Trump urges Ramaswamy to keep his $4 million ad featuring Acton's estranged mother

World Socialist Web SiteOct 23

“Vivek should keep it up, and let everyone listen to the mother of a defective, dishonest, and incapable Candidate, explain how the daughter is a DISASTER who, uncontrollably, lies, cheats, and steals!”Donald Trump, President, quoted by World Socialist Web Site · urging Ramaswamy to keep running an ad in which Acton's estranged mother, who sided with the man accused of raping Acton as a child, attacks her

“It should go without saying that sexual violence against children should not be politicized or taken as lightly as Ramaswamy appears to take it.”The Columbus Dispatch editorial board, quoted by World Socialist Web Site · endorsing Acton and condemning the ad for exploiting her childhood abuse

the WSWS wrote, and it placed the "degraded campaign advertisement issued by the Republican candidate for Ohio governor, tech billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy" in the same paragraph as a rally punch and the attacks on El-Sayed.

The Majority Report w/ Sam SederOct 23

“Like it it is just feeding a an accurate narrative about this being the pedophile protector party.”The Majority Report w/ Sam Seder · arguing the ad about Acton's abuse compounds Republicans' Epstein files problem

"it's especially a problem when the current administration, the Republican administration, is covering up the Epstein files and protecting predators on the national level," the Majority Report's hosts said, while discussing Vance's trip to Ohio.

The GuardianOct 23

“I said, ‘You’ve got to ride with it’”Donald Trump, President, quoted by The Guardian · recounting that he told Ramaswamy to keep the ad running despite press backlash

the Guardian wrote of Trump's rally remarks, and it noted the Senate candidate he came to support, Ashley Hinson, had denounced the ad.

BBC NewsOct 23

“Leave it up, and look upstairs and say, 'Thank you God, very much'”Donald Trump, US President, quoted by BBC News · urging Ramaswamy to keep running the $4 million ad despite criticism from members of both parties

“I've never attacked his family. I would never do that,”Amy Acton, Democratic candidate for Ohio governor, quoted by BBC News · responding to an ad built around her estranged mother, who stood by the stepfather charged with raping Acton as a child

the BBC wrote, DeWine had called for the ad to come down. Both wire outlets ran the story as a split inside the GOP; PBS described "a growing rift among Ohio Republicans over the advertisement" and printed the Ramaswamy campaign's claim that Acton attacked his mother first.

The BulwarkOct 23

“throw accusations against the wall without bothering to care about the accuracy of them, and then demand that the Democrat come up with some sort of defense of them.”The Bulwark · describing a pro-Trump media pattern it says Shapiro's defense of the Acton ad repeats

“It turns out that in politics lots of bad things happen!”Ben Shapiro, conservative podcaster, quoted by The Bulwark · dismissing criticism of an ad starring the mother of a woman whose stepfather was charged with raping her as a child

the Bulwark wrote of Ben Shapiro, Glenn Beck and Newsmax, devoting its piece to conservative media rather than to Ramaswamy.

Reason MagazineOct 23

Reason's podcast notes said of hosts Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi. Soave's newsletter listed "Vivek Ramaswamy's terrible campaign ad" among the week's topics and then moved to Senate predictions.

The BlazeOct 23

“The Press is trying to convince everyone that this Ad is bad, because it's so good!”Donald Trump, President, quoted by The Blaze · dismissing the backlash over the ad as media manipulation and urging Ramaswamy to keep it up

“Frankly, anybody whose mother spoke about a daughter in that way would normally lead to the daughter being precluded from serving in Office, let alone the Office of Governor”Donald Trump, President, quoted by The Blaze · arguing that Acton's mother's accusation should disqualify her from serving as governor

the Blaze wrote, and it printed Trump's post at length. It did recount the 1978 charge and that the stepfather "failed to appear in court before becoming a fugitive from the law," but closed with a polling graphic rather than a verdict.

Atlanta Black StarOct 23

“Our birth mother stayed married to Amy’s rapist until he died,”Philip Stearns, Amy Acton's brother, quoted by Atlanta Black Star · countering the mother's claim that Acton lied, by pointing to her staying with the man charged with raping Acton

“I don’t know anything about it. It’s a very unusual situation to have a mother hate a daughter that much. But I don’t think that has anything to do with Vivek,”Donald Trump, President, quoted by Atlanta Black Star · declining to distance himself from an ad built on a family estrangement rooted in abuse allegations

Atlanta Black Star wrote of Trump, and it reprinted the brother's statement and the court history in detail. It cast the story as Trump choosing the attack over the abuse record.

La OpiniónOct 23

“cuando uno sabe eso, para mí se vuelve más grave. Se vuelve aún más injusto.”Mike DeWine, Ohio governor, quoted by La Opinión · saying the backstory of the stepfather's indictment and flight makes the ad worse, as he urges Ramaswamy to pull it

“Probablemente quiere que gane un demócrata y, desde luego, no quiere a alguien que haga un trabajo mucho mejor que el suyo”Donald Trump, President, quoted by La Opinión · accusing fellow Republican DeWine of disloyalty and of secretly favoring a Democratic win over Ramaswamy

La Opinión wrote, framing the story as a personal feud between the governor and his party's nominee. It quoted Trump's attack on DeWine in full.

Al JazeeraOct 23

“Anybody whose mother spoke about a daughter in that way would normally lead to the daughter being precluded from serving in office”Donald Trump, US President, quoted by Al Jazeera · defending the ad in which Acton's estranged mother disputes her account of childhood abuse, and saying it should disqualify her from office

“It’s wrong to run this ad”Mike DeWine, Republican Governor of Ohio, quoted by Al Jazeera · a fellow Republican, citing his experience with rape victims as a prosecutor, urging Ramaswamy to pull the $4 million ad

Al Jazeera ran a straight report built on Trump's post, DeWine's prosecutor remarks and the brother's statement, and added that polls show Acton narrowly ahead. It offered no frame of its own.

MSNBCOct 23

MSNBC wrote of the Sioux City rally, and it noted the crowd chanted "Lock her up." The one liberal receipt today framed Omar as a rally target and recorded her spokesperson's denial. [121]

BBC NewsOct 23

“With the death threats that I deal with, it's not, it's no longer going to be feasible to be in that house and have my kids”Ilhan Omar, Minnesota Democratic congresswoman, quoted by BBC News · saying the raid and exposed address force her and her children out of her DC home

“weaponisation of federal law enforcement to target political enemies”Ilhan Omar, Minnesota Democratic congresswoman, quoted by BBC News · charging that the federal investigation is political retaliation, which the government has not explained

the BBC wrote, after a detailed account of the 6:00 search and the items taken. PBS led on her "confident in the fact that I didn't do anything wrong" and her remark that indicting a 12-year-old "seems like a leap." Both wires centered her account and the Justice Department's silence.

Reason MagazineOct 23

the Volokh Conspiracy authors wrote, then walked through how the House could judge a member's citizenship qualifications, citing Albert Gallatin's 1793 exclusion. The one Libertarian receipt treated the case as a constitutional procedure question and took no side on the facts.

The Daily WireOct 23

“It all ties together: lying to gain entry; lying to maintain status; lying to gain entry to Congress; lying in order to destroy the United States.”The Daily Wire · casting the immigration probe as proof Omar deceived her way into the country and Congress to harm America

Ben Shapiro wrote, and built a timeline of her names, marriages and birth year. Fox reported sources saying "Ilhan Omar is not the 'real name'" of the congresswoman, and the Daily Wire, OAN and Fox all led on her reply "Not to my knowledge" when asked if she was related to her ex-husband.

Atlanta Black StarOct 23

“Obviously, I can’t continue to live there … because our address has been public and with the death threats that I deal with, it’s no longer going to be feasible to be in that house and have my kids visiting off and on, having people track them”Ilhan Omar, Minnesota congresswoman, quoted by Atlanta Black Star · explaining why the publicized raid on her home leaves her and her children unsafe there

“It would be a huge undertaking to, I suppose, indict a 12-year-old for being so cleverly conspiring to defraud immigration services to come to the United States”Ilhan Omar, Minnesota congresswoman, quoted by Atlanta Black Star · mocking the theory that she committed immigration fraud as a child

Atlanta Black Star wrote, leading on the safety consequence of a search that made her address public. TheGrio printed her "Not to my knowledge" answer alongside her statement that she did nothing wrong.

Al JazeeraOct 23

“For years, Omar, who is Muslim, has been the target of right-wing conspiracy theories about her immigration status, including allegations that she had married her brother.”Al Jazeera · framing the investigation against a backdrop of long-running smears rather than established wrongdoing

“The Justice Department has historically avoided overt investigative actions involving candidates in the immediate run-up to an election.”Al Jazeera · suggesting the raid, weeks before the midterms, breaks with DOJ norms

Al Jazeera wrote, and it quoted Trump calling her birthplace "a real s—house." It framed the search through her faith and the long arc of attacks. [508]

World Socialist Web SiteOct 23

“Both parties, however, are plotting to flout the election results.”World Socialist Web Site · arguing Republicans and Democrats alike will ignore voter opposition to war, with Trump readying Iran strikes and Democrats pushing escalation against Russia

“an intensive three-day campaign could cause enough economic damage to change the Iranian position.”New York Times, reporting on the views of some US planners, quoted by World Socialist Web Site · shows the planned strikes are meant to inflict economic damage on Iran, in a war that has already pushed gasoline to $4.27

the WSWS wrote, arguing that Trump plans war on Iran while Democrats push war on Russia. It assembled death tolls, gas prices and carrier counts to frame the midterms as a vote the "wars being waged by American imperialism" will override.

TruthoutOct 23

“The deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure or structures that don’t have specific military objectives is largely considered a war crime.”Truthout · flagging that the reported target list, which includes power plants, could amount to war crimes

“some U.S. sources said they had the impression that Israel was hoping the Iranians would fire at the aircraft, providing a justification for launching strikes against Iran.”Axios, citing U.S. sources, quoted by Truthout · suggesting Israel is provoking Iran to create a pretext for renewed strikes

Truthout wrote of deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure such as power plants. It paired the plans with polling that 68 percent want Congress to end the war, casting the delay as a political calculation about voters.

NPROct 23

“if election results remain uncertain by November, he may use the threat of military action to form a unity government.”NPR's Ruth Sherlock, reporter, quoted by NPR · suggesting Netanyahu could use the Iran strike threat to solve his own domestic political deadlock

NPR's Ruth Sherlock said, and the newsletter added that Netanyahu may use the threat to form a unity government. The one liberal receipt treated the plans as leverage, not a decision.

The BulwarkOct 23

the Israeli vote was the Bulwark's focus, alongside the strain of a third carrier group and damage to an Eisenhower-era globe in Hegseth's office. It framed the story as Hegseth's conduct and military overstretch.

Antiwar.comOct 23

“We have a little conflict against Iran. I think I’ll send Evander ‘the Real Deal’ over there”Donald Trump, US president, quoted by Antiwar.com · joking about a war with Iran while standing beside a former boxer at a rally stop

“US officials were left with the impression that Israel was attempting to provoke an Iranian response.”Axios report, relayed by Antiwar.com, quoted by Antiwar.com · suggesting Israeli jet flights near Iran's border could trigger escalation before the strikes are planned

Antiwar.com wrote of Trump's remarks beside Evander Holyfield. Its other receipts gave Iran's warning that retaliation would reach data centers and the IRGC's claim of seven tankers struck.

Breitbart NewsOct 23

“There’s a price to pay, which I knew immediately when I did it”Donald Trump, US president, quoted by Breitbart News · conceding the Iran war carries political costs for the midterms while defending it as stopping an Iranian nuclear weapon

“Hunting season is open as soon as the elections end and it’s obvious that they’re not going to wait long”Unnamed Israeli source, quoted by ABC News, quoted by Breitbart News · indicating Israel expects the joint offensive on Iran to follow quickly after November 3

with Trump, Breitbart wrote after a detailed account of targets and troop movements. It printed the White House pledge of no attack before the midterms and Iranian nuclear threats, and framed the buildup as readiness awaiting the president.

The American ConservativeOct 23

“Another round of strikes is unlikely to accomplish this war’s stated political goals, which themselves change on a regular basis.”The American Conservative · arguing the planned post-midterm strikes have no coherent objective, since the war's stated aims keep shifting

“A fresh round of bombing is unlikely to move us closer to economic normality and a stable settlement in the Middle East; nor is it likely to move the Republicans further away from the electoral pillory, not just in the midterms, but in 2028.”The American Conservative · warning that more strikes would bring neither a settlement nor relief from the political damage Republicans face

and its stated goals, TAC wrote, calling the strategy a "disjunction of military means and political ends." CBN, by contrast, led with Netanyahu telling Trump "Donald, we have a job to finish" and reported the buildup without dissent. The lens split cleanly between TAC's restraint wing and CBN's evangelical broadcast.

Al JazeeraOct 23

and its Middle East wars was the context Al Jazeera's live page gave for Araghchi's post calling the US-Israel tie "parasitic." It also quoted analyst Akiva Eldar saying Netanyahu needs escalation before the vote. [514]

MSNBCOct 23

“Never before in human history has a single individual not involved in the fighting exercised such extraordinary power over the direction of a major military conflict.”MSNBC · arguing one private billionaire now holds unprecedented sway over the outcome of the Ukraine war

“The simpler explanation is that the world's richest person is working in concert with President Donald Trump.”MSNBC · claiming the slowdown was coordinated with Trump's push to force Ukraine toward a peace deal

MSNBC wrote, arguing no individual outside the fighting had ever held it, and it linked the slowdown to Musk's GOP spending and Trump's pressure on Zelensky. Ken Harbaugh on MeidasTouch and David Pakman both centered Witkoff's praise of Putin.

BBC NewsOct 23

“Bottom line, he put it back.”Donald Trump, US president, quoted by BBC News · crediting Musk with lifting the cap while refusing to say whether he called Musk

the BBC wrote, setting the competing denials side by side. PBS reported Sen.

The Daily WireOct 23

“Whether I called or whether somebody else called, doesn’t make any difference.”Donald Trump, US president, quoted by The Daily Wire · brushing aside the report that Trump phoned Musk to lift the Starlink restrictions

“This decision to limit critical technology for a key ally not only put Ukrainian forces at risk and their people in peril, but raises serious questions about who controls critical capabilities the U.S. government has spent billions of dollars to procure”Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), quoted by The Daily Wire · launching an investigation into who degraded Starlink for Ukraine without notice

was the Daily Wire's headline, casting the president as the fixer. It reported the conflicting accounts from Musk, Rubio and Hegseth and Trump's view that refinery strikes raised fuel prices, and quoted a Carnegie analyst on why the throttle mattered.

CBN NewsOct 23

“The report says the slowdown gave Russian forces an advantage for several days last week as they attacked with drones and ballistic missiles.”CBN News, summarizing The Wall Street Journal's report, quoted by CBN News · describing the battlefield cost to Ukraine of the Starlink slowdown Musk reportedly ordered

“The president doesn't run that company and can't direct that company to do anything”Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, quoted by CBN News · denying the White House had any role in the Starlink slowdown, which the WSJ says Musk discussed with senior administration officials beforehand

sat in CBN's headline beside Starlink, and the report opened on a Russian strike that destroyed an evangelical church and the more than 600 houses of worship lost since the invasion. It gave Trump's demand that Ukraine make a deal without rebuttal.

Al JazeeraOct 23

“I don’t want to comment on it, whether I called or whether somebody else called, doesn’t make any difference, I guess. The bottom line, he put it back,”Donald Trump, US president, quoted by Al Jazeera · declining to confirm the WSJ report that he phoned Musk to end the restrictions on Ukraine's connection

“The Starlink speed caps and restrictions have also raised concerns that Trump, or the president’s right-wing allies, might seek to leverage such technology to pressure Ukraine into complying with US demands.”Al Jazeera · suggesting Starlink access could be used as a bargaining chip against Kyiv in peace negotiations

Al Jazeera wrote of concerns about Trump or his allies, and it recalled Trump's remark blaming Ukraine's NATO ambitions for the war. [510]

World Socialist Web SiteOct 23

“The national Republican Party and pro-Israel lobbies like AIPAC have pumped tens of millions of dollars into the Michigan race, based largely on appeals to anti-Muslim bigotry.”World Socialist Web Site · arguing that outside money is funding a Senate race campaign built on bigotry against El-Sayed, who would be the first Muslim senator

the WSWS wrote of the GOP and AIPAC money in the race. It quoted Rogers's "bought off" charge as one more example of Trump-era "smear tactics of the lowest order." [25]

HasanAbiOct 23

“In fact, Mike Rogers was just caught on a hot mic talking about how he wanted to make sure that there were retired cops who could intimidate voters in the city of Detroit.”Abdul El-Sayed, Democratic Senate candidate, quoted by HasanAbi · accusing Rogers of planning voter intimidation in Detroit while attacking the SAVE Act as voter suppression

Hasan Piker streamed El-Sayed's answer on the SAVE Act, in which the candidate called it "voter suppression," and cheered it as a win for his side. The stream focused on Rogers's past questioning of election results, not the Brotherhood exchange.

PBS NewsHourOct 23

“If you are going to go to the United States Senate, we need to know: Are you for America, or are you for these terrorist groups overseas?”Mike Rogers, Republican Senate candidate, quoted by PBS NewsHour · repeating the Muslim Brotherhood allegation against El-Sayed, who denies any affiliation with the group

“I'm proud of our Constitution that guarantees all of us the right to pray as we choose to pray.”Abdul El-Sayed, Democratic Senate candidate, quoted by PBS NewsHour · answering Rogers' questioning of his loyalty as the would-be first Muslim US senator

the AP story on PBS wrote, compared with the first debate. It gave equal weight to the "MAGA bingo" and "bingo game" jabs and to Rogers's qualified criticism of tariffs on Canada.

One America News NetworkOct 23

“Rogers launched an attack accusing El-Sayed of being bought off by the Muslim Brotherhood and labeling him a national security risk.”One America News Network, quoted by One America News Network · describing the debate's most explosive exchange, in which Rogers questions whether El-Sayed's loyalty lies with the US

OAN wrote, organizing the debate into five clashes on foreign influence, Trump, guns, trade and money. It reported Rogers's Brotherhood accusation and El-Sayed's denial in sequence and cast El-Sayed as backed by far-left groups.

CBN NewsOct 23

“My opponent can't even condemn the IRGC, which is the terrorist enforcement arm of Iran, and doesn't believe Iran is any more dangerous than Israel. This is an absolute nonstarter if you're going to send somebody back to the United States Senate.”Mike Rogers, Republican Senate nominee, quoted by CBN News · arguing El-Sayed's stance on Iran disqualifies him from the Senate

“according to the group MEMRI, Egyptian journalists confirm he is supported by the Muslim Brotherhood, which was founded in Egypt.”CBN News · the outlet backs the Brotherhood-ties charge right after noting that El-Sayed denies it

CBN wrote inside an Iran story, after printing both candidates' debate lines on the war. Its second receipt ran the same exchange in an early-voting report.

The ForwardOct 23

“We’re doing exceptionally well with Jewish Democrats who are literally afraid”Mike Rogers, Republican Senate nominee, quoted by The Forward · claiming Jewish Democrats are defecting to him because they find El-Sayed too extreme

“Yet you are making it painfully difficult for our community to vote for you.”Nonnegotiable Michigan, coalition of local rabbis and Jewish politicians, quoted by The Forward · telling El-Sayed that even Jewish voters wanting a check on Trump are wary of backing him

the Forward wrote, after reporting that Rogers said Jewish Democrats are "literally afraid" and that El-Sayed called Rogers "an AIPAC-backed politician." It quoted a rabbis' coalition telling El-Sayed he makes it "painfully difficult" to vote for him. [602]

The Arab American NewsOct 23

the Arab American News wrote, introducing a roundtable it hosted where El-Sayed pledged independence from AIPAC. The two Identity outlets covered the same candidate through opposite community questions: Jewish trust and Arab representation.

The BulwarkOct 23

“Widely broadcast scenes of rioting in France have given Republicans a new stockpile of violent imagery that they are attempting to associate with the Democratic slate of candidates for the House and Senate this election cycle.”The Bulwark · arguing Republicans are exploiting the French unrest to tie Democratic candidates to violence in the midterms

the Bulwark wrote of Republicans. It covered the riots as a US campaign tactic rather than a French event.

The Free PressOct 23

“were meticulously prepared, organized, and justified by a concerted coalition of Islamists, antifascists, and radical environmentalists.”Nora Bussigny, French investigative journalist, quoted by The Free Press · claiming the October 17 protests and planned follow-ups were orchestrated by a radical red-green coalition rather than spontaneous student anger

“Shopkeepers saw their livelihoods destroyed overnight; innocent bystanders were threatened by protesters; iconic symbols of the French Republic were toppled and burned with impunity; and one of the great nations of the West seemed, all at once, to teeter on the brink of collapse.”The Free Press · describing the riots as a near-collapse of order that harmed ordinary French people and national symbols

the Free Press's Nora Bussigny wrote of who organized the Oct. 17 marches, and Konstantin Kisin warned Britain is next.

The FederalistOct 23

“For anyone who cares to be honest, the reason for the rioting and looting is obvious: mass immigration from the Third World.”The Federalist · rejecting education and poverty explanations and pinning the riots on immigration

“Their purpose in taking to the streets is to overthrow the French republic, to tear it down, to plunder and pillage and destroy.”The Federalist · claiming the rioters, including migrants' French-born descendants, aim to destroy the republic itself

the Federalist wrote, drawing on the author's year in Montpellier. Compact argued that European governments have long preferred appeasement and called for a harder line.

CBN NewsOct 23

“an impulse of hatred against France, against the state, against authority, against Jews, shared on one side by the far left, obviously, and at the same time by the ultra-violent suburban thugs.”Marion Marechal, French politician, quoted by CBN News · casting the riots as coordinated hatred of France and Jews by the far left and suburban gangs

“They don't necessarily share a common basis, but they share a common resentment; and that is the West.”Dr. Ralf Schoellhammer, political scientist in Vienna, quoted by CBN News · arguing the progressive left and Islamists are united by hostility to Western civilization

was CBN's verdict in its headline, and it relied on a Vienna political scientist and a Fox count of 101 organizations. It quoted Marion Maréchal and noted Marine Le Pen's improving chances.

The AlgemeinerOct 23

“The French government is reaping what it sowed. They let Islamists in. Now they can enjoy Paris burning down.”Unnamed schoolteacher from Shiraz, Iran, quoted by The Algemeiner · blaming France's open immigration policy for the riots

“This is karma; France helped the Islamic Revolution and hid Khomeini. They have to be held accountable for what they did to Iran,”Unnamed street artist from Isfahan, Iran, quoted by The Algemeiner · tying the unrest to France's role sheltering Khomeini before the 1979 revolution

in 1978 is what the Algemeiner's Iran-based contributor said Iranians now hold against France. It quoted Iranians calling the riots "karma" and tied them to leftist-Islamist alliances in 1979.

NoahpinionOct 23

“In other words, France needs austerity, but it can’t get it, because the French people demand ever-increasing spending.”Noahpinion · arguing France's fiscal bind comes from voters refusing spending cuts such as pension reform

“Instead, investors are starting to worry that France will simply default on its bonds.”Noahpinion · warning that rising borrowing costs make this unrest more dangerous than past French riots

Noah Smith wrote, before arguing that the real news is rising French bond yields, default-insurance prices and pensions no government can cut. He framed the weekend as a fiscal limit of the welfare state.