Kushner's Albanian Land Grab Sparks Riots

 

Violent protests entered a sixth day in Albania, as protestors fought police and demanded an end to official corruption triggered by Jared Kushner's land grab approved by the government. Non-violent protests have been going on for months in the capital of Tirana. From France 24 News:

"Violent demonstrations have rocked Tirana since Tuesday with protesters calling for action over poor university conditions, high tuition fees and corruption.

Hundreds of protesters gathered again at noon in front of the education ministry chanting "Rama, resign" amid a tense standoff with police, who used water cannon and tear gas to hold back the crowds. [snip]

Tirana saw its harshest violence on Saturday when protesters threw rocks, Molotov cocktails, metal objects and pyrotechnic devices at police, and torched cars and litter bins to use as barricades against advancing police.

Buildings including a court, banks and a post office were set on fire or severely damaged. Police used rubber bullets on demonstrators for the first time since the protests began, AFP journalists saw. [snip]

Albania's close ally the United States reacted late Saturday. Its embassy in Tirana urged "restraint and calm on all sides".

The unrest follows months of anti-government protests in the Balkan nation, initially sparked by a controversial resort development linked to US President Donald Trump's family." (our emphasis)

Kushner's plan is to develop a pristine ecological area on Albania's Adriatic coast as a resort for elites. When he and his greedy wife Ivanka Trump saw the property from a yacht, they decided to buy it with no apparent concern for the site's ecological importance. The Albanian regime was a willing conspirator in the deal, which they justified by saying it would produce jobs and economic stimulus, and likely some payoffs to top officials. Stay tuned.

(photo: AFP via Getty)

Today's Cartoons

 

(click on images to enlarge)

(Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

(Steve Sack, stevesack.substack.com)

(Bill Day, caglecartoons.com)

(David Rowe, Financial Review, Australia;  reference here)

(Chris Britt, Creators.com)

(Rob Rogers, Tinyview.com)

(George Danby, Bangor Daily News, Maine)

(John Darkow, Columbia Missourian)

(Mike Smith, Las Vegas Sun)

(Michael de Adder, The Contrarian, Canada)

(Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press)

(Dave Whamond, caglecartoons.com, Canada)

(Jason Chatfield, The New Yorker)

Ukraine Hits Major Russian Oil Terminal

 

In a clear message to Putin stooge and demented liar the Malignant Fascist, Ukraine hit an important oil terminal in St. Petersburg with a massive drone attack, just as the MF has been pressuring Ukraine to cease hitting Russia's oil facilities.  From Politico:

"Ukraine struck an oil terminal in St. Petersburg Sunday morning in what Russian state media called 'one of the biggest drone attacks of the year.'

Alexander Beglov, governor of St. Petersburg, said on Telegram Sunday that the city underwent a 'massive”'overnight attack from Ukrainian drones. 'The Ministry of Emergency Situations continues to extinguish fires at the Petersburg Oil Terminal, the Ruchyi oil depot, and industrial warehouses in the Kolpino district,' he said, adding that one person died and several others were injured in the incident.

The drone strikes come as Kyiv and Moscow ramp up attacks on each other’s infrastructure. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last week he had ordered the resumption of strikes on Russian oil refineries following a three-day pause after U.S. President Donald Trump declared he had brokered an energy ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia."

The MF has been trying to shift blame for high oil and diesel prices on Ukraine's bombardment of Russian facilities, when it's his misbegotten war on Iran and the restriction of oil and other materials moving through the Strait of Hormuz.  His purchase of Russian diesel, his suspension of sanctions on Russia, and his apparent order to restrict Ukraine's use of the Starshield / Starlink system show clearly that he's sided with the Russian war criminals.

(photo: Oil terminal in St. Petersburg after Ukrainian drone attack Oct. 18)

 

Bad Move, Zuck!

 

Zuck's doing favors for the Malignant Fascist again.  A Democratic Congress needs to investigate this groveling choad:

Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta pulled the plug on the No Kings movement’s Instagram account Saturday, right in the middle of a massive nationwide day of protests and early-voting mobilization, leaving organizers scrambling to reach supporters at one of the most critical moments of their campaign.

And even after the social media giant restored the account, there was a catch: The people running it still couldn’t get in.

Ezra Levin, co-founder and co-executive director of Indivisible, one of the leading organizations behind the No Kings movement, says Meta suspended the coalition’s Instagram account for approximately 90 minutes during the peak of Saturday’s demonstrations, when organizers were using the platform to coordinate events, amplify turnout, and encourage Americans to vote early ahead of the midterm elections.

The timing immediately raised alarms among organizers, who questioned why one of the country’s largest protest movements had suddenly lost access to a major communications platform in the middle of its national day of action...

Zuck's spokesliar had an entirely unsatisfactory "answer":

In a statement on X, Meta spokesman Andy Stone said that accounts posting, sharing, or commenting at "very high frequencies" can prompt an automated response.

"That's what happened with the No Kings IG account in the lead up to today's day of action. Unfortunately, that automated action was clearly taken in error," he said in an X post.

"Everything is now working as it should and we sincerely apologize."

No Kings said it wants a deeper explanation from Meta. "Restricting communications about voting in the middle of an election is unacceptable," it said in its post...

Democrats may not be able to adequately deal with the likes of Zuck, Musk, Bezos, Thiel, et al. until they have the White House as well as Congress.  But they can sure do due diligence investigations as to the corrupt links and pay-to-play arrangements the oligarch bros have made with the Malignant Fascist and his regime over the past two years.  They can take actions to take the curl out of Zuck's hair.

BONUS:  Another thing he Zucked up.

(Photo:  "Don't worry, Your Orange Majesty.  I got this!" / Kevin Lamarque, Reuters)

Burnham For Trump -- We'll Take That!

 

Last night in a crossover cold open on Saturday Night Live UK, the Malignant Fascist (Saturday Night Live's James Austin Johnson) traveled to the UK in an attempt to swap jobs with new British PM Andy Burnham (George Fouracres).  Ukrainian President Zelenskyy (Freddie Meredith) looks on and provides some zingers.  Jolly good!

Today's Cartoons

 

(click on images to enlarge)

(Patrick Chappatte, Le Temps, Geneva, Switzerland)

(David Rowe, Financial Review, Australia)

(Jeff Danziger, The Rutland Herald, VT)

 (Bill Day, caglecartoons.com)

(Marian Kamensky, caglecartoons.com, Austria)

(Arcadio Esquivel, caglecartoons.com, Costa Rica)

(Dennis Goris, @dennisgoris)

(Milt Priggee, caglecartoons.com)

(Rick McKee, caglecartoons.com;  context here)

(Bill Bramhall, New York Daily News)

(Monte Wolverton, caglecartoons.com)

(Asher Perlman, @asherperlman)

Skeets Of The Day

 

The Malignant Fascist's betrayal of Ukraine continues -- 

The United States is actively helping Putin murder civilians in Ukraine. Trump is doing everything he can to force Ukraine to surrender to his friend and ally Putin so they can be subjugated by the Russians again.

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— Ron Filipkowski (@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social) October 17, 2026 at 8:57 AM

 

Russia was never a hoax

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— The Tennessee Holler (@thetnholler.bsky.social) October 17, 2026 at 9:20 AM

 

Russia, Russia, Russia was not a hoax. Trump signed an EO tonight exempting Russia from new sanctions legislation that Congress passed last month. The law was designed to squeeze the financial lifelines sustaining Russia's war against Ukraine. Gift link. 👇 www.nytimes.com/2026/10/16/u...

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— Hoodlum 🇺🇸 (@nothoodlum.bsky.social) October 16, 2026 at 10:09 PM

The MF's deranged speeches, and his apparent dementia on display -- 

Have you ever tried to get a fucking Tylenol from a school nurse?

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— Julian Sanchez (@normative.bsky.social) October 16, 2026 at 6:14 PM

 

he’s a dirty, filthy, hateful, evil liar

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— Greg Pak (@gregpak.net) October 17, 2026 at 1:05 AM

 

1,000 years from now, teachers will struggle to explain to their students how at this time in history, we found literally the most despicable human being in America and made him the most powerful person in the world

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— Paul Waldman (@paulwaldman.bsky.social) October 16, 2026 at 10:50 PM

 

So Maralago Fats totally misses the Beast and instead goes for a dementia stroll while the secret service scurries around him to redirect him back to the car. He’s basically little more than a barely walking , talking Trump steak.

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— Whyzayker (@whyzayker.bsky.social) October 17, 2026 at 4:57 AM

In Epstein class / fascist tech bro news -- 

Nationalizing SpaceX may be necessary temporarily, but the ultimate solution is to re-establish NASA in its place. No more overreliance on the private sector. Bring it all in-house. Fully fund the government. Make American space exploration . . . great again.

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— Brandon Friedman (@brandonfriedman.bsky.social) October 17, 2026 at 9:38 AM

 

Meta should be broken up—at the least—if Dems retake White House

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— Clara Jeffery (@clarajeffery.bsky.social) October 16, 2026 at 6:27 PM

 

Schadenfreude. He bought dying assets of a dying industry, mass media. His own doing. Skydance’s Market Value Is Currently Less Than Half What Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Combined Were Worth variety.com/2026/film/ne...

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— Jeff (Hot Type) Jarvis (@jeffjarvis.bsky.social) October 16, 2026 at 7:44 PM

Going the distance to vote. Good on them -- 

Students from North Carolina A&T can be seen marching back to their HBCU after voting on the first day of early voting in the state. The Guilford County Board of Elections voted to remove the school’s on-campus polling site. (video via Todd Simmons) greensboro.com/news/local/g...

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— Phil Lewis (@phillewis.bsky.social) October 16, 2026 at 8:29 PM

Grifting is in the Trump regime's DNA -- 

New — Mike Huckabee's family company is offering $5800+ trips to Israel, so tourists can meet "top Israeli officials," even while he is the Ambassador to Israel. Plus: he promised his Huck PAC would go "dormant" if he became ambassador. That didn't happen. Over the past 2 years, it's raised $4.5M.

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— Prem Thakker ツ (@premthakker.bsky.social) October 16, 2026 at 7:35 PM

Heavy cat -- 

"How's your diet going?" "Fuck off"

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— SlenderSherbet (@slendersherbet.bsky.social) October 16, 2026 at 5:32 PM

 

 

"No Kings" Early Voting And Turnout Events Today

Today's focus on early voting and turnout couldn't be more important.  Please engage in "No Kings" events today:

Millions of Americans are expected to gather in big cities and small towns and vote early on Saturday, Oct. 17, in a continuation of the popular No Kings protests.

In Indianapolis, two groups plan to march to the governor's residence. In Michigan, one event will be Halloween-themed; another asks participants to bring signs and American flags. In downtown Phoenix, protesters plan to march to the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center to drop off their ballots.

The more than 3,000 actions focus on early voting and turnout rather than protesting like the previous three No Kings events, which drew millions of Americans into the streets at rallies in large cities and small towns nationwide.

Public Citizen's Co-President Lisa Gilbert told USA TODAY that the events are "a strategic move and a critical one to help people exercise the most tangible aspect of their power that counters all the abuses we've been seeing, which is voting. So it's a massive day of voter participation, one where we are helping folks lean into voter power as a statement on what democracy is and should be."

The No Kings protests have been a way for Americans to show their frustration with the Trump administration's policies. Voting is another way to make that statement, Gilbert said.

"It's so critical that people vote, that they vote early, that we show in a landslide that this is not an acceptable way to govern," she said.

Expected events include marches to the polls, voting information booths, speakers, and vehicle parades to voting locations.

In Atlanta, Black Voters Matter is hosting a party with food trucks and music before moving as a group to a polling location. In Ferndale, Michigan, and Eagle County, Colorado, participants in superhero costumes will ride in decorated bikes or wagons on their way to vote. In Chester, Pennsylvania, there will be a tailgate party at a ballot drop box location.  [snip]

No Kings organizers said the goal is to create voter turnout so historically high that it would be hard for the Trump administration to claim there was fraud.

Look for events near you today here and please get involved.

Traitor Trump Betrays Ukraine And America, Again

 

In a move that will delight and motivate his manipulator Vladimir Putin, the vindictive and mentally ill Malignant Fascist signed an order that waives several sanctions placed on Russia under the Graham law he just signed in September.  His gift to Putin will mean a longer and bloodier war that Putin believes he can now win with his comrade's support. From the BBC:

"Donald Trump has blocked numerous sanctions on Russia two days before they were due to take effect, as a row with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky deepens.

The sanctions were passed by the US Congress and signed into law by Trump in September.

But the US president issued an executive order on Friday night saying that suspending some was in the US 'national interest', prompting a backlash from US lawmakers. Zelensky said it was unfortunate the US has decided to 'completely disregard' the sanctions.

Relations between Washington and Kyiv frayed after the US struck a controversial deal to import Russian diesel. Ukraine then accused the Trump administration of withdrawing key military support. [snip]

The new US sanctions law took aim at Russia's economy, giving Trump broad powers to levy tariffs of up to 100% on imports from the top five purchasers of Russian oil and gas – most significantly China and India.

It also included sanctions against senior Russian figures, including Putin, as well as Russian financial institutions and Moscow's so-called "shadow fleet" of vessels used to circumvent existing embargoes.

Many of these provisions have now been waived by Trump.

Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev called the waiver 'an important and truly historic moment'". (our emphasis)

Of course, the Russians love the fact that their decades-long grooming of the MF is paying off just when Ukraine has seized the initiative with its strikes on Russian refineries and data farms.  The "important and truly historic moment" the Russian envoy refers to is a dark one for the United States and its now forfeited leadership of the free world by siding with the expansionist Russian crime state.

(photo: "How am I doing, Vlad?")

 

Brew City Bars And Taverns

 

They may be imbibing a lot of suds in Milwaukee, some in neighborhood bars and taverns, now that the Brewers are going back to the World Series for the first time in 44 years.  So here's an interesting look at the neighborhood bar culture and some of the oldest ones in Brew City (and in America).  Prosit!

Today's Cartoons

 

(click on images to enlarge)

(Matt Wuerker, Politico)

(Rob Rogers, gocomics.com)

(Bill Bramhall, New York Daily News)

(John Darkow, Columbia Missourian)

(Bas van der Schot, caglecartoons.com, Netherlands)

(Tom Janssen, caglecartoons.com, Netherlands)

(Milt Priggee, caglecartoons.com)

(John Deering, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

(Bruce Plante, caglecartoons.com)

(Ruben Bolling, gocomics.com)

(Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

(Banx, Financial Times, UK)

QOTD -- Traitor Trump

 

"... I try not to be hyperbolic, that is, to undermine my assertions with language that is overly exaggerated or bombastic.

But that caution needs to end now. Because Donald Trump is a traitor.

And he’s not simply a traitor in the loose sense of someone who commits an act of betrayal that makes clear they are not only not on your side but actively working to undermine your side. ('You traitor,' said the kid to his best friend after he started hanging out with the class bully.) Donald Trump is a traitor in the very particular sense laid out in the U.S. Constitution written and agreed to in 1787.

This can be found in the clause pertaining to treason, Article III, Section 3, as follows: 'Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort.'”... -- writer Steven Bechloss, who goes on to demonstrate why "Donald Trump Is A Traitor," in his "America, America" Substack.  The treasonous deal to sell out our erstwhile ally Ukraine to the despotic Russian war criminal Putin was the precipitating event Bechloss cites in making his case (we said he was a traitor years and years ago because of his prior water-carrying for Putin that ran diametrically opposite to America's national interests, but macht nichts).  Good read and oh so true.

Ads Of The Week: Corruption, ICE, And Prices

 

Democrats are running ads with variations on themes like these in many races, but we're focusing on a few critical Midwestern Senate races today:

 

You can contribute to Turek here, Flanagan here, and Hamilton here, if you can.  Flip the Senate!

Skeets Of The Day

 

The Epstein-Trump files coverup / MAGAt cucks ganging up on ... a woman --

 

How disgusting can these people get? 

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— Michael J. Stern (@michaeljstern.bsky.social) October 15, 2026 at 11:42 PM

 

Operation Epic Quagmire / $135 billion and counting --

 

Americans have now spent $135 billion more on gasoline and diesel purchases since March 1 than the same period last year.

— Patrick De Haan (@gasbuddyguy.bsky.social) October 16, 2026 at 10:11 AM

 

Democrats, you need to light South Afrikaner fascist Musk up! --

 

Democrats need to run hard against Elon Musk. They need to warn the public that the world's richest man is spending $276 million to attempt a hostile takeover of our government.

— Mark Jacob (@markjacob.bsky.social) October 16, 2026 at 7:58 AM

 

What sub-moron Traitor Trump hath wrought --

Trump sounds genuinely upset that Putin didn't defeat Ukraine in one day, which he insists Russia could've done had their generals not taken "a wrong turn"

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— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) October 15, 2026 at 8:22 PM

 

Trump wants to make sure it’s as easy as possible for his friend Putin to bomb apartment buildings and kill children. He’s not just the worst president in history, he’s the most evil person to ever serve at the highest level of government. Vote out his weak Republican enablers.

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— Ron Filipkowski (@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social) October 15, 2026 at 8:07 PM

 

The crowd absolutely erupts when Carney says the Pacific Link pipeline will reduce Canada's dependence on the U.S. Mark Carney: "Careful. They might think that's election interference. They're a little touchy down there. We're not. We're getting on with it."

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— MeidasTouch (@meidastouch.com) October 16, 2026 at 12:06 AM

 

Peter Thiel's grateful beardo butt boy says what -- 

Some people Vance has accused of ingratitude or similar: Abdul El-Sayed Kamala Harris Zohran Mamdani Ilhan Omar Joy Reid Volodymyr Zelensky I couldn't find any white Christians.

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— Eric Columbus (@ericcolumbus.bsky.social) October 15, 2026 at 5:44 PM

 

Rep. Omar on the Trump regime's vindictive, repetitive "investigation" --

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.

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— Ilhan Omar (@ilhanmn.bsky.social) October 15, 2026 at 10:52 PM

 

New White House spokesliar fit right in, but now she gone (not even half a Scaramucci!)! --

Here are 22 times Katie Zacharia blatantly lied about being a lawyer. She’s perfect for the Trump administration. She’s pathological.

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— Hoodlum 🇺🇸 (@nothoodlum.bsky.social) October 15, 2026 at 3:54 PM

 

who is this 💀

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— Adam Parkhomenko (@adamparkhomenko.bsky.social) October 14, 2026 at 12:29 PM

 

Lizard-human hybrid MAGAt Matt Gaetz accused of pedo sex trafficking scheme (again) -- 

A new explosive lawsuit alleges that then-sitting Congressman Matt Gaetz and his friends Joel Greenberg and former State Representative Christopher Dorworth concocted an elaborate sex trafficking scheme to drug and rape minors. shero.substack.com/p/sugar-dadd...

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— Amee Vanderpool (@girlsreallyrule.bsky.social) October 15, 2026 at 1:58 PM

 

#ETTD, LA Dodgers edition (Happy Friday!) --

 

OOOOOH. Maybe the Dodgers shouldn’t have visited the White House LOLOL. Here’s me celebrating.

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— Allison Gill (@muellershewrote.com) October 15, 2026 at 11:12 PM

 

 

Weekend Music

 

Portland, Oregon's The Decemberists, fronted by singer/ guitarist Colin Meloy, released "I Want To Be Lost" today.  It coincides with the release of the animated fantasy film "Wildwood," which is based on a 2011 novel of the same name authored by Meloy.  Lovely song (unwanted AI captioning may be askew). Hope you enjoy.