One of the most predictable trends in American politics could be un-predictable in the 2026 midterms. With few exceptions, the party that wins the White House in a presidential election faces a bloodbath at the polls in the following midterms. But, a poll published Tuesday by an institute founded by veteran pollster...

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An explosion has occurred in a New York City high-rise just a short time ago, with emergency crews responding. The residential building suffered some sort of catastrophic explosion this morning resulting in a gaping hole remaining. While a gas explosion is being considered, as I write there is no confirmation yet on exactly what sparked the blast. No injuries have been reported at the time of this report, but emergency crews are still responding with reports of bomb sniffing dogs on scene — visible in some of the footage. A large portion of the 20-story building collapsed, now laying in piles of rubble on the street below. Footage from the ground and air have started circulating on social media, revealing the gaping hole and the debris field. Here’s one of the first videos from the scene filmed from a nearby building and shared on X by Mario Nawfal, crediting ‘Citizen Journalism’ with the footage: BREAKING: GAS EXPLOSION TRIGGERS BUILDING COLLAPSE IN NYC Authorities confirm a partial collapse at 205 Alexander Ave in Mott Haven in the Bronx after a reported gas explosion. Firefighters are clearing debris and searching the building with K-9 units, drones, and… pic.twitter.com/HnMpkX4m4j — Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) October 1, 2025 Here’s the full text and details related in that post. I’ll put the full screen version of that video below for easier viewing: BREAKING: GAS EXPLOSION TRIGGERS BUILDING COLLAPSE IN NYC Authorities confirm a partial collapse at 205 Alexander Ave in Mott Haven in the Bronx after a reported gas explosion. Firefighters are clearing debris and searching the building with K-9 units, drones, and specialized rescue teams. Officials report no injuries so far, but the risk to civilians and first responders remains high. Con Edison has been called to shut off gas lines as emergency crews declare a major incident response. Source: Citizen Journalism And here’s the full screen version of that video as promised: BREAKING: GAS EXPLOSION TRIGGERS BUILDING COLLAPSE IN NYC Authorities confirm a partial collapse at 205 Alexander Ave in Mott Haven in the Bronx after a reported gas explosion. Firefighters are clearing debris and searching the building with K-9 units, drones, and… pic.twitter.com/HnMpkX4m4j — Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) October 1, 2025 The NY Fire Department posted on X that it was responding to the incident and shared this picture snapped from the air overlooking the damage: The FDNY is responding to a partial building collapse at 207 Alexander Avenue in the Bronx. pic.twitter.com/Gxuf1re87u — FDNY (@FDNY) October 1, 2025 Among the possible scenarios that led to the blast is the possibility that an interior shaft related to an older incinerator system may have collapsed. Here’s one of the earliest reports indicating both a possible gas explosion may be to blame, along with a collapse of that interior shaft as being reported by CBS News: Emergency crews are responding to reports of a possible gas explosion and partial building collapse in the Bronx. The FDNY says initial reports indicate the 20-story building’s incinerator shaft may have collapsed. The situation was reported shortly before 8:30 a.m. Wednesday. The scene is located on Alexander Avenue near East 135th Street in the Mott Haven section of the borough. The local ABC affiliate out of NYC shared footage that seems to be from the moments immediately following the explosion. Dust and debri can be seen still hanging in the air: BREAKING: A gas explosion in an apartment building in the Bronx caused a partial collapse Wednesday morning. An NYC official said that there are no known injuries at this point. https://t.co/9tDNtZcDDw pic.twitter.com/UtNSSPOuFr — Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) October 1, 2025 That same ABC News affiliate is now reporting that dogs and drones are being used to investigate and search. That source is also now reporting that a gas explosion was to blame. That is coming from ABC 7 News out of NYC: A gas explosion in an apartment building in the Bronx caused a partial collapse Wednesday morning. The explosion collapsed the incinerator shaft of the 17-story building. The rest of the building appeared to be stable with no apartments affected, but that was being investigated by the Department of Buildings. The city will search the damaged area, using drones and dogs, to make sure there are no injuries. So far, no injuries have been reported. Residents are being sent to a community center at 138th Street and Alexander Avenue as the building is being evaluated. NYC Mayor Eric Adams just gave this update, but didn’t include any confirmation of the cause of the blast: New Yorkers, I have been briefed about the emergency situation taking place in the Mott Haven area of the Bronx. We are getting a full assessment from first responders and will continue to provide updates. Please avoid the area for your safety. https://t.co/r4d5Vem7Es — Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) October 1, 2025 Fox News is still confirming that no injuries have been reported yet — a miracle in and of itself! Here’s that breaking news clip from Fox News with footage from the air showing the extent of the damage: BREAKING: A high rise in the Bronx has PARTIALLY COLLAPSED after a gas leak caused an explosion. The 23-story apartment building lost the entire corner structure from top to bottom. No word on injuries, and authorities are on the scene. Praying for everyones safety! pic.twitter.com/1XprLPsJfl — Gunther Eagleman (@GuntherEagleman) October 1, 2025 Fox News also shared the following footage showing the enormous area covered by rubble. You can see a search dog working the area, even while there remains NO REPORTED INJURIES: BREAKING – Gas explosion in New York causes building to COLLAPSE. New York is literally falling apart under Democratic leadership. Reports suggest NOBODY was harmed pic.twitter.com/TFytDBlNme — The Patriot Oasis (@ThePatriotOasis) October 1, 2025 One of the wildest pieces of footage I have seen from the scene is from Sky News. Their footage starts with a shot tightly zoomed in on the roof of the building. And yes — those are NYC firefighters ON THE ROOF of the building: BREAKING: There has been an explosion in a New York apartment and a part of the building has collapsed. It has been reported that no one was injured.https://t.co/EaXlWwI1zA Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/abb5w6ON51 — Sky News (@SkyNews) October 1, 2025 Meanwhile, Fox News is continuing this live feed from the scene: While I’m amazed and thankful to report — at least at this point — zero injuries have been reported… This is still a developing situation, and details may change. Currently the gas explosion theory seems to be confirmed, reported by multiple sources including the NY Fire Department. We’ll keep an eye on developments and bring you the latest when and if more details become available as the investigation moves forward.

The government shutdown is officially in effect. But, that’s not stopping Senate Democrats from quietly planning a luxury getaway to a 5-star resort in Napa Valley. In just a few weeks time, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee will leave D.C. for a taxpayer-funded trip to California’s beautiful wine country. Here are the details: Democrats Plan Wine Country Getaway During Potential Government Shutdown A government shutdown could be on the horizon. If it happens, Democrats have a plan: flee Washington and head to California wine country.⁰⁰The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is hosting a… pic.twitter.com/wm1MZ3hpdk — Tony Seruga (@TonySeruga) September 29, 2025 Democrats Plan Wine Country Getaway During Potential Government Shutdown A government shutdown could be on the horizon. If it happens, Democrats have a plan: flee Washington and head to California wine country. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is hosting a “Napa Retreat” on October 13th and 14th, which would be during the second week of the shutdown. The swanky event will take place at Hotel Yountville, a luxury resort and spa that describes itself as a “vineyard estate-inspired retreat” which “extends a Tuscan-European vibe.” “Sleep deeply always, in our luxurious accommodations. Soak in one of our oversized sunken tubs and find warmth by your private fieldstone fireplace,” the hotel’s website states. “Savor a meal at Heritage Oak Café, immerse yourself in our pool, or find repose at our distinguished spa. Hotel Yountville offers more than a Wine Country trip—it’s the luxury escape you didn’t know you needed…until now.” It’s worth remembering that lawmakers do not lose pay during government shutdowns, meaning these Democrats would enjoy wine country’s “luxurious accommodations” while continuing to collect direct deposits of taxpayer dollars. Does that seem fair? Isn’t that nice? They certainly deserve the vacation, right? Fox News reported on who will be attending this lovely and expensive retreat: Attendees will include Gillibrand, Sen. Angela Alsobrooks and other Democrats. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich, is also expected to attend, a Democrat briefed on the plans told Politico. The Daily Caller has more: The Senate Democrats’ campaign arm is planning a two-day getaway at a five-star resort in the heart of California’s wine country in early October — at the same time the country may be in the midst of a government shutdown — according to an invitation obtained by Politico’s “Playbook.” The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) is hosting its Napa Retreat from Oct. 13-14 at Hotel Yountville in Napa County, Politico reported Saturday. Democratic New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who has chaired the DSCC since January, circulated an invitation to the event which lists her, Democratic Maryland Sen. Angela Alsobrooks and other unidentified “[m]embers of the Democratic Caucus” as attendees, according to the outlet. Democratic Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens — who is running in a hotly-contested 2026 primary for Michigan’s open Senate seat — is also expected to make an appearance at the Napa retreat, Politico reported, citing an anonymous Democrat who was briefed on the gathering. The DSCC has yet to publicly endorse a candidate in the highly competitive race between Stevens, Democratic Michigan Sen. Mallory McMorrow, and former public health official Abdul El-Sayed. The event will potentially coincide with a government shutdown, which multiple Democratic senators in recent months have threatened to back in opposition to President Donald Trump. A shutdown will occur if Congress does not pass an agreement to fund the government by the end of Sept. 30. The majority of the retreat is slated to take place at the hotel, with the noted exceptions of an Oct. 13 wine tour and dinner at the certified organic Staglin Family Vineyards, according to the circulated invitation. So, in the midst of a government shutdown, Democrat Senators are going to run off and sip some wine at a luxury resort in California — all on the taxpayer’s dime. But, hey, it’s not just a vacation! Sen. John Thune shed some more light as to why they are doing this — to “raise money from a lot of rich, sort of left-wing billionaires.” That takes a lot of hard work (and requires a lot of wine), you know! Watch what he had to say about it here: SHOCKING: Democrats quietly plan a “Napa Retreat,” two-day getaway (Oct. 13-14) at the five-star Hotel Yountville, with an evening wine tour and dinner at Staglin Family Vineyards’ wine caves, as the government braces for a shutdown tonight, per Politico. Senate Leader John… pic.twitter.com/iQV4b2OQSJ — RedWave Press (@RedWave_Press) October 1, 2025 SHOCKING: Democrats quietly plan a “Napa Retreat,” two-day getaway (Oct. 13-14) at the five-star Hotel Yountville, with an evening wine tour and dinner at Staglin Family Vineyards’ wine caves, as the government braces for a shutdown tonight, per Politico. Senate Leader John Thune: “They got to go raise money from a lot of rich, sort of left-wing billionaires.” “If we put up a record of accomplishment and take it to the American people all the money in the world that they try and raise from the west coast is not going to matter.” Disgraceful.

President Trump is on a roll lately with his epic trolling, particularly of Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries! He’s repeatedly triggered them with meme videos depicting Jeffries donning Mexican garb. More on that here: President Trump Trolls Hakeem Jeffries With ANOTHER Meme Video After MSNBC Meltdown! Now, we learned that President Trump had 'Trump 2028' hats set out on the Oval Office desk during today's shutdown meeting. Both Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries were present at the meeting. The result were some pretty hilarious photos that will definitely go down in history... This one, in particular, is pure gold: ? LMAO! President Trump set out a bunch of Trump 2028 hats when Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer were in the Oval Office This photo is LEGENDARY ? No wonder Dollar Store Obama is so mad today ? pic.twitter.com/bIRAtqEHnD — Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) October 1, 2025 And yes, I can confirm that photo is 100% real. Not AI-generated like the videos of Hakeem Jeffries dressed like a Mexican. President Trump actually shared it to his Truth Social: Here are some more photos from the meeting: Trump shares the following photos on Truth Social: pic.twitter.com/cYHscJYIap — Matt Rice (@matt____rice) October 1, 2025 Reportedly, President Trump offered these hats to Schumer and Jeffries at the meeting. But, of course, they turned him down! Andrew Desiderio of Punchbowl News stated: Comes after we reported earlier that Trump offered Schumer/Jeffries “Trump 2028” hats, they refused, then Jeffries asked Vance how he feels about that and Vance said “no comment” and the room erupted in laughter. https://t.co/aMGYZiJM3Q — Andrew Desiderio (@AndrewDesiderio) October 1, 2025 Jeffries shot down that report, however. When asked about the 'Trump 2028' hats at the meeting, he claimed that they "randomly appeared," but that President Trump did not offer them as a gift. Watch Jeffries' response here: BREAKING | JEFFRIES ON TRUMP'S 2028 HAT: "IT JUST RANDOMLY APPEARED, STRANGEST THING EVER" Jeffries just told CNN what happened when the Trump 2028 hat showed up during Monday's shutdown meeting: "He did not try to hand it to us. It just randomly appeared in the middle of… https://t.co/jJhwEksg3N pic.twitter.com/ctGqkpMzO2 — Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) October 1, 2025 BREAKING | JEFFRIES ON TRUMP'S 2028 HAT: "IT JUST RANDOMLY APPEARED, STRANGEST THING EVER" Jeffries just told CNN what happened when the Trump 2028 hat showed up during Monday's shutdown meeting: "He did not try to hand it to us. It just randomly appeared in the middle of the meeting on the desk. It was the strangest thing ever." Jeffries looked at the hat, then turned to VP Vance sitting next to him: "Don't you got a problem with this?" Vance's response: "No comment." Source: CNN The Democrat Minority leaders were supposed to negotiate a deal to avert a government shutdown at the Oval Office meeting with President Trump. However, as you probably know by now, it ultimately proved unsuccessful. More from The Washington Examiner: Jeffries, when asked about the hats on Tuesday evening after Trump posted the photo, denied that the hats had been offered to the Democratic leaders but instead “randomly appeared in the middle of the meeting on the desk. It was the strangest thing ever.” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) also attended the meeting. The meeting, which proved unsuccessful in fending off a shutdown, was held on Monday. It’s unclear why Trump chose to post the photo, as both sides stalemated on funding the government and the White House acknowledged the pending shutdown. White House communications director Steven Cheung coined the shutdown as the “Democrat shutdown.” While the meeting proved to be a bust, we are getting some downright funny memes from it... So, it wasn't all a waste! Take a look at these responses: Fixed it pic.twitter.com/DLXdzqBc0c — LOOK (@lookdotfun) October 1, 2025 pic.twitter.com/3d9Jii1F5k — Ole (@RogueOle) October 1, 2025 He's just mad cause now he's stuck with this one pic.twitter.com/fak6vc3iYU — It's Me Again (@MysticMolly24) October 1, 2025 Can we get these next? Where are the MAGA sombreros? I actually think some people of hispanic heritage would think they were awesome. Anyone who is hispanic and voted for Trump want one? (Can’t believe Grok’s typo) pic.twitter.com/1GXKGMmlFD — Dog Playing Piano (@DogPlayingPiano) October 1, 2025

Earlier this month, Texas GOP congressional staffer Regina Santos-Aviles was found on fire in her own home. She was rushed to a hospital but later succumbed to her injuries, tragically passing away at the age of 35 and leaving behind an 8-year-old son. At the time, it wasn’t known how the fire that killed Santos-Aviles started. Sadly, investigators have just concluded that it was an apparent suicide. Authorities say that Santos-Aviles doused herself in gasoline, then set herself on fire with a match. BREAKING: Texas Congressional Rep. Tony Gonzales, staffer Regina Santos-Avile reportedly set herself on fire and passed away from injuries after telling her mother “ don’t want to die.” After reportedly dousing herself in gasoline and igniting in flames in her Uvalde… pic.twitter.com/RygqN7KWwD — Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives (@dom_lucre) September 30, 2025 BREAKING: Texas Congressional Rep. Tony Gonzales, staffer Regina Santos-Avile reportedly set herself on fire and passed away from injuries after telling her mother “ don’t want to die.” After reportedly dousing herself in gasoline and igniting in flames in her Uvalde backyard, according to a firefighter repor Santos-Avile was discovered alive but burning by her mother and airlifted to a hospital, where she later died. Police say no foul play is suspected, but her family insists the fire was accidental. Her final words: “I don’t want to die.” This new development conflicts with earlier claims from Santos-Aviles’s mother, who found her on fire while she was still alive. The mother says it was an accident. Regina Santos-Aviles’s last words were, “I don’t want to die.” Per Daily Mail: Santos-Aviles’s mother, Nora Ann Gonzales, described the incident as a tragic accident and said that her daughter’s final words were: ‘I don’t want to die.’ The coroner has yet to officially rule Santos-Aviles’s death as a suicide. But, foul play has been ruled out as a possibility. San Antonio Express-News has more: Regina Ann “Regi” Santos-Aviles, 35, regional district director for Gonzales, was found severely burned in the backyard of her home in Uvalde on the evening of Sept. 13. She was airlifted to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, where she died the next morning. Members of the Uvalde Volunteer Fire Department went to Santos-Aviles’ house at 9:39 p.m. Sept. 13 in response to a report of “an individual who was on fire.” Citing a fire department report, the Leader-News reported that Uvalde police told firefighters Santos-Aviles had “doused herself in gasoline and was ignited into flames.” The Express-News confirmed those details independently. Santos-Aviles had worked for Gonzales, a Republican representing Texas’ 23rd Congressional District, since November 2021. Previously, she worked at the Uvalde Area Chamber of Commerce. Uvalde Police Chief Homer E. Delgado said last week that detectives submitted surveillance footage from Santos-Aviles’ home to the Texas Department of Public Safety crime lab for analysis. “Preliminary findings from DPS personnel confirming that Regina Santos-Aviles was alone in her backyard when the fire began,” Delgado said. “At this stage of the investigation, we do not have any information to suggest that anyone else was involved.” Santos-Aviles had been separated from her husband for a couple of months. They were sharing parenting responsibilities for their 8-year-old son. Her mother, Nora Gonzales, a retired school counselor in Uvalde, said that when she spoke to her daughter by phone on Sept. 13, Santos-Aviles was distraught because her son was spending the weekend with his father. I don’t know about you, but this isn’t quite sitting right with me. Self-immolation is a very extreme suicide method. Statistically speaking, it would be very out-of-the-ordinary for a woman to kill herself this way. And her last words were “I don’t want to die?” Perhaps it was just last-minute regret. It’s known that a lot of people who attempt suicide regret doing so in their final moments. But still, it’s very bizarre. What do you think? Do you believe she committed suicide? Either way, this woman’s death is extremely sad and tragic. Please keep her family and especially her young son in your prayers.

The 60-minute special filmed between 2022-2025 focuses on Ozzy and Sharon's return to the UK and the preparations for that legendary final show at Villa Park