Judd Legum

1. A group formed last week called “Progressive Alliance of Wisconsin” is attacking David Crowley, the state’s Democratic nominee for governor, with hundreds of thousands in attack mailers. A Popular Information investigation has linked the effort to GOP operatives.

4. For more investigative journalism that pulls back the curtain on dirty tricks, subscribe to Popular Information. popular.info/subscribe

paidforby.infoWho paid for this?Find out who really paid for political mailers and TV ads.

5. And send your mail to paidforby.info That's how we got these mailers

2. Polls show Crowley clinging to a small lead over Tiffany. Crowley, a political moderate, beat democratic socialist Francesca Hong in the primary by just 2,700 votes. So if even a small number of Hong’s most progressive supporters vote against Crowley it could plausibly swing the race to Tiffany.

3. It appears linked to a similar effort by a shady group targeting Amy Klobuchar in Minnesota.

10 days until Election Day! This is when the political mail gets WILD. Make sure to submit your mail to paidforby.info: 1. Instantly find out who is really paying for the mailer — and their donors (federal elections only) 2. Get your mailer reviewed by an independent journalist (all elections)

Ramaswamy has produced an attack ad weaponizing the rape of his opponent, Amy Acton, when she was 12 years old. It features Acton’s mother, who abandoned Acton after she was raped by her step-father, fleeing the state with her husband. Here is the corporate money helping fund that ad.

More details on Ramaswamy's "despicable" in today's Popular Information:

Subscribe for more independent reporting that holds the powerful accountable popular.info/subscribe

Blackstone CEO and co-founder Stephen A. Schwarzman is bankrolling this MAGA Inc. ad attacking Congresswoman Kathy Castor (D-FL) for… buying Blackstone stock.

The ad describes Blackstone as a "Wall Street Firm" that is "raising rents and pricing people out" of the Tampa housing market. Details here:

nytimes.comhttps://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/20/us/politics/ramaswamy-campaign-ad-acton-estranged-mother-donna-arthur.html

One thing about this vile video Republicans are circulating featuring Amy Acton’s mother. It is not an ad. It is an online smear campaign. An ad is required to have a disclaimer at the end, revealing who paid for it and creating a modicum of accountability. This video has no disclaimer.

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BREAKING: In an interview w/Pizzagate conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec, White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia admits that despite describing herself repeatedly as a lawyer and working as General Counsel for a non-profit she has never been licensed to practice law and failed the California bar.

UPDATE: Katie Zacharia has granted her first TV interview. It’s with Pizzagate conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec

More on Zacharia's history of promoting Pizzagate conspiracies, including that elites in Hollywood and the Democratic Party sex traffic children and eat people

As I first reported on Monday, Katie Zacharia is not a lawyer and has never been licensed to practice law. The WSJ reports that she took the California Bar Exam but failed. Nevertheless, Zacharia appeared on media programs for YEARS and repeatedly called herself a lawyer. Here's a super cut:

For more rigorous accountability journalism, subscribe to Popular Information. popular.info/subscribe

1. Data centers are one of the biggest issue in the 2026 mid-terms and, publicly, Trump has staked out the unpopular position of supporting them. Meanwhile, Trump’s super PAC is ATTACKING DEMOCRATS FOR SUPPORTING DATA CENTERS.

paidforby.infoWho paid for this?Find out who really paid for political mailers and TV ads.

3. It's glaringly hypocritical but hasn't attracted any media coverage because it's being done through the mail. We obtained it through our web app, paidforby.info Please submit your mail! You will also instantly get detailed info about who is paying for it.

4. For more independent accountability journalism, subscribe to Popular Information. No corporate overlords. No billionaire backers. No BS. popular.info/subscribe

2. “The only reason that communities throughout the U.S.A. should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor,” Trump said. Meanwhile we obtained a mailer from Trump's super PAC attacking a Democratic candidate for being "open to large data centers."

I’ll be on MS NOW with Jen Psaki at around 9:25, talking about my reporting on Katie Zacharia

BREAKING: A complaint has been filed with the California Bar against White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia, citing Popular Information’s reporting, for “the Unauthorized Practice of Law and for Holding Herself Out as Entitled to Practice Law.”

Subscribe for UPDATES on this story: popular.info/subscribe

documentcloud.orgCfA - CA Bar - Katie Zacharia

Full bar complaint here: www.documentcloud.org/documents/28...

Zacharia, despite years of claiming to be a lawyer, is not a lawyer. The latest on the scandal and Zacharia's disastrous response:

Judd Legum reposted

Aaron Rupar

@atrupar.com

"When Trump plucked Katie Zacharia from obscurity & appointed her as his new press sec, he called her 'an attorney.' This is also how Zacharia describes herself. But Popular Information searched for evidence in all 50 states, plus DC, that she was admitted to practice law anywhere — & found none."

UPDATE: Trump was asked what state Zacharia passed the bar exam. Trump deferred to Zacharia to answer. Zacharia said, "When I moved to China." Which makes absolutely no sense. She appears to waive away follow up questions. bsky.app/profile/atru...

Judd Legum@juddlegum.bsky.social

1. Trump’s new White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia, says she is a lawyer. She has claimed to be a lawyer repeatedly on national TV, on podcasts, and on social media. But there is no evidence that Zacharia has ever been licensed to practice law.

To be clear, there is zero chance Zacharia took the Chinese bar exam. She doesn't speak Chinese and only Chinese citizens can take it.

Judd Legum@juddlegum.bsky.social

3. There are also major conflicts and inconsistencies with Zacharia's narrative of her professional career, including her time as "General Counsel" for a California non-profit.

4. For UPDATES on this story and more independent accountability journalism, subscribe to Popular Information. It's free to sign up. popular.info/subscribe

2. The White House responded to a detailed request for comment, but did not provide any evidence Zacharia was licensed to practice law, referring Popular Information back to a Truth Social post where Trump calls her an attorney.

Seems relevant to me that the new White House press secretary, who supposed to convey accurate information, believes that elites in the Democratic Party and Hollywood are sexually trafficking kids and eating people. 24 hours later, it hasn’t made it into mainstream coverage of Zacharia.

1. Trump’s new White House press secretary Katie Zacharia is a prolific user of Truth Social where she regularly promoted Pizzagate and QAnon conspiracies, accusing elites in the Democratic Party and Hollywood of running child sex rings and eating people.

2. Read all the posts 👇️

@joycewhitevance.bsky.social

3. For more independent accountability journalism subscribe to Popular Information. No corporate overlords. No false equivalencies. No BS. popular.info/subscribe

Judd Legum reposted

Joyce White Vance

A new app lets you find out who’s behind the political mailers you receive, which comes in handy for people who don’t want to be manipulated by self-interested billionaires. Learn all about it from @juddlegum.bsky.social who created the “paidforby” app. joycevance.substack.com/p/paid-for-b...

joycevance.substack.comPaid for ByJudd Legum tells us about his new app for unmasking whose behind political ads

Judd Legum reposted

Derek Willis

@dwillis.bsky.social

Hello, beautiful: paidforby.info

paidforby.infoWho paid for this?Find out who really paid for political mailers and TV ads.

1. Contacted for comment by Popular Information, V-PAC, the billionaire-funded super PAC supporting Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign for Ohio governor, admitted that a political mailer it sent to Ohio voters about opponent Amy Acton contained misinformation. When is the last time that happened?

2. The mailer was obtained by Popular Information through a new web app, Paid For By. More details here:

paidforby.infoWho paid for this?Find out who really paid for political mailers and TV ads.

Try Paid For By yourself: paidforby.info

Judd Legum reposted

Aaron Rupar

@atrupar.com

my friend @juddlegum.bsky.social has put together a cool new tool that allows you to photograph political mail and immediately learn who paid for it. Check it out here:

paidforby.infoWho paid for this?Find out who really paid for political mailers and TV ads.

Judd Legum reposted

Jess Craven ❌👑

@jesscraven101.bsky.social

Replying to @jesscraven101.bsky.social

P.S. — Want to know who paid for the political mailer you just received? Check out Popular Information’s new tool! paidforby.info paidforby.info

paidforby.infoWho paid for this?Find out who really paid for political mailers and TV ads.