3% vs. estimates of 0.5%. A huge jump from the month prior. This looks like a huge advancement, much higher than expected. Much higher than the previous month.

… We got the CPI yesterday, but that follows PPI so CPI is going to get worse. Diesel feeds through to every corner of this economy.”

Inflation when Trump took office: 3%.
Inflation today: 3.7%.

Wage gains when Trump took office: 4%
Wage gains today: 3%

Real wage gains when Trump took office: 1%
Real wage gains today: -0.7%

Cost of a gallon of gas when Trump took office: $3.13
Cost of a gallon of gas today: $4.33

Avg monthly job creation in 2024: 122,000
Avg monthly job creation since Trump took office: 39,000

Unemployment rate when Trump took office: 4%
Unemployment rate today: 4.2%

GDP growth 2024: 3%
Most recent quarter GDP growth: 2.2% (2026 average so far: 2.3%)

Deficit in 2024: $1.83 trillion
Deficit for 2026: $1.99 trillion

National debt 2024: $35.5 trillion
National debt 2026: $40.1 trillion

30-year mortgage rate when Trump took office: 7%
30-year mortgage rate today: 7.45%

Defense spending 2024: $874 billion
Defense spending 2026: $966 billion
Republican defense spending request for 2027: $1.5 trillion

… Punchbowl’s Jake Sherman: THE HOUSE REPUBLICAN PANIC HAS SET IN. Inside the House Republican Conference, there’s panic, anger and resignation. Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH): “The environment is certainly toxic for Republicans. Voters were promised things in ‘24, and none of those things are really coming to fruition. My thing has always been, just be truthful with folks. Don’t go out there and tell them that it’s rosier than what it is.”

… “The Republican panic is on clearest display at the various political organizations in Washington charged with spending hundreds of millions of dollars on House races. GOP lawmakers from around the country, many in deep red seats, are approaching super PACs with polls showing them losing or on the brink of being down.

… Meanwhile, Dem PACs are swimming in data showing opportunities in seats that were never on their radar. The map keeps expanding into deeper red territory.
Dems have seen evidence of margin-of-error races in IN’s 5th District, GOP Rep. Victoria Spartz’s district that Trump won by 17 points; NY’s open 21st District, which Trump won by 21 points; NV’s open 2nd District, which Trump won by 14; and KY’s open 6th District, which Trump won by 15.

… Democrats have also seen evidence of tighter-than-usual races in NC’s 3rd District, GOP Rep. Greg Murphy’s seat that Trump won by 14; NC’s 9th District, NRCC Chair Richard Hudson’s seat, which Trump won by 16; and NE’s 1st District, Rep. Mike Flood’s seat, which Trump won by 13 points.

… Trump overruled Pete Hegseth’s plan to livestream the firing squad execution of Nidal Hasan. He posted: "I think streaming the execution for all to see might have been a strong deterrent for the World to witness how America deals with Terrorists and SCUM like Hasan but, many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die, through streaming, or through any other visual device. He will die, as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed."

… Polls showed that Americans were overwhelmingly against this being livestreamed.

… WSJ: “When Trump announced that Katie Zacharia would serve as the next WH press secretary, he referred to her as an attorney. But she hasn’t passed the bar exam in the US. Zacharia sat for the CA bar exam after graduating from law school at Pepperdine in 2011, but she didn’t pass. She took the exam around the time she was planning a wedding and preparing to move to China with her future husband.

… She moved to Beijing that summer to work as an associate on the international-practice team at Zhong Lun Law Firm, a prominent law firm in China. Her legal credentials have come under scrutiny after she didn’t appear in searches for licensed attorneys in CA, TX or DC, under her married or maiden name.

… When asked by a reporter on Tuesday in which state she passed the bar exam, Zacharia said, ‘When I moved to China,’ without elaborating. In a statement this week, she said, ‘I practiced international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials.’

… Zacharia told Buck Sexton on his podcast in Feb 2025 that she had worked as outside counsel to the International Finance Corporation and the World Bank while based in China.”

… RawStory: “WH press secretary Katie Zacharia’s legal résumé took another hit as a partner at the Chinese law firm she lists on her LinkedIn profile clarified that her job there was likely ‘similar to a paid internship.’

… Gary Gao, a Shanghai-based partner at the firm, told the NYT that the firm often hires foreigners for language help and to explain foreign business culture to its Chinese staff. ‘They are not practicing Chinese law at any time,’ Gao said.”

Big show on yesterday’s Uncovered. We talked about the new Press Secretary train wreck, Trump and Musk selling out Ukraine, Guilfoyle’s firing and possible revenge tour, more bad economic numbers, another Paxton scandal, the Talarico hoax, Trump lusting after men at his rallies, midterms update, and lots more! Link to the show is here.

If you missed the last Bulletin, you can find it here.

… Miami Herald: “Two women have filed a federal civil lawsuit accusing former FL Congressman Matt Gaetz and two others of participating in an alleged sex trafficking scheme involving young women, drugs and traveling across state lines. The allegations are the latest chapter in Gaetz’s high-profile sex scandal that ultimately derailed his nomination by Trump as AG and also led him to resign from Congress in 2024.

… The 33-page complaint details how Gaetz used two of his friends, now-convicted ex-Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg, and former Florida GOP House member Christopher Dorworth, to coordinate the recruitment of young women whom they supplied with drugs in order to facilitate sexual encounters. The incidents occurred from 2017 to January 2019.

… The plaintiffs allege Gaetz, Greenberg and Dorworth participated in or financially supported a system that exploited young, vulnerable women, including through paid sex encounters and the use of controlled substances.

… The complaint contends that Greenberg recruited the women through the website SeekingArangement.com, then introduced them to a circle of men that included Gaetz and Dorworth. The drugs were supplied to the women at parties and private homes used for the sexual encounters.”

… The originator of the James Talarico mental health facility hoax attempted to defend his conduct today on social media now that it has been thoroughly debunked. This was one of his posts.

… Talarico at a CNN Town Hall:

“I opened up social media and learned that I apparently had dropped out of the race, had flown to a mental hospital in OH, that I had died. This is crazy. Conspiracy theories don’t put food on the table. They don’t put gas in the tank. They don’t actually improve our communities or improve our country. And so I’m going to stay focused on the very real problems that are facing Texans.”
On his statement that God is non-binary: “I think what I was saying is actually not controversial theologically—the idea that we can’t define God using human categories. Not only did I say that, but the late Charlie Kirk said that.”
“We’ve got teachers who are driving Ubers at night to make extra money. The teaching profession is the most important profession because without it there would be no other professions. Everything starts with a teacher in a classroom and we are nickel and diming the important professionals in our community.”
On why a Republican should vote for him: “How many people here have a an elderly parent or grandparent who needs care? So do I. How many people here struggle to afford the high price of everything these days? So do I. How many people here know what it means to carry the burden of student debt, or credit card debt or medical debt? So do I. The truth is that we are all on the same team. We are far more the same than we are different.”

… Right-wing podcaster Steven Crowder says he’s filing a lawsuit against CNN and James Talarico for using the phrase ‘Change My Mind’ during last night’s town hall. Crowder has done a series of episodes called ‘Change My Mind’ on his show:

“I don’t want our trademarked brand, logo and format to be used for James Talarico to associate and ingratiate himself with right-wing voters. Once you rip it off and use it for propaganda, I now have a problem.”

… Politico: “TX Democrat James Talarico raised a staggering $64 million this summer - the largest Q3 haul of any Senate candidate in history. The national Democratic darling raised more than $134.3 million since launching his campaign in Sept of 2025.

… More than 1.3 million donors contributed, as Democrats slowly reconcile themselves to their long-held but often fumbled dream of gaining a statewide perch in TX. About 97% of those donations were of $100 or less.

… TX is an expensive state to run in, and Republicans are taking his campaign seriously. Talarico already had some $235 million spent against him as national Republicans scramble to hold the seat and boost Ken Paxton. TX has emerged as a money pit for Republicans following a divisive GOP primary that saw Paxton vanquish incumbent Sen. John Cornyn.”

… A Democratic strategist in TX: “He’s fighting this battle basically alone while Elon Musk and the full weight of the GOP fundraising apparatus outspends him 2:1. This is still an uphill battle.”

… AJC: “Sen. Jon Ossoff’s campaign raised a whopping $33 million in the third quarter and has $26 million cash on hand. His campaign plans to spend every remaining dollar on TV ads and direct voter outreach in the final 3 weeks of his reelection battle.”

… NH Union Leader: “In a surprising development, Don Bolduc, the Trump-endorsed Republican nominee for Senate in 2022, is leading a group of GOP figures and prominent independents backing Democratic Senate candidate Chris Pappas. Bolduc, a retired Army brigadier general, was a big prize for Pappas coming just weeks before the high-stakes senate race is decided with former Sen. John Sununu.”

… Bolduc: “Chris Pappas’s unwavering dedication to our veterans and his efforts to foster bipartisan cooperation set him apart as a leader who will prioritize the needs of all constituents.”

… WaPo: “Trump uses Truth Social daily to shape the course of the war in Iran, announce new policies and share AI-generated videos of himself. But the audience for his social network is shrinking. Traffic to Truth Social fell more than 30% in the year ending in Sept. The platform averaged about 260,000 daily users last month, down from a peak of 420,000 in June 2025.

… Trump, who has by far the largest following of any Truth Social user, posts on the social network many times each day. This week, he has used the service to tout an investment in semiconductors, share positive media coverage about himself and repost a graphic video of a man being attacked by a tiger.”

… WSJ: “The Trump admin’s investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) is aimed at building a case to strip her of her US citizenship and ultimately deport her. The multipronged effort is focused at least in part on how Omar obtained her citizenship after she arrived in the US from Somalia decades ago.

… Investigators are focused both on the congresswoman and actions of her deceased father. Nur Omar Mohamed brought his daughter and other family members to the U.S. from a refugee camp in Kenya in 1995. Items taken from Omar’s home included her cellphone, notebooks, personal computers and her passport.

… Authorities have also issued more than a dozen subpoenas, including to some of Omar’s relatives, seeking testimony before a MN grand jury. Among other things, the investigation is looking at her family’s immigration paperwork.

… At the center of the investigation is whether Omar or her father changed her age on her citizenship application to show she was 17 years old rather than 18. If Omar was 17 at the time her father applied for citizenship, she would have qualified automatically rather than needing to pursue her own immigration process. She became a citizen in 2000.”

… AP: “Ukrainian drones attacked a refinery in Russia’s Ryazan region early Thursday, hours after President Zelenskyy said that a brief truce spurned by Moscow was over amid deepening tensions with Washington. The drone strike started a fire at the refinery about 180 miles southeast of Moscow.

… Zelenskyy complained that, despite going along with Trump’s demand for a truce, Ukraine in recent days was denied the usual Western intelligence on Russian ballistic missile strikes and limits were placed on its use of US-made Starlink communication terminals. Both are vital for Ukrainian defenses and attack operations.

… The Ukrainian leader said that his patience had run out. He said in an interview with the Financial Times that Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries would resume.

… Stuart Stevens, who was a chief strategist for George W. Bush and Mitt Romney’s presidential campaigns:

“There is a generation of Republican Senators who came up without ever being tested. Senators Roger Wicker, John Thune and John Cornyn will be remembered as the Butchers of Ukraine. The quiet, weak men who did nothing while a war of genocide was waged with their complicity.
They chose comfort over courage. I hope they lie awake at night hearing the screams of Ukrainian children burning alive. But their sad truth is they sleep well thinking about their campaign cash on hand and poll numbers. They are the banality of evil.”

… Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) on Fox: Q - “People are not happy with Trump’s diesel deal with Putin. Why does Trump seems to lean toward Putin? Hagerty: I wouldn’t say that he’s leaning towards Putin. Host: If Putin can sell that diesel, he’s gonna bring in billions of dollars which he will use perhaps to help Iran. Hagerty: Trump is managing a multivariable calculation.”

… Trump gave one of his most unhinged rally speeches yet in Montana:

“We expanded hunting authorizations for 160 acres of the Hailstone National Wildlife Refuge. Do you know that refuge? Anybody? What the hell are we doing? Hey Greg, nobody knows where the hell these places are. What am I doing this for?”
“If the Democrat communists win, they will take away your guns. You know who would love that to happen? Some of the wild animals you have up here that like eating you. The animals would gain a lot of weight.”
On Iran: “I should have probably left the leaders because I don’t know who the hell we’re negotiating with. The main thing that they ask in negotiation is, will you please allow us to live.”
"I took the test - the aptitude test or whatever they call it. Every time I do a physical, I do a mental test. And I aced it. Where's my doctor? I travel with more doctors than any human being. If people get sick in the audience, they leave them alone. They call them collateral damage."
"It's called a coganative [sic] test. It's a very standard test, but very tough. There are few people in this audience that can - once you get past the first question. They show you a lion, a bear, a giraffe, and a snake and they say, 'Which one is the lion?' Biden was unable to answer that."
“No tax on tips was huge in NV, because in NV everybody is a waiter, waitress, or caddy."
"They want to cut your children. It's unbelievable what they do. Your son leaves as Jimmy and comes home in 3 days as Janet, and they don't even ask you. They can take your child out of school and do whatever the hell they want. MN is one of those states."

… On his way to the rally, Trump was asked about Pope Leo’s cancer diagnosis. Naturally, he made it about himself: “His brother is a friend of mine. He’s a fantastic guy and his wife, they’re big Trump supporters. They’re MAGA all over their house.”

… Fox chief political analyst Brit Hume:

“Trump’s approval rating is, what, 36%? That's really bad when he's out there front and center. And it may raise the question in the minds of some people whether he should be out there front and center.”
“I think the Republicans have to be concerned that this might turn out to be a little bit like 1980, when the Republicans won in a landslide and nobody expected it, or 1994. They have to worry that something like that may happen to them when not only do they lose the close ones but they lose a lot that weren't even thought to be close.”

… Sen. Jon Ossoff on MS NOW:

Q - “So you've got the Trump calling Abdullah Assad a jihadist, Vance calling Talarico gay. What do you think about the level of rhetoric? Ossoff: Obviously it is bigoted and offensive, but it's also so politically feeble and weak. 40% of Americans are going without food or health care to afford gas, and they're throwing around schoolyard insults and taunts, and it's getting them nowhere.”
On Trump doing a rally in GA: “GA Republicans do not want the president to come. I think my Trump puppet opponent, the bigot congressman Mike Collins, is probably the only Republican in GA who actually wants Trump to come. The president's deeply unpopular here. If the president wants to come to GA right now, that's okay with me.”

… Callista Gingrich welcomed Barbera Thornhill, the new US Ambassador-at-Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (despite having zero experience or qualifications in that area), to the US Embassy in Bern, Switzerland. Gingrich posted this photo from their meeting to Instagram.

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Today in Politics, Bulletin 481. 10/15/26