Levesque abandons his South County LORIB candidates

Except for one

By Will Collette

Charlestown's state Senator Victoria Gu faces one of
Levesque's last candidates. He received ZERO funding

The final campaign finance reports before the November 3 election were filed on October 26. They offer a strong clue about whether MAGA coffee czar Dave Levesque’s galaxy of 40 political action committees – the League of Rhode Island Businesses (LORIB) - will be a political player in the future.

Levesque sunk tens of thousands of dollars into the September 9 Democratic primaries, backing a slate of 9 phony Democrats to defeat many South County Democratic women legislators. The marquee race was an attempt by Charlestown sex crimes defense lawyer Leah Boisclair to oust our incumbent state Representative Tina Spears.

Tina defeated DINO Boisclair by a huge margin. All of Levesque’s nine candidates lost, most by similarly big margins, though Tina’s was the most lopsided.

That left Levesque with his remaining slate of candidates – Republicans – running in the General Election. I wrote about the two Charlestown Senate races HERE and the four South County House races HERE.

I said that if Levesque simply took his money and walked away, you could pretty much stick a fork in him for 2028. Except in one remaining South County race, that’s pretty much what Levesque has done.

Charlestown/south’s state Senator Victoria Gu’s Republican challenger received zero LORIB money according to the Oct. 26 finance report.

I sure hope Sam wins. LORIB endorsed Morgan but
provided no funding

Charlestown/north’s state Senator Elaine Morgan (MAGA/R), one of several LORIB endorsed conservative incumbents, received no more LORIB funding to fend off the strong challenger from Richmond Town Council president Samatha “Sam” Wilcox (D).

MAGA nut Jasmin Roy received no further LORIB support in her bid to unseat popular state Rep. Megan Cotter (D). Roy did get $7000 from the state Republican Party.

Reps. Carol McEntee (l) and Kathy Fogarty (r) flank owner
Perry Raso at the Matunuck Oyster Bar's re-opening.
Both face weak opponents endorsed but underfunded by LORIB.  
(Photo by Laura Paton/Rhode Island Current)

Jessica Drew-Day is making her third and probably last attempt to unseat South Kingstown Democrat Carol Hagan McEntee. Drew-Day did score $500 from Levesque’s LORIB-state PAC, as well as $2500 from three conservative high-rollers but I predict a huge win for McEntee.

Incumbent South Kingstown Democrat Rep. Kathy Fogarty is sort of being opposed by another LORIB endorsee, former Trump Convention delegate Jennifer Poirier. Not only did LORIB give her ZERO dollars, LORIB also spelled her name wrong on their website (though they made a last-minute spelling correction). This is a race where you have to wonder what LORIB was thinking.

Levesque's pick

And that question takes us to the last local LORIB race in the General Election, the peculiar battle between LORIB-backed Westerly developer Chris Stanton (R) versus venerable Westerly DINO Sam Azzinaro in House District 37. LORIB/South Kingstown contributed $700 to Stanton’s campaign in the final reporting period, the highest amount LORIB contributed to any South County candidate in that period.

For me, the question remains: why does Levesque want to oust Sam Azzinaro? Of all the Democratic legislators in South County, Sam’s voting record is probably the closest to LORIB’s agenda. In a few other races, Levesque supported Democratic incumbents who are less conservative than Sam.

In their interviews with the Westerly Sun, there was virtually no difference in the answers the two candidates gave. Stanton is putting a lot of his own personal cash into his campaign, so we’ll see if Westerly voters decide Sam has been in office long enough.

Bottom Line

I think LORIB is a one-shot wonder. Levesque made a splash by constructing a new type of political machine, using all those 39 local PACs overseen by the central state PAC to create a loophole in Rhode Island election law that sets a $2500 annual contribution limit. Levesque also actively courted donations from rightwing donors using his elaborate PAC structure to disguise the donor’s identities.

He banked on the inattention of voters in the Democratic Primary on September 9, hoping to sneak his 9 phony Democrats past voters. He especially targeted South County, where most of the state legislators are progressive Democratic women.

Instead of maintaining operational secrecy, Levesque spoke openly about his strategy with the media and blew his cover. All nine of his Demo-bots had their asses kicked.

After admitting that ass-kicking, Levesque largely kept his mouth shut since he still had LORIB candidates running in the November 3 General Election. But, campaign finance records show he also kept his purse shut, leaving his surviving slate with the stigma of LORIB’s endorsement but with virtually none of the LORIB cash that flooded the Primary.

If he goes looking for more candidates in 2028, this decision to abandon his endorsees will probably bite him in the ass. In politics, having a reputation as a chickenshit is hard to shake.

Boo! Boo! Boo!

 

Trump regime tells people how to cope with price of beef

Yep, vote like Trump is on the ballot. A review of the rape charges against Trump

 
A new accuser comes forward:

This accusation came from the House Judiciary Committee Democrats' 53-page report on numerous other rape charges against Trump:

But most significant of all, Trump has been ruled an "adjudicated rapist" by the judge who oversaw Jean Carroll's sexual assault lawsuit against Trump:

Clearly this research is a contender for next year's Nobel Prize for medicine

Do spiders dream? 

University of Bonn

Scientists at the University of Bonn have discovered that spiders experience distinct stages of sleep, including a REM-like state that shares surprising similarities with human sleep. During this stage, the spiders move their eyes and twitch their muscles, behaviors also associated with REM (rapid eye movement) sleep in humans and other vertebrates.

The findings provide the first comprehensive experimental confirmation that spiders experience genuine, regulated sleep rather than simply remaining inactive. They also raise intriguing questions about how sleep evolved and whether animals with very different nervous systems might share some of its fundamental features.

Researchers at the University of Bonn's Institute of Organismic Biology made the discovery while studying the Australian jumping spider Portia fimbriata, a small but remarkably sophisticated predator.

A Tiny Spider with Remarkable Hunting Skills

The Australian jumping spider Portia fimbriata is only about the size of a one-euro coin when fully grown, but its hunting abilities make it particularly interesting to scientists.

Unlike many spiders that primarily capture insects, members of the genus Portia specialize in hunting other spiders. They use a variety of sophisticated strategies to catch their prey, including imitating the vibrations made by struggling insects trapped in spiderwebs.

These deceptive signals can lure web-building spiders toward what appears to be an easy meal, only for them to encounter the hunting Portia instead.

Such complex behaviors suggest that these spiders have unusual learning abilities, making them valuable subjects for investigating the relationship between sleep, nervous system function, and cognition.

Scientists found that 10 different healthy diets were linked to slower biological aging

There's more than one way to eat your way toward healthier aging

DZNE - German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases

A large study involving approximately 7,500 people suggests that eating a healthy diet may help slow biological aging, and there is no single eating plan that stands above all others. Scientists at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) investigated 10 different dietary patterns, including the Mediterranean, Nordic, plant-based, and DASH diets. The DASH diet was specifically developed to help reduce blood pressure.

Every dietary pattern examined was associated with slower biological aging, as measured by chemical changes in DNA that reflect the body's aging process. The findings were first identified using data from DZNE's Rhineland Study and then independently confirmed in another population. The research was published in Nature Communications.

"Our study suggests that healthy eating goes hand in hand with slower biological aging. The effects are not massive, but they are measurable and relevant for prevention. By slowing the aging process, the risk of age-related diseases such as dementia or cardiovascular disorders can be reduced. Thus, healthy eating contributes to healthy aging," says Prof. Monique Breteler, Director of Population Health Sciences at DZNE and head of the Rhineland Study. 

"Importantly, there is probably no single 'correct' diet. According to our data, various dietary patterns are associated with slower aging, some more, some less. That is an encouraging finding, because it leaves room to tailor healthy eating to personal and cultural preferences, budget and taste."

And all dark sky lovers clutch their pearls

An American startup wants to sell sunlight after dark. Who gets a say?

Richard de Grijs, Macquarie University

A US startup has booked two Indian rocket launches to test a planned service no company has sold before: sunlight at night.

California-based Reflect Orbital plans to place giant mirrors in low-Earth orbit, and use them to steer reflected sunlight onto selected locations on the ground.

The company wants to sell space-based illumination for a wide range of purposes, from keeping solar farms generating energy after sunset to search-and-rescue operations. Its first orbital demonstrator, Eärendil-1, will carry an 18-by-18-metre reflector.

Using space mirrors to deliver useful illumination will require overcoming formidable engineering challenges. But there’s another pressing question: who will decide where sunlight redirected from space is allowed to hit the ground?

Does candidate for US House District 2 Victor Mellor really live in Rhode Island?

Let’s look at the records and you can judge for yourself

By Will Collette

QUICK FACTOID: As of 4 PM Friday, October 30, more than a quarter of Charlestown's 6805 active registered voters (1778) have either cast early or mail-in ballots. That includes me (and Cathy). 

Florida MAGA guy Victor Mellor used to live in Rhode Island but left for Florida 30 years ago after charges of domestic assault. There he lives in a gated MAGA compound called “The Hollow” that he built himself.

For some reason, he decided last year to file a declaration of candidacy with the Federal Election Committee to run against incumbent Democratic US Representative Seth Magaziner. His initial filing was on November 1, 2025, and listed his address as 54 Burnett in Warwick:

However, this is somebody else’s house:

Mellor filed an amended form with the FEC on February 2, 2026, listing his residence as 1276 Bald Hill Road in Warwick:

Except that’s a storefront in a shopping center owned by an LLC in Fall River:

Now, remember that Mellor is a registered agent for the government of Cuba, a puzzle Mellor has never adequately explained, on June 26, 2026. He lists the Burnett Road Patterson family home as his business address and his Florida address as his home address. 

Note the timing: this Justice Department filing was four months AFTER his amended filing with the Federal Elections Commission. They contradict each other. 

Looking at Sarasota County, Florida’s tax assessor’s records, it sure looks like Vic and his wife are actively living at that Gnarled Road address in Englewood, Florida.

Can anyone point to where Victor Mellor actually lives? Is it the shopping center on Route 2 in Warwick? The basement of the Patterson family’s home? Or his compound in Florida?

Boo!

Don't be surprised if Trump orders THIS ballot to be impounded

JD Vance urges you to vote for Democrats in the mid-terms

Scientists Find That Cats and Their Owners Share a Surprising Biological Connection

Cats often relish close physical contact

By Kyoto University

The comfort you find in a cat’s company may have less to do with years together than with everyday closeness, a small observational study suggests.

Cat owners often credit their pets with making life better, but research has produced mixed evidence about whether owning a cat benefits human health and well-being. Some studies have found positive effects, while others have reported possible negative ones.

Researchers at Kyoto University wondered whether those differences might reflect the quality of the relationship between people and their cats, particularly their everyday interactions. 

To investigate, the team followed the daily lives of 29 cats and their 19 owners for one month, recruiting participants through flyers and social media. They assessed owners’ moods through questionnaires and observed how the cats behaved toward their owners and unfamiliar people.

To measure everyday physical closeness, the researchers attached small Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons to the cats’ collars. Owners who spent more time physically close to their cats tended to report more positive feelings. How long they had owned their cats, however, was not associated with those positive mood states. The distinction suggests that daily contact may matter more to this aspect of owners’ well-being than the length of the relationship.

Farewell, Captain

 Fellow activist and cat person

Cathy and I first noticed him for his excellent performance in the 1976 BBC series, I, Claudius when he still had a full head of hair:

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to: Johns Hopkins Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Fund https://alzresearch.org/giving/ or Alzheimer’s Foundation of America Caregiver Resources https://alzfdn.org/donate/

What legal experts say about the Trump administration’s attempts to make a federal case out of state elections

How far will Trump push it?

Naomi Schalit, The Conversation

The Trump administration’s lawsuit against Alaska, which seeks to block certification of the U.S. Senate results there if the GOP candidate does not win, is the latest in a long series of actions throughout 2026 in which the administration has attempted to wrest control of federal elections from states.

In the Alaska case, the U.S. Department of Justice, directed by President Donald Trump, claims that it aims to “protect the integrity of the 2026 Senate election in Alaska.” 

If incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan does not win reelection in a close vote, the DOJ asserts, it’s likely the result of voter confusion because another candidate with a very similar name – Daniel J. Sullivan, with no party affiliation – is on the ballot, too. So in the event that Sen. Sullivan fails to win reelection, the DOJ demands that Alaska not certify the election and instead should conduct an inquest into who voters thought they were voting for.

The campaign of the Democratic candidate, Mary Peltola, whose potential win in the hotly contested election could help shift the Senate to Democratic control, has called the lawsuit “wholly baseless” and “an unprecedented pre-emptive strike on democratic elections” in a court filing. Another filing states that the DOJ lawsuit “asks the Court to preemptively nullify Alaska’s U.S. Senate election and disenfranchise Alaska voters without any legal basis whatsoever. It seeks to go where law ends.”

There’s lots of other heated language in the case’s legal filings. But colorful language and legal citations are a much longer way of articulating a simple fact: The U.S. Constitution gives the president no authority over federal elections. That authority rests with the states and, to a limited degree, with Congress.

Over the past year, as the 2026 midterm elections approached, The Conversation has published a number of stories illustrating this fundamental constitutional rule. Here is a selection of them:

Trump Tells Voters They Couldn’t Even Afford a Burger at His Private Club

And they feel so much better

Jake Johnson for Common Dreams

Big mistake to let him near sharp objects

Donald Trump, whose policies have significantly driven up food costs during his second term, said at a Texas campaign rally on Tuesday that voters likely wouldn’t even be able to afford “a hamburger and a small dessert” at his private Mar-a-Lago resort, remarks that came amid a worsening national hunger crisis fueled by Republican cuts to federal nutrition aid.

Trump made the comment in the context of his farcical pledge to send every American adult a $5,000 check if Republicans retain control of the US Congress in next month’s midterm elections. “The problem,” Trump said, “is that for $5,000 the most you’ll be able to buy is a hamburger and maybe a small dessert. I’m not even sure you could buy that.”

“No, don’t go there,” the billionaire president said of Mar-a-Lago, where he frequently hosts rich allies and donors. “That’s not a good place if you’re price-conscious.”

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAtdk0Om3mY

“Working people are struggling to make rent and pay for groceries, and President Trump wants to sell you a $5,000 hamburger at his private golf club. (Fries and a drink extra.),” the AFL-CIO wrote in response to the president’s remarks, which drew laughter from the audience gathered in Corpus Christi.