On Monday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it would "make $8 billion available for one-time payments to American farmers this harvest season to provide relief during temporary market disruptions and increased input costs."

Using a formula derived from the USDA's production, yield, and price estimates, the Harvest Fuel Relief program will "provide simple, proportional support to producers." It will only cover a "portion of modeled losses during the 2026 crop year." The Farm Service Agency—an office within the USDA that administers credit and loan programs—will administer the $8 billion in one-time payments using funds from the Commodity Credit Corporation, a federal entity authorized to draw up to $30 billion from the U.S. Treasury to fund agricultural initiatives. Payment rates won't be released until November, and the USDA's notice leaves open the possibility of additional payments for "non-Title I commodities, including specialty crop growers and fishermen."

A fiscally questionable decision, the program comes at a time when farmers are feeling a significant price pinch. The dyed diesel American farmers and ranchers use is exempt from state and federal highway taxes, but that has done little to offset skyrocketing fuel prices. In September, the American Farm Bureau Federation projected that fuel expenses would reach $22 billion this year, up 29 percent from 2025. The Farm Bureau estimates that total production expenses will reach nearly $500 billion in 2026. According to its own predictions, the USDA doesn't expect the situation to improve anytime soon.

In its latest Commodity Costs and Returns report, released in June, the USDA projects farmers and ranchers will face record production costs in 2027—higher than during the COVID-19 supply chain disruptions—driven by higher prices for necessary inputs such as fuel, fertilizer, seeds, machinery, and labor. 

While the USDA has blamed "temporary market disruptions" for these cost hikes, the blame more accurately falls to President Donald Trump, thanks to his illegal war in Iran. As of Tuesday, Trump's war—and the subsequent shocks it has caused to the global diesel supply—have pushed the national average price in the U.S. up $2.70 per gallon from a year ago, a 74.6 percent increase, according to AAA data.

Unfortunately, the war in Iran is just one of several Trump administration policies making life more expensive for everyone, including the nation's farmers and ranchers. Tariffs on imported fertilizer, which began in 2020 during the first Trump administration, have made it difficult for American farmers to afford what they need. By the Farm Bureau's estimates, fertilizer costs for 2026 are projected to reach a record $40 billion, up 15 percent from the previous year.

The $8 billion program is part of a windfall of taxpayer money the Trump administration has sent to farmers as relief for harms caused by the president's actions. Last December, the USDA sent $11 billion in one-time bridge payments to more than half a million farmers nationwide. Earlier this month, the USDA announced it would provide a record $13.8 billion in gross payments to agricultural producers to cover revenue losses. 

In a speech in Kansas touting the program, Trump claimed that the state's residents would see a "plunge" in prices once the war ends. That's likely an exaggeration, given the host of questionable economic policies he seems hell-bent on implementing. 

Still, that shouldn't discredit the president's suggestion. Ending the war would benefit farmers, ranchers, and consumers, without doling out billions in another government bailout for a favored industry.

The post Trump's $8 Billion Diesel Bailout Pays Farmers for a Problem He Created appeared first on Reason Magazine.

On Monday, a group of students from the University of Chicago stood outside the Chicago Mercantile Exchange—one of the world's largest and most diverse derivatives marketplaces—and called for the repeal of an obscure 1958 law that bans onions as futures products traded on U.S. exchanges. 

Attracting an audience with a humorous jingle and amusing signs that included "Onions Deserve a Future," "Honk If You Want Free Onions," "Hot Girls Hedge Onions," and "Free Markets Feed Families," the student group, named For Our Futures, has a simple platform: a repeal of the 1958 Onion Futures Act, which prohibits anyone from trading in onion futures on commodity exchanges. (The law was amended in 2010 to ban motion picture box office receipts from being traded on commodity exchanges.) The viral campaign drew enough attention that Mike Selig—chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and a proponent of expanding the list of commodities traded on futures markets—was asked about the law in a media appearance. 

American farmers produce about 6.75 billion pounds of onions a year, according to the National Onion Association, an industry trade group. While peers who grow cotton, wheat, corn, and soybeans can hedge against price swings by trading futures contracts, onion farmers have no such recourse under federal law. But, as the Agriculture Department's daily National Potato and Onion Report shows, onion prices are highly volatile and subject to wild swings, making them an ideal market for futures trading. 

In its latest report, released Monday, the agency shows that onion prices have roughly doubled since this time last year. If onion futures contracts were legal, farmers could rely on market expectations instead of planting crops based on last year's prices. It would also let buyers potentially cut costs by locking in lower prices to protect against spikes. Trading onion futures contracts would give the industry a useful price-discovery tool, one that the student group aptly notes is "crucial for price stability and for hedging risks associated with weather and market fluctuations."

It's not For Our Futures' first time trying this gambit. The student group staged similar protests at college campuses in April and May, armed with bags of raw onions to entice passersby into signing their petition to legalize onion futures. The students' crusade might be comical, but after a recent Gallup poll found that 57 percent of Americans age 18–34 have a positive image of socialism, it's encouraging to see college-age students stand up for free markets.

A protest over onions sounds absurd, but it's a viral reminder to others in that age cohort of how far governments can go when given the slightest leeway to regulate an industry.

Instead of relying on outdated price points when planning future harvests, American onion producers could use resources like futures contracts that offer real-time market signals. All that would require—as the college kids state—is for federal lawmakers to "let the free market reign supreme."

The post You Can Trade Contracts on Elections, but Not on Onions. These College Students Want To Fix That. appeared first on Reason Magazine.

© PA Wire

President Trump on Monday announced a program meant to give farmers one-time payments to help "offset diesel costs" this harvest season, but it likely won't have an immediate impact.

President Trump on Monday announced a program meant to give farmers one-time payments to help "offset diesel costs" this harvest season, but it likely won't have an immediate impact.

Hysteria over the agent's appearance in a 7,500-person group reveals that internet experts have outdated notions of privacy.

City’s Beatles Story museum to move to 100,000 sq ft new home and official ownership, along with Yellow Submarine makeover of Liverpool’s second-tallest building

Liverpool is to unveil a new 100,000 sq ft visitor attraction about the Beatles, in plans hailed as “extraordinary” by Paul McCartney, and by Andy Burnham as having “the kind of ambition I want to see more of across Britain”.

Opening in 2028, the project is a huge upgrade for the Beatles Story, a museum which opened in Liverpool’s Royal Albert Dock in 1990. Ownership will now pass to the Beatles company Apple Corps, making the Beatles Story the band’s first official fan experience in their home city.

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© Photograph: No credit

© Photograph: No credit

© Photograph: No credit

The highly coveted Michelin Guide stars, shining over Athens and Santorini, have just been announced. Greece now boasts a total of 21 stars across the regions currently covered by the guide. The prestigious Michelin stars for Greece have been announced. Beyond Athens, the famous guide’s inspectors have now also visited Santorini and Thessaloniki. In fact, […]

The post Michelin stars: Greece’s gastronomy boasts with 21 stars in three regions appeared first on Keep Talking Greece.

Olivia Colman goes vulpine, Rupert Grint’s newborn is a monster and Joko Anwar makes a warmhearted violent ghost story set in an Indonesian prison

If I’d ever wanted children, the films showing at the 59th edition of the International Fantastic film festival of Catalonia in the coastal town of Sitges, south of Barcelona, would have soon set me straight. This year’s recurring themes were explosive parturition, chewed-up nipples and the fruit of the womb turning out to be at best sociopathic, at worst inhuman.

The theme was celebrated in an evil-kiddy exhibition at the Miramar Cultural Centre, marking the 50th anniversary of Narciso Ibáñez Serrador’s “fantaterror” classic Who Can Kill a Child?, some of which was filmed in Sitges itself. The expo traced the subgenre from 1956’s The Bad Seed, via Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist, to this year’s Nightborn, in which poor Rupert Grint, as the hapless husband, is no match for the developing folk-horror bond between his depressed wife, their newborn “child”, and the spooky forest surrounding their house. Finnish director Hanna Bergholm, in her introduction, confessed it was inspired by her experiences of motherhood. Only up to a point, one hopes.

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© Photograph: Andrea Miconi

© Photograph: Andrea Miconi

© Photograph: Andrea Miconi

The initiative aims to introduce children and teenagers to filmmaking.

On Monday, the Mexican Ministry of Culture, through the National Film Archive (Cineteca Nacional), launched the program “Let’s Go to the Film Archive!” for elementary and middle school students.

RELATED: Mexico to Host the DOQUMENTA International Film Festival

The initiative, in coordination with Mexico City’s Federal Education Authority, aims to introduce children and teenagers to filmmaking through free screenings that promote cinema as an educational and cultural tool.

Minister of Culture Claudia Curiel emphasized that the project aims to incorporate visits to the cinema as part of the educational experience of public school students.

Approximately 1,600 students have already participated in the program’s initial activities, which provide free access to the three locations of the National Film Archive. The project is developed under the principles of the New Mexican School.

🎬 262 estudiantes de las primarias “General Plutarco Elías Calles” y “Niño Jesús Guarneros” disfrutaron “Yuku y la flor del Himalaya” en la Cineteca Nacional Chapultepec.#VamosALaCineteca acerca el cine como experiencia pedagógica y cultural.#NuevaEscuelaMexicana pic.twitter.com/L8W6VWoHZH

— Autoridad Educativa Federal en la Ciudad de México (@AEFCM_SEP) October 17, 2026

The text reads, “262 students from the General Plutarco Elías Calles and Niño Jesús Guarneros elementary schools enjoyed ‘Yuku and the Flower of the Himalayas’ at the Chapultepec National Film Archive.”

The Archive’s Director General Marina Stavenhagen stated that the initiative fosters new cultural experiences and contributes to the development of critical thinking through film analysis and reflection.

The National Film Archive’s locations in Xoco, Chapultepec, and the National Center for the Arts will function as complementary educational spaces, where film will serve as a tool to stimulate dialogue and emotional expression.

The first phase of the program included the screening of Yuku and the Himalayan Flower (2022), directed by Remi Durin and Arnaud Demuynck, and due to high demand from educational institutions, authorities decided to extend the project through 2027.

#WorldCup2026 | @CharlieMontero_ continues his journey through Mexico and discovers the incredible friendship and positive energy shared between Japanese fans and Mexican supporters.

Why is there such a special bond between them?

Find out here on teleSUR English. pic.twitter.com/Tn5dmE83CT

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) June 15, 2026

teleSUR: JP

Source: Gobierno de Mexico

The Married … With Children actor says the news is ‘unnerving’ and ‘really confusing’

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After becoming a prominent advocate for multiple sclerosis awareness and chronicling her struggles in an emotional memoir published in March, the Emmy-winning actor Christina Applegate has revealed she does not have the debilitating autoimmune disease after all.

Applegate, 54, made the stunning announcement in an episode of her podcast MeSsy, recorded with fellow actor Jamie-Lynn Sigler, posted to YouTube on Tuesday.

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© Photograph: Gilbert Flores/Variety/Getty Images

© Photograph: Gilbert Flores/Variety/Getty Images

© Photograph: Gilbert Flores/Variety/Getty Images

Nicolas Cage looks a bit unrecognizable in the upcoming movie "Best Pancakes in the County."

Cage is one of the most recognizable faces in America, and he's had a crazy career in cinema. The man is responsible for mega-hits, such as "National Treasure," "The Rock," "Face/Off," "Con Air" and "Gone in 60 Seconds."

However, his career eventually took a dip amid financial issues before he was able to surge back.

TOM CRUISE UNVEILS DRAMATIC TRANSFORMATION IN FIRST LOOK AT ALEJANDRO IÑÁRRITU’S HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED 'DIGGER'

That now includes a new film where his appearance might have people doing a double take.

Nicolas Cage displays new look in 'Best Pancakes in the County' preview

The preview for "Best Pancakes in the County" was released Monday, and the plot is described as, "After a botched FBI heist, a cunning criminal returns to a remote diner where rival assassins, corrupt agents and an underestimated waitress collide in a deadly confrontation."

Cage is joined in the cast by Justin Long, Shelley Hennig, Lauren German and Ravi Patel.

NEW CIA THRILLER 'THE FIX' BLENDS HEIST, ESPIONAGE GENRES WITH LIAM NEESON, ZACHARY LEVI

While the plot details are certainly interesting, it's Cage's appearance that might draw the most attention. It appears he's wearing a prosthetic nose and heavy face-altering makeup.

Check it out below, and let me know what you think at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.

The top comment on the trailer on YouTube states, "Nic Cage just being Nic Cage is the BEST Nic Cage for the movies!"

That more or less sums it up. Nic Cage is at his best as an actor when you just cut him loose and let him lean into a wacky character.

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Now, he's playing a character named "The SonOfAB----" with a seriously altered look.

OUTKICK IS NOW AVAILABLE ON THE FOX NEWS APP: CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

Will it be good? Your guess is as good as mine, but there's no question Cage appears to be leaning into his old-school vibes. Let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.

Koe Wetzel and Ella Langley linked up for a performance going viral online.

Wetzel and Langley have a long history of working together, and the pair has pumped out some monster country music hits together.

The two released "That’s Why We Fight" in 2023 and "Jaded" this year. Both songs are big hits with country music fans.

ELLA LANGLEY'S VIRAL PERFORMANCE WITH MUSCADINE BLOODLINE AT PENN STATE TAKES OVER THE INTERNET

Now, the two talented performers are, once again, setting the internet on fire.

Koe Wetzel and Ella Langley link up for a performance in Utah.

The two performed at the RedWest Festival in Utah this past Friday, and they linked up on stage to bust out a performance of "That's Why We Fight" for fans in attendance.

COUNTRY MUSIC STAR ELLA LANGLEY PROVES HER SOCIAL MEDIA DOMINANCE WITH VIRAL TOUR PHOTOS

Wetzel shared a video of the performance on his TikTok, and as you'd expect, the duo gave fans exactly what they were expecting.

Give it a watch below, and let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.

People in the comments were quick to fire off plenty of reactions and responses to the two country stars performing together.

One fan wrote, "These two need to tour together."

Another added, "Two of my faves!"

A third commented, "I absolutely love this."

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There's no doubt Langley and Wetzel teaming up will always move the needle, and this performance is proof of that fact.

OUTKICK IS NOW AVAILABLE ON THE FOX NEWS APP: CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD

It will be fun to see what the two can cook up next. Let me know your predictions at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.

Mary Anne Franks has spent years fighting against online abuse. When people are abused with impunity, she says, the message becomes “We do not care about women’s voices.”

The internet told them Europe was a social paradise. Turns out the trains are awful, the health care isn’t free, and people can be really mean.

The comedian sees being online as similar to visiting the zoo. “I don’t need to interact with that,” he says. “It’s just a thing that I enjoy, and then I walk away.”

Little-known photographer John Baer captured everyday life before putting down his camera in 1954. His son discovered the images decades later after his death, and John Baer: The Extraordinary Ordinary / A Memoir in Photographs, 1945–1954 marks their first public release

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© Photograph: Photograph by John Baer

© Photograph: Photograph by John Baer

© Photograph: Photograph by John Baer

European Union governments have agreed a negotiating position on new agricultural market rules intended to take effect under the bloc’s 2028–2034 budget, advancing reforms to support arrangements for farmers while leaving the most contentious financial questions unresolved.

The Council approved its partial negotiating mandate on Monday, 19 October, covering changes to the Common Market Organisation regulation, which governs agricultural markets across the European Union.

The proposals include new arrangements for wine producers, protein crops and oilseeds, revised marketing standards, changes to the EU school food programme and provisions intended to improve preparedness for agricultural market disruptions.

However, the agreement does not settle future funding allocations or the broader structure of agricultural subsidies, which remain under negotiation as EU governments attempt to reconcile farming expenditure with competing demands for defence, industrial investment and regional development.

Agricultural markets under review

The Council’s negotiating position retains much of the European Commission’s original proposal while introducing amendments intended to accommodate national differences in agricultural production.

Under the proposed arrangements, sector-specific interventions would become mandatory in several areas, including beekeeping, fruit and vegetables and, under certain circumstances, wine production.

The Council has also proposed flexibility for countries where particular sectors are absent or relatively undeveloped.

For the wine industry, governments would be able to seek exemptions from certain obligations where national circumstances justify different arrangements.

This would allow the framework to retain common European rules while avoiding requirements that would be inappropriate for member states with little or no domestic wine production.

Sectoral interventions form part of the mechanisms through which the EU supports agricultural markets and producer organisations. They can cover measures intended to improve competitiveness, manage production and strengthen farmers’ commercial position.

New provisions for protein crops

The Council has endorsed the establishment of a separate sector for protein crops and oilseeds, replacing existing provisions covering dried fodder.

The objective is to encourage domestic production and reduce dependence on imported agricultural inputs, particularly crops used in animal feed and food production.

European livestock producers rely on protein-rich feed ingredients, including soyabeans, that are often sourced internationally.

Greater domestic production could reduce exposure to fluctuations in global commodity prices, transport costs and disruptions to international supply chains.

Under the Council’s proposal, member states would be encouraged to recognise producer organisations specialising in protein crops and oilseeds.

Such organisations can help farmers coordinate production, marketing and investment, although the effectiveness of the proposed measures will depend on how they are implemented nationally.

The proposals follow broader EU efforts to improve supply security in sectors extending from agricultural inputs to critical industrial materials.

School food and product labelling

The negotiating mandate also preserves the EU school scheme, which provides support for the distribution of fruit, vegetables and milk to schoolchildren.

Under the proposed framework, the programme would move from a school-year financing cycle to a calendar-year system, with transitional provisions intended to prevent disruption during implementation.

The Council has maintained the Commission’s objective of encouraging healthier eating habits by limiting products containing high levels of free sugars and fats.

The proposal also opens the possibility of additional marketing standards for several agricultural products, including protein crops, beef, pork, sheepmeat, goatmeat and rice.

These standards could provide consumers with more detailed information about product origins, subject to the final legislation.

Such measures would also have implications for producers and food businesses, which would need to comply with any new requirements concerning classification, marketing and labelling.

The Council additionally supports the harmonisation of rules covering industrial hemp, while retaining safeguards concerning seed certification and the permitted level of tetrahydrocannabinol.

Farming subsidies remain contested

The agricultural market agreement forms part of negotiations over the next Common Agricultural Policy, which will operate within the EU’s new seven-year financial framework.

Under the Commission’s proposed budget structure, several funding streams, including agricultural and cohesion programmes, would be brought together within national and regional partnership plans.

The restructuring has encountered opposition from governments and agricultural interests concerned that farming could lose protected access to EU funding.

As EU Today previously reported, 17 member states have called for agricultural and regional development expenditure to be protected against further reductions.

The Council’s latest position addresses how agricultural markets should operate rather than determining the size of the financial support available to them.

A separate debate concerns the conditions for receiving direct farm payments, including the definition of an active farmer and the degree of discretion granted to national governments.

Those questions remain central to the continuing CAP negotiations, which are due to return to the Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 26–27 October.

Negotiations move to Parliament

The Council’s partial mandate now provides a basis for negotiations with the European Parliament on the agricultural market provisions.

The legislation will still require agreement between the institutions, while its financing will depend on the eventual settlement of the 2028–2034 budget.

Governments must also complete negotiations on the wider CAP framework, including direct income support and the distribution of responsibility between Brussels and national administrations.

The market agreement reached on 19 October therefore establishes important elements of the proposed agricultural rules, but leaves unresolved the level of financial support available to European farmers after 2027.

• I visited an NYC coworking space, where startups spend up to $9,000 a month for a spot.
• There was a private chef, a robot, and a love for in-person work.
• The overall vibe more closely resembled a college campus than a midtown office.

I've been following and interviewing tiny team founders for the last year. As part of my ongoing research, I popped into the Series HQ workspace last month to observe how these founders are running their small teams.

As the elevator doors opened on the top floor of the Chelsea office building, the Series HQ office manager, a 21-year-old NYU student, greeted me. Balancing on a skateboard, the tall, young, and very casually dressed Gen Zer fit right in among the cohort of founders he works for.

Most of the founders at Series HQ are either straight out of college or under 30, with many of their startups being in early funding rounds.

"I do honestly think if you're 35 or 40 thinking about starting a company now, it's probably too late," Nathaneo Johnson, the 22-year-old Series cofounder, said. He recognizes that as a "harsh belief" but believes the average founder age at Series HQ reflects a growing community of young entrepreneurs.

Series itself was launched in 2024 by Johnson and Sean Hargrow as an AI social networking app for iMessage. After they both graduated from Yale and raised $5.1 million in pre-seed funding, the pair signed a lease for over 10,000 square feet of office space. They tacked on "HQ" to distinguish between the coworking space and the business.

When they moved their company into the building last October, they had roughly eight to 10 people on their team. The pair was preparing for growth, but AI has helped to keep their head count lean, and their tenants operate with similarly sized staff.

As I scanned the still mostly empty office, it seemed the tiny teams didn't require much to function. What stood out to me — more than the young, mostly male office demographic — was each company's desire to be around more people, despite operating with as few employees as possible.

The tiny teams here can spend up to $9,000 a month for shared space

I was at the office around 3 p.m. on a Thursday, and about a dozen people from at least five different companies were working, mostly young men and a few young women. The space usually hosts about 15 to 20 startups, and members have 24-hour access when possible, Johnson said.

In August, Series HQ charged between $1,250 and $4,000 for workstation pods that hold up to four people. For more privacy, founders can rent the glass pods for $5,000 to $9,000 a month. The more expensive rental options include meals cooked on-site by the private chef they hired last year to curb their takeout costs.

In the massive main room, across from the scattered row of founder workstations, was a basketball hoop and a roughly $21,000, beat-up robot holding a football.

When they talked about their robot, which was slightly broken during my visit, the room lit up.

It fascinated me that these founders would incur the expense to work in such a large office. They didn't need all of this physical space — which was, in some ways, obvious, as most of it still looked sparse with objects.

Many of the founders I talked to are around my age — 23 — and graduated from high school during the pandemic, when so much social and work interaction moved online. Now building companies, the appeal of Series HQ seemed to be less about the fancy office with a private rooftop and chef, and mainly about having like-minded coworkers to build in-person with.

Long hours mean more time together

Zain Ahmad, who was a summer tenant at Series HQ, works at the AI startup Evos. He said Evos found Series from the promotional drone videos that took over their social media platforms all summer.

"We figured if they're good enough to end up on both of our For You pages and get this much traction, there's a lot to learn from them and be in that space," he said.

Evos rented one of the private glass pods and, during my visit, gave me a tour of their space. Inside the small glass office, we stood in front of their two desks, chatting directly across from a small couch and coffee cart.

In between investor calls, which he said were powered by cups of tea with creatine honey, Ahmad confessed he has taken quite a few naps on that couch. An average workday for them is around 8:30 a.m. to around 10 p.m., sometimes longer. As tenants of Series HQ, they were in the office around six days a week.

He explained the concrete environmental benefits for Evos, which creates specialized agentic AI workflows for traditional industries. Ahmad said they were able to meet a new hire because the new hire was another tenant at Series. They even learned about their most-used AI tool at the moment through the Series team: Aside, an AI-powered browser.

Turnover was high at the beginning of the experiment, Johnson said. Partly because some of the summer tenants were just in town between school semesters. But those tenants probably didn't feel too far from home, since the vibe here more closely resembled a college campus than a midtown office.

The most important piece of growing an AI startup is still the human network

The majority of companies working in the space are AI or technology startups. Logan Milano, the 23-year-old founder of the drink brand Amryth, is one of the few non-tech founders. He recently graduated from college and said he spends well over 40 hours a week here despite living close by.

Milano said all he needs to operate his business is "my laptop, a good place to lock in, and being around other people who are building."

This was an overall sentiment I heard. Many of these young founders lived a hop, skip, and a jump away, based on the commutes they told me about. But simply being around others who are building is, in some ways, one of the biggest benefits.

"Even if we're getting dinner or going out or something, it's like you're still kind of thinking about work and it's all kind of related," he said about the Series community. Adding that "sourcing opportunities" everywhere likely drew them together and is their biggest similarity.

At a time when AI is making it possible to build companies with fewer employees and building solo can be the dream for many, these young founders don't need, or necessarily want to run their business with tons of employees, but they still seem to really want coworkers.

When I asked Milano if he's ever spent the night at the Series office, he smiled, looked over at one of the Series team members, and said, "Am I allowed to say?"

Do you have a story to share about working on a tiny team? If so, please reach out to the reporter at aapplegate@businessinsider.com.

Sen. Roger Marshall is a great man, a great senator and “one of the finest people in government,” according to President Donald Trump. But the Kansas Republican failed to score Trump’s new favorite endorsement at a rally Monday night: a compliment about his looks.

For weeks, Trump has been promoting embattled Republican candidates not for their policies, but for their supposed handsomeness. The focus on physical attributes isn’t entirely out of the ordinary for Trump — he owned the Miss Universe beauty pageant for nearly two decades — but his recent pattern of complimenting male candidates’ appearances is a unique midterm campaign strategy.

At a rally in Kentucky on Saturday, Trump described sizing up Ohio Sen. Jon Husted.

“I never did that with a man before,” Trump said. “I examined his ass, and then I looked at his shoulders. I looked at his feet. I looked at his hand. I looked at his jawline. Studied him. He’s got a jawline.”

Trump has made it clear he believes his comments are benefiting GOP candidates, even as polls show widespread discontent with Republicans’ handling of high prices and the ongoing war with Iran. He claimed, without citing a source, that Husted had “picked up like 9 or 10 points” in the polls following his compliments.

He made the comments at a rally for House candidate Ed Gallrein, the “beautiful” former Navy SEAL who defeated Rep. Thomas Massie in a May Republican primary.

“I looked at him, walked through the door of the Oval Office. I said, ‘That guy is central casting,’” Trump said of the 68-year-old Gallrein.

Trump has given men this kind of praise before, including former Vice President Mike Pence, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. But lately, the compliments have come more often and more effusively.

At a Republican rally in Dalton, Georgia, on Friday, Trump said Rick Jackson, the party’s candidate for governor, isn’t just “very handsome.” He’s a “distinguished, beautiful-looking guy.” Rep. Mike Collins, the GOP Senate nominee, is not only “central casting” but “a good-looking man.”

“And he’s all man,” Trump added.

Trump’s focus on men’s looks — and, by extension, their masculinity — touches on a larger question in this year’s midterms: Which party is the party of real men?

Democrats have been fighting on that terrain too. Several of the party’s Senate candidates have taken part in debates over modern masculinity, often using the vocabulary of online discussions about it. They include Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, Sen. Jon Ossoff (Collins’ opponent in Georgia) and James Talarico in Texas.

El-Sayed has accused his Republican opponent, former Rep. Mike Rogers, of having “beta energy.” Talarico has pushed back on claims from Texas Republicans that he is “low T,” short for low testosterone. Official Democratic Party social media accounts have posted thirst-trap-style edits of Ossoff and El-Sayed that play up the candidates’ youth, energy and, of course, their looks.

Both parties’ interest in male attractiveness comes as polls show Republicans have lost their edge with young men, most of whom backed Trump in 2024. Some young men seem to share Trump’s fascination with the male form. This is the same group that pushed “looksmaxxing,” an online obsession with optimizing one’s face, to the top of social media feeds earlier this year.

It’s unclear whether Trump is deliberately courting fans of looksmaxxing influencers like Clavicular (Braden Peters), but it is clear that Marshall isn’t the only Republican to fall short of the president’s endorsement of his aesthetics.

Speaking in Dallas last month, Trump said that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Talarico’s Republican opponent in the Senate race, “may not be the best-looking guy I’ve ever seen.”

“I’m sorry, Ken,” Trump apologized, before encouraging the attendees to cast their vote for Paxton, central casting or not.

The post ‘He’s got a jawline’: In the midterm fight over masculinity, Trump keeps grading men on their looks appeared first on MS NOW.