Conservative Blogger
Saturday, October 17, 2026
Russia Steps Up Online Campaign to Sow Midterm Election Chaos
Russia has stepped up an online influence campaign ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, using artificial intelligence-generated videos and networks of bots to sow confusion, deepen political divisions, and undermine confidence in the U.S. electoral process, The New York Times and Bloomberg News reported Friday. U.S. intelligence officials believe Russia's broader objective is to exploit divisions among Americans and create distrust around the election, rather than specifically help one political party win, The New York Times reported, citing officials familiar with intelligence assessments. However, one prominent theme in the documented campaign is the targeting of Democrats, with fabricated videos attacking Democratic candidates and amplifying false allegations involving corruption and other politically divisive issues, according to Bloomberg. Bloomberg reported that Russian disinformation operators are using AI-generated clips and coordinated social media accounts to spread false claims and make the material appear more popular than it is. The videos, which began appearing on X in early September, feature fabricated statements by well-known figures, including actors Robert De Niro and Julia Roberts and singer Cher, attacking Democrats, Bloomberg reported. Some efforts appear to be more focused against specific political groups and figures despite the broader goals. For instance, some clips promote the hashtag #AllDemocratsAreCriminals, while dozens of others make false allegations of corruption and misconduct by Democrat candidates, according to Bloomberg. Researchers have so far not identified a comparable effort targeting the GOP or President Donald Trump, though the sowing of general election chaos would have implications for candidates across the political spectrum and deepen distrust across party lines, the Times said. Researchers have attributed the activity to a Russian state-backed operation known as Matryoshka, or Operation Overload, which floods social media with fabricated clips and doctored newspaper front pages designed to appear to come from established news organizations, Bloomberg reported. Bloomberg reviewed 130 videos and doctored newspaper front pages targeting the midterms that were published by the network between Sept. 10 and Oct. 9, with U.S.-based research groups Graphika and dTeam corroborating and expanding on the findings. The use of bots to inflate view counts can make fabricated content appear to be attracting widespread attention, potentially increasing its visibility and creating a false impression of public support. The Times reported that researchers had identified waves of videos targeting Democrats in competitive Senate races, with one researcher expecting the activity to ramp up as the election approaches. The campaign comes as U.S. authorities warn that AI-generated misinformation and other forms of digital manipulation could make it harder for the public to distinguish authentic material from fabricated content during the election season. The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency urged election officials and the public Friday to remain alert to AI-generated misinformation and other digital manipulation ahead of the midterms, Reuters reported. Advances in AI have made it easier to produce realistic-looking videos, images and audio that falsely attribute statements to public figures or present fabricated events as genuine. Russia has sought to influence U.S. elections through online operations during multiple federal election cycles since 2016, according to previously declassified U.S. intelligence assessments. The reported campaign involves online influence and disinformation; the cited reports do not establish that the operation has compromised voting machinery or altered vote counts. © 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved. |
Tafoya Trounces Flanagan in Minnesota Senate Debate, Ends Her With a Memorable Line
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It's been nice to see Republicans generally acquitting themselves well in their debates for the midterms and stomping all over the Democrats. We've seen Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) crush Maine Senate Democrat nominee Troy Jackson over the course of four debates. The last one, held on Thursday, exposed his short temper again; as we reported, he did not look good. In the Michigan Senate debate, Republican Mike Rogers went to town on Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, who basically stood there looking aggrieved. Bruce Blakeman also walloped Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) in the New York gubernatorial debate. On Friday, there was another Senate debate, featuring Minnesota Democrat Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan versus Republican Michele Tafoya. That race is likely to be a close one. Even though one might think that Flanagan, as a Democrat, would have an edge in Minnesota, she's being weighed down by the huge fraud scandal that unfolded under the Walz-Flanagan administration. On top of that, Tafoya is a good, well-spoken candidate. Flanagan, not so much. I've written before about how clueless Flanagan appears to be, as she put out an ad that was supposed to help her but just made her look bad. Tafoya did well throughout the debate, including during this moment on crime and law enforcement. She explained how the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association are supporting her.
Tafoya also pointed out that while Flanagan is claiming she's all-in to make her pitch to voters, she didn't show up when invited by KSTP to weigh in.
On probably the biggest issue on Friday - the fraud - Tafoya demolished Flanagan.
Flanagan was asked what she did about the fraud. Her answer? It wasn't her responsibility. "The governor has been very clear that the buck stops with him," Flanagan said.
Absolutely horrific answer, and Tafoya let her have it. Tafoya said she was going to Washington to be an "equal opportunity pain in the a**" to any corrupt politician, no matter what side. She also pointed out how Flanagan just keeps yelling "Trump!"
Now, that was a great response, and that last line was gold. It was a proper encapsulation of the anger of the people over what Walz/Flanagan have done. Flanagan can't wiggle out from under it, and she surely doesn't deserve a promotion to a Senate seat when she's really failed at the job that she presently has and has let the people of Minnesota down.
Credit: redstate.com |
Lock Them Up: Trump Promises Prison Time for CA Officials Pushing Noncitizen Votes
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President Trump put California election officials on notice Friday, announcing they could face years in prison if they proceed with counting mail ballots from more than 20,000 people the administration has identified as likely noncitizens. The warning came in a new Justice Department letter to Los Angeles County Assistant Counsel Peter Bollinger, which said noncitizen voting in a federal election is a federal crime and that knowingly facilitating it is equally unlawful. Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter wrote that officials who count those ballots risk being treated as aiders and abettors to a federal crime. He urged them to reverse their refusal to take steps the administration says are necessary to deter fraud. "The legal consequences for either facilitating or ignoring a federal crime are significant," McCotter warned. "Noncitizen voting in a federal election is a federal crime, and knowingly facilitating such conduct is equally unlawful." "Your assertion that ballots must be counted simply because California’s registration system relies on self-attestation does not relieve election officials of their obligations under federal law when they are on actual notice of noncitizen voting."
Trump amplified the letter on Truth Social and added a very direct warning. "They will all go to jail for a long period of time!" he said. The escalation comes less than three weeks before the November 3 midterm elections and just days after the department had given California a 48-hour deadline to review the list of alleged noncitizen voters. On Thursday, the Justice Department filed an emergency lawsuit in federal court seeking to block the state from counting ballots until it could verify citizenship status.
That suit followed California officials’ refusal to segregate the mail ballots of the individuals flagged by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and Homeland Security Investigations, even though California automatically mails a ballot to every active registered voter. California Secretary of State Shirley Weber (D) insists that the federal government has failed to provide sufficient evidence to question those voters' eligibility. In late August, federal prosecutors in Los Angeles announced the arrest of Darwin Jonathan Rivera Flores, a Honduran national charged with two felonies for unlawfully registering to vote in California and falsely claiming U.S. citizenship. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli argued that California’s permissive registration system makes it far too easy for noncitizens to get on the rolls and receive mail ballots. "Because states like California allow non-citizens to easily register to vote and receive a ballot by mail, there is no telling how many non-citizens are currently registered," First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said. "It is time for California to comply with [Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon's] request for a comprehensive audit of its voter rolls to protect the integrity of our elections."
In a letter to Weber a year ago, Dhillon demanded a complete electronic copy of the state’s voter registration list, warning that failure to produce the records could lead to legal action. “Voting by non-citizens is a federal crime, and states and counties that refuse to disclose all requested voter information are in violation of well-established federal election laws,” she said in a lawsuit against the Orange County Registrar of Voters. "Removal of noncitizens from the state’s voter rolls is critical to ensuring that the State’s voter rolls are accurate and that elections in California are conducted without fraudulent voting.” Trump and McCotter are completely within their rights here. Enforcing the law on illegal or noncitizen voting in elections is good. Going after those who helped make their illegal voting possible is even better. Credit: redstate.com |
It Was Susie Wiles Who Reportedly Ordered the Code Red on Katie Zacharia
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Anthony Scaramucci lasted more than a week as White House press secretary- 11 days, to be exact- a record no one thought would be beaten. Katie Zacharia was ousted in five days. With her departure, everyone is spilling their guts about what happened during this brief, tumultuous tenure. I still don’t like that Trump officials were texting CNN hosts about her first less-than-stellar press briefing, though some may have been acting on orders. Reports say White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles put the proverbial hit on Zacharia. Wiles set up the Hannity interview, which was brutal to watch as the Fox News host grilled the now-former press secretary. It did not go well (via Politico):
The official White House line is that Wiles’ involvement is speculation. Either way, there was enough to toss Zacharia without the palace intrigue. Her first presser lasted about 15 minutes; she received the materials the morning of, and the results reflected that. It was poor, but not disqualifying. We did endure years of Karine Jean-Pierre. But her resume discrepancies, such as passing the bar in China, or whatever that line was, proved too much. One could argue that her waffling on whether she was an attorney was grounds for firing. She essentially wasn’t forthcoming while applying for one of the toughest jobs in politics. Unlike at her first press briefing, she had to have known questions about her background would come up, and she failed. President Trump pretty much told her the door was open for her to exit and that she should probably take it, a kiss-of-death move. Credit: townhall.com |
Stephen A. Smith and Bill Maher Had Dinner With Trump. Here's What They Agreed On.
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It happened again. Bill Maher had the honor of dining with President Trump, joined by Kid Rock and Stephen A. Smith. The event lasted about four hours, and Smith spoke at length about the dinner. Except for Rock, neither Maher nor Smith supports Trump, yet the President of the United States invited them to dinner. Sorry, only morons turn that down. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, no matter what. They don’t agree on much — so what? That’s not the point. They discussed a few things, and one major area of agreement came out of it, which Rock detailed yesterday: "Socialism and communism have no place to have a foothold in our government.” There were other tough conversations, but Rock described the night as epic. Rock had to leave early because Teterboro was closing — he had to fly out; otherwise, he wouldn’t have made his Fox & Friends hit if he’d stayed in D.C. It was the first time he'd had to leave a party early. Smith had more details about the dinner. Yes, the discussions were lively, and Trump showed them the autopen picture on the presidential wall of fame:
And no one died. People with differences spoke, drank, and had dinner. Only the Left would find this appalling. Yet everyone else sees it and shrugs. The late Andrew Breitbart had dinner with domestic terrorist Bill Ayers as part of a charity event someone won. He bid and ate dinner with the Ayers, and they, too, broke bread. I don’t know what was discussed, but the Ayers didn’t back off from cooking dinner with conservatives. Credit: townhall.com |
Federal Agents Are Dumpster Diving Through Ilhan Omar's Trash. Does This Go Beyond Immigration Fraud
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Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) is under pressure. For now, this seems to be an immigration fraud investigation. Her D.C. residence was raided by federal agents this week, with her phone, computer, and passport being seized. It was later determined that her staff changed her date of birth, her father was not a legitimate refugee, and now subpoenas are flying. This is looking like a conspiracy, and now we have federal agents sifting through her trash? Is there something else going on here? Leland Vittert of NewsNation has more:
It’s not surprising to those who were paying attention, as Noah Rothman pointed out on CNN, though they did not take it kindly. This investigation into Omar started under Joe Biden; her financial disclosure and tax returns are shady. Minnesota has admitted her campaign finance forms are a mess. Drip. Drip. Drip. Credit: townhall.com |
FBI: Accused fraudster returned to U.S. to face justice for alleged $600K SNAP fraud after fleeing to India
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The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has announced that one of its most wanted fraudsters has been brought back to the U.S. from India to face justice for alleged wire fraud in connection with a food stamp fraud scheme. 64-year-old Manjit Singh Bedi, who was living in Kent, Washington, was added to the FBI’s new “Most Wanted Fraudsters” list in early September with a reward of up to $150,000 offered, the bureau said on Thursday. This marks the sixth apprehension from the list. Bedi, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from India, is accused of being involved in a scheme that defrauded the U.S. government of at least $600,000 between March 2024 and June 2025. Bedi operated Asian Grocery Store, a small shop in Tacoma, Washington, that purportedly sold food to Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program (SNAP) participants.
He appeared in court in April to plead not guilty after being indicted for wire fraud and SNAP benefit fraud. He was not arrested and only ordered to give up his passport and remain in Washington. However, he disobeyed this order and, within a week, drove across the northern border to Canada before fleeing to India, per the FBI. The FBI issued a federal arrest warrant in May 2026 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, after he was charged with violating the conditions of supervision. Law enforcement in India “quickly” detained Bedi and turned him over to federal agents in the Western District of Washington Wednesday night.
FBI Director Kash Patel called the development “yet another significant moment for the historic FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters program,” which began earlier this year.
FBI Seattle Special Agent in Charge Mike Herrington asserted during a press briefing about Bedi, “If you think you can flee beyond the borders of the United States to avoid our justice system, you are wrong, as Mr. Bedi discovered.”
Credit: 👇 — One America News (@OANN) October 16, 2026 |
USSS Deputy Director Matthew C. Quinn resigns
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United States Secret Service (USSS) Deputy Director Matthew C. Quinn has announced his resignation from the federal law enforcement agency, according to an internal email circulated to staff. He also announced the news in a post on X on Friday.
Quinn, who returned to the Secret Service in May 2025 to serve as its 24th deputy director after an earlier 23-year career with the agency, stepped down over potential conflicts of interest surrounding counter-drone technology procurement, according to sources who reached out to the press. However, he told NewsNation that he was leaving his position to “spend time with his family after 18 months in the role.” After retiring in 2021 as Deputy Assistant Director for the Office of Protective Operations, Quinn worked in the private defense sector before being re-appointed to the agency’s leadership team by Director Sean M. Curran. Quinn previously worked at Fortem, the maker of the DroneHunter net-based interdiction system, after retiring from the Secret Service in 2021 and before returning as deputy director last year. Following his return, agency personnel raised concerns over whether Quinn should have recused himself from decisions involving counter-drone systems — specifically automated interdiction platforms used to capture hostile or unauthorized unmanned aerial vehicles — due to his previous commercial affiliations. Additionally, Quinn was allegedly criticized by several current and former agents after admitting during a Sunday CBS News “60 Minutes” interview that the USSS was “not prepared for an attack” by a drone swarm, RealClearPolitics reported. Internal reports have also highlighted a “friendly-fire” incident in which the Secret Service’s Specialized Rifle Unit allegedly inadvertently targeted and shot down one of the agency’s own surveillance drones along Interstate 395 after failing to coordinate operational airspace protocols. Quinn’s departure marks another major leadership shift for the agency as it continues implementing structural overhauls aimed at reforming operational readiness, technology acquisition standards and inter-team communications across presidential protection details. Credit: oan.com |
Friday, October 16, 2026
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