Today's News with Larry Schweikart

TODAY'S NEWS, October 8-9, 2026

Episode Summary

The roundup focuses on Republican prospects in the upcoming midterms, with early voting trends and congressional race projections suggesting potential gains, while controversies involving political candidates, alleged election fraud, DOJ investigations, and national security continue to dominate. The Trump administration’s reported crackdown on outsourcing firms hiring foreign workers, a major Russian diesel fuel deal, and persistently low unemployment claims feature prominently in economic coverage. Other stories examine AI’s growing conflict with Hollywood, school district layoffs following teacher pay increases, federal spending priorities, and renewed debate over energy infrastructure. International headlines include a major earthquake in Panama, U.S. sanctions against the International Criminal Court, and reports of disruption in Chinese businesses. Entertainment coverage notes Mike Ditka’s death and the poor opening of a Hollywood film portraying tech executives as villains, while medical news highlights a new vaccine-injury reporting initiative. The roundup closes with the author announcing a break until October 21 for a road trip and reunion concert with former high school bandmates.

Episode Notes

IN POLITICAL NEWS

• 1) The Texas Senate race is reportedly tightening as James Talarico remains out of public view, with competing explanations for his absence. The source cites polling and campaign-finance developments while questioning his campaign’s prospects.
• 2) Republican House prospects are being revised as Seth Keshel projects a GOP pickup in Maine’s 2nd District, offset by a possible Democratic gain in New Jersey’s 7th. The source also highlights Republican registration trends, Florida mail-in voting, and early-voting demographics that it believes favor Republicans.
• 3) In one of California’s wealthiest areas, 46% of residents reportedly plan to leave within the next few years.
• 4) Nicolás Maduro has reportedly been charged with ordering the torture of Americans.
• 5) New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani faced jeers from pro-Palestinian supporters over his October 7 remarks, which condemned the deaths of Hamas members as well as other victims.
• 6) Cassidy Hutchinson, who testified before the January 6 committee that Trump tried to take control of the presidential limousine, is reportedly under DOJ investigation for allegedly lying to the committee.
• 7) A Connecticut state senator is reportedly implicated in a campaign-fraud case described as involving around a dozen operatives. The source presents it as another example of alleged Democratic election fraud.
• 8) The Eighth Circuit intervened in Minnesota’s efforts to restrict speech under election-interference rules.
• 9) The DOJ reportedly says Marjorie Taylor Greene became approximately $20 million wealthier after breaking with Trump and MAGA.
• 10) Trump reached a deal with Russia for an immediate 300,000 tons of diesel fuel, followed by another 4.5 million tons over the next few months.
• 11) The FBI disrupted an alleged ISIS mass-shooting plot at the Mall of America and arrested a key suspect in the ShinyHunters hack of the FBI.

IN AI NEWS

• 12) Tensions are reportedly growing between Hollywood and major technology companies over AI’s potential impact on film and television production. The source argues for legal protections for individuals’ images, voices, and likenesses, while noting a wave of films portraying technology executives as villains.
• 13) Google pledged to cover all costs associated with building nuclear power facilities to supply data centers in three states.

IN CULTURAL NEWS

• 14) Los Angeles’ school district reportedly awarded teachers a contract with a 14% pay increase before announcing plans to lay off 6,000 employees, raising questions about its finances.
• 15) The Cornell sexual-assault case continues to develop, with the source highlighting newly surfaced images of the complainant and questioning efforts to pursue a rape case.

IN ECONOMIC NEWS

• 16) The administration reportedly removed major IT outsourcing companies, including Microsoft, Cognizant, Adobe, and Infosys, from its labor-certification program over hiring practices favoring foreign workers. The source says the move contributed to a sharp decline in India’s stock market and notes Bernie Sanders’ criticism of H-1B visa abuse.
• 17) A federal spending chart shows that defense, historically one of the government’s largest spending categories, has recently fallen well behind Social Security, healthcare, Medicare, and other social spending.
• 18) U.S. unemployment claims remained below 200,000 for the fourth consecutive week.
• 19) Massachusetts’ governor is reportedly considering restoring gas pipelines amid concerns about energy costs and heating needs.

IN INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• 20) The Babylon Bee satirized France’s riots with a joke about the French searching for someone to surrender to.
• 21) Panama was struck by a magnitude 7.6 earthquake.
• 22) The United States announced criminal sanctions against the International Criminal Court over its pursuit of American soldiers for actions during combat in Afghanistan.
• 23) The Nobel Prize committee reportedly awarded a prize to someone the source describes as a lifelong antisemite.
• 24) Chinese employees reportedly returned from a national holiday to find their equipment removed and business owners missing, highlighting concerns about instability in China’s business environment.

IN ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

• 25) Mike Ditka, the coach of the 1985 Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears and a former Dallas Cowboys tight end who caught a touchdown in Super Bowl VI, died at 86.
• 26) Aaron Sorkin’s The Social Reckoning, which portrays technology executives negatively, is projected to open with only about $8 million. The source argues that audiences are not embracing Hollywood’s attempt to cast tech leaders as villains and recommends revisiting The Myth of the Robber Barons.
• 27) The documentary Generation Covid examines alleged harms caused by lockdowns and other COVID-era restrictions.

IN MEDICAL NEWS

- 28) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has launched a vaccine-injury reporting initiative. The source highlights provisions allowing doctors to receive reimbursement for the time spent completing reports and frames the initiative as a way to gather additional official data on reported vaccine injuries.

AND FINALLY . . .

- 29) The author will be away until October 21, traveling to Lubbock, Texas, to perform a rock concert with former high school bandmates for the bass player’s 75th birthday. The break will cover the drive, rehearsals, and return trip, with more stories promised afterward.