The Local Crank

Peter Baker@peterbakernyt.bsky.social

Democrats vow to "drive down the high cost of living in every possible area.” But voters expecting a Democratic Congress to lower prices may be disappointed, writes @davidjlynch.bsky.social "There is nothing the next Congress can do about the level of prices." www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

washingtonpost.comVoters angry about high prices may get little relief from the next CongressEven if Democrats win control of Congress on Nov. 3, lawmakers can do little about prices that are uncomfortably high -- and will stay that way even as the rate of inflation is expected to slow.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

Trump’s crowd in Michigan looks on in bewilderment as he decries the fact that Michael Whatley is doomed in North Carolina

PBS News@pbsnews.org

Republican Vivek Ramaswamy on Friday defended his campaign's ad featuring the estranged mother of Democratic rival Dr. Amy Acton in the closely watched race for Ohio governor. https://to.pbs.org/4ikwAd7

pbs.orgVivek Ramaswamy defends ad featuring Amy Acton's estranged motherSpeaking at a campaign stop, Ramaswamy said the advertisement, which features Acton's mother calling her “a liar,” had nothing to do with childhood abuse.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

Trump: "Our country is making hundreds of billions of dollars on oil. and then on top of it we have Venezuela, and we have Greenland! 'We're making trillions of dollars. But my people said 'please don't mention that, sir, because people are paying a little higher'... we're making a frickin' fortune"

The Denver Gazette@denvergazette.com

Trump slams length of Tyler Robinson trial: ‘It should be over with!’ buff.ly/DIxkzBG

Headquarters@headquartersnews.bsky.social

Q: Amy Acton's stepfather was indicted for rape. Now that you know all that, sir, do you change your mind about the ad? Trump: No. I don't care

MeidasTouch@meidastouch.com

Something is off with Trump tonight. The gaffes, the glitches, the confusion are well beyond his usual. "They gave the wonderful peace prize, right? Does anybody know the name of that peace prize? They gave the Pulitzer Prize to a young lady."

Politico@politico.com

FEMA tells states to handle disasters on their own politi.co/4yBLbqS

politico.comFEMA tells states to handle disasters on their own politi.co/4yBLbqSFEMA tells states to handle disasters on their own politi.co/4yBLbqS

Walker Bragman@walkerbragman.bsky.social

Elon Musk threatens Congress.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

Trump is closing in on two hours on stage in South Carolina

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

Trump: "I'm studying his body. I've never studied the body of a man before. It's not my thing. Nothing wrong with it, of course. But it's never been my thing. But I looked at his ass. I said, 'His ass, shit, it's like a pile of muscle.' Then I looked at his legs and I said, 'Man, his feet are big.'"

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

Trump on Roy Cooper: "He's going to become your senator and it's crazy" RIP Michael Whatley

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

Markwayne Mullin: "The brother, mother, mother, moth-- the Muslim Brotherhood ... "

The Washington Post@washingtonpost.com

President Trump’s political groups aren’t spending money in North Carolina to help his chosen Senate candidate. But he is still due to visit the state tonight to rally with Michael Whatley, the Republican nominee.

washingtonpost.comTrump to rally in North Carolina, even as GOP pulls its moneyMichael Whatley, the state’s Republican Senate candidate, owes his nomination to Trump; the president continues to invest time, if not cash, on his behalf.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

Trump: "Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine. They haven't been doing much."

Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie@audrelawdamercy.blacksky.app

if you were wondering whether Alito's book is an embarrassing crock of shit, I can now officially answer your question with a resounding yes ballsandstrikes.org/legal-cultur...

Hillary Rodham Clinton@hillaryclinton.bsky.social

Now, Putin has proposed a summit with Trump and Xi to decide Ukraine’s fate for them, bulldoze a century of international cooperation, and frame Russia as an equal to the U.S. and China. We’ll see if Putin’s puppet continues to dance on his strings.

Alex Ip 葉清霖@alexip718.com

America now has second-generation school shooting survivors nypost.com/2026/10/17/u...

nypost.comMom who survived school shooting coaches son through Oregon attack: ‘Please be as quiet as possible’The traumatized mom was fearful every time she dropped off her sons years before the school shooting.

MeidasTouch@meidastouch.com

The husband of a U.S. soldier killed in Trump's Iran war confronts JD Vance over alleged military leadership failures that led to the deaths of his wife and five other service members. JOEY AMOR: “There's a failure in the leadership.” VANCE: “This is literally the first time I've heard of this.”

𝖢𝖠𝖳 𝖡𝖴𝖳𝖫𝖤𝖱 𝖲𝗋.@catbutlersr.bsky.social

#elon #tesla #OhDarn

Steven Beschloss@stevenbeschloss.bsky.social

The most sickening thing is not that Elon Musk is pumping hundreds of millions into the midterm elections. The most sickening thing is that this doesn't make even a dent on his grotesque fortune, which means he will continue to abuse the power his wealth provides him.

Jenny Cohn@jennycohn.bsky.social

😡😡😡 “Meta employees acknowledged in internal communications that the Instagram accounts of Brazilian ​President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva were hindered by ‌restrictions during [Brazil’s] election” & that Meta “recommended the profile ​of challenger…Flavio Bolsonaro” & “his ​WhatsApp channel…” 1/

Polling USA@usapolling.bsky.social

Current Polling USA Senate Model: Democrats are at 55 seats Republicans are at 45 seats - Oct 11, 2026 -

ElieNYC@elienyc.bsky.social

I disagree, categorically, that adding additional justices, even in a "tit-for-tat" way, is a "race to the bottom." I think having a great many *more* judges is actually good for democracy, representation, ethics, and limiting the importance and power of any individual judge. Furthermore...

Carl Quintanilla@carlquintanilla.bsky.social

(Bloomberg) - President Donald Trump called for executing individuals who leak information to the media during a campaign rally as he railed against what he saw as critical coverage of the Iran war. @bloomberg.com www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

Mike Collins makes apologies for white nationalists like his son in law: "These people feel like they've been forgotten. And they're just lashing out."

Josh Gerstein@joshgerstein.bsky.social

JUST IN: Mag. judge in EDVA clears former FEMA CFO Mary Comans of claims she directed tens of millions in payments for housing undocumented immigrants in NYC. Judge: Statements by Musk & others were 'little more than state-sanctioned intimidation.' Doc: www.documentcloud.org/documents/28...

documentcloud.orgComans101326

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

holy shit -- a protester at the Trump rally gets physically assaulted after they interrupt the rally by a man who punches her in the face. Trump smears the protester as a "fat guy"

Khashoggi's Ghost@urocklive1.bsky.social

"I don't do this with men very often," Trump told the crowd. "I started examining his body because I didn't know he was a great athlete. And I looked and I watched up and down. I looked at his ass and I looked at the whole... And then I looked at his hands. Look at his hands. He's got these claws."

Mother Jones@motherjones.com

“Americans see this for what it is. President Trump is abusing his power to go after political opponents weeks before an election.” Federal officers raided Rep. Ilhan Omar’s home early Monday morning, reportedly related to an investigation into the lawmaker’s immigration paperwork.

motherjones.comHomeland Security raids Ilhan Omar's residenceTrump's fixation on the Minnesota lawmaker has exploded into full-on lawfare weeks before the elections.

Rachel Maddow@maddow.bsky.social

Harris County TX. He's hospitalized: "ICE claimed the man ran in front of the agents' vehicle and was struck. However, the surveillance video appears to show the SUV veering left through empty parking spaces before running the man over..." abc7.com/story/ice-ru...

abc7.comICE agent strikes man with car during pursuit in Texas, authorities say: VIDEOSurveillance video shows the moment an unmarked SUV carrying ICE agents ran over a man during a pursuit at a shopping center in Texas.