In the nation’s capital today, it was all about heroes and zeroes.
First, the zero. Kristi Noem is back in the spotlight after a federal appeals court signaled it may let Judge James Boasberg keep investigating whether the government defied his order to halt the March 2025 deportation flights to El Salvador.
The question now: who takes the fall? Noem, her lawyers, or someone else entirely?
Then, the hero. Former Special Counsel Jack Smith testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee today and didn’t back down an inch.
“Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in serious crimes against our nation,” he told senators.
Then he proceeded to make Republicans on the panel look like fools.
Out in Montana, something rare is happening: Republicans, Democrats, and independents are teaming up to get corporate money out of elections.
Former GOP Gov. and RNC chair Marc Racicot and former Montana political-practices commissioner Jeff Mangan joined Miles, Xander, and Maritsa to talk about I-194, the volunteer-powered ballot measure that qualified with 50,000 signatures, proving that dark money in politics is about as popular as AI data centers.
Meanwhile, Russia is back at it. A Kremlin-linked network deepfaked Mother Jones‘ editor-in-chief to push a made-up story about the DNC. It racked up 205,000 views on X.
And the FBI units that used to track this stuff? Shut down by the Trump administration.
Plus, in Who’s Joining the DEFIANCE, a Hollywood special-effects pro posts a normal behind-the-scenes tutorial… and it goes somewhere we did not expect.
THIS WEEK ON THE ANT HILL
WEDS, SEPT 30 — MY DEFIANCE MISSION — On Mission Wednesdays, we highlight the defiance actions Members are taking in their own communities. Tell us your story here. Every action counts!
THURS, OCT 1 — SHOW US YOUR ANT-ITUDE! — We wanna see your DEFIANCE swag, your original artwork, your unique ways of shouting out your defiance to the world in creative ways. Send your pics to our editor here.
THURS, OCT 1 — DEFIANCE BOOK CLUB — Our current selection is: 1984 by George Orwell. We’ll be discussing chapters 3 & 4 in our Members-only chatroom @ 2:30 pm ET. It’s never too late to join the party! Visit your library or favorite bookstore to pick up a copy.
FRI, OCT 2 — DOGS OF THE DEFIANCE — That’s right…even our furry friends are sticking it to the man. Do you have a dog (or a cat or a horse or a rabbit or a ferret…) that would sooner lift their leg on Trump than play fetch? Send us a pic, and they might be featured in a future issue! Because fighting authoritarianism is hard work, a little fun is important too. :)
GROW THE DEFIANCE
DEFIANCE Members are absolutely crushing it, spreading the word about our club for the courageous to their friends. There is strength in numbers, and that’s exactly what defiance requires. Here’s how you can help build our numbers—and get a shoutout on the Daily with Miles and Xander:
Use the buttons provided to share your personal referral link on X, Facebook, or email. Or, copy the link (circled in the example below) to share it via text or other social platforms.
