… Trump had a nasty exchange with NBC reporter Monica Alba outside the WH today about his enthusiastic endorsement of Vivek Ramaswamy’s repulsive ad against Amy Acton, his opponent on the OH governor’s race. This is what Trump told his supporters at a rally last night in Iowa:
“The mother is calling the daughter a terrible person and a liar. Why would you shield somebody from that? Why would we do that? So I told him, leave it up and say, ‘Thank you, God.’ I only wish I could have had an ad like that.”
… That prompted this exchange between Trump and Alba today:
Q - "Now that you know the backstory about Amy Acton and her stepfather and why she hasn't talked to her mom for so long, her stepfather was indicted for rape, now that you know all that, sir, do you change your mind about the ad? Trump: No, no. It's a mother speaking badly about Amy Acton. And to me it's very easy."
Q - "But they haven't talked for 50 years— Trump: I don't care.
Q - “But her mother stood by her after her husband had raped— Trump: Look, you don't know that. You don't know that. You don't know anything. Her mother stood by, didn't stand by. Her mother went on television and said that the daughter who's running for governor of OH is a liar and a bad person. That's all I know. Why wouldn’t you listen to a mother that says that?”
Alba: “She stayed with a stepfather who was charged with raping his stepdaughter in 1978, sir. Trump: You just keep talking. Alba: I am answering you, sir. Trump: I don’t know anything about stepfathers.”
Alba: “Many Republicans have denounced the ad. Trump: They don't know the facts. Why shouldn't somebody use that? Alba: Do the sexual abuse allegations mean nothing to you? Trump: Wait, wait, wait, wait, slow down. Who are you with?"
Alba: "I'm with NBC. Trump: One of the worst networks."
Alba: "There are very serious sexual abuse allegations. Trump: Quiet!"
Alba: "They make no difference to you? Trump: You're a horrible little reporter, aren't you?"
… Walks away.
… Vivek Ramaswamy also defended the ad again today:
"We ran an ad about lying. They are lying about an ad that is about lying. That is the truth of the matter. It had nothing to do with childhood abuse, which I will be the number one governor to prosecute."
“In politics, sometimes it’s a tough sport and you point out where you think your opponents are flawed.”
… She’s flawed for getting sexually abused by her stepfather or flawed for reporting it? Because reporting it was what upset her mother, who believed her twice-accused husband over her own daughter. And that’s why she made the ad. Plus most likely a few bucks from Ramaswamy.
… Politico’s Jonathan Martin: “It’s tempting to say that Vivek Ramaswamy’s ad deploying the estranged mother of his opponent in the Ohio governor’s race is the worst sort of ends-justify-the-means politics. But the ends, in this case, are likely to be an even more pronounced rejection of Ramaswamy at the polls next month. The spot isn’t just bad taste, it’s bad politics.
… What the ad represents, rather, is an opening salvo in the post-midterms fight for the Republican Party’s future. It’s a battle that will accelerate next year but may not culminate until the 2030s. Put simply, what sort of party does the GOP want to be - and what will the market bear?
… Ramaswamy’s bet is that Trump has fundamentally transformed politics and the old rules no longer apply. Count me as skeptical - and not just because Ramaswamy is loathsome, his conduct appalling and the spot an act of self-sabotage once people learn the facts. But here’s the question: Can anybody besides Trump pull off this sort of low-down stunt?
… The body of evidence may be limited, but it’s fairly conclusive: Trump is singular, and his imitators have scant appeal with voters. There’s only one Trump, and if you don’t have Friars Club-level talent, well, you’re Ramaswamy. Or Kari Lake. The list goes on, and they’re all winless.
… A Trump party without Trump is a minority party. MAGA has always been a minoritarian movement - Trump just benefited from great timing and his opposition. Most Republicans, privately at least, have grasped this. Perhaps Ramaswamy’s defeat will drive it home, delivering yet more education in the 17th kick of the mule.”
… Kyiv Independent: “WSJ reported that Trump had ordered Elon Musk on Oct. 21 to lift the restrictions on Ukraine’s Starshield terminals, claiming Trump was ‘frustrated the system’s speeds remained capped at around 100 miles an hour’, another indication that Musk has far more control over the military version of the Starlink satellite internet service than previously believed.
… In remarks to reporters, Trump refused to confirm or deny ordering Musk to restore Ukraine’s service, but claimed Musk had made the change. ‘Whether I called or whether somebody else called, doesn’t make any difference. The bottom line, he put it back.’
… Ukraine’s Starshield terminals were still experiencing severe problems on Oct. 23, raising questions as to whether the US govt is actually in control of a piece of vital national security infrastructure, or whether, as multiple American government officials have claimed, control ultimately rests with Musk and SpaceX.”
… A senior Ukrainian official: “Overall, there’s no change anywhere. Starshield still doesn’t work.”
… Trump was asked about it again today:
Q - “Have you told Elon Musk to stop messing around with Ukraine's Starlink connection? Trump: I have not spoken to him. I might have to, but I have not. I've heard it was fixed. But if it's not, I'll speak to him."
Q: “You must know now who ordered the Starlink access in Ukraine to be restricted. Who was it? Trump: Well, I wouldn’t tell you if I did know. I have no idea.”
Q: “Do you think it's right for the richest man in the world to have so much power over what goes on in a war between Russia and Ukraine? Trump: Well, I don't think he does. First of all, he's a very good person. He's not gonna do anything wrong. Elon will never do anything wrong.”
… Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC):
“The shifting explanations from Musk and the admin sound like Abbott and Costello’s ‘Who’s on First?’ Except the consequences for Ukrainian civilians are deadly. Musk says he didn’t do it. The admin says it didn’t either. Yet someone in the admin reportedly told Musk to undo it, and Ukraine reports only partial restoration.
Are we supposed to believe Hegseth and the Pentagon don’t know the status of a capability critical to US, Ukrainian and allied security? Whoever is handing Putin the gift of a more vulnerable Ukraine should at least have the guts to put their name on it. Hiding behind denials while innocent people pay the price is cowardice.
Meanwhile, Putin keeps murdering civilians and trying to starve and freeze Ukraine into submission. Americans deserve answers. Ukrainians deserve the means to defend themselves.”
… Hillary Clinton said she thinks there are 3 reasons why Trump has gone all-in on Russia:
“He remains enamored with strong male leaders who can do whatever they want - including killing their opponents. He wants to be an authoritarian dictator.”
“He is desperate to make more money by making more deals with Russia, along with his family and close associates. Oil and gas deals. Critical minerals deals. It’s also about carving up Ukrainian assets. Follow the money.”
“I continue to believe that Putin has things on Trump - photos, videos, whatever it might be. Look how strongly Trump has fought against release of the Epstein files. When we finally see all the Epstein files I think even people who supported Trump are going to be shocked by what is shows about Trump.”
After a series of really, really long Bulletins this week we finally have one that is a little shorter. Although there were some very important news items, there just wasn’t quite the same volume as the previous days. I’m not complaining.
Reminder that I’m off Saturdays, so the next one will be out on Sunday night recapping the entire weekend. We are going to a couple of fall festivals tomorrow in southeast Maine before we gear up for the big Halloween festivities in our neighborhood next week. The decorations are already completely out of control.
Thank you to all who read, share and subscribe. If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin, you can find it here.
… WaPo: “Elon Musk has adopted a war posture in response to looming threats of congressional investigations: If Democrats win control of Congress in next month’s midterm elections, Musk has signaled he is bracing for a fight. Musk’s battle-ready stance comes as a host of Democrats have said they are eager to wield the power of their office to investigate the world’s richest person should they win either chamber in the midterms.
… As Republicans’ election prospects have soured, lawmakers are building momentum for probes looking into the tech mogul, his companies or the work DOGE, which Musk oversaw and which was instrumental in dismantling the USAID.”
… Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Subcommittee on Investigations, said he would lead the investigation of Musk in the Senate if