News & Notes, Oct 24

Republicans, Cocaine Kingpins, and the World Series

Welcome back to the American Times. I hope you had a chance to read my post earlier this week about the day the iPhone was released in January 2007 and the grip it now has on our politics...But let’s get on to the news of the week.

This week—as the government shutdown rolls on with no end in sight—there were multiple stories about Republicans’ true feelings and intentions coming to light. As background, the last few months have been head-spinning. Even if one follows the news religiously, it really is hard to get ahold of everything. And, as we know by now, that is entirely the point. As Steve Bannon once said, the entire strategy is to “flood the zone with shit.” It’s why even the administration’s positive stories get caught up and tossed aside. And—more importantly to the White House—it’s why Trump’s tax cuts for the wealthy, lawless masked ICE raids that have arrested American citizens, military occupation of cities, and mission creep toward invading Venezuela—have escaped the attention of so many. It’s everything, everywhere, all at once.

But then comes a story like Paul Ingrassia. He’s a name that will soon be forgotten and a story that will soon fade away. Just like the rest. But for now, let’s pay attention—because it has a deeper meaning. As The New York Times reported on Thursday morning, “Mr. Ingrassia, an attorney and right-wing provocateur who was awaiting Senate confirmation to the Office of Special Counsel before his nomination was withdrawn on Tuesday, claimed to friends that he had a “Nazi streak,” according to texts published by Politico this week.” Ingrassia is 30 years old, a Cornell Law graduate and former Trump White House intern, who in recent years has written a Substack that Trump (supposedly) read regularly. After law school, he also represented accused rapist and human trafficker Andrew Tate and last year, called for January 6 to be made a federal holiday. Ingrassia had also written things like, “Never trust a Chinaman or Indian NEVER,” and that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “and his holiday” should be “tossed into the seventh circle of hell where it belongs.”

While most Senate Republicans—all of whom would have presumably dutifully voted for Ingrassia but for Politico’s reporting—said the right things in the aftermath of the news, not all Republicans were so steady. Matt Gaetz, Trump’s original Attorney General pick, who has said things in the past like “I NEVER had sexual contact with someone under 18,” said on Wednesday, “This is a real shame. Republicans should have supported Paul.” And something that is not included on every story about Ingrassia: while he pulled out of the Senate-confirmed post, he already works in the White House and is staying in his job.

Just days before Ingrassia’s “Nazi streak” was reported, Politico reported another story about a text chain among Gen Z and millennial-aged Young Republicans—totally separate from Ingrassia—that espoused strikingly similar, abhorrent views. As Politico reported, “They referred to Black people as monkeys and ‘the watermelon people’ and mused about putting their political opponents in gas chambers. They talked about raping their enemies and driving them to suicide and lauded Republicans who they believed support slavery.” As one text said bluntly, “I love Hitler.”

Vice President J.D. Vance, when asked about the text chain, referred to the fallout as “pearl clutching,” and advised young men, “If you put something in a group chat, assume that some scumbag is going to leak it in an effort to try to cause you harm or cause your family harm.”

One thing this isn’t, is surprising. One of the common links between Ingrassia’s texts and the Young Republicans’ chat is that they share the language and sentiments promoted by someone Ingrassia has vocally supported, a rightwing streamer named Nick Fuentes. Fuentes is a 27-year-old from Chicago who hosts a live show on Rumble (he’s banned from YouTube) that regularly attracts hundreds of thousands of viewers in real time. In the third quarter, viewers watched him for over 5.1 million hours total. On Twitter (where he was banned before Elon Musk reinstated him), he has nearly one million followers. Fuentes is a Holocaust denier, a virulent antisemite, and a proud racist who regularly uses the N-word. And in 2025, he is one of the most powerful voices within the Republican Party.

Whatever you think: it’s actually worse than that. The New York Times had a good profile of him in September and so did Wired later that month. Give those a read for the full story.

In the post-Charlie Kirk era, Fuentes has become perhaps the preeminent pundit for conservative young men, as his followers (called Groypers, in reference to an obscure meme I won’t take the time to explain) attack Fuentes’ enemies online. However, Fuentes is not a Trump supporter, per se. In fact, Fuentes regularly slams Trump and has evolved to be all but anti-Trump, owed mostly to Trump’s close relationship with Israel. For the same reasons, he also disavows J.D. Vance. Fuentes had also long been a Charlie Kirk detractor, slamming the Turning Point founder as a relative political moderate and not extreme enough. And as he’s done this, Nick Fuentes has become more, and more popular to the point that his power is only growing.

Fuentes also had dinner with Trump and Kanye West at Mar a Lago in November 2022, shortly after Trump announced his intention to run in 2024. Still, it was dismissed essentially as a scheduling error. But Fuentes learned from Trump (who he did support until the second term began) that offending people and shocking people is the point in modern Republican politics. According to his worldview, there is no line that cannot and should not be crossed. It’s why people like Paul Ingrassia and the Young Republicans say what they do, and why establishment Republicans are eager to change the topic.

This story is not over, it’s just beginning. And I’ll have more to say on it later. But I want readers to understand that this isn’t a fringe thing anymore, and it’s growing. Folks like Ingrassia, the Young Republicans, and Nick Fuentes aren’t simply being tolerated by the Republican Party, they’re being given seats at the table.

The good news is that these people are beatable. If Democrats just use Republicans’ own words against them and offer voters a positive vision and a better life with affordable health care and quality jobs, they will win. And as always, Republicans will come to deny all this as fringe and “pearl clutching.” But when someone tells you who they are, believe them.

Other News:

• “How dozens of Trump’s donors have benefitted from his second term,” in The Financial Times. As the FT reports, “At least 30 individuals or companies that have collectively donated more than $116mn to Trump’s causes have received benefits or advantages from White House moves, according to FT analysis. Sometimes, the administration acted just days after donations were made.” It’s a cash grab, and everybody’s getting some except for us.

• “The Cocaine Kingpin Living Large in Dubai,” by Ed Caesar in The New Yorker. A great, long story about Ireland, the Middle East, and drugs.

• “Girl, Take Your Crazy Pills! Antidepressants Recast as a Hot Lifestyle Accessory,” in The Wall Street Journal. As the WSJ reports, “For a time, Byerley belonged to a social-media movement that has given antidepressants a makeover—from a stigmatized medicine to a healthy lifestyle accessory for enlightened and empowered young women. Millennial and GenZ influencers, some paid by telehealth companies, evangelize antidepressants on TikTok and Instagram…” A perfect story that encapsulates our times.

• Not news: One of my favorite short stories, “Fat” by Raymond Carver. I don’t know why, but this seemingly unremarkable story always sticks with you.

Sports:

The World Series starts tonight in Toronto, where the Dodgers will try to be the first back-to-back champions since 2000 when they take on the Blue Jays. Last week I said the Mariners would pull it off, but I was wrong. They are still the only team never to go to a World Series. Still, I think we’re in for a great series.

Tonight, Trey Yesavage will take the mound for the Blue Jays against Blake Snell for the Dodgers. Snell is a two-time Cy Young winner, and at times, can be perhaps the most dominant pitcher in the National League. Yesavage, on the other hand, is making just the seventh start of his Major League career. He made just three in the regular season—and another three so far this October.

If the Blue Jays are to win the series, they will have to win this game. Stealing Game 1 is crucial in any series—but beating Snell, who has been unhittable so far these playoffs, would change everything. To do that, they will rely on their lineup that has uncanny ability to put the ball in play, a rarity in baseball these days.

Most are predicting an easy series win for the Dodgers, and with good reason. But I’m less sure about that. The Dodgers beat the Reds, Phillies and Brewers so far in these playoffs. The Reds were bad, while the Phillies underperformed, and the Brewers just didn’t have the stars to compete. The Blue Jays are better than all three—and if the Blue Jays can find a way to put runs up against a Dodgers starting pitching core that has so far been lights out, they have a shot. Given the Dodgers’ still shaky bullpen (which hinges on rookie Roki Sasaki), I think the Jays give the Dodgers a run.

Still, I owe an honest prediction. Dodgers in 6.

On Football…In college, the games of the week are #8 Ole Miss at #13 Oklahoma at noon on Saturday, #15 Missouri at #10 Vanderbilt, and #3 Texas A&M at #20 LSU. I like the over (52.5) in the Ole Miss/Oklahoma game and for A&M to cover at -2.5.

For NFL action, I was 2-0 last week. I may be bringing some dire stuff to you folks in my news section, but in sports, I’m turning a profit. Life is complicated. This week, the best game of the week is on Sunday night when the Packers take on the Steelers in Pittsburgh. A classic matchup between two teams likely headed for the playoffs. But the game I like best is Cowboys at Broncos, where I’ll take Dallas to cover at +3.5. I’ll also take the over (50.5).

Until next week.