Since Trump returned to the White House, the library, museum, public radio station and local government have had funding they relied on disrupted or canceled altogether. Longshoremen have been tasked with loading empty containers on to ships to avoid tariffs. And the soaring price for diesel has squeezed not just the seafood industry, but all of the nearly 4,300 residents of the city, who rely on the fuel for electricity.

“This whole town runs on diesel,” said Daneen Looby, a longtime Unalaska resident who sits on the city council and owns the Norwegian Rat Saloon. With distributors upping the fuel surcharges she pays for food and alcohol shipments, Looby is thinking of raising her menu prices. “I didn’t want to, but I kind of have to, otherwise I’m going to become a charity.”

How bad was this plot? In my view, it’s scummy and antidemocratic conduct. But it’s routine, as ratfucking goes. Indeed, Democrats quickly citednumerous examples of Republicans engaged in lots of similar chicanery. Let’s get real: We live in a world where Trump ordered multiple GOP state legislatures to execute extreme gerrymanders for the explicitly declared purpose of holding the House, where Trump has called oncongressional Republicans to seize control of state-administered elections, and where Trump still won’t commit to accepting a midterm defeat.

In that world, the Alaska saga is pretty damn small electoral potatoes. The ballot will be clearly labeled by party, and it’s unlikely to make any difference. Besides, as I wrote in my 2018 book, if only one side adheres to norms of fair play in politics, that is itself destabilizing. Generally speaking, mutual escalation of hardball tactics may be the only way to compel some kind of détente over time.

This lawsuit also comes as Harris County is shattering early voting records, with over 950,000 residents having cast their ballots and one day of early voting still left. The previous record for a nonpresidential election was 855,711 people in 2018.

“Ken Paxton filed this lawsuit in the final days of voting because he wants to stop Houstonians from going to the polls. He’s whining about ads that do nothing more than tell neighbors when to vote and where to get information about voting,” Texas Democratic Congressman Christian D. Menefee wrote online. “Paxton is upset that diverse voters across Harris County are making their voices heard. He doesn’t like that in this election, people are showing up in big numbers in neighborhoods like Third Ward, Acres Homes, Cypress, Tidwell, and Sunnyside.

A Play in Three Acts

But the pre-election phase is only Act I of this three-act play.

Act II is Election Day itself, where all manner of mischief is possible in an intense 24 hours. The spread of early voting has helped to reduce the overall potential impact of Election Day sabotage, but there are still risks — and importantly, what happens on Election Day can set the stage for Act III.

Act III is everything that happens post-election, from tallying the votes to challenging ballots already cast to recounts and certifications and ultimately election contests. It’s where close elections can be won or lost.

Surface-to-air missile systems have been deployed at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort as the Secret Service warns of a “heightened threat environment”.

Two Avenger air defence systemshave been placed on a floating barge near Mr Trump’s Florida residence, according to photos published by the Palm Beach Daily News.

The Justice Department Friday lost its second bid to have an appeals court stop California election officials from processing more than 20,000 ballots from people the federal government suspects may be non-citizens but are registered to vote in next week’s election.

The renewed effort was filed with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals immediately after a Los Angeles federal judge late Wednesday denied the DOJ’s attempt to obtain a temporary restraining order separating the allegedly ineligible vote-by-mail ballots.

The 2-1 vote Friday to reject the appeal is the latest setback for the Trump administration’s efforts to assert control over state-run elections.

This is a fight for the soul of the Democratic party,” [California Congresscritter Ro] Khanna told me last weekend. “Will we be beholden to billionaire donors and offer platitudes without policy like Gavin Newsom, or will we reclaim our FDR courage and offer a bold vision for our nation’s future?”

Exactly 90 years ago, speaking at Madison Square Garden on the last day of October 1936, the then president Franklin Delano Roosevelt scorned the rightwing plutocrats of the day: “They are unanimous in their hate for me – and I welcome their hatred.” Leaders of today’s Democratic party have failed to earn such hatred.

so says “Honest Don” J Trump!

GOP as usual spending extravagant sums to desperately maintain the power to willfully ravage the populace & the planet with their devious schemes to blame The Other for the consequences of their own morally bankrupt policies

waning GOP figurehead & feckless petrochemical industry shill endlessly repeating his moronic drivel concerning energy sources & climate catastrophe. Terra is burning & smoldering, with millions rapidly losing their ability to simply breathe & survive—the planet would more accurately be known as Fuego these days.

Vote no on Turek

Waiting for Obama to show up in Florida to support Angie Nixon’s bid for US Senate now!

billionaires are the worst of “useless eaters”

In May, the VSquare investigative newsletter reported that a UN position could be important for the former prime minister because of the diplomatic immunity attached to the role.

According to the WSJ, Orbán would only run if his victory were assured, a scenario that currently seems unlikely.

A candidate must secure the support of at least nine of the 15 Security Council members, while any of the five permanent members can veto the nomination. Besides the US, Russia and China, France and the United Kingdom are also permanent members.

Two European governments have already spoken out against the idea of putting forward Orbán as a potential candidate.

Progressive Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) wrote on social media late Friday that Democrats should force Trump to veto a litany of progressive policies from Medicare for All to blocking aid and bombs to Israel to taxing billionaires.

“Make him veto Medicare for All,” he advised.

Make him veto Medicare for AllMake him veto a $25 living wageMake him veto free childcareMake him veto Block the Bombs to IsraelMake him veto zero aid to IsraelMake him veto free collegeMake him veto erasing student loansMake him veto taxes on billionaires
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) October 24, 2026

Groundwork CEO Lindsay Owens called Schatz’s strategy “worrisome” on Saturday.

“Trump vetoing bills to make healthcare cheaper is a good political outcome for Dems,” she wrote on social media, arguing that it would increase the likelihood of a Democratic victory in 2028.

RAGBRAI

Since 1973, RAGBRAI, Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, has been a celebrated tradition, bringing thousands of cyclists and spectators together for an unforgettable journey across the state.

trans rights are human rights