Wednesday, October 15, 2025

October 15, 2025

Good morning,

Welcome to the news for independent thinkers

Leading the News . . .

Poll finds more people are starting to blame Democrats for shutdown . . . Americans are more likely to blame Republicans than Democrats for the ongoing government shutdown, but a new YouGov/The Economist poll shows that gap is beginning to narrow. Only 6 points separate the parties in this week's poll, which shows 39 percent of surveyed Americans blame President Trump and the Republicans in Congress for the shutdown, while 33 percent blame the Democrats in Congress. Last week, 11 points separated the two sides, with 41 percent of respondents blaming Trump and the GOP in Congress and 30 percent blaming their Democratic counterparts. The Hill

If Republicans can win the PR war over the shutdown, it could affect the gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey and help them keep Congress in 2026. These things tend to have long-term ramifications.

Politics

Media including Fox News overwhelmingly reject Pentagon press policy . . . Fox News, along with ABC, CBS and NBC, did not sign the Defense Department's press policy by Tuesday's deadline, having earlier in the day denounced the new regulations in a joint statement that included CNN, which previously said it would not sign. The policy prohibits journalists from accessing or soliciting information the Defense Department doesn't make available for them and revokes Pentagon press credentials from those who will not sign on. The new rules have drawn an anguished chorus of detractors across the ideological spectrum since they were announced last month.

Left-Wing Group Instructed Walz How to Defy Trump on Immigration in Minnesota . . . Minnesota—a state that the Trump administration has sued, alleging it is a sanctuary state—received "resistance" guidelines from a coalition of Democrat governors on how to defy assisting federal authorities as they enforce immigration law. Gov. Tim Walz—fresh from defeat as the Democrat vice presidential candidate—was among a group of Democrat leaders who received recommendations from the coalition Governors Safeguarding Democracy to prevent sheriffs and local prosecutors from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. Daily Signal

Some airports won't broadcast Noem's message blaming Dems for the shutdown . . . Airports across America's busiest markets are refusing to play a video message from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem where she blames Democrats for the government shutdown and for travel delays airline customers might face. POLITICO reached out to the 25 busiest airports, and more than half of them said they would not air the video in their facilities, with seven airports noting the "political" nature of the message violated airport policies. Politico

Trump Awards Charlie Kirk a Posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom . . . President Donald Trump on Tuesday awarded the late conservative hero Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom. "Today, we're here to honor and remember a fearless warrior for liberty, beloved leader who galvanized the next generation like nobody I've ever seen before," Trump said, "and an American patriot of the deepest conviction, the finest quality and the highest caliber, the late, great Charlie Kirk." Daily Signal

Trump Admin Revokes Visas Of Foreigners Who Celebrated Charlie Kirk's Assassination . . . Last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio pledged to revoke and deny visas to foreigners who celebrate Kirk's killing. Delivering on the promise, the State Department shared the alarming statements of some of those immigrants who were stripped of legal status. "The United States has no obligation to host foreigners who wish death on Americans. The State Department continues to identify visa holders who celebrated the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk," a State Department official said. Daily Wire

Footage Of Man's Fiery Rampage In Governor's Mansion Released . . . The Dauphin County District Attorney's Office released footage on Tuesday that allegedly shows Cody Balmer committing arson of Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's home in April. Balmer pleaded guilty to dozens of charges on Tuesday, including attempted homicide, terrorism and aggravated arson, according to a summary from the Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas. The district attorney's office released four videos of the April 13 attack on the governor's mansion. Daily Caller

Culture

Another Example of Why the Media Won't Earn Back Americans' Trust . . . MediaFest25, which starts Wednesday and describes itself as the "nation's largest media convention for pros and college students," originally greenlit my The Daily Signal's Virginia Allen and The Daily Wire's Mary Margaret Olohan as speakers. It made perfect sense that Allen and Olohan, who have years of experience in political reporting in the nation's capital, would be tapped to advise young journalists. But their remarks were almost immediately canceled. Daily Signal

Top Philadelphia Public School Official Posts Tributes to Fugitive Cop-Killer Assata Shakur . . . The man in charge of the social studies curriculum for Philadelphia public schools has posted several online tributes to the convicted cop-killer Assata Shakur, even using her photo as his profile picture on social media. Ismael Jimenez, the director of social studies curriculum for the K-12 School District of Philadelphia, honored Shakur in several posts days after her death in September, but his public support for the woman who was once the FBI's most-wanted terrorist dates back over a year. Washington Free Beacon

Looks like social studies became socialist studies.

National Security

Los Angeles sparks fury, declares state of emergency to combat ICE . . . Los Angeles declared a state of emergency in response to immigration raids taking place across the city as California ramps up its resistance to President Trump. The bold move would provide assistance to Los Angeles residents targeted by ICE as Governor Gavin Newsom positions himself for the Democratic nomination to run for president in 2028. Attorney General Pam Bondi blasted the action. Daily Mail

Trump: Hamas 'Will Disarm' Or 'We Will Disarm Them' . . . "They're going to disarm because they said they were going to disarm," Trump said. "And if they don't disarm, we will disarm them." "How will you do that?" a reporter asked. "I don't have to explain that to you, but if they don't disarm, we will disarm them," Trump reiterated. "They know I'm not playing games." Daily Wire

They returned the hostages, but they are not going to disarm, even if they wanted to, which they don't, because then they will be killed by other barbarians in Gaza. Just saying.

International

US strikes another vessel off Venezuela coast, killing six . . . The US has struck another vessel off the coast of Venezuela, killing six people, President Donald Trump has said. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the vessel belonged to "narcoterrorists" and that it was "trafficking narcotics." This is the fifth strike of its kind by the Trump administration on a boat accused of trafficking drugs on international waters since September. In total, 27 people have been reported killed, but the US has not provided evidence or details about identities of the vessels or those on board them. BBC

Checking to see when their trial is scheduled for. Could be delayed.

Trump, Israel Pile on Pressure as Hamas Fails to Return Hostage Bodies . . . Hamas failed to make good on its end of the Trump-designed Gaza peace plan on Tuesday, returning just 4 of the 28 bodies it agreed to release as part of the first phase of the agreement. Israel shut down a key Gaza border crossing in response and has begun restricting aid until the terror group follows through on its promise. Trump warned Hamas about making good on the agreement, saying in a Tuesday Truth Social post that "the JOB IS NOT DONE. THE DEAD HAVE NOT BEEN RETURNED, AS PROMISED." Washington Free Beacon

One of the bodies returned was not a hostage.

Graham says Israel discussing reinvading Gaza to support factions . . . Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said on Tuesday that Israel is discussing a potential reinvasion of Gaza to support anti-Hamas factions after the start of the Trump-backed peace deal. The discussions come as masked Hamas terrorists executed members of rival Palestinian groups, as seen in video footage. "As I speak tonight, there are discussions in Israel about potentially going back in to save those tribes and clans that had the guts to stand up against Hamas," Graham said. Washington Examiner

Trump says US will not 'waste our time' helping Argentina if Milei loses . . . President Donald Trump has acknowledged that a $20B US lifeline to help calm Argentina's currency crisis is an attempt to sway elections this month in the South American nation. Welcoming Argentina's libertarian leader Javier Milei to the White House, Trump warned that the US would not "waste our time" with helping Argentina if Milei's party did not prevail. Milei praised Trump for his peacemaking efforts and said the US president's policies would lead to "prosperity". BBC

Money

China, Betting It Can Win a Trade War, Is Playing Hardball With Trump . . . China's leader, Xi Jinping, is betting that the U.S. economy can't absorb a prolonged trade conflict with the world's second-largest economy, according to people close to Beijing's decision-making. China is holding a firm line because of its conviction, the people said, that an escalating trade war will tank markets, as it did in April after Trump announced his Liberation Day tariffs, prompting Beijing to hit back. China expects that the prospect of another market meltdown ultimately will force Trump to negotiate at an expected summit with Xi late this month, the people said. Wall Street Journal

The Rest of the World Is Following America's Retreat on EVs . . . In Canada, Prime Minister Mark Carney paused an electric-vehicle sales mandate that was set to take effect next year. In the U.K., Prime Minister Keir Starmer has allowed for a more flexible timetable to hit the country's EV targets. And the European Union last month bowed to pressure from automakers to rethink—a year earlier than planned—its 2035 target for eliminating carbon-dioxide emissions from cars. "There's this realization that, 'Hey, this transformation isn't going as fast as we want,'" said Patrick Schaufuss, a partner at consulting firm McKinsey. Wall Street Journal

The world doesn't want to drive to work in golf carts.

Grocery Prices Keep Rising. Frustrated Consumers Are Trying to Adapt. . . . During a recent trip to the supermarket, Kelvin Lin was surprised to see that the price of a rib-eye steak had jumped to $32.99 a pound. It had been several dollars cheaper two weeks earlier, he said. Lin, a 33-year-old software engineer who lives in New York City, complained to the butcher but ended up buying the steak anyway. Inflation in the grocery aisle is picking up, and stinging consumers. Consumers said they are cutting back on purchases, stockpiling certain foods or exploring more-affordable stores. Wall Street Journal

You should also know

Young Republicans 'appalled' after 'vile, inexcusable' messages leak . . . The Young Republicans club has railed against members who were allegedly involved in a 'vile and inexcusable' group chat that included vile racist content along with so-called jokes about rape and supporting Hitler. Some members had even joked they would be 'cooked' if the contents of the group chat ever leaked. Within 28,000 messages spanning seven months, the men referred to black people as 'monkeys' and joked about putting political opponents in gas chambers and raping them. Daily Mail

These messages are very disturbing. Also disturbing: Privacy is a quaint relic of the past.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Says ChatGPT Will Soon Allow 'Erotica' Content . . . Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, announced this week that ChatGPT will soon allow for "erotica" content in the spirit of treating "adult users like adults." The scheduled plans for ChatGPT will allow "users to customize their AI assistant's personality, including options for more human-like responses, heavy emoji use, or friend-like behavior," per The Guardian. The new "erotica" content will likely arrive after OpenAI rolls out its comprehensive age-gating system this coming December. Breitbart

Yes, more sex on the internet is exactly what America needs.

Guilty Pleasures

Bishop Forced to Resign After Being Accused of Having 17 Secret Lovers . . . 51-year-old Ciro Quispe Lopez, the bishop of Juli, in Peru, stands accused of having up to 17 secret lovers. Although he denies the allegations against him as part of a defamation campaign by 'dark hands', Lopez handed in his resignation to the Pope last month. The Vatican investigation began after an investigation by Kevin Moncada, a journalist for the Peruvian newspaper Sin Fronteras. On top of that, he accidentally sent pictures and videos intended for his mistresses to his house cleaner, who alerted the Catholic Church. Oddity Central

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