Latest articles from Crooks and Liars

‘Should Be Kissing My A**!’: Guilfoyle’s Profane Rant Over Dinner Snub Caught On Tape

Conover Kennard — Sun, 11 Oct 2026 13:30:01 +0000

Kimberly Guilfoyle apparently didn't take too kindly to being left off the guest list for a dinner with her former almost-in-laws. According to The Wall Street Journal, a recording captured the U.S. ambassador to Greece venting her fury after learning she wasn't invited to the January event, organized in Davos and including Donald Trump's son Eric.

Guilfoyle made it abundantly clear that she thought the organizers had made a serious mistake. She complained that the event couldn't possibly exclude the American ambassador to Greece and suggested the organizer should show her considerably more respect. Her choice of words was decidedly less diplomatic than her official title.

“You don’t have the f---ing U.S., you know, ambassador to Greece not come.,' Guilfoyle reportedly said of the event organizer. "She should be kissing my f---ing ass."

But the recording reportedly reveals more than an angry reaction to a snub. Guilfoyle was also touting her connections to two wealthy Greek businessmen, claiming they were financing her travels around the world. She appealed to an American businessman invited to the dinner, promising she could deliver valuable connections and help him make money if he helped her gain access. And, as far as we know, she never offered them a lap dance.

Mike's Blog Roundup

Steve in Manhattan — Sun, 11 Oct 2026 12:02:01 +0000

Crooked Timber - how money matters;

Honest Graft - "Canada Effect" along the northern border for the midterms?

Mock Paper Scissors - about last week's debates;

One Damn Thing After Another - AI's Trumpian oversight: the ultimate human nightmare;

The Grim Historian - America's haunted grocery stores.

And here's Nora Ephron on something many New Yorkers (including me) understand - an unhealthy relationship with a building.

Send tips, requests, and suggestions to mbru@crooksandliars.com (with ‘for MBRU' in the subject line). Steve in Manhattan is on Bluesky.

Higher Education And Lower Masculinity At Cornell

Ratt — Sun, 11 Oct 2026 12:00:02 +0000

This cartoon says it all. Meanwhile, the right-wing media is attacking the victim. It's not surprising, but it is vile.

C&L's Late Nite Music Club: Klez, 'Here Right Now'

Courtney Winfree — Sat, 10 Oct 2026 23:50:59 +0000

In my previous life producing promos for various TV networks, record labels always sent me unreleased or newly released songs to use, hoping to give their artists a little publicity. Because of that, I got turned on to music I’d likely never have heard otherwise, especially independent and obscure artists. To this day, a few of those bands, unknown outside their hometowns, are still among my favorites.

Klez was one of those guys. I loved “Here Right Now” on first listen.

About 10 years ago, I was working on the series finale promo of a popular show, and while labels were pitching Top 40 pop stars, I chose Klez. The lyric, “Help me find the truth now,” fit a finale where long-held mysteries were finally getting answers.

Millions of people got to hear “Here Right Now."

Not long after that, Klez played L.A., and I saw him in a small club on a tiny stage in front of an enthusiastic crowd of maybe 50 people. He mentioned the promo from that night on stage.

Klez went on to modest success, including a headlining spot at a festival in Sweden, but it appears he stopped playing publicly soon after. His songs are still in my rotation, though, and several of them seriously hold up.

I bet he hasn’t forgotten that night in Hollywood.

I haven’t forgotten Klez.

Fox Host Spouts Russian Talking Points On Ukraine War

Heather — Sat, 10 Oct 2026 22:18:37 +0000

Putin's propagandists were back at it on Fox "news" this Saturday. Trump's new Press Secretary Katie Zacharia joined the liars on Fox & Friends Weekend and was asked about Trump's announcement that he had struck a deal with Russia to import over 300,000 tons of diesel to America and the global marketplace.

Even though experts have said the deal isn't likely to lower diesel prices in any meaningful way, Zacharia immediately proceeded to gaslight the Fox audience with this nonsense:

JENKINS: But let's go right to the issue, because this diesel announcement, even though it's getting criticism from Zelensky, is quite significant as Americans are struggling with pain at the pump. And, of course, diesel prices really affect all aspects of our lives.

ZACHARIA: Yeah, well, President Trump has heard that people are frustrated with gas prices and frustrated with the increase in grocery prices, and he is delivering what he always does, which is solutions.

And though there are frustrations with some, President Trump has never been unambiguous. He is an America First president. He is putting America's interests first, American citizens first, with this deal. And we will have cheaper gas and cheaper groceries with this diesel deal.
read more

‘He Damn Well Better Stop!’: Trump Rages At Zelensky Over Oil Refinery Strikes

Heather — Sat, 10 Oct 2026 20:11:09 +0000

As we discussed here, Trump has turned to Putin in a futile attempt to bring down soaring diesel prices. As the Kyiv Post reported, the Ukrainians basically told Trump to pound sand: Ukraine Vows to Keep Striking Russian Refineries Despite Trump Deal – FT:

Ukraine intends to press ahead with long-range drone strikes on Russian oil refineries despite a bilateral agreement between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to supply Russian diesel to US and international markets, the Financial Times reported.

A senior Ukrainian official dismissed US calls to halt operations against Moscow’s energy infrastructure, signaling that Kyiv will not adjust its asymmetric targeting strategy.

“We will burn [Russian] refineries,” the senior official told the Financial Times.
read more

Vance Inflation Lie Reveals There’s No WH Plan To Lower Costs

NewsHound Ellen — Sat, 10 Oct 2026 19:44:16 +0000

J.D. Vance hasn't76 quite reached the Donald Trump level of the Liars League, but he’s certainly making a strong effort.

On Friday, Vance tried to hoodwink Americans about the crippling inflation his administration has thrust on so many of us.

“We’ve made a lot of progress. Inflation is way lower today than it was when we took office,” he lied. “It’s way lower today than it was at the peak of the Biden administration.”

Reality check: Not only has the inflation rate risen under Trump, but so has the more important consumer price index. It’s because of “businessman” Trump, his tariffs, and his stupid war with Iran.

Vance made his comments in Ohio, where 76% of likely voters recently rated the economy as fair or poor,

Soldiers Scramble For An Exit As Hegseth's Firing Squad Plan Sparks Alarm

Heather — Sat, 10 Oct 2026 17:51:04 +0000

As soldiers are already looking for a way out of Trump and Hegseth's brutal plan to live stream a firing squad execution at Fort Hood, his VP try to distance himself from the brutality as well.

As we discussed here, Jon Ossoff tore into Hegseth and Trump on Jen Psaki's show this Thursday:

"I think Pete Hegseth is frankly, Jen, a deeply unwell person who seems to relish this kind of brutality," said Ossoff. "All the while he's running a department that is falling into chaos."

"The guy cannot run the United States military competently and is spending his time with this kind of obscene medieval spectacle. This administration is way off the rails."

Trump doubled down on the brutality this Friday and admitted he was the one who approved it.

Q: Did you personally authorize or approve the livestreamed execution?

TRUMP: Did I approve? Absolutely I did

read more

Paxton Spent Millions Of Taxpayer Dollars On Suspicious Travel

NewsHound Ellen — Sat, 10 Oct 2026 16:18:15 +0000

New reporting from ProPublica found that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has taken “nearly 1,000 trips during his tenure, costing $3.3 million in security.” Yet only 138 of the trips and $553,000 in security costs could be verified as state business. More than 800 trips lack a documented business purpose.

ProPublica and The Texas Tribune reviewed “every publicly available document Paxton’s office says it possesses about his travel,” the article said, and found that only 1 in 6 of his trips listed a business purpose.

You’d think the state’s highest law enforcement officer would take special care to document the legitimacy of his expenses. But not Paxton! “Records detailing the purpose of Paxton’s visits to 36 states and 19 countries do not appear to exist in most cases,” reporter Zach Despart found. He works for both ProPublica and The Tribune.

This news comes as questions are still swirling about Paxton’s source(s) of income. The article reminds us that he still “has not answered questions about how he vastly increased his wealth as a public servant.” This is especially significant now that Paxton is running for a U.S. Senate seat.

Trump Attacks Nobel Winner In Late-Night Major Fit Of Self-Pity

Conover Kennard — Sat, 10 Oct 2026 14:51:15 +0000

Donald J. Trump’s crybaby campaign to win a Nobel Peace Prize came to a screeching halt when the coveted award was given to Navi Pillay, a South African jurist and former United Nations human rights chief, who chaired the UN commission that concluded Israel had committed genocide in Gaza.

Well, Trump's campaign came to an end, but he's still crying about it. Trump took to Truth Social to unleash a 600-word whiny complaint, saying he "should have won 8 Nobel Peace Prizes, not just 1."

"This is the woman who received the Nobel Peace Prize over the Great United States of America, whose Representative, ME, settled eight Wars, and many other things. I know nothing about this woman, and neither does anyone else!" he falsely wrote. "In fact, to the best of my knowledge, no one ever heard of her other than the fact that she, very obviously, hates Israel."

Trump Turns To Putin In Bid To Bring Down Soaring Diesel Prices

John Amato — Sat, 10 Oct 2026 13:55:09 +0000

The US Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, told Fox News that Trump is attempting to manipulate Ukraine, our ally, into stopping attacks on Russian refineries after Trump just formed a new alliance with Russia.

This is sick.

Because of drastic fuel shortages brought on by Trump's disastrous war with Iran, he
announced on Truth Social that he has struck a deal with bloodthirsty Vladimir Putin, the enemy of our ally, to supply the US and global markets.

Fox News host Sandra Smith brought on Waltz for an interview today.

"It was agreed that Russia will immediately supply over 300,000 tons of diesel to America and the global marketplace," Smith reported. "Is this a good idea, a deal with Russia?"

Waltz gave some double talk about the Strait of Hormuz and lied that California purposefully shut down two refineries.

WALTZ: The president has been clear in asking the Ukrainians to stop and asking, you know, from the perspective of the global economy suffering, it's diesel that powers our tractors, our trucks, our airplanes around the world.

And this is an effort, at least for the next few months, to get more diesel out on the world market.

Waltz wasn't done there.

Fox Hacks Justify ICE Shooting Up Car With 5-Year-Old Inside

Heather — Sat, 10 Oct 2026 12:32:22 +0000

No matter how irresponsibly these rogue agents act, you can count on the propagandists on Fox to have their back. Rather than be horrified that ICE agents decided to shoot up a car in the middle of a residential neighborhood where people were picking their kids up from school, and that had a 5-year-old child inside, they decided to attack Mayor Mamdani for speaking out about it, and the protesters for being outraged.

Here's the exchange from this Friday's Fox & Friends immediately after they played a tape of Saritha Komatireddy, the Republican who is running against Letitia James for NY AG, pretending something like this would never happen if police turned immigrants over to ICE at police stations:

EARHARDT: It's because of New York City's sanctuary policies. We're seeing this in cities all across America, in blue states. NYPD had arrested him in 2023. He was released because of these local sanctuary city laws blocking the police from cooperating with ICE.

And like she said, you can do this safely. You can arrest a guy who's here illegally, who is wanted, like this guy, for assault, robbery, drugs, weapons, alleged ties to Trinitarios, which is a gang.
read more

How Not To Win Votes And Influence People

Chris capper Liebenthal — Sat, 10 Oct 2026 12:32:09 +0000

Matthew Arndt, a Green Party congressional candidate from Wisconsin, was arrested Thursday after being involved in a road rage incident.

It started when Arndt caught up to an unnamed driver who had a "F Hamas" bumper sticker on his car. Arndt started driving erratically and cursing out the other driver. The two drivers pulled over at a gas station, where Arndt continued shouting obscenities and making anti-semitic statements to the other driver, who is Jewish.

Arndt tried to downplay the incident, saying, “I have a stance on Israel that is not popular with a certain subsection of people. I’m human. The only mistake I made here is not giving a calmer message. What I said is protected by First Amendment speech.” Arndt also denied supporting Hamas, Hezbollah, or Iran.

Arndt was arrested and charged with Disorderly Conduct with a hate crime enhancer.

The Green Party said that they do support Palestinian human rights but condemned Arndt's behavior. They issued a statement which read: “Shouting obscenities at someone in a parking lot doesn’t advance that cause. We’ve spoken with Matthew, and he said he will address this directly. The Coordinating Council will wait for the police report before commenting further on what happened.”

The district that Arndt is seeking to represent is the Wisconsin Sixth Congressional District and is currently represented by Glenn Grothman. Also running in the election for that seat are Democrat Bradley Smith and two Independent candidates.

Mike's Blog Roundup

Steve in Manhattan — Sat, 10 Oct 2026 12:02:01 +0000

Defector - a uniquely clunky sentence is a joy forever;

From Pine View Farm - Vaccine Nation;

Mike the Mad Biologist - AI makes a lot of problems worse: surveillance edition;

Obsidian Wings - RAF Fairford: another explanation;

The Editorial Board - how to de-shittify America.

Send tips, requests, and suggestions to mbru@crooksandliars.com (with ‘for MBRU' in the subject line). Steve in Manhattan is on Bluesky.

Has Megyn Kelly Ever Given A Damn About Women?

Steve M. — Sat, 10 Oct 2026 12:00:01 +0000

Megyn Kelly has concluded that taking the pro-rapist side in the Cornell 7 case is a good career move. First, she body-shamed and slandered the accuser in the case on her podcast Monday:

No one will even consider the possibility that this woman made a decision to get it on with four men total, not seven, and enjoyed it because — I'm just going to be honest, she's not the most attractive gal. She's extremely beefy in her arms and her legs. She has a whole video online talking about her cankles. And she possibly enjoyed being admired. This is how women make these mistakes. Admired, wanted, some women even foolishly say loved by these guys at Cornell. But this is probably a first for her. She's probably thrilled to be so admired because she clearly didn't grow up the incredibly beautiful one.

(Not that it matters, but I've been to X and seen pictures of the woman who's been identified as Jane Doe, the same pictures Kelly has presumably seen. The woman in the pictures I've seen is not "extremely beefy in her arms and her legs." You need to have the twisted grooming standards of Hollywood, Fox News, and Mar-a-Lago to believe that.)

Kelly also said this:

Friday Night Funnies: Karen Morgan 'After 50 You Just Stop Caring'

John Amato — Sat, 10 Oct 2026 00:03:32 +0000

YouTube: "After 50, you just stop caring about the little things, and luckily Karen Morgan is 55 and over, caring about the little things."

Have a nice weekend.

Open thread.

FTC Chair Says Protecting White Men From Discrimination Is A Priority

John Amato — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 23:01:55 +0000

During a press event discussing JD Vance's racist task force targeting fraud, FTC chair Andre Ferguson glorified Andrea Lucas, chairman of the EEOC, for rooting out white man discrimination in the workplace.

Ferguson claimed that fraud is "a frontal assault on every institution that Americans hold dear."

Ferguson never gave any evidence to defend his lie because there is none.

After the FTC head opined about fraud in the federal government that is Trump code for racism against minorities, migrants, and the impoverished, he touched on another nonexistent problem in the country: Racism against white people.

The EEOC's Lucas followed Trump's lead and targeted DEI in the workplace as an attack on white America, which is ludicrous.

FERGUSON: I also want to acknowledge the work of Andrea Lucas, who's the chairman of the EEOC. She is the greatest chairman of that institution since Clarence Thomas back in the 1980s.

On every issue that previous EEOCs refused to touch, protecting white American men from discrimination, protecting American citizens from national origin discrimination, she has led the EEOC headlong to defend Americans from these abusive practices.
read more

Sen. Marshall Stiffs Kansas Baker For Campaign Cookies

RedStateRachel — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 21:54:00 +0000

Sen. Roger Marshall stiffed a Kansas bakery for cookies made for his campaign by refusing to pay a nearly $700 invoice. The owner of the Hutchinson, Kansas bakery said she tried for almost a YEAR to collect from the wealthy Senator. Marshall's net worth is estimated at $7.2 million.

Millionaire Sen. Marshall Stiffs Holly's Sweet Tweets for Nearly $700

Raw Story reported that Holly Thomas of Holly's Sweet Treats in Hutchinson, Kansas, shared her story on Facebook on October 8, including pictures of an unpaid bill for $678.75.

"Do you know why I will never vote for Roger Marshall? Because six years ago, when I was a brand-new small business owner, his campaign ordered cookies and treats from my bakery for his primary election watch party. And I never got paid.

For nearly a year, I made repeated attempts to collect payment, reaching out by phone and email. I never received a return phone call, and the invoice was never paid."
read more

Rogers' Racist Attack On El-Sayed Backfires Spectacularly

John Amato — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 20:44:16 +0000

During the Michigan Senate debate, responding to his support of all Middle East wars, including Trump's war with Iran, Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers despicably attacked El-Sayed's residence and called Egypt his home, when Rogers had stated his primary residence was a home in Cape Coral, Florida.

Rogers only campaign strategy is to be racist against El-Sayed because of his religion, and he routinely claimed he is a terrorist supporter who hates America.

The moderator brought up ending the Iran war by asking a ridiculous question, posing that Iran had a nuclear weapon. After Rogers responded, El-Sayed pounced.

"He's been cheerleading this war for the better part of 20 years," he said. "But I also condemn a war we shouldn't be fighting because here we are fighting this stupid war, because people like him have been pushing for it for 20 years, when you've got an international problem, he's got a war for that."

El-Sayed continued, "That's his approach every single situation: Iraq, Iran, and what other wars is he going to cheerlead? That is dangerous. We cannot have that."

Rogers became so angry, his only defense was to lie.

"He can't condemn a terrorist act that happened on our soil in the state of Michigan," Rogers lied. "He can't bring himself to condemn..."

"I did condemn it, and you know it," El-Sayed replied.

ROGERS: Oh, you did not. You absolutely did not.
read more

Vance Defines Socialism As Anything That Scares His Base

Chris capper Liebenthal — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 19:48:07 +0000

During a press conference, J. Divan Vance was asked to define socialism. Despite using the word daily, it was obvious that Vance didn't have a clue about what the word means:

REPORTER: How do you define socialism personally, and why do you think socialist candidates are popping up everywhere across the country?

VANCE: Oh, man. Uh, you know, I, I, I guess... It's honestly, it's a hard term to de- to define these days because very often socialism, uh, you know, classically you would think socialism is about prioritizing workers, and yet in reality I guarantee that most of the self-described socialists running across the United States of America are going to howl about this announcement today, which is prioritizing American workers over foreign workers. So I don't know what the term means anymore.

I think in reality what it actually means in the American context is that you wanna replace American workers with foreign workers, and you want boys to play in girls' sports. That's what unites the socialists that I see running across the United States of America today.

No, replacing American workers with foreign workers is the Replacement Theory, which is common among white supremacists. It is also a sign of capitalism, since employers like hiring foreign workers because they don't have to pay them as much.

And the bit of transphobia is simply proving that Vance doesn't give a damn about what the word means; he just wants to use it to scare his base.

Trump: I Didn't Say That Thing Everyone Heard Me Say Twice

Conover Kennard — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 18:50:56 +0000

First, Donald J. Trump suggested that Iran could “take out” two major American cities; then the White House scrambled to explain what he really meant; then the president doubled down and said those disturbing remarks again in case you didn't hear him the first time.

And now, on Thursday, Trump blamed the media for reporting what he said.

"The Fake and Artificial News is out there trying to say that I’m inviting the enemy to bomb San Diego and Los Angeles when, in actuality, what I was talking about was that a temporary increase in the price of Gasoline is a small price to pay for Iran not having a Nuclear Weapon and, if you want to see a big price, can you imagine what it would be like if they bombed San Diego and/or Los Angeles?" he wrote on Truth Social. "All I was doing was making a comparison between paying a little more, for a short time, for Gasoline, versus the bombing of our Major Cities."

"Everybody knew that, the Fake News knew it as well, but they continue to go out and say that I am asking the enemy to bomb two Cities that I love," the gaslighter-in-chief added. "It’s totally clear what I say but, these people are Degenerates, and think they can continuously get away with Fake News! President DONALD J. TRUMP"

Trump's Nobel Dreams Go Up In Smoke—and The Winner Twists The Knife

Conover Kennard — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 17:49:27 +0000

Donald J. Trump’s crybaby campaign to win a Nobel Peace Prize has hit another disappointing Impasse for the president. Despite repeatedly boasting about his alleged accomplishments and insisting he deserves the prestigious honor even amid a war he launched, Trump once again watched someone else take home the prize.

The announcement was hugely awkward for Trump, who has made little secret of his desire for international recognition. But the real sting came from the winner, whose remarks delivered another jab at Trump's already bruised Nobel ambitions.

The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Navi Pillay, a South African jurist and former United Nations human rights chief who chaired the UN commission that concluded Israel had committed genocide in Gaza.

Pillay, who also serves as a judge on the International Court of Justice, was recognized by the Norwegian Nobel Committee for her work showing how legal measures can help prevent war and violence.

On Monday, Pillay took a jab at Trump, saying, “If you clap a little bit more, I’m going to share this prize with Trump.”

The announcement followed Trump’s years-long, repeated, vocal desire to receive the prestigious award himself. Instead, the honor has gone to a jurist whose career has focused on human rights and international law.

Demented Donald Tries Really, Really Hard To Mansplain A 'Water Hurricane'

Andrea Thompson — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 17:05:07 +0000

In today's breaking news: Hurricanes have water.

In fact, one of a hurricane's most fundamental qualities is water. They come from the ocean, so...

Yet it seems that Donald Trump is of the vehement belief that there is a fundamental difference between a regular hurricane and a "water hurricane."

In the midst of his speech at the White House summit for scientific achievement, which was supposed to honor and celebrate Elon Musk's SpaceX and Starlink technologies, the 80-year-old, clearly demented President of the United States went off on a tangent, not merely about hurricanes in general, but about the massive amounts of water that come along with them, which he is apparently very surprised by.

"I will tell you personally, because I was involved, we had a hurricane -- one of the greatest water hurricanes of all time -- delivered more water than at any time that we can remember on record," Trump said at the event this week, speaking of the brutal tropical storm that wreaked havoc on North Carolina.

Trump: "One of the great water hurricanes of all time" https://t.co/Gzk94wKedq

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 8, 2026
read more

Susan Collins Accidentally Spills The Scheme For 150K Laundered Donation

Karoli Kuns — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 15:46:22 +0000

The best moments in debates are when one opponent forces the other to explain some shady, underhanded process that they've engaged in, and Thursday night was no exception.

There's been extensive reporting on Susan Collins' laundered $150K contribution from Navatek, a company in Maine that wanted defense contracts for doing nothing.

But just to review, the FBI was investigating Collins for taking that large contribution as a quid pro quo for handing off millions in defense contracts in Maine. There's even a photo of her christening a prototype that was never meant to be built but cost millions just for the spec.

Had Trump not gutted the public corruption unit of the DOJ, Collins might well be under indictment right now.

Which is why this debate moment is so delicious. Here we have Collins explaining exactly why that $150K donation was illegal. Be sure to read that whole ProPublica article, but as a quick refresher, Collins' staff told Navatek's then-CEO Martin Kao how to direct a large donation to her by circumventing the normal limits on PAC contributions.

First of all, corporations cannot give money directly to Collins for senator or for Jackson for senator.

They established political action committees called PACs that represent all their employees and are limited in giving $5,000 for the primary, $5,000 for the general election.

So far, so good.

Mamdani Goes NUCLEAR After ICE Agents Shoot Into Car With 5-Year-Old In NYC

Andrea Thompson — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 14:53:06 +0000

New York's beloved Mayor Mamdani just went NUCLEAR on Immigration and Customs Enforcement after agents shot a man in a car with a 5-year-old child in the vehicle.

According to reports, ICE agents surrounded the vehicle in Marble Hill, in northern Manhattan, just after 4 p.m. Agents ultimately fired multiple rounds into the car, shooting the man in the neck. The victim was taken to the hospital, where ICE agents immediately captured him and sped away.

ICE in NYC loaded the man they shot straight out of the hospital and sped off https://t.co/MyBnd0KaBT

— HOT SPOT (@HotSpotHotSpot) October 9, 2026

Almost immediately following the shooting, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani took to X and wrote, "I have called the president; when we speak I will demand that he ends all ICE enforcement actions in our city. I will not stand by while ICE agents terrorize our communities."