Will Smirk for Food (he/him) #FBR

It looks like I picked the wrong four years to quit sniffing glue.

Benny Johnson mourned a reported fire at Hitler’s retreat, then called Barack Obama the worst leader of the modern era. Can’t we at least agree on Hitler? He seems to have that title locked up. buff.ly/LRhphlt

House Democrats say they'll investigate Trump's targeting of Ilhan Omar and seek to cut funding for political prosecutions if they win the House. Subpoenas could expose who ordered the case. Spending limits would face a fight. buff.ly/M15fkTP

What’s a little extortion when it ends in a donation to your library? Trump threatened to investigate two advisers. They gave their overseas fees to his library. He praised their generosity. Quite a fundraising strategy. buff.ly/xYRf3nI

Todd Blanche’s pursuit of James Comey has that old Ken Starr smell: a political enemy and a prosecution that keeps coming back. The DOJ has filed new charges alleging Comey shared national defense information. Comey calls it an abuse of power. buff.ly/i6mxS9p

Trump praised Denmark, disparaged Somalia, then insulted Norway over the Nobel Peace Prize. If even white Scandinavians fall out of favor when he feels slighted, what does his talk of “desirable” immigrants actually mean? buff.ly/wNBE2Y2

Elon Musk called empathy “the fundamental weakness of Western civilization.” Really? The world’s richest man thinks our problem is that we care too much about other people? buff.ly/ygW13Je

“You’re not even being a real person!” Todd Blanche snapped at Dana Bash after she asked about the risk of another January 6. Apparently, remembering what happened last time now disqualifies you from conducting the interview. buff.ly/X9zQC5N

Daily Kos reports that 94% of Trump’s 2026 oil and gas stock purchases came after the Iran war began, citing congressional Democrats. Americans pay more at the pump while their president holds shares in the companies collecting the money. buff.ly/3NMOhOc

Ballot questions should make sense to the average voter. This year’s titles average a graduate-school reading level, Ballotpedia finds. People are deciding laws on taxes, abortion and voting. They deserve language they can understand. buff.ly/nGAF0FZ

I will miss Walter Koenig, who played Chekov on the original Star Trek series and a number of the Star Trek Films. Who's going to tell us about nuclear wessels? buff.ly/kiWHsUS

Weekend politics roundup: Trump boasts about oil profits while drivers pay more. Barack Obama takes aim at the Iran war and White House gold. Amy Acton confronts an attack ad built around her painful childhood. Ron Filipkowski gathers the highlights. buff.ly/20NrBeL

“Why can’t we take people from like, well, Norway?” Trump asked at a Georgia rally. Maybe the people he wants to recruit would prefer to keep their health care and paid leave. Has he considered what he’s offering? buff.ly/RZk0Dxg

“Whether the ad was appropriate or not is not really my concern.” JD Vance, defending Vivek Ramaswamy's attack on Amy Acton through her estranged mother. Imagine saying that out loud and thinking you've made a case for your party. buff.ly/kN7X3V7

Barack Obama warned Michigan voters that opponents would use Abdul El-Sayed’s name and background to paint him as less American. Hours later, Trump posted an Islamophobic attack on the Senate nominee. He supplied quite an example. buff.ly/Xr0QcYF

Annie Altman’s sexual abuse lawsuit against Sam Altman ended over court-ordered examinations, without a ruling on whether the abuse occurred. He denies her allegations. Linda Caroll examines what that leaves unresolved. buff.ly/qBiKKnz

Shellie Flockhart calls Sarah Trone Garriott dangerous to kids in a GOP ad. The Washington Post reports that Flockhart pleaded guilty after driving drunk with two of her children in the car in 2017. Some choice for the role. buff.ly/zcB5zk7

Trump’s arch, disputed voter lists and CNN’s access to Air Force One are all headed for court fights. Joyce Vance previews a week of legal tests over public land, ballots and press access. buff.ly/6zafQTY

If Faux News can't find a controversy, they'll make one up. James Talarico's team said he'd answer questions after voting. Fox's Brooke Taylor chased him on the way in anyway. Apparently, voting first is a scandal now. buff.ly/idfyGec

Mike Johnson blames the media for Americans’ sour mood about the economy. He also admits gas prices are too high. People can read the pump without a reporter explaining it. What’s his plan to bring prices down? buff.ly/Ratexxe

Barack Obama mocked Trump’s White House decor. Conservatives rushed to defend the Cheesecake Factory. Calling a chain restaurant “high class” doesn’t answer the affordability question: who can comfortably pay for a family dinner there? buff.ly/xB9zOPG

Trump keeps calling oil companies’ profits money “our country” is making. That’s a convenient way to count his rich friends’ gains while overlooking everyone else’s fuel bills. buff.ly/kVz6i3t

Trump disputed a Times approval rating of 38%. According to News Corpse, he had one detail right: that wasn’t his number. The poll put him at 34%. His own estimate? 60%. buff.ly/s4RDxwW

The job was real. The official announcement reportedly wasn't. Kristi Noem had a State Department adviser role, yet a source told Politico she made fake letterhead to announce it. What a strange thing to need to dress up. buff.ly/D77GnQE

Talk about getting burned twice. Many MSG employees reportedly won't get Knicks championship rings. Then the company dangled free rings in a phishing test and sent those who clicked to mandatory cybersecurity training. buff.ly/w4bdy7M

Nice work if you can get it. Wonkette reports Alina Habba landed a deal worth more than $50 million with a billionaire’s family seeking a Trump pardon. She finalized it while serving as acting U.S. attorney. The billionaire got his pardon. buff.ly/MUCntMJ

The GOP can't sell its platform, so it tries to rig the contest. Trump ordered DOJ into Alaska's Senate race after state courts upheld a rival's ballot access. Steve M. argues the fight itself could rally Republican voters. buff.ly/0o7OoeM

“I examined his ass,” Trump said of Jon Husted. He returned to the subject at multiple rallies. That’s an odd way to make the case for another term in the Senate. buff.ly/q5LZ23l

When Republicans need your vote, there's always a new reason to be afraid. Oliver Willis traces the hoaxes from fake voting notices to the Haitian pet-eating lie. A party with something good to offer shouldn't need this much fiction. buff.ly/hki6WJF

Karl Rove once set out to build a lasting Republican majority. Now he's warning that Trump's rallies may not save GOP candidates. Trump's answer: call him a loser. Neither man's confidence has aged especially well. buff.ly/BrMlioI

Marco Rubio’s memo warns of Iranian plots against U.S. officials. As Zeteo reports plans for post-election strikes, Tommy Vietor questions whether the warning is meant to sell the next round of war. buff.ly/OKsJKWS

A Democrat winning a Kansas Senate seat sounds far-fetched. RedStateRachel makes the case for taking Adam Hamilton seriously by looking at the state's Democratic governors and support for abortion rights. buff.ly/NTk218i

Barack Obama on Trump’s White House: “He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.” Campaigning in Ohio, he took aim at Trump’s focus on renovations while voters have other concerns. buff.ly/7cNimy5

TRUMP IS TOAST! And so is his MAGA Party Voters say that they trust Democrats to do a better job on EVERY major issue.

Democrats should make Republicans defend kicking loyal Americans out of the military. Robert Farley points to Navy and Marine Corps boards that voted to keep transgender troops in nine of 12 cases. Fight on that ground. buff.ly/HdE4x2h

Fraudsters find each other. Daily Kos reports that Ken Paxton’s family trust invested $600,000 with a convicted mortgage fraudster who later paid the Paxtons tens of thousands. Some people network. Others seem to form a support group. buff.ly/LEVVmXW

Trump will keep starting wars until he gets the peace prize. Now he’s floating a warship stop off Cuba after Iran, with Marco Rubio handling the deal. The Iran war hasn’t even ended. buff.ly/6lDZhBK

Vote early or by mail where available. Don't let Trump's goons scare you out of exercising your right to vote. Mark McCormick warns that threats around the midterms call for preparation. Kansas voting-rights groups are already organizing. buff.ly/es5YyIX

A judge blocked Trump’s DHS from going door to door to question voters in nine states, finding the program violated the Voting Rights Act. Voting rights groups warn the visits could scare eligible citizens away from voting. buff.ly/BIIN9Ex

The White House credits Melania Trump with arranging a local ceasefire in Ukraine for aid and evacuations. If it holds and civilians get out, give her the Nobel Peace Prize. Trump would be thrilled. Surely. buff.ly/XA5dbNC

Call Lacey Chabert's agent...

On Oct. 24, 1975, roughly 90% of Iceland’s women stopped paid work and housework to demand equality. Schools closed. Newspapers couldn’t publish. The country got a quick lesson in whose work kept it running. buff.ly/clY6f4t

Trump was found liable for sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll. Now he’s defending Vivek Ramaswamy’s ad against Amy Acton and insulting Monica Alba for raising Acton’s childhood abuse. That history belongs in this conversation. buff.ly/OqK7UVq

Military review boards are voting to keep trans troops despite Trump’s push to discharge them. Nine of 12 cases covered in the reporting ended in retention. The Pentagon won’t release the full numbers. Some boards are refusing to be a rubber stamp. buff.ly/8vNPsme

Will Trump’s 250-foot arch get the same care as the reflecting pool relining? His administration cites a 1925 law as permission to build near Arlington National Cemetery. Veterans groups and preservationists oppose the size and site. buff.ly/iOMBws7

A resignation ends a job. It doesn’t answer whether someone should carry a badge again. Sgt. Hunter Foster has left the force after killing 1-year-old Kohen Wiley. The family still wants a federal investigation. buff.ly/aCSEGXg

Jared Kushner's job was to serve the public. Matthew Cole alleges foreign leaders gave him access to roughly $2 billion through secret accounts. The question of what they expected in return deserves an investigation. buff.ly/eblEw6j

Trump sued the BBC for $10 billion. Now a judge says he must sit for a deposition by Dec. 11. Using lawsuits to punish critics gets awkward when the other side demands answers under oath. Welcome to the FO portion. buff.ly/HLaZrNH

Happy #caturday and good morning. My blind cat Gennie likes to hang around my pillow.