Morning, Kitties. There is too much noise today, so we are cutting through it. A longtime conservative government lawyer has resigned with a warning about the rule of law, Pete Hegseth is pushing a sweeping transformation of military leadership while critics question the role of political loyalty, Cornell has brought in Sally Yates to investigate its handling of sexual misconduct complaints, and billionaire political money is pouring into the final weeks before the midterms. Meanwhile, the FBI is cleaning up a devastating security breach and election misinformation is already warming up for November. Thirty four days until the midterms, and apparently democracy has entered the portion of the flight where everyone should keep their fucking seatbelts fastened.
Shit Show Highlights
Veteran Conservative Government Lawyer Resigns and Warns of an Assault on the Rule of Law The Guardian
John Murdock, a conservative attorney who spent 18 years at the Interior Department, resigned while warning of what he described as a deeply troubling assault on the rule of law, including concerns about environmental reviews, government legal obligations, and the department’s internal culture. The significance is not simply another resignation, but a career conservative government lawyer publicly saying the institution crossed a line he could no longer defend.
Hegseth’s Military Overhaul Raises Questions About Loyalty and Professional Independence Al Jazeera
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is pursuing major changes to military leadership, including plans to reduce general and admiral positions by roughly 20 percent after numerous senior officers have already been removed or pushed aside. Supporters argue the Pentagon needs fewer layers of command, while critics fear political alignment could increasingly influence who rises through the ranks.
Cornell Brings in Sally Yates for Independent Sexual Misconduct Review Reuters
Cornell has selected former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates to independently review how the university handles sexual misconduct complaints following intense scrutiny surrounding Jane Doe’s allegations of a 2024 gang rape involving Chi Phi fraternity members. The review will examine investigations, discipline, student support, campus police, and university oversight while separate legal proceedings continue.
FBI Removes Contractor After Massive Employee Data Breach Reuters
The FBI removed an Accenture contractor after hackers exploited an unpatched Oracle PeopleSoft vulnerability and obtained sensitive information involving FBI personnel, reportedly including addresses, medical information, and descriptions of counterintelligence jobs. Apparently protecting America’s secrets still requires somebody to click the fucking update button.
Trump’s Jobs Claims Face a Reality Check
The New Republic examines the administration’s claims about employment and argues that political announcements about investment and future jobs are being presented as though the jobs already exist. Promised jobs, announced jobs, funded jobs, and people actually receiving paychecks are four different numbers worth keeping separate.
FactCheck.org Adds Context to Trump’s Comments About Iran Taking Out Los Angeles The Washington Post
FactCheck.org examines Trump’s remarks suggesting Iran could take out Los Angeles and San Diego and places them in the context of his argument defending the costs of the Iran war. Context can clarify what a president meant, but it does not make references to American cities being destroyed any less consequential.
Billionaire Funded Political Mailers Spread Misleading Claims
Popular Information examines political mailers financed by wealthy donors and the factual claims being delivered directly to voters before the midterms. Campaign misinformation does not need an algorithm when somebody can simply pay to put it in millions of fucking mailboxes.
Midterm Resources Put the Remaining Weeks Into Focus
The Leah Files has created a midterm information hub designed to help readers follow races, deadlines, and election developments as November approaches. With political misinformation accelerating, voters should verify registration and voting information through their official state and local election authorities.
Trump Epstein Survivors Event Keeps the Disclosure Fight Alive
The Trump Epstein Reading Room covers Robert De Niro, Norah O’Donnell, Epstein survivors, and the continuing public campaign for disclosure and accountability. Celebrity involvement can amplify attention, but the core issue remains survivor testimony, documentary evidence, and which government records remain unavailable.
The Age Verification Boom Creates a New Privacy Problem
Nightfire examines the growing use of age verification technology and the personal information people may surrender to prove they are old enough to access online content. Protecting children is a legitimate objective, but building enormous identity databases creates a second question governments keep conveniently forgetting to answer: who protects the fucking database?
Closing Kitty Thoughts
Today’s most important stories are not really about one politician, one lawsuit, one university, or one government agency.
They are about institutional independence.
Can a government lawyer say no when an administration crosses a legal line?
Can military officers give professional advice without wondering whether disagreement will destroy their careers?
Can a university investigate sexual violence without protecting its own reputation first?
Can the FBI protect extraordinarily sensitive information entrusted to its systems?
Can voters distinguish campaign propaganda from documented fact when billionaires can purchase industrial quantities of political speech?
Those questions are connected.
Democratic institutions do not survive because somebody carved rules into marble. They survive because ordinary people inside those institutions decide the rules still matter when following them becomes inconvenient.
That is the part worth watching now.
Watch who resigns.
Watch who gets fired.
Watch who gets promoted.
Watch who pays for the message.
Watch who demands the evidence.
And when somebody tells you the rules suddenly do not apply, ask who benefits from that fucking interpretation.
Claws out. Receipts ready.
Featured Resisters and Resources
- Cyber Civil Rights Initiative Safety Center is a Resistance Directory resource for digital safety, survivor support, and online abuse response. The Cyber Civil Rights Initiative Safety Center is a comprehensive support and educational resource for victims and survivors of image based sexual abuse, including nonconsensual intimate image distribution, sextortion, voyeurism, and sexually explicit digital forgeries or deepfakes.
- Spread The Vote is an organization focused on voting rights and civic participation. Its work includes civic participation programs, voter education, and support addressing participation barriers.
What We Are Watching Today
- 2:10 AM MDT
Secretary Rubio and Greek Foreign Minister Hold News Conference - 4:03 AM MDT
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 Closes Hatch at International Space Station - 4:37 AM MDT
British Conservative Party Leader Addresses Annual Conference - 5:00 AM MDT
Washington Journal 10/07/2026 - 5:45 AM MDT
NASA’s SpaceX Crew‑12 Undocks from International Space Station - 8:05 AM MDT
Supreme Court Hears Case on Air Force Environmental Review Dispute in Guam Live - 9:00 AM MDT
U.S House Candidate Will Lawrence (D-MI) Makes Campaign Announcement in Lansing, MI - 9:30 AM MDT
Secretary Rubio Delivers Remarks in Athens, Greece - 11:00 AM MDT
Governor Candidate Rob Sand (D-IA) Tours Food Bank and Holds Roundtable Discussion - 11:00 AM MDT
President Trump Makes Announcement - 12:10 PM MDT
Secretary Hegseth Remarks to Crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln - 4:30 PM MDT
U.S. House Candidate Brian Poindexter (D-OH) Holds Campaign Rallly
Today’s Call to Action
1. Read Today’s Resistance Survival Guides
2. Sign these Petitions and Send These Pre Written Letters
- Will you join us in telling EPA not to abandon its responsibility to limit climate pollution? The deadline to submit comments is November 2, and it only takes a minute.
- Mining Has Taken Enough. Build Clean Energy Better.
- Sign the petition: End ICE violence, shut down DHS prisons, and hold the Trump administration accountable!
- Sign and send a message to Congress demanding that lawmakers urge the IRS to investigate Meta’s AI data-center tax claims and recover every dollar improperly claimed, plus applicable interest and penalties.
- Impeach Trump for Inviting Iran to “Take Out” CA Cities
- Tell Johnson and Thune: Don’t let Trump sacrifice California
- Sign if you agree: It’s long past time to stop Donald Trump’s FCC from retaliating against media outlets.
- Tell Congress: End ICE’s Detention of American Citizens
3. Verify your voter registration status and help at least one other person check theirs
4. Save contact information for local legal aid and voting support organizations
5. Attend a Virtual Event
- Tesla Takedown, October 10: Join a peaceful protest against billionaire influence. Events are listed in California, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. Check your location’s time. Action Network
- People’s Tribunal on Gaza, October 10: Attend in Seattle or watch the livestream examining alleged US government complicity in Gaza. WILPF US
- Global Day of Action for Palestine, October 10: Participate in the international mobilization. Check local organizers for confirmed locations and times. middleeastmonitor.com
6. Contact Your Lawmakers Directly
- Protect workers: “I’m [NAME], a constituent in [ZIP]. Please protect union organizing, workplace safety and enforcement against wage theft. What action will your office take?”
- Defend civil rights: “I’m [NAME] from [ZIP]. Please defend equal opportunity and oppose efforts to weaken protections against discrimination. I want a written response.”
- Demand corporate accountability: “I’m [NAME] from [ZIP]. Please strengthen consumer protections and corporate political spending transparency. What specific action will you support?”
- Impeach Trump: “I’m [NAME], a constituent in [ZIP]. I urge the House to investigate grounds for impeaching Donald Trump and pursue articles of impeachment based on the evidence. Please provide a written response.”
- Impeach Pete Hegseth: “I’m [NAME], a constituent in [ZIP]. I urge the House to investigate grounds for impeaching Pete Hegseth and pursue articles of impeachment based on the evidence. Please provide a written response.”
7. Who Are We Boycotting This Week?
- Amazon: Skip Amazon purchases, Whole Foods shopping and paid subscriptions such as Prime and Audible.
- Target: Take your shopping dollars to independent retailers.
- Walmart: Buy essentials from locally owned stores when possible.
- Home Depot: Support independent hardware stores.
- Starbucks: Choose a neighborhood café.
- CBS: Avoid paid services that financially support CBS.
Keep your money in your community, kitties. Shop local, buy secondhand, borrow what you can and skip unnecessary purchases. These are ongoing boycotts, with no separate action confirmed specifically for this week.
