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October 15, 2025
Kansas Young Republicans shut down after Politico report on racist, violent encrypted chat
(Kansas Reflector) The chairman and vice chairman of the Kansas Young Republicans took part in encrypted chats with political peers that were laced with violent, racist and antisemitic rhetoric and blended with references to white supremacy and suppression of the Jeffrey Epstein files. On Tuesday, the chairman of the Kansas Republican Party said the Politico article disclosing the commentary prompted immediate deactivation of the Kansas Young Republicans organization.
Go to discussion'It's revolting': More Young Republican chat members out of jobs as condemnation intensifies
(Politico) Two more members of a Young Republican group chat strewn with racist epithets and hateful jokes stepped down from their jobs Tuesday after POLITICO published an exclusive report on the Telegram exchanges. Peter Giunta’s time working with New York Assemblymember Mike Reilly “has ended,” the Republican lawmaker said. Giunta served as chair of the New York State Young Republicans when the chat took place. Joseph Maligno, who previously identified himself as the general counsel for that group, is no longer an employee of the New York State Unified Court System, a courts spokesperson confirmed.
Go to discussionVermont Gov. Scott calls on state senator to resign after report on GOP group chat
(The Hill) Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R) called on a state senator to resign after a Politico report on a Young Republican group chat. “The hateful statements made in this group chat are disgusting and unacceptable. The vile, racist, bigoted, and antisemitic dialogue that has been reported is deeply disturbing. There is simply no excuse for it,” Scott said in a Tuesday statement.
Go to discussionSupreme Court takes up GOP-led challenge to Voting Rights Act that could affect control of Congress
(AP) The Supreme Court is taking up a major Republican-led challenge to the Voting Rights Act, the centerpiece legislation of the Civil Rights Movement, that could gut a key provision of the law that prohibits racial discrimination in redistricting. The justices on Wednesday are hearing arguments for the second time in a case over Louisiana’s congressional map, which has two majority Black districts. A ruling for the state could open the door for legislatures to redraw congressional maps across the South, potentially boosting Republican electoral prospects by eliminating majority Black and Latino seats that tend to favor Democrats.
Go to discussionBoth parties brace for a 'long conflict' as government shutdown hits two-week mark
(NBC News) At the two-week mark, Republicans and Democrats are bracing for a long government shutdown, with both parties seeing more upside in persisting with their conflicting demands. As a result, neither side is willing to give an inch in the standoff, now the fifth-longest shutdown in the country's history.
Go to discussionPete Hegseth's press crackdown is backfiring
(Salon) Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has managed to ignite cross‑ideological media solidarity with his unprecedented attempt to silence journalists. Today, over 100 resident Pentagon press members who failed to sign Hegseth’s new policy, which restricts reporters to only publish information preauthorized by Pentagon authorities, are required to turn in their passes and vacate the premises. And in a remarkable act of repudiation, the U.S. press corps stands virtually united in defiance of the former “Fox & Friends Weekend” co-host — even his former employer Fox News.
Go to discussionArizona Rep.-Elect Grijalva Finally Gets Keys to Office - But 'No Internet, No Computers...Phone Lines Aren't Working'
(Mediaite) Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) has been waiting weeks to be sworn in and finally got the keys to her congressional office Tuesday, only to find “just a space” — no internet, no phone lines, no computers. Grijalva won a special election on Sept. 23, easily trouncing her Republican opponent in her deep-blue district 69% to 29%. She will succeed her father, Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), who died on March 13, in representing Arizona’s 7th district —if she is ever sworn in.
Go to discussionMost Americans say taxing the rich is best way to reduce federal debt: Gallup
(The Hill) Raising income taxes for wealthy Americans is the most popular way of reducing the federal debt, according to the latest Gallup poll. The survey, conducted in September, asks Americans whether they support a range of methods aimed at reducing the federal debt, which has ballooned in recent years to more than $37 trillion. Only two proposals receive a majority support of U.S. adults: 63 percent back “increasing income tax rates for upper-income Americans,” and 54 percent support “increasing tax revenues by making major changes to the current federal tax code.
Go to discussionMAGA's fake Super Bowl halftime show reveals their real failures
(Salon) If you’re looking for an illustration of “coping mechanism,” you’ll find no better example than MAGA’s reaction to Turning Point USA (TPUSA) announcing “The All American Halftime Show,” an alternative to the actual Super Bowl halftime show, airing on Feb. 8. The event doesn’t have a lineup or even a location yet. But what the far-right organization, co-founded by the late Charlie Kirk, does have is a groundswell of racist rage about the real Super Bowl halftime show, which will feature reggaeton star Bad Bunny.
Go to discussionTakeaways from former special counsel Jack Smith's scathing review of the Trump Justice Department
(CNN) Former special counsel Jack Smith, whose historic prosecution of Donald Trump was upended by the president’s reelection last year, insisted that the pair of criminal cases he brought against Trump were untainted by politics. But the current Trump Justice Department is different, Smith said in a recent wide-ranging interview with former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann at the University College London made available Tuesday.
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