Democracy Now! Video: Democracy Now! 2026-10-22 Thursday

Headlines for October 22, 2026 

Mehdi Hasan on AIPAC's Role in El-Sayed vs. Rogers Race in Michigan & Trump's Targeting of Ilhan Omar 

Should AIPAC Register as a Foreign Agent? Zeteo Examines Pro-Israel Lobby's Influence on Elections 

"A Spark from the Cockroaches": Arundhati Roy on India's Youth Protests & Modi's Crackdown

 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/democracy-now-2026-10-22-thursday/id75648468

 

What would minimum wages be if they had kept up with home prices?

 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HLFx6h3kKAU

 

Russia ready for 3-way talks on Ukraine war, Kremlin says – POLITICO

Russian leader Vladimir Putin is “in principle” ready for Moscow to resume talks with Washington and Kyiv, the Kremlin said Wednesday…

 https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-ready-talks-end-ukraine-war/

 

Supreme Court blocks Trump admin’s limits on transgender care for prisoners - POLITICO

The justices turned down an emergency request to lift an order restoring Biden-era medical and housing policies for transgender inmates…

 https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/21/transgender-care-prisons-policy-supreme-court

 

This Is Not a Cycle of Retribution (Atlantic)

The Republican response to Senator Elissa Slotkin is revealing…

 https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/10/slotkin-trump-investigations-corruption/689092/ 

 

The Bill for Trumpism Comes Due (Atlantic)

Budget promises made, budget promises broken

 https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/10/trump-budget-deficit-debt/689085/

Trump releases heating oil to the Northeast to reduce surging prices - POLITICO

The release from the reserve comes amid a tight Maine Senate race…

 https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/21/trump-heating-oil-maine-senate-01129053

 

Michigan residents fight potential $6.4bn datacenter bill: ‘That is insanity’

Michigan utility customers may pay $6.4bn for two new gas plants to meet datacenter demand, drawing outrage from residents…

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/21/michigan-datacenter-bill-utility-prices

 

Why Republicans’ massive cash advantage is evaporating on the airwaves - POLITICO

A large part of this discrepancy comes down to the mechanics of broadcast advertising. Candidates, and now political parties thanks to a recent Supreme Court ruling, are entitled to significantly lower rates. That has allowed Democratic candidates — who have posted bonkers fundraising hauls — to offset much of the GOP advantage in super PACs. Republican Senate candidates, on the other hand, struggled overall with their fundraising. And some GOP outside groups bought their ad time later, when it was even more expensive…

 https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/21/senate-republicans-cash-advantage-television-01128724

 

Illinois erased $1.4 BILLION in medical debt. #healthcare #illinois #doctor

 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JxB6vYrcznM

 

Battle over Meta’s alleged Bolsonaro bias intensifies days before Brazil presidential runoff

Reports from Lula supporters saying their content had been removed or its reach restricted flooded social media in Brazil, while about a dozen watchdogs and research groups published reports describing what they called “indications” that Meta may have favoured the senator’s campaign. 

 Meta called Lula’s allegations “false and unfounded”, saying there had been “technical incidents” that affected campaigns from “different parts of the political spectrum”…

 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/21/battle-meta-alleged-bolsonaro-bias-intensifies-days-before-brazil-presidential-runoff

 

U.S. greenhouse gas emissions grew the most of any G20 country last year : NPR

U.S. emissions grew because of increased electricity demand, as well as Trump administration policies that support the burning of fossil fuels. The Trump administration has ordered coal-fired power plants in the U.S. to stay open longer than planned, rolled back fuel-efficiency standards for vehicles and ended tax credits for solar and wind projects…

 https://www.npr.org/2026/10/21/nx-s1-6003553/america-oil-gas-coal-climate-change-trump-carbon-emissions

 

Kenyan cult leader found GUILTY after deaths of 190 children!

 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/RvuWHymySSU

 

The El-Sayed Heckler’s Dad Got $250,000 to Campaign Against El-Sayed – Mother Jones

The guy who tried and failed to catch Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed with a gotcha question about his supposed loyalty to the Muslim Brotherhood is reportedly the son of a Republican strategist who received $250,000 last month to campaign against El-Sayed…

 https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/10/the-el-sayed-hecklers-dad-got-250000-to-campaign-against-el-sayed/

 

Anna Paulina Luna’s Husband Owns 10 Percent of Drone Startup That Got $37 Million in Pentagon Deals – Mother Jones

“Americans deserve a Congress that works for them, not for special interests or personal portfolios,” the Florida Republican said in 2025. Then the federal contracts started rolling in…

 https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/10/anna-paulina-luna-husband-andrew-gamberzky-nokturnal-ai-oksi-drone-startup-pentagon-contracts/

 

‘Stop whining’: Vance dismisses Republican criticism of Ramaswamy ad - POLITICO

“I have to admit that I’m a little bit disgusted when I see Republicans across the country who are whining more about that advertisement than they are about what the congressional Democrats and other Democrats want to do to the United States of America,” Vance said at a press conference ahead of a campaign event with Ramaswamy and Ohio Sen. John Husted…

 https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/21/jd-vance-ramaswamy-ohio-ad-republicans-01129287

 

Millions of Amazon settlement checks credit Trump ahead of the midterms - POLITICO

“I am not aware of any pre-Trump instance of the communication to the consumer receiving payment mentioning the name of a president,” Stephen Calkins, a law professor at Wayne State University and a former general counsel at the FTC from 1995 to 1997, told POLITICO. “Making such a claim is unseemly and unfortunate. I regret very much that this once-proud independent agency is now being used to promote the Trump brand.”…

 https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/21/amazon-trump-midterms-settlement-01130666

 

REACTION INCOMING – Vance: Trump isn't corrupt Luke: 'Nobody believes you!'

 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/HNpmfnJKFXk

 

Lindsey Graham, James Clyburn Were Under Scrutiny in FBI Bribery Probe — ProPublica

Pay for Play: A Hawaiian naval firm filled South Carolina politicians’ campaign coffers with cash and won federal contracts in the state.

Big Players: Lindsey Graham and James Clyburn, two major forces in South Carolina, helped steer federal money to Navatek.

Questionable Merit: The contracts’ effectiveness was dubious. “The whole thing is a grand lie,” said the former CEO…

 https://www.propublica.org/article/navatek-lindsey-graham-jim-clyburn-fbi-anti-corruption-bribery

 

Meta must pay New Mexico $25 billion, its biggest fine ever, for deceiving users about Facebook privacy | PBS News

Jurors in September found Meta liable for over 43 million violations of New Mexico consumer protection laws when a political consulting firm, Cambridge Analytica, harvested Facebook user data to generate targeted political ads for the 2016 election. 

"Facebook promised users that they (the users) controlled their data. This was false," Judge Francis J. Matthew wrote in his judgement…

 https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/meta-must-pay-new-mexico-25-billion-its-biggest-fine-ever-for-deceiving-users-about-facebook-privacy