NORTON META TAG

Showing posts with label cost of living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cost of living. Show all posts

24 October 2026

VIDEO & ARTICLE: Talarico presses anticorruption agenda, targeting both Paxton and Elon Musk 21OKT26

 

Exposé of fascist fotze trunt elon musk's attempts to buy corrupt fascist fotze trunt ken paxton's US Senate seat in the 2026 Midterm election. I hope and pray the people of Texas are of higher quality and moral character and intelligent enough not to elect paxton to the senate. This from Decency Daily, Houston Public Media and the video from Newsweek.....


Decency Daily

Breaking: James Talarico's campaign just released an explosive ad revealing who is financing the attacks against him in Texas. And they brought the receipts.

The commercial opens with a question: "Do you keep seeing these attack ads against James Talarico?"

Then the narrator tells viewers to examine the organizations paying for them.

The narrator identifies several political action committees, including Texas PAC, America PAC and Lone Star Liberty PAC, as organizations allegedly financing the attacks.

The commercial then asks who's funding these groups.

That's when the ad delivers its answer. "Elon Musk."

And then came the receipts.

The commercial put financial records on the screen.

The image shows a table of reported political contributions, including transaction identification numbers, dates, amounts and contributor names. These are specific election finance entries that can be checked against public filings.

Two entries stand out.

September 9, 2026: $75 million.

September 23, 2026: $83 million.

Both list Musk as the contributor, totaling $158 million.

The narrator continues: "He's now spent more than $180 million to defeat James Talarico."

The commercial then connects that spending to Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton, alleging Musk is financing his election effort.

"But why is the world's first trillionaire doing this?"

The narrator then alleges that Musk's political spending is connected to his interests in Texas land and water resources.

The campaign presents those interests as a possible explanation for his financial support of Paxton, before declaring: "And now he wants to buy his own personal U.S. senator."

The commercial ends with a direct warning:

"So let's remind Elon, Texas is not for sale."

Thank you to James Talarico for putting political spending records in front of Texas voters, so they can see it for themselves.

Time for every voter to hear it.

Talarico presses anticorruption agenda, targeting both Paxton and Elon Musk

Democratic state Rep. and U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico, speaking at the University of Houston, blasted Musk for pouring nearly $190 million into the campaign of his Republican rival, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

 | Posted on (Last Updated: )

Democratic state Rep. James Talarico made one of his final swings through the Houston area Wednesday ahead of November's U.S. Senate election, taking direct aim at trillionaire Elon Musk for bankrolling his Republican rival, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Speaking before a crowd at the UH Hilton on the main campus of the University of Houston, Talarico framed the Senate race as a fight against corruption.

"Ken Paxton was impeached by his own party, by his fellow Republicans for using his public office — his position of public trust — to enrich himself and his donors at the expense of the people of Texas," Talarico said. "Ken Paxton represents everything that’s wrong with this broken, corrupt system. He doesn’t serve us. He serves himself."

Paxton’s campaign has been dogged by multiple scandals, including his past indictment for felony securities fraud, as well as his 2023 impeachment on charges of abuse of office, which ultimately ended in his acquittal by the Texas Senate.

Talarico pledged to pass a raft of anti-corruption measures if elected. Specifically, he advocated for legislation to ban corporate political action committees and super PACs; to bar members of Congress from trading in stocks; to outlaw partisan gerrymandering by state governments; and to enact congressional term limits.

As a first-term lawmaker, Talarico would likely have limited power to push for any of these measures.

Talarico also took aim at Musk, pointing to the nearly $190 million in donations Paxton received from Musk through the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC tied to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.

"In all likelihood, if you’ve seen an attack ad on your screen, that was Elon. If you’ve gotten lies in your mailbox, that was Elon. If you’ve received a text message saying scary things about me, that was Elon too," Talarico said. "Elon Musk wants our land. He wants our water. He wants our taxpayer dollars. He wants his very own personal United States Senator. He is trying to buy Texas. But on Nov. 3, we are going to send a clear message to the world’s first trillionaire: Texas is not for sale."

Talarico spoke just hours after receiving the endorsement and vote of former Republican President George W. Bush's brother, Neil Bush.

"My vote was motivated by two things: deep concern about Ken Paxton’s record and genuine admiration for the character and principles I see in James Talarico," Neil Bush said in a post on Facebook. "Today, I voted against a style of politics that I believe has damaged our country. More importantly, I voted for the kind of character and leadership I hope will help heal it."

The Bush family did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Former President Bush’s daughter, Barbara Bush, earlier made a $2,500 donation to Lone Star Rising PAC, the main political action committee supporting Talarico’s campaign.

Paxton made his most recent campaign swing through the Houston area on Tuesday, with stops in Conroe and Sugar Land.

"It’s not just James Talarico, we have to worry about. You see, this race could very well determine who controls the US Senate for the next two or more years," Paxton told his Conroe audience. "I’m not exaggerating when I say if we lose Texas, we lose America. We all know it. That’s what we’re fighting for."

Most polling in the contest shows Talarico and Paxton in a statistical dead heat.

18 May 2026

VIDEO: 'I don't think about Americans' financial situation' when negotiating with Iran, Trump says & Trump’s Approval Sinks Amid Unpopular War, Darkening G.O.P. Prospects 12&18MAI26

 


SOME day, as these polls keep getting worse and worse for him his head is gonna pop!!! From the New York Times and PBS NewsHour.....


'I don't think about Americans' financial situation' when negotiating with Iran, Trump says

President Donald Trump said he doesn't "think about Americans' financial situation" when negotiating with Iran over a deal to end the war.

A reporter asked Trump on Tuesday to what extent Americans' financial straits are motivating him to make a deal.

"Not even a little bit," Trump said. "The only thing that matters when I'm talking about Iran, they can't have a nuclear weapon."

Since the start of the war on Iran, prices including gas and groceries have risen sharply. A PBS News/NPR/Marist poll last week found 63% of Americans blame Trump for high gas prices.

Trump’s Approval Sinks Amid Unpopular War, Darkening G.O.P. Prospects


With the midterms nearing, President Trump’s approval rating has hit a second-term low as voters question his handling of the economy, according to the latest New York Times/Siena poll.
Trump’s Approval Sinks Amid Unpopular War, Darkening G.O.P. Prospects - The New York Times

Based on a New York Times/Siena poll of 1,507 registered voters nationwide conducted May 11 to 15. The gray segment is for voters who did not respond or said they didn’t know.

Ashley Cai and Christine Zhang/The New York Times


Most voters think President Trump made the wrong decision to go to war with Iran, a New York Times/Siena poll found, leaving the Republican Party on rocky political footing heading into the midterm elections as his approval rating sinks and economic concerns rise.

Majorities of voters said that the war was not worth the costs and held deeply pessimistic views about the economy.

Mr. Trump’s approval rating — a key historical predictor of how a president’s party will fare in an election — has sunk to a second-term low in Times/Siena polls of 37 percent amid the deeply unpopular Middle East conflict.

Nearly two-thirds of voters said that going to war had been the wrong decision, including almost three-quarters of politically crucial independents. Less than a quarter of all voters thought the conflict had been worth the costs.

Republicans broadly approved of Mr. Trump’s job performance and the war. But most other voters showed serious skepticism of his leadership on other top issues, including the economy and the cost of living. Sixty-four percent of all voters disapproved of his handling of the economy, long a strength for him, and majorities expressed negative views of how he was managing the cost of living, immigration and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Trump’s Approval Sinks Amid Unpopular War, Darkening G.O.P. Prospects - The New York Times

Based on a New York Times/Siena poll of 1,507 registered voters nationwide conducted May 11 to 15. The gray segment is for voters who did not respond or said they didn’t know. Margins are calculated using unrounded percentages.

Ashley Cai and Christine Zhang/The New York Times

Independent voters in particular have become unhappier with Mr. Trump. Sixty-nine percent disapproved of his job performance, up from 62 percent in a January Times/Siena poll. Forty-seven percent of independents said his policies had hurt them, up from 41 percent in fall 2025.

Overall, 44 percent of voters said Mr. Trump’s policies had hurt them personally, up from 36 percent last fall.

“He’s not doing what he said he was going to do,” said Brent Klein Jr., a Republican who voted for Mr. Trump in 2020 and 2024. “That’s my biggest frustration with him.”

Mr. Klein, 43, the owner of a cleaning company who lives in Branson, Mo., described himself as “very pissed off” with the president’s decision to attack Iran without seeking congressional approval.

“I just want my family to live a good, healthy life,” he added, and to not have to “constantly pay more and more and more for food products and stuff.”

And while the political environment has worsened for the president and his party, Democrats have yet to convince voters that they offer a compelling alternative. The poll indicated that Democrats have not improved their political brand, even after more than a year of trying to demonstrate that they understand the concerns of voters and can stand up to Mr. Trump.

Just 26 percent of voters said they were satisfied with the Democratic Party.

The discontent includes a significant number of Democrats who expressed reservations about their own party. Forty-four percent of Democrats described themselves as unsatisfied, while just 23 percent of Republicans said the same about their party.

“They’re just not fighting back hard enough in my eyes,” said Matthew Berryhill, 35, a recruiter from Marietta, Ga., a pivotal battleground area in the state’s key Senate race this year, who described himself as a progressive Democrat. “They come out with strong statements and strong words, and no action to back it up.”

Still, as both parties mobilize for expensive and bitter midterm contests, the survey suggests that Republican candidates are entering their general-election races with stark political liabilities.

In a hypothetical question about this year’s midterm elections, Democrats held an advantage of 10 percentage points among registered voters, with 50 percent saying they would back the party’s candidate if the elections were held today and 39 percent saying they would support the Republican. The Democratic edge among independent voters was 18 points, though 16 percent declined to choose a preferred party.

Even as many Americans have yet to fully tune into the midterms, early signs point to greater enthusiasm among Democratic voters. Democrats were eight points more likely to say they were “almost certain” they would vote.

As peace talks with Iran stall and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz continues to raise energy prices, there is little public appetite for Mr. Trump to resume military operations against the country. A majority of voters, 52 percent, said he should not do so if a deal could not be reached soon to end Iran’s nuclear program.

And as lawmakers on Capitol Hill debate congressional war powers, 63 percent of voters — including 27 percent of Republicans — said the president should not be able to use military force without congressional approval.

Still, large majorities of the president’s core supporters support the war with Iran and want it to continue. Seventy percent of Republicans thought that military operations should resume if a deal were not reached, and 73 percent expected the war to successfully eliminate Iran’s nuclear program.

“I think nipping it in the bud before they can get a nuclear weapon is in our best interest,” said Amanda Mann, 44, an in-home nurse in Myrtle Creek, Ore. “They’re constantly shouting ‘death to America.’ So why not protect us before they can get us?”

Views of the economy have darkened since Mr. Trump began to bomb Iran in late February. Since the start of the war, the average cost of a gallon of gasoline has surged to more than $4.50 a gallon, according to the AAA motor club. In recent weeks, several economic indicators, including consumer confidence, prices and household debt, have worsened.

The survey results reflect a growing sense of financial anxiety across the country. The share of voters who rate the economy as “poor” has risen by 11 percentage points since January, up to nearly half of all voters giving the worst rating for the economy. Even Republicans were evenly split, with roughly half saying the economy was only fair or poor.

Based on New York Times/Siena polls of registered voters nationwide conducted in July 2023; February, April, September and October 2024; April and September 2025; and January and May 2026. Does not show the share of respondents who did not respond or said they didn’t know.

Ashley Cai and Christine Zhang/The New York Times

The share of voters saying the country was on the right track fell by five points, from 37 percent in January to 32 percent in the latest poll. The decline was driven largely by a drop of 12 points among Republicans.

Approval of the president on economic issues has also notably declined from the beginning of the year.

Only 28 percent of voters in the poll believed he had handled the issue of the cost of living well, a drop of six points from January.

Among Republicans, there was a drop of 14 points since January.

“In the beginning, the economy was doing great, and he was doing what he was supposed to do” said Francine Alfano, 56, who voted for Mr. Trump in 2024. “Once we went into war, everything changed.”

Ms. Alfano, who owns a food truck in Vineland, N.J., said higher costs for gas and food had hurt her business.

“It’s terrible,” she said. “Everything’s terrible. It’s totally affected me.”

In recent days, Mr. Trump has brushed off such economic concerns. As the poll was being conducted last week, he told reporters that the financial situation of Americans did not motivate him — “even a little bit” — to end the war with Iran.

“I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation,” he added. “I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing: We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon.”

Mr. Trump’s most favorable issue remains immigration, where his approval rating has largely held steady at 41 percent.

“Basically the only thing I can say that he’s doing right is to crack down on the illegal immigration,” said Ronald Marsh, 66, a retired professor of computer science in Grand Forks, N.D., who voted for Mr. Trump three times. “But pretty much everything else at this point is questionable.”

What questions were asked? Who answers polls?
The New York Times/Siena Poll has earned a reputation for accuracy and transparency. Our pollsters and editors are committed to explaining our methods and answering common questions. Read our Q. and A. and explore the full results of the polls:


Here are the key things to know about this New York Times/Siena poll:

  • The survey was conducted among 1,507 registered voters nationwide from May 11 to 15, 2026.
  • This poll was conducted in English and Spanish, by telephone using live interviewers. Overall, 99 percent of respondents were contacted on their cellphone. You can see the exact questions that were asked and the order in which they were asked here.
  • Voters are selected for the survey from a list of registered voters. The list contains information on the demographic characteristics of every registered voter, allowing us to make sure we reach the right number of voters of each party, race and region. For this poll, interviewers placed nearly 260,000 calls to more than 97,000 voters.
  • To further ensure that the results reflect the entire voting population, not just those willing to take a poll, we give more weight to respondents from demographic groups that are underrepresented among survey respondents, like people without a college degree. You can see more information about the characteristics of respondents and the weighted sample at the bottom of the results and methodology page, under “Composition of the Sample.”
  • The margin of sampling error among registered voters is about plus or minus 2.8 percentage points. In theory, this means that the results should reflect the views of the overall population most of the time, though many other challenges create additional sources of error.
  • You can see full results and a detailed methodology here. If you want to read more about how and why we conduct our polls, you can see answers to frequently asked questions and submit your own questions here.


    Lisa Lerer is a national political reporter for The Times, based in New York. She has covered American politics for nearly two decades.

    Ruth Igielnik is a Times polling editor who conducts polls and analyzes and reports on the results.

    Camille Baker is a Times reporter covering New York City and its surrounding areas.

    More on the Fighting in the Middle East