10/29/25
Good morning! It’s Wednesday, October 29th.
National Cat Day.
This is like the 17th cat celebration day this year.
Ruth – Be honest… did those coding classes I got you last year for Hannukkah finally pay off?
And now, the news.
Israel Strikes Gaza
-via CNN
Starting in Gaza where, after accusing Hamas of breaking the ceasefire deal and staging the discovery of the body of one of the hostages, Israeli forces have carried out what Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called “immediate, powerful strikes in the Gaza Strip,” as the country’s Defense Minister, Israel Katz, said Hamas would pay a “heavy price.”
As of this recording, at least 20 people have been killed in the strikes – women and children among them.
Hamas will not be the only ones paying this price. They won’t even pay the highest price.
On Tuesday, the same day that this was happening so it’s not like he said this and then boy oh boy does he have egg on his face… on the same day that this happened, Veep Vance said he still felt confident the ceasefire could hold but: "That doesn't mean that there aren't going to be little skirmishes here and there."
Skirmishes.
At least 20 people have died.
More Boat Strikes
-via NY Times, The Guardian,
And in international waters… 14 more people have been killed as Pete Hegseth announced that four more boats were struck in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
This is the biggest single-day toll since the mess began.
Once again, no one has provided any evidence that these boats are actually carrying drugs or drug smugglers.
They’re not arresting anyone. Questioning them and asking them who’s in charge, and figuring out how they can get to the root of the problem.
They’re just doing murder.
And why do I say that? Because the president of the United States said: “I don’t think we’re gonna necessarily ask for a declaration of war, I think we’re just gonna kill people that are bringing drugs into our country. OK? We’re gonna to kill them. They’re going to be, like, dead.”
Huh.
Imagine saying that to a cop.
A declaration of war requires Congressional approval. Even if he doesn’t think it’s a war, he very clearly believes this is a crime that requires judicial intervention.
But that would also require evidence. Which he has failed to produce thus far.
Meanwhile, at least 57 people have been killed.
Texas Sues Tylenol
-via Texas Tribune
And in Texas – the stars at night are big and… involved in a suit against Tylenol!
Texas AG Ken Paxton has filed a suit against Johnson and Johnson, the makers of Tylenol, saying they failed to warn folks of the risks associated with taking Tylenol while pregnant.
Adding - And it’s my job to be a risk to people while they’re pregnant!!
Hey, remember the time a woman needed an abortion to save her life and Ken Paxton wrote letters to hospitals threatening the doctors if they provided her with the abortion the state said she should be able to get and then, when she was forced to leave the state, he still threatened her and so an incredibly private and painful moment was forced to become a headline for months?
That’s Ken Paxton… the protector of pregnant people everywhere!
This suit here is because Health and Human Services Director RFK Jr (cursed sentence) told the world that Tylenol causes autism. Before I continue, let me be absolutely clear: there is no evidence of this. No study has conclusively shown this, while other studies have proven otherwise.
Tylenol is the only thing, in small doses, that folks can take for pain while pregnant. So, of course, they’re going after it.
Autism, the root cause of it, and ways to prevent it, as well as ways to help folks who have it, or who have families who have it, should be studied. Not by this administration, that’s for sure! But in general, we should know more about autism and how it occurs. Something like this doesn’t actually do that. It sets back actual science, and, in addition, it hurts people with autism because it ostracizes a community by making it seem like it must be avoided at all costs. Which isn’t true.
But Ken Paxton is running for the Senate. So he will use things like this to get attention.
Ken Paxton… never not the worst.
Government Shutdown
Listen, before I make this joke please understand that in no way do I want Ken Paxton to win his election.
That being said… dude would fit right in to the Senate…
Welcome to Day 29 of the government shutdown!
The 13th budget vote failed.
I mentioned in yesterday’s episode that SNAP benefits will not be able to be delivered on the 1st if this keeps up. Well, on Tuesday 25 states, as well as DC, filed suit against the administration to keep SNAP benefits funded. The suit argues that the law requires the government to make sure the approximately 42 million people who depend on SNAP for food are able to access those funds.
Also on Tuesday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he would introduce a bill to make sure SNAP, as well as WIC, would remain funded through November.
Meanwhile, as the House remains closed so Speaker Johnson can protect the privacy of Jeffrey Epstein and anyone connected to the most heinous crimes, including possibly the president, which is alleged but a good guess because they were, by their own admission, best friends…
Even Marjorie Taylor Greene has had enough.
On Tuesday, Marj posted she has no respect for the House not being open and that, even though Speaker Johnson says he has some magical plan for healthcare that will allow for affordable healthcare for Americans once they get rid of the ACA, she has yet to hear it despite demanding it.
“Johnson said he’s got ideas and pages of policy ideas and committees of jurisdiction are working on it, but he refused to give one policy proposal to our GOP conference on our own conference call.”
I… don’t know how to react to this? She’s… I… this is good?
No no – this is good. I said this yesterday about Kevin Kiley and his little swoop. We gotta call out good when we see it, because it encourages good behavior.
This is good. Don’t be afraid to call out your own party! We do it all the time! (That’s why we lose but still… we get to feel superior in our losing!)
Look… liking someone for doing one thing right doesn’t mean we suddenly have to like all of them. Marjorie Taylor Greene has done absolutely horrific and vile stuff. She has been racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, transphobic… she’s all the ists… she bullied the Parkland survivors. She blamed climate change on Jewish space lasers.
What she did on Tuesday, calling out her party, is the right thing. And if we don’t celebrate when people do the right thing, if we just say well she’s bad overall so even the good is bad, then there is no room for growth and she will see no reason to try and be better. And maybe it’s the optimist in me, or maybe it’s just that I have this wild belief that it would be better to have fewer racist, sexist, homophobes but I would like to believe that if she can see that she can also get attention for being and doing good, there can be hope for her as well.
I will not ever celebrate a single vile thing she says. I will not hear what she says and think oh, well, she didn’t mean it. She’s trying. She’s a whole adult. Adults need to own their language and their decisions. But it’s not too late to do the right thing and even small decisions in the right decisions deserve, at least, a small clap emoji.
We have to make room for nuance.
And that’s it. That’s the lecture. I mean news.
I’m proud of… cats—Ruth… did you get into my script again?
Guys… am I… lame?
No no, I’m just kidding. I have a news podcast that I do for FUN. Of course I’m not lame.
Right??
But more than… I can’t say more than Ruth, she’s staring right at me!
More than oatmeal. It’s national oatmeal day. And because you are not boring… I’m proud of you.