Wednesday, October 21, 2026
The Snapshot
Wednesday, October 21, 2026. Chump's DESPERATION TOUR continues to underwhelm and play to many, many empty seats, Chump's push for redistricting appears to have not helped the GOP, another person dies in ICE custody, corruption in Chump's administration becomes more and more apparent, Priss Pot Hegseth is called out by military families and by Senator Raphael Warnock, and much more.
Now, with Democrats poised to retake control of the House next month, and with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) making “accountability for Hegseth a key component,” Punchbowl News noted, of Democrats’ post-midterm agenda, Hegseth may be out of options to stave off an impeachment.
13 days until the final day to vote in the midterm -- November 3rd -- and Chump continues his Desperation Tour. Frank Yemi (ALTERNET) notes:
A prominent Republican from Kansas has called out President Donald Trump’s campaign rallies and questioned how effective they are in getting voters to turn up at the polls.
Former Kansas Gov. Bill Graves compared Trump campaign events to a “freak show at the carnival” during a CNN interview Monday, questioning whether the president showing up to support Sen. Roger Marshall in his reelection campaign would actually help.
Graves, who governed deep-red Kansas from 1995 to 2003, told CNN’s Erin Burnett that people may show up simply to see Trump put on a clown show.
A freak show? A clown show? It's desperation that leaks out of Chump's pores at every stop on his Desperation Tour as he begs those assembled to persuade him that he's not the loser his father told him he was, the loser that deep in his heart he knows he is.
Ford McCracken (THE HILL) notes another bad review of Chump's DESPERATION TOUR:
Brit Hume, chief political analyst at Fox News, had harsh words for President Trump’s tour across the country to boost Republican candidates, saying he did not think the president’s midterm campaigning was effective.
“Sometimes in the course of a campaign, you’ll see a candidate or a party that is trailing in the polls begin to catch some momentum,” Hume said. “I haven’t seen that yet. The president has been out campaigning vigorously, but I’m not sure it’s making any difference.”
13 days and it's over. And it is not looking good for Chump. Months ago, he was pushing redistricting and that has not really worked out for him. Jack Herrera and Clara Ence Morse (WASHINGTON POST) report:
The arena’s spotlights reflected off Eric Flores’s silver watchband as he walked to the lectern to address the Republican midterm convention in Dallas in September. “Good afternoon, patriots,” Flores told the cheering crowd. “I’m proud to be your Republican nominee for Texas’s 34th Congressional District — a district that starts at the Rio Grande River and runs all the way to the Corpus Christi Bay.”
Flores didn’t mention it, but the 34th hadn’t always made it the full 200 miles from the border to Corpus Christi. The year before, under direct instruction from the White House, Republicans stretched the district like a rubber band, pulling it up over Republican voters who lived far north of the heavily Latino borderlands. To win this freshly drawn district, Republicans knighted Flores, a former assistant U.S. attorney, as the new conservative face of Latino South Texas. President Donald Trump endorsed Flores months before the primary and praised the candidate onstage at an event in Corpus in February, assuring the crowd that Flores was “winning.”
Just 11 days after the midterm convention, a tense-looking Flores took the podium in a much different venue: a sleepy public library in Harlingen, near the border. By the time he addressed the retirees and local candidates who had gathered here for the North Cameron County Republican Club meeting, the heavily redistricted seat no longer looked like an easy win for conservatives. Speakers admitted to being tired and anxious. “Republicans … we’re minorities here,” one local conservative said in a speech before Flores was invited up to the mic.
Last summer, the White House instructed Texas legislators to redraw their congressional maps to create five new Republican seats in Congress, a process that involved substantially redrawing four seats in South Texas. Yet from the beginning, South Texas conservatives worried that national Republicans had gotten overconfident about their advantage in the borderlands, where counties are majority Latino and disproportionately low-income. Now, decisions made in D.C. threaten to backfire, imperiling the promising political careers of Flores and of multiple rising conservative Latino stars.
On paper, Flores’s newly drawn district looked like an easy Republican victory, a seat Trump would have won by a 10-point margin. But while Trump won most South Texas counties in 2024, downballot Republicans did not perform nearly as well.
A data analysis by The Washington Post found that voters in South Texas were among the most likely to split their tickets in 2024. While Trump won the four newly redrawn districts in South Texas by a combined 12-point margin, Republican congressional candidates had an edge of eight points. That makes Democrats much more competitive. This year, all four seats are competitive, or even leaning Democratic, according to the Cook Political Report’s race ratings.
According to Axios, senior Republican strategists now fear the party’s nationwide redistricting push could deliver a net gain of just one House seat.
It comes after the political climate darkened for the party in the wake of Trump’s launching of his war in Iran in February.
The conflict has seen energy prices spike to record highs while Trump’s approval rating plummets to record lows in the 30s.
Republican support has especially fallen among Latino voters, putting at risk several districts they had expected to secure through redistricting after Trump made significant gains with Hispanic voters in the 2024 election.
As a result, Republicans fear their redistricting efforts may be wasted.
“Texas, I’d be surprised if we got all five,” GOP Rep. Tom Emmer told Axios this month. “Florida, I’d be shocked if we got all four.”
MEDIAITE's Alex Griffing spoke with Dave Wasserman ("senior editor and election analyst at the Cook Political Report") and redistricting came up:
Griffing: So you used the PVI for an analysis on how the redistricting has impacted a potential outcome. And in that analysis, you looked at if the entire electorate goes plus three, if I’m correct. And then you kind of compared a potential 2026 map to where 2024 would have been. And you had the GOP netting about 12 seats. Is that correct?
Wasserman: Yes, that’s correct, I believe.
Griffing: So could you dig into that a bit more for us? Where does that change really come from? And is it possible, if, let’s say, the blue wave is even bigger than we expected, could that actually hurt the Republicans at all, as they did lower their margins in some of these districts when they did the redistricting to, you know, gobble up Democrat-held seats?
Wasserman: I don’t think there are really many places that are at risk of backfiring where lines have been changed. There are several states where Republicans’ designs might not realize their intent. Take Texas, for example. Republicans drew a number of districts in South Texas that were based on the 2024 presidential results, when Donald Trump won a historic share of Hispanic voters. He carried a lot of, in fact, most of the heavily Hispanic counties in South Texas, and these are places that he lost three to one in some cases back in 2016. And yet those voters weren’t voting for Trump because they suddenly fell in love with him or suddenly were identifying as Republicans. They voted for him because they were nostalgic for what things cost in 2016, or, I’m sorry, during his first term, from 2017 to 2021. And those voters are now snapping back to Democrats. And so Democrats might end up holding three of the five seats that Republicans targeted to flip. And then the other factor was that Republicans passing this map in the summer of 2025 left enough time for Democrats in California to retaliate. And I’d argue that the map that Democrats passed in California, targeting five Republican seats, is even more effective than the one Republicans passed in Texas. So when I add up all the changes to district lines in the nine states that revised their boundaries, I believe Republicans have come out ahead by something like four to five seats versus what they otherwise would if the lines had remained unchanged. That’s not to say they’re going to hold the majority. That simply means that Democrats need to pick up a few more House seats than had the lines not changed in order to win the majority. The other factor here is you mentioned Republicans spreading their voters pretty thin. I can’t think of many districts where their outlook has materially gotten worse as a result of a map that they drew. There were opportunities for Republicans to put some seats on higher ground that they passed up. An example of that would be in the Tampa Bay area, where Republicans carved up Democrat Kathy Castor’s district. And now, not only is the Castor district at risk of staying blue, but there are several other Republican members in Tampa Bay whose positions did not get better in redistricting, remain about the same, and are still vulnerable.
Griffing: So kind of, all told, with the redistricting you think Republicans may have netted a handful of seats, but it’s not gonna really change the margin too much. The main impact was more that it really cut down on true swing districts. That’s the real outcome?
Wasserman: Correct. We estimate that the number of swing districts has fallen further to 78 seats out of 435, and that’s near an all-time low. Now, we’re not even seeing 78 seats that are competitive this cycle, because only a fraction of those races are competitive from year to year. Most of the seats that are even in the D plus five range are going to be safe Democratic holds this cycle.
Redistricting isn't the only problem the GOP is facing. Tom Boggioni (RAW STORY) notes:
Should Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) survive the midterm election in two weeks, he will likely encounter a great deal of resentment from his colleagues and GOP insiders afterward.
According to a report from Politico, GOP lawmakers and campaign consultants are forming a circular firing squad as they anticipate massive losses in the midterms.
Standing in the middle is Marshall who is surprisingly becoming the poster boy for the GOP’s problems.
Politico reported, "There’s also particular frustration with Sen. Roger Marshall who numerous GOP operatives grumbled never took his race seriously and is now costing the party millions of dollars to rescue in a state Democrats haven’t won in almost a century." The last Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Kansas was George McGill, in 1932. Marshall faces Democrat Adam Hamilton, a first-time candidate and pastor. Marshall’s campaign didn’t immediately respond to Politico’s request for comment.
There are, of course, other things that can impact voters. Say you were elected to office and in the middle of the term you went missing for months. That could harm your chances at re-election as one candidate is discovering. Ryan J. Karlin (THE HILL) notes:
Embattled New Jersey Rep. Thomas Kean Jr.’s (R) hopes of hanging on to his battleground seat may be dimming after national Republicans effectively abandoned the race last week.
The fierce contest between Kean and Democrat Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, has tipped in her favor in recent weeks. The Congressional Leadership Fund (CLF), a PAC backed by House GOP leadership, reportedly canceled its remaining advertising for the race.
Ashley Koning, director of the polling operation at Rutgers University, called the CLF’s move a “death knell” for Kean.
“They are also trying to triage across the country and putting their money in races that they deem more winnable and don’t necessarily see those same possible changes for Kean,” Koning said, referencing the tough political environment for Republicans. She characterized his chances in November as “bleak.”
Kean made national headlines earlier this year after a more than 100-day absence from his duties in the House. He revealed the reason for his absence — depression — only after his return to Capitol Hill in June. Kean has voted against paid sick leave legislation both in Congress and during his time in the New Jersey state House.
He voted against it but he took it when it came to himself. Early voting started Monday in Texas. Malcolm Ferguson (THE NEW REPUBLIC) notes:
Texas’s most populous county, which Kamala Harris won in 2024 with 52 percent of the vote -- broke its early voting record on Monday, eclipsing the previous mark by a whopping 41,000 votes.
More than 104,600 people in Harris County voted in-person on Monday, the first day of early voting in Texas, according to the county’s elections department. That breaks the previous record set in 2018, when 63,188 votes were cast and Democrats went on to recapture the House.
While Monday’s turnout isn’t necessarily indicative of a Democratic advantage, the broken record indicates that Texans have been strongly compelled to participate electorally by any number of factors, which could include affordability, ICE raids, or President Trump’s war on Iran.
Aarón Torres (DALLAS MORNING NEWS) notes it wasn't just one country in Texas:
Texans didn't wait around to vote. They broke first-day early voting records in Dallas, Harris and several other counties.
Dallas County voters cast more ballots on the first day of early voting than in any previous election, including presidential contests.
The heavy turnout comes as Texans decide a closely watched Senate race Nov. 3 between Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico, along with contests for governor and other statewide offices.
Dallas County is a strong Democratic county. On Texas, IDAHO LEARNING NEWS notes:
Ken Paxton has a problem with suburban women, and in a Texas Senate race this tight, their lost support could decide the outcome. The Republican attorney general, dogged by corruption scandals and accusations of infidelity, is now tied or trailing Democrat James Talarico in a string of October polls as early voting begins across the state.
The warning signs are visible on the front lawns. In Bridgeland, a sprawling conservative subdivision in the Cypress area northwest of Houston, yard signs favoring Talarico, a four-term state representative, appear to outnumber anything backing Paxton, who has never lost an election in 25 years.
Longtime political analyst Joe Conason observes that GOP strategist Karl Rove is on Chump's mind:
Evidently Donald Trump wants to blame Rove for the impending Republican disaster in Texas, where James Talarico now looks like he can edge Ken Paxton in the U.S. Senate race. Losing the Lone Star State would be an epoch-making event for the GOP -- and in a lengthy Truth Social post, Trump is already attempting to deflect blame for the disaster.
At this point it must be said, in order to avoid inviting bad juju, that the current opinion polls cannot predict what will happen in Texas or any of the midterm elections next month. But what can be said with great confidence is that should Paxton and a host of other Republican Senatorial nominees suffer such a momentous loss, the fault will not lie with Rove or any other MAGA scapegoat.
That responsibility will fall squarely on Trump, whose ranting and raving will achieve nothing except to reinforce the widespread sense that he is losing the plot.
Sara Dorn (FORBES) notes that Chump declared yesterday he was going to spend $400 million attempting to elect Republicans and that $300 million had already been spent. 13 days left, and he's sitting on $100 million to be spent? Doesn't sound very well planned out but then Chump's never been known for thinking things through. Alexander Willis (RAW STORY) points out, "Trump’s claim to have already spent more than $300 million is unverified. Public records show MAGA Inc., the president’s super PAC, has spent about $200 million so far, Reuters reported Saturday, though Trump did not specify which of his political groups his figures cover."
Chump can't stay on topic, he lacks the ability to focus. Which is why he again brought up on Monday his desire/need/obsession for the state of New Mexico to change its name to New America. It did not go over well. Anna Commander (NEWSWEEK) notes:
Gregg Hull, Republican candidate for governor in New Mexico, balked at President Donald Trump’s push to rename the state as “New America.”
[. . .]
Hull responded to the president’s idea in a post to X on Monday night, saying in part that he stands by his original statement that “New Mexico does not need a new name.”
And Hull noted:
He added that the people of New Mexico are focused on good-paying jobs, taxes and an economy that works for families, energy independence and relief from rising costs. “That is where my focus is, and that is what the campaign is about,” Hull concluded.
Exactly. Brendan Rascius (INDEPENDENT) notes that New Mexico's current governor also called Chump out:
“This tired New America bit again?” Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham wrote on X. “You have to ask — what policy failure is Trump trying to distract Americans from this time?
“Let me repeat: New Mexico was New Mexico long before the United States existed and we’ll be New Mexico forevermore,” Grisham, a Democrat, continued. “Americans should also know we’ve been busy delivering universal, no cost child care. We’re also the only state that fully replaced health care subsidies that were gutted by Trump and congressional Republicans.”
Monday, Chump announced the Iran War was won. He announced that again. He's made the pronouncement repeatedly since the eighth month old war began. He said he could pull US troops out of there at any point. He's also made similar remarks to that before. He keeps repeating the same words and nothing changes. Brandon Weichert's "Donald Trump is trapped in a cage called the Iran war and looks like he has no way out now" (NATIONAL SECURITY JOURNAL) details the trap Chump has put himself in.
Kimberly Guilfoyle was Chump's pick for US Ambassador to Greece. This was after she broke up with Don Chump Jr. She has since publicly struggled with the exposure of her seeking bribes. Greg Woodfield and Anthee Carassava (DAILY MAIL) report:
One such association was with dashing pop star Konstantinos Argiros, 40, a near-constant presence in Guilfoyle's Athens 'nightclub diplomacy' after hosting herstar-studded welcome party in November 2025.
It is unclear exactly when the two first met. But their friendship came under sharp focus weeks before Guilfoyle's ascension, when Argiros hauled her onstage at the Hellenic Initiative charity gala in London to dance to his hit song Mallon Kati Ksero.
And he told Greek talk show Enopios Enopio (Face to Face) in December 2025: 'We met through my best man… we got acquainted and that's when I realized how genuinely she wants to help the whole world.
'She's incredibly giving. What impressed me was how she looked after those around her.
'That's when she won me over as a person, without knowing her politics. She won me over in that way.
'Later we developed a closer relationship; she met my family and I met hers, and that's the bond we share.'
His tune was somewhat different this week following Guilfoyle's resignation over claims she asked GOP donor Eric Deters for $100,000 to pay off her American Express bill, amid other ethics concerns. Guilfoyle denies the accsations.
Married Argiros appeared to deliberately side-step the opportunity to defend Guilfoyle when asked about her by a Greek TV journalist.
'I haven't followed it, the whole affair. I don't know the details,' Argiros insisted at Athens International Airport as he prepared to jet off for a concert tour. 'I'm not saying anything, If you want me to speak about music, I'm more than happy to.'
Argiros's mother-in-law, Miranda Patera, a socialite of considerable standing in Athens circles and from a prominent shipping family, also appeared to be doing a distancing act this week.
It has been widely reported in Greek media that Guilfoyle might be godmother to the newborn of her daughter Alexandra and the singer.
When Argiros was filmed coming out of a maternity hospital in June, he didn't deny questions about it.
But when asked the same thing by a journalist this week, Patera steered away from making a comment.
When pressed, she said there had been no such understanding about Guilfoyle's possible role in the baby girl's life.
Since her public downfall, some have said she's going to write a tell all naming names -- Chump be damned! That's not her style. I know her from when she was married to Gavin Newsom. She always caves. I don't believe she has the strength to take on anyone, let alone Chump and his family. But I could be wrong. I doubt I am because of her response to being fired as told by Leigh Kimmins (DAILY BEAST):
Refusing to accept her fate, the 57-year-old reportedly called U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Rupert Murdoch, the chairman emeritus of News Corp, which owns Fox News.
The Daily Mail reports that she pleaded with Hegseth and Barrack to intercede directly with the president on her behalf, while urging Murdoch to spike damning coverage published by the Wall Street Journal, which News Corp owns.
The 95-year-old media tycoon refused to yield to her demands, while Barrack—a longtime presidential confidant—offered verbal backing that failed to turn the tide.
Trump, the Mail reports, refused to take her calls.
And she buckled. That's Kimberly. Megan Palin (NEW YORK POST) notes:
Kimberly Guilfoyle may have lost her prestigious job as US ambassador to Greece — but the former ambassador is now being advertised for speaking engagements commanding up to $100,000 per appearance.
The 57-year-old former prosecutor and television personality, who was ousted from her diplomatic post to Greece last week amid allegations of financial misconduct.
However, she remains listed on Speaker Booking Agency’s website with estimated appearance fees — for corporate appearances, speaking engagements, virtual events, fireside chats and meet-and-greets — ranging from $50,000 to $100,000.
Ric Grenell was an ambassador in Chump's' first term. In his second term, Chump put him over The Kennedy Center where Ric flourished making catty and outdated remarks as he attacked various artists who would not take part in Chump ruining The Kennedy Center. Alina Habba was part of the Chump team until she couldn't (courts would not see her as Acting Attorney for the District of New Jersey no matter how hard she and Chump pushed). Alina and Ric are now in the midst of a very bitter back-and-forth feud. Steven Nelson (NEW YORK POST) reports:
Ric Grenell, the embattled former executive director of the Kennedy Center, allegedly promised Turkish billionaire Turhan Mildon access to President Trump while reeling in an alleged $5.6 million donation to the performing arts venue that was never deposited.
The White House counsel’s office has been investigating Grenell for allegedly failing to provide the money to the center — after Mildon’s new bride, Alina Habba, directly told Trump during an Oct. 9 Oval Office meeting that her husband was duped into providing the funds.
“Once the money comes to the company here, I will arrange the donation to Kennedy Centre [sic], and you’ll be joining the VIP events and get close with the administration, even with POTUS,” Grenell allegedly wrote to Mildon in a May 3, 2025, text message first reported by Axios.
The $5.6 million donation allegedly was to be taken from a larger $17.6 million wire transfer from Mildon to the defense software company Texas Armament & Technology.
Grenell, a former US ambassador to Germany and Trump’s former acting intelligence director, reportedly denied sending the text message, pointing to the use of British English to spell “Centre.” He did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
However, a Post source said that Axios’ recounting of the text message is consistent with what they had heard about developments in the bizarre scandal.
Mildon has provided the White House with financial records for a May 29, 2025, wire transfer to the Texas company for $17.6 million. However, Axios reported the money came not from Mildon, but from the Democratic Republic of Congo’s “Ministère des Finances.”
In both cases, Kimberly and Ric stand accused of using their positions to promise access in exchange for cold, hard cash.
Last night on MS NOW, Jen Psaki noted a NEW YORK TIMES report about Habba.
Tyler Pager (NEW YORK TIMES) reported last night:
Julio Herrera Velutini really wanted a pardon.
A billionaire banker from a prominent Venezuelan family, Mr. Herrera faced felony bribery charges in the United States and struck an unusually lenient plea deal in August 2025 for a misdemeanor campaign finance violation. But he felt that reduced charge was still a stain on his record.
So Mr. Herrera deployed his lawyer, Christopher M. Kise, the former Florida solicitor general who was on Mr. Trump’s personal legal team, to help with a plea for clemency. His 27-year-old daughter, Isabela Herrera, who is an American citizen, donated $3.5 million to a super PAC tied to Mr. Trump. But as of last fall, the pardon remained elusive.
Then the Herrera family hired Alina Habba, who had been one of Mr. Trump’s personal lawyers and at the time was an adviser at the Justice Department. They offered her $10 million a year for four years along with a range of bonuses. In total, including bonuses, she was guaranteed more than $50 million over four years, according to interviews and documents obtained by The New York Times.
Under the agreement, Ms. Habba would become general counsel at Concord Partners, a company that Ms. Herrera set up in late October 2025 in Florida. The company has no public profile and its business remains unclear even to some people associated with the Herrera business empire. Ms. Habba finalized her deal days after the company was registered, while she was still serving as U.S. attorney in New Jersey.
She formally began her work for Concord Partners on Jan. 1. Weeks later, Mr. Trump granted Mr. Herrera a full and unconditional pardon.
Turning to the Secretary of Defense Priss Pot Hegseth, the poser is accused by military families of abandoning them in Bahrain.
The walls appear to be closing in on a senior member of President Donald Trump’s cabinet as a growing number of House lawmakers indicate they’re ready to move forward with impeachment proceedings as the possibility of Democrats seizing control of Congress’ lower chamber becomes more likely, Punchbowl News reported Tuesday.
That senior cabinet member is Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who’s faced growing bipartisan scrutiny for a number of scandals, chief among them his handling of the deeply unpopular U.S. war against Iran that has left 23 U.S. service members killed and nearly 900 wounded. At least 1,700 Iranian civilians have been killed.
“Hegseth is in trouble. There may be nothing Pete Hegseth can do to save himself from eventually being impeached by the House,” Punchbowl News’ report reads.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) launched an effort last month to impeach Hegseth but was thwarted after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) canceled House proceedings early ahead of the midterms.
And yesterday, Senator (and Rev) Raphael Warnock issued the video below raising serious alarms about Priss Pot's 'religious' 'beliefs.'
In other news, another person has died in ICE custody. Colleen DeGuzman, Alex Nguyen, and Uriel J. García (TEXAS TRIBUNE) reports:
The 56-year-old Mexican man who died Saturday while in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody was a lawful permanent resident in the country, the agency said in a statement a day after The Texas Tribune reported about his death.
Emiliano Andrade-Covarrubias, 56, was found unconscious in his bed at the Rio Grande Processing Center on Saturday morning. ICE said staff performed chest compressions and called emergency services, but he was declared dead about 20 minutes after being found unresponsive. He had been in immigration detention since June.
ICE on Monday said Andrade-Covarrubias’ cause of death is still unknown, as the autopsy was still pending with the Webb County Medical Examiner. The agency also said he received proper medical care and was seen by medical professionals.
[. . .]
Andrade-Covarrubias had lived for decades in Dallas, where he raised three children who were all born in the U.S. He painted apartments and townhomes for a living, and his daughter said he was planning to return to Mexico. He traveled to Mexico often because he was building a house there, she added.
Her dad had a heart condition, she said, along with diabetes and high blood pressure. He had medicine with him when he was detained, but she said staff at the center wouldn’t “give him his medications.”
When he said he felt sick and had a cough, she said her family was especially worried because he was hospitalized for COVID-19 in 2021 and the illness took a lasting toll on his health. He sought help from the facility’s medical staff, but he told her that “they would just ignore him.”
Katie Phang notes another ICE horror story in the video below.
Let's wind down with this from Senator Elizabeth Warren's office:
Senators demand answers on damage to U.S. military bases and facilities following classified briefing
“There is no rationale for classifying that cost estimate.”
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) wrote to Admiral Brad Cooper, Commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), urging the Department of Defense (DoD) to publicly disclose the costs of damage to U.S. military bases and facilities caused by Iranian attacks during the war. The letter follows a classified briefing in which Cooper provided senators with an estimate of the damage costs behind closed doors.
The letter comes amid mounting costs from the war, which has killed as many as 23 U.S. service members, wounded 861, and cost at least $42 billion. Despite reports of extensive damage to U.S. military bases and facilities across the Middle East, DoD has not publicly released an official estimate of the costs. The cost of rebuilding bases could reportedly be over $30 billion, according to officials and people familiar with DoD’s internal cost estimates.
“The administration’s ongoing efforts to hide the true cost of this war are outrageous and unacceptable. DoD has repeatedly tried to cover up the truth about the number of service members hurt and killed since the war began and has not disclosed these deaths and injuries to the public in a timely manner,” wrote the senators.
During a recent classified briefing, Admiral Cooper provided information to the Senate Armed Services Committee on the estimated cost of the damage, but that figure is not available to the public.
“The American people deserve to know the full cost of the Trump administration’s unauthorized war against Iran. Even if DoD has not yet determined which facilities it is planning to rebuild, disclosing these costs represents the bare minimum transparency DoD owes the public,” continued the senators.
The senators also raised concerns about the impact of damaged facilities on military readiness and logistics, including the Navy’s relocation of its primary logistics hub following damage to its base in Bahrain.
“There is no rationale for classifying that cost estimate: our allies and our adversaries are, unfortunately, keenly aware of the extraordinary toll that this reckless war has taken on military readiness, and Congress and the public need this information to determine the steps necessary to recover from this debacle. If that cost estimate is classified, the Department should exercise its authority to declassify the costs,” continued the senators.
The senators requested answers by November 2, 2026, on the costs of damage to U.S. and allied bases and facilities, the cost of replacing damaged infrastructure, funding for repairs and relocated operations, and whether contractors have received new funds to carry out repairs.
Senator Warren has fought to hold the Trump administration accountable for waging an illegal war in Iran:
- On September 21, 2026, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) urged Armed Services Committee Chairmen Wicker and Rogers to hold public hearings on the fatal Port Shuaiba attack.
- On September 15, 2026, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released new data on the cost of President Trump’s war in Iran. The report was in response to an inquiry led by Senators Warren (D-Mass.), Merkley (D-Ore.), and Schumer (D-N.Y.).
- On July 30, 2026, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, led 11 members of Congress in opening an investigation into reports that the DoD failed to provide adequate medical care to service members injured in a March drone strike on a U.S. military post at Port Shuaiba in Kuwait.
- On July 6, 2026, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) led nine members of Congress in pressing Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on the DoD’s defunding and deprioritizing of programs that prevent and respond to civilian harm in war.
- On April 22, 2026, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) pressed General Randall Reed, Commander of the U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM), on the Trump administration’s failures in evacuating Americans from the Middle East at the start of President Trump’s illegal war in Iran.
- On April 20, 2026, Senators Warren (D-Mass.) and Van Hollen (D-Md.) led nine senators in opening a new investigation into Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s role in weakening civilian harm prevention programs and the catastrophic civilian impacts of President Trump’s war in Iran.
- On April 7, 2026, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) released a new video condemning President Trump’s threat to wipe out the “whole civilization” of Iran and called for Majority Leader Thune to bring the Senate back into session immediately to vote to stop Trump’s war.
- On March 20, 2026, Senator Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, wrote to Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent and other members of the Trump administration, raising concerns about the financial costs for American families from President Trump’s illegal and reckless war with Iran.
- On March 20, 2026, at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) sounded the alarm about the Trump administration’s sidelining of the military’s Judge Advocate General Corps, who are responsible for providing independent legal advice to commanders. Senator Warren pressed the commanders of United States Northern Command and United States Southern Command about the impact the sidelining of JAGs has on civilian harm as the war against Iran continues.
- On March 11, 2026, Senators Warren (D-Mass.), Van Hollen (D-Md.), Kaine (D-Va.), Schatz (D-Hawaii), Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and 41 colleagues pressed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for a full investigation into the airstrikes on a school in Minab, Iran, and other civilian casualties in the Trump administration’s war on Iran.
- On March 12, 2026, at a hearing of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) questioned the Director of the Congressional Budget Office on the financial implications of the Iran war and highlighted that the enormous financial cost could instead be used to lower the cost of health care.
- On March 5, 2026, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) led the entire Massachusetts delegation in pressing Secretary of State Marco Rubio to explain the Trump administration’s “complete failure” to evacuate U.S. citizens — including Massachusetts residents — from the Middle East following the administration’s starting a reckless war in Iran.
- On March 3, 2026, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) took to the floor of the U.S. Senate to call on Congress to end President Donald Trump’s reckless war in Iran and demand accountability.
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The following sites updated:
Chump is not doing well
6 hours ago
Air-Fryer Salmon in the Kitchen
6 hours ago
Fat and lumpy Chumpy gets worse
6 hours ago
The Traitor in Chief
1 day ago
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
The Snapshot
Tuesday, October 20, 2026. 14 days until the midterms conclude, Chump is losing it a little more each day, he's bleeding supporters, he continues to wreck the economy as the econmy becomes the most central issue in the elections, Priss Pot Hegseth is called out loudly, Senator Ron Wyden calls for greater security on federal websites, and much more.
According to the report, Trump earned approximately $1.4 billion from his cryptocurrency meme coin and more than $200 million from his real estate empire in 2025. That would mean a projected tax bill of more than $500 million. A conservation easement at his Jupiter, Florida, club could substantially reduce that liability. However, the report notes, the actual amount that Trump is saving isn't publicly available.
14 days. That's all that's left until the midterms. Early voting is going on now. If you're doing mail-in, you need to start getting those envelopes in the mail, and November 3rd is the day voting in person takes place. 14 days away. Mariana Alfaro, Anna Liss-Roy and Eric Lau (WASHINGTON POST) report:
As the Nov. 3 midterms draw closer, the political environment appears increasingly favorable for Democrats and grim for Republicans. The battlefield of competitive races is expanding and reaching red districts once considered locks for the GOP, according to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
[. . .]
President Donald Trump’s low favorability with voters -- his approval rating is stuck in the 30s -- plus high prices and the unpopular war with Iran are adding to the advantage Democrats already hold as the party out of power.
THE POST's article gives a lengthy breakdown on where various House races are leaning. Nolan D. McCaskill and Andy Sullivan (REUTERS) report:
Democrats need to pick up at least four seats in November's midterm elections to win control of the 100-seat US Senate, where Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority. That was seen as unlikely at the beginning of the year, but President Donald Trump's unpopularity and voter frustrations over the Iran war and rising prices have made many races competitive even in states that he won handily in 2024.
The reporters note Maine, Ohio, Alaska, Texas, Iowa, Michigan, New Hampshire, Georgia, North Carolina and Kansas are "the races that will determine control of the Senate." Sherdell Baker (EBONY) runs down all 50 states. On Iowa, NEWSWEEK's Anna Skinner notes:
Undecided voters are making up their minds in Iowa’s tight U.S. Senate race between Democrat Josh Turek and Republican Ashley Hinson, but the race remains neck-and-neck even as more Iowans decide which candidate they’ll choose.
Iowa is among this year’s most competitive Senate races, as Turek and Hinson vie for the open seat left by retiring Republican Senator Joni Ernst. Polls continue to show a tight race between the two after their first debate on October 7 where tariffs, immigration and voting records played a major role. A second debate was held last week, where the candidates sparred again over the Iran war, tariffs and immigration.
Earlier in the race, the percentage of undecided voters was high, at times in double digits. Independent voters who are not registered with a specific political party make up an impactful part of the state’s electorate, and they are among the most likely voters to choose a split-ticket at the ballot box come Election Day. Even as the number of undecided voters drops, the narrow gap between Turek and Hinson remains steady, with both candidates seen in the lead, depending on the poll.
14 days away and Chump keeps bleeding support. AP notes, "Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islander adults have become more disillusioned with President Donald Trump and Republicans as the Nov. 3 midterm elections approach, according to a new AP-NORC/AAPI Data poll, giving Democrats a substantial edge on major issues like the economy and health care." Other groups Chumps struggling with? How about farmers. Joey Cappelletti and John Hanna (AP) explain, "Don Hineman, a western Kansas rancher and former Republican state House majority leader, said he’s seeing growing frustration among GOP voters beyond just farmers, including some who have supported Trump in multiple elections. He said farmers understand that Trump’s tariffs have hurt their businesses and are upset over the ongoing war with Iran. Immigration has also become a source of concern, particularly after recent immigration raids in western Kansas that resulted in the detention of more than 100 people." In Indiana? WRTV reports, "Hoosier voters are unhappy with President Donald Trump and don’t think the state is heading in the right direction, according to a Free Press Indiana Poll conducted by Bellwether Research. Out of more than 800 likely voters who were surveyed, 54% said they disapprove of the way Trump is handling his job as president, while 44% said they approve. Of those numbers, 48% said they strongly disapprove of Trump, and 28% said they strongly approve. Trump’s high disapproval rating marks a sharp turn for voters in deep-red Indiana, where the president won the state by nearly 20 percentage points in the 2024 election against Democrat Kamala Harris."
The issues? Hannah Parry (NEWSWEEK) reveals:
Democrats have erased the Republican Party’s advantage on immigration, while opening double-digit leads on healthcare, inflation and the cost of living less than three weeks before the midterm elections, a new poll shows.
The ABC News-Washington Post-Ipsos survey, conducted October 9-13, found that Americans trust Democrats more than Republicans to handle 11 of 12 major issues tested, while the GOP retained a five-point advantage on crime.
Democrats are two points ahead on immigration, an issue that has traditionally been a strength for Republicans, while their largest advantage was on healthcare, where they led Republicans by 23 percentage points. The Democrats also held 14-point leads on education and schools, the cost of living, and inflation.
The party’s advantage extended to foreign policy. Democrats led by 11 points on handling the situation with Iran and by seven points on the conflict between Israel and Gaza. They also held nine-point leads on the economy, transgender issues and reducing government corruption, and a seven-point lead on taxes.
The results come as Americans express growing concern about gasoline prices and the economy. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump’s approval rating has dropped to just 33 percent, according to poll, with many Americans voicing dissatisfaction over his handling of the conflict in Iran.
Lee Moran (HUFFINGTON POST) notes, "Inflation will be the central issue of the 2026 midterm elections in just over two weeks’ time, according to CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten." And inflation is many issues. It's the Iran War -- the war Chump decided to start without making his case to the American people, the war he announced in an early morning taped message, the war that has destroyed the economy. On that war, Cathy Bussewitz, Wyatte Grantham-Philips, Rio Yamat, Dee-Ann Durbin, Anne D’innocenzio and Mae Anderson (LOS ANGELES TIMES) report:
More than seven months into the U.S. war with Iran, sharply higher fuel prices are making it more expensive to drive and fly and adding to the cost of some goods, prolonging the strain on American households as the midterm elections approach.
Motorists and airline passengers have borne the clearest consequences as the fighting disrupts Middle East oil shipments. Some companies have raised delivery charges or prices on selected products. Yet the higher cost of making and moving goods has not translated into across-the-board price increases at stores.
Shoppers may not be spared indefinitely, though. Many companies have absorbed at least part of their higher production and transportation costs. A September jump in wholesale prices suggests some businesses may eventually charge more if fuel prices stay elevated.
The chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, Mark Zandi, estimated this week that the war has cost the average U.S. household the equivalent of almost $2,000, including $1,100 in higher energy prices, $540 in higher interest rates and $360 in military costs. The energy portion is growing by $50 a week at current fuel prices, Zandi said.
Higher inflation has put pressure on the Fed and bond markets. In September, the central bank raised rates for the first time in three years to try to combat rising prices, with one more hike potentially coming by year's end. The 10-year Treasury yield, which influences borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans, and credit cards, has surged since the war began, from below 4% at the end of February to a high of 5.31% this month. The 30-year mortgage has risen nearly in lockstep, going from just under 6% to 7.5% during the eight-month conflict.
For everyday Americans, all of these international strains amount to what is, essentially, a pay cut. Wage growth remains slow and steady, but, over the past few months, rising prices have outpaced pay increases. Inflation-adjusted wages have slumped since the start of the war, and have given up nearly all their gains since the start of Trump's second term.
14 days.
And Chump's destroyed the eonomy and Americans are suffering.
He's in no hurry to end the Iran War. He's wasted weeks going around campaigning when he should have been trying to wrap up the Iran War. Americans are depleting their savings as they try to keep up with inflation. He doesn't care.
Meanwhile Americans distrust in Chump continues to grow.
He's tanking in the polls as he should be. He's done such a lousy job and he's wrecked the American economy. Shrai Popat (GUARDIAN) reports:
A new Washington Post-ABC poll put Trump’s approval rating at 33% as he continues to crisscross the country as part of his campaign blitz for embattled Republicans.
Most Americans (66%) believe Trump is using the presidency to enrich himself, according to the survey – including 34% of Republicans. This is a 12-point jump from last September.
While Trump returned to power in January 2025 and promised a “new golden age” for the US economy, 48% of respondents said they were financially worse off than when Trump returned to office in 2025. According to the Post, this represents the highest percentage saying this about any president in this series of polls since 1986.
Sarah K. Burris notes one way Chump is gaming the system:
One of the many ways that President Donald Trump has been able to dodge paying his taxes is by using an "environmental easement" for his Trump National Golf Course in Florida. It's saved him $825 million, Forbes reported Monday, "give or take a couple hundred million."
The bombshell expose recalls past reports that Trump was using what's called a "conservation easement," which is an agreement that stops any future development unless it complies with certain strict environmental standards. Typically, the restrictions can be so tight that hardly anything can be built. Keeping the land is a tax write-off. It gives a deduction that reduces taxable income, though it isn't a dollar-for-dollar reduction in your tax bill. For Trump, that means a golf course can remain a functioning, revenue-generating business while becoming a major tax write-off.
Trump is using his presidential power to shield his finances from scrutiny through these kinds of arrangements, the report said.
Appraisers estimate what the property might be worth as housing or another development, then calculate the value of relinquishing that possibility. Forbes questioned both possibilities: whether certain courses genuinely qualify as conservation projects and whether their hypothetical development values are inflated.
Turning to the Secretary of Defense, Travis Gettys (RAW STORY) notes:
A federal judge took a sharp swipe at Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth while rejecting the Trump administration’s bid to remove her from an unrelated case.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes made the remark in a footnote to a 13-page opinion filed Sunday denying a motion to disqualify her from a lawsuit over the administration’s tree-clearing at Washington’s East Potomac Golf Course, and she blew off complaints about her earlier jab at Hegseth's busy schedule as simply “facts, not insults.”
In its recusal motion, the government tried to show that Reyes was biased against the executive branch by pointing to other cases on her docket. One complaint was that she had “ma[de] fun of” Hegseth and threatened to compel his deposition testimony in Talbott v. Trump, a challenge to the administration’s ban on transgender troops.
Reyes said neither was true.
She wrote that she had actually denied the plaintiffs’ request for a seven-hour deposition of Hegseth. She left open only the possibility of hearing arguments for a limited, one-hour session if they asked again.
At an Oct. 14 hearing, she had acknowledged that she was “very aware that he is the Secretary of Defense and has a lot of constraints on his time.” But she also noted that “he has time to tweet, and he has time to put out videos, and he has time to speak to the generals.”
“These are facts, not insults,” Reyes wrote.
In other Hegseth news, David McAfee (RAW STORY) reports:
An Air Force service member died after falling from the roof of the Alamodome during a pregame demonstration at a college football game in San Antonio on Saturday. Critics quickly turned their anger on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The airman was taking part in a fast-rope demonstration before the University of Texas at San Antonio’s game against Navy, the New York Post reported. It was reportedly part of the school’s “Salute to Armed Forces and Veterans” game, and four military personnel were descending from the stadium’s 170-foot rafters.
Videos shared online appeared to show the airman losing control on the rope and falling to the field in front of thousands of fans. He was treated on the field for about 10 minutes and taken to a local hospital, where he died, according to the Post.
The Post reported that he was assigned to the 6th Combat Training Squadron, Detachment 2. His name hasn’t been released.
“He died,” Jackie Singh, an aide on Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign, wrote on X. “Thanks @PeteHegseth @SecWar for yet another pointless and tragic recruiting spectacle.”
Democratic strategist Chris D. Jackson described the incident as “absolutely sickening.”
“This ridiculous military showboating at football games needs to STOP,” Jackson wrote on X. “Now a man could lose his life, all because some Hegseth-like official apparently thought putting on a macho spectacle for people who came to watch FOOTBALL was a brilliant idea. These men are human beings, NOT props for someone’s political theater.”
Patty Nieberg (TASK & PURPOSE) reports on the fallen:
The airman who died in a rappelling demonstration gone wrong on Saturday night was a Tactical Air Control Party instructor with 15 years of service in the Air Force.
The Air Force identified the airman as Tech. Sgt. Ian Patterson, a Tactical Air Control Party instructor assigned to a 6th Combat Training Squadron detachment operating out of Joint Base San Antonio, Texas.
Patterson was part of a four-person demonstration at Saturday’s football game between the University of Texas at San Antonio and the Navy. He was rappelling from the football stadium rafters when his rope appeared to unravel too quickly, videos posted online of the incident show. He slid down his line at a high speed from dozens of feet above the field and hit the ground hard.
In other bad news for Priss Pot Hegseth, Alexander Bolton (THE HILL) reports:
Senate Democrats are quietly floating the ouster of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth after the Nov. 3 election as the political price for cooperation on key defense-related issues in the postelection lame-duck session, and they may have some GOP support to shake up the Pentagon’s leadership, according to Senate sources.
The Defense Department has set recruiting records under Hegseth’s leadership, and the Pentagon chief appears to have strong support from President Trump, who likes to brag that Hegseth looks like a military leader from “central casting.”
But some Republican senators haven’t been happy with Hegseth’s leadership, especially his ouster of well-respected military leaders such as Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, Army chief of staff Randy George, Navy Secretary John Phelan and four-star Gen. Chris Donahue, the top U.S. military officer in Europe.
Democrats view Hegseth’s leadership as a disaster and are looking for leverage to push him out after the midterm elections, according to Senate sources, just as they attempted to push former Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem out of her job during the prolonged stalemate over funding for her department earlier this year.
Priss Pot has been a disaster. He has harmed morale. I would love to know where the HILL reporter got that recruitment is up under Hegseth. First of all, It's under Biden's term that military recruitment increases. Second of all, I've heard recruitment is down since the start of the Iran War. Third of all, I'd need figures -- actual figures -- and not just some sad little claim from DoD to believe that.
Priss Pot Hegseth is already facing a call for impeachment in the House -- introduced by Republican Thomas Massie. Speaker of the Closet Mike Johnson sent all members home early to avoid a vote on that. But the House will have to return after the midterms and Hegseth will be facing that call for impeachment. He was not fit for the job to begin with. He proved that early on with the Signal Chat scandal and he's only gotten worse as time's continued to pass.
Let's wind down with this from Senator Ron Wyden's office:
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today urged the executive branch to protect whistleblowers and Americans who visit federal websites by upgrading the security of hundreds of government websites that are currently vulnerable to surveillance.
Although the government protects the contents of nearly all website data, standard web encryption does not protect the names of websites that users visit, such as “reportfraud.ftc.gov.” Wyden urged the government to adopt a security technology called Encrypted Client Hello (ECH), which would shield website names from spying, in a letter sent today to the acting director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the deputy federal chief information officer of the United States.
“As data travels across the internet, hackers and foreign actors monitoring network connections can easily see these exposed website names,” Wyden wrote. “This visibility could lead to malicious eavesdroppers identifying whistleblowers, profiling cleared federal personnel, tracking Americans seeking crisis support, and mapping interactions between agencies.”
Wyden’s office identified numerous federal websites that could be protected by ECH against outside spying. Those websites include dozens of U.S. embassies, the FBI online tipline, the Department of Veterans Affairs online suicide prevention hotline and more. A non-exhaustive list of 350 vulnerable federal websites is attached to Wyden’s letter.
Read the full letter here.
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The following sites updated:
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Chump's DESPERATION TOUR is bombing11 hours ago
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The laughing stock that is Junior11 hours ago
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Weekend Box Office11 hours ago
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All the corruption in Chump's White House11 hours ago
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Chump's stroke?11 hours ago
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