Morning, Kitties. The administration wants to expand access to passport records for voter eligibility checks, federal AI transparency rules disappeared after intense industry pressure, and Putin has reportedly been invited back into the G20 conversation. Meanwhile, DOGE veterans are selling AI back to the government, Trump Jr.’s betting buddies have another mess, Stephen Miller’s remigration agenda is getting fresh scrutiny, and Russell Vought continues demonstrating why controlling the federal government’s purse strings is considerably sexier than his job title suggests. America apparently spent decades worrying about Big Brother only to discover he would arrive carrying venture capital and a fucking database.
Daily Dose of Chaos
Right Wing Billionaires Are Building More Than a Political Movement
Thom Hartmann argues that billionaire funded political networks are constructing a durable infrastructure capable of shaping government, media, courts, and public policy beyond individual elections. His broader conclusions are analysis, but the financial networks behind political influence remain worth following.
RFK Jr. Privately Backs Cancer Detection Tests With MAHA Connections
The Washington Sun reports that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has privately supported cancer detection technology connected to people within his MAHA orbit. Financial, regulatory, and personal relationships surrounding federal health policy deserve transparency when government decisions could affect the companies involved.
Hawaii Takes Aim at Citizens United
Hawaii is pursuing an aggressive campaign finance strategy designed to limit corporate political spending and test the boundaries created by Citizens United. The legal fight could become an important test of how far states can go in regulating money in politics.
United States Invites Putin to the G20 Summit
Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Russian President Vladimir Putin has been invited to attend the G20 summit as the administration pushes for renewed engagement with Moscow. The invitation comes while Russia’s war and international sanctions remain central disputes between Moscow and Western governments.
Trump Heads Into the Midterms With a Political Problem
The Atlantic examines Trump’s political position heading toward the midterm elections and the tensions surrounding Republican efforts to defend congressional power. Electoral analysis remains distinct from actual results, but the midterms are increasingly driving decisions across Washington.
Meet Russell Vought, the Man Called Trump’s Shadow President
ProPublica documents how OMB Director Russell Vought became one of the administration’s most consequential officials, helping design efforts to fire civil servants, freeze spending, and dismantle federal programs. Turns out the scariest person in Washington may be the guy who knows where every fucking budget spreadsheet lives.
White House Accused of Ignoring a Judge After Court Losses
Beltway News examines allegations that the administration continued challenged conduct after adverse court rulings. The exact orders and procedural posture matter because disagreement with a judge is politics, while compliance with an enforceable court order is law.
Tuberville Worries About Airline Service in Alabama
Sen. Tommy Tuberville is publicly raising concerns about airline service and transportation access in Alabama and Furries. The debate illustrates how national aviation policy eventually becomes something much simpler for voters: can I get where I need to fucking go?
Trump Jr.’s Betting Associates Face Another Controversy
The PunchUp examines controversy involving people connected to Donald Trump Jr. and the expanding prediction market and betting industry. Personal relationships do not establish wrongdoing, but financial connections deserve scrutiny when political access and regulated industries overlap.
Stephen Miller’s Remigration Agenda Comes Into Focus
The New Republic examines leaked material and public statements surrounding Stephen Miller’s push for what supporters call remigration, a term used for policies seeking large scale removal of immigrants and, in some European movements, people with immigrant backgrounds. The scope and legal implications of specific proposals matter more than the branding.
When Humans Build Gods and Then Lose Control
R. Howard Stone explores humanity’s recurring impulse to create powerful systems and then struggle with their consequences, connecting that pattern to artificial intelligence. The philosophical framing lands uncomfortably well while governments are still deciding who should control increasingly autonomous technology.
AI Regulation Was Coming Until the Trump Administration Killed It
The Lever reports that a proposed requirement for frontier AI companies to disclose risky experiments to federal officials disappeared following industry lobbying and major political spending. Lawmakers are now proposing new oversight measures after increasingly public concerns about AI security and unexpected behavior.
Boebert Aide Reportedly Received a Cryptic Warning
The PunchUp reports that an aide connected to Lauren Boebert received an unusual warning amid continuing controversy surrounding her office. Claims involving anonymous warnings require careful attribution until supporting evidence establishes exactly what occurred.
Former DOGE Staffers Want to Sell AI Back to Government
Former DOGE personnel are reportedly involved in an AI venture targeting government services after helping reshape federal operations from inside the administration. Nothing completes the government efficiency circle quite like leaving government and returning with an invoice.
Trump Administration Wants Broader Access to Passport Records for Voter Checks
The State Department is proposing expanded access to passport records for state and local voter eligibility checks, potentially extending access beyond government election officials. The proposal raises questions about privacy, federal authority, data security, and how citizenship information would be used in election administration.
Mike Rogers’ Assembly Line Story Gets Challenged by the UAW
Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers has described himself as a former assembly line worker, while the United Auto Workers says that characterization stretches his actual work history. Campaign biography disputes are unusually easy to resolve when employment records and coworkers exist.
Trump Wants America to Love Him
Hartmann examines Trump’s rhetoric about popularity, loyalty, media criticism, and public approval through a broader argument about authoritarian political behavior. The psychological and historical framing is commentary, while Trump’s actual statements can be evaluated directly.
Maine Political Story Explodes Into the National Conversation
Lincoln Square examines a fast moving Maine political controversy and how it is shaping the state’s electoral environment. As the story develops, documented records and direct statements matter more than viral interpretations surrounding them.
Governments Are Fighting Back Against Digital Surveillance
Nightfire examines government efforts to restrict invasive data collection, tracking, and surveillance technologies. After years of governments enthusiastically buying surveillance tools, watching some of them discover privacy is quite the fucking plot twist.
Closing RK Thoughts
Today’s news is ultimately about who controls the machinery.
Billionaires finance political infrastructure. Technology companies build AI systems. Government officials control budgets. Private companies collect personal information. Election administrators increasingly depend on enormous databases. Former government employees leave public service and build companies hoping to sell technology back to the agencies they just helped reshape.
None of these relationships automatically proves corruption or abuse.
But every one of them deserves sunlight.
Follow the money. Follow the contracts. Follow the investments. Follow the databases. Follow who writes the rules and who profits when those rules disappear.
Because democracy rarely gets dismantled by somebody dramatically pulling one giant lever.
Usually it happens through a thousand boring fucking permissions nobody noticed until the machine was already running.
Claws out. Receipts ready. Stay fucking pissed off.
Featured Resisters and Resources
- Dysruption Hub is a digital organizing and civic engagement platform designed to help people find practical ways to participate in political action, community organizing, and resistance efforts. The platform brings together resources intended to make civic participation more accessible for people who want to become involved but may not know where to begin.
- Operation Lifeboat, hosted at translifeboat.org, is an emergency support initiative designed to assist transgender individuals who may need help relocating, accessing resources, or finding safe support networks during periods of heightened legal or political risk. The platform provides a centralized portal where individuals can request assistance and where volunteers can register to provide aid.
What We Are Watching Today
- 7:00 AM MDT
World Leaders Address United Nations General Assembly, Day 4 Live - 7:39 AM MDT
Pope Leo Warns AI Threatens to Undermine Humanity and Truth in Society - 8:01 AM MDT
U.S. Senate Candidate Michael Whatley (R-NC) Holds Press Conference on Transgender Issues - 8:41 AM MDT
U.S. Senate Candidate Michael Whatley (R-NC) Holds Press Conference on Transgender Issues - 8:46 AM MDT
Pres. Trump & First Lady Greet Chinese Pres. & First Lady at White House - 9:05 AM MDT
Pres. Trump & First Lady Have Tea with Chinese Pres. & First Lady at White House - 9:30 AM MDT
President Trump and Chinese President Xi Visit the National Archives Live - 11:30 AM MDT
U.S. Senate Candidate Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) Holds Press Conference on Affordability - 5:00 PM MDT
Iowa Republican Candidates Deliver Remarks at Reagan Dinner - 5:30 PM MDT
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) Speaks on Foreign Policy & Democracy
Today’s Call to Action
1. Read Today’s Resistance Survival Guides
2. Sign these Petitions and Send These Pre Written Letters
- Please join us now in calling on Congress to take action and rein in ICE agents before anyone else is hurt or killed.
- Sign the petition: Block Trump’s $2.8 billion taxpayer-funded weapons giveaway to Israel!
- Sign the petition and tell Congress: Protect workers’ paychecks from medical debt collectors.
- Take Action: Stand Up for Voting Rights
- Tell the Forest Service: Protect the Blue Mountains forests.
- Tell JD Vance: Stop Kicking People Off Obamacare
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
- Saturday, September 26, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.:Phone bank for Marcy Kaptur. Training is included for new volunteers. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
- Monday, September 28, 2 to 3:30 p.m.:Flip Congress in 2026. Make voter outreach calls in key congressional districts. Swing Left
- Tuesday, September 29, 4 to 5 p.m.:Working Families Party organizing committee. Join a virtual organizing session; no prior experience is needed. New York Working Families Party
- Wednesday, September 30, 4 to 5 p.m.:Black Voters Matter 10K26 phone bank. Help reach new and infrequent voters in Texas, Alabama and Louisiana. 10k26 · Common Cause
- Wednesday, September 30, 4 to 6 p.m.:Help Protect the Vote in North Carolina. Join the virtual voter protection phone bank.
6. Contact Your Lawmakers Directly
- Protect Press Freedom: Hello, my name is [NAME], and I live in [CITY, ZIP CODE]. I am calling to ask the lawmaker to condemn the White House ban on journalists and support protections against government retaliation. Please defend the First Amendment and demand congressional oversight.
- Support Epstein Survivors: Hello, my name is [NAME], and I live in [CITY, ZIP CODE]. I am calling to ask the lawmaker to cosponsor and support the Survivors’ Rights Restitution Act. Survivors deserve meaningful financial and medical support after the federal government failed to protect them.
- End the Unauthorized Iran War: Hello, my name is [NAME], and I live in [CITY, ZIP CODE]. I am calling to demand a War Powers vote to end unauthorized hostilities against Iran. Please oppose further military action without congressional authorization and support immediate diplomacy.
7. Who Are We Boycotting This Week?
- AutoZone for aggressively opposing workers trying to form the company’s first union.
- Starbucks until it delivers a fair contract for unionized baristas.
- Target for retreating from its diversity commitments and abandoning communities that helped build its brand.
