This week on The Riff: Signs of choppy waters ahead as inflation surges & AI bubble looms; how many Scaramuccis can Katie Zacharia last?; RFK Jr.'s CDC funds experiment on African kids to indulge anti-vaxxers; accountability in Trump World is just for women.
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Gov. Sanders using taxpayer dollars, instead of her own, to campaign for re-election is very ... on brand ...
#Arkansas #arpx #arnews #arleg
arktimes.com/arkansas-blo...

STICKER SHOCK: Inflation climbs to 3.7% in September, driven by higher energy prices triggered by Iran war. Final govt. inflation report before election; worst inflation headed into a midterm since 1990.
www.theguardian.com/business/202...

SATELLITE RETRIBUTION? Ukrainian soldiers report access to Elon Musk's Starlink internet service suddenly restricted after testy exchanges between Donald Trump & President Zelenskyy. Outage led to failure of combat missions.
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...

‘INTENTIONAL’ ASSAULT: Houston DA says ICE agent intentionally hit immigrant with car while pursuing different man, leaving him with serious injuries; says agency may have compromised evidence by driving car from scene. Agent could face aggravated assault charge.
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

REPOST DISTRESS: Family of British man killed by tiger at Yorkshire wildlife park say they’ve suffered “severe distress” after video showing attack was circulated online, including by Donald Trump, who reposted gruesome video on his Truth Social platform.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

‘RUTHLESS’ PREDATOR: British prosecutors open their criminal case against comedian Russell Brand, on trial for rape & sexual assault of 6 women over a decade: “He was ruthless, he was calculating, he was manipulative."
www.nbcnews.com/world/europe...

AI ESPIONAGE: FBI arrests Saudi engineer who worked at OpenAI after secret recording device discovered inside company building in San Francisco. OpenAI says it used its own internal AI models to identify who planted the bug.
www.politico.com/news/2026/10...

‘OUT OF CONTEXT’: Nephew of the late, great Dolly Parton denies he threatened violence or wanted to harm her legacy; says messages cited in request for restraining order taken out of context from business dispute with Parton’s manager.
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

TUPAC JUDGMENT: Duane “Keffe D” Davis sentenced to 40 years to life in prison for orchestrating 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas. Cold case reopened after Davis talking about Shakur’s shooting in 2019 memoir.
www.nbcnews.com/now/video/du...

‘SENSELESS POLITICAL VIOLENCE’: 2 men at Donald Trump rally in Ohio attack woman wearing “Release the Epstein Files” T-shirt; punch her, grab her hair & put her in a headlock. Trump mocked woman as she was being removed from arena.
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...