This Weekend in Politics, Bulletin 488. Ron Filipkowski Oct 25 … We are at the point in the midterms where the demented and addled president has added to his rally speech a comparison between the buttocks of Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH) and rapper Nicki Minaj. From his rally today in MI: “I looked at his ass, and I've never done that with a man before. By the way, I looked at one hell of a beautiful ass before: Nicki Minaj. That's hard to miss.” … Trump also claimed on Fox that Husted went up in the polls after he told people that Husted has a nice, muscular ass: “He went up 14 points or something. That was when I said the A-word. I looked at his body.” … Trump at his rally in GA: On gas prices: “We’re making money like we’ve never made before. They’ll say: ‘Trump is bragging about all the money they’re making while people are suffering at the pump.’ I don’t give a damn. We’re making a freaking fortune.” … Who is ‘we’? Comparing senate nominee Mike Collins to Sen. Jon Ossoff: “He’s a big, strong guy—that is what you want as opposed to a tiny person, but tiny in the sense of his arms, his legs.” “Why do we always had take people from shit house countries? Why can’t we take people from Norway, Sweden, Denmark? By the way, they gave us Greenland. We got Venezuela and Greenland.” … Barack Obama at a rally for Democratic candidates in MI: “Whenever a movement builds to challenge that broken system, the people who benefit from the status quo will say and do anything to stop that train from coming. They will use lies and they will use fear and they will use division. And they may even use your name to suggest that you are dangerous and less than trustworthy and less patriotic and less American than they are.” “We have seen this movie before. I starred in it. I've got a long form birth certificate to prove it. This stuff didn't work on me, not in MI. It's not going to work on Abdul. He is as MI as it gets. Abdul was born here. He was raised here.” “Some people say, ‘Abdul didn’t like some of the things you did as president.’ So Abdul didn’t agree with some things. You know who else doesn’t agree with everything I do? Michelle Obama.” “When I was president, all these Republicans are all, ‘deficits, deficits, debt, debt. You got to do something about it.’ And now—$40 trillion—crickets. Somehow deficits only matter when a Democratic president is in office.” … Abdul El-Sayed: “Trump's bill gutted health care for millions. President Obama passed the legislation that expanded it.” Crowd member yells out: “Obama is not in the Epstein files either!” Crowd cheers. … Democratic nominee for governor Jocelyn Benson: “Who do you want leading the state when Trump tries to pressure the governor to overturn an election or to turn over your private voting info in the lead up to that election? I will proudly stand up to anyone anytime anywhere who tries to stand in the way of your rights, your freedoms, your privacy, and our democracy. I have done that as your secretary of state, and I'm ready to do it as your governor.” … Obama in OH: “I don’t know if you noticed, but the guy in the WH seems very focused on home renovations. He should be on HGTV. He’s building a ballroom that’s bigger than the WH - paved over the Rose Garden. Put a helicopter pad on the south lawn. And he’s got gold everywhere. What’s up with the gold? He's got the WH looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory. It's gold everywhere!” “He pulled out of the JCPOA, starts this war. 7 months later, 6 months after they declared victory, how's that war going? Our allies and our bases have been attacked. Americans have been killed. Hundreds of Americans have been wounded. We have run down our stock of missiles. And Iran now has veto power over the Strait of Hormuz.” “This is the reason why the price of oil is up. Nobody disputes that. This is the reason the price of diesel is up. This is the reason why the price of just about everything is up. Meanwhile, you got the defense secretary who's squarely focused on important matters: the jawlines and testosterone levels of our troops.” “How much time do you think this Defense Secretary spends looking at himself in the mirror in the morning? These are not serious people. And the problem is you end up having to pay the price for their lack of seriousness.” “Iran didn't have nuclear weapons because I had put a deal in place and I didn't have to fire a missile to do it. I just had to engage in diplomacy.” “This admin's actions are directly responsible for rising costs. The current president chose to make a series of bad decisions. Most importantly, he decided to start an unnecessary war that nobody asked for and nobody voted for On Democratic nominee for senate Sherrod Brown: “This is not a guy who enriched himself cozying up to corporations. He's still wearing the same suit he was in when I met him 20 years ago.” “Remember that whole thing about drain the swamp? The only thing that got drained. was the reflecting pool after some no-bid contract got it all messed up. And then they tried to blame a 3-time Olympian by claiming he vandalized it.” … Trump responded on Truth Social: “Obama was a grossly incompetent President! He said that Crooked Hillary Clinton was going to WIN, he campaigned hard for her, and she lost in all directions and ways. He then campaigned full out for Kamala, and likewise, she lost. Now he’s campaigning for a Muslim Brotherhood Jihadist, who hates Jews and Blacks and AMERICANS and TRUMP, and he is going to lose, also.” … Democratic nominee for governor Amy Acton: “My opponent has chosen to exploit my childhood to save to save his struggling campaign, but it's not going to work.” On Obama: “Our guest today knows a little something about hope. Hope is a very powerful thing. It's what got me through living in a cold, dark basement when I wasn't sure where my next meal was coming from. Hope is what got me through sexual abuse, living through cold nights where all I could think about was how to keep my brother safe and warm.” Reminder that tomorrow is Ask the Editor where I choose 5 of your questions to answer on the podcast. Please leave your question or topic you would like me to talk about more on the show in the comments section of this Bulletin below. We are now in an all-out sprint to these very crucial midterm elections, so the overwhelming focus of these Bulletins for the next couple of weeks will be on those. Knowing Trump, I suspect that there will be considerable drama in the immediate aftermath so buckle up. And get people out to vote! If you missed yesterday’s Bulletin, you can find it here. Meidas+ is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. … NYT reporter Shane Goldmacher: “Just how much has the Vivek Ramaswamy ad broken through? His rival, Amy Acton, became today the first Dem candidate for governor since April to be the top fundraiser on ActBlue over the preceding week. (The top spot had been entirely held by Senate candidates.)” … OH reporter Karen Kasler: “Update: there is now a 30 second version of the Vivek Ramaswamy ad featuring Amy Acton’s estranged mother.” … Community Note on X: “The 30-second version removes the mother’s specific claim from the longer original ad that Acton lied about living in a tent as a child, which is contradicted by court records and other evidence supporting her account of childhood abuse and homelessness. … So Vivek just released a new ad with Acton’s estranged mother that cut out the part where she claimed Acton lied about living in a tent after proof came out that she did live in a tent, so basically she’s now just saying that her daughter lied at 12 about being sexually abused. … Zeteo: “Vivek Ramaswamy kicked off a bus tour this weekend with other members of the OH Republican ticket, at the height of a political firestorm over the shameful and uniquely revolting ad campaign he launched against his Democratic opponent for governor. Now, as a result of that ad campaign, businesses are having second thoughts about hosting the Republican politicians if Ramaswamy is there.” … A top OH Republican consultant: “We’re getting calls that people don’t want him there.” … “This source adds that some business owners and event hosts have explicitly told them that they do not want the horrendous publicity – or angry phone calls, or social-media attacks, or customer complaints – that they would get for hosting Ramaswamy’s campaign tour at this juncture.” … Trump outside the polling place after voting early in FL: “The mother said that Amy Acton is a liar and she is no good. I don’t think you can better reference than that.” Q: “Polls show govt corruption is at the top of voter concerns. Trump: Well because Democrats are very corrupt. Who do you write for? Reporter: WSJ. Trump: You guys are worse than anybody.” “My uncle invented radar. Can you believe it? He’ll probably be angry that I took out Iran’s radar.” … Trump’s claim was hit with a fact-check community note on X: “Trump's uncle John G. Trump contributed to WWII radar development and deployment at MIT's Rad Lab but did not invent it. Radar originated earlier via work by scientists including Heinrich Hertz, Christian Hülsmeyer and Robert Watson-Watt.” Q: “What are you hearing is the top issue for voters? Trump: I’m hearing that we turned the whole thing around. I think the rallies have turned it around. Look at OH, TX - he’s in good shape. Jon Husted is a great hero - and All-American football player. Nebraska is in good shape.” … He couldn’t name a single issue voters care about. Q - “Your policy was no business deals with Russia until there is a peace agreement. Trump: They released oil into the world. That was a good thing. Q - The AK gas deal? Trump: Those are deals that will happen at some point but we’re not going to be hostage to with the oil industry that should’ve never started.” … James Talarico at campaign event: “John Paxton has increased his net worth by $27 million. He now owns 15 homes while most Texans are struggling to afford one, it's hard to get 15 homes in a game of Monopoly. I don't know how he got 15 homes. This election is about whether you want a senator who puts money in your pocket, or who puts money in their own. “Ken Paxton is not one of us. He's not even from here. He moved here from CA. Why is it always the Californians who are saying don't CA my TX?” … The Hill: “Early voting is surging in several key battleground states, giving Democrats hope that their strength in midterm polling could translate into a turnout advantage in Nov. In NC, more than 1.2 million early ballots have been accepted, a 37% increase from the same point leading up to the 2022 midterms. … That growth - which includes both in-person and mail-in ballots - has been driven by a 47% increase among registered Democrats and a 60% increase in participation among unaffiliated voters. Early voting among Republicans is up 2.6%. Similar patterns are emerging elsewhere, with high turnout especially pronounced in historically Republican-leaning states with competitive Senate races this cycle. … More than 23 million ballots have been accepted nationwide, compared with more than 15 million reported at a similar point ahead of the 2022 midterms. In KS, early voting is up roughly 69%, while it’s up 41% in ME and 24 percent in IA.” … TX Gov. Greg Abbott was asked about it on Fox: “We saw high voter turnout among Democrats the first couple of days of early voting. However, now that Republicans and our fellow Texans are seeing the crazy ideas that Democrats stand for on the ballot, they realize it is time to go vote. And that’s exactly what we’re working on as we close out this election.” … WaPo: “A Republican woman in a campaign commercial gave a grave warning about Sarah Trone Garriott, the Democratic candidate in one of IA’s most competitive House districts. ‘When it comes to our kids, Sarah is just plain dangerous,’ says Shellie Flockhart, a Dallas Center city councilwoman identified in the ad by her first name. … But Flockhart pleaded guilty to charges related to child endangerment and DUI after authorities said she drove drunk with two of her children in the car in 2017. After this article published online, Flockhart posted a statement on X, where she described the episode as a ‘a profound failure in judgment that endangered those I love most.’ … The statement said she has committed to working a sobriety program and surrendering her life to God. … The ad from the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC that aims to elect Republicans to the House, features several women, including Flockhart, accusing Trone Garriott of being ‘dangerous’ to children due to her voting record as a state senator on transgender issues. Trone Garriott is challenging Rep. Zach Nunn (R) for a House seat.” … NYT: “In the 1990s, politicians fought for the support of soccer moms. In the 2010s, they competed for votes from white working-class voters. Now it is clear: Latinos are the most important swing voters of the 2020s. Democrats have made gains with Latinos over the past two years, winning back trust with a crucial group of voters who helped fuel Trump’s return to the WH in 2024. … Latino voters now favor Democrats over Republicans by 30 percentage points, according to the latest NYT/Siena poll. While Democrats have not yet reached the level of support among Hispanic voters they had a decade ago, they have made important gains that could help them win control of Congress. … Hispanic voters make up at least 20% of registered voters in nearly two dozen highly competitive House races in AZ, CA, CO, FL, PA and TX, as well as other states. Latino voters could also prove decisive in several Senate races, including in TX, where Republicans made historic gains in the past two elections. In IA and KS, Hispanic voters could also play a critical role.” … Speaker Mike Johnson on Fox: Q - “Why do you think Americans tell us over and over again in the polls they don't like the direction the country is moving in? Johnson: Look, it's a hostile media environment. Most of the mainstream media of course is advancing the false narrative of the other side - the Democrats and the Marxists. They're on the other team.” … AG Todd Blanche was asked about DOJ’s lawsuit against AK before the senate election: Q - “The worry is that we end up in a situation where Trump tries to overturn the election and the result of that could be like what we saw after January 6 — Blanche: Stop it! You gotta stop it with that! That's crazy. Host: This is a president who has a history.” Q - “On Friday, the president said 'I'm the one that said, do it.' Did the president direct you to sue AK? Blanche: So, the president has been talking about AK for months and months. He’s been talking about it since May.” Q - “What's the crime? Blanche: What's the crime? Well it depends. There could be a crime. But the real wrong here is that Alaskans are gonna be confused. Host: The Alaskan Supreme Court ruled 4 months ago on this matter.” … Blanche then went on CBS: Q - “The DOJ lawsuit demands the AK result not be certified if voters are confused. The confusion is defined as Sen. Sullivan not winning. Blanche: That’s not what it says. Host: I’m quoting from it. You are telling them not to certify it. What right does the fed govt have telling a state not to certify? Blanche: We don’t know what’s going to happen yet, but it could be obvious from the results and the ballots that voters were confused.” … Trump posted about the AK senate race: “The Republicans’ Worst Senator, by far, Lisa Murkowski, of the Great State of Alaska, who only got elected because of Corrupt Ranked Choice Voting, is upset because I revealed what everyone knows, that the Ranked Choice Voting Ballot is a TOTAL DEMOCRAT SCAM meant to confuse the Voter, so that Senator Dan Sullivan will lose Votes to a man who has never participated in Politics before, named Daniel J. Sullivan, Jr. He is only there because the Democrats want to steal the Election, and Murkowski probably wants that to happen, which is why she is against the DOJ filing a Lawsuit in order to stop this impending crime and tragedy. I have delivered for Alaska at Historic Levels, nobody has ever seen anything like it, and all I’m asking for is a FAIR AND HONEST SENATORIAL ELECTION! Lisa Murkowski is a DISGRACE to Alaska and our Country. You just don’t get any worse!” … If it ends up a 50-50 senate, I’m not so sure how reliable a vote Murkowski will be for Trump. … NPR: “Dan Osborn is one of 4 independents running for Senate in states Trump won handily, including ID, SD and MT. Buoyed by the president’s sinking approval ratings and public frustration over affordability, independent candidates argue they bring a winning case to voters. … It is an argument that some Democrats hope will resonate with voters as the party looks to retake control of Congress, betting that these candidates can help topple Republicans in parts of the country where their own brand is hurting.” … Jane Kleeb, Chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party: “I’m a partisan Democrat. I believe in the Democratic Party. I also believe in building coalitions so we can win elections and then do the work of the people. And if that means creating coalitions with independents in some of our states, then that’s exactly what we need to do.” … Washington Sun: “A pardon for all junior admin personnel is viewed as unlikely, but the president could issue blanket pardons for all employees involved in particular policy areas, such as deportations, war or trade. Trump has previously said he would be interested in pardoning some admin officials, but the discussions happening now would apply to a far greater number of WH staff than has been previously reported.” … Washington Examiner: “The Trump admin has directly authorized some $43 billion in subsidies to farmers on top of what Congress has enacted, a large chunk of money that critics argue the admin would not have had to consider if not for the imposition of tariffs and the war with Iran. This month, Trump announced the Ag Dept’s $8 billion Harvest Fuel Relief Program. … But according to Scott Lincicome with Cato Institute, an expert in trade policy, the admin has spent $43 billion in total on similar aid programs to relieve the effects of its own policy moves: ‘All without Congress, and all really to handle either trade war or Iran war-related damages, and it is pretty astronomical.’ … For reference, $43 billion is just under double what NASA spent last year.” … Vincent Smith, director of agricultural policy at the American Enterprise Institute: “Those monies go overwhelmingly to the largest 20% of agricultural producers, and in fact very heavily concentrated on the largest 10% of farms, in terms of sales, so that means that most of these monies are being directed to about 75,000-165,000 farms. Relatively little or very little goes to the median and below farm in terms of sales.” … KY Gov. Andy Beshear: I’ve got soybean farmers - 100% of them voted for Trump. They lost their first client in USAID. Linda McMahon canceled the farm-to-cafeteria program. Trump’s tariffs pushed China away. All of your farm machinery runs on diesel. And finally, a third of the world’s fertilizer passes through the Strait of Hormuz. They are on the verge of declaring bankruptcy.” … Just how popular are Trump’s tariffs with Republican candidates all over America? Not one of them anywhere has even mentioned them in a single ad while Democrats have made them one of their top issues. … NYT: “An American energy company intends to buy Russian technology and use it to access a massive supply of natural gas in AK, liquefy it and export it to allies abroad. The Kremlin and the WH were interested in the idea. Vladimir Putin discussed the plan last month with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. … But it turns out that the company was not an all-American affair. The multibillion-dollar project has received secret funding from the same powerful Russian company that was to provide the technology, according to the energy executive who until last month led the US firm and two others involved in company negotiations. … Joel Riddle, who was CEO of Polar LNG until he resigned in Sept, said he had been misled about the sources of the start-up funding, which ostensibly came from a company in the UAE. Instead, Riddle said he learned, the true source of at least some of Polar LNG’s money was Novatek, a Russian energy giant under partial US sanctions. … Riddle: “It’s not only unlawful, but it’s not in the US interest to have Russian technology controlling the commercialization of Arctic gas in the North Slope.” … AP: “Elon Musk said that his company SpaceX had throttled the Starlink satellite internet service in Ukraine, disrupting operations that the country relies on to defend itself against Russia. Questions have persisted since last week about who ordered the interruptions to the Musk-made satellite internet system that Kyiv has relied on for years to counter Moscow’s attacks.” … After Ukraine said the services had been restored, Musk spoke out on the speed restrictions that began last week. In a post Saturday on X, Musk acknowledged that his company SpaceX throttled the Starlink satellite internet service: “Using Starlink, a civilian commercial service, for offensive drone strikes to kill people has never been allowed, nor should it be. Ukraine military violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people. That loophole was closed last week.” … WSJ: “Elon Musk’s decision to abruptly impose limits on Ukraine’s use of his Starlink communications network is prompting US allies to intensify efforts to come up with their own alternatives. Europeans are expressing concerns about relying on a system with a built-in kill switch that gives Musk the power to deactivate a vital network without consultation.” … Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski: “The more you play politics with your products, the more you damage your brand.” Warsaw helps pay for Ukraine’s usage of the system. … “The problem for Starlink customers is that there isn’t likely to be a competitive alternative in the near term. The only European company able to operate satellites in low-Earth-orbit where SpaceX dominates is OneWeb, a subsidiary of the French group Eutelsat. … OneWeb currently operates roughly 650 satellites and plans to grow its fleet to about 1,300 by 2030, following a $1.1 billion contract signed last month with Airbus. Starlink already has more than 11,000 satellites in orbit. … Daily Beast: “Trump has sparked fresh health fears after stepping out with a conspicuous new bruise on his face. Trump emerged with bruises on both hands, which he covered with a thick coat of beige makeup to hide the recurring discoloration. But an entirely new mark was spotted on his face, where an apparent bruise stretched across his left temple, running from the top of his cheekbone to his eyebrow. … The discoloration was visible in several photos, both during Trump’s exchange with reporters outside the WH and after he landed in Fort Myers, FL, where Gov. Ron DeSantis greeted him ahead of a midterm rally. Shortly after Trump stepped out with his newest bruise, he posted a cryptic health message on Truth Social. ‘A healthy person has a thousand dreams. A sick person has only one (to get better)!’” HUJ? VISIBLE BRUISING?  … WH spokesman Davis Ingle was asked about it: “Only the glue-sniffing degenerates at the failing Daily Beast would obsessively push baseless conspiracy theories about President Trump, and that’s because they suffer from a severe, crippling disease known as Trump Derangement Syndrome that has completely rotted their peanut-sized brains.”