The loudest people in power spent the weekend deleting receipts, rewriting ethics rules, raiding critics, tracking immigrants and pretending corruption becomes legal when everyone wears a flag pin. 😹
Welcome back, Kitties. Today’s political circus features a White House spokesperson with a scrubbed conspiracy archive, an immigration investigation involving paperwork completed when Ilhan Omar was a child, taxpayer funded Trump propaganda, mass surveillance proposals and another round of Epstein excuses. Apparently democracy is now a group project where the least responsible people keep grabbing the markers.
The Shit Show Recap
- The Bulwark uncovered deleted posts from new White House press secretary Katie Zacharia promoting election lies, vaccine conspiracies, suspended habeas corpus and a third Trump term. Nothing says trustworthy spokesperson like desperately scrubbing the things you already said in public.
- The Independent and Tom’s Hardware report that automated traffic from Yandex nearly vanished after Ukrainian strikes hit Russian data centers, although the numbers do not prove that social media disinformation bots disappeared. For one beautiful moment, the internet almost heard itself think.
- Migrant Insider reports that federal agents searched Representative Ilhan Omar’s Washington area home under a sealed warrant connected to citizenship paperwork completed by her late father when she was a child. Omar has not been charged, but the administration finally found an immigrant investigation dramatic enough for morning television.
- EpsteinWiki follows renewed questions surrounding Paolo Zampolli as survivors and advocates continue demanding answers from the powerful people who benefited from silence. Survivors have carried the truth long enough while wealthy men keep arriving empty handed except for excuses.
- News.com.au documented the fury of Epstein survivors after his death denied them the chance to confront him at trial. Their testimony remains more important than every elite reputation still being polished around the case.
- The Guardian reports that the Trump administration imposed new sanctions on the International Criminal Court while Marco Rubio threatened to cripple the institution. The rule of law apparently remains sacred until it starts asking powerful governments uncomfortable questions.
- PBS NewsHour reports that a new Justice Department memo gives Senate confirmed presidential appointees greater freedom to attend political events. The nation’s top law enforcement agency has discovered an exciting loophole called declaring yourself exempt.
- The New Republic reports that Ken Paxton took nearly one thousand trips outside Texas while taxpayers spent about $3.3 million on his security, with researchers connecting only 138 trips to official business. Public service is apparently just private travel with police escorts and room service.
- Law Dork reports that Judge Jennifer Rochon ordered the Trump administration to stop airing Department of Homeland Security advertisements promoting Trump with taxpayer money. The federal judiciary has officially located the mute button on Trump’s publicly financed fan video.
- The Center for Gender and Refugee Studies published the order striking down the original Remain in Mexico policy as unlawful because it obstructed access to asylum, legal counsel and fair hearings. Families were exposed to kidnapping, assault and exploitation while the government called cruelty a process.
- Project Salt Box reports that ICE is exploring an AI powered system capable of analyzing detainee calls, messages, voices, movements and relationships. The panopticon has learned slang, and naturally nobody explained how innocent people could challenge its mistakes.
- Erin in the Morning reports that Sherrod Brown answered a misleading anti trans advertisement by correcting its claims and confronting Jon Husted over his Epstein files vote and political contributions. Turns out protecting children requires confronting predators and lies, not bullying trans people for campaign footage.
- Atlanta Black Star reports that lawmakers are questioning Trump Mobile after hackers obtained customer information and concerns emerged about required regulatory disclosures. The family delivered gold colored phones with bargain basement security, which may be the purest Trump product ever created.
- MS NOW reports that Kash Patel’s FBI wants to award UFC an exclusive one year contract to train agents in combat skills. Federal procurement has entered its pay per view era, and Dana White happens to be standing beside the cash register.
- Nightfire warns that everyday social spaces are becoming part of an expanding surveillance system. Your quiet pint now comes with metadata, because apparently even happy hour must report to the algorithm.
Final Kitty Thoughts
The pattern is impossible to miss. Power is being used to shield loyalists, intimidate critics, monetize public office and watch vulnerable people more closely than the officials controlling the machinery. Still, courts are intervening, reporters are preserving receipts and survivors are refusing to disappear. Keep reading, keep sharing and keep making silence more expensive than accountability.
Featured Resisters and Resources
- MOVE Texas is an organization focused on voting rights and civic participation. Its work includes youth civic engagement, voter information, and organizing opportunities.
- Race Forward is an organization focused on racial justice and equal treatment. Its work includes racial justice training, research, narrative resources, and institutional change programs.
What We Are Watching Today
- 7:30 AM MDT
Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) Visits Small Businesses Live - 12:00 PM MDT
Florida Governor Gives Update on Hurricane Isaias Response - 5:00 PM MDT
President Trump Remarks at Campaign Rally in Ohio - 10:00 AM CT | Arkansas: U.S. House, District 4 | James Russell (D) vs. Bruce Westerman (R) | Watch on YouTube
- 1:30 PM ET | Georgia: Lieutenant Governor | Greg Dolezal (R) vs. Josh McLaurin (D) | Watch Live
- 1:30 PM CT | Arkansas: U.S. Senate | Hallie Shoffner (D) vs. Jeff Wadlin (L) | Watch on YouTube
- 2:45 PM ET | Georgia: Attorney General | Tanya Miller (D) vs. Brian Strickland (R) | Watch Live
- 3:45 PM ET | Georgia: Secretary of State | Tim Fleming (R) vs. Penny Brown Reynolds (D) | Watch Live
- 5:30 PM ET | Georgia: Public Service Commission, District 3 | Peter Hubbard (D) vs. Fitz Johnson (R) | Watch Live
- 6:30 PM ET | Georgia: Public Service Commission, District 5 | Shelia Edwards (D) vs. Josh Tolbert (R) | Watch Live
- 7:00 PM CT | Texas: State Senate, District 31 | Kevin Sparks (R) vs. John Betancourt (D) | Watch on Basin PBS
- 7:00 PM MT | Idaho: Superintendent of Public Instruction | Debbie Critchfield (R) vs. Becky Sundin Mitchell (D) vs. Teresa Roundy (Constitution Party) | Debate Information
- 8:00 PM ET | Georgia: Governor | Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) vs. Rick Jackson (R) | Watch Live
Today’s Call to Action
1. Read Today’s Resistance Survival Guides
2. Sign these Petitions and Send These Pre Written Letters
- Sign the petition: Block the Trump-Hegseth abuse of power to take money from medical research and put it towards endless wars!
- Tell Congress: Stop Trump from Bombing Yemen
- Quick signature: Tell Congress to block AI health care purges!
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
- Monday, October 12 | 7:30 PM ET: WIN the Midterms, Enforce the Results | Showing Up for Racial Justice | Virtual direct action training | Register Here
- Tuesday, October 13 | 3:30 PM ET: Democracy Integrity Briefing | League of Women Voters | Identifying election misinformation and disinformation | Event Information
- Tuesday, October 13 | 8:00 PM (time zone not specified): Organizing to Protect Democracy | ACLU | Virtual organizing and civil liberties training | Register Here
- Thursday, October 15 | 3:00 PM (time zone not confirmed): What’s the Plan? | Indivisible | Weekly virtual discussion with cofounders Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin | Event Information
6. Contact Your Lawmakers Directly
- Epstein Files Transparency: “I demand full release of legally disclosable Epstein records, accountability for withheld evidence, independent congressional oversight, and protection of survivor identities.” | Contact Congress
- ICE Accountability: “I demand congressional investigations into ICE detention conditions, civil rights violations, federal contractor accountability, and transparency in immigration enforcement.” | Contact Congress
- Protect Voting Rights: “I urge Congress to protect voting access, election workers, transparent vote counting, and lawful certification of the November 2026 midterm election results.” | Contact Congress
- Reproductive Freedom: “I urge Congress to protect reproductive healthcare access, medical privacy, emergency treatment, and the rights of patients and healthcare professionals.” | Contact Congress
- Federal Spending Accountability: “I demand independent audits, transparency in federal contracts, strong inspector general oversight, and investigations into misuse of taxpayer funds.” | Contact Congress
- Protect Peaceful Protest: “I urge Congress to defend First Amendment rights, investigate unlawful surveillance and excessive force, and protect peaceful protesters, journalists, and legal observers.” | Contact Congress
7. Who Are We Boycotting This Week?
- Target | Named in the ICE Out of My Wallet campaign, which challenges corporate involvement in immigration enforcement.
- Amazon | Targeted by ICE Out of My Wallet over alleged corporate support for immigration enforcement infrastructure.
- Whole Foods | Amazon-owned grocery chain included in the ICE Out of My Wallet campaign.
- Home Depot | Named in the campaign challenging corporate relationships with immigration enforcement.
- Spotify | Included in the campaign’s corporate accountability actions.
- Microsoft | Named in economic pressure actions concerning technology and immigration enforcement.
- Dell | Included in the campaign’s corporate accountability actions.
- Starbucks | Targeted by a labor organizing campaign focused on collective bargaining and workers’ rights.
- Carrefour | Subject of a Palestinian solidarity boycott campaign concerning franchise operations in Israeli settlements.
- Zara and Inditex | Subject of boycott pressure concerning the company’s Israeli franchise operations.
- McDonald’s | Subject of consumer boycott campaigns concerning its Israeli operations.
- Chevron, Texaco and Caltex | Named in the Palestinian-led BDS movement’s consumer boycott campaigns concerning energy operations.
- Tesla | Subject of consumer boycotts associated with Elon Musk’s political activity.
- Walmart | Named in consumer boycott coverage related to corporate policies and political concerns.
