FASCISM:

Sen. Slotkin just openly threatened to persecute anyone who worked for Trump, with the explicit goal of intimidating young conservatives. https://t.co/djptVKQYGP

— Evita Duffy-Alfonso (@evitaduffy_1) October 17, 2026

DAVID MASTIO: Harvard’s Faculty Lead Academia in Record Donations to Democrats in Key Senate Races. With large donations coming in at unprecedented levels, employees at colleges and universities under investigation by the Trump administration are focused on trying to turn the Senate blue.

JOHN LUCAS: The Constitution’s Red-Headed Stepchild — The Second Amendment.

PEEK AT IRANIAN DAILY LIFE: Actually, it would probably be more accurate to say Roger Simon’s latest Substack column is a peek into Iranian daily misery. Without fundamental regime change, the Iranian people, most of whom hate the oppressively cruel Mullahs and their protectors, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), will continue to suffer.

SIGH.

You have to have a heart of stone not to laugh https://t.co/CP5aar5fYv

— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) October 17, 2026

OPEN THREAD: Party on, dudes and dudettes.

WELL, WE CAN BRING BACK THE NINTH PLANET, PLUTO: It’s time to reassess the size of our solar system, scientists say.

THE ENEMY WITHIN: Sherrod Brown Wanted Our Vietnam POWs Kept Captive to Protect Hanoi From US Bombs.

UPDATE: Eugene Volokh writes: “I was intrigued by the post, and I tracked down the letter.”

He adds: “As I understand it, the argument wasn’t that he wanted POWs kept captive. Rather, he was arguing that Vietnam wouldn’t rationally agree to releasing POWs before peace is negotiated. Am I mistaken on that? I also don’t think it’s terribly relevant what an 18-year-old thought or said 55 years ago, though I of course know that politics routinely stoops to that, as with the Mitt Romney school bullying claims.”

ALIENS: JWST Detected a Mysterious Signal From Empty Space. Nobody Knows What It Is.

EUROPE:

As France is burning, I keep thinking of what the UAE Foreign Minister said a few years ago 👇

He accurately predicted this. pic.twitter.com/EgQClncb2s

— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) October 17, 2026

FOLLOW THE SCIENCE: Why most published research findings are still false: 94% of medical treatments lack evidence of benefits.

MICROBIOME NEWS: Giant bacteria could be living in your gut. “Our gut microbiome is home to trillions of microbes, but they may not all be microscopic. Giant bacteria, which can reach a centimetre in length, are generally found in niche environments, such as mangroves and fish guts. But now, microbiologists have detected signs of DNA from Epulopiscium, one of the largest known types of bacteria, in human gut microbiomes from around the world. Bacteria are usually around 2 micrometres long, while giant ones are generally defined as being larger than 10 micrometres. But species belonging to the Epulopiscium genus can reach up to 600 micrometres – more than half a millimetre – in length.”

IS PARIS SCUFFLING?

Or to paraphrase CNN in 2020, mostly peaceful but surprisingly fiery scuffles.

Bari Weiss needs to get CBS’s social media team under her control:

@bariweiss still not in control of this beast. https://t.co/bGTEnlecYE

— David Mastio (@DavidMastio) October 17, 2026

UPDATE: Sasha Stone: Riots in France — a Warning for America.

MORE: Hot Takes: Internet Rips CBS News for the Worst Tweet on French Riots Since ‘Mostly Peaceful.’

REMEMBER THIS?

Like it never happened.

Insane. https://t.co/rpKDxWWhwo

— C3 (@C_3C_3) October 17, 2026

GREAT WORKOUT SOCKS: Swiftwick ASPIRE Zero No Show Performance Running Socks. #CommisisonEarned

THERE SHOULD BE THE DEATH PENALTY FOR THIS KIND OF THING: Before COVID, an NIH lab chief proposed making a SARS-like bat virus more infectious: Newly released records show Vincent Munster suggested inserting a furin cleavage site and that his lab obtained unpublished SARS-related sequences. Nothing links the research to SARS-CoV-2.

It’s actually worse if multiple people were wanting to do this.

WELL, YES:

🚨 OMG. Stunning resurfaced footage shows Ugandan Mayor Mamdani saying the plan is to manipulate white leftists into electing 3rd worlders like him

Spoken in his 3rd world accent: "You need someone to be a validator, tell them to TRUST US."

🤯🤯

"Minority communities, because… pic.twitter.com/dtIsGUOmSz

— Pulse Leaks 1.0 (@Pulse_Leaks) October 16, 2026

We’ve seen something similar play out in Europe, and we know what comes next:

If this isn’t civil war, what is it? https://t.co/hpfVOeaZJj

— Rod Dreher (@roddreher) October 17, 2026

It’s an invasion, Rod — those people were never French.

RELIGION OF PEACE UPDATE:

What they simulated on this statue's eyes is also what the Bataclan terrorists did to countless victims 10 years ago.

Believe them when they tell you who they are. pic.twitter.com/UzPl8zq6oX

— 𝐍𝐢𝐨𝐡 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐠 🇮🇷 ✡︎ (@NiohBerg) October 17, 2026

ZOOM: 2028 Tesla Roadster First Look: Tesla’s New Supercar Can Actually Freaking Fly.

HONESTLY, IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME…:

Un. Fucking. Believable.

I went to war for GWB. I regret every moment supporting him. Ever. https://t.co/kAC2rlVvO2

— Buzz Patterson (@BuzzPatterson) October 17, 2026

…since this kind of thing from a Bush family member was unbelievable.

LIMITED TIME DEAL: Hair Cutting Scissors. #CommissionEarned

MEMES TO LAUGH THIS WEEKEND:  It’s October and the Memes are Golden.

NO. Is Anyone Surprised the Gun Control Industry Has Gotten Behind Michigan Islamist Abdul El-Sayed?

THAT’S (D)IFFERENT BECAUSE SHUT UP:

Rashida Tlaib after Mar-a-Lago was raided:

"No one is above the law, no matter how rich or powerful they are. Let justice be served."

Rashida Tlaib after Ilhan Omar's house was raided:

"DHS raiding a Member of Congress's home is exactly what a fascist police state does."

— Nick Adams (@NickAdamsinUSA) October 16, 2026

Double standards are the best because you get twice as many.

LIMITED TIME DEAL: Windproof Travel Umbrella – Compact & Withstands Winds up to 100MPH. #CommissionEarned