October 22, 2026
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Michael's Daily Memo
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“Stop whining.”
That was Vice President J.D. Vance’s message Wednesday to Republicans upset over Vivek Ramaswamy’s newest ad in the Ohio governor’s race. “Whether the ad was appropriate or not is not really my concern,” Vance said in Cincinnati. “Politics is a tough business.” His advice: “go win the race in 13 days.”
By now you know the ad features Donna Arthur, the estranged birth mother of Democrat Dr. Amy Acton. On camera, she calls her daughter “a liar” and says Acton’s story of growing up living in a tent is untrue. Ramaswamy’s campaign is spending $4 million to air it.
The court records tell a different story. In 1978, Arthur’s husband, Acton’s stepfather, was charged with raping Amy, then 12. He pleaded not guilty, posted bond, then skipped court and became a fugitive. He and Acton’s mother lived in Pennsylvania until his death in 2004. The records show police found him living in a tent when Acton was a child. Amy and her brother were removed from their mother’s custody.
Someone is tone deaf here. Maybe me.
I think the ad is indecent. It turns a child’s sexual abuse into a political weapon. And it probably preys upon an older woman who doesn’t seem in command. She speaks as Acton’s “mother” despite being estranged from her for nearly half a century. I also think running it was political malpractice.
What am I missing? The campaign says this is about Acton’s honesty, and notes she refuses to debate. And Axios reports that, according to sources close to the campaign, the ad “tested well with ‘persuadable’ voters.” The campaign hasn’t released the data.
Maybe it tested well because the voters who saw it were seeing it in a vacuum, without the background.
But now we all know the background.
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DAILY POLL
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Ramaswamy’s ad using his rival’s mother will: Help him, Hurt him, or Make no difference?
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TOP STORY
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Early voting is surging in key Senate battleground states, with nationwide turnout exceeding 13 million ballots compared to 9 million in 2022, as Democrats hope growing voter enthusiasm and dissatisfaction with Republicans will help them flip seats in traditionally conservative states.
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TODAY'S YOUTUBE
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SPONSORED BY PARX CASINO
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IN OTHER NEWS
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Vice President JD Vance urged Republicans to “stop whining” about Vivek Ramaswamy’s controversial Ohio campaign ad featuring Democratic opponent Amy Acton’s estranged mother, dismissing bipartisan criticism of the ad, which drew backlash over Acton’s childhood sexual abuse history.
Russian President Vladimir Putin told U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff he is willing to resume trilateral peace talks with Ukraine and the United States, potentially in November, as Russia released an American detainee and discussed a possible Trump-Putin meeting in China.
The Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration’s request to enforce new restrictions on transgender inmates’ healthcare and accommodations, leaving a lower court injunction in place that preserves access to hormone therapy and other services while legal challenges continue.
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A MESSAGE FROM COMCAST
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Doctors for Pope Leo XIV confirmed that a tumor removed during his October 13 surgery was a localized form of lung cancer, known as adenocarcinoma, and that following removal of part of his right lung, no additional treatment is necessary.
Rep. Ilhan Omar told MS NOW's Chris Hayes that up to 25 federal agents searched her Washington home for several hours on Oct. 12, seizing phones and notebooks as part of a criminal probe she believes was orchestrated to intimidate her amid President Trump's long-running focus on her immigration history.
A major security flaw affecting technology used by roughly 70% of websites could allow hackers to steal personal information, take control of websites, or shut them down, prompting urgent warnings from the NSA as website operators race to install fixes.
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CARTOONS
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by Steve Breen
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MORE NEWS
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A New Mexico judge ordered Facebook’s parent company, Meta, to pay $25 billion for misleading users about how their personal data was handled and shared, following a major privacy lawsuit, though Meta plans to appeal the ruling.
Armed federal agents are visiting homes in several states, including Pennsylvania, to investigate suspected noncitizen voting ahead of the midterms, prompting concerns about voter intimidation, while Homeland Security defends the operation as necessary to protect election integrity.
The alleged gang rape involving seven Cornell fraternity members has reignited debate over the future of fraternities, with some calling for reforms or abolition, while others argue that individuals should be held accountable rather than entire organizations being punished for misconduct.
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For the Left
Chinese AI startup DeepSeek reportedly raised approximately $15 billion from major investors including Tencent and battery giant CATL, giving the company significant funding to expand data centers, develop artificial intelligence models, and compete more aggressively with leading American AI companies.
For the Right
A federal judge temporarily blocked Homeland Security agents from conducting door-to-door investigations of suspected noncitizen voters in nine states, including Pennsylvania, citing unreliable voter data and concerns that the operations could intimidate eligible voters ahead of the midterm elections.
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