Tuesday's Final Word

Click the tab to the angels, linking circles in the clouds ...

New Ad: Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign is bankrolled by dirty money linked to groups designated as terrorist organizations. @AbdulElSayed simply cannot be trusted to prioritize the safety of Michigan families. https://t.co/Q0Q0LD0qOG

— Senate Leadership Fund (@Senate_Fund) October 12, 2026

Ed: The Rogers campaign does not let the grass grow under their feet, or at least that's true of the NRSC. This is absolutely accurate, too, and Michigan voters had better pay attention. Radical Islamists want to buy a Senate seat. Will Michiganders allow them to make the purchase? The signs are not necessarily good ...

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Newsmax: Jewish Democrats at the University of Michigan are collecting signatures for a petition campaign called "Nonnegotiable" pressing Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, a former Wayne County health administrator, over his positions on Israel. ...

In an Instagram post Saturday, the group wrote: "These are young Jewish Democrats who were excited to cast their first votes for U.S. Senate this November. Instead, they’re facing an election where, as of now, there’s no candidate they can vote for."

The campaign asks El-Sayed, and any politician seeking the group’s support, to commit to five points: Jewish safety, including for Zionist Jews who support Israel as a Jewish state; the right of Jews to define their own identity; Jewish sovereignty in Israel; full Jewish participation in civic life; and an affirmative vision for a better future in the Middle East.

In a statement ahead of El-Sayed’s Oct. 24 campaign rally with former President Barack Obama, the group urged Obama to ask El-Sayed to make the same commitments. "These are not high bars. They are commitments President Obama himself made, in word and deed," the statement said.

Ed: There absolutely is a candidate for whom they can vote: Mike Rogers, whose words and deeds are far more reliable than Obama's on this issue. If they think El-Sayed will agree to any of these, let alone all of them, they are simply delusional. Obama might balk at a couple of these now that he's out of office. They'd better start thinking about those values and which party will actually defend them. 

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My Ojibwe name is Gizhiiwewidamookwe, which means ‘Speaks in a Loud and Clear Voice Woman.’ I’m going to be Minnesota’s voice in the U.S. Senate — not Donald Trump’s.

— Peggy Flanagan (@peggyflanagan) October 13, 2026

Ed: Sounds like someone named her "Loudmouth Woman" instead. Who is this supposed to impress anyway? Click through to read the replies. As of 3:40 p,m ET, this tweet has a slightly negative ratio, which actually surprises me. 

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WSJ: Meanwhile, damaging revelations about Paxton continue to emerge. A new scene that could join the list: a previously unreported New Year’s Eve 2024 celebration where Paxton partied in Dubai with two fugitives from U.S. justice and a woman who wasn’t his wife.

As fireworks exploded over the Burj Khalifa skyscraper to welcome 2025, Paxton and his girlfriend Tracy Duhon watched from a luxury high-rise balcony full of people, according to a video of the gathering viewed by The Wall Street Journal, details of which were contained in court filings and confirmed by people familiar with the matter.

Among those at the event with Texas’ top law-enforcement official were two Americans who had been indicted months before on federal healthcare-fraud charges but failed to return to the U.S., Anosh Ahmed and Sameer Suhail, according to the court records and people familiar with the matter. Ahmed, a healthcare executive, had donated $190,000 to Paxton, campaign-finance records show, including $25,000 days after he was indicted.

Ed: So far, I haven't heard any response from the Paxton campaign to this story. This was part of the risk in pushing Paxton as a primary challenger to a relatively safe incumbent. Needless to say, whatever money Talarico still has in the tank will likely be spent pushing this story out over the next three weeks. However, the real question now is which candidate can actually consolidate their base. 

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Four months ago we had the Texas Senate race at Paxton 45, Talarico 43, with 7 undecided and 4 going elsewhere. Today it’s 47.2 to 46.7, with 3.9 undecided and 2.2 for the Libertarian. Talarico gained 3.7 points, Paxton 2.2. The undecided and third-party pool shrank from 11 to 6 and split roughly 60/40 toward Talarico. Clearly we found Talarico momentum. Independents are 52 to 37 Talarico; the suburbs are 50 to 45 Paxton. The two candidates are in different positions. Talarico has 95 percent of Democrats and little left to consolidate; his path runs through independents and turnout. Paxton has 87 percent of Republicans in a state where we found Republicans outnumber Democrats roughly 45 to 35. If he gets to the low 90s with his own party, that’s worth two to three points, more than the entire undecided pool. One side needs a persuasion win; the other needs his base to come home. At 47 apiece, the margin is inside the error on a difference.

— Jason Corley (@JasonCorley78) October 13, 2026

... and split roughly 60/40 toward Talarico. Clearly we found Talarico momentum. Independents are 52 to 37 Talarico; the suburbs are 50 to 45 Paxton.

The two candidates are in different positions. Talarico has 95 percent of Democrats and little left to consolidate; his path runs through independents and turnout. 

Paxton has 87 percent of Republicans in a state where we found Republicans outnumber Democrats roughly 45 to 35. If he gets to the low 90s with his own party, that’s worth two to three points, more than the entire undecided pool. One side needs a persuasion win; the other needs his base to come home. At 47 apiece, the margin is inside the error on a difference.

Ed: Interesting analysis, and unlike the other media/Academia polls, this one feels a bit more realistic. I still think there's a lot more softness in the Dem base here for Talarico, and Angela Paxton's ad is running pretty constantly urging voters to unite behind the entire Republican ticket. The truth is that either party may have had an easy win had they nominated someone else. 

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Campus Reform: A record-low share of Americans say a college education is “very important,” raising new questions about whether universities are losing public trust as students and families weigh the cost of a degree.

A recent Gallup poll found that 31% of U.S. adults now view college as “very important,” which is down from 70% in 2013 and below the 36% Gallup recorded when it first asked the question in 1978.

The report also revealed that the share of Americans who say college is “not too important” has climbed to 29%, nearly matching the share who say it is “very important.” In 2013, just 6% said college was “not too important.”

Ed: There are probably two big changes here. First off, people have been forced to confront the massive debt that college creates for most young adults, which end up crippling them for life. At the same time, the real value of the 'education' delivered has been exposed as largely illusory outside of the professions. People are now taking a much more realistic assessment of a poor product delivered at a high price and are recognizing that it's not good enough for the lifetime costs it creates. 

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Supporter: "I love you!" JD Vance: "I love you too, sir. In a totally platonic way, to be clear." "I'm the vice president, not James Talarico." 😂 https://t.co/HAAAQWFbrE

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 13, 2026

Ed: Hiii-yooooo! Reminds me of Susan Collins' dig at Troy Jackson for cohabiting with his cousin. 

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Politico: The Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether a watchdog group seeking information about President Donald Trump’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency is entitled to records showing how much control the budget-slashing endeavor wielded over federal agencies.

The justices on Tuesday granted the Trump administration’s request to review lower-court rulings concluding that Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington can force DOGE to turn over records shedding light on its interactions with agencies across the government.

The Trump administration maintains that DOGE made no decisions about cuts to programs or firing personnel at federal agencies and simply offered recommendations to agency leaders. But critics have alleged that DOGE personnel were, at least in some instances, dictating agency actions.

Shortly after Trump announced the creation of DOGE, CREW filed a broad Freedom of Information Act request seeking details on the project’s structure and its interaction with agencies. However, the administration asserts that DOGE — housed in the Executive Office of the President — is strictly advisory in nature and, therefore, is not subject to FOIA.

Ed: This should fall under the umbrella of executive privilege. What matters here is the cuts, not the advice that led to them. The courts may need to establish who officially made the cuts, but it's been clear from the beginning that DOGE served as an analytical/advisory mechanism. That's why others sued to prevent DOGE from accessing records for various bureaucracies and distributions. 

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It was worse than just being labeled. You were kicked off social media and silenced I took the initial vaccine including the follow up necessary for it to work I never took any of the boosters precisely because I saw how much censorship there was around the vaccine. I am not putting something into my body unless the company can allow people to discuss the benefits and drawbacks freely

— (((Aaron Walker))) (@AaronWorthing) October 13, 2026

I am not putting something into my body unless the company can allow people to discuss the benefits and drawbacks freely

Ed: Watch the Rogan clip too, which is spot on. The government demanded compliance and actively downplayed and/or covered up much of the data that indicated these would not stop the pandemic. They were arguably effective as pre-emptive therapeutics in case of exposure, but they are not vaccines in the sense of stopping transmission. And as Aaron notes, people got fired and shut down for pointing that out and refusing to take experimental vaccines. It never should have happened. 

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Kira Davis: I believe a national broadcast of this execution will create a type of bloodlust among Americans. Not the kind that incites mobs and drives us into the streets with pitchforks and tar and feathers. We are already dealing with such lunacy from the left on a daily basis. It’s safe to say that cat has long been out of the bag. No, this bloodlust will be a lust for justice…it will be a lust for payment.

When we see one, we will want more….and there are plenty more traitors worthy of the sentence, this we know. One might describe it as a “desensitization” towards violence. I think a better description would be a “desensitization” towards empathy. We will no longer be interested in the “anti-hero” narrative the left is constantly painting terrorists and murderous illegal aliens with. We will have seen the end of the road with our own eyes, and felt the final exhale of justice coming from our own lungs and we will love it.

I am not naive. I have no doubt there will be heavy spiritual consequences for live streaming the execution of a man who undoubtedly deserves such a punishment.

I don’t care. Furthermore, it may even be a necessary hill to climb on this journey to restoring America as the glory of the West. We have passed by many off-ramps on this road, over and over again. We’ve raced past every opportunity to offer both justice and mercy. The fault is not ours - the average citizen. The fault lies with our leadership over the decades and the degradation of the social left.

Ed: I don't necessarily agree with Kira on this point, but she makes a very good argument, just as you'd expect from Kira. It's definitely worth reading. I still think we can get used to this justice without livestreaming the execution and turning Hasan into a star all over again, but this is the best argument I've seen in favor of it. 

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I join all New Yorkers in being thankful that Detective Jose Mercedes is on the mend and thank him for his service. Two violent criminals — previously arrested and released back onto the street — tried to rob Detective Mercedes and stabbed him seven times. He thought he was going to die. That attack should never have happened. When I was a federal prosecutor under President Obama, these criminals would not have been released after arrest — they would have been handed over to federal officials at the jailhouse door. AG Letitia James put a stop to that. And this Detective almost died as a result. Let’s bring common sense back to law enforcement. Let’s hand criminals over at the jailhouse door, so that neither the criminals nor the feds go into our neighborhoods. Let’s stop innocent people from getting hurt.

— Saritha Komatireddy (@sarithaforny) October 13, 2026

He thought he was going to die. 

That attack should never have happened. When I was a federal prosecutor under President Obama, these criminals would not have been released after arrest — they would have been handed over to federal officials at the jailhouse door. AG Letitia James put a stop to that. And this Detective almost died as a result. 

Let’s bring common sense back to law enforcement. Let’s hand criminals over at the jailhouse door, so that neither the criminals nor the feds go into our neighborhoods. Let’s stop innocent people from getting hurt.

Ed: This is lunacy. And this is what happens in every "sanctuary" jurisdiction. When will the people victimized by this progressive agenda finally say "enough"?

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Axios: U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said her office is probing Rep. Ilhan Omar's (D-Minn.) financial disclosures, the day after federal agents searched the congresswoman's Washington, D.C. home.

The big picture: It's another example of the administration's escalating fight with the progressive lawmaker, who has clashed with the White House over its immigration crackdown — and whom President Trump has labeled as "crooked."

Driving the news: Asked about a prior ethics probe into financial filings from the Office of Congressional Conduct, which her office said cleared Omar, Pirro said Tuesday on Fox News' "America Reports" that "is subject of an investigation as well."

"It doesn't matter what the House does. It doesn't matter, you know, what this agency or that does. We're looking at the facts. Based upon the facts, we'll follow them wherever they take us," she said, and confirmed her office is handling the probe.

Ed: So it's not just the immigration issues for Omar. Hmmmmm. Stay tuned.

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Democrats Warn Trump Of Dangerous Precedent Set By Law Enforcement Raiding Homes Of Political Opponents https://t.co/G6YQ72o3gX

— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) October 13, 2026

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Last night's lyric: "We Built This City" by Starship. (Blame John Ondrasik!)

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