National Guard troops near polling places, billion dollar detention contracts and one Epstein song that Trump cannot escape.
Good morning, kittens. The Trump administration is circling the midterms with federal agents, military personnel, voter lists and lawsuits while insisting everyone should stop noticing the authoritarian mood lighting.
Meanwhile, protesters turned an Ohio rally into Epstein karaoke, RFK Jr. opened the medicine cabinet for unapproved injections and MAGA discovered that Mar a Lago considers them financially decorative.
Daily Shit Show Highlights
- Zeteo examines Marco Rubio’s transformation from allegedly reasonable Republican into loyal administrator of Trump’s violent foreign policy. Little Marco finally grew a spine, then rented it directly to Donald.
- Project Salt Box reports that private prison giant GEO Group received a contract worth up to $1.5 billion to operate a Tacoma immigration detention center for another decade. Cruelty remains America’s most reliable growth industry.
- The Daily Beast reports that an Epstein plane heckle sent Trump into an extended rally rant about being exonerated, although no official exoneration exists. The song hit one nerve and apparently rented the entire building.
- Ken Klippenstein reports that National Guard units are being mobilized nationwide for election cybersecurity and, according to his military sources, observation near polling places and ballot boxes. The Pentagon says it has no plans to involve the military in elections, which is not the comforting sentence it thinks it is.
- ProPublica finds that postal service cuts doubled or tripled late ballot rejection rates in affected rural counties. If you still have a mail ballot, kittens, deliver it directly or use an authorized drop box.
- TMZ reports that Hasan Piker is seeking $72.5 million from Scott Jennings over allegedly manipulated footage and false claims that Piker supported lynching. The allegations now belong to a court, where vibes must eventually meet evidence.
- Yahoo News reports that House Judiciary Committee Democrats accused Trump of active participation in Epstein’s abuse network and requested a special counsel. The report relies partly on survivor accounts, the White House denies the allegations and the claims have not been adjudicated.
- The Atlantic reports that Pete Hegseth removed Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia, the Pentagon’s top military planner, as Trump considers further Iran strikes. Nothing steadies a war plan like firing another experienced officer without a clear public explanation.
- MS NOW reports that some FBI agents fear they could be ordered to seize voting equipment or otherwise disrupt election results. When federal agents are privately gaming out how to resist an election raid, the red flag has eaten the flagpole.
- Defiance reports that an FBI agent testified he feared a prosecution of two former bureau officials would appear political. Trump ordered revenge, but judges, jurors and even investigators keep finding the brakes.
- The Daily Beast reveals that Don Jr.’s private Estonia dinner included a convicted fraudster, a former mobster, political operatives and guests bound by a 55 page agreement. Just a normal family business dinner if your family business is a rejected prestige drama.
- The Trump Epstein Reading Room shares photographs from its Florida Bookmobile stops, where visitors confronted millions of printed pages from the released files. Digital outrage scrolls past, but walls of physical evidence make forgetting considerably harder.
- Insider Paper reports that Judge Alvin Hellerstein died at 92 while overseeing the federal case against Nicolás Maduro. His long career also included rulings protecting detainees and resisting Trump administration overreach.
- Politikats examines the familiar courtroom tactic of an accused perpetrator claiming victimhood through counsel. Allegations require due process, but survivor empathy is not prosecutorial misconduct.
- Democracy Docket reports that a judge found Trump prosecutor Bill Essayli was unlawfully serving, although the disqualification order was stayed for appeal. The administration keeps installing prosecutors like temporary flooring and acting shocked when courts notice.
- Oligarch Watch reports that Vivek Ramaswamy defended using Amy Acton’s estranged mother in an attack ad as political payback. Weaponizing a survivor’s childhood abuse is not strategy, kittens. It is moral sewage with campaign financing.
- The Swamp reports that a Mike Collins campaign volunteer was arrested on child molestation and exposure allegations involving a schoolgirl. Stafford denies wrongdoing, and the allegations have not been proven in court.
- Extreme Arturo reports on the allegations that preceded Kimberly Guilfoyle’s departure as ambassador to Greece. She denies misconduct, but asking a donor for enormous personal payments is a rather creative interpretation of diplomacy.
- The New York Times reports that Kennedy’s health department moved to expand access to six unapproved peptides despite opposition from FDA scientists. The wellness influencer lobby has apparently received prescribing privileges from the School of Trust Me, Bro.
- The Miami Herald documented the convictions and plea agreements connected to Florida’s ghost candidate scheme. The operation helped defeat a climate focused senator by 32 votes, while the people involved received consequences with the structural integrity of wet tissue.
- Raw America reports that Trump joked his own supporters were too poor to dine at Mar a Lago. MAGA bought the hat, paid the tariffs and still cannot afford the hamburger at Daddy’s club.
- NBC News reports that James O’Keefe and Cam Higby face felony charges after allegedly using other voters’ identities during a Minnesota polling stunt. The men deny criminal wrongdoing, but proving voter fraud by allegedly committing election crimes is ambitious performance art.
- FactCheck.org explains that reports of voting machines changing selections point to calibration problems or voter error, not evidence of deliberate vote switching. Review the screen, inspect the printed ballot and alert a poll worker immediately if anything is wrong.
- Olga Lautman investigates Arthur Martirosov, the Russian investment executive who accompanied Kremlin connected businessman Umar Kremlev during a meeting with Don Jr. in Mongolia. Apparently the Trump family networking plan includes oligarchs, sanctioned money circles and extremely remote hunting camps.
- The Nation warns that the administration’s Alaska election lawsuit shows how Trump could challenge results Republicans lose. The new plan looks distressingly familiar: invent suspicion first, attack the count second and call democracy fraudulent when voters disobey.
- First Domino examines how Palantir’s expanding government systems could become machinery for authoritarian surveillance and control. Fascism used to require filing cabinets. Now it arrives with dashboards and venture capital.
- Mesoscale News argues that a recent federal appeals ruling creates a dangerous precedent for challenging immigration enforcement and protecting vulnerable communities. A courtroom technicality can become an authoritarian instruction manual remarkably fast.
- Danny K Politics reports that defeated Brazilian candidate Flávio Bolsonaro reached Miami after refusing to concede and facing an order to surrender his passports. Florida remains the preferred emotional support habitat for men allergic to election results.
- Weaponized Spaces reports that Meta still has not adequately explained why Instagram suspended the No Kings account during a national voting event. Fourteen attorneys general now want answers before another algorithm accidentally sits on democracy.
- Newsweek reports that multiple protesters disrupted Trump’s Ohio rally, including musician Robby Roadsteamer singing about Epstein’s plane. Trump blamed paid protesters without providing evidence because apparently spontaneous disgust exceeds the campaign budget.
- A Reddit post highlights allegations from former Swiss beauty queen Beatrice Keul that Trump raped her and later offered immigration and university assistance. Trump denies the allegation, which has not been tested in court, and Keul’s account deserves careful reporting rather than internet spectacle.
- WIRED reports that leaked records exposed information about more than 41,000 Homeland Security workers, contractors and undercover programs. The agency built a surveillance maze and then apparently left its personnel map near the exit.
- Daily Rumble reports that a judge rejected the Justice Department’s demand to segregate thousands of California ballots, warning that it would disrupt the election and disenfranchise citizens. The administration brought a voter purge wearing a legal necktie, and the court still recognized it.
- The Cornell Daily Sun reports that a defendant accused in the Chi Phi sexual assault lawsuit hired attorneys associated with major celebrity abuse cases and is seeking Letitia James’ removal. He denies wrongdoing and has not been criminally charged, while the survivor’s allegations remain the reason an investigation exists.
Today’s litter box contains election intimidation, military anxiety, billionaire detention profits, surveillance infrastructure and politicians who treat survivors as campaign props. Protect your ballot, document irregularities, believe evidence over panic and remember that authoritarians look enormous until ordinary people stop kneeling.
Featured Resisters and Resources
- ICEPick is a DDoSecrets publication about leaked internal records from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Published on October 28, 2026, the overview explains the collection and links to reporting about its release.
- CAAGe, the Campaign Against Adult Grooming, describes itself as a volunteer advocacy initiative providing education, campaigning and support signposting about adult grooming.
What We Are Watching Today
- 9:10 AM EDT
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) Campaigns with U.S. House Candidate Eric Conroy (R-OH) Live - 9:20 AM EDT
Vice President Vance Speaks to Reporters Live - 9:45 AM EDT
Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) Campaigns for Reelection in Fairfield, IA - 10:30 AM EDT
Trump Administration Officials Address Workforce & Health Care Priorities - 12:00 PM EDT
U.S. House of Representatives - 12:00 PM EDT
U.S. Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed (D-MI) Campaigns with Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) - 12:30 PM EDT
President Trump Campaigns at Midterm Rally in Rock Hill, SC - 2:00 PM EDT
Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) Campaigns with Ohio GOP Candidates - 2:00 PM EDT
U.S. House Candidate Lindsay James (D-IA) Holds Press Conference on Money in Politics - 2:00 PM EDT
U.S. Senate - 3:00 PM EDT
Vice President Vance Delivers Remarks at Midterm Rally in Weatherford, Texas - 4:00 PM EDT
Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) Campaign Event in Broken Bow, NE - 5:30 PM EDT
President Trump Hosts Halloween Event at the White House - 6:00 PM EDT
U.S. House Christina Bohannan (D-IA) Meet and Greet in DeWitt, IA - 7:30 PM EDT
U.S. Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed (D-MI) & Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) Campaign in Kalamazoo - 8:00 PM EDT
Pennsylvania 8th Congressional District Debate
Today’s Call to Action
1. Read Today’s Resistance Survival Guides
2. Sign these Petitions and Send These Pre Written Letters
- Tell the FCC: Stop threatening the press for reporting polls
- Tell Ace Hardware: Don’t log the boreal forest.
- Send a message to all 70 U.S. Senate campaigns demanding they make taxing billionaires and ending corporate tax handouts part of their closing argument to voters.
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 an Event
- Thu, Oct 29, 12 PM: ACLU Pennsylvania: Election Protection and Safeguarding Plans
- Thu, Oct 29, 1 PM: University of Illinois: Voting Rights in 2026
- Thu, Oct 29, 1 PM: Protect the Vote: Election Protection and Voter ID Resources
- Thu, Oct 29, 3 PM: California Voter Foundation: Pre Election Briefing
- Thu, Oct 29, 3 PM: Indivisible: What’s the Plan with Leah and Ezra
- Thu, Oct 29, 7 PM: Pennsylvania 8th Congressional District Debate: Bresnahan vs. Cognetti
- Thu, Oct 29, 8 PM: ACLU and No Kings: Know Your Federal Voting Rights
- Fri, Oct 30, 6 PM: MoveOn: General Election Virtual Phone Banks
- Sat, Oct 31, 2 PM: MoveOn: Weekend Voter Outreach Phone Bank
- Sun, Nov 1, 2 PM: MoveOn: Final Weekend Election Phone Bank
6. Contact Your Lawmakers Directly
- Protect Voting Rights and Stop Election Intimidation — “Hi, I’m a constituent calling to demand protections against voter intimidation, election interference, and threats to election workers. Please support the SHIELD Our Elections Act and defend every American’s right to vote safely.”
- Demand Epstein Files Transparency and Survivor Justice — “Hi, I’m a constituent calling to demand full disclosure of the Epstein files, protection of survivor identities, and accountability for those involved. Please support the Epstein Files Transparency Act II and enforce transparency without protecting powerful individuals.”
- Protect Affordable Health Care and Restore ACA Subsidies — “Hi, I’m a constituent calling to demand affordable health care. Please restore enhanced ACA premium tax credits, protect Medicaid, and stop families from losing coverage because they cannot afford rising premiums.”
7. Who Are We Boycotting This Week?
- Boycott Amazon and Whole Foods — Skip Amazon orders and Whole Foods purchases. Demand that Amazon stop financing election deniers and supporting voter data systems that advocates say threaten voting rights.
- Boycott Target — Take your shopping elsewhere. Demand that Target publicly defend voting access, election workers, and the counting of every lawful ballot.
- Boycott JPMorgan Chase — Withhold new discretionary banking business. Demand a public commitment to protecting free elections, voting rights, and certified election results.
