Republicans keep discovering that inhumanity isn’t a winning strategy. Yet somehow, they keep doubling down.
In Ohio, Vivek Ramaswamy is spending $4 million on an ad featuring his opponent Amy Acton’s estranged mother, despite their traumatic family history. Even Republicans want it pulled. JD Vance, however, is disgusted with the Republicans who objected. JoJo from Jerz (@jojofromjerz) joins us to discuss the backlash.
Meanwhile, at the southern border, Pete Hegseth has approved testing a military heat ray that makes skin feel like it’s burning. Something the Trump administration called our very own Miles Taylor a liar for revealing just a few years ago.
In Springfield, Ohio, a trucker who supported Trump’s immigration policies is reconsidering after his truck struck and killed a young Haitian student who had been forced to wear an ICE ankle monitor. His reckoning is the subject of a devastating Atlantic story, “A Reckoning in Springfield.”
And the corruption keeps on coming. Trump’s former personal attorney, Alina Habba, landed a deal worth over $50 million with a banker’s family just two weeks before Trump pardoned him. But that’s only the beginning of the story. We connect all the dots.
Finally, in Who’s Joining the DEFIANCE, we welcome a surprising new member: Neil Bush.
THIS WEEK ON THE ANT HILL
FRI, OCT 23 — DOGS (AND CATS!) 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.
