It’s Tuesday, October 6. There’s a lot to get through, so let’s get right into it.
First, a quick list of the top stories we’re tracking:
Media rushes to “sanewash” Trump’s “let them take out Los Angeles, let them take out San Diego” rally remarks
More tankers struck in the Strait of Hormuz as traffic collapses
Houthi strikes on Saudi airports in what’s being described as a “full blown regional war” by Sen. Chris Murphy
Trump’s Energy Secretary keeps lying that the Iran War is not to blame for high diesel prices
Maine heating up is up 80% and it could be reshaping the Senate race
The trade deficit just hit its widest level in over a year
Trump’s Truth Social meltdowns over Fox News and his rallies
The White House won’t repay taxpayers for Trump’s propaganda TV ads
Former Olympian David Hearn’s lawyers demand inspector general probes into his prosecution over the Reflecting Pool debacle
A second death in Russia’s suspected plague outbreak
Shapiro joins Meidas Health to talk measles
NYC hits historic lows in shootings and murders
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“Let Them Take Out Los Angeles”
At his Nebraska rally Monday night, Trump said the following:
“And again, remember, with the word, it’s just artificial, it’s a little bit high. It’s a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe.
They can take out a city. Let them take, let it, let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego. That’s, this is a very small price to pay, and it’s gonna be over very soon.”
As I wrote on social media, there are three clear beats here.
First, “they can take out a city,” which is Trump fearmongering that Iran could missile strike or nuke an American city, a false premise he uses to justify the war. Iran does not possess these capabilities.
Second: “Let them take out Los Angeles, let them take out San Diego,” which reads like an ad-libbed line he threw in to effectively say fine, hit these California cities. See if I care. It was red meat for a red state crowd that cheers when Democratic coastal cities are threatened (and they did cheer).
Third: a “small price to pay,” where he appears to swing back to his argument that Americans should be OK with higher prices because the war is that important.
Naturally, people took Trump’s line about letting Iran “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego at face value. There’s not much to really decipher there. But that didn’t stop the corporate media sanewashers from coming to Trump’s defense to tell us what Trump really meant.
Daniel Dale suggested that Trump was simply warning about the “consequences of the war” and that you have to be “steeped in TrumpRallySpeak to know what he was saying.”
Here’s the thing: none of us should have to be steeped in anything. This is the President of the United States. His words have weight. Iran and other nations that may be hostile to the U.S. aren’t parsing his words through “TrumpRallySpeak” to determine what he really means. Isn’t this the guy who supposedly always “tells it like it is?”
Trump’s comments were reckless and dangerous and we will never sanewash this demented maniac here. This is yet another reason why independent media is so important.
Gov. Gavin Newsom responded to the remarks, calling them “dangerous — if not treasonous,” noting they put a target on two major American cities and one of the country’s largest naval hubs regardless of the interpretation by DC politicos. He said he has directed the State Threat Assessment Center to monitor whether foreign actors treat it as an invitation to target California.
Hormuz Under Fire
UKMTO reported another outbound oil tanker struck by an unknown projectile in the Strait yesterday, near the tip of the Musandam Peninsula. UKMTO did not attribute the attack, but this would seem to mark at least 14 tankers hit by Iran in the past 7 days. Sentinel-2 imagery from this morning showed only about 5 tankers attempting to cross during daytime.
And the war keeps spreading. Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority said airports in Jazan and Najran were targeted Monday evening, causing 3 minor injuries. Sen. Chris Murphy, posting from Riyadh, said both nights he’s been there brought urgent alerts about Houthi missiles, calling it a “full blown regional war.” The U.S. Embassy issued a security alert warning Americans to stay vigilant.
The Blame Game Continues
Energy Secretary Chris Wright went on Fox Business this morning and declared “a crisis right now with a shortage of diesel because of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.” Nothing to do with the Iran War, he says. Meanwhile, let’s note the irony of this argument. Trump promised to end the Ukraine-Russia war in 24 hours and Iran in just a few weeks, and now he’s blaming the war he didn’t end for the costs of the war he started. This framing also very conveniently helps the push to ease pressure on Russian oil, as the Trump regime works on a deal involving Lukoil’s foreign assets that MAGA-aligned billionaires are Trump’s Middle East allies are eyeing.
And while Trump and his officials try to blame everyone but themselves for rising costs, it’s the American people who are feeling the brunt of his actions. Bloomberg reported earlier that Maine heating oil has hit a record $5.96 a gallon, up about 80% from last year. In practical terms, that means it’s now roughly $1,500 to fill a standard tank that needs several refills per winter. Maine home prices have also risen faster since 2021 than all but 3 states. We’ll see if this affects the U.S. Senate race in the state.
And remember Trump’s complaints about the trade deficits? Well, the Wall Street Journal just reported that the trade deficit widened to its largest level in more than a year, with imports exceeding exports by $106 billion. I thought tariffs were supposed to solve this?
Nobody Wants Trump Around
Trump spent his morning attacking Fox multiple times. First over an interview with independent Nebraska Senate candidate Dan Osborn, whom he called a “sleazebag.” Then he raged that Fox covers “Dumocrat Jihadists like El-Sayed,” a blatantly bigoted attack on the U.S. Senate candidate.
He also posted “MY RALLIES ARE SAVING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, AGAIN!!!”
In the real world, Republicans are begging Trump to stay away from their districts. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) on Fox Business said that Trump would not be campaigning in his swing district again. Greg Abbott also is refusing to share a stage with Trump in San Antonio this week, and Georgia gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson has scrubbed Trump from his campaign website.
No Refunds
Trump posted that he was paying for his propaganda TV ads with “U.S.A. money” and called it a “rather standard thing to do,” before saying he’d now pay for future ads through his PAC MAGA Inc. There is nothing “standard” about it. When asked if Trump would be refunding taxpayers for the money spent on past ads, Trump officials said absolutely not.
David Hearn’s Lawyers Demand Accountability
MS NOW’s Carol Leonnig and Fallon Gallagher report that lawyers for former Olympian David Hearn, arrested and indicted on false charges by the Trump regime claiming that he vandalized the Reflecting Pool, have now asked DOJ and Interior inspectors general to investigate his unlawful prosecution.
Russia’s Plague Claims Another Victim
Russian local media now report a second death in the Irkutsk region. The first victim, 28-year-old lab worker Darya Shipilova, reportedly broke a test tube of live Yersinia pestis and died October 1. Hundreds are quarantined. Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan are tightening borders. State channel REN TV is being accused of deleting its plague reports. The U.S. State Department says they are monitoring the situation with the CDC, and Rubio urged Russia to “be transparent.” That’s rich coming from the administration trying to do oil deals with them right now.
Rubio Shrugs Off Trump’s Iceland Threats
Standing in Iceland, Rubio was asked about Trump posting maps on social media showing Iceland as part of the U.S. Rubio brushed off the question: “We're not talking about social media posts.”
Shapiro vs. RFK Jr. on Measles
On Meidas Health with Dr. Vin Gupta, Governor Josh Shapiro said Pennsylvania has passed 1,000 measles cases across 39 counties with 5 deaths. He said that amid the outbreak, vaccinations have now doubled. He told us that RFK Jr. accused him of fabricating the deaths despite grieving families speaking publicly, adding, "RFK is playing games with people's lives." We will air the full episode of Meidas Health right here on Substack later today.
Good News: NYC Crime Hits Historic Lows
The data is in. New York City just recorded the fewest shootings, shooting victims, and murders in its recorded history through 9 months. Major crime is down 6.6%, the biggest drop in 17 years, with shootings down 11.6%, and murders down 19.8%. Mayor Zohran Mamdani credited the NYPD and the city’s violence interrupters. His strategy of crime prevention appears to be working.
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Shoutout to the Meidas Mighty!
The Blame Game - knowing an absolute idiot like Chris Wright runs the NUCLEAR Regulatory Commission should scare the hell out of everyone
Sanewashing by the media - this is why they are hated and why Independent Media is so important
This rhetoric should NEVER be sanewashed. I believe this is a precursor for what is coming. Trump is desperate to retain power. He will do anything to cancel the midterms. I mean, ANYTHING! If it means to attack your own country, declare a National Emergency and blame Iran, he will do it.