WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says Georgia GOP Senate candidate Mike Collins can call him whenever he wants to ask for help for his state. But if Georgia reelects Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, Trump says it could be another story.
"There's a big difference between that and Pee-wee Herman calling," Trump said last week in Perry, Georgia, using his derisive nickname for Ossoff. The president acted out a hypothetical scenario at his rally where Ossoff called to ask for money for his state, with Trump responding, "I don't give a **** what he wants."
It's been a recurring theme at Trump's rallies this month: From North Carolina to Ohio to Kansas, the president has dangled the idea that his administration would be far less likely to help states where Democrats win in the upcoming midterm elections.
Trump has sandwiched the threats into rallies where he has announced goodies like new semiconductor investments, a submarine repair center and fewer limits on a certain type of diesel, underscoring to the audience the types of tangibles an all-Republican Washington could continue to deliver for voters should his party remain in power after November.
But the president's utterances — part of a larger political strategy that's anchored on making the midterms about himself and activating conservative voters — have also injected politics into processes that have traditionally remained apolitical, such as doling out disaster aid and providing benefits for veterans.

#Trump #state

Megan Rapinoe has never been shy about speaking up for transgender athletes, even as the issue has become one of the most heated debates in sports. And in a recent interview, the United States Women's National Team legend made it clear that her stance hasn't changed.
In a recent podcast, Rapinoe pushed back on the idea that trans women threaten fairness in women's sports, arguing that sports have never been fair in the first place and claiming that fairness shouldn't matter more than people's human rights.
The debate over transgender athletes in women's sports has only intensified over the past couple of years, with Republicans making it a central political issue and many states passing laws that ban trans girls and women from competing in girls' and women's sports.
The issue has spilled into the sports world, too. Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham sparked a nationwide conversation this year when she voiced her opposition to trans women competing in women's sports.
Even some Democrats have distanced themselves from the issue. Texas Senate candidate James Talarico, for example, has said that he opposes trans athletes playing in girls' sports "if it endangers safety or fairness."

#ISSUE #athletes #women

The Republican Herald's game of the week for Week 10 of the high school football season will take place in Tower City on Friday night at 7 p.m.
The Tri-Valley Bulldogs (6-3, 4-2) will travel to rival Tower City to take on the Vikings (8-1, 5-0), in what is one of the chippier and more intense rivalries within the Schuylkill League.
With both teams locked into their District 11 Class A playoff spots, this Friday's matchup will count merely for bragging rights. No matter the result, both Williams Valley and Tri-Valley are locked into the top two spots of the District 11 power rankings, and will be the only teams that finish above .500 this regular season in Class A.
How they got here
Williams Valley enters Week 10 as winners of seven straight games since a Sept. 5 loss to District 4 and defending Class AA state champion, Southern Columbia. In that seven-game winning streak, the Vikings' offense has been phenomenal, averaging 32.1 points per game while the defense is allowing just 15.4 points per game.

#district

President Trump recently joked at a rally in Texas that the $5,000 payments he's promised if Republicans win the midterm elections would only get Americans "a hamburger and maybe a small dessert" at his Mar-a-Lago club.
The president has vowed to give every American adult $5,000 if Republicans retain majorities in the House and the Senate after the midterm elections on Nov. 3. Trump specified, though, that the money must be spent in the U.S., pitching his own club as a possible — yet expensive — option on where to spend it.
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#elections #lago

It was, for a while, considered one of those colorful quirks that crop up in the course of an election: the fact that not one but two candidates named Dan Sullivan will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot for U.S. senator from Alaska.
One Dan Sullivan — Dan S. Sullivan — is the state's incumbent Republican senator. He is trying to fend off a fierce challenge from former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola and secure a third term. The other Dan Sullivan — Dan J. Sullivan — is a retired teacher from a tiny fishing village along the Alaska Panhandle. He has never previously campaigned for public office, and he switched his registration from "unaffiliated" to "Republican" just before the deadline to run. (He has since switched back to unaffiliated.)
But now the situation seems to be getting more serious. At President Trump's direction, the Justice Department last week sued in federal court to block certification of the election if Sen. Dan S. Sullivan loses, alleging that retired teacher Dan J. Sullivan is a Democratic plant whose purpose is to siphon away votes.
Then, on Wednesday, the New York Times published an extensive investigation that appears to substantiate that allegation, calling it "Democrats' secret effort to stack Alaska's ballot."
"The Times has found, based on interviews and text messages, along with documents prepared for a potential lawsuit against the campaign, that not only did Ms. Peltola's team work with people trying to recruit Mr. Sullivan to run for Senate, but the effort was much broader," the paper wrote. "The group worked to coax other would-be spoilers into the race, to dilute the incumbent's support and help catapult the Democrat to victory."

#democratic

U.S. President Donald Trump praised Nicki Minaj's "beautiful" bottom during a bizarre speech at a rally in Michigan on Sunday.
The Starships rapper, who is a vocal supporter of the U.S. leader, joined Trump on his plane, Air Force One, and on stage at the pre-midterms rally in Port Huron.
During his speech, Trump made cheeky comments about Minaj's rear end as he explained his recent remarks about Republican Ohio senator Jon Husted's derriere.
"By the way, I looked at one ***** of a beautiful a*s before - Nicki Minaj," Trump said, as the crowd cheered. "That's hard to miss. That - stand up! That's hard to miss."
Minaj stood up and turned around to face the audience. After she sat back down, Trump continued, "OK, I'm going to get back to my story, Nicki. I hope Nicki wasn't insulted, but we love Nicki. She's been with us for a long time."
Earlier in the rally, the Pound the Alarm singer pledged her continued support of Trump, telling him that it is an "honour to stand with you every single time" and that he will have her backing "forever and ever".

#Trump #minaj #beautiful #miss

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer pushed back Sunday on comments made by former first lady Michelle Obama last year that U.S. voters aren't ready to elect a female president.
"Listen, I have got a lot of colleagues who I think are probably interested in running for president, and I've heard everyone say, 'You can't have this person or that person,'" the governor told NBC News' "Meet the Press."
"I would put my money on any Democratic governor in the country against [Vice President] JD Vance or [Secretary of State] Marco Rubio in 2028," she added, pointing to two Republicans widely expected to run for president in two years.
Asked directly whether a woman could be the best choice to beat a potential GOP presidential nominee in 2028, Whitmer simply said, "I do."
In 2025, Obama said in public remarks: "As we saw in this past election, sadly, we ain't ready. That's why I'm like, don't even look at me about running, because you all are lying. You're not ready for a woman. You are not."

#president

Rapper Nicki Minaj publicly endorsed US President Donald Trump at a Republican campaign rally in Port Huron, Michigan, on Sunday, 25 October, ahead of the November midterm elections. After travelling aboard Air Force One, the Trinidadian-born artist joined him on stage, telling the crowd "We love Trump" and promising to support him "forever".
Nicki Minaj's increasingly public support for Donald Trump represents a notable political shift for a rapper whose provocative performances and **** ually explicit lyrics have often sparked controversy.
In 2020, she had criticised his administration's strict immigration policies, particularly the separation of children from their parents at the US border. More recently, however, she has appeared at events **** ociated with his presidency.
The Michigan rally also featured renewed attacks by Trump against Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for the US Senate. The president questioned El-Sayed's loyalty to the United States, allegations the former public health official has repeatedly rejected.
Trump's remarks came as Republicans campaigned ahead of the midterms, with Minaj's appearance adding a prominent celebrity endorsement to the event. A video shared by White House communications director Steven Cheung also showed the rapper joking about becoming the administration's press secretary.

#Trump #nicki

Colom would be Mississippi’s first Black U.S. senator since Reconstruction.
Why are major Democrats and Republicans flocking to Mississippi in recent weeks?
In a climate where polls show President Donald Trump's approval ratings cratering, Democrats are unusually optimistic about Scott Colom's chances of flipping the Senate seat held by incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith -- even in deep-red Mississippi.
"We got to have a senator that looks out for Mississippi, that puts Mississippi farmers first, Mississippi small businesses first, represent our values by not allowing corruption to ruin our country and actually delivers on the commitments to put America first," Colom told ABC News in an interview earlier this week.
The incumbent's campaign dismisses the Democratic push as the last-ditch effort of a campaign that will fall short.

#first #black #reconstruction

McALLEN, Texas (AP) — The Ford Expedition rumbled to a stop and Cindy Banda's bedazzled flip-flops landed on the asphalt of the Houston cancer center's vast parking lot. She threaded through the rows of cars, a tally of patients who gather here to sit with chemotherapy needles or lie on radiation machines.
The elevator dinged open. A year ago in this building, surgeons removed Banda's right breast, and she still didn't know whether treatment had expunged the cancer from her body. Doctors had told her it would be tough to beat.
"I'm more of a positive person myself," Banda said, now sitting with a white wristband in a dim waiting room. But the bills are harder to dismiss, and the single mother with six children in her care repeated something like a mantra. "Keep the house. Keep the cars. And just keep the kids stable."
That's true for many Americans, as rising healthcare costs leave more families with a sinking feeling after seeing the bill for surgery or medication. Heading into the Nov. 3 midterm elections, about half of registered voters said healthcare costs are a major problem for them and their families, up from a little more than one-third four years ago, according to a Fox News poll from September.
With party control of Congress at stake, registered voters are nearly twice as likely to say they trust Democrats over Republicans to handle healthcare, according to an ******* ociated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll from the same month. Those frustrations, combined with broader concerns over rising prices, have sapped support for President Donald Trump and his Republican Party.

#keep #cancer #rising #families

Nearly one in three veterans who relies on the government for health care could benefit from taking psychedelic drugs like magic mushrooms or MDMA.
That's not the ******* sment of some hippie or fading 1960s rock star. It came from Andrew Gradison, a senior adviser at President Donald Trump's Veterans Health Administration. Gradison told a conference for psychedelics enthusiasts this month that he is eager to ramp up the VA's capacity to give the drugs to as many as 2.1 million veterans with mental illnesses like post-traumatic stress disorder or depression. Gradison said 6.4 million veterans regularly rely on the VA for care.
No government regulator has deemed psychedelics safe or effective for mental illness. Under former President Joe Biden, the Food and Drug Administration in 2024 resoundingly rejected a proposal to authorize MDMA — also known as ecstasy — combined with talk therapy, to treat people with PTSD.
But psychedelics are getting a second chance in the Trump administration. Trump in April issued an executive order to accelerate research, clinical trials and patient access to the drugs. Republicans in Congress are among psychedelics' biggest backers. And the constituency they are seeking to please, veterans, are disproportionately Republicans.
Veterans, frustrated with high suicide rates among their fellow ex-service members, are lobbying aggressively to see Trump follow through.

#Veterans #psychedelics #drugs #mdma

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer pushed back Sunday on comments made by former first lady Michelle Obama last year that U.S. voters aren’t ready to elect a female president.
“Listen, I have got a lot of colleagues who I think are probably interested in running for president, and I’ve heard everyone say, ‘You can’t have this person or that person,’” the governor told NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”
“I would put my money on any Democratic governor in the country against [Vice President] JD Vance or [Secretary of State] Marco Rubio in 2028,” she added, pointing to two Republicans widely expected to run for president in two years.
Asked directly whether a woman could be the best choice to beat a potential GOP presidential nominee in 2028, Whitmer simply said, “I do.”
In 2025, Obama said in public remarks: “As we saw in this past election, sadly, we ain’t ready. That’s why I’m like, don’t even look at me about running, because you all are lying. You’re not ready for a woman. You are not.”

#person

PORT HURON, Mich. (AP) — President Donald Trump intensified his anti-Muslim rhetoric against Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed on Sunday, portraying him as a threat to national security and questioning his loyalty to the United States in remarks that drew a sharp rebuke from a former top Arab American ally.
Trump called El-Sayed, a former Detroit health official, a "jihadist" who was "on the side of the terrorists" and would "have to go through a metal detector before he's allowed to go into the Senate." He also repeatedly invoked the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, drawing a comparison between stopping El-Sayed from entering the Senate chamber and the passengers who fought back against the hijackers aboard United Flight 93.
El-Sayed, who would become the nation's first Muslim senator if elected, has called attacks on his loyalty to the country "shameful" and repeatedly denied any ties to extremist groups. The Republican president's remarks were condemned by Bishara Bahbah, a founder of Arab Americans for Trump, the group that helped lead the president's outreach to Arab American voters in 2024.
"The president's statements are out of line," he said in a phone interview. "They are crossing a red line. They are racist."
With Republicans on the defensive over inflation, soaring fuel prices and the Iran war, the president has been trying to generate turnout by claiming that El-Sayed and other Democrats are existential threats to America, instead of electoral rivals. Michigan's Senate race between El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers is among a handful of contests that could determine control of the chamber.

#senate #Trump #muslim #united

Republican efforts to reduce national gas prices in the weeks before Election Day were derailed in the Senate by infighting among GOP lawmakers and members of the administration who could not agree on how to ease consumers’ pain at the pump.
The divisions within the Senate Republican conference over how to lower gas and diesel prices — even if temporarily — were driven primarily by geographic differences.
Senators from oil-refining states shot down proposals from farm-state senators to ban the export of diesel or to loosen restrictions on the sale of E15 gasoline with higher ethanol content.
“You’re talking about regional politics, and it gets bogged down in the politics of energy, and the fiefdoms around it,” said Ron Bonjean, a GOP strategist and former Senate leadership aide.
There were divisions that went beyond geography, too.

#republican

October 8, 2026 / 5:00 AM EDT / KFF Health News
The U.S. Senate candidates in Texas could hardly be more different: James Talarico, a former seminarian turned Democratic state lawmaker who speaks in calm cadences about love and empathy, and Ken Paxton, the pugnacious Republican state attorney general who speaks about a refusal to compromise.
They share an enemy, though. They dislike social media's effects on children's mental health. Talarico, who did not respond to a request for comment, has endorsed a social media ban for kids under 16, while denouncing "predatory algorithms that divide us on an hourly, daily basis." As a legislator, he co-authored a bill targeting explicit deepfakes — digital imitations of individuals that are often made or manipulated by artificial intelligence and used for harassment on social media.
Paxton has been suing Big Tech, alleging the companies hook youth on their apps or don't restrict sensitive videos from being viewed by kids. "When elected to the U.S. Senate, he will continue his proven record of advancing policies that protect children online, strengthen parental rights, and hold Big Tech accountable when it breaks the law," Paxton campaign spokesperson Madison Cercy said in a statement to KFF Health News.
Youth mental health is in decline. Even as researchers explore what's causing the problem, momentum is gathering among policymakers from both parties to crack down on social media companies. Several major companies are being sued, investigated, and, soon, potentially regulated. That they may be harming kids' mental health is a key reason.

#Social #kids #senate #Tech

Rosie O'Donnell has issued a public apology to Wynonna Judd for "assuming" she was a supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump.
In an interview for The Tangle podcast in August, the comedian - a fierce critic of the American leader - stated that the country singer was one of the only fans of Trump in her life.
"Now, I am friends with Wynonna Judd, who I love very much, and I've known her for many, many years," she told host Kyle Ridley at the time. "And she is a supporter of Trump. And somehow, we never bring it up. I give her a grace in a way... And I really love her, and I care about her, and, for some reason, I'm able to put that aside when we interact."
Last week, Judd clarified that she was "an independent" and never discussed her political beliefs during an interview for People, and on Wednesday, O'Donnell apologised to her longtime pal.
"I was wrong to ***** ume Wy was a Trump supporter just because she performed at marlargo (Mar-a-Lago)," the 64-year-old wrote on Instagram, referring to the Palm Beach, Florida resort owned by Trump. "But as she told me she has sung for seven presidents on both sides of the aisle (sic). My apologies here publicly (as I first made them privately) #friendship - she's touring her new album now - go see her SING like no one else on earth."
In addition, a representative for Judd told Entertainment Weekly that the 62-year-old "did not perform for Trump" when she was at Mar-a-Lago for an unrelated event and that the Tell Me Why star has performed for seven U.S. presidents over the course of her career, both Democrats and Republicans.

#judd #love

Debra Messing is facing intense backlash over her decision to support Republican Bruce Blakeman in New York's gubernatorial race.
Messing, who has previously supported Democratic candidates including Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton, shared an Instagram statement Tuesday evening laying out her reasons for endorsing the Donald Trump-backed candidate.
"For years, my focus has been protecting choice and voting rights, passing the ERA, protecting the rights of the gay community, and keeping out children's schools safe from gun violence. I still stand by every one of those principles. That hasn't changed," Messing wrote. "What has changed is how I feel about the city and state I love dearly."
The Will & Grace star said that after voting for Governor Kathy Hochul four years ago, she had reflected on that decision ahead of the November election. "So I asked myself the question I'd encourage everyone to ask. Not: 'Which party am I supposed to vote for?' But: 'Who do I believe will actually make life better for the people I love and the place I live?'"
For Messing, that person is Blakeman. "I don't agree with him on everything, and I don't expect to," she wrote. "No candidate is perfect. But on the issues that are hurting New Yorkers right now, I believe he's the right choice. Yes, he's been endorsed by the President. That's not what my vote is about."

#voting #rights #changed

WASHINGTON — Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers appears to be breaking with President Donald Trump on another key issue less than a month before Election Day.
"Drinking a Labatt and watching the Red Wings, man, it just doesn't get any more Michigan than that," Rogers said in a new ad released Oct. 7. "Here in Michigan, we know that Canada is not our enemy. We need to end this tariff war now."
The statement marks the second time in recent weeks that Rogers spoke out — without criticizing Trump by name — against one of the president's unpopular initiatives. This time, Rogers is calling for an end to Trump's widespread trade war against Canada, America's second-biggest trading partner, while drinking a Canadian beer that's banned from import under the president's latest trade restrictions.
The Republican Senate nominee also split with Trump on the Iran war in late September, saying it "needs to end and end quickly."
Rogers' public shift on tariffs comes amid mounting opposition in Michigan to Trump's tariffs and GOP concerns that voters will reject their candidates up and down the ballot for failing to address cost-of-living concerns. Election Day is Nov. 3, though more than 200,000 Michiganians have already cast absentee ballots.

#Trump #election #drinking

National Republicans have spent months trying to rescue Ken Paxton. He's complicating that effort.
Tensions are brewing with some Republicans after POLITICO published Paxton's closed-door comments that "D.C." Republicans were largely controlling his race.
"He is welcome to raise his own money and say whatever he wants," said one Republican involved in the Paxton rescue effort, who like others in this article was granted anonymity to speak candidly. "In fact, if he did that, he'd probably be winning right now and we wouldn't need to spend all this money."
"This just seems like Paxton preparing to blame others for what might be one of the most embarrassing defeats in modern political history," said Carlos Curbelo, a former Florida GOP representative.
Senate Republicans and top operatives didn't want to be in this position in the first place. Many had warned that the Trump effort to unseat Sen. John Cornyn and back Paxton in the primary would cost Republicans hundreds of millions to drag Paxton across the finish line in the general election. Cornyn and Senate GOP groups spent millions of dollars on ads during the primary attacking Paxton over his series of scandals and warning he was a flawed candidate.

#republicans #spent #rescue

October 7, 2026 / 6:00 AM EDT / CBS News
In July, Reps. Mike Lawler, a New York Republican, and Josh Gottheimer, a New Jersey Democrat, had a request for the Federal Election Commission: help make sure artificial intelligence chatbots do not feed voters false information about the 2026 midterm elections.
The lawmakers, writing to the FEC as well as the Justice and Homeland Security departments, urged the agencies to coordinate on "AI-driven threats to election integrity" and to press AI companies on their safeguards. Their concerns come as a quarter of likely voters use AI tools daily and at least 38% have gotten information about candidates or voting from AI search summaries, according to a September survey released by the American ****** ociation of Political Consultants Foundation.
But later that month, FEC Commissioner Shana Broussard, a Democrat, wrote back with a blunt answer: the agency couldn't help. With only two of its six commissioner seats filled, the FEC "cannot proceed," she wrote, according to documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.
Broussard signed the letter as an individual commissioner. Without a quorum — the four members needed out of a total of six — she could not under federal law even speak for the agency.

#voters

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Communications Commission is considering a request by a conservative group to loosen rules on political robocalls, including those with artificial intelligence-generated voices, before November's midterm elections.
Federal law currently bans most robocalls to cellphones unless the caller gets consent beforehand. The petition calls for a waiver that would allow political groups to use artificial or prerecorded voices in unsolicited wireless calls.
The Republican-led FCC advanced the request for public comment and could rule on it as soon as late October.
Consumer advocacy groups warn the proposed change could trigger a surge of unwanted, partisan and potentially misleading automated calls in the critical final days of the election, which will determine which party controls Congress for the final two years of President Donald Trump's term.
The potential perils became evident two years ago during the presidential primary season when thousands of voters in New Hampshire received a robocall with an AI-generated voice of then-President Joe Biden. The call suggested voters should forgo casting a ballot in the primary and "save" their votes for the general election.

#federal #robocalls #artificial #generated

By Ann Saphir
Oct 7 (Reuters) - The interest rate on the most common US home loan jumped last week to its highest in almost ‌three years, worsening affordability for buyers four weeks before elections that ‌will decide if President Donald Trump's Republicans keep control of Congress.
The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage surged 19 basis points to 7.49% in the week ended October 2, the Mortgage Bankers **** ociation said on Wednesday. It was last higher in November 2023.
Mortgage rates are tied closely to the yield on US 10-year Treasury notes, which earlier this week ‌hit a 24-year high, ⁠driven by worries over inflationary pressures from soaring oil prices and data showing stronger US economic growth.
The cost of living is ⁠the top issue on Americans' minds as they decide how they will vote on November 3, a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Monday showed, and is one reason why Trump's approval rating is at a record low of 32%.

#week #rate

Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson debated for the first time Tuesday in Maine, trading attacks over President Donald Trump, the cost of living and abortion in one of the most closely watched Senate races in the country.
Maine is central to Democrats’ path to the Senate majority as they try to capitalize on Trump’s unpopularity. Jackson tried to do just that Tuesday by tying Collins to Trump, name-checking him at least 20 times in one hour of debating on WGME-TV.
“It matters who you stand with,” Jackson said in his opening statement. “I don’t owe Donald Trump and the billionaires anything. I don’t fight for billionaires like she does.”
Collins, meanwhile, emphasized multiple instances when she opposed the Trump administration.
She also sought to localize the race and pitch her seniority — and her perch as chair of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee — as a boost to Maine. She touted $1.5 billion in federal funds that she has brought home to the state for 672 projects in the last five years, “from Madawaksa to Kittery, from Eastport to Rumford.”

#maine #tuesday #donald #susan

Republicans are swamping House and Senate races with an unprecedented flood of late ad spending as the party tests whether hundreds of millions of dollars can buy it some reprieve from the eroding political environment that’s threatening longtime Republican states and districts.
Since the start of September, Republicans have made more than $700 million worth of new advertising bookings in congressional races alone, according to an NBC News ******* ysis of data from AdImpact, a political ad-tracking firm. That’s new money on top of what had already been committed to those races in ad reservations made over the summer.
By comparison, Democrats booked more than $430 million in new ad reservations across those races last month.
The disparity is greatest in the battle for the Senate majority, where almost 7 of every 10 newly booked advertising dollars are coming from Republicans. That’s led by a massive, late investment in the Senate race in Texas, where Democrat James Talarico is threatening a longtime Republican seat and the GOP has poured in almost $150 million in new ad dollars to back up its nominee, Ken Paxton.
The gap is smaller in the House, where a bit less than 6 in 10 of those new ad dollars are coming from the GOP.

#senate #dollars #House #republican

The bond-market rout of 2026 may be jolting markets, but it's also gaining a important following among savers and the risk-averse.
Wall Street has been gripped by the volatile moves in bond yields over the past few weeks. The all-important 10-year Treasury yield BX:TMUBMUSD10Y was up another 3.4 basis points on Monday to 5.35%, it highest level since April 2002, according to Dow Jones Market Data.
My wife never went back to work after raising our kids. Do I have to share my retirement savings 50/50?
Go ahead and get that poetry degree. Republican law won't prevent people with humanities majors from getting student loans.
That's raised the costs of new mortgages, corporate borrowing and financing the $40 trillion national debt. It also has many bond portfolios sitting in a sea of red ink for 2026, with the bond market's equivalent of the S&P 500 SPX — the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Index's — total return having turned negative. Bond yields and prices move in the opposite direction.

#bond #treasury #tmubmusd10y

This is one of the best letters that I have read in my lifetime ("We lived within our means: I earned $30,000 as a pastor and still retired comfortably"). I used to be a mortgage-loan officer; I would get a couple that each made six figures, but would have difficulty qualifying them for a loan amount they wanted because of their consumer-debt load.
Conversely, I would have a blue-collar "Joe Sixpack" that made substantially less but saved and saved and saved, and who got the loan he needed for a house. People in the U.S. need to wake up and not be compulsive: Quit buying things you really don't need. It's that way with the federal government as well, and based on that.
My wife never went back to work after raising our kids. Do I have to share my retirement savings 50/50?
Go ahead and get that poetry degree. Republican law won't prevent people with humanities majors from getting student loans.
We'd better get real quick or we're going to have a financial crisis that makes the Great Recession of 2008 look like a picnic.

#conversely

Usha Vance experienced a terrifying moment on October 5 when she stepped off a helicopter at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
The Second Lady nearly stumbled down the aircraft's metal steps while carrying her baby boy, Alec, who was securely strapped to her chest in a carrier.
The scary incident unfolded as Usha — who was accompanied by her family — prepared to board a flight to Alaska where the Vice President, JD Vance will speak at a Republican National Committee rally in support of Senator Dan Sullivan.
Usha suffered a close-call
She was juggling her two-month-old infant alongside a large bag when she appeared to lose her footing near the bottom of the staircase.

#andrews

Second Lady Usha Vance's scary moment exiting a helicopter with her newborn has sparked a heated debate online. Fans raised concerns about the incident and questioned why no one stepped in to help.
Second Lady Usha Vance nearly stumbled while exiting the Marine Two helicopter at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Monday, Oct. 5, PEOPLE reported. She had 10-week-old son Alec Neel Vance strapped to her chest in a baby carrier. Vance also carried a large leather diaper bag as she descended the aircraft's staircase.
She grabbed the railing after missing a step and quickly regained her balance. She then turned back toward the helicopter's entrance to reassure those nearby. According to lip reader Nicola Hickling, Usha told nearby officers, "I'm okay, and he's fine… thank you" (via The Mirror).
Vice President JD Vance followed her down the stairs moments later. He carried their four-year-old daughter, Mirabel, and did not appear to notice the incident. The family traveled to Anchorage, Alaska, for a Republican National Committee rally supporting Senator Dan Sullivan's reelection campaign.
The video quickly went viral on X (formerly Twitter), sparking safety concerns and criticism. One user questioned why no one intervened, writing, "Did ******* ody notice that Usha Vance is carrying a 9-week-old baby and a huge leather diaper bag, and she nearly FALLS down the stairs of Marine 2? The Air Force officers didn't move to help her, and her husband barely even acknowledges her."

#exiting #concerns #questioned

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Sen. Thom Tillis says in a new book that his deciding vote to confirm Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in January 2025 is the "biggest regret of my career" and that he also "should've stopped" Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from becoming Health and Human Services secretary in the early days of President Donald Trump's second term.
In "How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents," to be published Tuesday, the North Carolina senator defends his decision at the time to not be "the lone voice in the wilderness" preventing Trump's nominees from confirmation. But Tillis makes clear he was always skeptical of allegations about Hegseth's turbulent management style, treatment of women and excessive drinking. Hegseth denied all the allegations.
"I know for a fact that there are others like me," Tillis writes, "Republicans who agreed to go along with the early demands of the Trump team no matter how ridiculous they were, believing that failing to do so would mean the end of their political career, and who now see that things have gone way too far."
He writes that he can count at least 30 of his GOP colleagues who have "expressed reservations (to put it mildly) about many of the president's actions in private. Then, when the reporters showed up with their cameras and microphones, they'd have nothing but nice things to say."
Tillis, who announced last year that he would not run for reelection in a "breaking point" with the president on his sweeping tax and spending cuts package, is publishing the book in his final months in office. He joins a long list of Republicans who have ratcheted up their public denunciations of Trump once they had less to lose politically.

#hegseth

President Donald Trump used an anti-trans slur Monday to attack the Democratic nominee for the Senate in South Carolina as he urged voters to back Republican Sen. Darline Graham.
In a Truth Social post, Trump referred to Democratic candidate Annie Andrews three times as “trannie.” He said Andrews, who is not transgender, is “not for South Carolina.”
“And South Carolina must show, in the upcoming Election, that it is not for her,” Trump added.
Andrews responded by largely ignoring the insult, saying in a statement first shared with NBC News that she will “work with anyone to put South Carolina first.”
“As a mom and a pediatrician, I’m in this race to fight for my patients, my three kids, and South Carolina,” Andrews said, adding that “lowering costs and making life better for families across our state is going to take all of us working together.”

#Trump