Breakdown Press Official

Elon Musk has given $474 million to political groups during the 2026 midterm cycle, according to a New York Times analysis of FEC and IRS filings and state records covering donations since January 1, 2025. The Times says no donor has given more in a single cycle, apart from wealthy candidates who paid for their own campaigns. About $212 million of Musk's total went toward Ken Paxton's unsuccessful U.S. Senate bid in Texas. Other tallies are lower. Reuters counted roughly $366 million in mid-October, and OpenSecrets counted at least $445 million through October. The numbers differ because of date ranges and what each outlet counts as political spending. Musk has said he plans to do a lot less political spending going forward. Does money at this scale change how you follow elections?

Pete Hegseth has a bad few weeks. His net approval has dropped from -9 before the Iran war to -25, and among independents from -20 to -43, per Quinnipiac numbers CNN’s Harry Enten cited. Enten compared him to Rumsfeld, who resigned after the 2006 midterms. Meanwhile, the Pentagon gave Raytheon a no-bid extension worth up to $394M, weeks after the Navy said the company stayed eligible for contracts despite admitting to fraud. The Missile Defense Agency says it acted because Raytheon was never suspended or debarred and the work was mission-critical. The Daily Beast also reports Senate Republicans threatened to block a Trump nominee until Hegseth handed over documents, and the Daily Mail reports officials are compiling a paper trail in case Democrats win the House.

The US has launched strikes on Qeshm Island in Iran’s Strait of Hormuz, according to US officials who spoke to CBS, the BBC’s US partner. Iranian state media reported several explosions on the island Monday. The officials described the strikes as limited and said they were a response to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard firing on US aircraft. That explanation hasn’t been independently confirmed, and US Central Command hadn’t responded to the BBC’s request for comment. The strikes come one day before the US midterm elections. Trump told Axios earlier Monday there’s “no rush” to ramp up strikes, and Iran’s foreign minister says indirect talks to end the war are still underway. We’ll update as more information comes in.

MAGA Christians: “Protect the children.” Nicki Minaj’s brother is serving 25-to-life for raping an 11-year-old. Her husband is a registered sex offender who got house arrest in a mansion for skipping registration. Now she’s telling young voters to “vote red.” Is this who we’re elevating? To my MAGA and Christian conservative friends: we say we stand for protecting children, for the rule of law, and for families. So let’s talk about one of the movement’s loudest new celebrity allies. Nicki Minaj’s brother, Jelani Maraj, was convicted of predatory sexual assault of an 11-year-old girl and sentenced to 25 years to life. Her husband, Kenneth Petty, was convicted of attempted rape in 1995. When he moved to California, he failed to register as a sex offender. Prosecutors wanted jail time. He got a year of home confinement in their gated mansion. In 2018 she wrote, “I came to this country as an illegal immigrant @ 5 years old,” and she has said she isn’t a U.S. citizen. Now she’s on Fox telling young Americans to “vote red.” Welcoming support is one thing. Handing someone a platform and calling it righteous is another. Ask yourself whether this is the standard we’d accept from anyone on the other side. Christians and conservatives who care about kids: is this the company we keep? Trump called Nicki Minaj “a great friend” at the White House. Jesus said it would be better to have a millstone hung around your neck than to harm one of these little ones (Matthew 18:6). So why is a movement that claims to protect children celebrating Nicki Minaj?

ANNOUNCEMENT: NOBEL PEACE PRIZE 2026, 9 OCTOBER 2026 CONGRATULATIONS to Nobel Peace Prize winner Navanethem “Navi” Pillay for her efforts to promote peace and international law. The Nobel Peace Prize for 2026 goes to a person who, with exceptional courage and integrity, has led the way towards a more comprehensive global legal order. This year’s laureate has been instrumental in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide are prosecuted. Navi Pillay’s commitment to universal legal principles and her firm moral compass are constants in a long career. Born into a family of Indian Tamil origin under apartheid in Durban, South Africa, Pillay became a lawyer and legal pioneer, confronting deep structural discrimination, segregation and exclusion. A common thread runs from her early work defending Nelson Mandela and others who stood up against apartheid to her service as a judge in some of the key international court cases of our time. Donald J. Trump once again has lost the Nobel Prize for these reasons: - Gaza (complicity): Critics accuse Trump of aiding and abetting Israel’s alleged genocide against Palestinians through military aid and diplomatic cover. - USAID CUTS BY THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION: Estimated deaths so far: The Center for Global Development estimated that the drop in spending may have led to 500,000 to 1,000,000 lives lost in 2025 compared with previous years. That covers USAID cuts alone and is a model-based estimate, not a tally. Projected deaths by 2030: A July 2025 Lancet study estimated that deep cuts and the potential dismantling of USAID could cause more than 14 million additional deaths by 2030, including 4.5 million children under five. A newer Lancet analysis a year after the dismantling projected at least 9.4 million additional deaths by 2030 if current funding trends continue, with about 2.5 million of them children under five. It also modeled a scenario where deeper cuts push the figure to 22.6 million. Children specifically: The projection site impactcounter.com estimated that, as of Dec. 5, 2025, within a year there could be an additional 142,571 child deaths from pneumonia, 109,248 from diarrhoea, and 134,534 from malnutrition. UNNECESSARY DEATHS. CUTS FROM THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, ALONG WITH ELON MUSK AND THE SO-CALLED "DOGE" DIVISION. Between Trump starting the Iran War, the Gaza genocide, and the deaths of children around the world that need our help, it is no surprise that Donald Trump LOST the Nobel Peace Prize once again. bit.ly/4xPtmor See less

Something to think about: What does Project 2025 actually say about elections? I wanted to look at the actual document rather than just listen to political commentary about it. A few things in Project 2025 that I found interesting: • It proposes changes to how the Department of Justice handles certain election-related offenses, including voter-registration fraud and ballot issues. • It discusses mail-in ballots and ballot “curing,” including circumstances in which voters can correct problems with their ballots. • It discusses circumstances involving investigations of state election officials over election-related actions or guidance. • It also discusses violence and intimidation connected with polling places and the role of federal law enforcement. These discussions can be found in Chapter 17, “Department of Justice,” beginning around page 563 of the Project 2025 Mandate for Leadership. None of this is me saying, “This is what is going to happen in the 2026 election.” THAT IS NOT MY CLAIM. I’m simply saying these proposals are actually in Project 2025, and I think they’re worth reading and understanding for ourselves. Read the document. Look at the specific pages. Look at what is proposed, what has actually been implemented, and what is simply someone’s interpretation. I’m sharing this for information and discussion — not as a prediction of what will happen. Just something to think about

“Let ‘em take, let ‘em take out Los Angeles, let ‘em take out San Diego. That’s, this is a very small price to pay.” DICTATOR @DonaldTrump .......... Trump told a rally crowd in Nebraska on Monday that Iran could take out Los Angeles and San Diego, and called it a small price to pay. He got there by way of gas prices. The national average is now $4.37 a gallon, and Trump told the crowd in Grand Island it isn’t real. “Remember, with the war, it’s just artificial,” he said. “It’s a little bit high.” Then he defended it. “It’s a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe.” “They can take out a city,” Trump said. “Let ‘em take, let ‘em take out Los Angeles, let ‘em take out San Diego. That’s, this is a very small price to pay.” The crowd cheered. Nearly 4 million people live in Los Angeles. More than 1.3 million live in San Diego. Both are run by Democrats, which is the only thing that sets them apart from the cities Trump didn’t name. He kept going. “And it’s going to be over very soon,” he said of the war. “It’s essentially almost over with. And they might keep going a little long, you know. They always say they have a big threshold for pain. They need it, let me tell you.” California’s leaders answered within hours. “After sending the National Guard and Marines to occupy California, Donald Trump is now saying our foreign enemies should ‘take out’ Los Angeles and San Diego,” Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote. “He is deranged and dangerous.” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said, “The role of a president is to protect the country, not to actively threaten it and encourage attacks on American lives.” San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said, “San Diego is not collateral damage. We are not expendable. And we are never a ‘small price to pay.’ Keep our city out of your reckless war talk.” Republicans said it too. Jim Desmond, a San Diego County supervisor, Navy veteran and Trump-backed congressional candidate, broke with the president right away. “No American city is expendable, and no American family should ever be treated as collateral damage,” he wrote. The war Trump started with Benjamin Netanyahu has cost $43 billion, by the Defense Department’s own estimate. Nineteen American troops have been killed in the Persian Gulf since February 28, and hundreds more have been wounded. The commander in chief who sent them is telling crowds that losing an American city would be a small price to pay. @ReallyAmerican1

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Donald J. Trump FAKE ACHIEVEMENTS THAT HE CALLS REAL: Claims fact-checkers have rated false or misleading 2020 election: He has said he won and that the election was stolen. Dozens of court rulings, state audits, and his own Justice Department found no fraud on a scale that would change the outcome. 2017 inauguration crowd: He said it was the largest ever. Transit data and aerial photos showed otherwise. "Biggest tax cut in history": He said this about the 2017 tax law, and later about the 2025 tax and spending bill. Treasury and think-tank analyses showed several earlier tax cuts were larger as a share of the economy. "Best economy in history": The pre-pandemic economy was strong, with low unemployment and solid wage growth. But GDP growth, job growth, and other measures were not records. Tariffs paid by foreign countries: Most economists find that US importers and consumers bear most of the cost. Investment pledges: He has cited multi-trillion-dollar figures for investment coming into the US. Analysts say many of these are non-binding pledges, repackaged existing plans, or unverifiable. Ending wars: He has said he ended around eight wars. Several ceasefires and agreements did happen under his administration, but experts dispute how much credit he deserves and whether some conflicts were "wars" or truly ended. India, for example, disputes his role in its 2025 ceasefire with Pakistan. The border wall: He said he built a large new wall. Much of the construction in his first term replaced older barriers, and Mexico did not pay for it. Partly. Fact-checkers say the number is exaggerated, but a few of the eight were real conflicts where his administration played a meaningful role. The list he has given is Israel-Iran, Gaza, India-Pakistan, Cambodia-Thailand, Armenia-Azerbaijan, Rwanda-Congo, Serbia-Kosovo, and Egypt-Ethiopia. Not wars Egypt and Ethiopia had a diplomatic dispute over an Ethiopian dam project, not a war, and the Serbia-Kosovo situation was also not a war. AP likewise found no threat of war between Serbia and Kosovo during Trump's second term. Real conflicts, but not clearly "ended" Rwanda-Congo: The war has not ended despite a peace agreement brokered by the Trump administration. AP also reported fresh fighting between Congolese forces and Rwanda-backed rebels. Gaza: Israel continues frequent attacks in the enclave despite a US-brokered ceasefire. Cambodia-Thailand: Trump did pressure both sides into a ceasefire and a more detailed October agreement, but AP reported fresh fighting between Thailand and Cambodia afterward. India-Pakistan: Pakistan thanked Trump, but India has denied his claims, saying there was no conversation between the U.S. and India on the ceasefire. Armenia-Azerbaijan: This is a peace framework, and AP noted that the treaty text was only initialed by foreign ministers, which indicates preliminary approval. Where he gets the most credit Israel-Iran: Trump negotiated a ceasefire after directing U.S. warplanes to strike Iran's nuclear sites. One analyst said the war "didn't have any real end in sight" before he gave the parties an ultimatum. But CNN notes that Israel later joined the US in starting another war against Iran in 2026.

ACHIEVEMENTS OF Donald J. Trump to date: Confirmed events (whether you count them as achievements is a judgment call) Maduro's capture. Operation Absolute Resolve removed Nicolás Maduro and his wife in January. The administration framed it as a law-enforcement arrest rather than a military campaign. Analysts across the spectrum, including Fox's sources and the Atlantic Council, see it as a setback for Iran's network in the Western Hemisphere. Critics call it an abduction that raises legal and stability concerns. The Iran war. The U.S. and Israel struck Iran, and Trump says Iran's nuclear program was obliterated. The Iranian government survived the assault. A ceasefire was brokered, but fighting resumed on July 8. Analysts consider the outcome unresolved, and many experts argue the war is illegal without congressional authorization. I wouldn't call this a clear achievement or a clear failure yet. Trump’s abduction of Maduro escalates concerns over potential war with Iran +2 Mail-in voting order. The administration highlights that the Supreme Court allowed its March 31 order tightening mail-in voting rules to take effect before the midterms. Reported, but mostly from administration or allied sources Crime in D.C. Police statistics showed a continued year-over-year decline in early 2026. Allied outlets cite homicides down about 38%. Crime was already falling nationally, so the cause is debated. NBC News Fentanyl deaths. A reported 22% one-year drop, which the White House credits to its border and cartel crackdown. Attribution is contested. Immigration enforcement. ICE arrests reached nearly 50,000 in July, the highest monthly total of the second term. Supporters see success, while critics object to the methods and the human cost. whitehouse Judicial confirmations. An allied outlet reports that the Senate had confirmed 271 of Trump's Article III judges across both terms by late April. Trump Accounts. The $1,000 seed accounts for children have launched, according to the White House. Egg prices. CNN confirmed that egg prices have fallen sharply during his administration. Disputed or contradicted by fact-checkers Inflation. Trump says prices are coming down. CNN reports that inflation has been above 3% in each of the six months since the Iran war began. FactCheck.org found that inflation worsened slightly and gas prices rose after the Iran strikes. CNN factcheck Job growth slowed, with 369,000 jobs created as of March, and manufacturing jobs kept declining despite the tariffs. The "record low jobless claims" figure comes from White House material, which I couldn't verify independently. factcheck Tariff and economy claims. Fact-checkers found false the claim that foreign countries pay his tariffs, and also the claim that he inherited a stagnant economy. CNN factcheck "Warrior Dividend" payments. Trump said they came from tariffs, and the claim that they did was rated false. NBC News Overall, the clearest 2026 developments are in foreign policy, enforcement, and judicial and regulatory changes. On the economy, which is what most voters care about, independent data is mixed to unfavorable. Whether the first group outweighs the second depends on what you value

Good Morning........... youtu.be/LRWt4h7Irjk?si=0Way… @MeidasTouch @zelenskyy @UnitedHelpUA A day one broken promise from @realDonaldTrump @CNN @politico @MSNOWNews