# Comic Sands - Complete Content

> Comic Sands: complete content export for LLMs - 24 sections and the 100 most recent articles. Navigation index: https://www.comicsands.com/llms.txt

**Site Overview:**
- Domain: https://www.comicsands.com
- Total Sections: 24
- Recent Posts Included: 100
- Content Word Count: ~53072 words
- Last Updated: 2026-10-22
- Generated: October 22, 2026 15:11:27

**Important Information:**

- © 2026 Comic Sands. All rights reserved.
- Site ID: 17800991
- Markdown version: append .md to any URL
- Total sections: 24

## Site Structure
- [News](https://www.comicsands.com/news/index.md): Stay up-to-date with the latest happenings from around the world with the News section on Comic Sands. From trending to captivating stories, dive into a comprehensive collection of news articles that keep you informed and entertained. Discover insightful analysis on global events, technology, politics, entertainment, and more. Trust Comic Sands to bring you the news that matters, delivered with a touch of humor and a fresh perspective. (31645 posts; HTML: https://www.comicsands.com/news; RSS: https://www.comicsands.com/feeds/news.rss)
- [Politics](https://www.comicsands.com/news/politics/index.md): Dive into the captivating realm of Politics on Comic Sands. Stay informed about the latest political news, scandals and controversies, intriguing debates, and key developments that shape our world. Explore the dynamic landscape of politics, from elections to policy discussions, with a touch of humor and engaging storytelling. Get ready for a unique, informative, and entertaining political journey on Comic Sands. (12400 posts; HTML: https://www.comicsands.com/news/politics; RSS: https://www.comicsands.com/feeds/news/politics.rss)
- [2026 Elections](https://www.comicsands.com/news/2026-elections/index.md): Join us for comprehensive coverage and a countdown to the 2026 midterm elections, where every vote counts. (220 posts; HTML: https://www.comicsands.com/news/2026-elections; RSS: https://www.comicsands.com/feeds/news/2026-elections.rss)
- [Science & Health](https://www.comicsands.com/news/science/index.md): Embark on a journey of discovery as we unravel mysteries and share groundbreaking scientific developments. (1032 posts; HTML: https://www.comicsands.com/news/science; RSS: https://www.comicsands.com/feeds/news/science.rss)
- [LGBTQ](https://www.comicsands.com/news/lgbtq/index.md): Celebrate diversity and stay informed with LGBTQ news, offering insights into the community and essential updates. (1686 posts; HTML: https://www.comicsands.com/news/lgbtq; RSS: https://www.comicsands.com/feeds/news/lgbtq.rss)
- [Entertainment](https://www.comicsands.com/entertainment/index.md): Indulge in the latest Entertainment news on Comic Sands and embark on a journey through the captivating world of movies, TV, music, and pop culture. Stay up-to-date with celebrity news, interviews, and gossip, along with insightful film, TV show, and music reviews. Explore the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry and get the inside scoop on Hollywood's hottest trends. Dive into a diverse range of entertaining stories guaranteed to keep you entertained and informed on the lighter side of showbiz. (9755 posts; HTML: https://www.comicsands.com/entertainment; RSS: https://www.comicsands.com/feeds/entertainment.rss)
- [Celebrities](https://www.comicsands.com/entertainment/celebrities/index.md): Find out what's new in the celebrity world, all the latest trends and happenings that you need to know about. (2988 posts; HTML: https://www.comicsands.com/entertainment/celebrities; RSS: https://www.comicsands.com/feeds/entertainment/celebrities.rss)
- [Music](https://www.comicsands.com/entertainment/music/index.md): Explore our music section for the latest news, trending artists, and developments in the music world. (982 posts; HTML: https://www.comicsands.com/entertainment/music; RSS: https://www.comicsands.com/feeds/entertainment/music.rss)
- [TV & Movies](https://www.comicsands.com/entertainment/tv-and-movies/index.md): Stay up-to-date with the latest trends in the world of television and movies, both big and small. (2941 posts; HTML: https://www.comicsands.com/entertainment/tv-and-movies; RSS: https://www.comicsands.com/feeds/entertainment/tv-and-movies.rss)
- [Sports](https://www.comicsands.com/entertainment/sports/index.md): (366 posts; HTML: https://www.comicsands.com/entertainment/sports; RSS: https://www.comicsands.com/feeds/entertainment/sports.rss)
- [Trending](https://www.comicsands.com/trending/index.md): The best of AskReddit curated for your enjoyment. (35675 posts; HTML: https://www.comicsands.com/trending; RSS: https://www.comicsands.com/feeds/trending.rss)
- [Best of Reddit](https://www.comicsands.com/trending/best-of-reddit/index.md): Dive into the best of Reddit with our in-depth coverage of threads and discussions you can't miss. (21533 posts; HTML: https://www.comicsands.com/trending/best-of-reddit; RSS: https://www.comicsands.com/feeds/trending/best-of-reddit.rss)
- [Funny News](https://www.comicsands.com/trending/funny-news/index.md): Discover the lighter side of current events with Comic Sands' Funny News section. From hilarious headlines to clever satires, we bring you quirky stories, comical twists, and laugh-out-loud moments from around the world. Stay entertained, stay informed, and get your daily dose of humor. (3755 posts; HTML: https://www.comicsands.com/trending/funny-news; RSS: https://www.comicsands.com/feeds/trending/funny-news.rss)
- [Weird News](https://www.comicsands.com/trending/weird-news/index.md): Explore the extraordinary and offbeat side of the news world with Weird News on Comic Sands. Delve into bizarre, unexpected, and eccentric stories that will leave you baffled and entertained. Discover the peculiar and quirky happenings from around the globe, where the ordinary takes a backseat and the weird takes center stage. Get ready to embrace the unexpected with our collection of strange and intriguing tales! (2559 posts; HTML: https://www.comicsands.com/trending/weird-news; RSS: https://www.comicsands.com/feeds/trending/weird-news.rss)
- [Viral Post](https://www.comicsands.com/trending/post/index.md): Find the latests Viral Post you've probably missed on Comic Sands. Indulge in a collection of hilarious posts from across social media platforms that will make you laugh out loud and others, scratch your head. From political takedowns and viral memes to funny reactions and amusing jokes, we have curated a selection of content that guarantees an enjoyable experience. Sit back, relax, and get ready to be entertained as we bring you the best viral posts in one place. Discover a world of laughter on Comic Sands. (1207 posts; HTML: https://www.comicsands.com/trending/post; RSS: https://www.comicsands.com/feeds/trending/post.rss)
- [Viral Video](https://www.comicsands.com/trending/video/index.md): Experience pure entertainment with the Video section on Comic Sands. Indulge in a collection of hilarious videos that will make you laugh out loud and others that will make you scratch your head. From comedy sketches and viral clips to funny interviews and amusing moments, we have curated a selection of videos that guarantees an enjoyable experience. Sit back, relax, and get ready to be entertained as we bring you the best of comedic videos in one place. Discover a world of laughter on Comic Sands. (13305 posts; HTML: https://www.comicsands.com/trending/video; RSS: https://www.comicsands.com/feeds/trending/video.rss)
- [People](https://www.comicsands.com/people/index.md): (13052 posts; HTML: https://www.comicsands.com/people; RSS: https://www.comicsands.com/feeds/people.rss)
- [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez](https://www.comicsands.com/people/alexandria-ocasio-cortez/index.md): Stay informed about the latest news, developments, and updates related to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's advocacy and initiatives. (317 posts; HTML: https://www.comicsands.com/people/alexandria-ocasio-cortez; RSS: https://www.comicsands.com/feeds/people/alexandria-ocasio-cortez.rss)
- [Donald Trump](https://www.comicsands.com/people/donald-trump/index.md): Stay up to date on the latest news, developments, and updates about Donald Trump. (9470 posts; HTML: https://www.comicsands.com/people/donald-trump; RSS: https://www.comicsands.com/feeds/people/donald-trump.rss)
- [Elon Musk](https://www.comicsands.com/people/elon-musk/index.md): Get the latest news, developments, and updates on the innovations and endeavors of Elon Musk. (512 posts; HTML: https://www.comicsands.com/people/elon-musk; RSS: https://www.comicsands.com/feeds/people/elon-musk.rss)
- [JD Vance](https://www.comicsands.com/people/jd-vance/index.md): Stay up-to-date with the latest news about JD Vance (183 posts; HTML: https://www.comicsands.com/people/jd-vance; RSS: https://www.comicsands.com/feeds/people/jd-vance.rss)
- [Gavin Newsom](https://www.comicsands.com/people/gavin-newsom/index.md): (127 posts; HTML: https://www.comicsands.com/people/gavin-newsom; RSS: https://www.comicsands.com/feeds/people/gavin-newsom.rss)
- [RFK Jr.](https://www.comicsands.com/people/rfk-jr/index.md): (24 posts; HTML: https://www.comicsands.com/people/rfk-jr; RSS: https://www.comicsands.com/feeds/people/rfk-jr.rss)
- [Zohran Mamdani](https://www.comicsands.com/people/zohran-mamdani/index.md): Stay informed about the latest news, developments, and updates related to New York Mayor, Zohran Mamdani's advocacy and initiatives. (52 posts; HTML: https://www.comicsands.com/people/zohran-mamdani; RSS: https://www.comicsands.com/feeds/people/zohran-mamdani.rss)

## Recent Content

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### Trump Was Just Asked If He'll Endorse JD Vance For President In 2028 With Vance Standing Right Behind Him—And It's A Big Yikes

**Published:** October 22, 2026 | **Author:** Alan Herrera | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/trump-dodges-vance-endorsement-question.md

President Donald Trump dodged a question about whether he'll endorse Vice President JD Vance in the 2028 presidential election with Vance standing right behind him.

Speaking in the Oval Office on Tuesday while announcing a new whistleblower rewards program, Trump was asked by a reporter if he could remark on the fact that "the vice president said in an interview yesterday that he thought that you would endorse him if he does decide to run in 2028."

The question stemmed from Vance’s interview with journalist Mark Halperin, during which Vance said he expected Trump to endorse him in the 2028 presidential race, though not necessarily right away. Vance, who currently leads polling on the Republican nomination, also said that he and Trump had never discussed the possibility.

Trump interrupted the reporter and said:

“Well, I tell you this, he’s a very talented person, and he’s a very good person, but we’ve, literally, I don’t think we’ve ever talked about it."

When Vance pointed out “No, sir, I said that too,” Trump added:

“You know, who would believe that? I don’t talk about it with him; he doesn’t talk about it…”

“It’s early, very early right now; we have to get through the midterms, see how it goes."

You can watch what happened in the video below.

People had thoughts after the awkward exchange, noting that Trump's answer speaks volumes.

Things just don't seem to be looking up for Vance.

Rumors continue to swirl that he may not run in the 2028 election after The Daily Mail, citing multiple sources, reported that Vance had become "more isolated than ever" following former intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard’s departure.

Before the war with Iran began in February, Vance was reportedly the lone senior official arguing for a more limited response rather than a broader military campaign, warning that a larger operation risked igniting a wider regional war. As Vance’s standing has diminished, the influence of Secretary of State Marco Rubio has reportedly grown.

A source told the Mail that "rumors are also circulating in the West Wing that Vance is weighing whether to step back from the 2028 race entirely as a tactical move" and that it might be better for Vance not to "own everything that's gone on in the last couple of years."

Vance's team pushed back against the Mail's reporting, telling The Independent that the publication's story was "just a flimsy compilation of completely illegitimate sources who have no idea what they're talking about." Trump, meanwhile, news outlets confirmed at the time, had still not confirmed whether Vance has his endorsement.

---

### Marvel Fans Have Hilarious Reaction To Diane Morgan's 'VisionQuest' Debut Thanks To Her 'Philomena Cunk' Persona

**Published:** October 21, 2026 | **Author:** Morgan Allison Ross | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/morgan-marvel-visionquest-cunk.md

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has survived alien invasions, rogue artificial intelligence, and Thanos snapping half of existence into oblivion. But there's one thing it may never be prepared for—Philomena Cunk.

Well, technically Diane Morgan. But after the British comedian appeared in VisionQuest, fans had a hard time separating the actress from her famously clueless documentary presenter.

Morgan plays Handler, the sharp-tongued associate of bounty hunter Paladin (Todd Stashwick), who's hunting Paul Bettany's White Vision for a mysterious client. And judging by her interactions with Paladin, she's already mastered the art of making someone feel spectacularly foolish.

DiscussingFilm shared a first look at Morgan's Marvel debut, giving fans a glimpse of Handler in action:

First look at Diane Morgan in Marvel's new series ‘VISIONQUEST’. https://t.co/EPRCUODvba
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) October 14, 2026

Morgan is best known for playing Philomena Cunk, the fictional documentary presenter created by Charlie Brooker. Across Cunk on Britain, Cunk on Earth, and Cunk on Life, she interviews real experts about history, science, and civilization while asking questions that suggest she's somehow become less informed with every answer.

For a perfect example of Cunk's unique approach to education, watch her tackle the scientific legacy of Sir Isaac Newton:

And now she's landed in a universe where robots have existential crises and half the population once vanished with a snap. What could possibly go wrong?

Spoiler alert: Handler really knows her Marvel history. Paladin just wishes she'd stop bringing up his part in it.

For example, Handler reminds Paladin of a painful run-in with Hell's Kitchen's resident vigilante:

"Remember the concussion you got from that steel fiber billy club to the noggin?"

Daredevil apparently left quite the impression. And unlike most people who suffer a concussion, Paladin has someone on hand to remind him about it.

Handler also brings up bite marks from his encounter with a creature resembling Werewolf by Night and suggests sending the Ten Rings Syndicate a gift basket for supplying his Adamantium chest armor.

Nothing says workplace appreciation like thanking a criminal organization for keeping your bounty hunter in one piece.

When Paladin's physical condition comes up, Handler offers some brutally practical career advice:

"That's because you're old and your body sucks. Might be time to retire?"

Well, that's one way to conduct a performance review.

It's the same deadpan precision that made Cunk a comedy favorite, although Handler has the distinct advantage of knowing what she's talking about.

VisionQuest continues the story that began in WandaVision and carried through Agatha All Along. The Disney+ series follows White Vision as he confronts his fragmented memories and identity, with James Spader returning as Ultron.

And for Bettany, playing an android who keeps finding his way back has become something of a running joke.

Reflecting on his years playing Vision during D23 in August, Bettany acknowledged the character's complicated history:

"It's been an enormous joy playing Vision as he's evolved through the years, helped turned the tide in some enormous battles, rather inconveniently died a number of times."

Apparently, dying repeatedly is just another occupational hazard in the MCU. Paladin might want to take notes.

After years of watching Philomena Cunk bewilder actual experts with questions no reasonable person would think to ask, seeing Morgan deliver perfectly timed insults in a Marvel series was always going to invite comparisons.

And naturally, fans wasted little time bringing Cunk into the conversation:

Of course, Handler and Cunk are two very different characters. One coordinates a dangerous manhunt involving an android. The other asks historians questions that make them reconsider their career choices. Still, Morgan's ability to deliver the most outrageous observations with a perfectly straight face works remarkably well in either universe.

And with Vision still trying to understand what it means to be human, perhaps it's best that Philomena Cunk hasn't been assigned to interview him. The poor guy's died enough times already. No need to finish him off with a question about Sir Isaac Newton.

---

### Black MAGA Influencer Stunned When Ken Paxton Forces Her To Leave Rally After He Assumed She Was A Democrat

**Published:** October 21, 2026 | **Author:** Amelia Mavis Christnot | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/black-maga-ejected-paxton-rally.md

A MAGA content creator who goes by Thelma Louise online said she "cannot believe the disrespect" after she was ejected from a campaign rally for embattled MAGA Republican Texas Attorney General and GOP Senate candidate Ken Paxton.

The MAGA-aligned influencer, who had over 200k followers on TikTok before the incident, is a Black woman. She was accused of being a Democrat attending only to protest, was escorted out of the venue, and was told not to return.

Most people, across the political spectrum, believe her race was the basis for the Paxton campaign targeting her on sight. Thelma Louise stated she had just filmed footage to share online, but wasn't being disruptive in any way.

She took to her TikTok to share her woes, with her first video also going viral on X after conservatives and liberals shared it.

You can see her first video about the incident here:

The MAGA minion said:

"Oh my gosh. I cannot believe this. Someone just came up to me and said that Ken Paxton’s campaign manager wanted me to leave. I am just … My mouth is wide open right now. I really can’t believe this."

After asking if there was someone she could talk to about being targeted for removal, and being told no, Thelma Louise shared:

"I was just asked to leave this event, and I did nothing wrong... I drove two hours to be here."

"And I have done nothing but support everyone on the Republican side, and this is how I get treated?"

A commenter on her TikTok post replied:

"You forgot, and they just reminded you."

Wiping away tears in her second video, the self-described MAGA Republican President Donald Trump loyalist asked why she was removed and banned without explanation by Paxton’s campaign manager.

Thelma Louise said she left the Democratic Party two years ago and had volunteered for Trump's 2024 presidential campaign.

"I put everything in. I worked my butt off. I was a ‘Trump force’ captain."

But despite everything, she stated she didn't blame the GOP at all for how she was racially profiled at a Republican event.

She added:

" have loved me, and they have welcomed me with open arms. But Ken Paxton’s campaign manager, that person is 100 percent responsible for the disrespect that I received this evening."

"This, I will never forget. Never. This was beyond disrespectful."

You can see her second video here.

reply to @iamthelmalouise/TikTok

People were shocked that Thelma Louise was shocked about a Republican event racially profiling her.

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People had difficulty feeling any sympathy for Thelma Louise.

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Others questioned Thelma Louise's motives, asking if she was a true believer or a grifter.

r/Texas/Reddit

While Thelma Louise's choices and opinions are hers to live with, Trump himself has provided ample evidence of racism and misogyny as a feature, not a bug, in his MAGA movement.

From the way the POTUS speaks to and about women, especially Black women journalists, to his long history of racial discrimination and racist rhetoric, to his continuing relationships with White supremacists, no one should be shocked by racial bias or misogynoir in the MAGA GOP.

---

### Indiana Candidate Who Went Viral For Drunken Interview Has Epic Clapback After Piers Morgan Asks If She'll 'Carry On Drinking' If Elected

**Published:** October 21, 2026 | **Author:** Alan Herrera | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/west-hegseth-drunken-interview.md

Indiana Democratic candidate Jaime West had the perfect response for Piers Morgan when asked if she'll quit drinking if elected, a reference to West's recent viral drunken interview.

After moderator Amy Graham-McCarty asked during a televised event what potentially "unpopular" decision West would make in Fayette County's best interest, West was firm in her disgust for MAGA.

She said:

“Firing all Republicans. I wouldn’t let them. I mean, I don’t even talk to them. I don’t like them.” ...

“Because there's Republicans who actually get it, you know? There are good Republicans out there. But then there’s these MAGAs, who are just racist and aren’t very intelligent at all. They call you names.”

West also alleged that the nephew of Fayette County Sheriff Zac Jones actually "threatened to blow my head off," a claim Jones disputed. West also reminded voters that Democrats "have guns too!”

In an interview with Morgan, West admitted she'd been drinking the night of the interview:

"I had a Coors Light. I had a beer. ... I was nervous, okay?"

West said she'd had "three beers" but said she was "not that intoxicated" and said "I do know what I'm talking about with Indiana politics." She refused to walk back her statements about Republicans, saying "they voted for all this that's happening to our country," stressing that "we have a constitutional crisis we have an illegal war going on."

You can watch the exchange in the video below.

Morgan then asked West the following question:

"If you became a politician, would you carry on drinking beer or would you give it up, do you think?"

West was quick-witted, responding with a criticism of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth:

"I don't know, why don't you ask Pete Hegseth, who is drinking whiskey as he's running an illegal war? Why don't you ask him that?" ...

"I think he's got a severe alcohol problem or something, man, anybody who would let an illegal war go on."

You can watch the exchange in the video below.

Hegseth somehow still has a job despite concerns about his drinking, a threat to Iranians amid the ongoing Iran war—saying "the only ones that need to be worried right now are Iranians that think they’re going to live"—and the fact he quite literally leaked war plans on Signal to a reporter with The Atlantic.

Earlier this year, in response to a reporter who asked who will likely be next on the chopping block after President Donald Trump removed three women from Cabinet-level positions, New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, pointed out that "If you’re a man in the Trump administration, it seems that they reward misconduct.”

All that being said, West's remark struck a chord.

The MAGA double standards are truly off the wall.

---

### Andrew Garfield Reveals The Disgusting Thing He Once Found In Robert Pattinson's Bedroom—And Yikes

**Published:** October 21, 2026 | **Author:** McKenzie Lynn Tozan | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/garfield-pattinson-dirty-bedroom.md

It's always fun to hear behind-the-scenes stories from our favorite films, but it's especially fun to hear early-career stories from actors before they found fame.

The Amazing Spider-Man's Andrew Garfield recently reflected on the Dish Podcast and later the Capital Breakfast podcast about befriending a group of fellow young actors who were all living together, including Jamie Dornan, Eddie Redmayne, Charlie Cox, and Robert Pattinson.

Though Garfield didn't live with them, he frequented their home and was quite comfortable moving through their space. On Capital Breakfast, he shared how he'd once ended up in Pattinson's bedroom, only to discover a half-eaten cheeseburger that had to be at least a few days old and had cigarette butts pressed into the top of it, clearly too old to eat but just right for putting out smokes.

While recalling the memory, Garfield was a mixture of amused and grossed out.

"I remember going up into his room at one point, and I think there was like a half-eaten cheeseburger from four days previous with cigarette butts put out on the thing."

"It was like that vibe. It was students. We were students, ostensibly. We were just like actor students, and we were just absolute messes."

You can watch the segment here:

Though Garfield seemed perplexed by the memory, fans sort of shrugged it off as typical Pattinson behavior.

@capitalofficial/Instagram

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@capitalofficial/Instagram

Since his Twilight days, rumors have swirled about Pattinson's personal hygiene and cleanliness, or lack thereof. Though he might want to distance himself from it, it's hard to forget he was Edward Cullen when fans keep getting reminded of that era.

While there are plenty of examples of creative people who keep messy homes and appearances, it's also an interesting element that Pattinson brings to his characters.

---

### Ohio Democrat Rips Vivek Ramaswamy For Using Estranged And Abusive Mother In 'Disgusting' Attack Ad

**Published:** October 21, 2026 | **Author:** Alan Herrera | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/acton-ramaswamy-abusive-mom-ad.md

*Trigger Warning: this article contains mentions of child sexual abuse

Democratic Ohio gubernatorial candidate Dr. Amy Acton and her brother criticized billionaire entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, her GOP opponent, after he used their estranged mother in a political attack ad.

Acton has long said that she became estranged from her mother when she was a child, after her stepfather was charged with raping her at age 12. He pleaded not guilty, according to decades-old court records published by the Acton campaign, and reportedly later fled the state.

Although Acton has not discussed the childhood abuse during her campaign, she recounted the painful final encounter with her mother in a 2019 interview with The Youngstown Vindicator, recalling that "in the courthouse after they were charged, I went to give her a kiss, and she just turned her cheek away. That was the last time I ever saw her."

But now Ramaswamy's campaign has dropped an ad featuring Acton's mother, Donna Arthur, urging Ohio voters not to vote for her daughter on November 3, at one point saying:

"I love my daughter, but when I saw her lying about her opponent — and it's not easy for a mother to say this — that Amy has a serious problem. Amy is a liar. She lies about her past. ... She's lied her entire life. My daughter needs help." ...

“Don’t let her become your governor. If you think she’ll make your life better, you’re fooling yourself. It will only get worse.”

You can see the ad below.

Facing criticism for the ad, Ramaswamy's campaign spokesperson Connie Luck said the following in a statement to Politico:

“We don't know what happened between Amy and her mother, who first spoke out about Amy in 2020, but we know that Amy Acton is a serial fabulist who has some serious problems with the truth that the public needs to be aware of before deciding who to entrust as governor." ...

"Everyone who knows her best — her former boss, her former state colleagues, her fellow physicians, and now her own mother — are clearly warning Ohioans not to vote for her."

Shortly afterward, Acton responded to the ad and criticized Ramaswamy in an appearance on Spectrum News, saying:

“I won’t normalize somebody who has said that my childhood is just something I’m complaining about, who today just released an ad using my birth mother, who I was removed from at the age of 12 for severe abuse and neglect and sexual abuse. My brother and I were removed."

"I just can't normalize somebody who calls me things like a socialist, which I'm not, and then follows that statement by saying the Second Amendment was made for times like these to eradicate socialism, to get rid of socialists, that's what I am made for."

"The words our leaders use matter, and I think it's going to take courage right now from all of us to stop normalizing this sort of rhetoric. People need to see that this is a pattern. It was a pattern in the presidential debates."

"You know, I remember Chris Christie going at it with him. I remember Nikki Haley, because he was such a liar and he was attacking Nikki Haley's 14-year-old daughter on air during a presidential debates. You know, this is a lifelong pattern with my opponent."

You can hear what she said in t.he video below.

Acton's brother, Philip Stearns, also issued an official statement that was disseminated by Acton's campaign:

"It's not surprising that Vivek Ramaswamy has stooped to such a despicable low as to attempt to turn the sexual abuse Amy endured at twelve years old from our birth mother's husband into a political talking point."

"After he was arrested and Amy and I were removed from their custody, our birth mother stayed married to Amy's rapist until he died. This desperate, disgusting attack reveals exactly who Vivek Ramaswamy is at his core — a pathetic excuse for a man who is willing to hurt anyone as long as it gets him what he wants."

You can see the post and the statement below.

@amyactonoh/X

Critics have condemned Ramaswamy in response.

Ramaswamy remains unrepentant. People of Ohio, you can stop him in his tracks on November 3.

---

### Apu Finally Returned To 'The Simpsons' With A New Voice Actor—And Fans Have Mixed Feelings

**Published:** October 21, 2026 | **Author:** Morgan Allison Ross | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/simpsons-apu-return-malhotra.md

Eight hundred episodes. More than three decades of television. Countless couch gags, celebrity cameos, and questionable decisions by Homer Simpson.

And somehow, The Simpsons managed to go nearly nine years without giving Apu a single line.

Well, somebody finally remembered the Kwik-E-Mart was still open for business. Apu is back, but the voice coming from behind the counter might sound a little different.

And Springfield's long-lost resident made quite the entrance:

Apu is officially back!!!! https://t.co/25FBva9J9i
— Out of Context Simpsons Treehouse of Horror 🎃 (@OOCCouchGags) October 19, 2026

The surprise came during this year's Simpsons Halloween special, Treehouse of Horror Presents: The Revengening. In a parody of I Know What You Did Last Summer, a masked figure called the Daft Monk turns out to be Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, apparently ready to settle a few scores after years of being forgotten.

And The Simpsons knew exactly who was responsible for that awkward absence.

After comedian Hari Kondabolu's 2017 documentary, The Problem With Apu, challenged the South Asian stereotypes surrounding the character, the show attempted to address the criticism in its 2018 episode No Good Read Goes Unpunished..

But Lisa Simpson's response didn't exactly help matters:

“It’s hard to say. Something that started decades ago and was applauded and inoffensive is now politically incorrect. What can you do?”

Viewers criticized the scene for appearing to dismiss concerns about Apu's exaggerated accent and the South Asian Americans who had endured racist impressions of the character. Hank Azaria, who had voiced Apu for decades, eventually stepped away from the role in 2020.

Azaria revisited his involvement during a 2021 appearance on Dax Shepard's podcast Armchair Expert:

“I apologize for my part in creating that and participating in that. Part of me feels like I need to go to every single Indian person in this country and personally apologize. And sometimes I do.”

That left the show's producers with a familiar face but no speaking voice.

Enter Sunil Malhotra, an Indian American actor born in New Delhi and raised in Chicago. An Indiana University Bloomington graduate, Malhotra has appeared in Grey's Anatomy, House, and The West Wing, with voice credits including The Legend of Vox Machina and Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi.

Joining The Simpsons might sound like a dream opportunity. But Malhotra knew this wasn't just another voice-acting gig.

And his first reaction to the audition wasn't exactly what you'd expect:

“When my agent called me about a ‘Simpsons’ audition, I knew exactly what role it was for, and the idea actually made my stomach sink. But admittedly, part of me was also curious.”

Malhotra met with the producers to discuss Apu's portrayal before accepting the role. Meanwhile, The Simpsons kept the comeback under wraps with nondisclosure agreements and no advance screeners for the Halloween episode.

With the secret finally out, Malhotra had something to share with fans on Instagram:

Malhotra described the opportunity as a reclamation, and he wasn't the only new voice joining the family. Janina Gavankar also took over as Apu's wife, Manjula.

But the comeback didn't win everyone over. Some fans welcomed the casting of South Asian American performers, while others questioned whether Apu's new accent had moved beyond the stereotypes that sparked the controversy in the first place.

Apu finally has a voice again, and the internet isn't holding back:

For anyone wondering whether this was simply a Halloween cameo, the show's producers have confirmed that Apu, Manjula, and their family will continue appearing.

And while fans debate the comeback, executive producer Matt Selman is already looking toward Apu's future:

“We love this character, and wanted to bring him back in a smart, ‘Simpsons’-y way that allowed him to evolve. We’re excited by what Sunil has already brought to the role, and look forward to seeing more of Apu in the future.”

Kondabolu also welcomed the casting of two South Asian American actors, a development that might have seemed unlikely when his documentary first sparked the conversation.

As for Apu's revenge spree, it was all a nightmare. He woke up at the Kwik-E-Mart, where Homer invited him to a Halloween party.

After nearly nine years, Apu's back in Springfield. Let's just hope Homer remembers to pay for his next Squishee.

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### Christina Applegate Says She's 'Back At Square One' After Doctor Revealed She Was Misdiagnosed With MS

**Published:** October 21, 2026 | **Author:** McKenzie Lynn Tozan | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/applegate-misdiagnosed-square-one.md

Christina Applegate was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) back in 2021 and has become a leading advocate for the autoimmune disease, raising awareness and encouraging further research.

Now she feels like a fraud who's let people down after discovering that she didn't have MS after all.

On her MeSsy podcast, which she co-hosts with Jamie Lynn Sigler, where they talk about womanhood and living life with MS, Applegate just returned to the podcast after spending a month in the hospital.

During that hospital stay, struggling with symptoms of what they thought was MS at the time, Applegate's doctors discovered symptoms that could not be attributed to multiple sclerosis, confirming that she didn't have it after all.

Multiple sclerosis is among the autoimmune diseases that still need much more research to be done to get real answers, and patients typically receive a diagnosis through a process of elimination instead of a test that confirms it.

However, because the disorder is confirmed through a process of elimination, sometimes people are wrongfully diagnosed with MS and treated for something they don't have, even if their symptoms seem to match up.

During her return podcast episode, Applegate confided:

"She came into my room and said, ‘Congratulations, you don’t have MS.'"

"You don’t get misdiagnosed and then all of a sudden, I’m better."

"I haven’t gotten better, Jamie. If anything, I’ve gotten worse in some ways."

"So I’m back at square one, that I don’t know what’s wrong with me. And that’s going to be an online investigation that my doctors are going to get into, and just to find out what has been happening since 2021."

"Why did this happen? I have every symptom of someone who has MS. Every single one.”

Instead of feeling hopeful, Applegate felt like she was back at square one, trying to find answers.

"It’s clear now that they’re finding something different. Something else is going on..."

"It’s this weird feeling because I became this poster child for MS."

"Everything I was doing, I had a reason. I had a f**king reason why my days sucked every day, and now I don’t have a reason, and it’s very unnerving, and it’s really confusing for me."

You can watch the podcast episode here:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

On the second episode of MeSsy that appeared after Applegate returned, a neurology professor joined them to discuss Applegate's misdiagnosis, and they explained that upwards of 20% of people diagnosed with it and treated for it don't actually have MS, but something that looks and behaves like it.

The professor confirmed:

"Almost 1 in 5 of these people who’d been told they had MS, some for decades, didn’t actually have it. And a majority of them were on medication to treat their MS."

Applegate's news was shared on X, where X users sympathized with her, many having been misdiagnosed themselves.

While Christina Applegate might feel like she's back at square one, she has information now that she didn't have in the very beginning.

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### Dodgers Player Blasts MLB Over Provocative Ads Featuring Sydney Sweeney And Megan Fox

**Published:** October 21, 2026 | **Author:** Peter Karleby | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/dodgers-player-sweeney-fox.md

Los Angeles Dodgers player Alex Call has called out Major League Baseball and all its broadcasters for a series of ads featuring actors Sydney Sweeney and Megan Fox.

Call called the provocative ads "soft-core porn" and said they're making it impossible for him to watch baseball with his young son. Call's post was in response to one by X creator Taylor Murphy, owner of a security company based in Utah.

Both men complained that the ads feature "half-naked women," meaning Sweeney and Fox.

Call wrote:

"Can we please get the soft porn ads off playoff broadcasts, TBS, Fox, NBC, @MLB?"

"My son wants to watch baseball with Dada, but how do I justify that when a half-naked women could come on screen anytime??"

"This is America’s Pastime. Parents shouldn’t have to worry about this."

In his post, Murphy called out two ads in particular. His tweet read:

"Hey @MLB - wanna get more kids watching baseball? Maybe start with the commercials. Watching the playoffs tonight with my kids and here's the rundown:"

"- Megan Fox selling ED pills in a red bodysuit"

"- The scariest movie trailer you've ever seen"

"- Sydney Sweeney in zero clothes promoting betting on sports"

- YouTubeyoutu.be

He went on to gripe:

"Leagues can't figure out why kids don't watch. You don't need a Nickelodeon game. You're not the Savannah Bananas. Just show baseball in a way I can leave on in my house."

Sweeney, of course, has pretty much made hypersexualized, scantily clad advertising her bread and butter recently, with a controversial ad for American Eagle and now one for Novig, a betting platform, in which she appears topless.

- YouTubeyoutu.be

Call's bio touts himself as a Christian, and Murphy is based in Provo, Utah, basically one of the epicenters of the Mormon-led "trad wife" movement that helped re-elect Donald Trump.

It's hard not to wonder if the recent trend toward resurgent Puritanism isn't part of the annoyance here.

However, it's also pretty hard not to understand why a parent wouldn't want to have to worry about boner pills and a completely naked Sweeney coming on in the afternoon during a baseball game.

And at least when it comes to Sweeney's ad, Call and Murphy definitely aren't alone in their consternation.

The ad has been roundly criticized as being sexist, including by organizations like the Female Athlete Project, who said in a statement:

"We’re not entirely sure if ‘Novig’ or Sydney Sweeney and her PR team have ever watched sports. But honestly, wow. It’s incredible they could fit so much misogyny in 40 seconds."

On X, Call and Murphy both had plenty of supporters.

But others couldn't help but notice both men's conservative leanings, and thought their outrage was a bit overboard.

Two things can be true at the same time, of course. There is definitely some puritanical pearl-clutching going on here. But should parents really have to deal with ads this sexualized in the middle of the afternoon?

---

### JD Vance Dragged After Awkwardly Stumbling Over The Phrase 'English Proficiency'—And It's Irony At Its Finest

**Published:** October 21, 2026 | **Author:** Amelia Mavis Christnot | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/vance-mandatory-english-proficiency.md

In April 2025, MAGA Republican President Donald Trump signed an executive order intended to step up enforcement of stricter English language requirements for commercial truck drivers.

It came on the heels of Trump's largely unenforceable executive order declaring English as the official language of the United States—another part of Project 2025's White nationalist agenda.

In May of this year, the Department of Labor (DOL) mandated:

"While proficiency in the English language remains a bona fide job requirement that many employers already disclose on job orders and/or applications entailing the operation of a , the explicit inclusion of language requiring for all employers has not previously been required."

The new guidance was issued stepping up English skills testing of truck drivers because the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026 codified Trump’s April executive order. While prior guidance required only sufficient English skills for truck drivers, the new guidance is being used to target Black and brown drivers with roadside English fluency tests.

Thinking this was a major win for White supremacy, Vice President JD Vance decided to brag about it to a North Carolina MAGA rally crowd. Trump and Vance have been on the campaign trail trying to bolster Republicans' chances in the November midterms.

Unfortunately for VP Vance, his own English language skills were lacking.

Vance tried to tell the 200-400 people gathered to hear him speak:

"If you're behind a gigantic semi-truck, you ought to be able to read highway signs. Which is why we made English proficiency mandatory to obtain a commercial driver's license in this state and all across our country."

Except Vance couldn't quite wrap his tongue around the word "proficiency." It sounded like he thought there might be an extra "r" in the word.

You can see and hear Vance's remarks here:

People found an elected official touting English proficiency not being proficient in English ironically hilarious.

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In addition to poking fun at MAGA intellect, people tried to replicate what Vance said.

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Others noted the Trump administration itself wasn't a great example of English proficiency.

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While heavily gerrymandered GOP strongholds will likely uphold the status quo, only November's midterms will determine how effective Republican campaign efforts and scare tactics have been.

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### Republican Sen. Tim Scott's Bizarre Remark About Wanting Kids To Grow Up In Poverty Sparks Backlash

**Published:** October 21, 2026 | **Author:** Alan Herrera | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/tim-scott-kids-poverty.md

Republican Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina raised eyebrows this week for saying during a Fox News interview that he hopes the next generation can grow up in poverty "like I did."

Scott has previously spoken about his childhood, notably his childhood and adolescent experiences in working-class poverty with his mother and siblings, so you'd think he'd be much more sympathetic to Americans feeling the crunch of a nationwide affordability crisis that has provoked public discontent with the Republican Party.

Scott appeared during a Fox News segment where he was asked to respond to the findings of a recent poll, notably the fact that 59% of those polled named the "cost of living" as chief among their economic concerns. 76% of Republicans, Fox News noted, are happy with President Donald Trump's job performance, compared with 92% in March 2025.

To this, Scott replied:

"Number one, it was Democrats who voted against giving rural hospitals $50 billion. It was Democrats who voted to raise taxes on senior citizens on Social Security, on people working overtime, and on young professionals making and earning tips."

"It was the Republicans who supported lowering those taxes, putting 300 bucks a month in the pockets of everyday Americans."

“The president’s legacy is on the midterm ballot. I want to make sure that America continues to be the land of fairness and freedom, so the next generation of young people can grow up like I did—maybe in poverty, maybe in a single-parent household—but all things are possible in the greatest country on God’s green earth."

"Let’s save America.”

You can hear what Scott said in the video below.

Many felt Scott had simply said the quiet part out loud—that Republicans are very much okay with the cost of living crisis and actively want people to suffer.

What in the world could have convinced Scott to believe condemning citizens to poverty would be a winning midterm elections strategy?

---

### Trump Does Complete 180 After Discovering Female Reporter He Just Blasted As 'Fake News' Works For Right-Wing Outlet

**Published:** October 21, 2026 | **Author:** Alan Herrera | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/trump-reporter-daily-wire.md

President Donald Trump was criticized after doing a complete 180 after discovering that a reporter who'd asked a question about ongoing demonstrations in France works for The Daily Wire, a far-right publication.

Students and others around France have been protesting for weeks over high living costs and declining public services. French authorities have announced plans to deploy troops amid scenes of violence as demonstrators clash with riot police.

During a press gaggle on the White House lawn, Trump was addressed by a reporter who said French President Emmanuel Macron “is blaming the Iran war and you, essentially, for the rioting in France right now.”

Without missing a beat, Trump said:

“I don’t think he is. No, I think that’s fake news. Who are you with?"

The reporter identified herself as Mary Margaret Olohan, a Daily Wire correspondent, and Trump switched gears immediately:

"Oh, Daily Wire's good. Sorry, Daily Wire's good."

You can watch what happened in the video below.

Trump has for well over a decade dismissed news outlets holding him and his administration to account as "fake news," so the moment between him and Olohan highlighted just how selective he is with his outrage, ultimately softer and permissive with organizations that have covered him in a more positive light.

He was swiftly criticized once the moment went viral.

Criticism has rained down on the president since his decision to ban CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House, citing what he characterized as unfavorable and false coverage.

The five networks that rotate responsibility for the White House television pool—CNN, Fox News, ABC, NBC and CBS—subsequently agreed not to provide pooled video coverage of the president while CNN remained excluded.

In a joint statement, the networks said "the public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government," adding that "no administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting."

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has since launched an antitrust investigation alleging that the White House television pool's decision to no longer cover Trump potentially amounted to a violation of laws limiting group boycotts among business competitors.

---

### MAGA Rep. James Comer's Warning About Democrats Investigating Trump Has Everyone Thinking The Same Thing​

**Published:** October 20, 2026 | **Author:** Amelia Mavis Christnot | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/comer-warning-democrats-investigate-trump.md

In a visit to Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy on Fox News, Kentucky MAGA Republican Representative James Comer warned the right-wing media audience that should Democrats win in the midterms, they would recklessly spend taxpayer dollars and turn a blind eye to rampant fraud.

Comer also told Gowdy:

"They’re going after Trump. They’re gonna do everything they can to harass President Trump."

Then without a hint of self-awareness, Comer—who is chair of the House Oversight Committee—added:

"One thing they’re not gonna do is what we’ve been focused on. We’ve been focused on the waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement in the federal government. That’s what our committee is supposed to do... That’s what Republicans focus on."

You can watch his comments here:

Comer also claimed:

"Republicans help Americans frustrated with the cost of living."

A claim that was heavily disputed.

People also had a lot to say about Comer's claims about the GOP tackling fraud in the federal government.

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While chair of the House Oversight Committee, Comer has used the position to attack the same Democratic leaders MAGA Republican President Donald Trump targets on Truth Social.

Instead of focusing on the corruption at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Comer has launched investigations focused on Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.

Comer also tried to find ways to turn the focus of the Epstein files investigation off Trump's involvement with his longtime friends, registered sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, and onto anyone else.

Comer also spent taxpayer funds on investigating former Democratic President Joe Biden's mental acuity, while ignoring the repeated cognitive tests being given to the current POTUS.

Given Trump's well-documented history of fraud in the private sector—including defrauding a children's charity and 34 felony convictions—the idea of a Congress that performs its duty of providing checks and balances instead of a rubber stamp for an executive branch facing numerous allegations of corruption isn't the deterrent Comer thinks it is.

---

### Anna Faris Has Emotional Response To Chuck Lorre's Harsh Comments About Casting Her In 'Mom' Sitcom

**Published:** October 20, 2026 | **Author:** Morgan Allison Ross | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/faris-response-lorre-memoir.md

It's been more than five years since Mom aired its final episode on May 13, 2021, but apparently, Chuck Lorre still has a few things to get off his chest. In his new memoir, Sitcom, the producer revisits his doubts about casting Anna Faris—and suggests her departure seven seasons later proved him right.

Lorre connected his decision to his experience working with Charlie Sheen:

“I wasn’t sure Anna would be appropriate for this kind of material. Then I thought about how badly I’d bungled my working relationship with Charlie Sheen.”

Faris portrayed Christy Plunkett, a single mother navigating addiction and recovery, alongside Allison Janney for seven seasons. When she unexpectedly left Mom in 2020, the explanation was that she wanted to pursue new opportunities.

CBS, Warner Bros. Television, and Chuck Lorre Productions praised her work, describing Faris as the first and only choice for the role.

But Lorre's current account of that departure is clearly far less gracious:

“As the years went by, it became apparent that my initial reluctance to hire Anna was, in fact, correct. After six years, she left the show for mysterious reasons that were not mysterious to anyone on the show.”

Faris, however, wasn't expecting that particular trip down memory lane.

Her departure hadn't been without emotion. In 2020, Faris described her years on Mom as among the most fulfilling of her career. Janney also called her absence a huge loss.

The Scary Movie star broke her silence on Instagram, opening with one telling word:

“Yikes. Yes, I read a few things. I really didn’t see that coming. Of course it hurts. Chuck gave me a job I loved, and for seven years, I never took a day of it for granted. I’m proud of what we made together, and nothing changes how grateful I am for those people and those years.”

But Faris had another update. After portraying a woman in recovery for seven seasons, the actress had news about her own life.

She shared a personal milestone that brought her Mom years, full circle:

“I’ve been sober for a year and a half. I was on a show about recovery, and then I lived it. Now I’m healthy, I’m working, and I’m happier than I’ve been in a long time. If anyone reading this is where I was, I hope that’s useful. It gets better. I’m proof.”

Faris has been less forthcoming about her departure. On Josh Horowitz's Happy Sad Confused podcast, she acknowledged losing focus toward the end of Mom, describing that period as complicated without explaining her exit.

Christy, meanwhile, received a hopeful send-off to Georgetown University Law School on a full scholarship.

At the 41:43 mark, here is Faris opening up on those final days with Horowitz:

- YouTube Josh Horowitz

Her Instagram response also offered encouragement to people facing struggles similar to her own, rather than focusing solely on Lorre's criticism.

Faris' full message puts those two chapters side by side:

Support poured in from former Mom co-stars Beth Hall and Jaime Pressly. Director Jeff Greenstein publicly disputed Lorre's assessment, while Justin Long, Isla Fisher, and Olivia Munn also offered encouragement.

And Faris' Instagram comments made it clear she wasn't alone:

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Sheen's history with Lorre, meanwhile, adds another dimension to the memoir. Their public feud on Two and a Half Men ended with Sheen's firing in 2011 and a lawsuit. They eventually reunited professionally on Bookie.

Lorre recalled the concern surrounding Sheen's struggles:

“It was clear to everyone that this man, whom we’d all grown to love, was in trouble.”

You see, folks, there's a striking contrast between the compassion Lorre shows Sheen and his assessment of Faris in Sitcom. Sheen's struggles are met with sympathy, while Faris' departure is presented as vindication of Lorre's original doubts about casting her.

Whatever happened behind the scenes, why not extend Faris some of that same grace? Lorre has yet to respond to her post, but the support from former colleagues suggests his assessment isn't universally shared.

Elsewhere, Sitcom explores Lorre's years in Scientology, his experiences with Roseanne Barr and Tom Arnold, and his clashes with Cybill Shepherd on Cybill. He also claims that some original The Big Bang Theory stars resisted pay cuts intended to increase Melissa Rauch and Mayim Bialik's salaries.

After decades of creating television hits, Lorre has plenty of behind-the-scenes stories to tell. But as Faris' response demonstrates, the people in those stories don't necessarily remember them the same way.

---

### Ariana Grande Honors Late Dog Coco With Emotional Tribute: 'I Love You So, Sweet Girl'

**Published:** October 20, 2026 | **Author:** McKenzie Lynn Tozan | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/ariana-grande-tribute-coco.md

Ariana Grande just honored her beloved 17-year-old dog, Coco, after she crossed the rainbow bridge.

The Wicked star has always shared her lengthy string of rescued pets by her side on her Instagram, from her monthly photo dumps to her occasional posts at home to showing them on tour with her.

Here's a touching post from this past summer:

But Coco, a Dachshund-German Shepherd mix, had one of the longest relationships with Grande, alongside her most famous dog, Toulouse, a beagle-chihuahua mix.

Though the 33-year-old star is currently taking a break from the spotlight to take care of her mental health, Grande still wanted to honor her sweet pup's passing.

Accompanied by a lengthy reel of photos of Coco over the years, Grande wrote:

"sweetest, most amazing and most beautiful coco … i am so proud of you."

"thank you for your love, and for blessing this planet with your physical presence for over seventeen wonderful years."

"you make everywhere you go a more beautiful place."

Grande ended the tribute with a special promise:

"i will miss you every day and hold you in my heart always. i love you so, sweet girl."

The lovely photos, some in color and some in black and white, show Grande and Coco cuddling, Coco having her 17th birthday with a special cake, and photos of Coco traveling around with Grande to various places.

The final photo was the most touching, beautiful, and heartbreaking of all: only Coco's four paws lying in the frame, next to a single white rose.

You can see the post here:

Fans and fellow celebrities alike were touched by the tribute and expressed their condolences to Grande.

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At 17, Coco was with Grande for half of her life, and during some of her most formative years.

Fortunately, all of our beloved animal companions go somewhere special when they leave us—somewhere over the rainbow.

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### Abdul El-Sayed Epically Claps Back After Trump Mocks His Name In Islamophobic Rant

**Published:** October 20, 2026 | **Author:** Alan Herrera | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/el-sayed-trump-name-qatar.md

Democratic Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed had a smooth response after President Donald Trump mocked El-Sayed's name during a campaign rally.

El-Sayed, an epidemiologist who is running as a democratic socialist, has been accused of being a member of the "radical left" and has also been the target of Islamophobic rhetoric.

Republicans have been working overtime to construct a narrative that connects El-Sayed to Islamic terrorism. El-Sayed recently had to respond to and shut down viral conspiracy theories suggesting he's a member of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Trump has amplified these conspiracies and slandered El-Sayed during a recent campaign rally in support of El-Sayed's GOP opponent, Mike Rogers.

Trump said the following while mocking El-Sayed's name:

"His name is actually Abduladadalalalala. It's Adulbabababababa Mohammed Al-Sayed. So his middle name is Mohammed. So I was right, almost."

"So how about that guy? He's a jihadist. He's a radical leftist that hates our country. He's a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. How about putting him on the Senate Intelligence Committee?"

You can hear what Trump said in the video below.

Trump's remarks quickly caught El-Sayed's attention—and El-Sayed suggested the president has no trouble pronouncing Arabic names in dealings with Qatar and Saudi Arabia:

"He says the name just fine when he’s begging the Qataris for a personal jet or the Saudis for funding for his son-in-law’s private equity firm. Wonder what’s changed?"

You can see El-Sayed's response below.

Indeed, Trump was criticized last year after he claimed the Pentagon would be accepting a Boeing 747-8 “GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE” to serve as a temporary replacement for Air Force One.

The statement followed reports that his administration had agreed to take a luxury aircraft from the Qatari royal family, which was fully outfitted for presidential use during a potential second term, according to two individuals with knowledge of the arrangement. Trump described the handoff as occurring “in a very public and transparent transaction.”

During his Middle East trip in May 2025, Trump defended the controversial proposal to accept the luxury jet and questioned why should "our military, and therefore our taxpayers, be forced to pay hundreds of millions of Dollars when they can get it for FREE from a country that wants to reward us for a job well done."

He spent days repeatedly defending the Qatari offer, even as legal experts and longtime allies raised concerns about the propriety and potential legality of accepting such an extravagant gift—especially given the cost of retrofitting the jet with the necessary secure communications and defense systems to function as Air Force One.

Trump was also harshly criticized last year after he pushed back against concerns about hosting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the Oval Office due to the Crown Prince's involvement in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Trump even suggested that Khashoggi deserved it because people "didn't like" him.

Saudi Arabia had initially denied any involvement in Khashoggi’s disappearance but claimed via state media in October 2018 that he had been strangled in a fistfight with 15 men sent to confront him at the Saudi consulate in Turkey. The Kingdom blamed some of the Crown Prince’s inner circle for the murder, and several high-ranking officials were dismissed if not detained outright.

The intelligence community has concluded that the Crown Prince ordered Khoshoggi's murder. In fact, sources familiar with Khashoggi’s case told reporters that Khashoggi’s murder “was organized by a high-ranking officer with the General Intelligence Presidency, Saudi Arabia’s main intelligence service.” Khashoggi’s body was cut into pieces after he was killed, according to a Turkish official.

Trump claimed during his first term there was “nothing definitive” linking the Crown Prince to the murder. Trump characterized Saudi Arabia’s explanation for Khashoggi’s killing as “credible,” but defended his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s close relationship with the Crown Prince amid concerns that it had become a liability for the White House.

At the time, he said they're simply "two young guys" and that "Jared doesn’t know him well or anything" despite evidence of the close relationship between the two men.

Many echoed El-Sayed's remarks and shared their own criticism of the president.

Thus far, El-Sayed has taken the Islamophobic rhetoric he faces on a daily basis in stride.

El-Sayed said in a recent interview that these attacks only underscore how much Republicans "want to distract you from the issues at hand." He said Republicans "want to talk about me and my name as if me and my name are causing the problems."

Noting that many Americans are struggling with an affordability crisis, he stressed that these problems "are in fact caused by their boss, Donald Trump, who they cannot deviate from because, of course, he rules their party with an iron fist.”

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### Alexander Skarsgård Gives Graham Norton A NSFW Gift From New Movie—And His Reaction Is Everything

**Published:** October 20, 2026 | **Author:** Morgan Allison Ross | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/skarsgard-norton-nsfw-gift.md

Alexander Skarsgård isn't one to show up empty-handed, but his latest gift to Graham Norton might be the most outrageous souvenir ever presented on a talk show.

The True Blood star joined Olivia Colman on The Graham Norton Show to promote their fantasy comedy Wicker, in which he plays a husband made entirely of woven wicker. And while his elaborate costume was a work of art, Skarsgård was particularly fond of two rather intimate details.

He couldn't simply resist singling out his favorite part of the costume:

“The best part of the whole suit were the nipples. They were extraordinary. It’s the craftsmanship.”

And apparently, Colman had already conducted a little quality control of her own.

Skarsgård turned to his co-star with a cheeky reminder:

“You saw it. You felt them. You squeezed them.”

Colman agreed, but the conversation was about to get considerably more personal for Norton.

Skarsgård revealed an unexpected connection between his daily costume routine and the talk show host:

“Every day when I was wearing them, putting them on, you screw them on, I was thinking of you, Graham.”

And because nothing says thoughtful gift-giving quite like a pair of prosthetic nipples, Skarsgård got down on one knee and presented Norton with the unusual souvenirs in a box.

Norton looked equal parts flattered and bewildered, accepting the unexpected gift amid plenty of laughter.

Watch Skarsgård give Norton a gift he'll never forget:

Of course, Wicker isn't your typical love story. Then again, neither is a romance where one half of the couple technically qualifies as basketry.

Speaking with Variety at the Zurich Film Festival, Colman offered her own pitch for the film:

“It's beautiful, funny and original. And yes, the only way you can sell it is by having a picture of Alex as a very sexy basket.”

Colman plays a lonely fisherwoman who, tired of being ridiculed by her judgmental seaside village, commissions a local basketmaker, played by Peter Dinklage, to weave her the perfect husband. Enter Skarsgård as the magically animated Wicker Husband, whose romantic devotion stirs jealousy among the village's married couples.

Apparently, the bar for husbands has officially been raised by a man made of twigs. But for Skarsgård, portraying such a devoted romantic lead came with an unexpected challenge.

At the Sundance premiere, Skarsgård admitted the role pushed him outside his comfort zone:

“To play this good-hearted, good-natured, sweet, morally righteous character was scary to me. I’m not really comfortable doing that. I don’t have anything to tap into when it comes to that. So it was a stretch as an actor.”

Written and directed by Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson, Wicker is adapted from Ursula Wills-Jones' short story The Wicker Husband. The film also stars Elizabeth Debicki, Richard E. Grant, Marli Siu, and Nabhaan Rizwan.

Following its Sundance premiere, Wicker opens in select theaters October 23 before expanding nationwide October 30.

Here's how social media reacted:

@hild_janssens/Instagram

@alexanderskarsgard_fanfic/Instagram

@joesinthevan/Instagram

@jameswbaileyjr/Instagram

@tacomama2019/Instagram

@nomi.virus/Instagram

@glydcabrera/Instagram

@sherminekyle/Instagram

@duchessborehardnais/Instagram

@b3y0nd/Instagram

@thegimplord/Instagram

Meanwhile, turning Skarsgård into a walking work of basketry required considerably more effort than his hilarious gift exchange might suggest.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Wētā Workshop spent 18 months developing the costume, which featured 50 interlocking components and innovative 3D-printed prosthetics.

Prosthetic makeup designer Joe Dunckley explained to Entertainment Weekly the creative challenge behind the transformation:

“He’s the romantic lead, so he needed to be the object of desire. It needed to be believable that the fisherwoman falls in love with him.”

The woven pieces had to align perfectly while allowing Skarsgård to move and express emotion. Despite the intricate design, getting him into costume took under two hours each day.

And if that sounds like a test of patience, Skarsgård apparently made the experience considerably more entertaining.

Lead makeup effects artist Sarah Rubano reflected on working with Skarsgård for Entertainment Weekly:

“Alexander was not only 100 percent in, but he was funny; he kept things light, he sat as still as a statue. He was so kind and such a great teammate.”

Eighteen months of craftsmanship, 50 interlocking pieces, and countless hours of painstaking work—all culminating in a pair of nipples that now belong to Graham Norton.

Talk about getting something off your chest.

---

### Amanda Seyfried Hilariously Dodges Elizabeth Holmes Questions On Red Carpet—And Becomes Instant Meme

**Published:** October 20, 2026 | **Author:** Morgan Allison Ross | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/seyfried-dodges-holmes-questions.md

Life is long, but apparently not long enough for Amanda Seyfried to entertain another Elizabeth Holmes question. The actress delivered a hilariously evasive response at the Academy Museum Gala on October 17, leaving reporters with more questions than answers.

Seyfried, 40, won an Emmy and Golden Globe for portraying the disgraced Theranos founder in Hulu's The Dropout. But when Variety reporter Marc Malkin approached her on the red carpet, she made her interview preferences abundantly clear.

She quickly gave Malkin fair warning:

“Don’t ask me anything! Do not ask me anything.”

Naturally, Malkin asked anyway. Seyfried admitted she'd been following Holmes' story on and off, but when he wondered whether she hoped to meet Holmes after prison, her answer was less than enthusiastic.

Seyfried wasn't exactly rushing to make plans:

“I don’t—life is long.”

And apparently, that's her answer to just about everything.

Asked whether The Dropout might return for a second season, Seyfried offered another variation on the same theme:

“I don’t think so. But life is long.”

At this point, “life is long” is doing more work than a Hollywood publicist. Seyfried might not have answered the questions, but she certainly gave Malkin something to work with.

Watch Seyfried navigate the Variety interview:

Meanwhile, The Hollywood Reporter encountered a more philosophical Seyfried. Rather than discussing Holmes, she began contemplating fate and whether everyone enters our lives for a reason.

Seyfried took the conversation in an existential direction:

“But, for a good reason. I don’t know, I think everything that’s happening is meant to happen everything, everyone that’s in your life is meant to be in your life.”

Somewhere along the way, a red-carpet interview became a discussion about the meaning of existence. Seyfried even suggested talking about emus, Halloween, apple pie, olives, or hard cider instead. The emus, at least, were unlikely to ask about Theranos.

Watch Seyfried's philosophical detour below:

And if viewers were struggling to follow her train of thought, they weren't alone. Seyfried later appeared in the Instagram comments with a question of her own.

She seemed just as baffled by her answers:

“What AM I even saying”

Perhaps the better question is why Holmes keeps finding her way back into Seyfried's life. The actress recently joined Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim's documentary You Can See Everything, which follows Holmes, her longtime partner Billy Evans, and their two children during the final 34 days before Holmes entered prison in 2023.

The documentary includes a particularly uncomfortable scene in which Holmes watches Seyfried portray her in The Dropout for the first time. Holmes becomes emotional and asks Fielder to turn it off. Watching your own downfall dramatized on television probably isn't anyone's idea of family movie night.

But Fielder takes the story further after Holmes begins serving her sentence, recruiting Seyfried to reenact encounters he couldn't film, including a prison visit. The actress also accompanies him to Evans' Texas home, where their conversation turns tense over his management of Holmes' social media accounts and power of attorney.

Evans even confronts Seyfried over her previous description of Charlie Kirk as “hateful.” Apparently, escaping Holmes-related questions isn't much easier off the red carpet.

Here's how social media reacted to Seyfried's hilariously evasive interviews:

Seyfried's willingness to participate in the documentary is particularly notable given how many people connected to Holmes wanted nothing to do with the project. Fielder discussed that challenge while explaining how the actress became involved.

Fielder revealed how difficult it was to recruit people connected to Holmes:

“A lot of people say no in this process, and a lot of people who are relevant to her story want nothing to do with her anymore.”

Meanwhile, Holmes, 42, remains incarcerated at Federal Prison Camp Bryan in Texas following her fraud conviction. Her sentence was reduced to 123 months, and she's scheduled to transfer to the Austin Transitional Center halfway house on August 23, 2027.

Her projected full release date remains February 22, 2030.

So while Holmes still has years ahead of her sentence, Seyfried has already portrayed her, reenacted her prison encounters, and found herself caught in the documentary's real-life drama.

No wonder she'd rather talk about apple pie.

---

### Couple Appears Completely Unbothered By Burning Rubble And Riots Just Feet Away From Paris Café

**Published:** October 20, 2026 | **Author:** McKenzie Lynn Tozan | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/paris-couple-cafe-riots.md

Protests are continuing across Europe in response to rising costs of living and declining resources and public services, and it's a constant thought lingering on the minds of many Europeans, wondering if the unrest will come to their city next.

But that was as far from the truth as possible for one couple in Paris who decided they were going to have a cup of coffee, in peace or not.

In fact, they perfectly recreated the "This is fine" meme, which features a dog in a hat, sitting in a room being consumed by flames, looking at a cup of coffee on the table in front of him and saying that line.

In a video that's gone viral, a couple was seated at an indoor-outdoor cafe in Paris near the Arc de Triomphe. Rioters and large flames could be seen in the background, part of the larger unrest happening in the most central part of Paris.

The couple sat comfortably talking to each other, and other than a jogger passing through the chaos, the couple paid no mind to what was going on beyond their table, just sipping away at their drinks and smoking cigarettes over an otherwise quiet chat.

All that was missing was one of them smiling and saying, "This is fine," before sipping their beverage.

You can watch the video here:

Viewers were a mixture of shocked and bemused by the couple's reaction to what was going on around them.

Though the couple was not particularly interested in what was going on beyond the parameters of the cafe's terrace, approximately 2,500 arrests were made last weekend in response to the riots, with central Paris responsible for 855 of those arrests.

Since then, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has imposed curfews throughout much of France, including Paris, Marseille, and other major cities across the country.

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### Kaia Gerber Opens Up About Brother Presley's Death At 27 With Heartbreaking Tribute: 'I Was Born Loving You'

**Published:** October 20, 2026 | **Author:** Peter Karleby | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/kaia-gerber-brother-tribute.md

Actor and model Kaia Gerber has opened up about the tragic death of her brother Presley Gerber last month.

Gerber, the daughter of model Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber, penned a heartfelt post for Instagram in which she mourned her beloved "prez."

Presley Gerber passed away at the age of just 27 on September 20 at a rehab center, where he was undergoing treatment for the addiction and mental health issues he was so outspoken about during his short life.

In her post, Gerber, 25, shared her experience of grief, and poured out her love for her departed brother.

Gerber wrote:

“Prez, i don’t have the words. and maybe the tiny mercy is that we don’t need them all along."

"Words fail and words subtract and words summarize and words always lack truth. And how naive of me to believe that language could transcend grief.”

She wrote that she has read several books on grieving since September 20, but none of them have provided "the answers" to help process "the magnitude of losing you."

She went on to say:

"You know how much i loved being your sister. It has always been, and will forever be, my favorite thing about myself."

"I came into this world with a white-knuckle grip around you. i had more love for you than i knew what to do with."

"And now that it has nowhere obvious to go, I’m certain it’s going to swallow me whole.”

For anyone who's ever lost someone, especially someone young, that about sums it up.

If the words don't make it obvious the Gerber siblings were close, the images Gerber included in her post certainly do.

In one adorable video clip, the pair are seen dancing together as little tots. In another photo, they gaze at the ocean together, taking in the waves as if they'd like to run in together.

Gerber went on to further describe her grief with a clarity that is almost palpable even to a stranger.

“To say loving you was the easiest thing in the world would imply that it required any effort at all. I was born loving you. I will die loving you. There was never anything else.”

In the comments, many of Gerber's celebrity friends poured out their hearts toward her and her family, and many memorialized Presley in their own ways.

@lisarinna/Instagram

@michellevisage/Instagram

@jtfirstman/instagram

@dovecameron/Instagram

@parishilton/Instagram

@reesewitherspoon/Instagram

@caradelavigne/Instagram

@gracieabrams/Instagram

@itsnicolewallace/Instagram

Gerber finished her post with a reference to Nobel-winning physicist Richard Feynman's famous 1946 love letter to his wife upon her death, which read in part:

"You, dead, are so much better than anyone else alive... My darling wife, I do adore you. I love my wife. My wife is dead. P.S. Please excuse my not mailing this — but I don't know your new address."

Gerber's version read:

“My darling brother, i do adore you. I love my brother. My brother is dead. And this party sucks so bad without you, prez.”

That pretty much says it all.

---

### MAGA Christians Rage After Being Asked Why They're Against Free School Lunches

**Published:** October 20, 2026 | **Author:** Amelia Mavis Christnot | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/maga-christian-free-school-lunch.md

With Christianity so closely tied to Republican President Donald Trump, the GOP, and Trump's MAGA movement, a person might assume a government controlled by MAGA Republicans would try to enact legislation based on the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Things like feeding the hungry, housing the unhoused, caring for the sick and the poor, welcoming the immigrant, and loving their neighbors. But MAGA is a manifestation of White supremacy and Christian nationalism, so MAGA Republicans at all levels of government have embraced the greed of the Evangelical Christian "prosperity gospel" that glorifies the rich and vilifies the poor.

They've labeled programs that help the poor, sick, elderly, or disabled as communism and socialism. They've labeled programs that combat bigotry against the marginalized DEI and gone out of their way to target immigrants, women, Muslims, and the LGBTQ+ community.

But surely the "pro-life" party would support feeding children. Right? Turns out pro-life is really pro-forced birth and once a fetus becomes a viable child outside the womb, it's on its own for food, healthcare, housing, or anything else an infant needs to survive.

Republicans across the United States have repeatedly stood in opposition to free school lunch programs.

Not understanding the disconnect, Jared Shult of Austin, Texas, asked on Meta social media platform Threads for a Christian conservative to explain it to him.

Shult posted:

"Can a Conservative Christian explain to me why you are against free lunches in schools for kids?"

View on Threads

The post quickly went viral.

MAGA Christians or their family members responded, as well as critics of their version of Christianity.

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As many of the critics of the MAGA mindset shared:

“A Democrat would feed 100 people for fear that one person may starve. A Republican would starve 100 people for fear that one person was fed that didn’t deserve it.”

"And quote scripture while depriving them."

Based on the answers to Shult's question, that sounds about right.

---

### JD Vance Gets Blunt Reality Check From CBS Town Hall Host After Trying To Blame Biden For High Gas Prices

**Published:** October 20, 2026 | **Author:** Alan Herrera | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/vance-dokoupil-biden-gas-prices.md

Vice President JD Vance was given a pointed reminder during a Michigan town hall event moderated by CBS News' Tony Dokoupil when he blamed former President Joe Biden while offering an explanation for high gas prices.

Americans continue to struggle with a nationwide affordability crisis hurting their wallets as well as at the pump. Because of the war President Donald Trump began with Iran earlier this year—and the continued blockade in the Strait of Hormuz—the global oil supply has been limited, causing a surge in prices.

But Vance suggested Biden was to blame—even though Biden has been out of office for nearly two years:

"The big reason gas prices are so high is because when Joe Biden was president, we had about 20 percent of American refining capacity that went offline. We are slowly bringing that online but that does take a bit of time and because we shut down more refining capacity, we were more susceptible to the shock that we've seen in the Middle Eastern energy crisis."

"There is a lot that we are doing but it's also that we are working against an Iranian regime that is shooting at commercial shipping."

At this point, Dokoupil cut in to point out the town hall participant was "asking about gas prices just since you two"—referring to Vance and Trump—"took office."

He added:

"It's almost been two years. At a certain point, it becomes your economy, not Joe Biden’s economy. Also, back in March, here in Michigan, you said it was just a 'temporary blip' in gas prices. How long is temporary?"

Vance replied that "when this conflict is over, we are going to see gas prices come down"—but never provided a date.

You can hear what Vance said in the supercut below.

When Dokoupil asked Vance to explain why the U.S. has not won its war against Iran "decisively," Vance said Trump launched the war "because he believes it is very important ... to say that Iran, the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world, cannot have a nuclear weapon."

However, Dokoupil noted that Vance's opinions on the country's economic outlook differ from the things Trump says "out on the trail."

In response, Vance defended Trump by claiming Trump is merely optimistic about "massive new investments coming into our country." He said he and Trump "are turning the ship around," deflecting from Dokoupil's observation that Trump refers to the nation's economy as an "A+" one despite widespread discontent.

People were not impressed.

Vance's appearance at the town hall event comes mere weeks after Trump faced criticism for claiming to members of the press that "almost every price has come way down" following Biden's presidency.

Trump said without citing any evidence that "with the exception of oil, which is lower than the Biden administration and we no longer have to worry about nuclear weapons with Iran because they're wiped out." He insisted that "401Ks are at their all-time high, the stock markets are at their all-time high, and our country is doing really well."

These claims word debunked by CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale, who said "overall grocery prices are up 3.4% since Jan. 2025, and way more grocery items are up than down" in a post on X. Dale even provided a chart showing the price of everything from cereals to dairy and meat, poultry, and fish—to say nothing of other goods—has skyrocketed in price.

---

### Trump's Awkward Kiss With Melania After Dig About Her Signature At Rose Garden Event Sparks Flurry Of Jokes

**Published:** October 20, 2026 | **Author:** Alan Herrera | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/trump-melania-signature-awkward-kiss.md

Social media users couldn't help commenting after First Lady Melania Trump turned her head to the side and away from President Donald Trump when he leaned in for a kiss in the White House Rose Garden after signing an executive order to establish a task force and a National Institutes of Health division for women.

Trump admired his signature for a moment—"Oh, that's a good one!"—before motioning for the first lady to sign her name as well, only to joke:

"Why don't you sign right here? I don't know if her signature means anything."

The first lady smiled and signed her own name before appeasing the praise-hungry Trump:

"Yours is the most important."

You can watch what happened in the video below.

Mrs. Trump then turned her head to the side when her husband leaned in to kiss her. He commented, "Great job," to which she simply said, "You too." He also patted her hand.

You can watch what happened in the video below.

The two have not had an intimate relationship in years—Trump has even said he refers to her as "First Lady" and she calls him "Sir"—and the moment quickly sparked jokes about just how obvious it is that Mrs. Trump does not want anything to do with her husband.

While most of us can't see inside the White House ourselves, we know enough to determine that Mrs. Trump likes to maintain her distance from her husband.

She made headlines for wearing a wide-brimmed hat at Trump's inauguration last year that cast a shadow over the top half of her face, quickly becoming a meme sensation online.

While Mrs. Trump's hat sparked comparisons to the Hamburglar, perhaps the hat was designed, many opined, to help the first lady keep her distance from her husband—such as the moment when cameras caught him trying to kiss her only to be blocked by her fashion accessory.

---

### CBS News Reporter Sparks Backlash After Deleting Post Attacking Abdul El-Sayed

**Published:** October 20, 2026 | **Author:** Alan Herrera | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/jan-crawford-apology-el-sayed.md

CBS News chief legal correspondent Jan Crawford sparked backlash and was forced to apologize after praising a town hall attendee who questioned Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed about disavowing the Muslim Brotherhood.

The since-deleted response featured footage of an encounter between a heckler identified as "Tommy" and El-Sayed. Tommy raised an allegation promoted by El-Sayed’s Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, suggesting the candidate had ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, a subject discussed in previous coverage.

When Tommy asked El-Sayed if he would "disavow the Muslim Brotherhood," El-Sayed replied:

“Sure. Yeah, absolutely. Why are you asking the question?”

After Tommy told El-Sayed he'd asked the question because the Muslim Brotherhood is "a terrorist group," El-Sayed dug deeper:

“But what are you implying? Do you assume that I wouldn’t?” ...

“You’re asking the question because implicitly you assume that I’ll have dual loyalties, right? You assume that somehow I wouldn’t disavow, or that I’ll have some higher order allegiance than the Constitution.”

Independent journalist Marisa Kabas, who writes from the left, subsequently identified “Tommy” as the son of Republican political strategist Timmy Teepell, whom she characterized as a right-wing plant.

Kabas reported that Teepell worked for Bobby Jindal, first as a congressman and later as Louisiana governor, from 2004 to 2011, and managed Jindal’s unsuccessful 2015 presidential primary campaign. He joined the political consulting firm OnMessage in 2011 and helped Josh Hawley win election as Missouri attorney general in 2016, before assisting Hawley’s successful U.S. Senate campaign two years later.

As footage of El-Sayed's exchange with Teepell circulated online, Crawford shared the following in a since-deleted post on X:

“Tommy, thank you. I had to watch this twice to catch Dr. Abdul El-Sayed’s nanosecond, ‘yeah, absolutely,’ response. His subsequent uninterrupted diatribe proving your exact point is the kind of spectacular self-own is the kind ppl only dream about triggering. Congrats.”

You can see the post below.

@janCBS/X

The backlash was swift.

In response, Crawford deleted her post and acknowledged it had violated the network's standards:

"Earlier, I tweeted a video from an Abdul El-Sayed town hall. I deleted that tweet because it was a violation of CBS News standards. I apologize."

You can see her post below.

But critics were not buying it.

Sounds like this is what we can expect now that CBS is under editorial control by the right-wing's Bari Weiss.

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### Reporter Has Blunt Response After RFK Jr.'s Aide Attempts To Block Question About Measles Deaths

**Published:** October 19, 2026 | **Author:** Morgan Allison Ross | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/rfk-jr-measles-question.md

With the midterms approaching, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. joined Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans in Virginia Beach to discuss healthcare. But when a reporter asked about measles deaths, a staffer apparently decided the nation's top health official had reached the limits of his job description.

The exchange unfolded at Tidewater Community College, where Kennedy and Kiggans met with medical professionals to discuss staffing shortages and access to care.

Then came a question that quickly changed the tone of the conversation:

“Do you believe that 5 deaths, potentially 6 from measles in Pennsylvania—”

Before the reporter could finish the “nia” in Pennsylvania, a Kennedy aide jumped in with a hard no. Apparently, the question had exceeded its allotted airtime.

The currently unnamed reporter wasn't finished—and neither was the exchange:

“He's the highest-ranking health official in the country; he can answer that question. He's a Cabinet Secretary.”

And Kennedy might want to hold on to that Cabinet title, because his reviews aren't exactly five-star. An Annenberg survey found that 42% viewed him very unfavorably, compared with 23% who viewed him favorably. That's the kind of performance review that makes you wish the meeting had been canceled.

Watch the confrontation unfold in the viral video:

Reporter: Do you believe that 5 deaths, potentially 6 from measles in Pennsylvania--Staffer: We're not gonna talk about measles--Reporter: He's the highest ranking health official in the country, he can answer that question. He's a Cabinet Secretary. https://t.co/x3mwzeLIut
— Headquarters (@HQNewsNow) October 15, 2026

You'd think a health secretary with those numbers might welcome an opportunity to clear things up. Kennedy eventually answered, making his complicated relationship with vaccines even more interesting.

The secretary offered his explanation for what was fueling the measles resurgence:

“We've done better. We're having a global measles outbreak right now. It's all over the world, and the measles outbreak is occurring because so many people went unvaccinated during the COVID pandemic.”

For a moment, Kennedy sounded like the experts who've spent years urging Americans to get vaccinated. Unfortunately, his own record hasn't made that message easy to follow.

Kennedy has acknowledged that the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR)vaccine is 97% effective while raising doubts about vaccine safety and promoting alternative treatments. Another Annenberg survey found that only 31% of Americans knew he recommended the measles vaccine. Apparently, even public health guidance needs a publicist.

Then came Pennsylvania, where Kennedy had a different diagnosis—politics:

“They were politicizing the outbreak there. They didn't want our aid. They told us that they didn't want help from the Trump administration.”

The dispute, however, is more complicated than Kennedy's accusation suggests. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has challenged the secretary's rhetoric, while state and federal officials have disagreed over how to classify reported measles deaths.

Pennsylvania distinguishes deaths directly caused by measles from measles-associated deaths, where infection was present but not necessarily the direct cause. Kennedy previously suggested some reported deaths were fabricated, an allegation disputed by state officials.

The full Virginia Beach exchange can be viewed here:

- YouTube13NEWS NOW

While Kennedy was pointing fingers at Pennsylvania, Virginia had dealt with an outbreak of its own. Buckingham and Cumberland counties recorded 154 cases before the outbreak ended in August, with another case reported in Harrisonburg in October.

That brings us back to Kiggans, a nurse practitioner and Navy veteran facing former Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria, who led her 46% to 43% in a Christopher Newport University poll—and by 15 points on healthcare trust. Suddenly, Kennedy's conveniently timed healthcare visit looks a little less coincidental.

Just like the journalist, the internet had some follow-up questions:

By mid-October, more than 4,400 measles cases had been reported across 45 jurisdictions, with hundreds hospitalized. Roughly 96% involved people who were unvaccinated or whose vaccination status was unknown.

The administration has pointed to $100 million in response funding, but public health experts warn that mixed messages make outbreaks harder to contain.

Public health official Adriane Casalotti explained what that means for local health departments:

“When there are mixed messages coming at any of the levels of governmental public health, it makes it a lot harder for the local health departments to do their job.”

So the country has a measles outbreak, a vaccine that works, and health departments trying to keep up. And if Kennedy was hoping to give Kiggans a boost on healthcare, turning a measles question into a national news clip was certainly an ambitious strategy.

---

### Miley Cyrus Breaks Down In Tears During Emotional Tribute To Dolly Parton At Hollywood Bowl—And We're Not Okay

**Published:** October 19, 2026 | **Author:** McKenzie Lynn Tozan | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/cyrus-tears-dolly-la-concert.md

This past weekend, Miley Cyrus performed at the Hollywood Bowl, and being on the same stage where her late godmother Dolly Parton performed countless times brought up a lot of emotions and memories for the star.

Cyrus reminisced with the audience about a time when she wanted to "experience" Parton instead of perform with her:

"I only got to see Dolly Parton live in concert one time in my entire life and it was here."

"I spend a lot of time backstage and if she had it her way, when she was playing a show, I’d be standing right beside her in a matching costume."

"And so, when I was coming to the show at the Bowl to see her, I said, ‘You know, I would love a night where I could just experience you.’”

Cyrus became emotional as she thought back to getting a seat in the audience, only for Parton to give her a shoutout, drawing the crowd's attention to her goddaughter instead of herself.

Cyrus continued:

"Like so many things Dolly did, that I didn’t understand it at the time, sitting here with you all right now, feeling her all around me, knowing that she’s right here beside me every day, all the time, more than she could be when she was here."

"I feel her, now more than ever. Knowing that I get to share this story with you all, it makes that night very worth it. This memory is gold to me.”

Then Cyrus looked to the future, calling her connection with Parton "eternal."

"Me and Dolly, we are eternal. Nothing in this life could tear us apart."

"And I’m gonna see her again. I can’t f**king wait because I miss her."

"Some of the greatest music that we have today was written, produced, and performed by my Aunt Dolly.”

By the end of the story, Cyrus found herself choked up, holding back tears, as she launched into an emotional rendition of "Jolene."

You can watch the video here:

Fans were deeply touched by Cyrus's tribute to Parton, as well as her rendition of "Jolene."

This is such a touching tribute and also must be such a full-circle moment for the former Hannah Montana star.

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### Michael Douglas Presses Joe Rogan On How He Got Duped By Trump: 'It's A Giant Quagmire'

**Published:** October 19, 2026 | **Author:** Morgan Allison Ross | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/douglas-rogan-trump-iran-war.md

Joe Rogan helped sell Donald Trump to millions of listeners in 2024. Two years later, the podcaster has some complaints about what he helped put in the White House.

And Michael Douglas wasn't particularly interested in hearing Rogan's customer-service grievances without getting to the part about the purchase.

During an October 14 appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan revisited his objections to Democratic policies, including COVID-19 mandates and immigration enforcement.

Douglas had a more pressing question:

"I know that's how you felt. What I'm curious about is, how do you feel now?"

Perhaps dear Rogan would blame Mercury retrograde? Claim Trump was simply misunderstood? Suggest everyone try a cold plunge before passing judgment?

But lo and behold, the podcaster had some buyer's remorse of his own to unpack:

"What Trump stood for, some of it turned out to not be real."

And what, exactly, wasn't real? Trump's promise to avoid new wars, apparently. Because the United States has been fighting Iran since February 28, and nearly eight months later, nobody seems to have found the cancellation button.

Rogan described the conflict as a "giant quagmire" with no easy way out:

"I do not like this Iran war in any way, shape, or form. It doesn’t make any sense for us. It seems like it’s getting really out of hand. They were trying to get every single president, including Trump in his first term, to do this."

This wasn't a sudden change of heart. Rogan had been criticizing the war since at least July, questioning why a president elected partly on keeping America out of foreign conflicts had gotten the country into another one.

Watch Rogan discuss his most recent frustration with the war below:

Michael Douglas GRILLS Rogan over Trump support #michaeldouglas #trump #joerogan #democrat@JoeBlow.x

Rogan also questioned the administration's immigration enforcement strategy, including $50,000 signing bonuses for ICE recruits and their seven-week training period. Apparently, even the guy who helped sell Trump to America has questions about the fine print.

Meanwhile, most Americans have to negotiate for a cost-of-living raise. But sign up for ICE and suddenly Uncle Sam is Oprah. You get fifty grand! You get fifty grand! Everybody gets a badge!

Here's what Rogan had to say about ICE's newest recruits:

Michael Douglas & Joe Rant On Trump! #joerogan #jre #joeroganexperience@JoeBlow.x

Yet Rogan's public criticism hasn't stopped him from enjoying access to the president. On April 18, he joined Trump in the Oval Office as the president signed an executive order advancing psychedelic therapy research—a cause Rogan had personally championed.

Here's Rogan getting the presidential treatment, disagreements and all:

Joe Rogan appears with Trump days after podcaster's criticism of warCNN

So Trump can apparently tune out Rogan's concerns about his administration. But the moment non-FDA-approved psychedelics enter the conversation? Clear the Oval Office schedule, somebody grab a pen—not an autopen—and let's make this shroom trip official.

And remember that delightful, family-friendly evening of cage fighting on the White House South Lawn? Rogan was there on June 14, commentating at UFC Freedom 250. Just your typical presidential gathering—refreshments, distinguished guests, and somebody trying to put another human being in a headlock.

He even commemorated the occasion with a post on Instagram:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Joe Rogan (@joerogan)

After that conversation with Douglas, how much do you wanna bet Rogan's name suddenly appears on the Mar-a-Lago Thanksgiving seating chart? The midterms are coming, and Trump might want to keep that particular dinner guest occupied with an unseasoned turkey leg instead of a microphone.

Naturally, the internet had a few thoughts of its own:

Douglas, meanwhile, wasn't simply playing therapist to Rogan's political regrets. The actor, a Jewish, pro-Israel Democrat, also considered the Iran war a mistake. He questioned how Western and Israeli intelligence had so badly misjudged the situation and suggested Israel had helped persuade Trump to launch strikes that clearly hadn't gone according to plan.

You can watch the full podcast episode below:

- YouTubePowerJRE

Douglas was also there to discuss One Helluva Ride, reflecting on his life and career, his political views, and his concerns about authoritarianism. Those concerns add another dimension to the conversation, moving beyond Rogan's disappointment with Trump's promises to the broader question of political power and accountability.

With the midterms approaching, Trump's problem may extend beyond Rogan. The war has frustrated anti-war supporters who helped build his coalition, and the political consequences remain to be seen.

As for Rogan, the man has made millions giving people his opinions. Maybe it's time he spent a little of that money fact-checking them—or growing a spine to stand behind them.

---

### Iowa Republican's Request For Campaign Bus 'Gas Money' Sparks Pointed Response From Democratic Opponent

**Published:** October 19, 2026 | **Author:** Amelia Mavis Christnot | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/hinson-bus-money-turek.md

Iowa MAGA Republican Representative and Senate candidate Ashley Hinson asked a gathering of her constituents at a campaign stop in Fort Dodge, Iowa, to give her "gas money" for her campaign bus Wednesday, angering voters across the state.

After claiming that lies are being spread about her by Democrats, Hinson told the gathering:

"Use that anger about these lies that they're telling about us on TV, cause if they're willing to lie about me, they're willing to lie about you."

"So I want you to channel that into action in getting your friends out to vote, help give us a little gas money for our bus, make sure we're showing up at the polls, because there is more to do."

You can see Hinson's comments here:

@Laurieluvsmolly/X

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Hinson's opponent, Democrat Josh Turek, reshared the video with the caption:

"Multi-millionaire Ashley Hinson voted 7x to continue the war in Iran that’s driving up gas and diesel prices for Iowans. Now she’s begging for gas money while Iowans are struggling to fill up their tanks and Iowa farmers are struggling to afford the diesel to harvest their fields."

"That’s shameful."

Turek was not alone in condemning Hinson's request for money to buy bus fuel—most likely the costly diesel that farmers rely on, not gas as Hinson said in her plea. In Iowa, as of this writing, regular unleaded gasoline is averaging $4.13 to $4.22 per gallon while diesel is averaging $6.08 to $6.10 per gallon.

The Iowa subReddit was particularly brutal in their response to multimillionaire Hinson asking for money to fuel her bus.

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Some were struck by Hinson, or any Republican, whining about "lies" being told.

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According to Marist University's Institute for Public Opinion polling, just three points separate Democrat Josh Turek and Republican Ashley Hinson among voters in Iowa, with Turek leading Hinson 48% to 45%.

Hopefully Hinson's tone deaf plea for gas (diesel) money sways some of the farmers who can't afford to fill their own fuel tanks—but historically support the GOP—that it's time to jump off the Trump train.

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### Hilary Swank's Hilariously Awkward Autograph Request Goes Off The Rails After Fan Can't Remember Their Name

**Published:** October 19, 2026 | **Author:** McKenzie Lynn Tozan | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/hilary-swank-awkward-autograph.md

Some people will try to resell anything, especially in this economy, so a few celebrities are starting to discourage the reselling of their autographs. This led to an awkward situation recently for Million Dollar Baby's Hilary Swank.

TMZ was present when Swank walked out to a line of people waiting for her autograph, and while they talked to her about her pregnancy, current cravings, and encouraging women who might think it's too late to have a baby, the actress was busy with a fan who at first seemed too starstruck to speak to her.

When Swank approached the start of the line, the first person handed her a blue Sharpie. Instead of immediately autographing the photo, she wrote down the word "To" and asked the woman to whom she should address the autograph.

Autograph scalping is apparently on the rise, and people resell them on sites like eBay. Scalpers allegedly present blue and green Sharpies, which are supposedly easier to digitally manipulate, so they can reuse the autograph on other products and make more money.

Swank continued to ignore TMZ's questions while she waited. After a lot of back and forth, including Swank asking people around the woman if they knew her name, the woman eventually gave a name (indecipherable from the video). Swank sweetly said that was her niece's name before moving on to the next person in line—who also hesitated.

You can watch the video here:

Viewers immediately assumed that the first person, if not both people in the video, were autograph scalpers, eager to get Swank's autograph to resell.

Others agreed and thought Swank was smart for including a dedication and making it harder to resell.

It's unclear if the woman actually intended to resell Swank's autograph or if she was just that starstruck to see her in person, but it's a little fishy that it was so difficult for her to produce a first name.

That seems like all the more reason for celebrities like Swank to continue with this tactic. True fans will not mind volunteering a name.

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### 'Heated Rivalry' Creator Rips NHL For Failing LGBTQ+ People By Not 'Meeting The Moment'

**Published:** October 19, 2026 | **Author:** John Curtis | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/heated-rivalry-tierney-toxic-nhl.md

Ever since Heated Rivalry premiered in November 2025, the Canadian series has become an international sensation.

The series, chronicling the secret romance of two professional hockey players on rival teams, managed to find universal appeal thanks to its combination of sports, romance, and LGBTQ+ representation.

Many others have credited the series for greatly increasing interest in the already popular sport of ice hockey.

However, according to series creator Jacob Tierney, the National Hockey League should hold off on any celebrations.

During an appearance on Radio Andy, Tierney wasted no time in squashing host Andy Cohen's praise for the NHL:

After commenting on the "incredible" amount of interest in the NHL that has grown as a result of the series, Cohen then praised them for "meeting the moment."

That led Tierney, who wrote and directed the global phenomenon, to quickly ask, "have they?" Clearly surprised by Tierney's reaction, Cohen asked him for a bit of clarification, to which Tierney swiftly pointed out how the NHL recently hired "four r*pists" to play for them and that they were definitely not "meeting the moment."

While Tierney didn't name anyone specifically, the NHL has been making headlines with various players charged with sexual assault allegations over the years, including a relatively high-profile case involving five Canadian players, all of whom were acquitted of the charges.

When Cohen once again expressed his belief that the NHL had made progress, Tierney once again shut him down, saying that the NHL has "a lot of ongoing work to do."

Cohen then expressed how Heated Rivalry had "handed the NHL a gift" and increased women's interest in hockey. Tierney maintained that the ball, or in this case the puck, was in the NHL's court, and it was up to them to prove that they were a "safe space for people," feeling that they constantly make it clear that this was not the case.

Tierney explained:

"They are not doing what they should be doing to make their sport an inclusive place."

"They really need to deal with their own toxic culture, and they're not."

"Demonstrably."

"One team after another proving that."

The interview caught plenty of attention on X (formerly Twitter), with many applauding Tierney for calling out the NHL and making it clear what changes need to be made:

Others expressed their shock and disappointment with Cohen, feeling he went into this interview unprepared.

Heated Rivalry is based on the second book in the Game Changers series by Canadian Author Rachel Reid, all of which feature same-sex romances in the world of professional Hockey.

Notably, Reid wrote the books with the express purpose of calling out homophobia and hockey culture in general:

"Game Changer came from a place of me being angry at hockey culture and how clearly homophobic it was and is, and all the other things that made me really ashamed to be a hockey fan."

"That whole series attacks the NHL and hockey culture quite a bit."

A second season of Heated Rivalry is set to premiere in spring 2027.

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### Virginia Citizen Goes Viral With Epic Takedown Of MAGA City Council Member's Past Racist And Homophobic Remarks

**Published:** October 19, 2026 | **Author:** Amelia Mavis Christnot | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/virginia-forest-misjuns-hate-speech.md

A Lynchburg, Virginia resident has been asking a MAGA Republican city council member to answer for the hateful, bigoted online behavior that got him fired by the city's fire department in 2021.

According to court records from a lawsuit filed by Martin "Marty" Misjuns, who was a Fire Captain and paramedic with the Lynchburg Fire Department, he was terminated after posting offensive social media content.

Fable Forest has repeatedly asked for Misjuns, who takes his same hateful language to city council meetings, to answer questions about his online and council meeting conduct, which includes the use of slurs.

According to an OpEd by University of Lynchburg paper The Critograph Editor-in-Chief Ellie Simmers:

" repeatedly shares harmful sentiments, both online and in council, about progressives, the LGBTQ+ community and immigrants."

Here's an example of Misjuns' current online conduct, in this post from August of this year.

In July, Misjuns replied to an attack by Spencer Pratt on New York City Democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani, writing:

"His soul belongs to a demon."

Forest posted a TikTok message, seen here, about Misjuns failure to answer their requests for comment on his hateful rhetoric.

So Forest took their concerns to the October 13 Lynchburg City Council meeting and spoke during the public comment period.

They quoted and read aloud from screenshots of social media posts made by Councilman Misjuns—the kind that got Misjuns fired by the Lynchburg fire department and got his wrongful termination and discrimination lawsuit dismissed and got his 2025 appeal of that decision denied.

Forest highlighted inflammatory and derogatory posts by Misjuns, including:

"Marty Misjuns said that Democrats, Christians, Jews, and gay Americans need to join the Republican Party or die. Your words, right here. Join or die!"

Misjuns also had Islamophobic and homophobic posts that Forest shared, highlighting his White supremacist and Christian nationalist views.

You can see Forest's full remarks here:

Forest told Misjuns:

"You disgust me. Your bigotry and hatred has no place here. Your words can, have, and will kill people."

According to statistics compiled by the FBI and Centers for Disease Control, incidents of hate crimes including violence increase with targeted hate speech. During the pandemic, violence against Asians skyrocketed with the administration of MAGA Republican President Donald Trump's rhetoric targeting Asians.

Violence against transgender people jumped when the GOP, Trump, and his MAGA minions began targeting them with transphobic rhetoric and Christian nationalist propaganda.

After sharing Misjuns hate speech, Forest asked:

"How is any citizen supposed to feel comfortable in this room or safe in this city?"

People appreciated Forest's delivery and efforts to bring accountability to the Lynchburg City Council.

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But rather than apologize or disavow his past and present hateful conduct, Misjuns cried victim, joining forces with Councilman Curt Deimer to attack Forest in the press and threaten to sue. Misjuns claimed the criticism was politically motivated and that Forest was a political "operative."

He also reported receiving a death threat via email.

Misjuns told ABC13's Allison Mullet:

"Fable Forest is a Democrat operative. She's the elected treasurer for the Central Virginia Young Democrats. And she is going to work very hard to try to take me out. I'm a conservative Republican. She's a Democrat. That's what she wants to do."

As Vice Mayor, Deimer faced his own scandal after making a joke about rape during a council meeting.

Forest condemned any threats Misjuns might have received, stating:

"I did not say what I said to inspire hate in return. I don’t think hate can be used to fight hate. I recognize I spoke with anger and a lot of passion in defense of things that mean a lot to me but not to inspire the very same hateful rhetoric against him."

They also responded to Misjuns and Deimer's accusations in a TikTok message, seen here:

Forest showed several of Misjuns' social media posts that were used during their city council remarks.

They captioned their message:

"Two sitting council members would now like to scare me into submission and into apologizing for speaking against the things Marty has said..."

"I will not be scared out of talking up for those who cant. That they would rather threaten a lawsuit than apologize says more than I ever can."

They shared the same message on Facebook, seen here, calling out Misjuns and Councilman Curt Deimer's conduct:

Fable Forest/Facebook

People supported Forest's continued efforts to hold elected officials like Misjuns and Deimer accountable.

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Misjuns, who once was fired by the city of Lynchburg, is up for reelection on November 3.

Maybe Lynchburg voters will finally decide to fire him too.

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### Fox News Ripped After Blaming Talarico For Not Trying To Stop MAGA Conspiracy Theory About Him

**Published:** October 19, 2026 | **Author:** Alan Herrera | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/fox-blames-talarico-maga-conspiracy.md

Fox News sparked eyerolls from critics after attempting to blame Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico for not trying to shut down a viral MAGA conspiracy theory that he'd had a mental health episode and was admitted to a facility.

Talarico returned to the campaign trail after taking nine days off to recover from the flu. During his absence, conservative commentators circulated an unsubstantiated claim that he had experienced a mental health crisis and traveled to the Lindner Center of Hope in Cincinnati, Ohio, for treatment.

Right-wing figures Nick Sortor and Rhein Amacher amplified the rumor, claiming that a call to the facility had confirmed Talarico was discharged. The campaign for Talarico's GOP opponent, Texas attorney general Ken Paxton, seized on the speculation, with a spokesperson attacking Talarico’s fitness for the race.

A Paxton spokesman told The Texas Tribune:

“Low-T Jimmy appears to be having a full-blown mental Tala-freak-out on the national stage. If James Talarico is too fragile to face Texans, he has no business asking for their vote.”

The rumor was undermined by photos showing Talarico performing onstage in Texas alongside Kacey Musgraves a day before he was allegedly discharged from the facility. The images contradicted the timeline circulating online. The Lindner Center of Hope further dispelled the claims Sunday night, stating that Talarico “has never received treatment” there.

Despite this, Fox News published a story about the debunked rumor, headlined “New Evidence Debunks Talarico Psych Hospital Rumor After ‘Mind-Numbing Malpractice’ Fuels Firestorm.”

The article framed the controversy in a way that appeared to shift blame onto Talarico, suggesting he was responsible for the fallout from the false claims about his mental health that right-wing figures had helped spread.

It goes on to nonetheless claim that "some observers questioning why Talarico's campaign did not provide similarly verifiable evidence earlier before an unsubstantiated theory about his whereabouts mushroomed across social media and was amplified by prominent conservatives."

Among those quoted is GOP strategist Mark Bednar, who said:

"In October of an election year, every day and every hour count as candidates do everything they can to meet with voters. So, if you are out of commission for any extent of time, it's easy for voters to wonder what's going on."

"That being said, if there's a simple explanation like an illness, it's even easier to just prove that outright to voters. If the flu was really the case with Talarico, it's mind-numbing malpractice that his campaign didn't quickly and easily demonstrate that."

The article even points out that Talarico's campaign "declined to add to its earlier response" discrediting the conspiracy theory. A Talarico spokesperson said the story had been "proven false" and that "James is excited to be back on the campaign trail after recovering from the flu."

And a social media post promoting the story asserts that while the conspiracy "has been debunked by time-stamped security footage" reviewed by journalists with the New York Times, "the bigger story may be why his campaign sat on the evidence while the conspiracy theory exploded across social media for days."

You can see the post below.

People are not buying this—to use a favorite GOP quip—"nothingburger" of a story.

The midterms are just a couple of weeks away and it's clearer than ever that Fox is spinning its wheels in desperation.

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### Paul McCartney's Hilarious Impression Of Current Pop Music Has Fans Screaming

**Published:** October 19, 2026 | **Author:** Peter Karleby | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/paul-mccartney-pop-impression.md

You could say Sir Paul McCartney knows a thing or two about pop music, as the former frontman of one of the most iconic pop acts of all time, The Beatles.

And when it comes to today's pop music? Let's just say he's not a huge fan!

McCartney is going viral after giving his two cents on what today's pop music sounds like while being interviewed by Amy Poehler on her Good Hang podcast.

And well, it's downright hilarious—and extremely on point for anyone with taste!

Asked by Poehler what he thinks of today's music, he didn't give the typical old person answer of "too loud" or anything you might expect.

Instead, McCartney basically said he finds it all dumb and boring! He told Poehler that he finds much of today's tunes "banal" which Poehler agreed with.

But then he did an impression of how every song today sounds that was so absurd—and so absurdly on point—it has the internet screaming.

Along with a little shimmy, McCartney sang:

"I want your hoo hoo! Huh huh!"

When Poehler erupted into hysterics, McCartney quipped:

"This could be a hit!"

You gotta admit it is kinda catchy, so much so that people online joked that the silly tune was stuck in their heads. Earworm alert!

And pretty much everyone online was mesmerized by the clip,.

Even the likes of Ben Stiller reposted it, and tons of people shared Stiller's enthusiasm, whether it was for the somehow catchily absurd tune or his bizarre little dance moves.

One popular online remixer account even turned McCartney's lark into an actual pop song.

Of course, modern pop fandom is nothing if not deranged, so there was also plenty of anger that came McCartney's way from today's "stans" who had a lot of "shut up old man" energy to throw McCartney's way.

Those criticisms might be over the top, but some of the others definitely weren't. Because the thing is, "I want your hoo hoo!"? Well... is that really that far from some of the songs McCartney wrote in the '60s?

After all, the exact style of catchy, silly pop tunes was basically a staple of the 1960s when the Beatles rose to prominence—largely by helping invent that very style in the first place.

Plenty of people were quick to point out that many of the most iconic The Beatles songs that McCartney wrote, like "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," "Twist and Shout," "She Loves You" are dead-on examples of what he was mocking.

Even Poehler herself couldn't let it slide. She playfully ribbed McCartney by saying:

"This from the man who gave us 'She Loves Me Yeah, Yeah, Yeah.' So I mean, 'doth protest.'"

Poehler's good-natured ribbing didn't seem to sit well with Sir McCartney, however. He shut right up and looked low-key annoyed!

But two things can be true at once! He can still be right and have a pedigree of exactly what he was criticizing, just from a different era. After all, shouldn't pop music have progressed beyond it's more primitive origins?

Whatever the case, while the imitators might be many, there's nothing quite like the original, and Sir Paul will always have that!

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### Alaska Democrat Blasts Republican Senator Who Questioned If She Got The Debate Questions In Advance

**Published:** October 19, 2026 | **Author:** Amelia Mavis Christnot | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/peltola-prepared-sullivan-debate.md

Incumbent Alaska MAGA Republican Senator Dan Sullivan faced off with his Democratic challenger in another debate and it didn't go any better than it had previously for the man endorsed by President Donald Trump.

During a prior debate, Sullivan got caught on camera looking at former Democratic Representative and current Senate candidate Mary Peltola's answer before answering a yes or no question. This time, Sullivan implied his opponent must have gotten the debate questions in advance.

After Peltola referred to her notes while answering a question, Sullivan said:

"Can I ask a moderator a question? We weren't supposed to get these questions beforehand, were we?"

The moderator immediately responded:

"No, sir. Neither of you got questions beforehand."

You can see the moment here:

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Sullivan then whined:

"Okay. I'm just watching my opponent..."

The moderator interjected:

"No, that is absolutely not..."

As Sullivan continued to make his false accusation, adding:

"...read from questions that seem to be answered."

Peltola shot back:

"I'm prepared."

While neither candidate got the questions in advance, it didn't require a clairvoyant to know what information might be helpful to have on hand during a political debate. Apparently doing this kind of debate prep never occurred to Sullivan until he was watching Peltola do it.

People loved Peltola's response to Sullivan's failed "gotcha" moment and were unsurprised the Republican candidate tried it.

Trump playbook. When you’re getting your arse handed to you, simply blame someone else! It’s not your fault for being unprepared and your opponent being more intelligent and better prepared than you. Name calling is another great defense for your deficiencies!
— polarbear95.bsky.social (@polarbear95.bsky.social) October 17, 2026 at 12:16 PM

Taking self owns to a new level
— Tersuki (@tersuki.bsky.social) October 17, 2026 at 5:03 PM

SULLIVAN “nobody told me there was going to be a quiz. If they did, I might have been paying attention”.
— John W (@jcwill324.bsky.social) October 17, 2026 at 5:37 PM

Any time they lose at anything it’s always because they were cheated. Party of personal responsibility my ass
— Walter S. Obchakeit (@deathmetalpedals.bsky.social) October 17, 2026 at 6:23 PM

Damn. Sullivan acting like a little bitch is not the flex he thinks it is.
— Joe (@jhsmith1.bsky.social) October 17, 2026 at 9:23 AM

Mediocre white men. I swear.
— Rogue (@roguehw.bsky.social) October 17, 2026 at 9:26 AM

All they can do is default to the notion that their opponent is cheating to explain their own failures.
— Ann Mesnikoff (@annmesnikoff.bsky.social) October 17, 2026 at 9:35 AM

Alaskans, like the rest of the lower 48, will decide who they believe on Tuesday, November 3. Early voting began in the 49th state today.

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### MAGA Candidate's Wife Ripped After Handing Out $10 Gas Cards In Desperate Bid To Court Michigan Voters

**Published:** October 16, 2026 | **Author:** Morgan Allison Ross | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/kristi-rogers-detroit-gas-giveaway.md

Kristi Rogers showed up at a Detroit gas station ready to throw down some serious money to help struggling drivers.

And by serious money, I mean $10. Not $100. Not even $20. Ten American dollars, delivered with the confidence of someone handing out free PS5s.

The wife of Republican U.S. Senate nominee Mike Rogers was distributing gas cards at a Detroit Freedom Fuel station on October 14 when she approached a driver who had already filled up.

Kristi offered the driver some unfortunate timing advice:

"You should have gotten me before you filled up."

At Michigan's $4.59-a-gallon average, that card would've bought roughly 2.2 gallons. Enough to reach McDonald's, where the savings might cover five French fries and a packet of salt.

And yes, there's video of Rogers making the rounds:

Mike Rogers’ wife is handing out $10 gas cards in Michigan while asking people to vote for her husband.Republicans made gas unaffordable. Now they’re offering $10 to keep them in power.#BlueWaveIn20Days https://t.co/5WdUoZxCaG
— Outspoken™️ (@Out5p0ken) October 14, 2026

Forget "Let them eat cake." The latest MAGA proclamation is apparently "Let them pump gas."

And delivering this historic act of generosity in a devil-red pantsuit? Kristi is a corporate executive with experience in national security and government affairs, now tackling the delicate assignment of helping her husband win over Michigan voters.

Detroit is no accidental stop. The city's Black electorate plays a powerful role in statewide elections, and Republicans are seeking to chip away at Democratic support as Rogers faces Abdul El-Sayed in November.

Not everyone at the station objected. Detroit resident Dennis Ester, who already intended to vote for Rogers, appreciated seeing the campaign in his neighborhood.

Ester offered a perspective that contrasted with the online ridicule:

"It takes a lot of courage to come out here to the hood and do this."

But handing out free gas cards while your husband is running for the U.S. Senate raises questions beyond whether the tank is half-full. Michigan law prohibits offering anything of value to induce someone to register or vote. That doesn't automatically make the giveaway illegal, but campaign stickers appearing alongside the cards drew scrutiny.

Michigan election lawyer and former Democratic Party chairman Mark Brewer weighed in:

"This seems really odd, though. Why is she just wandering around gas stations giving away cards? A sign of desperation from the Rogers campaign? Seems like weird behavior."

There's precedent. During Georgia's 2022 Senate race, a pro-Herschel Walker group distributed $25 gas vouchers, prompting a vote-buying complaint that state election officials later dismissed. But Walker still lost to Democrat Raphael Warnock.

So, with Kristi’s latest stunt, Lincoln Project adviser Jeff Timmer joined the online backlash:

"Legalities aside, this is so ham-handed and cringy it cannot be the brainchild of any political professional."

Meanwhile, Mike Rogers has proposed temporarily suspending state and federal gas taxes and restricting diesel exports to address rising fuel costs.

The longtime foreign policy hawk also recently broke with President Donald Trump over easing Russian oil sanctions, a move intended to increase fuel supplies on global markets and help lower prices.

Watch Rogers discuss Trump's decision in the CBS News interview:

- YouTubeCBS News

Whether Rogers can actually deliver cheaper gas remains to be seen. Campaign promises are easy. Getting Congress to cooperate is a whole different gas station.

Meanwhile, his wife's $10 giveaway has already accomplished something.

It's gone viral, and the internet has thoughts:

His Democratic opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, is also proposing a federal gas-tax holiday, measures against price gouging, and an end to the war with Iran.

The urgency is obvious. Michigan's average gas price has climbed from $2.88 to $4.59 a gallon in a year—a $1.71 increase—while Trump's warnings about the war have added to concerns about fuel costs.

El-Sayed has taken his message to TikTok, discussing his proposals without requiring anyone to pull into a service station first.

Watch El-Sayed address rising gas prices:

With El-Sayed polling at 47.8% and Mike Rogers at 43.8%, the November 3 Senate race remains competitive. With just 18 days until the midterms, the election won't be decided by a TikTok or a $10 gas card. But if the goal was to get people talking, the giveaway certainly worked.

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### Samuel L. Jackson Roasts Red Carpet Reporter To Shreds After She Tries To Do Impression Of Him

**Published:** October 16, 2026 | **Author:** McKenzie Lynn Tozan | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/jackson-roasts-reporter-impression.md

Samuel L. Jackson is one of those actors that people just love to impersonate. He's had so many memorable roles with countless quotable lines, and his personality is nothing short of fascinating.

But people who attempt to impersonate him always get some aspect of the impression wrong, whether it's the volume, the enunciation, the intonation, or just the overall demeanor. Even Jamie Foxx, who's an impressive impersonator of a wide range of stars, has not impressed Jackson with his impersonation of him.

But entertainment reporter Simone Boyce had to learn that the hard way, and Jackson himself was not shy about breaking the news to her.

While on the red carpet for the premiere of Jackson's political thriller The Beast, Boyce had a moment with Jackson during which she asked him if he felt anyone had nailed down a solid impression of him.

Jackson was quite frank, saying:

"Not really. Jamie Foxx thinks he does, but no."

To that, Boyce confidently said:

"I think I could do one, maybe."

Jackson was immediately skeptical, asking:

"You think you can?"

"Why? Why do you think that?"

When Boyce said she'd been practicing, Jackson invited her to try:

"Okay, go! Get it! Get it!"

To that, Boyce lowered her voice and said:

"I've had it with these mother-effing snakes on this mother-effing plane!"

Jackson looked perplexed before shaking his head and saying:

"I thought you were going to do an impression of me."

"You were doing an impression of a bad actor trying to do a bad impression of me."

"That was great if that's what you were doing!"

Boyce looked defeated as Jackson went on:

"If you were really trying to do an impression of me, that was f**king horrible."

The moment quickly went viral on X, which you can see here:

X users could not stop laughing over how Jackson mercilessly roasted Boyce.

The moment also went viral on Instagram, where the Hollywood Reel Time account cautioned:

"Note to Simone Boyce: NEVER do a Samuel L. Jackson impression in front of Samuel L. Jackson!"

Even Boyce chimed in:

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Fellow Instagrammers were tickled over the interaction, wondering why Boyce would set herself up for such a brutal roast.

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This is one of those situations where you might not know how hilariously bad you are at something until someone else sees you do it. But maybe that person shouldn't be ... Samuel L. Jackson?

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### Women Are Sharing Their Stories Of Creepy Men At The Gym After Shane Gillis' Sexist 'SNL' Joke

**Published:** October 16, 2026 | **Author:** McKenzie Lynn Tozan | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/women-creepy-gillis-snl.md

Women are pushing back online after Shane Gillis's opening monologue on Saturday Night Live, during which he made suggestive comments about interacting with a woman in the woods and also accused women of dressing "like wh*res" at the gym.

While fellow comedians and SNL alums like Dan Levy have already spoken out about the tasteless bit, women have started a trend on TikTok, showing how they "dress like a wh*re" when leaving for the gym.

TikToker Maggie B wrote:

"Just a girl in her wh*re shorts at the gym, lifting heavy so I can beat the s**t out of men for saying stupid s**t."

You can watch the video here.

In the caption, she wrote:

"Hey Shane, maybe it's time to find a new career if you can't come up with funnier material."

"Comedy can and at times should be offensive, but maybe try to make it about something more interesting rather than it being at the expense of women."

Similarly, TikToker @singlemamadrama wrote, while she was deadlifting 265 pounds in the video:

"Yeah Shane Gillis, I wear shorts to the gym."

"Don't look or you might see a baddie lifting heavier than you!"

You can watch her video here:

TikToker Abby Murphy used a clip of Shane Gillis's monologue as the sound for her video, in which she wore what she called a "wrestling singlet," though it was a two-piece version. The shorts appeared to be like biker shorts, and the sports bra fully covered her chest.

While showing her outfit, she mocked the audio, mouthing to the camera that she was a "big wh*re."

You can watch the video here:

Some TikTokers agreed with Murphy wholeheartedly that women were dressing for themselves and just trying to get a workout in.

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Unfortunately, most of the comments on Murphy's video, just like @singlemamadrama and Maggie B's videos, were resoundingly negative, either agreeing with Gillis about how they looked at the gym or dismissing them and calling them not attractive enough to feel offended by Gillis's comments, prompting Murphy to make a second video.

In her second video, Murphy pointed out:

"The main comment I'm getting on this video that I posted about Shane Gillis and his wh*re comment on 'SNL' is from his fan base."

"So you know it's largely horrifying, basically saying, 'Stop being so sensitive,' 'it's a joke,' blah blah blah."

"And I'm like, 'Where was the joke?'"

"You're looking at someone who loves politically incorrect humor. I like it when a comedian pushes the envelope."

"The problem is, Shane Gillis didn't make a joke. It's not funny."

"A comedian is supposed to take things he or she observes in real life, perhaps some kind of funny narrative around it, and gives you a punchline."

"His joke was, 'Women are going to the gym, and they're dressing like wh*res.'"

"Meanwhile , this is what every girl I know at the gym looks like."

You can watch the second video here:

Unfortunately, the negative comments persisted on Murphy's second video, insisting that the joke was a joke, that it was hilarious, and that Murphy wasn't attractive enough to be offended by it.

But when a joke isn't funny for everyone and perpetuates harmful stereotypes, it goes much deeper than being offended.

---

### Texas High School Slammed For Canceling Production Of 'Little Shop Of Horrors' After Girl Is Cast As Seymour

**Published:** October 16, 2026 | **Author:** Morgan Allison Ross | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/texas-school-cancels-horrors.md

Apparently, a bloodthirsty, man-eating plant wasn't horrifying enough for one Texas school district. The real nightmare? A girl playing Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors.

The cult-favorite horror-comedy follows a meek flower shop worker whose ambitions take a deadly turn when his unusual plant develops an appetite for human flesh. South Grand Prairie High School senior Ana Mota, 17, earned the role of Seymour after four days of auditions.

But once rehearsals began, district officials decided her casting was the real problem.

Mota told KERA News exactly what made the decision so frustrating:

"I earned this role, and I went through the same process as everyone else did. And, ultimately, I was decided to be the best fit for the role."

Grand Prairie Independent School District (GPISD) wanted Mota to share the role of Audrey with another student while the male understudy took over as Seymour.

When Mota and her mother challenged the casting change, the district canceled the entire production. So much for the show must go on.

Mota's mother, Nancy Jimenez-Mota, wasn't backing down:

“But there comes a point where you have to stand up and say enough of this madness. Enough of this intimidation and nonsense.”

The controversy didn't stay behind the curtain. Mota made her case public, demanding the original production and casting be reinstated rather than accepting a compromise that would cost her the role she earned.

Mota took her fight directly to Instagram:

Meanwhile, the district's legal reasoning had a plot twist of its own.

Officials initially cited Texas Senate Bill 12, a 2023 anti-drag law ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge. But according to KERA News, the district later clarified that it meant a separate 2025 law restricting certain LGBTQ-related school activities.

Which provision actually prohibited Mota's casting? The district never identified one, leaving its legal justification looking considerably less convincing than its decision to cancel the show was decisive.

Grand Prairie ISD offered this justification in its official statement:

"When District leadership learned of this issue, and in consideration of themes in the musical involving an abusive relationship, a decision was made to pull that production and find something more appropriate."

That explanation raises an obvious question. South Grand Prairie High School staged Little Shop of Horrors four years ago, and another district school plans to perform it this year. KERA News also reported that officials feared political protests.

Apparently, the material was acceptable until the casting became controversial.

And Texas school theater has seen this script before. In 2023, Sherman Independent School District removed transgender student Max Hightower from a male role in Oklahoma! before reversing course.

Keller Independent School District also canceled The Laramie Project in 2024, a play exploring the aftermath of the 1998 murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard. Students pushed back, gathering more than 3,000 petition signatures before the district eventually allowed the production to proceed.

Timber Creek High School sophomore Taylor Silvestri captured what students stood to lose:

"It’s a beautiful tragedy about real emotions. And to not have that opportunity to portray true emotions is devastating."

Different schools, different shows, but familiar questions about whose stories get told and who gets to perform them.

For Mota, the fallout is particularly personal. What should have been a milestone in her senior year has become a dispute over whether she can keep a role she won through auditions. Her family is considering legal action while continuing to push for the production's return.

Mota also discussed the controversy in a video interview:

- YouTubeNBC DFW

The dispute has extended beyond the auditorium, drawing attention to the decisions schools make when student performances become political flashpoints.

Here's how social media responded:

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Mota's removal raises questions under Title IX, the federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in federally funded educational programs.

ACLU of Texas attorney Chloe Kempf questioned the district's legal position:

"No matter what state law is on the table that we're talking about, federal law and the Constitution strongly prohibit gender discrimination like it appears that we are seeing in this case."

Whether GPISD violated Title IX remains unresolved. But the district has yet to identify a specific provision of Texas law prohibiting Mota from playing Seymour.

The irony is hard to miss. A school production meant to give students the chance to perform has instead become a lesson in how quickly those opportunities can disappear when politics enters the auditorium.

Mota earned her place onstage. The district's response was to cancel the stage altogether.

---

### Danny Trejo's Son Speaks Out To Claim His Dad Was Misled Into Starring In Ben Shapiro's Pro-ICE Movie

**Published:** October 16, 2026 | **Author:** Peter Karleby | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/danny-trejo-ben-shapiro.md

Far-right weasel Ben Shapiro has apparently pulled one over on beloved Mexican-American actor Danny Trejo, and now the actor is legally trapped.

That's according to Trejo's son, who says his dad was duped by Shapiro (and, from the sounds of it, his own management) into appearing in a pro-ICE movie called Pawn Shop that Shapiro is producing.

The news of Trejo's casting has sparked fury among fans, Mexican-American fans in particular, who feel Trejo has betrayed them by appearing in the film.

But Trejo's son Gilbert says not only was he duped, but his dad is now both contractually obligated to do the film and legally muzzled from criticizing the project or Shapiro.

Gilbert explained the situation in a heated post on Instagram Stories.

@gilberttrejo/Instagram

Gilbert wrote:

“ agent described it as ‘a complicated story about a complicated time, where everyone looks bad except you, the hardworking Mexican shop owner who just wants peace.'"

“He jumped at the idea of playing a good guy. About 2 weeks into shooting everyone, including us, found out Ben Shapiro was involved."

He went on to explain that as an 82-year-old, Trejo had never even heard of Ben Shapiro.

Gilbert went on say that now, Trejo is stuck.

“My dad contractually can’t badmouth , the film or walk away without being sued for breach of contract. He couldn't even release the statement he wanted to."

That "statement" refers to Trejo's response to the furious backlash the announcement of his casting has inspired. Instead, he posted a tepid statement on X confirming he is a "proud Mexican" who is "not pro-ICE.”

But this being the internet, where pile-ons are the order of the day regardless of the circumstances, that statement has done little to quell the uproar.

Gilbert addressed this in his post, saying:

“It’s f***ed up. He’s handcuffed to this stupid project, and swaths of people have instantly turned their back on him without knowing any of the facts."

Trejo has long been known for his unsparing dedication to his craft, famously even appearing in student films just to help young artists break into the film business.

It seems pretty clear that Shapiro, whose Daily Wire far-right propaganda company has become well-known for duping people into appearing in its content, took advance of Trejo's open-heartedness. And it seems Trejo's management, in turn, didn't do its due diligence.

Online, many were outraged and heartbroken at what Trejo's son revealed about the situation.

Many online have pushed back that any blame directed at anyone besides Shapiro, like Trejo's management, is misplaced.

As has been discussed extensively, Shapiro was a failed screenwriter before he started the Daily Wire to become a viral propagandist.

And at this point, we should have all learned by now that any time Shapiro is involved in anything, skepticism is in order.

As Gilbert Trejo put it:

"Ben Shapiro got Mexicans to abandon one of their heroes, got his own name to the top of google searches, and made us look like angry fools lacking any nuance. He wins.”

Yep, sadly he does, because we all keep letting him.

---

### MTG Brutally Rips Trump Administration's 'Bullsh*t' Move To Try To Deport Ilhan Omar After Raid

**Published:** October 16, 2026 | **Author:** Amelia Mavis Christnot | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/greene-omar-trump-gas-epstein.md

On Monday, Markwayne Mullin's Department of Homeland Security agents searched the Washington D.C. home of Minnesota Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar under the direction of the administration of MAGA Republican President Donald Trump. Representative Omar has been a vocal critic of Trump's overreach and illicit activities since his first term as President.

As a woman, a Muslim, a BIPOC, and a naturalized citizen who came to the United States as a child refugee of the war in Somalia, Representative Omar has been a favorite target of the racist, misogynist, White supremacist, Christian nationalist MAGA movement. She's endured repeatedly debunked lies about her background and verbal attacks, including from Trump, and physical assaults.

Now Trump's new Homeland Security Secretary Mullin, who replaced Kristi Noem in March, is investigating whether Representative Omar or her late father gave any incorrect information in the 1990s when seeking legal status before they became United States citizens.

According to a report published Wednesday in The Wall Street Journal, Trump's goal is to justify stripping Representative Omar of her United States citizenship and deport her to Somalia. Somali refugees in the United States legally are also a favored target of Trump and his MAGA minions.

Shortly after the WSJ report dropped, an unexpected source came to Representative Omar's defense. Former QAnon conspiracy theorist and Georgia MAGA Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene took to X to call out the Trump administration's tactics.

MTG wrote:

"Me and Ilhan Omar are far apart policy wise. I’m pro life, she’s pro abortion. I’m pro 2A, she’s pro gun control. And on and on."

"But can someone tell me how pretending to get ready to deport Ilhan Omar is going to bring gas down under $2, make health insurance freaking affordable, make a family’s weekly grocery bill make sense, and stop sending our beloved military off to fight for another f*cking foreign war???

"People are so sick and tired of the bullsh*t."

"When you dumb mf’ers at the WH actually release the Epstein files and lock up the pedophiles and rapists you all hang out with, then we will start paying attention."

"Until then ."

You can see her X post here:

@FmrRepMTG/X

While Greene did plenty of her own mudslinging and attacking of Trump's opponents—including Representative Omar—while she was still MAGA, people agreed she wasn't wrong in her current assessment of the situation.

Although plenty of people weren't willing to let Greene off the hook for her past support of Trump and his racist, misogynist, Islamophobic, and xenophobic policies and her willingness to parrot the lies about Representative Omar...

...they still agreed with her talking points...

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...and called out Democratic leadership for not being more vocal in their support of Representative Omar.

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Others noted who should have been investigated.

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Representative Omar posted her gratitude for those who supported her against the attacks by the Trump administration.

Thank you to everyone who stood with me over the years. It’s been a scary journey but I have always been grounded in my work and ability to provide exemplary service to my constituents. Trump and his administration have been after me since I arrived in Congress.

— Ilhan Omar (@ilhanmn.bsky.social) October 15, 2026 at 10:52 PM

I have always stood up to him and that will never change. The pedophile protector will never silence me.
— Ilhan Omar (@ilhanmn.bsky.social) October 15, 2026 at 10:52 PM

Seems like Representative Omar can now count MTG among them.

---

### Supercut Of White House Press Secretary Repeatedly Calling Herself A Lawyer Goes Viral After It's Revealed She Failed Bar Exam

**Published:** October 16, 2026 | **Author:** Peter Karleby | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/katie-zacharia-lawyer-supercut.md

So there's yet another new press secretary at the White House, a Trump Administration post that has hosted some of the right's biggest and brightest lunatics.

But none of them hold a candle to Katie Zacharia, who could barely get out a sentence at her first briefing and claims to be a "lawyer" despite, well, not being. Zacharia has taken her fib so far that she claimed to the press she took the bar in China—which is not a thing.

But this isn't the first time she's told this fib. Someone created a supercut of all the times Zacharia has claimed to be a lawyer, despite having never passed the bar, and now she's the internet's new meme.

Zacharia's lie has generated quite a bit of discourse, despite lies being pretty clear-cut: They are not true.

Ah, but! This is the Trump Administration, where all lies can be finessed into simply different opinions on semantics.

That's what they've tried to do with Zacharia, whom the Wall Street Journal reports did take the California bar but failed and has made no prior attempts since. A White House official confirmed this, but added that Zacharia could technically be considered a "lawyer" but not an "attorney" since she did go to law school.

That is not how anything works, however. And as for the President himself, he seems confused about it too, referring to Zacharia as an "attorney" in a Truth Social post.

Lawyers themselves say that "lawyer" means you passed the bar and are licensed to practice law. Media outlets have found no evidence that Zacharia has done so.

But she has repeatedly claimed that she practiced law in China, which "you wouldn't know my girlfriend, she lives in Canada" connotations aside, is not legal in China. Though experts have said it's possible that Zacharia could have consulted on cross-border issues in the country.

Regardless, none of this has stopped Zacharia from presenting herself as a licensed lawyer since graduating Pepperdine's Caruso School of Law in 2011.

As the supercut shows, Zacharia has repeatedly referred to herself as a "lawyer," a "corporate lawyer," claimed she "practiced corporate law" and did not correct people who called her an "attorney."

Naturally, this has made her something of an internet laughingstock, and the drags have been constant.

Don't fault Zacharia, though—she did her due diligence! Or so she thinks.

In interviews, she claims she consulted Pepperdine Law and was assured that she can call herself a lawyer, but not any of the other terms that denote passing the bar and having a license. Which is also not how it works, according to lawyers!

She told Real America's Voice:

" consulted for a very long time many people in the field, is it okay and acceptable if I label myself lawyer, not attorney at law, not Katie Zacharia esquire, but lawyer, and provide legal analysis, not legal advice... absolutely, across the board.”

Pepperdine Law, tellingly, has not confirmed this, and as many have pointed out, it's irrelevant anyway.

Because aside from the supercut clips showing her being referred to as an "attorney" without correction, Zacharia has also repeatedly claimed she "practiced law" and has listed herself as "general counsel" on sites like LinkedIn.

That starts wading into illegal territory. Perhaps Zacharia will be the next to learn the hard way that when you sign up to be part of Trump's human shield of good Christian blond women, you usually end up going down.

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### Katie Zacharia Just Gave A Bonkers Excuse For Why She Calls Herself A Lawyer Despite Failing Bar Exam—And Yikes

**Published:** October 16, 2026 | **Author:** Amelia Mavis Christnot | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/zacharia-posobiec-lawyer-bar-exam.md

UPDATED October 19: see end of article

MAGA Republican President Donald Trump's new White House Press Secretary, Katie Zacharia, sat down with MAGA propagandist and noted Pizzagate conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec to defend calling herself both a "lawyer" and an "attorney" despite never passing a bar exam in any state or foreign country.

In her explanation, Zacharia falsely claimed she'd never called herself an attorney.

Posobiec said to Zacharia:

"'Wall Street Journal' did a huge piece about this question about, of course, everyone wants to know your legal background, your legal resume."

"I read the piece, talked about how you had graduated from Pepperdine, sat for the bar, didn’t go your way, but then, instead of sitting again, you went and moved to China."

"Walk us through that whole story."

Zacharia explained she had been in a long distance relationship with the son of one of her Pepperdine professors. After marriage, she knew she would join her husband where he was working in Beijing, China.

In a rambling diatribe, she told Posobiec:

"And I was obviously incredibly, I know, distracted and overwhelmed and excited for finally being married to someone who had been long distance from for at least a year, a year-and-a-half, when you include the engagement. And we just said, let’s take this time and I’ll take the bar and see what happens."

After excusing her poor performance on the only bar exam she ever sat for in any state or country, Zacharia added:

"The results are somewhat inconsequential, because I knew I wouldn’t need the bar in China, and we left shortly thereafter. And after moving to China, I think, I didn’t really think much of the bar results or consider that something that I needed to focus on, and I was offered a job at an International practice division of a Chinese law firm…"

"And the International practice were associates under a senior partner, and we worked the International side, the English language side, and we had a Chinese counterpart that was there."

"There’s no Chinese bar. I had enough credentials, which was my law degree, to be able to do this practice."

You can see a clip of Zacharia's comments here:

After telling Posobiec she never again sat for the bar after moving back to the United States because she "had four kids in six years,” Zacharia then claimed it was all a matter of semantics.

She claimed:

"A lot of the misinformation, miscommunication, Jack, is around the fact that I labeled myself 'lawyer.' And I consulted for a very long time many people in the field, 'Is it okay and acceptable if I label myself lawyer, not attorney-at-law, not Katie Zacharia, esquire, but lawyer, and provide legal analysis, not legal advice?'"

"And they said, 'Absolutely, absolutely across the board you can call yourself a lawyer, you have a J.D. and to buffer that, you have International legal experience and transactional law, which gives you the ability to analyze it, not necessarily give advice.'"

Interesting that Trump's new spokesmodel is saying "many people said..." to justify something.

You can see her full comments on calling herself a lawyer here:

Zacharia continued:

"And so, that’s where a lot of this discussion has come from. And you know, it’s unfortunate that people dub this as some kind of conspiracy or want to put me into a camp. The truth is, I was very careful how I executed this."

Apparently not carefully enough, as multiple sources shared examples of Zacharia repeatedly calling herself a lawyer or attorney.

Others pointed out that there's no difference between "lawyer" and "attorney" as Zacharia claimed.

People also called out Pepperdine for posting a congratulatory message to Zacharia on X.

Zacharia's resume includes job titles that by definition require passing the bar exam.

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After laying the groundwork on MAGA propaganda machine Real America's Voice, Zacharia went on to Fox News, where she didn't fare nearly as well.

Sean Hannity managed several "gotcha" moments.

Zacharia's explanation tour is not going well.

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People wonder how long Zacharia will keep her new job. But with her ability to spin "alternative facts," she might be the perfect fit.

UPDATE: Zacharia was fired on October 16, 2026, making her five day tenure the shortest for a press secretary in United States history.

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### Woman Shares 5 Exercises She Credits With Helping Her Get Over Her Ex—And We're Taking Notes

**Published:** October 15, 2026 | **Author:** McKenzie Lynn Tozan | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/five-exercises-get-over-ex.md

We can all agree that breaking up with someone we loved hurts, and it can be really hard to get over them, especially if we envisioned some huge future with them.

Fortunately, TikToker @lillys.healingera received five exercises from her therapist to help her say goodbye to her ex and the future she'd no longer have, and she's not being shy about sharing her notes.

In a multi-part photo reel on TikTok, Lilly shared "Five Weird Hacks My Therapist Gave Me to Move On After My Breakup."

The first tip was to write a goodbye letter to the future.

"She made me write a goodbye letter to the future. to him. to the life I thought we'd have."

"The wedding, home, kids wed already named, all of it"

"Then she made me write a new one."

"For the future that was still mine."

@lillys.healingera/TikTok

The second exercise was to separate the love from the withdrawal.

"She made me say it out loud, 'This is withdrawal, not love.'"

"Everytime i missed him. naming it took away so much of its power and helped me process it for what it is."

@lillys.healingera/TikTok

The third exercise was exploring what might have happened if she had stayed.

"She made me write what staying would have cost me."

"not just now. in a year. in five years."

"I wrote it all out in detail."

"seeing it written down changed everything"

@lillys.healingera/TikTok

The fourth exercise made her explore how she'd guide a friend through this.

"She made me write what I'd tell my best friend. if she came to me with everything I was going through."

"I was giving everyone else the advice I refused to give myself."

@lillys.healingera/TikTok

The fifth and final exercise was to prepare for her stages of grief.

"She made me make a plan for each grief stage."

"denial, anger, bargaining, all of it."

"a specific action for each one so when it hit I knew exactly what to do instead of crashing out"

@lillys.healingera/TikTok

Perhaps most importantly, the TikToker shared what she'd learned on her journey so far.

"Just keep going. it will get better."

"the love you've always needed it out there waiting for a healed you."

"heal so you can find it."

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Fellow TikTokers were grateful for the tips and taking notes.

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It's so easy to assume that we've let go of a relationship that was still worth saving, and that the cost of losing it and its future are too high, at least until we do exercises like this and explore the costs we'd pay if we were to stay.

Being honest with ourselves can be really hard, so having exercises like this, which allow us to approach being honest from a new angle, are invaluable.

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### Riley Gaines Tried To Slam Hillary Clinton For Bringing Up Her 2016 Loss—And The Irony Is Off The Charts

**Published:** October 15, 2026 | **Author:** Morgan Allison Ross | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/gaines-clinton-2016-loss.md

The audacity of Riley Gaines lecturing anyone about moving on from a loss is something that really should be studied by scientists.

Because apparently, self-awareness finished sixth.

During a Fox News appearance, the former collegiate swimmer-turned-anti-trans activist criticized former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for mentioning the 2016 presidential election while discussing national hardships, including the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Gaines accused Clinton of putting her election defeat on the same level as a national tragedy:

“Hillary Clinton might be the only person in America who thinks that her election loss belongs in the same conversation when it comes to public devastation as 9/11…”

Ma'am, you've spent four years talking about a swimming competition where you tied for fifth place. Perhaps sit this particular lecture out.

And here's the problem. Clinton never said losing the election was equivalent to 9/11.

At a Nebraska Democratic fundraiser, Clinton was answering a question about disillusioned voters who wondered whether their votes mattered. She referenced 9/11, the 2008 financial crisis, the 2016 election, and the COVID-19 pandemic as events that had shaped Americans' experiences.

Clinton discussed the election as part of that broader history:

“We had an election in 2016 that, you know, raised a lot of questions that we're still trying to find answers for about what, what kind of really went on, and then we had Covid…”

That's it. No declaration that losing the presidency was equivalent to a terrorist attack. Just a discussion about why Americans might feel politically exhausted.

Her actual point? Democrats needed to convince voters that their concerns mattered.

Clinton emphasized the importance of rebuilding that trust:

“What we have to do is demonstrate as clearly as possible and then repeat over and over again, you do matter, and we're going to do everything we can to try to help you have the life you deserve to have.”

During a separate exchange, Clinton was asked what she would have done differently in her political career.

Clinton gave the kind of answer you'd expect from someone who ran for president:

“I would have not just won the popular vote but the Electoral College.”

Well, yes. Most presidential candidates prefer the part where they actually become president.

You can watch Clinton's Electoral College remarks below:

- YouTube C-Span

But Gaines apparently heard the words "2016 election" and decided Clinton needed an intervention.

She criticized Democrats as disconnected from Americans' everyday concerns before declaring that Clinton should move on.

Gaines insisted the rest of the country had already put 2016 behind them:

“The American people have moved on from 2016. The only person who has not is Hillary Clinton.”

Oh, this is rich. Because if we're putting expiration dates on talking about the past, somebody might want to check Gaines' calendar.

You can watch Gaines’ attempt at unsolicited advice here:

Riley Gaines: Hillary Clinton might be the only person in America who thinks that her loss belongs in the conversation… https://t.co/6OfifRTRFK
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 13, 2026

For anyone unfamiliar with Gaines' swimming history, she was a 12-time NCAA All-American at the University of Kentucky. At the 2022 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships, she tied for fifth place in the 200-yard freestyle with Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer representing the University of Pennsylvania. Yes, tied.

Gaines subsequently made competing against Thomas a centerpiece of her anti-trans activism, becoming a prominent advocate for restricting transgender women's participation in women's sports. Her platform grew into conservative media appearances, speaking engagements, podcasting, and political advocacy supporting Trump's restrictions on transgender athletes.

So, revisiting a four-year-old swimming competition to campaign against transgender inclusion is perfectly acceptable. But mentioning a presidential election from a decade ago? Somebody call the authorities. Apparently, we've got a historical emergency.

And social media users were quick to notice the irony:

Gaines remains a public supporter of President Donald Trump, despite a brief disagreement with him in April 2026. Which makes her sudden concern about discussing 9/11 particularly interesting.

During a September 2026 White House event honoring first responders, Trump claimed two firefighters lifted him and carried him away from danger near Ground Zero because they feared a nearby building would collapse.

And naturally, the story included a little commentary about how difficult he was to lift.

You can watch Trump's firefighter story below:

Trump Claims He Was Rescued by Firefighters During 9/11 TMZ

Now, Gaines found time to critique Clinton for mentioning 9/11, but there's no indication she's publicly addressed the president she supports, describing his own firefighter rescue like a deleted scene from Die Hard.

Ma'am, Hillary brought up an election. Your guy pitched his own 9/11 fanfiction story that no one wants to read.

If you're going to appoint yourself the national referee of who gets to discuss 9/11, perhaps start by checking both teams' uniforms.

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### Former Grocery Store Employee Details 'Profound' Interaction With 88-Year-Old Woman—And We're Sobbing

**Published:** October 15, 2026 | **Author:** McKenzie Lynn Tozan | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/grocery-store-employee-profound-woman.md

Sometimes we do things wtihout knowing just how much it could change a person's life.

TikToker @whatsinthekoolaid, who used to be a grocery store employee, shared a special memory she had dating back to the year 2013 when she was still working in the grocery store primarily as a cashier.

During one of her shifts, a pair of elderly women came in together to grocery shop, and when they were done, they had separate transactions. One paid her payment without an issue, while the other realized that her purse was nowhere to be found.

The second woman became incredibly upset, between her missing purse, being an hour and half away from her home, not being able to buy her groceries and also not wanting to hold up the line.

She thought she'd have to ask the cashier to put all of her items back, but that's when the TikToker decided to help her. The woman's transaction was a little over $27, and with only $40 to her name, the TikToker paid it with a swipe of her personal card.

The TikToker assumed that was the end of it, but the woman reappeared at the store weeks later, looking for her.

The woman thanked the TikToker again for helping her and explained that because of her age and health issues, she rarely got to go out, so going out with her friend was the one time she could go grocery shopping. Because of the TikToker, she'd been able to eat that week.

To thank her, the woman had gone shopping with her friend again, this time in search of a special gift for the TikToker. She spent a long time looking for the "perfect gift" for her before she found an angel statue, which she felt was perfect, because she felt like the cashier was an "angel sent from heaven" just for her that day.

Though the TikToker could no longer remember the woman's name, and assumed she might not still be with us based on her physical state at the age of 88 in 2013, she still kept the angel statue and remembered the woman, and her gratitude, as one of the most profound experiences of her life.

You can watch the video here:

Fellow TikTokers' hearts were warmed by the story.

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It was a big deal for the TikToker to spend $27 on a stranger when she only had $40 to her name, but she'd impacted the elderly woman's life more than she even could have realized by helping her in that moment.

More importantly, in some small way, she's keeping the woman's memory alive by sharing their story, and that's all that many of us could ask for.

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### Single Man Who Just Got Out Of Long-Term Relationship Sparks Debate After Calling Out Today's 'Odd' Dating Scene

**Published:** October 15, 2026 | **Author:** McKenzie Lynn Tozan | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/single-man-odd-dating-scene.md

Since the pandemic, there's no denying that most people's social skills have shifted. While not everyone's staying home and isolating anymore, it's harder to connect with other people, trust, and maintain new relationships than it used to be.

TikToker @palladiumpaladin recently discovered that this has impacted how people approach dating, too.

Stepping back into the dating scene after a very long-term relationship, the TikToker has been struggling to have startup conversations or go on first dates—let alone make meaningful connections—with possible partners.

The TikToker observed that people treat it as "cringe" to ask questions, have introductory conversations, or to share vulnerable information with someone new, making it impossible to start a meaningful relationship with someone or even get to know them.

He could hardly tell if he liked any of these people enough to go on a first date with them because they were so reluctant to volunteer any information about themselves, so he couldn't get to know them.

The TikToker called the dating scene "weird" and "odd" before admitting:

“I don’t even know what flirting is nowadays… Everyone’s, like, speaking in these riddles to each other. And nobody knows what the other person is saying, and nobody really knows what they’re saying.”

He also felt people were far more concerned about preserving an aesthetic than sharing anything authentic.

“I don’t know what it is… I feel like people are super hyper-aware and hyper-fixated on their self-image… In a way that, like, nothing really feels natural and authentic anymore."

You can watch the video here:

Fellow TikTokers wholeheartedly agreed with the troubles he was having.

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The pandemic undeniably changed a lot of things for us, from how we work and go to school, to how we make new friends and date.

But one thing is for certain: if we cannot share anything real and true about ourselves, it'll be impossible for us to do anything more than talk about the weather with the people around us.

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### Busy Philipps Shares The Emotional Promise She Made To Her Teenage Daughter After Brain Tumor Diagnosis

**Published:** October 15, 2026 | **Author:** McKenzie Lynn Tozan | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/philipps-promise-daughter-diagnosis.md

Like so many of us, Dawson's Creek actor Busy Philipps nearly let her overbooked life relegate her health to the back burner.

After her co-star and friend James Van Der Beek died due to complications with his illness, Philipps found herself struggling to find work, which she needed in order to keep her family in New York City.

Fortunately, she lined up an audition with Cupertino, a television show she was desperate to be a part of. Almost unfortunately, she realized that a whole-body scan she'd scheduled after Van Der Beek's death was set for the day before the audition, so she considered skipping it to free up her week.

Her ex-husband, Marc Silverstein, who she's called an excellent co-parent and good friend, pointed out to her that getting the scan was a great way to honor her friend's memory, so she kept it on her schedule.

When she went for the scan, the doctors discovered she had a tumor in her brain that would need to be removed before she could return to work. She scheduled it to leave her time to heal before starting to film Cupertino that she'd been cast for.

While appearing on Today with Jenna & Sheinelle, Philipps reflected on how having the surgery deepened her relationship with her oldest daughter, Birdie, after she made her a special promise.

"My older daughter just turned 18 over the summer. She graduated from high school."

"So this was all happening in February, and my surgery was March 2. She actually was in boarding school, and she was home on a break when we found out and when I had the surgery, and she stayed an extra week.”

“She’s in this moment in her life where her life is just starting, and I think all of a sudden being hit with the reality that something could be really, terribly wrong with her mom may be the scariest thing for any kid to confront."

"I just kept saying to her, ‘You’re not in the movie where your mom dies the senior year of high school. I just promise you.'"

"'You’re in the movie where your mom has a brain tumor and then is on a TV show.'"

"Her reaction when I told her was like, ‘Okay. You’re going to be fine?’"

"And I was like, ‘I’m totally going to be fine.’"

"And she’s like, ‘Okay.’"

You can watch the segment here:

Fans were grateful for Philipps sharing her story and her promise.

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You can watch the full interview here:

- YouTube www.youtube.com

Breaking this news to loved ones would be hard for anyone, but it's especially difficult for parents to share it with kids. But Philipps handled it beautifully and the experience ultimately deepened their relationship.

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### Child Psychotherapist Goes Viral With Her 6 Rules For Parenting Teenagers To Keep Them Safe

**Published:** October 15, 2026 | **Author:** McKenzie Lynn Tozan | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/psychotherapist-six-rules-safe-teens.md

People often talk about how dreadful it's going to be to raise teens, but perhaps they're too focused on potentially needing to punish them and not enough on truly connecting with them.

Child psychoanalyst and TikToker @the.therapy.shed shared that a teen's safety should be prioritized over their punishment, even when they make a mistake, and she shared six rules to make those priorities easier for parents to maintain.

The first rule is to not punish truth-telling. When teens know they've done something wrong, like going to a party where drinking is involved, they may avoid calling their parents if they know punishment is imminent. While consequences can wait, the TikToker pointed out, creating a safe environment cannot.

The second rule ties into this, suggesting that parents establish a security code with their children. Whether it's a code word, emoji, or phrase, they can use this to raise their parents' alert and ask for help without involving their peers. This is key in situations that might otherwise be dangerous or mortifyingly embarrassing or ostracizing if the teen was honest about wanting to leave.

Parents can also de-escalate embarrassing situations with their teens by talking about tough subjects, like sex, with them before they can learn it from their peers or the internet. It's important to teach teens that these subjects do not have to be awkward with their parents and that they can ask questions.

The fourth rule often relates to the first, as it involves the parents' reaction. If a parent's first impulse is to yell, scold, and make an angry face, that sets an uncomfortable precedent for teens who might have something uncomfortable to tell their parents.

Rather, according to the fifth rule, teens should be more involved in their understanding of tough subjects and in determining what their punishments should be, by being invited to "the grown-up table" for the first time. This will allow them to participate in more adult conversations and think like an adult.

The sixth rule, the TikToker admitted, might make some parents upset, as she argues against taking away cell phones as punishment. Not only is it a vital way to contact them if the need arises, but students often need their phones for school now, and social interaction depends on online spaces more than ever before, and cutting them off will only increase isolation and potential resentment, making them less likely to reach out to their parents when they need it.

You can watch the video here:

Fellow TikTokers loudly agreed with the psychotherapist, sharing their own tips for how they'd helped their teens.

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While some weren't sure how to navigate punishment without taking phones away, TikTokers otherwise loudly agreed with the child psychotherapist, valuing connection with their teens and their feelings of safety more than needing to give them consequences, which is definitely a step in the right direction.

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### Chick-fil-A CEO Blasted Over His Evasive Answers To Questions About Company's Views On LGBTQ+ Rights

**Published:** October 15, 2026 | **Author:** McKenzie Lynn Tozan | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/chickfila-ceo-lgbtq-rights.md

Members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community have boycotted the fast-food restaurant chain Chick-fil-A for years, since CEO Dan Cathy said in 2012 that Chick-fil-A was supportive of "the biblical definition" of family and was family-friendly to families who fit that definition.

Realizing the chain would rally against LGBTQ+ rights, many immediately stopped patronizing the restaurant.

This week, Craig Melvin from Today sat down with the Dan Cathy's son and current Chick-fil-A CEO Andrew Cathy, and he was curious to see if the company still carries the same definition of "family."

Melvin asked:

"People were protesting; they were boycotting Chick-fil-A."

"Chick-fil-A, they don't stand with the LGBTQ+ community."

"What would you say to those folks?"

Instead of answering the question, Cathy said:

"Well, for anybody that hasn't tried us, we'd love for you to come try and have our great-tasting food and the hospitality that we're known for."

"I think that everybody that will be willing to walk in the door, they'll see that they're welcome to come eat with us."

"We'd love to give them a great-tasting sandwich and give them great hospitality."

Melvin smiled throughout and clocked Cathy's deflection.

"You don't want to talk about that chapter in Chick-fil-A's history."

Cathy dodged the question again:

"We're focused on serving everybody that come in and eat with us."

Melvin tried to ask the question again:

"The company's official position on equal rights is..."

Cathy did not take the fill-in-the-blank option, either.

"We're focused on hospitality, serving great-tasting food and great service."

You can watch the segment here:

Viewers were quick to clock Cathy's deflection, as well.

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You can watch the full interview with CEO Andrew Cathy here:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

There's a saying among businesses and entrepreneurs that when you try to make your business for everyone, it will be for no one, because it isn't tailored properly to anyone's interests or needs.

By saying that their doors are open to anyone, Cathy effectively said that they're willing to accept your money, but that doesn't mean they're interested in supporting your rights.

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### Mechanical Bird At Center Of Kelly Clarkson Controversy Now Costs $15 Million As Brooklyn Shop Owner Claims Clarkson Put Employees 'In Danger'

**Published:** October 15, 2026 | **Author:** Morgan Allison Ross | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/clarkson-mechanical-bird-feud.md

Just when you thought the Kelly Clarkson and Art of Play saga couldn't get any messier, the mechanical bird at the center of it all now has a $15 million asking price.

Her name is Molly, and before anyone starts questioning the price of birdseed, she's a handcrafted singing and dancing automaton by Seattle artist Bliss Kolb. One of just two, no less. Still, that's quite the leap from the $15,000 price tag that sparked this entire spectacle.

Check out the now million-dollar bird in question:

this being the bird kelly clarkson wanted to buy😭 https://t.co/jnjtJlkbJw
— 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗻𝘆🫧💚 (@beyoncegarden) October 11, 2026

Inflation be damned when that bird is in demand.

And for anyone who hasn't kept up with this feathered foolishness, here's the short version. Clarkson visited Brooklyn's Art of Play on October 10, took an interest in Molly, and left feeling like she'd wandered into the wrong side of Pretty Woman.

Accusing the shop of treating her like she couldn't afford its merchandise, Clarkson took her complaint to X:

Just drove all the way to Brooklyn to check out this store I thought looked really rad and had a few things in mind to buy and literally was looked at as if I couldn’t afford it and was told he could find something comparable for me. Wow, dude. You’re an idiot and just lost a huge sale. But y’all should go check out Art of Play in Brooklyn if you enjoy being treated like Julia Roberts character in Pretty Woman. For sure, check it out 👎
— Kelly Clarkson (@kellyclarkson) October 10, 2026

Not the invitation to visit the store, complete with a judgmental thumbs-down emoji. That's certainly one way to recommend a small business.

Art of Play, however, had a rather different version of events:

Art of Play isn't your typical gift shop. The Brooklyn curiosity store also hosts after-hours magic shows, with Molly reportedly serving as the opening act. The shop maintains that she was a permanent fixture, and the $15,000 price tag was meant to gauge interest, not advertise a sale.

A nearly identical bird was available through the artist, while a different $2,000 automaton was also offered to Clarkson, according to the shop.

But Clarkson wasn't buying that explanation either. The singer fired back with a photo of the price tag, accusing the shop of being both rude and dishonest.

She even doubled down on X, this time with a photo to back up her complaint:

Cool, cool. Sure, it wasn’t for sale. That’s the narrative Art of Play is gonna go with 👍 so the whole conversation we had when I asked you if it was for sale whilst pointing to the price tag hanging on the wall with the title Singing Bird didn’t happen as you elevator eyed me saying in a condescending tone “yes, it’s for sale but it costs 15,000 dollars so if you’d like me to find something comparable for you I can.” That all never happened and now it’s not for sale. Okay, cool. So you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar. Got it ✅ And by the way, I obviously support small businesses because I was literally at a small business trying to purchase things. I love small businesses and know they are important and I always support them, but you don’t get a free pass to treat people less than in your store just because you are a small business. It’s not that hard to be kind. I never blast people but you my friend were an exception. Your store is really cool. Unfortunately, you aren’t.
— Kelly Clarkson (@kellyclarkson) October 11, 2026

At this point, both sides have presented their receipts, and somehow, we're no closer to figuring out who deserves the shadiest side-eye.

Clarkson has a photo of the price tag. Art of Play has an explanation for it. And journalist Pablo Torre has surveillance footage, released on October 13, because this bird dispute apparently requires a full investigation.

Entertainment Tonight shared a closer look at the encounter:

- YouTubeEntertainment Tonight

Unfortunately, the footage has no audio, so nobody's case is getting any "Stronger." Crisis PR expert Evan Nierman also told TODAY the shop made serious missteps, suggesting it could've sold Clarkson the displayed bird and replaced it.

But Art of Play co-owner Adam Rubin says the real problem isn't the bird anymore. It's the threats and harassment he alleges followed Clarkson's public callout.

Rubin had plenty more to get off his chest during an interview with TMZ:

😳 Kelly Clarkson Bird Feud: Art of Play co-owner says employees are getting threats."Kelly Clarkson has put us all in danger." https://t.co/2PrA3pKFiU
— TMZ (@TMZ) October 13, 2026

And as for Molly's sudden $15 million valuation? Rubin has attributed the increase to popular demand, which is certainly one way to capitalize on a controversy.

As expected, the store owner tripled down in another interview with USA Today:

Art of Play co-owner Adam Rubin speaks to USA Today at his store following Kelly Clarkson’s viral criticism of his store:“Kelly Clarkson put us in danger.” https://t.co/UD1ppJGMcr
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) October 14, 2026

That's quite the escalation, even by celebrity feud standards.

Needless to say, Clarkson may have had a legitimate complaint, and Rubin may have every reason to be furious about the fallout. But there's a difference between calling out bad customer service and putting a small business in front of millions of people who weren't even there. That's a lot of firepower for a five-minute shopping trip.

Then again, the shop's $15 million clapback isn't exactly putting out the flames.

And the comment sections? Oh, they had plenty to say about all of it:

Clarkson has yet to publicly respond to the surveillance footage or Molly's new $15 million asking price as of October 15. She's currently coaching Season 30 of The Voice alongside Adam Levine and Queen Latifah, while the internet continues dissecting her Brooklyn shopping trip.

Is this the most important controversy of the year? Not even close. Have I been following every plot twist? Absolutely. Marie Kondo would understand. Rich people's mess sparks joy. And shoutout to Molly, who never asked for any of this.

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### Indiana Candidate Goes Viral After Appearing Intoxicated During Interview And Dropping Some Epic One-Liners

**Published:** October 15, 2026 | **Author:** Morgan Allison Ross | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/jaime-west-indiana-viral-interview.md

Was she intoxicated, or was she just completely fed up with Republicans?

That's the question circulating online after Indiana Democratic candidate Jaime West delivered a bizarre televised interview that went viral, leaving viewers debating her apparent slurred speech, theatrical behavior, and unfiltered remarks about MAGA supporters.

Whatever was happening, West certainly wasn't holding back:

“Firing all Republicans. I wouldn’t let them. I mean, I don’t even talk to them. I don’t like them.”

The decidedly un-bipartisan response came after moderator Amy Graham-McCarty asked what potentially "unpopular" decision West would make in Fayette County's best interest. West groaned and requested the question again before revealing her solution.

But apparently, not all Republicans made her political hit list.

“Because there's Republicans who actually get it, you know? There are good Republicans out there. But then there’s these MAGAs, who are just racist and aren’t very intelligent at all. They call you names.”

Things took a darker turn when West alleged that a relative of Fayette County Sheriff Zac Jones had threatened her life.

West made a startling allegation involving the sheriff's family:

“The sheriff’s nephew threatened to blow my head off. But you know, what are you going to do.”

Jones disputed the allegation, telling FOX59 he has no nephews and doesn't know West.

And when Graham-McCarty asked for her final words to voters, West apparently wasn't finished making headlines.

West took “shooting her shot” a little too literally, remarking:

“We have guns too!”

Somewhere, the cast of Hamilton just stopped singing “My Shot” and started ducking.

And who is this Democratic darling? When she's not raising eyebrows on local television, West is a mother of three grown children, owns Queen Bee’s Cleaning LLC, and delivers groceries and packages around Fayette County.

She even turned her day job into a campaign pitch:

“I deliver a lot of groceries and packages for my community. So if you trust me, you know, delivering your groceries, you should trust me with your vote.”

Now she's vying for a seat on the county council, though her campaign has attracted considerably more attention for what came out of her mouth than for what she plans to do in office.

Check out her much-talked-about clip here:

Watch this to the end, you won’t regret it. This is what happens when you’re at happy hour and are reminded you agreed to do an interview about your race. https://t.co/YljvbwWXwM
— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) October 13, 2026

Apparently, 8.2 million people have found themselves invested in Fayette County politics—or at least one particularly memorable candidate forum. The clip also sparked speculation about whether West had been drinking. Nothing has been confirmed, but the internet certainly has theories.

Of course, Fayette County voters have a less entertaining question to answer. Who should help manage their tax dollars?

The city county oversees budgets and appropriations, which means this election involves considerably more than memorable television moments.

Meanwhile, social media users were having an absolute field day, with some wondering whether they'd stumbled onto a political parody instead of an actual candidate forum.

The internet has questions. So many questions:

Now imagine being a Fayette County voter trying to choose who should oversee the county's finances.

On one side is West. On the other is Republican Gary R. Keener Jr., who missed the October 9 forum due to business commitments, but submitted a statement that Graham-McCarty read aloud.

Keener offered a campaign message with considerably fewer fireworks:

“I have never been more excited and committed to work diligently and tirelessly to ensure every tax dollar is spent in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible.”

And here's where Keener has an advantage that doesn't require a viral moment. Fayette County traditionally favors Republicans, giving him friendlier political turf. There's no public polling establishing who's ahead, but West faces an uphill battle.

He also outlined his plans for growing the local economy:

“Our mutual goals are simple: local economic growth leading to a more robust tax base via new business, both industrial and commercial, and providing the ability to spread our fixed cost over an expanded and broader income stream and hence, lowering the individual taxpayer burden as a result.”

If Keener handles the county budget like he handles a sentence, taxpayers might want to clear their schedules.

And Keener may have the local advantage, but the national numbers tell a different story. A NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ poll has Democrats leading Republicans 49% to 42%, with forecasts giving them a 76% chance of winning the House and 56% chance of taking the Senate.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer weighed in on midterm predictions:

- YouTube The National Desk

That makes November 3 a consequential test of President Donald Trump's political power, particularly for voters concerned about LGBTQ+ rights and immigration enforcement.

West has already made her feelings about MAGA perfectly clear. Now voters get to decide what they think of MAGA and everyone else where it actually counts: at the ballot box.

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### Jessica Chastain Shares Hilarious Texts From Jeremy Strong After 'Other Mommy' Crushes 'The Social Reckoning' At Box Office

**Published:** October 15, 2026 | **Author:** McKenzie Lynn Tozan | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/chastain-strong-funny-texts.md

Other Mommy actress Jessica Chastain and The Social Reckoning actor Jeremy Strong have a long-standing and fun friendship, including Chastain defending Strong's intense method acting tactics and dancing in hotel rooms late at night.

But fans are seeing a new and weirdly adorable aspect of their friendship after Chastain's horror movie outperformed Strong's social media sequel.

Other Mommy, based on Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman, had a $27.5 million box office opening, while the sequel of The Social Network, The Social Reckoning, in which Jeremy Strong stepped in as Mark Zuckerberg in place of Jesse Eisenberg, only had a $5.5 million box office opening.

Articles began to circulate about the box office performances, including an article that read, "Other Mommy Spanks the Social Reckoning at the Box Office." The header image of this article was a split screen of a particularly crazed shot of Jessica Chastain as the titular Other Mommy, while Jeremy Strong looked absolutely distraught as Mark Zuckerberg.

Strong apparently shared a screenshot of this article with his friend, and Chastain's whole response was, "omg."

Strong then responded with two emojis: a middle finger and a kissy face.

Chastain pointed out that the photos that were chosen were "hysterical," which Strong agreed was "so funny."

Chastain then said:

"You look SO SAD!"

Strong quipped back:

"You look INSANE"

Chastain shared a screenshot of the exchange on her Instagram Stories shortly after:

@jessicachastain/Instagram

The screenshot was shared across social media, where fans loved seeing inside the actors' friendship.

This is one of those celebrity friendships that we honestly cannot get enough of. Not only are they able to laugh their at their box office rivalry, but this indirectly says a lot about their willingness to cheer each other on, even if it means one outperforming the other, and that's a mark of genuine friendship.

There's no telling how both of these films will perform in the coming weeks, but hopefully a film in which both of these actors exist will be in production soon!

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### Clip Of RJ Mitte Opening Up About The Financial Abuse He Endured During 'Breaking Bad' Resurfaces After His Tragic Death

**Published:** October 15, 2026 | **Author:** McKenzie Lynn Tozan | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/mitte-financial-abuse-video.md

Just days ago, Breaking Bad's RJ Mitte died by suicide at the age of 34.

In the wake of his tragic death, a video has resurfaced of him talking about his financial struggles, allegedly largely caused by poor, exploitive business management.

While guest starring on The Iced Coffee Hour podcast, Mitte opened up about not being made a millionaire by his primary role in the five-season show Breaking Bad, stating that he was "not even close."

Mitte revealed:

"No, not even close."

"I've paid more in taxes than I got from 'Breaking Bad.'"

"One thing that did put a damper on me, I did have a bad business manager. I got royally hammered in my last four years of my highest earning series."

According to the actor, he and his parents had managed his money for years, but when he was repeatedly pressured to get a proper accountant who could handle his finances as a rising actor, he signed on with a business manager who, he later realized, targeted elderly actors and actors with disabilities like himself.

Though he used the pronoun "she" to describe the manager, he otherwise kept the person anonymous. He was pretty certain that the manager was still in the industry and didn't want to cause a stir by releasing her name.

But he knew, looking back, that this person had been stealing money from him by sending him faked tax information that required him to submit more money than he was legally obligated to, so that she could pay the taxes and save the extra money for herself, forcing the actor into devastating debt that he didn't know how to navigate.

Mitte held himself accountable for the situation, however.

"At the end of the day, though, it's my negligence."

"The IRS doesn't really care about you. They only care that you make sure that you are paying ."

"Anyone else that handles that is your fault because you did not do your due diligence."

You can watch the segment here:

RJ Mitte reveals how he was financially exploited at just 17 while trying to protect his Breaking Bad earnings: “During the last four years of my highest-earning series, I wanted to protect my money. I was 17 or 18, and everyone was telling me to get a proper accountant. Dude, I got eaten alive.
byu/RoxySinner inFauxmoi

The resurfaced clip was shared on the "Fauxmoi" subReddit, where Redditors were disgusted by what Mitte went through.

"Financial abuse. Not enough protections for young actors. I know he refused to publicly name the manager, but I hope karma gets them." —neuroticdynamite

"He said the accountant would target disabled young and elderly actors, too. Complete scumbag." —been_mackin

"They worked at the Sheriff's office; let's not forget to leave that crucial detail out. So corrupt."

"He even said he would have had to file where she worked, which is exactly what protected her. Crooked deputy. ACAB."

"This is disgusting, and the hosts of the show just gloss over it instead of showing him empathy in that moment." —Square_Midnight

"I want to know who that business manager is. Evil." —Historical-Edge-9332

"That's been the question of the moment. It's also been a way to give the family and those who knew him space to grieve and figure out what happened privately, but also give the public something to focus on that very well might have had an impact on why RJ did what he did." —TCoMonteCristo

"He comes across as such a genuinely good person. It's truly sad that he was treated so unfairly like this." —Educational_Ad_3528

"'Bad business manager,' AKA: fraud and theft... This poor kid. He was literally just a kid." —Correct-Hope-2227

"The worst is that he was a child. He had no one else. Father wasn't in the picture, and mother was paralysed. He was the main breadwinner since the age of 13 and did the right thing. Which is to get a professional. Yet he still lost everything." —Fearless_Mind_4223

"The system is so incredibly exploitative. This just breaks my heart." —butt-in-ski

"REMEMBER Y'ALL, IF YOU LOOK FOR AN ACCOUNTANT, SPECIFICALLY ASK IF THEY ARE A FIDUCIARY."

"THEY ARE LEGALLY OBLIGATED TO ACT IN YOUR BEST INTEREST, AND IT IS THE BEST WAY TO SAFEGUARD YOURSELF."

"There are a lot of ways to check and make sure you are dealing with a fiduciary as well, so if you are worried, ‘well, they can just lie,’ but no, they cannot! There are legal consequences for lying, and the information regarding their fiduciary status is public information and possible to look up."

"REMEMBER, IF IT'S FINANCIAL, FIND A FIDUCIARY." —Dickie-Nird

You can watch the full interview here, as well:

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

It's never okay to exploit someone, but it feels worse that it was a child with a disability being exploited, especially when he just wanted to do the right thing, professionally and for his family.

---

### MAGA Rep. Gets Blunt Reality Check After Raging At Reporter For Filming Him In Public After Disastrous Debate

**Published:** October 15, 2026 | **Author:** Amelia Mavis Christnot | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/andy-harris-debate-reporter-filming.md

MAGA Republican Representative Andy Harris—chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus—is the only member of the GOP representing Maryland in Congress.

On October 13, Harris faced off in a League of Women Voters debate against his opponent, Democrat Dan Schwartz. The night didn't go well for Harris who was openly mocked and heckled during the debate.

After Harris' excuses for MAGA Republican President Donald Trump's poor job performance received robust laughter, Harris lashed out at the audience, calling them rude.

You can see the moment here:

Things went from bad to worse when Harris called a press gaggle after the debate.

Harris interrupted a reporter from The Baltimore Banner saying:

"I'm going to say it slowly, because people from 'The Baltimore Banner' need me to say things slowly."

You can see local news coverage here:

youtu.be

After that confrontation, Harris moved on to student journalist Cat Murphy from the Capital News Service. Harris attacked Murphy after she told him she thought he should respect The Baltimore Banner reporter's questions just as much as hers.

Waving his finger in her face, Harris petulantly replied:

"Uh, we're not answering your question either."

You can see the full interaction from Murphy's own recording of Harris here:

When Murphy pushed back, Harris said:

"You cannot film me... This is a two-party state. I am not giving you authority to film me."

When another reporter pointed out Harris had called the press there himself, Harris told Murphy:

"Well, I'm disinviting you. You're gone. You're gone."

Harris then tried to get security to remove Murphy.

Another reporter off camera asked:

"Are you eliminating a member of the press? You just spoke about how you wanted people to defend and respect your First Amendment."

After Harris again appealed to security to do his bidding, he told Murphy:

"You do not have my permission to record. If you record, we will refer you to prosecutors."

Murphy responded:

"Everyone in here is recording. Why am I not allowed to?"

Harris replied:

"But you are not allowed to. We are in a two-party state. You are not allowed to."

After several members of the press told Harris it was a public forum and he was wrong, the Republican incumbent demanded security confiscate Murphy's phone and told them to get a police officer.

When Harris didn't get his way, he stormed off, telling the press to blame Murphy for his behavior.

Harris' fellow Maryland legislator, Democrat Jamie Raskin, was happy to provide Harris with a factcheck.

Representative Raskin wrote:

"No, it’s not illegal for a journalist to record a politician at a press availability when the politician invited the press! Classic Andy Harris. We served together in the Maryland State Senate and Congress for two decades—he's an authoritarian through and through, and can be counted on by tyrants all over the world—Trump, Putin, Orban, J6 insurrectionists."

In his accompanying video, Representative Raskin explained why Harris was wrong about Maryland law.

Multiple legal experts concurred that two-party consent laws don't apply in public areas where there is no reasonable expectation of privacy—even less so for an elected official at a press gaggle that they initiated.

People found Harris' behavior unacceptable.

I didn't know who Andy Harris was until today. Congratulations, Andy, you sucked so hard even the national media heard it.
— astrospin.bsky.social (@astrospin.bsky.social) October 14, 2026 at 9:17 AM

His ignorance of the law should disqualify him from office. It should certainly cost him votes!
— Robert S Russell (@grampa007.bsky.social) October 15, 2026 at 12:02 PM

Glad to see that this is on TRMS radar. Andy Harris has made a point of closing all of his constituent service offices east of the Bay and he never does town halls. I guess this story shows why. He is not much of a people person. Job well done, Cat Murphy.
— tom--sullivan.bsky.social (@tom--sullivan.bsky.social) October 15, 2026 at 11:09 AM

— Clear (@clearandloud.bsky.social) October 15, 2026 at 9:45 AM

Republicans all want a proverbial participation trophy instead of factual reporting
— SuziQT (@surrealsuzi.bsky.social) October 15, 2026 at 8:14 AM

Fascistic dreams and ambitions. Freedom of speech for me but not for thee.
— Matthew (@matthewchat.bsky.social) October 15, 2026 at 7:13 AM

The Baltimore Banner published an op-ed by Rick Hutzell on Harris, titled "Andy Harris the bully shows up at the end of his Maryland campaign."

Based on Harris' behavior, "bully" seems an apt description.

---

### JD Vance Slammed After Taunting James Talarico With Blatantly Homophobic Jab

**Published:** October 15, 2026 | **Author:** Peter Karleby | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/jd-vance-talarico-gay.md

Vice President JD Vance is in hot water after acting like a 12-year-old boy and using a homophobic taunt against Texas Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico.

In the latest chapter of "boy are the Republicans terrified of what's about to happen in Texas," Vance accused Talarico of being gay because he's, you know, nice to people.

Why? Probably because Talarico is polling ahead of Republican Ken Paxton in a state that hasn't been competitive in national elections for literal decades and the GOP is scared sh*tless.

And JD Vance, like most Republicans, doesn't have anything to lean on—no legislative achievements and certainly no personality—besides bigoted insults.

Not sure that's gonna do the job, JD! You guys are definitely gonna have to resort to stealing this one to win it. Anyway here's what Vance had to say.

After some weirdo in the crowd yelled "I love you" at Vance, Vance replied:

"I love you too, sir. In a totally platonic way, to be clear. I'm the vice president, not James Talarico."

Sick burn, JD. Anyway, your reminder that JD Vance has done drag and is positively riddled with gay rumors himself.

He even wrote in his so-called "memoir" that he once thought he was gay. The call's coming from inside the house, JD!

This new dig, lifeless as it is, is nothing new for Vance when it comes to Talarico.

Because, once again, Republicans have nothing else to run on besides bigotry and insults, Vance has spent most of the campaign accusing Talarico of either being gay or a pedophile.

This is because Talarico supports transgender children and drag queens' right to, you know, exist.

Vance has even branded Talarico "Talafreako," because as you've probably noticed he's one of the great wits of our time.

Meanwhile, not 24 hours prior, a scandal surrounding Talarico's opponent Ken Paxton dropped centering on his ties to parties he attended in Dubai with fugitives wanted in the U.S. on federal healthcare fraud and embezzlement charges.

Not that whatever paltry number of MAGA people who still remain care about that, of course.

Anyway, given the way Republicans are polling across the country as we head into the home stretch before the midterms, you can probably guess how Vance's comments landed.

Anyway, it's long been said that "Texas isn't red, it's gerrymandered"—which is true of most of the South, actually, and liberals should really stop with the snide and sadistic "they get what they voted for" rhetoric they routinely spout toward Southern states.

But in Texas' case, that axiom seems to be on the brink of being proved true at the polls.

Democrats currently hold narrow leads in most of the high-profile state races, including those for Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General.

And a poll of voter enthusiasm showed 53% of Texas Democrats were enthusiastic about voting versus just 37% of Republicans.

Still, nearly every race is within the margin of error, so it's anyone's game. But in a state that hasn't been competitive for nearly 30 years, these numbers should have Republicans terrified.

And they certainly seem to: Both Vance and Trump have been pouring into the state making visits, something that is highly abnormal in a state that is always a Republican lock.

Nothing a few gay slurs can't fix, surely.

---

### Mike Johnson Roasted After Accidentally Making A Case For Democrats With Warning To Voters

**Published:** October 15, 2026 | **Author:** Amelia Mavis Christnot | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/johnson-makes-democrat-case.md

During a Tuesday interview on Fox News, MAGA Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson once again openly expressed his fear about what might happen to the world as he knows it if Democrats win the majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate during the November midterms.

Johnson explained that if Democrats take control of the House and Senate in January, they would likely launch numerous investigations into the administration of MAGA Republican President Donald Trump instead of turning a blind eye on constitutional and ethical and financial violations by the White House and Trump's cronies.

Speaking to host Dana Perino, Johnson warned:

"If this group took over―heaven forbid, Dana!―they would turn every committee of Congress into an investigative body. They would spend every day investigating the president, the first family, the Cabinet, donors to the party, leaders in business and industry."

You can watch Johnson's warning here:

The idea of a legislative branch providing checks and balances instead of just rubber stamping the executive branch wasn't the deterrent Johnson hoped for. A recent survey by the Navigator Research Project found 60% of voters believe Trump brought more corruption to Washington D.C., and government corruption ranks as a top-five issue for voters regardless of political affiliation.

So why would holding powerful people in government accountable for their actions be a negative for anyone who isn't part of the corruption? Perhaps the Louisiana Republican didn't think his appeal to voters through.

As MeidasTouch put it:

"Mike Johnson continues to campaign for the Democratic Party"

People had a reality check for Johnson online.

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@OwnRules/X

Just last week in another Fox News interview, Johnson—a self-described Christian nationalist—declared:

"Heaven forbid, if we lose this majority or whatever, I don’t know what my next chapter of life is. If God moves on our hearts and says we should, you know, go back to my hometown of Shreveport and start a lawn business, I’ll do that with equal fervor."

"I mean, I just want to be of my highest and best use... to God and to my country."

Does this mean the Louisiana Republican legislator will resign from Congress if his party loses the majority? Johnson, like all members of the House of Representatives, is up for reelection in November, but he's expected to win in his heavily gerrymandered state.

If the GOP loses its majority in the House, Johnson will no longer be Speaker. Maybe it's time he started shopping for lawnmowers.

---

### Abdul El-Sayed Has Pitch Perfect Answer When Asked Why He's Campaigning With Obama After Previously Criticizing Him

**Published:** October 15, 2026 | **Author:** Amelia Mavis Christnot | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/el-sayed-campaigning-obama-criticism.md

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Dr. Abdul El-Sayed was called out by his opposition for campaigning with support from former Democratic President Barack Obama despite having criticized the former POTUS in 2012 over deportations and drone warfare.

Now El-Sayed has directly addressed that past criticism with what some are calling a perfect analogy.

As El-Sayed was leaving the podium after speaking to the press recently, an unidentified reporter asked:

"You previously criticized President Obama. Why are you campaigning with him?"

El-Sayed returned to the podium, saying he'd answer the question, then asked the reporter:

"Do you love your dad?"

After the reporter answered in the affirmative, El-Sayed asked:

"Do you agree with everything your dad has ever done?"

When the reporter responded in the negative, El-Sayed explained:

"So, it's a normal thing to love somebody, to really appreciate all that they've done, and to say, 'Hey, here's some things that I would have done differently.'"

"But, they still did some important things to create opportunity for you. There is no world in which I get to run for office without somebody like President Obama."

You can see EL-Sayed's full response here:

El-Sayed reflected on how then Illinois state Senator Obama's 2004 Democratic National Convention speech inspired him, saying:

"I never saw politics look like that before. It was the first time I ever saw myself in a politician."

After explaining the ways in which their lives were similar, El-Sayed added:

"He was foundational to my ability to run for office. I'm so grateful that he's coming to Michigan to campaign for me. It means so much to me and I hope that I can pick up where he left off."

"You think about something like health care. He called the a starter home. I think we've outgrown the starter home. I think he would agree. What do we do from here?"

People appreciated El-Sayed explaining how a person can deeply respect and love their predecessors, but still criticize their choices.

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In a separate statement to reporters, El-Sayed said:

"...it is to say that where we push differently is because we’ve learned from what he’s done and because we stand on the shoulders of giants."

"And so, I am so grateful to have been a young man in my 20s with Barack Hussein Obama as president. I would never have seen myself running for office."

The right has tried to paint El-Sayed as a hypocrite for campaigning with President Obama.

But it's not like the POTUS called EL-Sayed's wife ugly and said his father was part of the assassination of President Kennedy, like MAGA Republican President Donald Trump did with Texas MAGA sycophant Senator Rafael "Ted" Cruz. Nor did El-Sayed say President Obama was a "pathological liar," "utterly amoral," a "sniveling coward," and a "trainwreck" like Cruz did of Trump.

There was never any personal animosity between El-Sayed and President Obama, simply a younger generation appreciating their elders, but wanting better and more.

Now Dr. El-Sayed is trying to make that better and more happen.

---

### Jesse Watters Just Said The Quiet Part Out Loud About Why Conservative Men Don't Like Their Wives Having Jobs—And Yikes

**Published:** October 14, 2026 | **Author:** Morgan Allison Ross | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/watters-conservative-wives-jobs.md

For someone who spends an extraordinary amount of time lecturing other men about masculinity, Fox News host Jesse Watters seems remarkably uncomfortable with a successful woman calling her own shots.

On Monday's The Five, Watters turned a discussion about Kamala Harris' potential 2028 presidential campaign into a confession about why some men don't want their wives working.

The conversation followed a Wall Street Journal report alleging that Doug Emhoff, Harris' husband, privately expressed reservations about another presidential run.

And Watters' explanation took a side-eye worthy turn:

“I know a lot of guys… We don’t like our wives working.”

What in the Mad Men hell did we just listen to? And who's this “we” he's talking about?

For the record, the report never suggested Emhoff wanted to control Harris' career. People close to the former second gentleman reportedly expect him to support her if she runs.

Watters mocked Emhoff as being “along for the ride” before imagining himself in that position:

“I would never let Emma get into this situation. If she’s VP or she’s running for president, I couldn’t handle it for many reasons. One, I’d miss her too much. But also, every time I turn on cable, some guy is ridiculing her? What am I gonna spend all day making an enemies list?”

An enemies list? You work at Fox News. If every politician's spouse tracked cable hosts who insulted their partners, your name would be on half the lists in Washington.

Watch Watters' remarks on The Five below:

Watters: We don’t like our wives working. We don’t like the idea of another man telling her what to do. We like to have a certain amount of control. https://t.co/UQ0CRqb8rd
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 12, 2026

Don't we love it when the quiet part is said so loud and so clear?

And who is the lucky lady married to this self-appointed authority on toxic masculinity? Emma DiGiovine, a former Fox News associate producer who married Watters in 2019.

Watters once joked on The Five that he'd deflated DiGiovine's tires while courting her so she'd need a ride home. He later clarified that he'd never actually done it.

Watters once described his foolproof dating strategy on The Five:

“She couldn't go anywhere. She needed a lift, I said, 'Hey, you need a lift?' She hopped right in the car.”

Sir, that's not a meet-cute. That's a Reddit post on r/relationship_advice with 3,000 comments telling her to run.

And this isn’t the first time that Watters has scrutinized Emhoff's masculinity. In January 2025, Watters took issue with Emhoff accompanying Harris on a grocery-shopping trip, finding a husband running errands with his wife worthy of national television commentary.

Watters questioned this shocking display of married life:

“What kind of husband goes grocery shopping with his wife?”

Apparently, the kind who knows where the produce aisle is. Truly groundbreaking stuff.

Watch Watters question Emhoff's grocery-shopping habits below:

Watters: You don’t need to go grocery shopping with your wife. You should be able to exert price control from afar https://t.co/a2a7ZCD31q
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 24, 2025

Then, during the 2025 Met Gala, Watters criticized Emhoff for leaning toward Kamala Harris on the red carpet. Yes, leaning.

Watters offered his expert analysis of proper husband posture:

“Men should never lean. Green lines don't lie.”

Don’t know what the “green line” mention is all about? It’s all about the super masculine theory that whoever angles themselves closer to their partner has less power in the relationship. Very romantic, am I right?

So far, Watters' rules for marriage include no grocery shopping, no leaning, and absolutely no letting your wife become president. Dear universe, at this point, we'll take a cardboard cutout for a husband. At least it can stand next to a successful woman without feeling threatened by her shadow.

And online, people weren't exactly rushing to sign up for his marriage masterclass:

During Tuesday's episode of Keke Palmer's podcast, Baby, This Is Keke Palmer, Harris discussed life after the White House and made clear she remains undecided about entering the 2028 race. For now, her attention is on the 2026 midterms.

Watch Harris discuss her political future with Palmer below:

And that's what makes Watters' entire performance so ridiculous. Harris hasn't announced a campaign, Emhoff hasn't publicly opposed one, and somehow a Fox News host has appointed himself referee of their marriage.

The 2028 race hasn't even started, but Watters has already proved that the only thing more exhausting than running for president might be being married to Jesse Watters.

---

### 'Final Destination' Star Devon Sawa Tempts Fate With Bold Prediction About His Own Death

**Published:** October 14, 2026 | **Author:** McKenzie Lynn Tozan | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/devon-sawa-death-prediction.md

Devon Sawa, as Alex Browning, may have predicted the plane crash that started the Final Destination franchise, but he has a few choice words for the possibility of a plane crash happening in real life.

While sitting down with The Daily Beast's Obsessed Podcast, Devon Sawa reflected on his time on the first Final Destination film, now a six-part franchise, and the moment that he realized that the team had really created something special.

He remembered how the team attended a screening, hiding in the back of the theater as test viewers watched, and it was during the pivotal, violent bus crash scene that he realized Final Destination was introducing a new iteration to the horror genre.

Despite the impact the film had on his life and horror entertainment as a whole, he's not interested in a real-life ending as "perfect" as a plane crash.

"The chances of me doing a movie about dying in an airplane, and then actually dying in an airplane, would be pretty slim, so I think I'm safe."

"It would be too perfect if I die; if the actor actually died in an airplane."

The host admitted:

"Oh my gosh, 'TMZ' would have a field day."

Sawa agreed:

"Right? And I'm not giving them that joy."

You can watch the video here:

But it's clear that Devon Sawa has put some serious thought into the concept of death, which is pretty fitting given his key acting genre, from musing about how he might die to ranking his favorite horror movie deaths.

For the morbidly curious, one of Sawa's favorites remains that pivotal bus scene from the first Final Destination, as well as the "sleeping bag kill" in Friday the 13th, Part VII: The New Blood, and basically any kill from Evil Dead 2.

An honorable mention came in the form of a scene that never had a chance to be filmed. Don Mancini planned on doing a season of Chucky that was never filmed, and it would have featured Sawa as a boating captain, and his death would have been Chucky pushing him from the boat into a shiver of sharks, where he would have been eaten alive.

You can watch that video here:

Fans were with Sawa, wishing they could have seen the shark scene.

@thedailybeast/Instagram

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Others shared their own favorite kills from their favorite horror movies.

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A few held out hope for Alex Browning's return for a future Final Destination movie, too, since viewers never officially saw him killed off.

@thedailybeast/Instagram

@thedailybeast/Instagram

Fans didn't have much to say about the potential irony of Sawa dying in a real-life a plane crash, but they still hope Alex Browning survived Final Destination—and that death didn't catch up with him in between movies.

---

### Dem Candidate Has Epic Clapback After Darline Graham Tries To Insult Her With 'Socialist' Dig

**Published:** October 14, 2026 | **Author:** Amelia Mavis Christnot | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/andrews-graham-debate-socialist.md

Longtime South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham died in July of this year. At the time of his death, Lindsey Graham was running for reelection to a fifth Senate term as the Republican nominee after winning the June GOP primary with 56.8% of the vote against five other Republican candidates.

GOP Governor Henry McMaster appointed his sister, Darlene Nordone, to temporarily fill her brother's Senate seat. But if she wants to maintain her place in Congress, she'll need to earn it at the ballot box in November.

Despite her poor debate performance against her Republican rivals leading up to the GOP special primary and subsequent runoff in August, Darline Graham—as she's now known—garnered 33% of the Republican vote to defeat her closest competitor's 24%. Now she faces off against her brother's opponent, pediatrician Dr. Annie Andrews, the South Carolina Democratic candidate for Senate.

Unfortunately for Graham, her debate skills haven't improved.

After Graham repeatedly referred to Dr. Andrews as a "socialist," the GOP's latest boogeyman for their MAGA faithful, the Democrat clapped back, saying:

"I told you my opponent was going to call me a socialist, and there she’s done it again. She’s been told to call me ‘Bernie Ocasio Mamdani.’ That’s what’s in her script."

"But the truth is my name is Annie Andrews. There shouldn’t be any confusion about that because, unlike my opponent, I have not changed my name recently."

You can watch the moment here:

When appointed to fill her brother's Senate seat, Graham had been using her current married name, Nordone, as her surname and the alternate spelling of her given name, using Darline instead of her legal name Darlene. Once appointed, she immediately filed to run for her brother's Senate seat, but used Graham on all of her paperwork to exploit her brother's legacy.

Graham, a former state worker since 2008, has been criticized by Dr. Andrews for being unqualified.

View on Threads

People concurred with Dr. Andrews' assessment.

@jwhitesd1/Threads

@tamarasclan/Bluesky

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Annie Andrews made Darline Graham look like an idiot (again)

— Nissim (@nissimss.bsky.social) October 12, 2026 at 3:35 PM

@thurberteam/Bluesky

View on Threads

They should honestly just put a mannequin on stage with a red R on its forehead and watch 51% of South Carolina vote for it
— Van Alan (@van-alan.bsky.social) October 12, 2026 at 9:20 AM

The latest polling shows Graham and Andrews in a statistical stalemate.

---

### Comedian Grace Helbig Just Revealed Her Breast Cancer Has Spread To Her Brain—And Fans Are Applauding Her Humor Around It

**Published:** October 14, 2026 | **Author:** McKenzie Lynn Tozan | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/helbig-brain-cancer-humor.md

Comedian and This Might Get Weird podcast cohost Grace Helbig has been open about her cancer journey since she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Now with a new diagnosis, she has no intention of dropping the honesty—or the humor.

In a lighthearted and humorous Instagram reel, Helbig shared that her breast cancer had "missed her" and loved being "in her body" so much that it had decided to spread to her brain, where things were usually "pretty funny."

Helbig quipped:

"Two things, and they're both brain tumors."

"My cancer missed me, and why wouldn't she want to be in my body?"

The comedian went on to explain, however, that she was preparing for two surgeries later in the week, and that she and her doctors were optimistic about her treatment and overall prognosis.

While she couldn't say exactly how everything would turn out, she did promise those watching that she would stay positive and intended to take the journey "one day at a time."

She was also fortunately surrounded by loved ones, including her husband, her family members who had already flown in to see her, and the many medical staff and breast cancer patients she'd befriended during her past treatment, which she claimed made all the difference.

In the caption, the podcast host further explained:

"Welp, I’m getting brain surgery on Wednesday to remove a couple tumors they found up there because it looks like my breast cancer missed me so much it might have come back to nest in the ol cranium."

"I’m cautiously optimistic but taking it day by day."

"My family and friends are with me, and my sweet husband, who I’ve already put through the wringer the first time around, has been a damn super hero."

"I feel very blessed and deeply loved. Thank you for all the support!"

You can watch the video here:

Fans were nervous, of course, and hopeful about Helbig's prognosis, but they were also impressed with her demeanor about the whole experience.

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Laughter is the best medicine and can play a huge role in healing. If anyone can turn a pair of brain tumors into the butt of jokes, it's Grace Helbig.

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### 'Smallville' Star Tom Welling Offers Hilarious Reaction After Sharing Accidentally NSFW Selfie

**Published:** October 14, 2026 | **Author:** Morgan Allison Ross | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/smallville-welling-nsfw-selfie.md

Somebody saaaave Tom Welling! Although judging by what his Instagram followers saw, they might prefer nobody intervene. The Smallville heartthrob accidentally revealed more than the New York City skyline when a hotel window selfie took an unexpectedly NSFW turn.

Welling, 49, arrived in New York City for New York Comic Con (NYCC), reuniting with Smallville co-stars Michael Rosenbaum, Kristin Kreuk, and Erica Durance to celebrate the beloved superhero series' 25th anniversary.

Naturally, the actor wanted to share a little sightseeing with his Instagram followers, posting a photo of the skyline from his hotel room with the caption “Hello NYCC.”

But Welling apparently forgot that hotel windows have a sneaky habit of reflecting what's happening on the other side.

Come see the Man of Steel's unexpected reveal:

@tomwelling/Instagram

Go ahead, put on your pixelated glasses. That blurry figure isn't a bird or a plane. It's Superman—or is it Clark Kent?—in his birthday suit.

We're not conspiracy theorists, but someone might want to check the security cameras at LexCorp. This feels like exactly the kind of scandal Lex Luthor would orchestrate.

Unfortunately, Welling couldn't make the evidence disappear. By the time he deleted the Instagram Story, screenshots were already circulating online.

One Instagram user, @trevorlarcom, even parodied the moment from a tourist's perspective, pretending to spot Welling standing naked in his hotel window before reacting in disbelief.

See what happens when sightseeing gets a little too revealing:

With 90.2K likes and counting, the video has become quite the attraction on Instagram. Even Welling couldn't resist stopping by to leave his own contribution.

In the comments section, Welling delivered his own cheeky comeback:

“Came for the sights.”

Speaking of sights, the weekend offered plenty of nostalgia as the cast took the stage for "The Road to Superman: 25 Years of Smallville" panel.

The conversation revisited the show's legacy, the challenges of filming more than 20 episodes per season, and memorable behind-the-scenes moments. But one story from Welling involved a very different kind of photograph.

Welling shared how co-star John Glover brought that particular photo to his attention:

“And he goes, ‘I’m so happy to see you.’ I was like, ‘Why?’ He’s like, ‘I have a picture I’d like you to sign.’ And it was a picture from the internet that somebody had made of me completely naked.”

So, even Lex Luthor's father got an NSFW view of the Man of Steel. Good for him!

Of course, the panel wasn't all about revealing photographs. Welling also recalled filming an early superspeed scene while running on a treadmill mounted to the back of a moving truck.

That superspeed might have come in handy over the weekend, considering how quickly the internet caught wind of his accidental exposure.

Here's how social media reacted:

Welling appeared to be having a blast in New York City. He continued enjoying the convention and shared another Instagram post inviting fans to stop by and say hello.

See Welling enjoying his time at NYCC:

And if anyone was going to have Welling's back, it was his longtime friend and former on-screen nemesis, Rosenbaum.

The two have maintained a close friendship since Smallville premiered in 2001 and now co-host the Talkville rewatch podcast. Naturally, Rosenbaum couldn't resist joining the fun.

He posted his own hotel window photo, posing without pants while strategically holding a sign reading “Perverts” over his lower body. Welling appreciated the gesture enough to reshare it to his Instagram Stories on Sunday.

Rosenbaum offered his longtime friend a little moral support:

@themichaelrosenbaum/Instagram

Welling and Rosenbaum have explored bringing Smallville back through a proposed animated continuation featuring the original cast's voices. However, the project has yet to receive a confirmed green light.

Twenty-five years after Smallville premiered, Welling and Rosenbaum are still making memories together—and proving some friendships are stronger than kryptonite.

As for Welling's next hotel stay? Perhaps a hotel with dirtier windows would be a safer bet.

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### Brooklyn Store Attempts To 'Clear The Air' With Kelly Clarkson After She Brands Them 'Liars' For Claiming Mechanical Bird Wasn't For Sale

**Published:** October 14, 2026 | **Author:** Peter Karleby | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/clarkson-brooklyn-store-owner.md

A Brooklyn shop is in hot water after offending one of the seemingly nicest people in Hollywood, Kelly Clarkson.

The conflict ensued after Clarkson visited Brooklyn boutique Art of Play, where she says she was treated like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman for asking about the price of a mechanical bird.

The store of course denied the incident, and a feud erupted online between the star and the shop's management.

Now, the store is trying to clear the air once and for all... but it's not exactly going how they planned, especially after the owner claimed that Clarkson put him and his staff "in danger."

It all began when Clarkson took to social media to express her disgruntlement with how she says she was treated.

She wrote:

"Just drove all the way to Brooklyn to check out this store I thought looked really rad and had a few things in mind to buy and literally was looked at as if I couldn’t afford it and was told he could find something comparable for me..."

"Wow, dude. You’re an idiot and just lost a huge sale."

"But y’all should go check out Art of Play in Brooklyn if you enjoy being treated like Julia Roberts character in Pretty Woman. For sure, check it out 👎"

The shop quickly responded with social media posts of its own, explaining what they say actually happened.

According to them, Clarkson had inquired about an item that was permanently affixed to the wall and was not for sale.

They then acknowledged that the experience Clarkson described "would resonate with anyone who has ever felt judged in a shop." But they then went on to essentially scold the internet for believing Clarkson and then trying to cancel them in response.

They wrote:

"Imagine our surprise when our small local business was suddenly attacked by 8 million people who have never visited our store."

"It’s been a surreal experience to be the focus of such widespread outrage after just one mention by a celebrity."

No denying that the internet mob pile-on culture is deeply deranged and out of hand. But Art of Play desperately needs a publicist, because this is not the way to handle an uproar if you want to come out unscathed.

Especially when you don't have your story straight. As Clarkson explained in her rebuttal, the "automaton" in question had a price tag affixed to it and she posted a photo proving as such. Seems pretty "for sale" guys!

Clarkson wrote in her response post:

"Cool, cool. Sure, it wasn’t for sale..."

"so the whole conversation we had when I asked you if it was for sale whilst pointing to the price tag hanging on the wall with the title Singing Bird didn’t happen as you elevator eyed me saying in a condescending tone,' yes, it’s for sale but it costs 15,000 dollars so if you’d like me to find something comparable for you I can.'"

"That all never happened and now it’s not for sale. Okay, cool. So you’re not only rude, you’re also a liar. Got it ✅ "

So then Art of Play posted another response on Instagram, saying that they tried to explain that the artist who made the bird has a duplicate and that bird is for sale for $15,000, or they have a similar one for $2000.

But, they said, Clarkson did not stick around long enough to see the other options.

That, as you might guess, did nothing to quell the uproar, even as many people quite rightly questioned the appropriateness of a major star like Clarkson using her platform to criticize a small business.

On one hand, of course, the staff should have handled the interaction better—and their response to Clarkson is every publicist's nightmare.

But on the other hand, a star of Clarkson's wattage and resources knows that their posts are going to ignite an angry internet mob. It's not unreasonable to feel like this is ultimately picking on a little guy, even if deserved.

In any case, that is definitely the narrative Art of Play is not going with. In an exclusive interview with USA Today last night, the store's co-owner angrily insisted that Clarkson was essentially bullying them.

In his defensive response, he claimed that by igniting an angry mob:

"Kelly Clarkson put us in danger."

And you can probably guess how that has gone down: not well at all! Many feel that his defensive, dramatic response means his shop is getting exactly what it deserves.

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The backlash has been especially swift given a particular detail revealed in the USA Today profile: Art of Play has raised the price on the bird that started this whole thing to $15 million due to "popular demand."

Oh brother. The bottom line of this whole story, aside from whatever side of the moral debate you may fall on, was perfectly summarized by one of Art of Play's Instagram commenters, who wrote simply:

"Publicist here: stop speaking.

@thejamesvolpe/Instagram

Yeah, there were myriad ways to win this argument, but clapping back at one of America's perceived sweethearts is not among them.

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### Travis Kelce Sparks Backlash After 'Liking' Video Of Shane Gillis' Misogynistic 'SNL' Monologue

**Published:** October 14, 2026 | **Author:** Amelia Mavis Christnot | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/kelce-gillis-snl-monologue.md

Kansas City football player and Mr. Taylor Swift Travis Kelce is drawing backlash for liking a social media post of controversial comedian Shane Gillis' Saturday Night Live monologue in which he said women who wear workout clothes at the gym dress like "whores" and that everyone is either "Hitler or gay."

While people like Schitt's Creek creator and actor Dan Levy called out the misogyny in Gillis' monologue, apparently Kelce finds it acceptable in a time when people are asking what made 57 Ivy League men at Cornell decide rape is a group bonding experience and incapacitated women are party favors.

So people were disappointed when Kelce liked an Instagram post of Gillis' monologue after SNL posted it online.

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Lest anyone think that Kelce likes every SNL post, someone pointed out that he hadn't liked Dakota Johnson's opening monologue that featured his wife, Taylor Swift.

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Kelce apparently failed to read the room—or travels in toxic manosphere spaces online that are bending over backwards to defend Gillis—but plenty of people have explained what they objected to in Gillis' version of comedy.

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Gillis had been tapped to be a featured player by SNL back in 2019, but was fired before his first appearance on the show over his racist and homophobic comments on and off stage.

Several racist clips from a now-deleted episode of his podcast with Matt McCusker, Matt and Shane’s Secret Podcast, and other clips showing the duo using anti-gay slurs resurfaced online, causing SNL to rescind their offer.

SNL producer Lorne Michaels later claimed it was not his decision to fire Gillis, but rather NBC execs had to force him not to platform a comedian who thought racism and homophobia were funny. While his behavior earned him the ax from NBC, Michaels has brought Gillis back three times now to host his show.

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### JD Vance Blasted After Viral Video Appears To Show Him Breaking State Law While Voting In Ohio

**Published:** October 14, 2026 | **Author:** Amelia Mavis Christnot | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/vance-ohio-ballot-photo-law.md

MAGA Republican Vice President JD Vance voted early in his home state of Ohio, and people are crying foul. Not for his early vote but rather for what he did in the voting booth.

On October 9, Vance traveled to the Hamilton County Board of Elections in Norwood, Ohio, to cast his ballot.

Several viral videos show Vance handling a cellphone while standing in the Ohio voting station, seemingly taking a photo of his ballot. Critics claim Donald Trump's VP violated Ohio's election laws.

Ohio's Revised Code § 3599.20 makes it a fifth-degree felony for a voter to "allow the elector’s ballot to be seen by another… with the apparent intention of letting it be known how the elector is about to vote." The revised law in effect since 1997 carries a fine of up to $2,500 and up to a year in prison.

But did Vance break the law?

The videos are clips of footage originally shared by C-SPAN, seen here:

youtube.com

Ohio restricts sharing a voter’s marked ballot, specifically prohibits a voter from exhibiting the ballot they intend to cast, and warns against taking ballot selfies. The full video is edited to not show Vance actually marking his ballot.

Vance sets down his phone to vote after holding it over his ballot. The video doesn't show when he picked it back up or if he handled it again in the same manner after voting.

You can see the viral videos accusing Vance of impropriety here:

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People called out Vance online.

As one poster of the viral video pointed out, with the emphasis MAGA Republican President Donald Trump has placed on election integrity—even if he's never provided any evidence of irregularities—his VP should be extra careful about appearances. Why rouse suspicions and doubts by handling his phone in the voting booth like Vance did?

The C-SPAN video cuts away while Vance is voting and someone can be heard telling cameras to back up as Vance enters the booth to vote.

Whether Vance photographed his ballot before or after he voted is unclear. For people in the 15 states that prohibit so-called ballot selfies who aren't the Republican Vice President of the United States, it's probably best to keep your cellphone safely tucked away while you vote.

Voting officials are less likely to be so lenient with regular voters.

---

### Trump Marvels Over MAGA Senator's Butt In Bizarre Ohio Rally Moment

**Published:** October 14, 2026 | **Author:** Alan Herrera | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/trump-jon-husted-butt.md

In one of the weirder moments at a recent rally in Youngstown, Ohio, President Donald Trump revealed that he was "examining" Republican Senator Jon Husted's "body" while Husted was speaking, even commenting on Husted's butt.

The self-identified "stable genius" shared what he was thinking as Husted spoke, with Trump standing behind him.

Trump said:

“I’m standing over here, and I don’t do this with men very often. I started examining his body because I didn’t know he was a great athlete, and I looked, and I watched up and down.”

“I looked at his a** and I looked at the whole… And then I looked at his hands. He’s got these like claws. And I got it, you are a great athlete!”

You can hear what he said in the video below.

He continued:

“Look at that jawline, I’m telling you! I never saw that. I never studied him, and now I study him. I say, why was he such a good football player? The jawline, he’s tough as hell.”

You can hear what he said in the video below.

People have thoughts.

Trump's homoerotic tangent brings to mind the time he randomly gushed over the late golfer Arnold Palmer's genitalia during an appearance in Pennsylvania.

Trump was speaking at a 2024 rally in the city of Latrobe just weeks before that year's presidential election when he claimed Palmer was "all man" and impressed other pros with his manhood in the showers.

Palmer, who died in 2016, was from Latrobe and it's not uncommon for politicians to pay tribute to him in their speeches there. But Trump gushed over Palmer for 12 minutes—and that includes praise for the size of Palmer's genitalia.

Feigning propriety, he said "And I refuse to say it, but when he took showers with the other pros, they came out of there—they said ‘oh my god, that’s unbelievable.’ I had to say it."

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### Trump's New White House Press Secretary Just Held Her First Press Briefing—And It Was Painfully Awkward

**Published:** October 14, 2026 | **Author:** Alan Herrera | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/zacharia-first-press-briefing-disaster.md

White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia held her first press briefing on Tuesday and it was a truly awkward experience as she struggled to read her written remarks from the podium.

According to a source who spoke toThe New York Post, President Donald Trump met with Zacharia in the Oval Office to prepare her for her first White House briefing, delaying her arrival slightly.

During their meeting, he urged her to use the heightened public interest in the event to highlight his administration’s achievements and announce his decision to seek the resignation of U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle.

Following Trump's guidance, Zacharia opened her debut briefing with eight minutes of remarks lauding the "energetic president." She also asserted that "attendance is at record highs" at his rallies before presenting favorable figures on wage growth, prescription drug costs, employment and energy production.

But when she stepped out, it quickly became apparent that Zacharia was unpolished, stumbling over her written remarks and struggling to read her own notes.

At one point, she repeated the words "to build" while highlighting the Trump administration's plans "to build eight large-scale nuclear power plants, something we've needed as the United States and something President Trump promised on the campaign trail and something President Trump delivers on, just like he delivers on every promise."

She paused and tripped over her words as she looked down at her notes, struggling to share the administration's plans "to sell fuel to our allies."

You can watch what happened in the video below.

At another point, she looked flustered as she praised Trump for "a historic one-day war," a "booming economy," and "a great relationship with Venezuela."

Grinning awkwardly during a moment that journalist Aaron Rupar described as "an SNL cold open come to life," she said she was ready to take reporters' questions now that she and they are "officially part of this incredible journey together."

The criticism was scathing.

After only taking a few minutes to answer questions, Zacharia said she would end the briefing "because President Trump is heading out to Marine One for our historic trip to Alaska,” despite the fact that Trump was not scheduled to leave imminently. Reporters were not summoned to watch Marine One take off until an hour later.

Administration officials who spoke to The New York Post admitted that Zacharia was "nervous" but said she shouldn't be judged by her first briefing. One official said she looked "stunning," which the publication noted is "something beneficial in the eyes of Trump, who favors staff who have looks 'out of central casting.'"

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### Trump Slammed After Mocking Protester's Weight And Brutal Assault At His MAGA Rally

**Published:** October 14, 2026 | **Author:** Alan Herrera | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/trump-mocks-rally-protester.md

President Donald Trump was criticized after he mocked the appearance of a protester who was shoved and punched in the face at a rally in Ohio to the cheers of those in attendance, who chanted "USA! USA!" after she was escorted out by law-enforcement.

The protester was wearing a "release the Epstein files" shirt when she was physically assaulted by a member of the crowd as Trump watched from the podium during a midterm election rally in Youngstown, Ohio.

As officers escorted the protester out, Trump smiled and said, without any evidence whatsoever:

“He’s a paid protester. They’re all paid. They get paid by the lefties—in order to destroy our country. They’re scum.”

"But he's going back home to mom. He's going back home to mom. Look at him. Don't we love law enforcement? Oh, he's gotta go on a diet."

"He’s a fat guy. Gotta go on a diet fast. We all do.”

As the crowd chanted "USA! USA!" Trump added:

“You know, they are paid protesters; that’s a very low-class protester. What he doesn’t know is that his mother and father voted for me. They’re angry as hell.”

“'That’s our boy, what’s he doing there?' He’s gonna get home and he’s gonna get smacked.”

You can watch what happened in the video below.

Trump was widely condemned for egging on the violence.

Youngstown Police have encouraged the unidentified woman to file a complaint and launch a criminal investigation.

Ohio law classifies punching another person as assault, though whether the offense is charged as a misdemeanor or felony—and what penalties may follow—depends on the circumstances, including the assailant’s intent and the severity of the attack.

Mahoning County Sheriff’s spokesman Gerry Ricciutti said deputies might not have witnessed the entire confrontation. They made no arrests, including of the protester who was escorted out of the venue. “They were just walked out of the building,” he said.

Youngstown Police Lieutenant Frank Rutherford said:

“No one should be assaulted at an event. If you punch somebody in the face, you should get in trouble for that. That’s wrong.”

“If you know the victim, have her make a police report. If she does want to file a complaint, we will take a report, absolutely, and fully investigate.”

Since the arena is within Youngstown city limits, local police and prosecutors would handle any arrest or prosecution arising from an alleged crime.

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### Dan Levy Rips 'SNL' Host Shane Gillis For Claiming Women At Gym 'Dress Like Wh*res' In Misogynistic Monologue

**Published:** October 13, 2026 | **Author:** McKenzie Lynn Tozan | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/levy-responds-gillis-snl.md

Last weekend, comedian Shane Gillis performed the opening monologue on Saturday Night Live, and his words have been widely criticized as sexist, misogynistic, and deeply problematic.

Much of the monologue details going back to the gym to get in better shape, during which he talked about women "dressed like wh*res" and warned other men to not get caught on camera staring at these women, insinuating that he was checking them out while they recorded themselves working out.

He also joked about adding hiking to his routine, during which he saw a "very attractive" woman and made crude insinuations about being alone in the woods with her.

You can watch a clip of the monologue here:

These jokes would be problematic at any time, but people are finding them in particularly poor taste while the "Cornell 7" is still being investigated.

One person who responded to the SNL skit was fellow comedian and Schitt's Creek star Dan Levy, who found these jokes to not only be problematic but to perpetuate sexist and misogynistic ideals, making it an "everybody issue."

Levy pointed out:

"Women wearing short shorts at the gym does not make them wh*res. It makes the men calling them wh*res misogynists."

"There's a difference there."

"By the way, I've seen more men's nipples at the gym than I've ever seen women showing their bodies off."

"But I'm speechless that something like that can exist on live national television."

"And to be perfectly honest, more men need to be standing up in opposition to it because it's complacency that has created the environment in which women are sexually assaulted, and it's a 'conversation' as opposed to a 'crime.'"

"This is not a women's issue; this is an everybody issue."

"Because the more that men objectify women in the media, the more that other men see them as objects and treat them as objects."

"They are not objects. They are superior human beings to men, OK?"

"And I'm sorry if this gets me in trouble with the internet, but f**k."

You can watch Levy's reaction here:

Fans and fellow celebrities loudly applauded Levy's comments and agreed with him wholeheartedly.

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Some will dismiss Gillis's monologue as just a series of jokes, but it's jokes like these that soften the area around the larger issues—namely, how women are perceived and treated by society, and how they are later treated when someone gets hurt.

It's okay to joke around and even joke about a brightly-colored outfit, but when it slips into name-calling and insinuating things about a person based on how they're dressed, it becomes something we have to talk about as more than just a joke.

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### Hillary Clinton Reveals What She Said To Barack Obama In Viral Moment After Michelle Trolled Trump During Speech

**Published:** October 13, 2026 | **Author:** Morgan Allison Ross | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/clinton-obama-nobel-trump-troll.md

The grand opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago had everything—Stevie Wonder and Bruce Springsteen bringing the star power, former presidents and first ladies gathering, and a little Nobel Peace Prize gossip that had Hillary Clinton cracking up.

The moment unfolded during Michelle Obama's speech celebrating her husband's eight years in the White House. But among his accomplishments, one honor appeared to come with extra political shade.

The former first lady delivered a pointed reminder of her husband's presidential record:

"You were doing the people's work, rescuing our economy, expanding health care, ending a war, ordering the bin Laden raid, saving an auto industry, winning a peace prize."

Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009. President Donald Trump has spent years whining—sorry, politely explaining—that he deserves one, too. When Michelle mentioned her husband's win, Clinton burst into laughter, prompting Obama to turn around with a grin.

And yes, the cameras caught every second:

Michelle Obama notes that Barack accomplished "winning a peace prize" 😆 https://t.co/ibbBQ5EOhU
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 18, 2026

The viral moment left folks wondering what Clinton whispered to Obama. Had Trump already called the Nobel committee to complain? Did she think his name was still on the waiting list? And did the Obama Library gift shop sell Nobel Peace Prize replicas? If so, how many can be shipped to Mar-a-Lago?

All reasonable questions when two former political rivals start whispering and nobody thinks to turn up the microphone.

Well, the microphone was turned up when Clinton joined the Nebraska Democratic Party's "Pumpkins, Pies and Politics" fundraiser in Omaha, where she spilled the tea on her little kiki with Obama.

And apparently, Clinton had one very specific person in mind during that little exchange:

"Barack turns around, and he kind of grins at me. So I lean forward and said, ‘I really hope that Donald Trump is watching this, and I really hope he heard that line, and I think he’s got to feel like he is in the Tenth Circle of Hell or something because of this litany of everything you’ve done.’"

In the 45th and 47th president's defense, perhaps he wasn't watching. Maybe he was busy watching himself on another channel. Somebody has to keep those ratings up.

And Michelle Obama's famous advice about going high when others go low? Apparently, Barack made an exception. According to Clinton, he agreed and hoped Trump had been watching, too.

Y'all, Hillary brought the pumpkins, pies, and everything spice in this clip:

I spliced in footage from Michelle Obama’s speech so we can see Hillary Clinton telling Barack Obama she hopes Trump heard the Nobel Prize line and Obama agreeing. https://t.co/2QryR6LrGe
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 11, 2026

And Trump hasn't exactly been shy about campaigning for that medal.

Norwegian politician Christian Tybring-Gjedde nominated him. Swedish lawmaker Magnus Jacobsson nominated him. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nominated him, too, then shared an AI slop image depicting himself placing an oversized Nobel medal around Trump's neck.

And still no medal to show off in the Oval Office.

Then came the October 9 announcement. This year’s winner? Navi Pillay, a South African human rights lawyer who challenged apartheid-era discrimination before becoming the United Nations' top human rights official. Which, you'll notice, is not how you spell Donald Trump.

But don't worry, folks, Trump took the news with all the grace and dignity you'd expect at his Syracuse rally:

“The Nobel ‘Peace’ Prize has been forever discredited by a handful of Radical Ideologues who are Anti-Democracy, and Enemies of Civilization!”

Somewhere, Auntie Hillary's group chat was probably having the time of its life. Imagine making one little joke about that man and having him log on to prove your point.

Maybe somebody should call María Corina Machado. The Venezuelan opposition leader already gave Trump her medal—perhaps she can throw in a participation trophy to make him feel better.

The internet certainly appreciated the irony:

Back in Omaha, Clinton wasn't handing out participation trophies, either. She challenged Trump's divisive political messaging and raised concerns about affordability, urging Nebraska Democrats to turn their frustrations into votes on November 3.

You can watch Clinton's full remarks below:

- YouTubeelectron media group

Nebraska isn't friendly territory for Democrats. Republicans have a grip on Lincoln, but Omaha's competitive 2nd Congressional District could help decide who controls the U.S. House. And with Democrats also looking to break the conservative supermajority back home, November 3 could deliver a twist nobody saw coming: Nebraska helping lead the charge against Republican power.

In Washington. In Lincoln. In Nebraska, of all places.

And while Democrats are fighting to change the political landscape, Trump is still trying to beat Barack Obama at winning a peace prize. Meanwhile, Obama is just straight chilling at his library.

Maybe that's what happens when a president's approval rating isn't below 30 percent. Stay pressed, Donnie.

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### Kerry Washington Reveals The Boss Move Julia Stiles Pulled While Filming 'Save The Last Dance' In The Freezing Cold—And Fans Are Applauding

**Published:** October 13, 2026 | **Author:** McKenzie Lynn Tozan | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/washington-stiles-cold-scene.md

For teens and young adults in the late 1990s and early 2000s, a key actress in Hollywood was Julia Stiles, whose characters unapologetically promoted individuality, self-expression, feminism, and human rights.

Though she had roles as young as 11 years old, 10 Things I Hate About You at the age of 18 put her on the forefront of everyone's minds, followed by pivotal roles in Mona Lisa Smile and Save the Last Dance.

Unfortunately for her fans, she began to take a conscious step back, only accepting smaller roles until she disappeared from the public eye almost completely.

Now, at the age of 45, she's reappeared on Dancing with the Stars alongside professional dancer Ezra Sosa, and they've incorporated little Easter eggs that refer back to Save the Last Dance in each of their numbers.

You can see one of their most recent performances here:

Not only are fans applauding Stiles' reappearance, but her Save the Last Dance costar Kerry Washington has been singing her praises, including during her appearance on the Not Gonna Lie podcast with Kylie Kelce.

During the podcast, while talking about Save the Last Dance, Washington mentioned Stiles, who was competing on Dancing with the Stars. Not only was she rooting for her as a talent, but she was rooting for her in what she taught her, now as a film producer herself.

Washington praised:

"Julia has my heart, I’ve known her forever, I think she's killing it, I think she's extraordinary."

"Like, this is a moment. It’s so exciting!”

She also shared her favorite memory from one night filming Save the Last Dance:

“I will tell you my favorite thing, my favorite story about that night."

"We have a brief scene outside the car, when we get out of the car. We shot that scene in Chicago; it was so cold, and the entire crew."

"We had a lot of the same crew members who had shot the film 'Fargo,' and so they’re all in their 'Fargo' gear, like, down coats from head to toe, boots, mittens, ear muffs, masks, like, they’re so bundled up. And we’re in these cute Hollywood nothing outfits; we’re going to the club!”

“So we're doing the scene, we’re doing the scene, we’re doing the scene, and we're freezing."

"You can see the air coming out of our mouths, and my feet, my hands were numb."

"At one point, the director comes up to us and says: ‘You know what, ladies? We just need to go one more time,’ and I learned so much in this moment because it was my very first studio film.”

“Julia looked at the director, and she said: ‘We will go as many times as you want if you take off your coat.'"

"So he was like: ‘OK,’ he took off his coat. That was our last take. He was like: 'This is insane,’ we were like: ‘Yes, it's insane!’”

“It really taught me about advocating for myself on set."

"Just understand what you're putting us through. Like, for a moment, think about us as human beings, right?"

"It was really powerful. And I think about it even as a producer now."

"When I ask an actor to do something, I'm like: ‘Wait, let me make sure that I'm not being unreasonable.’ It was such a powerful moment."

"So, she deserves all her flowers. She's a diva. She's amazing.”

You can watch the segment here:

Fans loved that Stiles advocated for herself and her peers.

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Stiles probably didn't realize what an impression she made on the people around her, but it certainly impacted Washington, who learned to stand up for herself and for the actors she's guiding through her own projects.

There's no telling how Dancing with the Stars will go, but if it's anything like her past projects, Stiles will surely make a lasting impression!

---

### Kacey Musgraves Brutally Claps Back After Kristi Noem Tries To Insult Her For Backing James Talarico

**Published:** October 13, 2026 | **Author:** Amelia Mavis Christnot | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/noem-talarico-musgraves-clapback.md

On Sunday, Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico thanked his fellow Texan, Kacey Musgraves, in a post on his Threads account. Talarico had attended Musgraves Middle of Nowhere Tour concert stop in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday.

The candidate shared photos of himself with Musgraves from the concert and added her song "Uncertain, Texas" to the post.

He tagged her and wrote:

"Thank you for having me last night, !"

View on Threads

Fired Homeland Security Secretary and former South Dakota MAGA Republican Governor Kristi Noem decided to use the post to prop up scandal-plagued Texas GOP Senate candidate Ken Paxton.

Noem took a screenshot of Talarico's Threads post and shared it on Elon Musk's X platform, captioned:

"I’ll take @ellalangleymsic over Kacey Musgraves any day."

"And if I’m choosin’ Texas, I’ll take Ken Paxton over James Talarico."

Noem tagged country singer Ella Langley and added a nod to her song "Choosin' Texas."

@KristiNoem/X

People quickly noted Langley had untagged herself in Noem's post.

But Musgraves herself had the best response to Noem using Talarico’s post about the concert to give the fired former Cabinet member's unsolicited opinion on country music and the Texas Senate race.

The artist reshared Noem's post with the caption:

"I don’t think you have a dog in this fight but if you did you would have shot it."

@KaceyMusgraves/X

Musgraves' post hints at Noem's infamous memoir confession that she shot and killed her 14-month-old puppy Cricket because he was "untrainable," a move that sparked heated backlash.

People loved Musgraves clapback...

@thepondering_/X

...including James Talarico, who, a few hours after Musgraves' post, shared the message on Threads:

"Don't mess with Texas."

View on Threads

People also didn't think a post by Noem was the boost that Paxton’s campaign needed.

@MattMMPLS/X

@KevinBank1/X

The GOP has been throwing everything—and everyone—they can at Talarico to try to boost Paxton in the polls.

MAGA Republican President Donald Trump showed up for an impromptu midterm GOP convention in Texas that Paxton later complained hurt him in the polls. Failed Los Angeles mayoral candidate and reality TV performer Spencer Pratt took aim at Talarico, calling him "weird" for not being married by age 37 despite numerous Republicans in the same situation.

The Paxton camp has repeatedly attacked Talarico's masculinity. And numerous right-wing pundits and pastors have labeled Talarico a "vegan," a "demon," and even prayed for his death.

For his part, Talarico has taken the criticisms in stride, focusing on the issues instead of wallowing in the mud with Paxton and the GOP.

---

### Anne Hathaway Hilariously Stuns Dakota Johnson With Her Knicks Knowledge After She Didn't Believe OG Anunoby Is A 'Real Person'

**Published:** October 13, 2026 | **Author:** John Curtis | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/hathaway-johnson-og-anunoby.md

It's been quite the year for OG Anunoby, whose historic tip-in during Game 4 of the 2026 NBA championships was one of the defining moments of the Knicks' 2026 championship, the team's first since 1973.

Anunoby skyrocketed to a whole new level of fame, making it all the more surprising that movie stars Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett didn't seem to know who he was.

At least until recently, when their Verity co-star Anne Hathaway set them both straight:

- YouTubeyoutu.be

While appearing on Hot Ones Versus, the notorious online phenomenon where celebrities are pitted against one another with the losers forced to eat chicken wings with increasing levels of heat, Hathaway was challenged to a "wild card" game, where she would need to identify former co-stars and collaborators through clues from Hartnett and Johnson.

While the latter pair had no trouble giving the Oscar winner clues for the likes of Matt Damon, Meryl Streep, or Julie Andrews, the duo found themselves dumbfounded when Hathaway put Anunoby's name to her forehead.

Johnson reacted to the name with a loud expletive, while Hartnett could be heard asking, "Who is that?"

Hartnett refused to give up, but Johnson was unable to shake off her disbelief, even refusing to accept that Anunoby was a real person, sharing her displeasure with the crew behind the scenes, who could all be heard laughing off-camera.

Upon Hathaway's insistence that her co-stars "free associate," Hartnett threw out "something that goes way back," followed by "original gangster."

The second clue seemed to ignite the lightbulb Hathaway needed, and she said Anunoby's name just before time was about to run out.

Both Hartnett and Johnson were visibly stunned, and Hathaway couldn't hide her relief and excitement.

When Johnson once again doubted that Anunoby was a real person, Hathaway expressed her admiration for Anunoby, while recounting his legendary play in Game 4 of the playoffs:

"Game 4 of the NBA championship."

"One of the greatest baskets ever scored by a player is OG Anunoby."

"It's poetry in motion".

"It's divine."

Hathaway then disclosed that her Knicks fandom goes way back, from sitting in the nosebleed section at Madison Square Garden as a child to courtside tickets having become her one annual birthday wish.

The Princess Diaries star then recounted how another one of her NBA wishes nearly came true, which was to catch a stray ball and throw it back.

When attending a Knicks game with her son, Henry, in 2024, a ball was heading her way.

Unfortunately, Anunoby got to the ball first, but ended up losing his balance, crashing into the stands and spilling Henry's popcorn everywhere in the process:

In spite of her son losing his popcorn, Hathaway described the incident as a "bucket list moment," particularly after being notified by the person sitting behind her at that game that she was "trending."

As the video went viral on X (formerly Twitter), fans of Hathaway, Hartnett, Johnson, and Anunoby all had plenty to say.

Hathaway seemed to grow in the estimation of fans and non-fans alike, while others were left shocked and disappointed by Hartnett and Johnson's lack of sports savvy:

Perhaps Hathaway should consider asking either Hartnett or Johnson to join her courtside at a future Knicks game?

Regardless, it's safe to say that OG Anunoby is a name neither of them will ever forget.

---

### People Just Discovered A Hidden Amazon Page About Their Buying Habits—And Some Of Its Assumptions Are Hilariously Wild

**Published:** October 13, 2026 | **Author:** Peter Karleby | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/amazon-about-you-page.md

At this point you'd have to live under a rock to not know that Amazon knows EVERYTHING about you.

But have you ever wondered what exactly "everything" constitutes?

Well, turns out there's a section of the site where you can find out, and people online have discovered that a lot of Amazon's "data" is hilarious... and creepy... and creepily hilarious.

It all started when threads user @fangirlinmegan discovered Amazon's "About You" section and found quite the call-out in her roster of product "preferences."

@fangirlinmegan/Threads

Most of the preferences were normal stuff. Amazon has surmised that she owns a Shark vacuum, has noticed that she regularly purchases cat hairball treatments, and often shops from women's departments.

Pretty standard stuff! But then down at the bottom of the list? "Has flat buttocks." Excuse you, Bezos!

As @fangirlinmegan put it in a response to her own post:

"I mean it ain’t wrong but d*mn did you have to call me out like that? 😭"

So how exactly to find this hilarious manifestation of the nightmare surveillance state Amazon has built that many of us have willfully brought into our homes via our Alexas?

Another user @sarah.j_ca posted the exact steps to get to this part of the app.

@sarah.j_ca/Threads

In the app, click "Account," then "Shopping Preferences," then "About You," and you should be well on your way to being dragged to filth by Amazon!

But only do so if you're ready to really get told about yourself in the bluntest way possible, because some of the things people found are downright confrontational.

Like one woman who basically got called a big-back who "has not worn a medium size in anything in years" by Amazon.

@carlaaaa77/Threads

Or another who's "bad father" got called out by the app.

@sarahesterman/Threads

Another got called for shopping for "premium ice cream" A LOT during "a concentrated period." Listen, we're all going through tough times, let the woman have her ice cream, Amazon!

@yeetedrevelry/Threads

But one woman's post kinda takes the cake. Amazon called her out pretty viciously... in clinical terms that are almost disturbing.

@24kk_bratz/Threads

Her preferences included "has a FUPA" and the more direct "has a stomach that hangs over their vagina." Okay, Amazon? CHILL.

Not all of them were this shocking, however. Many people's "preferences" were just downright weird and absurd.

@manicpop

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But perhaps the most surprising ones? The ones that revealed the real extent to which Amazon is spying on all of us.

Because many people discovered "preferences" they felt there was no way Amazon could know.

Seemingly forgetting, of course, that the entire point of an Alexa is to spy on you—something security experts have warned about for years that has mostly been waved off as hysteria until recent uproars over the emerging surveillance state in the United States.

For instance, Amazon was forced to end its partnership with Flock, the company erecting AI-powered surveillance cameras all over the U.S. with alarming speed, amid public outcry over the company sharing data from its Ring doorbells with Flock.

@jessica.cruz___/Threads

Amazon's Ring doorbell cameras were previously in partnership with Flock until public outrage forced them to divest—or at least say they're divesting, anyway.

And, back when the United States had an actual government that cared at all about doing anything even remotely not evil, the Federal Trade Commission fined Amazon $25 billion for continuous, round-the-clock spying on customers through its Alexa, Echo, and Ring products, including constant voice recordings of children.

@heyitscourtneyem/Threads

But our chance to rein that in went up in smoke when we decided to elect Donald Trump, whose main donor Peter Thiel is on the board of Flock and is the Chairman of appallingly evil surveillance company Palantir, which is in partnership with, you guessed it, Amazon.

Seems like we should've listened to the tinfoil hats on this one!

Anyway! Given all this 1984-level, Terminator-style surveillance, people were pretty shocked by the things Amazon seemed to know about them—including things that have always been kept completely private.

@missbrightside1986/Threads

Yeah, probably completely fine that a shopping company in partnership with the companies currently enabling cops to stalk their ex-girlfriends and wrongfully arrest and jail people at gunpoint is able to read our text messages while we shop for toilet paper.

Nothing to worry about here, just another zany day in the life of our modern era! Ha ha!

---

### Bryan Cranston Pens Heartbreaking Tribute To His 'Breaking Bad' Son After His Death By Suicide At Age 34: 'I'm In Deep Despair'

**Published:** October 13, 2026 | **Author:** McKenzie Lynn Tozan | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/cranston-tribute-rj-mitte.md

Content warning: discussions of depression and suicide.

RJ Mitte has tragically died by suicide at the age of 34.

Mitte portrayed Walter "Flynn" White, Jr., throughout all five seasons of the hit television show Breaking Bad, the son of the main character, Walter White. Born with cerebral palsy, Mitte was also a disability rights advocate for the general public and actors like him.

Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston, who was RJ Mitte's on-screen father on the show, penned a touching tribute for him on Facebook and Instagram, where he asked a question many must be thinking: "Why?"

Cranston wrote:

"I’m in deep despair as I write this tonight. RJ Mitte, my sweet son on 'Breaking Bad' has died."

"I met him when he was only 14 years old when he was cast as Walter White Jr., a part he played with such joy and enthusiasm. Born with Cerebral Palsy, he never - ever - allowed that challenge to be an excuse for anything."

"He met the demanding shooting schedule head on with great determination.Always listening to the advice that his TV parents (Anna Gunn and myself) gave him - but being a teenager, sometimes mischievously ignoring the counsel in order to learn the hard way…"

"He was one of the stars of a hit TV show - but still a kid. That kid was pretty raw when we started shooting the pilot in February of 2007, but little by little we watched him grow into a really fine actor."

"He parlayed his experience on the show to be a vocal advocate for performers with disabilities, and was the head of a philanthropic organization with a focus on helping the disabled community."

"All that promise and potential now is such a loss."

"It is especially devastating to hear that he took his own life. Why?"

"We were texting each other just a few weeks ago - figuring out when we could meet for lunch."

"I don’t know if that lunch would have changed his future… But I do know that I loved him, and thoroughly enjoyed being with him throughout the years on the series, and after the spotlight on 'Breaking Bad' dimmed…"

"I’ll miss you, son."

Cranston ended his tribute with resources for those who are in need.

"I can’t stop there without imploring anyone who is contemplating suicide to please call for the support you need at 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (https://988lifeline.org/)."

"There is hope."

You can see his tribute to Mitte here:

Fans were heartbroken over Mitte's death and Cranston's tribute to him.

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Other actors from Breaking Bad also wrote tributes for Mitte, including Dean Norris, who played Hank Schrader on the show, and Aaron Paul, who portrayed Jesse Pinkman.

Norris called RJ Mitte's death "heartbreaking" and wrote:

“Though RJ didn’t play my TV son, I always looked out for him as a young kid on set. He was a sweetheart of a young man and will be greatly missed."

"I can’t believe it. Thinking of him and his family.”

Paul similarly wrote of his heartbreak:

"I am heartbroken over this news."

"RJ, I love you, my friend. You will be missed."

"And to whoever happens to be reading this, please know you are loved, and you are not alone. Always remember that.”

We hope Mitte's family finds comfort and peace after his loss.

If you or someone you know is struggling, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.

To find help outside the United States, the International Association for Suicide Prevention has resources available at https://findahelpline.com/i/iasp

---

### George Conway Epically Trolls Laura Loomer After She Claims New York DMV's Credit Card Machine Displayed 'Palestinian Flag'

**Published:** October 13, 2026 | **Author:** Amelia Mavis Christnot | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/conway-trolls-loomer-palestine.md

Conspiracy theorist and acolyte of MAGA Republican President Donald Trump Laura Loomer drew widespread ridicule over her latest outrageous claim. Lawyer and ex-husband of Trump staffer Kellyanne Conway turned anti-Trump activist George Conway lead the charge on calling Loomer out on her latest nonsense.

On October 7, Loomer shared a photo on X that was allegedly taken at a Department of Motor Vehicles office in New York City. The MAGA influencer also tagged NYC's progressive Democratic Socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani's personal X account.

Loomer captioned the photo:

"This was just sent to me."

"The photo was taken at a DMV today in New York City."

"Why does the credit card machine at the DMV in Mamdnai’s NYC have the Palestinian flag as the screensaver on October 7th?"

" disgraceful."

"Deliberate and intentional."

You can see Loomer's post here:

@LauraLoomer/X

According to Loomer, this DMV office in NYC was deliberately and intentionally displaying the Palestinian flag on its credit card reader. Only Loomer knows why Mayor Mamdani was tagged instead of New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul.

Vehicle registration, driver's licenses, and related services in New York City are handled by the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (NYSDMV). NYC doesn't operate its own separate DMV.

Regardless of who Loomer blamed, it took no time at all for her fellow X users to post a community note on her "gotcha" post targeting NYC's Muslim mayor.

X users wrote:

"The screen shows a standard geometric "Welcome" design on an Ingenico iSC Touch 250 terminal using red/white/green colors, not the Palestinian flag (horizontal black/white/green stripes with red triangle). These devices commonly use default or processor-set wallpapers."

community note on post by @LauraLoomer/X

Users included two links, one to the credit card machine's support page and a second to the Wikipedia entry about the Palestinian flag.

None of the three versions of the flag—the national, the presidential standard, nor the state—resembles the welcome screen on the card reader Loomer shared.

You can see the three versions and a close-up of the card reader screen here:

Wikipedia; @LauraLoomer/X

In response to Loomer's claim, Conway quote shared her post and added a photo of his own.

Tongue firmly in cheek, Conway shared a photo of a traffic light captioned:

"This was just sent to me."

"Palestinian-flag colored lights on display in New York City."

"Disgusting."

You can see his mocking post here:

@gtconway3d/X

Conway was not alone in calling out Loomer in comments on her post and reshares.

@USA_Polling/X

@GenXGirl1994 reply to @LauraLoomer/X

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@NadaKaupas reply to @LauraLoomer/X

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Like most MAGA minions, Loomer has a loose grasp on reality.

Unlike most, though, Loomer is welcomed at the White House and on Air Force One and frequently has the ear of Trump.

---

### Susan Collins Dragged After GOP PAC Boosts Her Campaign In The Wrong Portland

**Published:** October 13, 2026 | **Author:** Amelia Mavis Christnot | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/collins-pac-ad-wrong-portland.md

On July 4, 1786, the city of Portland, Maine, was officially founded with its newly-minted name. Almost 60 years later in 1845, Maineiac Francis Pettygrove won a coin toss against Asa Lovejoy and named their soon-to-be incorporated city in Oregon Portland after the largest city in his home state of Maine.

Since then, Portland, Oregon, has swelled to a city of approximately 675,000 people while its namesake boasts a population of just 70,000. In 2026, when people hear Portland, they think of Oregon instead of the original city in Maine.

Back in 1845, Lovejoy wanted to name the Oregon city Boston, which would have made things easier for an out-of-state PAC (political action committee) buying airtime for ads to support the reelection of Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins. Instead of Maineiacs seeing ads attacking Maine Democratic Senate candidate Troy Jackson, people in Portland, Oregon, were baffled about why Collins' camp was trying get their support.

Giphy

For four days, a Republican super PAC ran its latest $25,000 attack ad against former Maine state Senate President Troy Jackson on the Oregon airwaves before anyone at the PAC caught the mistake. According to AdImpact, the attack ad got over 1.5 million views on the west coast on just Monday morning alone.

The Defending Main Street super PAC launched the ad last week as part of a GOP push to attack Jackson’s record in the Maine legislature to distract from Collins' own record during her over 29 years in the United States Senate. While her campaign didn't create the ad or buy the left coast Portland airtime, Collins is a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership, the conservative nonprofit parent organization of the super PAC that ran the ad.

View on Threads

The Democratic Party in Maine appreciated the gift handed to them by Collins' out-of-state backers, as part of Maineiacs' complaints about Collins is that her years in Washington have left her out of touch with her constituents and more beholden to her billionaire donors than the people in her home state.

Misha Linnehan, spokesperson for the Maine Democratic Party, stated of the mistake:

"Susan Collins’ biggest supporters are out-of-state billionaires who can’t find Portland, Maine on a map, let alone understand what every day Mainers are going through. We deserve a Senator who is accountable to the people of Maine, not one in thrall to Trump’s billionaire cronies who think this election is happening in Oregon."

Jackson responded as well, posting on Threads:

"Susan Collins’ allies ran ads against me in Portland, Oregon."

"Should’ve asked Navatek. They knew exactly where to send the money."

View on Threads

Giphy

Navatek is the defense contractor behind an FBI investigation—that the administration of MAGA Republican President Donald Trump shut down—into donations Collins accepted before contracts were awarded to the donor in an alleged pay-for-play scheme.

People soundly mocked the Collins' camp's gaffe.

Susan decided all Portlands could vote for her, since Portland Maine probably won’t.
— T. A. D. (@artinthehouse.bsky.social) October 13, 2026 at 11:46 AM

View on Threads

Portland Total Landscaping
— Hellaholla 🇺🇦 (@hellaholla.bsky.social) October 13, 2026 at 6:36 AM

View on Threads

@dsteiger1/Threads

Worth every penny, and more. For democrats.
— This Pope is a Dope 🇵🇸 🇵🇸 (@deploribusunum.bsky.social) October 13, 2026 at 7:03 AM

View on Threads

To be fair I'm not sure that many people in The Other Portland are persuadable on the Susan Collins question either, unless she's trying to secure all the votes in the Bangor coma recovery wards.
— Accountabilabuddy🔻 (@accountabilabuddy.bsky.social) October 13, 2026 at 1:59 AM

View on Threads

Susan is just very concerned.
— Heath 🇺🇸🇺🇦🌻 (@itsheath.bsky.social) October 12, 2026 at 11:02 PM

In a statement to MS NOW, Defending Main Street PAC confirmed the mistake, but instead of taking any responsibility, the PAC blamed the ad running 2,543 miles away from its intended audience on a vendor.

The GOP shirking accountability? What a shock.

---

### CNN Just Visited A Struggling MAGA Store—And It Spells Bad News For Trump

**Published:** October 13, 2026 | **Author:** Alan Herrera | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/reeve-struggling-trump-store.md

CNN correspondent Elle Reeve returned to Whitey Taylor's Trump Town USA in Boones Mill, Virginia, for the first time since visiting in 2023, and her segment shows that business for the Donald Trump-themed shop has collapsed as more MAGA followers break away from the president.

Reeve, in a segment for Anderson Cooper 360, reported that "things aren't what they used to be" for the store. She spoke with Taylor, who revealed that the store, which used to make $12,000 to $15,000 in sales per day now only makes between $1,500 - $2,000 per day. On occasion, Taylor will hit $3,000 in sales if he's lucky.

Taylor said he believes Trump supporters “are mad at the president,” though he expressed a wish for sales to rebound once Trump leaves office:

“People ask me all the time, ‘Oh, so when are you going to close?’ You know, I said 2040 all the Trump kids time to run through the office first.” ...

"They'll come here by the droves and say, 'What have you got, man? I know you're still there. So we'll be here waiting on them."

Reeve also spoke with customers including a man named Stevie Lovell who said many MAGA voters have turned away from Trump:

“I’ve seen a lot of Trump supporters just say heck with him, put his sticker upside down or not fly his flag or put a red zero on it. You know, I’ve seen a few of those. Very few people still support Trump.”

"I'm not a supporter of the war in Iran, and just like later on, we found out information about the war in Iraq -- we found out that we shouldn't have been there. ... This thing that's going on in Gaza is horrible. I think it's more horrible than what's going on in Iran, personally."

Lovell, who said he still plans to vote Republican straight down the ticket, had this to say about ICE raids and arrests around the country:

"If you give people absolute power, they abuse it."

Lovell also said he was bothered by a report that Trump has made more money while in office than any other president before him:

"Profit isn't a dirty word, but it kind of does bother me a little bit that he's in office, and he's gaining a lot."

One shopper who has two teenagers at home revealed their grocery bill now runs between $800 to $1,000 a month and said Trump is to blame for the high prices because of "the war," referring to the ongoing war with Iran.

They added:

“My son’s 17, my daughter’s 14. My grocery bills anywhere between 800 to $1,000 a month. When you’re going to the store and you’re paying five bucks for a pineapple, then you got to choose fruit or gas. Like, it’s really, really hard.”

This same shopper said that the nation's founders strived for a nation where "everybody can have their own opinion" but nonetheless offered justifications for their disdain for former Vice President Kamala Harris while buying a derogatory bookmark.

You can watch what happened in the video below.

Many agree this spells trouble for the president even if their sympathies for these voters are limited.

We wonder how many of these people will actually follow through and make the GOP pay at the voting booth.

---

### Pete Hegseth Roasted After Video Of Him Trying And Failing To Keep Up With Marines Goes Viral

**Published:** October 13, 2026 | **Author:** Alan Herrera | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/hegseth-jogging-behind-marines.md

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was widely mocked after he was shown struggling to keep up with Marines while running around a track during a recent training.

In a C-SPAN video shared by FactPost on X, Hegseth is shown lagging beyond the pack as Marines jog around a track in San Diego.

No, seriously—he's very much behind and you'll definitely notice. Hegseth has repeatedly filmed himself exercising with the troops and just last week was shown doing just that at the Pentagon ahead of his State of the Force address.

You can watch what happened in the video below.

The mockery was swift.

This situation brings to mind the time Hegseth was dragged hard on social media after video footage of his attempt at working out with U.S. Navy soldiers in Singapore went viral online.

Hegseth—who wore a "THIS IS WAR" T-shirt throughout the exercises—did a grapevine workout... or tried to, in any event. The workout, a coordination drill where you have to move sideways, crossing one foot alternatively in front of and behind the other, did not bring out Hegseth's best.

For a guy who has spent a lot of time bragging about his plans to transform the military into a lethal fighting force, you'd think he might want to set an example, especially since he is preoccupied with soldiers being too "weak" and low on testosterone for battle.

It was just a few weeks ago that Hegseth bragged that "the ideological clowns are out, the patriotic cowboys are in, with testosterone testing on top." This is in line with an announcement Hegseth made over the summer that service members age 30 and older will be screened annually and treated for testosterone deficiency.

The decision to screen active-duty service members for testosterone levels and offering testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) when appropriate is part of an effort to keep U.S. troops on the "leading edge of lethality."

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### JD Vance Blasted After Sharing His Absolutely Mind-Numbing Definition Of 'Socialism'

**Published:** October 9, 2026 | **Author:** Morgan Allison Ross | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/jd-vance-definition-socialism-video.md

According to Merriam-Webster, socialism broadly refers to economic and political systems centered on collective or government ownership and control of the means of production.

Not exactly a concept requiring a Ph.D. to explain. One would think Vice President JD Vance, a Yale Law School graduate whose party practically uses the word as punctuation, could manage a working definition.

One would think… Then came Thursday's press conference in Washington, D.C., where a reporter asked Vance to define socialism, and the vice president served up some MAGA word salad instead.

Vance gave it his best shot:

"It's a hard term to define these days because very often socialism … classically, you would think, socialism is about prioritizing workers."

"And yet in reality, I guarantee that most of the self-described socialists running across the United States of America are going to howl about this announcement today, which is prioritizing American workers over foreign workers. So I don’t know what the term means anymore."

Translation: He ain't got a clue.

And it's not like Vance is unfamiliar with the word. Between the Cold War, decades of anti-communist panic, and Republicans slapping the socialism label on practically every Democratic policy they dislike, socialism has had quite the American villain origin story.

Vance then offered his own spectacularly unhelpful definition:

"I think in reality, what it actually means in the American context is that you wanna replace American workers with foreign workers, and you want boys to play in girls’ sports."

"That’s what unites the socialists that I see running across the United States of America today."

Ah, yes. Socialism. The super scary transgender immigration-based economic system.

Folks, the clip speaks for itself:

Q: “How do you define socialism personally?”Vance: “I think in reality, what it actually means in the American context is that you want to replace American workers with foreign workers, and you want boys to play in girls' sports.” https://t.co/KKk6xBUqlW
— Bulwark Clips (@BulwarkClips) October 8, 2026

For those looking for an explanation without a MAGA decoder ring, picture a neighborhood lemonade stand. Under capitalism, one person owns the stand and hires the workers. Under socialism, those workers could own it together. Same lemonade, just more hands on the pitcher.

Ya see, JD Vance? Not a single transgender athlete, unconstitutional ICE raid, or MAGA panic attack required.

Brookings Institution fellow Jessica Riedl offered her take on Vance’s take:

“In other words, anything he personally finds icky. And he’s supposed to represent the highly educated, intellectual wing of MAGA."

Lost in Vance's political Mad Libs was an announcement with real consequences for American and foreign workers. The Trump administration is suspending Microsoft and several other companies from a green card sponsorship program amid investigations into alleged visa abuses, while nine universities faced separate investigations.

Straight from the White House, check out the full press conference below:

- YouTube The White House

And while Vance apparently can't define socialism, Americans seem increasingly willing to give it a chance.

According to a September 23 Gallup poll, 43% of Americans now view socialism positively—the highest figure Gallup has recorded since it began tracking the question in 2010. Among independents, that number climbed to 45%, up from 37% in 2025.

Perhaps Americans are getting tired of hearing about the economic disaster socialism would supposedly bring, while they're already paying an average of $4 a gallon for gas under a second Trump administration.

Whew, child. America is tired.

As it turns out, the socialist boogeyman isn't nearly as frightening as another four years of bills:

Maybe the socialism scare tactics are losing their magic because Americans have started meeting actual democratic socialists instead of the imaginary villains Republicans keep describing. Take New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whose vision involves affordable housing, childcare, and public transit—not Vance's culture-war bingo card.

Not to mention, Mamdani was able to do what the Yale graduate couldn't:

"Socialism, to me, means that you will have whatever you need to live a dignified life and that it is the government's job to deliver on that."

Since taking office, Mamdani's administration has rolled out a series of initiatives that, by City Hall's account, include establishing an Office of LGBTQIA+ Affairs, strengthening protections for immigrants, and investing in early childhood mental health services. Scandalous, am I right?

But the real plot twist?

Vance's boss appears to be having a bi-curious socialist crush on the mayor himself:

So, with the midterms around the corner, Vance and company can keep clutching their pearls over Mamdani's democratic socialist agenda and screaming about the socialist threat.

Meanwhile, their boss appears to be wondering whether socialism is free this weekend.

Mamdani's not, but cute of Trump to try.

---

### Ben Affleck Opens Up About The Poignant Words His Mom Told Him Before Her Death At 83—And Fans Are Devastated

**Published:** October 9, 2026 | **Author:** Morgan Allison Ross | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/affleck-moms-last-words.md

In 1998, Ben Affleck brought his mother, Chris Anne Affleck, as his date to the Academy Awards, where he and longtime friend Matt Damon won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for Good Will Hunting. Damon also brought his mother, making the night a family affair.

Nearly three decades later, Affleck is mourning both parents, who died just two months apart. His father, Timothy Affleck, died in April at 76, followed by Chris on June 2 at 83, after battling pancreatic cancer.

During an interview with journalist Zach Baron for GQ's One More Question, Affleck revealed:

“Our parents died just two months apart, beginning of April and beginning of June. That’s a lot, man. It’s a lot…”

Long before the brothers became Oscar-winning actors, they were two kids growing up on Cottage Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with a mother who made them the center of her world. Chris raised them following her divorce from Timothy when Ben was 12.

But losing both parents has given Affleck a different perspective:

“And it just brings up all these… I mean, your childhood, how you were raised, you see things differently, appreciate your parents in different ways, and you think about your own mortality, and your own life, and your own children, and what you want to do with it, and the bare fact of the very fleeting nature of all of our lives kind of stares you back in the face.”

And Chris lived a remarkable life of her own. A Harvard graduate and civil rights activist, she participated in Mississippi's Freedom Summer, protested the Vietnam War, and taught public school for 35 years before retiring in 2008.

Following her cancer diagnosis in December 2025, Chris had one final wish—to see her grandson Atticus graduate from high school. She attended his graduation on May 31 and died peacefully in her sleep two days later.

Affleck recalled his mother's bittersweet reflection:

“And my mom said to me at one point, she said: ‘I had a great life, and I have no regrets, but I thought 83 years would feel like longer.’”

Her words offer a sobering reminder that even a life well lived can feel all too short. And judging by the emotional response online, Affleck's revelation has struck a chord far beyond his own family.

Watch the poignant moment below:

Affleck also acknowledged his complicated relationship with his father, admitting they weren't particularly close during Timothy's final years. He described losing his parents as "horrible but not tragic," recognizing that death is a natural part of life, however painful.

He reflected on how his mother's passing deepened his appreciation for her:

“Like the case of my mom, she had a pretty extraordinary and brave… Just an amazing woman, and her death really did cause me to even more deeply and fully appreciate her in her life.”

His younger brother, Casey, has also been navigating the losses. At the Venice International Film Festival in September, he revealed that he dedicated his 2026 mystery film Company, which he directed and co-wrote, to their parents, lamenting that neither lived to see it.

Meanwhile, Affleck's revelation about his mother's final reflections has sparked an emotional conversation across social media, with fans sharing their own fears about mortality and how quickly life seems to pass.

Fans were equally moved, sparking reflections on life's fleeting nature:

u/SteveTheManager/Reddit

u/Spiritual-Can2604/Reddit

u/sapphos_warrior/Reddit

u/Beneficial-North1966/Reddit

u/passionicedtee/Reddit

u/askmewhyihateyou/Reddit

u/MiaOh/Reddit

u/Masonius/Reddit

@rfaraji/Instagram

@therealmarpop/Instagram

@ricardosarmiento_dp/Instagram

@therealgreatoxymoron/Instagram

Affleck also reflected on his grief during an appearance on his Animals co-star Kerry Washington's podcast, The Street You Grew Up On. After discovering letters his mother wrote before having children, he gained a deeper appreciation for the woman she was beyond motherhood.

Affleck reflected on the realization that changed how he saw his mother:

“But of course, the thing that struck me was this has nothing to do with me. Like, she had a full life before you. This woman had her own whole life for 30 years that had zero to do with me.”

And in a touching full-circle moment, Chris also played a role in launching her son's Hollywood career.

Watch the actor reflect on his early acting years below:

Today, Affleck stars alongside Washington in Netflix's political thriller Animals, which he also directed, co-wrote, and produced. He plays Los Angeles mayoral candidate Mark Kimball, whose family becomes caught in a kidnapping scheme.

And as his Hollywood career continues, Affleck is confronting a bittersweet truth his mother knew all too well: even a remarkable life never feels quite long enough.

---

### Amanda Seyfried's 9-Year-Old Daughter Just Gave Her A Massive Jump Scare In Hilarious Viral Video

**Published:** October 9, 2026 | **Author:** McKenzie Lynn Tozan | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/seyfried-daughter-scare-video.md

During the pandemic, Mean Girls actor Amanda Seyfried wanted to learn something new while she was inside and bored.

So she took up the dulcimer and began to learn the instrument so she could cover songs from Joni Mitchell's Blue album, which she later shared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Since then, Seyfried has continued to practice the dulcimer and learn more of Mitchell's songs, and it's evidently reached a point where her 9-year-old daughter, Nina, wants to make sure that her talents are, we'll say, "scary good."

While recording a cover of Mitchell's "A Case of You" for Instagram, Seyfried sang and plucked away at the dulcimer, completely oblivious to what was going on around her.

A few seconds into the video, a second face came into frame: a plastic rendition of Ghostface, the mask from Scream.

Slowly as Seyfried continued to sing, the face moved closer and closer until it was positioned over Seyfried's shoulder.

Then, Seyfried spotted the intruder and screamed loudly before laughing in surprise.

At that, Nina jumped up and down and clapped her hands, clearly feeling triumphant while her mother continued to laugh about what had just happened.

You can watch the video here:

Fans and celebrities alike were impressed by Seyfried's singing and tickled by her daughter's prank.

@mingey/Instagram

@mingey/Instagram

@mingey/Instagram

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@mingey/Instagram

@mingey/Instagram

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@mingey/Instagram

@mingey/Instagram

@mingey/Instagram

Seyfried has been open about the fact that her daughter has a strong future as an entertainer and artist, whether or not she intends to explore it as a career option or hobby, but that doesn't mean she can't have some fun with it!

As fans pointed out, Seyfried was in the middle of a lovely rendition of "A Case of You" when she was startled out of performing, but this moment was too priceless to worry about hitting that "record" button again.

---

### Seth Rogen's Resurfaced Comments About Why Casting Sex Workers For NSFW Scenes In Films Is A No-Brainer Have People Nodding Hard

**Published:** October 9, 2026 | **Author:** Peter Karleby | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/rogen-sex-workers-films.md

Actor and filmmaker Seth Rogen is being applauded for a casting method he's used in Hollywood: hiring sex workers for nude scenes.

The idea came up during a 2019 interview with Rogen on the UK's The Graham Norton Show.

During the chat, Rogen revealed that he and his collaborators realized years ago that when you have a nude scene in a film, hiring adult film actors is a no-brainer.

We're in the era of intimacy coordinators on film sets, of course, a testament to how uncomfortable these scenes can be to film.

But Rogen argues that sex workers like adult film stars are professionals at filming this kind of content, after all. And many are applauding him for helping destigmatize sex work.

Rogen said:

"Very early in our careers, we realized that if you ever need someone to be naked in a movie, you should hire a porn star, because it's the easiest thing they did that week."

He went on to say it circumvents the usual situation of a regular actress perhaps being uncomfortable with the shoot.

"It's not a situation where you're like convincing a mainstream actress to get naked, instead you're taking a porn actress and putting her in a mainstream movie and she doesn't have to put anything in her and so she's thrilled."

The story had particular significance at the time. Rogen was telling the story because adult actress Stormy Daniels' book had just come out.

She, of course, is the woman who was paid more than $100,000 in hush money after sleeping with Donald Trump.

Her case led to Trump being convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records, not that it matters because we live in the most corrupt country on Earth that just decided Trump simply being named a convicted felon 34 times over is punishment enough.

But anyway! Turns out one of the adult actresses Rogen hired was none other than Daniels herself, who appeared in The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up in 2005 and 2007.

Fellow actors Charlize Theron and Zach Efron, who were also guests on the show that night, couldn't help but be shocked at first but then seemed to concede Rogen had a point!

Rogen was sharing the story as a funny moment of course, but as the clip has resurfaced a discourse has ensued about how his approach is actually pretty forward-thinking.

Many are praising Rogen for helping to destigmatize sex work and adult film work as legitimate business.

Whatever people's moral opinions may be, sex work is called "the world's oldest profession" for a reason. It's a legitimate business, or there wouldn't be a market for it.

And of course the leadership in our country who are most against it are almost always the ones who get caught with their pants down, so to speak, which just goes to show how ridiculous this debate is.

The sooner we all get onboard with treating sex work as work, the better off everyone both working in and using the services of that business will be.

---

### Ted Cruz Dragged After Telling Kids To Reject Birthday Gifts In Favor Of Trump Accounts

**Published:** October 9, 2026 | **Author:** Amelia Mavis Christnot | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/cruz-kids-trump-account.md

Texas GOP Senator Rafael "Ted" Cruz joined MAGA Republican President Donald Trump for an event in the Oval Office about the so-called Trump accounts—investment savings accounts for children that go "straight to the stock market"—launched by the Trump administration in July.

After being prompted by Trump, Cruz declared:

"Mr. President, congratulations. This is unquestionably going to be one of the biggest parts of your legacy as President."

You can see Cruz's fawning admiration for Trump here:

youtu.be

Cruz addressed the kids in the room, saying:

"We have these, the, these kids here, sixth and seventh graders. You guys now, each of you has an investment account and you're going to be owners."

After telling the kids they owned stocks in companies like Apple, Dell Computers, and McDonald's, Cruz told Trump and the kids:

"Your administration designed the app. It's a beautiful app you can download from, from the Trump account store, but it makes it really easy for anyone to contribute to your account. You have a little QR code that you could send your next birthday party."

Cruz continued:

"You know, your aunt Susie might get you an ugly sweater and you might say to Aunt Susie, 'Instead of the ugly sweater, how about put 50 bucks in my Trump account' and you can pull it up on your phone and look at it and see it growing."

People were nonplussed by Cruz's Trump account sales pitch.

@aquilaqua/X

Some quickly figured out why kids would own stock in Dell computers bought with money donated by Michael and Susan Dell...

@BadFoxGraphics/X

...who were standing next to Trump during the Oval Office event, being thanked for donating money so Trump accounts could be used to buy stock in Dell.

Under temporary Treasury regulations enacted for the accounts, corporate or charitable "mega donors" like the Dells can directly gift specific shares under strict qualification rules—like holding unsold for five years—rather than allowing a child's individual guardian to pick an approved investment fund.

Initial contributions also automatically go into a designated default U.S. stock index fund managed by the account's financial institution or trustee instead of a child's guardian.

Trump announced "over $4.5 billion" was invested and 70 million children were automatically enrolled by his administration in Trump investment accounts without their parents' consent or participation.

---

### Pete Hegseth Sparks Outrage After Announcing Fort Hood Shooter's Firing Squad Execution Will Have Public Livestream

**Published:** October 9, 2026 | **Author:** Amelia Mavis Christnot | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/hegseth-livestream-hasan-firing-squad.md

The administration of MAGA Republican President Donald Trump has been accused of being a reality TV presidency, and members of his cabinet are not helping him escape that unserious image.

First, former MTV Real World and Road Rules party boy-turned-Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy spent months filming a reality show road trip with his family that no one watched. Now Fox News weekend host-turned-Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth plans to livestream a military execution.

Speaking to the right-wing TV outlet Real America's Voice on Thursday, Hegseth stated the Army execution of mass shooter Nidal Hasan will be done publicly. It will be the first execution done by the military since 1961.

Trump had announced on Monday that Hasan would be executed by firing squad. In a social media post on Tuesday, acting Secretary of the Army Adam Telle shared the memo which scheduled the execution for 1 p.m. on December 3 at Fort Hood.

In 2009, Virginia-born Army Major Nidal Hasan, a Medical Corps psychiatrist, shot and killed 13 people and injured 32 others at Fort Hood Army Base in Texas. During his 2013 court-martial where he defended himself, Hasan admitted to the shootings.

A jury panel of 13 Army officers convicted him of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder. They unanimously recommended he be dismissed from the Army and sentenced to death.

When asked about it, Hegseth excitedly rattled off:

"No brainer. Execution by firing squad. Army major betrays his country, radical Islamist, kills a bunch of Americans at Fort Hood. Of course we're gonna do at Fort Hood. Gonna do it on a Thursday, we're gonna do it at one o'clock which is when he did it, and it's gonna be soldiers with rifles executing the firing squad."

"It hadn't been since World War II since we've done that."

The last firing squad execution by the military was in 1945 when Army private Eddie Slovik was shot for desertion.

You can see Hegseth's comments here in a post shared by the DOD rapid response account:

Hegseth enthusiastically continued:

"Well, I kinda like the mentality we had in World War II, which was win. Which was understand when the enemy attacks you, you stand your ground. So it was radical Islamist terror attack."

Despite Hegseth's revisionist history, the Army specifically decided not to charge Hasan with terrorism, citing he was socially isolated, stressed and upset by his work counseling soldiers returning from warfare, and less than a month away from his own deployment to Afghanistan. The shooting was instead characterized as "workplace violence," which Hegseth attributed during his diatribe to Democratic President Barack Obama instead of the Pentagon's own investigation.

Hegseth later announced:

"And so he's going to get a firing squad of soldiers, as it should be. And we'll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it's public."

While executions always have an approved group of witnesses—mainly made up of members of law enforcement, the justice system, and friends or family members of the victims or the prisoner—the United States hasn't held a public execution in 90 years.

Hegseth justified the public execution, saying:

"...people need to understand that...there's serious consequences for these types of things."

The Pentagon later confirmed Hegseth's plans, saying only that the execution will be live-streamed without specifying how or on which platform. The DOD currently posts content on YouTube and X.

The backlash was swift.

It alarms me a heck of a lot and it also makes me sick. And once again it appears that it’s actually against the law. From the little bit of research, I did this morning states and the federal government that allow the death penalty also have laws for no public viewing.
— One Who Knows (@onewhoknows2.bsky.social) October 9, 2026 at 8:27 AM

The depravity line is nudged a bit more. This enables the next descent into depravity. What will be the next bad thing, who will they execute live next, who will they threaten to do this to. And who is expecting t monetise this.
— Jeff (@jeffm2018.bsky.social) October 9, 2026 at 8:45 AM

Kegsbreath is too stupid and narcissistic to realize that he could someday be on the receiving end of the precedent he's setting here.
— stevewarren209.bsky.social (@stevewarren209.bsky.social) October 9, 2026 at 8:48 AM

This what a christian nation looks like under their Project 2025 hate and insurrection plan.
— therock54.bsky.social (@therock54.bsky.social) October 9, 2026 at 9:11 AM

@mikehoops67/X

The Pentagon says it plans to livestream an execution. Pete Hegseth said the public will be able to watch the firing-squad execution of Nidal Hasan, convicted of the 2009 Fort Hood mass shooting, scheduled for December 3. Turning a government execution into a livestream should alarm everyone.

— Alt National Park Service (@altnps.bsky.social) October 8, 2026 at 5:51 PM

As if it wasnt already a 5 alarm fire, they are flooding the zone to continue the chaos.
— All Kinds Of Nope (@woozleweasels.bsky.social) October 9, 2026 at 10:28 AM

Great - snuff films streamed live by the government Not to mention he is disabled now so that I am sure adds to their lust for showing violence to their peopleI thought they our leaders were supposed to lead with goodness and humility and not crazy blood lust
— Justine (@pnwmom.bsky.social) October 9, 2026 at 10:35 AM

The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement:

"The livestreaming of an execution is tantamount to a public execution and would breach the absolute prohibition of torture. constitute a form of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment."

The UN human rights office has made similar statements denouncing the public executions carried out by Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and Iran, whose governments give the same justification that Hegseth gave.

Trump has repeatedly criticized the Iranian government for their public executions.

However, the POTUS approved Hasan's in the United States.

---

### Trump Slammed After Attacking Abdul El-Sayed With Vile And Blatantly Racist Posts

**Published:** October 9, 2026 | **Author:** Alan Herrera | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/trump-racist-elsayed-posts.md

President Donald Trump sparked outrage after he took to Truth Social to criticize Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed with Islamophobic and racist posts.

Trump opened his attack on El-Sayed by calling him “Mohammed El-Sayed” and dismissing him as “a terrible Candidate for the Dumocrats.” Current polls show El-Sayed narrowly ahead of his Republican opponent, Mike Rogers.

He wrote:

"Mohammed El-Sayed is a terrible Candidate for the Dumocrats. While his opponent, Mike Rogers, is an extremely good one, Mohammed goes back to the days of the Jihad. He is a RADICAL Extremist, Terrorist Sympathizer, and no different from his best friend, America Hating Hasan Piker."

"How's France doing? Mohammed's Values are not exactly those of Michiganders, or those of our Great United States of America! He is WRONG for Michigan, and WRONG for America. VOTE FOR MIKE ROGERS — HE HAS MY COMPLETE AND TOTAL ENDORSEMENT AND WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!"

You can see his post below.

@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social

In another post, he said:

“FoxNews spends more time covering the Jihadist and Dumocrat candidates than they do the good old fashioned Republicans, the people that have saved America, and are making it great again. All they talk about is Dumocrat Jihadists like El-Sayed, with his softball interview by Martha MacCallum, and the like.”

"She never interviews me like that. They don't show my record breaking Rallies the morning after, but others do, and that's what MAGA is watching. Fox is promoting the Dumocrats, not the Republicans and MAGA. They have totally lost their way!"

You can see his post below.

@realDonaldTrump/Truth Social

El-Sayed has not responded to Trump's post but others have responded angrily on his behalf.

El-Sayed, an epidemiologist who is running as a democratic socialist, has been accused of being a member of the "radical left" and has also been the target of Islamophobic rhetoric.

El-Sayed said in a recent interview that these attacks only underscore how much Republicans "want to distract you from the issues at hand." He said Republicans "want to talk about me and my name as if me and my name are causing the problems."

Noting that many Americans are struggling with an affordability crisis, he stressed that these problems "are in fact caused by their boss, Donald Trump, who they cannot deviate from because, of course, he rules their party with an iron fist.”

---

### TikToker Lays Out 5 'Tiny Habits' She Stopped Doing After Realizing She Keeps Spending All Her Money

**Published:** October 9, 2026 | **Author:** McKenzie Lynn Tozan | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/5-tiny-habits-money-tiktok.md

Most people are going to struggle to save money and maintain a budget at least once in their lives, and the most important thing they can do is be honest about their role in their own finances.

TikToker @georgiamaythornley, for example, finally admitted to herself that she was always spending all of her money before she could set any aside for savings, so she started tracking her spending habits.

She found five surprising trends that she decided to stop so that she could actually save money and feel more financially independent.

The first of these bad habits included ignoring her bank balance and taking no accountability for the state of her finances. A person cannot be honest about the money they have or make an adequate plan to save if they aren't tracking how they're interacting with their funds.

The second was having money come in and spending first and saving later. The TikToker now determines a certain amount of money to put in her savings first each month, so that her savings are already enriched. She then takes care of her bills, and then she can spend as much of the money that's left over as she wishes.

Her third habit was buying items simply because they were on sale or buying them in bulk, because they were marketed as "cheaper." Many have fallen victim to this and later realized it's a substantial point of spending.

The fourth was the thief of joy itself: comparing her lifestyle to other people's, which encouraged her to window shop, doomscroll, and make impulsive purchases to try to make herself feel better and to make her life look more like those she admired. After making this discovery, she stepped back from some of her regular stimuli to discourage that feeling of impulse buying.

Finally, like seeing for sale items, she stopped justifying buying something just because it was a low price. Something might be appealing to buy because it's only $10. But pretty soon you've spent $100 on 10 things you didn't need.

You can watch the video here:

Fellow TikTokers totally agreed with @georgiamaythornley's observations.

@georgiamaythornley/TikTok

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Financial management is one of those things that is going to be different for everyone, simply because we want to buy different things and will perceive what is "expensive" differently.

Probably the most helpful item here would be to supplement the savings account before other spending, simply to keep growing that foundation while the rest of the money continues to circulate.

---

### Marco Rubio Awkwardly Dodges Question About Kimberly Guilfoyle's Blatant Corruption—As She's Standing Just Feet Away

**Published:** October 9, 2026 | **Author:** Alan Herrera | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/rubio-ignores-guilfoyle-corruption-question.md

Secretary of State Marco Rubio was criticized after he shut down a question about former Fox News host and current U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle following a Wall Street Journal report alleging that she engaged in illegal conduct.

The WSJ reported that Guilfoyle asked Eric Deters, a Trump donor and former congressional candidate, to cover $100,000 in credit card debt before her Senate confirmation hearings. The report said she contacted him through Signal, pressing him to arrange the payment that day and explaining how to send the funds directly to American Express.

According to the report, Guilfoyle wrote:

“Honey please I need you to get this done for me today."

Deters, who had been asking Guilfoyle to help secure administration assistance with tax matters, refused, writing back:

“I can’t do this without getting a divorce."

In subsequent messages, Deters expressed frustration over what he viewed as a lack of reciprocity despite his financial support. “I have paid you $300,000 over the years,” he wrote. “As of this memo, I have not received one favor. I am not naive or a sucker. I need results.”

The newspaper also reported that Guilfoyle encouraged Deters to stop documenting their exchanges in writing. “Eric, I really wish you would stop papering all these things,” she wrote. “It’s really dangerous and not helpful to you or me while you could simply just call me on signal.”

Deters later summed up his dissatisfaction to the newspaper:

“She never came through on anything.”

Guilfoyle’s attorney said that she had raised questions about whether the messages obtained by the newspaper were authentic.

When asked about all of this, Rubio refused to answer—perhaps because Guilfoyle was standing mere feet away from him during the news conference.

He told reporters:

"I'm not going to comment on a story that literally posted a few hours ago. I don't even know if it's true or not."

You can watch what happened in the video below.

The optics were not great at all—and people had a lot to say about it.

The corruption in the Trump administration is truly obscene.

---

### Artist Brutally Rips Trump With Naked 'Orange Plague' Sculpture In European Parliament

**Published:** October 8, 2026 | **Author:** Morgan Allison Ross | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/trump-orange-plague-sculpture.md

President Donald Trump has finally received the golden treatment in Europe, although the 8.5-foot-tall naked statue now towering inside the European Parliament probably isn't the tribute he had in mind.

Unveiled in Strasbourg, France, the 23-karat-gold-coated sculpture depicts Trump perched on the shoulders of a smaller, visibly burdened man, clutching an oversized golf club in one hand and the scales of justice in the other.

Danish artist Jens Galschiøt told HuffPost that his creation, titled "The Orange Plague," reflects his frustration with “powerful leaders who put themselves above ordinary people” and the planet while using their influence to make decisions for others.

The artwork reimagines Galschiøt's 2002 sculpture, "Survival of the Fattest," which featured an emaciated boy carrying a much larger woman to highlight the unequal distribution of the world's resources.

This time, Trump gets the starring role:

A giant golden statue of a naked Donald Trump has been unveiled inside the European Parliament in Strasbourg.Called “The Orange Plague,” the 8.5-foot statue depicts Trump sitting on the back of a much smaller man while holding a golf club and the scales of justice. https://t.co/aObeoTuWPx
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) October 7, 2026

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

First of all, thoughts and prayers for that man's shoulders. Somebody get him a heating pad, a chiropractor, and whatever pain medication they give professional football players after a particularly brutal Sunday.

And please tell me that man has decent health insurance. Because after carrying Trump around, imagine finding out his administration's health care policies have made the deductible harder to afford than the chiropractor.

All jokes aside, Galschiøt packed plenty of political commentary into the sculpture, which he originally created for the COP30 United Nations climate summit in Belém, Brazil, in 2025.

Here’s a closer look with the artist himself:

https://t.co/KVePuCEhMhI am sitting on the back of a man,” reads the text on the statue’s plinth. “He is sinking under my burden. I will do anything to help him. Except step down from his back.” https://t.co/Na1POhjiTy
— ApacheGrrrl Nikinac (@NIKINAC3) October 8, 2026

Also known as "King of Injustice," the artwork draws inspiration from Danish author Hans Christian Andersen's The Emperor's New Clothes, the classic tale of a vain ruler tricked into parading naked while believing he's dressed in luxurious clothing.

Galschiøt drew a biting comparison:

“Like Andersen’s emperor, he believes the gold makes him great. It merely makes his nakedness shine brighter."

Even the oversized golf club carries a message. Its accompanying ball represents the world, underscoring the artist's criticism of Trump's power and influence.

The inscription on the sculpture's base is equally unflinching:

“With his eyes closed and scales in hand, the Orange Plague proclaims: I am sitting on the back of a man. He is sinking under my burden. I will do anything to help him. Except stepping down from his back.”

Danish European Parliament member Per Clausen of the leftist Red-Green Alliance invited Galschiøt to exhibit the piece in Strasbourg. While officials approved the display, that permission doesn't constitute an official endorsement by the European Parliament.

Clausen explained why he wanted the provocative artwork displayed inside the European Parliament:

“The way Trump acts is a very, very big problem for people in Europe. I want to raise the discussion in Europe about how we can make our self-defense against Trump, and how can we make politics that is not dependent on him.”

The unveiling drew applause, laughter, and serious discussion, according to Galschiøt. Visitors also received miniature 3D-printed replicas as protest tokens.

Clausen, meanwhile, wasn't particularly concerned about potentially offending Trump:

“If someone is so thin-skinned that they cannot tolerate this sculpture being exhibited in the European Parliament, then they have no place on the world stage.”

The golden spectacle drew mixed reactions online, with some applauding the political satire while Trump supporters criticized the European Parliament for hosting the provocative display.

Here's how social media reacted to Trump's latest golden humiliation:

The installation joins a growing collection of political satire targeting Trump, including mocking sculptures in Washington, D.C., and Portland, Oregon, along with exaggerated caricatures featured in German carnival celebrations.

Of course, Trump has his own golden monument. A considerably more flattering 15-foot statue known as Don Colossus, depicting the president fully clothed with his fist raised, was reportedly installed at his Trump National Doral golf resort in Miami.

Clearly, not all golden tributes are created equal:

Ohio artist Alan Cottrill’s “Don Colossus” is a 15-foot-tall, $1 million bronze statue of Trump that will tour the country.People will kneel before it. Guaranteed https://t.co/eaTw96FnYg
— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) February 27, 2025

Back to his current international depiction, perhaps Natalie Harp's printer conveniently ran out of ink before she could show Trump the photos.

Then again, a billboard-sized photo outside the White House would solve that problem. Not that I'm suggesting anything. I'm just saying some of y'all have access to large-format printers and entirely too much free time.

---

### Swedish Man Goes Viral With Hack For Optimizing Taco Fillings—And It's Honestly Genius

**Published:** October 8, 2026 | **Author:** McKenzie Lynn Tozan | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/hack-moses-fold-taco-fillings.md

There's a lot of discourse when it comes to tacos: what qualifes as a taco, what kind of shell to use, which fillings are acceptable... But one thing we can all agree on? You can never have too many tacos.

Instagrammer @bsquaredtravels_ shared a video of their Swedish brother-in-law totally hacking the system when it comes to tacos, and the internet has gone crazy for it.

In the video, the brother-in-law can be heard calling his hack "something out of the Bible" and coining it "the Moses fold," since he parts his taco filling much like God parted the Red Sea, according to the Bible.

For his hack, the brother-in-law left his tortilla flat on his plate with the fillings he wanted already piled high on the tortilla.

While most would then try to roll their tortilla shut, the more ambitious amongst them trying to tuck in the ends, and hope for the best, the brother-in-law instead parted the pile of his chosen fillings into two smaller piles on each side of the tortilla.

This left a blank line down the middle of the tortilla, like the parted Red Sea. He then picked up the ends of the tortilla that completed that blank line and brought them together at the middle. This folded the tortilla closed into two separate sections of open-faced filling, allowing for far more contents and much less spilling.

You can watch the video here:

The video swiftly went viral on X and Facebook as well, as people were a dizzying mix of impressed by the hack and perplexed by the fact that they'd never thought of this hack themselves.

@bsquaredtravels_/Instagram

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Whether or not some people think this qualifies as a taco or a burrito, this is a great hack for increasing the filling, decreasing the amount of mess, and of course, improving the shell-to-filling ratio, which is always deliciously important!

---

### Woman Sparks Debate After Sharing The Signs That You Have A 'Loser Boyfriend' In Viral Videos

**Published:** October 8, 2026 | **Author:** McKenzie Lynn Tozan | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/woman-signs-loser-boyfriend-tiktok.md

Every person who chooses to date will have a list of wished-for traits, attractive traits, and of course, dealbreakers that would likely end the relationship either immediately or, at least, eventually.

TikToker @maddie_bado shared a series on TikTok called "Signs of a Loser Boyfriend," which she believes more women should be aware of so that they can make the most informed decision about what they are gaining from their relationship and whether their partner is able to give them what they want, and vice versa.

The TikToker uses her own personal experiences, pointing out signs of loser boyfriends and sharing real-life experiences.

In her first video in the series, the TikToker argued that one sign of a loser boyfriend is how they interact with you while you're getting ready.

She gave the example of choosing an outfit, bag, and sunglasses, and wanting her man to engage with her about what matches best and what looks best on her that day. A loser boyfriend would respond to this, pointing out that, "No one's going to care about that."

While the TikToker understands that those decisions are not of any particular consequence, the whole point is the interaction, the fun, and the anticipation of the rest of the day. Shutting that down screams "loser" to her.

You can watch the first video in the series here:

In the second video, the TikToker indicated that a loser boyfriend would not match his girlfriend's "vibe."

She used the example of talking to an ex-boyfriend. She'd shown him an item she had purchased, which she knew would be of interest to him based on their past relationship. But then when she tried to show him more items, he shut the conversation down, pointing out that she didn't need to show him "everything" she purchased.

At that point, she decided he was right, and not wanting to share things with him was a clear sign that she shouldn't date him.

You can watch the second video in the series here:

Fellow TikTokers were nodding hard, sharing other possible signs of loser boyfriends.

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While this is specifically a "loser boyfriend" series, these points would apply to girlfriends, as well.

Not at the very least listening or asking questions when you know your partner enjoys something is a red flag, not to mention shutting down conversations you know excite them. Having all of the same interests isn't a requirement, but if you're not going to be engaged in conversations, what's the point of dating someone?

---

### Matthew Lillard Opens Up About Still Having To 'Fight For Jobs' In Hollywood After Being Misunderstood

**Published:** October 8, 2026 | **Author:** McKenzie Lynn Tozan | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/matthew-lillard-hollywood-jobs.md

Ever since Quentin Tarantino made disparaging remarks about Matthew Lillard's work as an actor, Lillard has been open about feeling typecast and limited in Hollywood.

But while appearing on the I've Never Said This Before podcast opposite Tommy DiDario, Lillard opened up about feeling truly misunderstood in Hollywood, and said that he has to fight for any jobs at all, let alone jobs that might demonstrate his strengths.

Lillard reflected:

"I think the people who know me, people I’ve worked with are like, ‘Oh, I get it. I get the value. I get sort of the intangibles. But I think what Hollywood looks for is... they look for a movie star. They look for dashing.”

"They sort of want to be able to put you in a bubble, right? Or pigeonhole you."

"I’ve never fit in that little, perfect bubble."

"I’ve always been a little quirky, a little gangly, a lot of energy. I’m funny and silly and at the same time can do drama, and they don’t really know where to slot me.”

"I still fight for jobs now.”

You can watch the segment of the interview here:

- YouTubeyoutu.be

The interview was shared on the "Television" subReddit, where Redditors were quick to applaud Lillard's talent.

"Well, I equate him with greatness. 'SLC Punk' is a godd**n masterpiece." —RecordingLost4508

"I equate him with greatness after watching 'SLC Punk'!"

"His breakdown in that one scene was incredible. If you know, you know." —reddfawks

"He was REALLY good in that big scene he had with George Clooney in 'The Descendants.' And as many times as I’ve seen it, he still makes me cry every time I watch 'SLC Punk'."

"He’s also a very large reason why the first 'Scream' is still seen as a classic while the sequels’ merits are argued about."

"He’s great. He’s a very unique performer and doesn’t remind me of any other actors. He may be right. Hollywood has dropped the ball. He should be in more." —Icosotc

"I do! First off, legendary Shaggy portrayal. Who could possibly be better?"

"But this guy is awesome in 'Scream'. 'Twin Peaks: The Return'? Fantastic. '13 Ghosts'. 'SLC Punk'. But maybe he’s right. Despite whatever Tarantino thinks, he’s underused." —Pugilist12

"Just watched 'Life of Chuck' for the first time last night, and Lillard’s five minutes in that film were fantastic. Underrated actor, in my opinion!" —imiller9

"Matthew Lillard is genuinely a brilliant actor, and I believe he will be one of those guys who starts getting the respect he deserves once he’s in his 60s+. Once he starts getting cast in more 'old man serious dramatic' roles, people will get it, like Alan Rickman, Christopher Waltz, Bryan Cranston, etc."

"Cranston is the closest in my opinion. He was always an incredible actor but wasn’t really cast in roles that let him prove it. Same with Adam Sandler and Robin Williams, but they broke out of their niches a little earlier because they were so big in comedy already." —tortillakingred

"Matthew Lillard is in some of my cult classic movies, and also is the kindest celebrity I’ve ever met, and anyone in the D&D community will attest to that if they’ve met him at D&D Live or GenCon or wherever." —Comfortable-Arm3452

"I was at GenCon this year and was in a line for him signing autographs after a show."

"A person in a wheelchair was approaching the line, and Matthew got out of his seat and walked around to the stanchions to move them so this person could turn around and face the direction of the line of tables with everyone signing."

"No hesitation from him, and there were plenty of support staff that probably could or would have done it, but he made sure it was done fast for this person. By all accounts, he's a great person, and I saw a little glimpse of this firsthand." —Signiference

"He lived down the street from my friend and attended a few of her neighborhood BBQs. Dude always picked up after other people and washed his own dishes. Hollywood doesn’t need to get him. We equate this guy with goodness, and greatness." —TURKEYSAURUS_REX

"I too am not understood by Hollywood." —onlypham

It's clear that there is a massive fan base supporting Lillard, both in his projects and at fan conventions. Maybe stardom doesn't look for Lillard like he might have dreamed, but it's still something worth celebrating.

---

### TikToker's Viral Video About The Struggles Of Trying To Work In America Hits A Nerve

**Published:** October 8, 2026 | **Author:** McKenzie Lynn Tozan | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/working-class-america-now-tiktok.md

People in the United States who are trying to find a job will inevitably find it unnecessarily difficult to navigate or to be successful.

It's reached a point where people are better off laughing and making jokes about it, because if they don't laugh, far more negative emotions are sure to manifest.

TikToker @julie.says.things made a parody video that felt a little too real, featuring a young woman searching for a job and a relentless recruiter who could not stop smiling.

The job hunter approaches the recruiter, asking for a job, to which the recruiter offers her a list of jobs. When the job hunter says the options look promising, the recruiter starts laughing, stating that those were all fake jobs for the purpose of engagement farming and data collection.

When they start talking about possible jobs, the conversation only becomes more bleak.

The job hunter asks reasonable questions, like looking for a job as low as entry-level, jobs that include health insurance and time off for emergencies and illness, all while the recruiter smiles even broader, cracks jokes, and treats the job hunter as if these are preposterous features for today's jobs.

To make matters worse, the recruiter laughs when asked about reasonable pay, stating that the salaries not only would not be enough to save up for buying a house or having babies, but that their income would actually depreciate over time.

Not only is it painfully hard to find a job, but it feels impossible to find a decent one.

You can watch the video here:

Fellow TikTokers nodded their heads hard, agreeing with TikToker @julie.says.things in full.

@julie.says.things/TikTok

@julie.says.things/TikTok

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@julie.says.things/TikTok

It's no secret among United States citizens that the job market has been incredibly difficult to navigate as of late, and it's borderline impossible to land a job interview, let alone the job itself.

Adding all of these other details, like the lack of health insurance and lack of advancement, are just salt in the wound.

---

### Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Hilariously Stuns Fans After He Uses A Paper Plate In Viral TikTok

**Published:** October 8, 2026 | **Author:** McKenzie Lynn Tozan | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/dwayne-johnson-paper-plate.md

A lot of people use social media with the hopes of going viral and finding new opportunities or even fame. But many people who have gone viral would probably agree that their video became popular for a totally unexpected reason.

Even Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson isn't exempt from that possibility.

This week, Johnson shared a video of one of his favorite post-training meals, which he was trying out with a new protein for his future protein powder line, hopefully launching in 2027.

Included in the post-training meal were the protein powder and frozen blueberries, and on a separate plate, Johnson had an appropriately sized portion of cooked jasmine rice waiting to be added to the post-training meal. Johnson claims that he loves the flavor as well as the creamy texture that the rice offers.

While there were some comments from fans about whether or not they were interested in trying the recipe, many more fans were invested in one specific detail: the cooked rice was on a paper plate instead of a standard dish.

As the actor started to add the rice to the blender, he picked up the plate and folded it in half in order to funnel the rice into the blender without making a big mess.

You can watch the video here:

Fans loved that even a major celebrity like The Rock still uses paper plates, even when indirectly promoting his future protein powder line.

@therock/TikTok

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It's so easy to imagine that celebrities are fancy people who only appreciate the finer things in life, but the truth of the matter is that many talented people are still very normal with normal interests and habits.

All the same, it's pretty cool to see The Rock taking care of himself with a workout and a post-training meal, only to use a paper plate during the preparation.

---

### People Just Noticed A Telling Detail About The Suit That Trump Wore To A Recent Rally—And Yikes

**Published:** October 8, 2026 | **Author:** Amelia Mavis Christnot | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/trump-maga-rally-cheap-suit.md

On Monday, MAGA Republican President Donald Trump was on the campaign trail in Grand Island, Nebraska. The POTUS was stumping for GOP candidates in a bid to retain the Republican majority in the Senate and House of Representatives.

From ranting about lawnmowers to suggesting that Iran should "take out" two cities in California, it was overall the chaotic, rambling, unhinged mess his MAGA minions love to hear and cheer for.

Journalist Aaron Rupar shared a Getty Images photo taken by Win McNamee at the MAGA rally of Trump showing off his suit.

Others online noted something interesting about the POTUS's choice of garb. The makers label was visible in the photo, showing it was made by the budget-friendly brand Jos. A. Bank.

Menswear writer and media personality Derek Guy (@dieworkwear) shared a close-up of the label captioned:

"Interesting."

"Jos. A. Bank suits are all made overseas, typically in countries like China and Bangladesh. They carry an associate label called Joseph Abboud, which is made in the United States."

"I wonder why Trump choose the cheap import over the US-made suit."

@dieworkwear/X

Analyst Matt Sisneros (@Matt_Sisneros) reshared the photo with the caption:

"Jos. A Bank on the President is the biggest recession indicator of all time"

Vanity Fair Washington Correspondent Aidan McLaughlin (@aidnmclaughlin) shared:

"Common wisdom has long been that Trump only wears Brioni suits (Brioni supplied him with wardrobe for 'The Apprentice') but lately he’s been wearing this navy Jos A Bank suit."

One of Trump's favorite programs, Saturday Night Live, had even previously skewered Jos. A. Bank's volume discount pricing structure.

Others had their own questions about why a billionaire like Trump would wear a discount brand suit made overseas when he claimed there's no affordability crisis and that he wants people to buy goods made in the USA.

Although he frequently brags about nonexistent massive increases he's brought to manufacturing in the United States, Trump hasn't commented on why he consistently doesn't buy goods made in the USA.

---

### Blink-182's Tom DeLonge Gets Emotional As Stadium Full Of Padres Fans Belt Out 'All The Small Things'

**Published:** October 8, 2026 | **Author:** Morgan Allison Ross | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/blink-182-padres-game.md

For Blink-182 frontman Tom DeLonge, all the small things added up to one big emotional moment Tuesday night—and this time, the crowd was singing his song.

The 50-year-old musician was at Petco Park on October 6 to cheer on his hometown San Diego Padres as they faced the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 3 of the National League Division Series (NLDS).

But as one Fox broadcaster pointed out, the real show came from the stands:

“What a cool moment here in San Diego. Blink-182, especially for those of us of a certain age, we all know they have an extensive, very impressive catalogue of late ‘90s and 2000s pop-punk music.”

As the Padres carried a 4–3 lead into the eighth inning, thousands of fans belted out the band's 1999 hit "All the Small Things."

Watch the scene unfold below:

🎸 @blink182's @tomdelonge in attendance tonight as Petco Park sings "All The Small Things" during Game 3 🎶 https://t.co/d5sOPKJVws
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 7, 2026

Fox cameras caught DeLonge appearing to hold back tears as he soaked it all in, waving his yellow Padres rally towel before turning toward the camera and singing the familiar lyric, “Work sucks, I know.”

The announcer could only imagine what DeLonge was experiencing:

“But to be in the ballpark when 43,000+ are singing one of your biggest hits to you. Can’t imagine the feeling.”

And no, this wasn't a surprise concert.

"All the Small Things" has become a Petco Park tradition, playing whenever the Padres carry a lead into the eighth inning. Apparently, San Diego has figured out how to make pop-punk part of its postseason playbook.

The Padres gave their supporters another reason to celebrate, holding on to defeat Milwaukee and avoid elimination.

During a 2023 interview, DeLonge described hearing Blink-182's music at sporting events as magical, though he had a few thoughts about the song selection.

The singer-songwriter wasn't shy about offering his own musical critique:

“I keep hearing our songs at sports games. You know, honestly, what I think? We’ve got more aggressive songs. We’ve got better songs than that one. We’ve gotta get you one that’s a little bit louder, a little bit gnarlier. Gotta pump people up. That’s what I’m thinking. I have comments.”

Whether the Padres take his advice remains to be seen. But there's something delightfully unexpected about a musician accustomed to commanding packed venues finding himself on the receiving end of a performance.

And naturally, a scene like that was bound to make its way beyond the ballpark, giving social media users plenty to discuss.

Here's how social media responded:

Blink-182's California roots run deeper than a ballpark playlist.

DeLonge grew up in Poway, just outside San Diego, where he helped launch Blink-182 in 1992 alongside Mark Hoppus and original drummer Scott Raynor. Hoppus, who spent part of his childhood in California, joined after his sister Anne introduced him to DeLonge. Raynor helped establish the band's early sound before departing in 1998.

Travis Barker, a Fontana, California, native, replaced Raynor that year, bringing another Southern California connection to the trio that would become one of pop-punk's biggest acts.

The Padres' postseason run ultimately ended with a 3–1 defeat to Milwaukee in Game 4, giving the Brewers a 3–1 series victory in the NLDS. But there's another comeback on the calendar for Blink-182 fans. After taking a break from touring in 2026, the band is reportedly planning to return to the road in 2027.

The Padres may have played their final game of the season, but San Diego's pop-punk soundtrack isn't going anywhere. And when Blink-182 hits the stage again, there'll be another reason to turn up "The Rock Show."

---

### A Photo Of 'Superman' Star Skyler Gisondo From 2015 Is Sparking Hilarious Memes—And Even Skyler Is Cracking Up

**Published:** October 8, 2026 | **Author:** Peter Karleby | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/skyler-gisondo-photo-meme.md

Actor Skyler Gisondo is rapidly rising to the top of the Hollywood A-list—he's kinda everywhere at the moment.

After already establishing himself in films like Superman and the critically acclaimed 2026 psychological thriller Primetime, Gisondo is now stepping into the spotlight for one of the fall's biggest movies.

He'll play Ben Stiller's son in Focker-in-Law, the newest installment of the beloved Meet the Parents franchise.

But while he may be a 30-year-old grown-up nowadays, Gisondo started his career as a boy-next-door-type kid, and an adorable photo of him from back in the day is going viral—and creating memes so good even Gisondo himself is joining in.

It all began with a photo of Gisondo smiling like an aw-shucks all-American kid at the premiere of the 2015 remaked of Vacation, in which he starred alongide Ed Helms, Christina Applegate, Leslie Mann, and the original film's stars Beverly D'Angelo and Chevy Chase.

The photo is nothing short of downright wholesome, with Gisondo grinning in a grey suit and black tie in a way that makes you think he might be, say, a 9th grader at a perfect-attendance ceremony at school. Aww...

And it seems a lot of people on the internet saw the same thing, because the photo has launched an entire meme where people talk about Gisondo as if he is in fact a schoolboy.

The results have been so hilarious—and so plentiful—that they made their way to Gisondo himself, and he's been posting his favorites to his Instagram Stories.

So what kind of memes are we talking? Well, remember those kids we all knew back in school—like that one kid who was always pretending to give himself a shot with a mechanical pencil?

Right. Or how about the kid who kicked a dodgeball so hard it got lodged in the school gym's ceiling?

Of course. And then there was that one lucky duck who always got pulled out of school for dentist appointments.

It just sort of took off from there, and has become a compendium of core shared memories from our school days.

One, of course, joked about that thing that has become universal in schools: the kid with the peanut allergy.

That one tickled Gisondo so much that he even popped up in the comments of an Instagram round-up of all the memes to confirm both his allergy status and his love of the trend.

@skylergisondo/Instagram

Gisondo wrote:

"Shockingly no peanut allergy, but otherwise feeling really seen here."

He's also changed his profile picture on Instagram to the 2015 one that started this whole thing. Long live Hollywood stars with a sense of humor about themselves!

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### Susan Collins Gets Boast About Cheaper Road Salt Turned Right Back On Her By Dem Opponent In Epic Debate Moment

**Published:** October 8, 2026 | **Author:** Amelia Mavis Christnot | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/collins-jackson-road-salt.md

Back in September after Maine incumbent GOP Senator Susan Collins bragged about which Canadian tariffs she had gotten MAGA Republican President Donald Trump to roll back, C-SPAN asked her midterm opponent, state Democratic Senator Troy Jackson, to respond.

In his response, Jackson outlined how Trump's trade war with Canada was impacting Maine, including its effects on tourism, sales of woodland industry byproducts, and Canadian shoppers buying from border town stores in Maine.

You can see Jackson's full answer here:

That response should have given Collins plenty of time to prepare an adequate response for her October 6 debate with Jackson.

With that prep, Collins said during the debate:

"I have been strongly voting against the tariffs with Canada. I’ve also been working behind the scenes."

"Troy mocked it, but I was successful in getting concrete, pulp, and road salt removed from the tariff list."

Jackson countered:

"I didn’t mock the fact that she got road salt back. I mocked the fact that—what about everything else? I mean, we can’t eat road salt."

You can see the moment here:

The former logger and union leader added:

"And the thing about it is that everything that she is doing with the Iran war and stuff like that, there’s gonna be so many less people that are gonna be able to afford to drive that I’m not even sure the road salt is gonna be worth anything either."

"I’m not gonna give her credit for getting one thing back when we have thousands of things that people are having to pay more money for because she won’t talk back at Donald Trump."

Jackson later added, of Collins support for Trump's policies and appointees:

"Collins is like an arsonist who helped set the fire, and then she wants credit for bringing a cup of water to put it out."

People found Jackson's responses spot on.

THIS IS CONCERNING!

— Chaka Nawe (@chakanawe.bsky.social) October 8, 2026 at 8:45 AM

View on Threads

…and isn’t rock salt found in Utah, 🤷♀️ just asking?

— FeralCatLady (@feralcatlady.bsky.social) October 7, 2026 at 4:22 PM

@Pretefunkera/X

View on Threads

I think she is "very concerned" about road salt though.
— Robertupstate (@robupstate.bsky.social) October 7, 2026 at 1:53 PM

@bonnieblue2025/X

View on Threads

What a claim! Do you think she tasked her staff to find something positive and that's ALL THEY FOUND?
— Hawthorne (@hawthornep.bsky.social) October 7, 2026 at 11:35 AM

Trump's war of words and tariffs with Canada is particularly hard on the state of Maine.

In 2025, 41% of goods exported by the state went to Canada—the highest share by percentage of any state. In 2024, Canadian travelers spent roughly $497.7 million in the state. Canadian cross-border shopping represented a vital share of total revenue for Maine merchants, particularly in northern border communities—where both Jackson and Collins are from—and coastal outlet destinations like L.L. Bean.

With Canadians boycotting both United States products and destinations, Maine has been heavily impacted economically.

Whether her support of Trump—voting for his whims 96% of the time—will cost Collins her Senate seat remains to be seen.

---

### MAGA Influencer Dragged After Heaping Fawning Praise On JD Vance For Simply Carrying His Baby

**Published:** October 8, 2026 | **Author:** Amelia Mavis Christnot | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/maga-influencer-vance-fatherhood.md

MAGA pro-birth activist Anna Lulis drew mockery online after she heaped praise on Republican Vice President JD Vance for the amazing feat of carrying his own child.

Lulis, who preaches...

"Get married"

"Stay married"

"Have kids"

...shared a video from Fox News of the VP and his family deplaning in Alaska during a trip to stump for Republican Senate candidate Dan Sullivan.

Lulis captioned the video:

"Incredible. Vance arrives in Alaska carrying his newborn baby."

"He is single-handedly humanizing fatherhood."

"Kids aren’t burdens, they’re the future."

You can see her fawning post here:

Lulis shared more posts about the Vances from their jaunt to Alaska.

She shared a photo and video of the Second Family after they left their helicopter to board Air Force 2.

Both were again captioned with gushing accolades.

Others weren't quite as impressed as Lulis, finding carrying your own child to be the bare minimum and not worthy of the level of praise the pro-birth activist showered on Vance.

@Andie00471/X

Interestingly, others criticized Vance for the same act Lulis wanted him canonized for.

Vance was called out for not taking safety precautions while walking down the steps from Air Force 2 with newborn Alec in Alaska mere hours after his wife almost fell while leaving the helicopter—something Lulis conveniently left out of her posts.

People pointed out that baby Alec may have been harmed if the Second Lady fell, but her carrying him strapped to her chest in a carrier would have offered some protection and kept him from falling to the ground as she put her hands out to catch herself.

If Vance had fallen deplaning Air Force 2, the baby would have been gravely injured if not killed, especially while Vance held him with only one hand at the top of the stairs or when he failed to hold onto the handrail as he descended.

---

### Trump Gives Ominous Warning About 'Big Surprises' That 'Project 2025' Author Has In Store In Coming Weeks

**Published:** October 8, 2026 | **Author:** Morgan Allison Ross | **Section:** General  
**URL:** https://www.comicsands.com/trump-vought-project-2025-surprises.md

With just a few weeks remaining until the November 3 midterm elections, President Donald Trump appears to have a few tricks up his sleeve.

And the commander-in-chief isn't content to keep them there. With control of Congress on the line, he's teasing some “big surprises”—and his chosen accomplice has already helped reshape Washington for the worse.

On Tuesday, October 6, Trump was in Sparrows Point, Maryland, celebrating plans for a massive new shipyard when he veered from submarines and military investments to offer an troubling preview of what's ahead.

The president singled out his budget director, Russ Vought:

“Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russ Vought, who is fantastic. He’s done a job. We have some big surprises coming up in another few weeks, right, Russ? He’s going to be one of the very important people in the history of our country, in my opinion. He’s got some great things happening.”

No explanation followed. And with Election Day approaching, the timing raised more than a few eyebrows.

For the full dose of presidential ambiguity, watch below:

Trump shouts out Russ Vought and then says, ominously, "we have some big surprises coming up in a few weeks, right Russ? He's gonna be one of the important people in the history of our country." https://t.co/rDaAQqZcjk
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 6, 2026

And who exactly is Trump's accomplice?

Meet Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and a key architect of Project 2025.

Not to be confused with Vought International, the sinister corporation from The Boys, this Vought helped shape the Heritage Foundation's blueprint for expanding presidential power, restructuring federal agencies, restricting reproductive rights, and intensifying immigration enforcement.

No Compound V required—just Project 2025, with Project 2028 apparently getting a head start.

CNN previously reported that Vought was secretly recorded discussing plans for a second Trump administration with people he believed were relatives of a wealthy conservative donor.

You can watch the undercover footage below:

- YouTube CNN

Which makes Trump's relationship with Vought and Project 2025 particularly interesting.

During his 2024 campaign, he worked overtime to distance himself from Project 2025, insisting he knew nothing about the initiative despite its ties to several figures from his first administration.

Trump was particularly determined to keep the conservative blueprint at a restraining-order distance, saying:

“I know nothing about Project 2025. I have no idea who is behind it. I disagree with some of the things they're saying and some of the things they're saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal. Anything they do, I wish them luck, but I have nothing to do with them.”

But it wasn't long before Project 2025 went from “wrong number” to having its own parking space at the White House.

And that brings us to 2026, where the president's election-season promises sound less like campaign pitches and more like a game show with Congress as the grand prize.

Among them?

A proposed $5,000 payment to American adults if Republicans retain control of Congress. His administration has also pursued health care refund checks and payments to seniors, raising questions about where government spending ends and election interference incentives begin.

And judging by the reactions online, nobody was rushing to put on a "surprise" party hat:

So what should Americans expect if Project 2025: The Sequel Nobody Ordered makes its way to Washington? Well, the original has already given us a revealing preview.

According to The 19th, advocacy-group trackers estimated that roughly half the blueprint's goals had been implemented by late 2025. Beyond Washington paperwork, Americans have seen tougher immigration enforcement, rescinded federal abortion guidance, restrictions on transgender military service, and cuts to LGBTQ+ health research.

Apparently, this was one plan that didn't spend much time gathering dust.

And because no Trump speech is complete without a few detours, the president also warned about what might happen if Democrats regain control of Congress.

Follow the rest of Trump's train of thought below:

- YouTube LiveNow from Fox

Of course, none of this came entirely out of left field.

Before the 2024 election, Kamala Harris, Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, and Sen. Bernie Sanders warned Americans about the conservative agenda. Those warnings didn't prevent Trump's return to the White House. But two years later, voters have more than campaign predictions to consider.

And as Fox News commentator Jessica Tarlov warned, the concern now extends to whether Trump might attempt to interfere with the midterm elections.

So, perhaps November's biggest surprise won't come from Trump or totally-not-a-super-villain Vought at all. It'll come from what Americans decide at the ballot box.


## Contributors & Authors
- [Morgan Ross](https://www.comicsands.com/u/morganross): Morgan Ross is a writer, editor, and script doctor based in Washington, D.C. She received a B.A. in ...
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