Flipping Tables

On October 20 in Conroe, Texas, a pastor laid hands on Ken Paxton and prayed that God would "give him favor with voters." Two days later a dozen Catholic bishops were filmed praying over Donald Trump in the Oval Office with Paula White-Cain standing behind the chair. Two weeks before that, Jim Bakker died. This episode traces the idea underneath all three: that success is God's verdict on a man.
It starts with a clockmaker in Belfast, Maine, in 1838. Phineas Quimby decided disease was an error of belief, his patient Mary Baker Eddy turned that into Christian Science, and a fired editor named Emma Curtis Hopkins turned it into New Thought, ordaining twenty women in her first class in 1889 and training the founders of Unity, Divine Science, and Religious Science. Then the men moved in. Ralph Waldo Trine, Napoleon Hill (whose Carnegie meeting no archive can find), Bruce Barton's Jesus as "the founder of modern business," and Norman Vincent Peale, who married Donald and Ivana Trump in 1977 and whom Trump still calls his teacher.
Alongside it, the gospel of wealth: Russell Conwell's "it is your duty to get rich," delivered 6,152 times. The frontier panic of Turner and Roosevelt, the Men and Religion Forward Movement of 1911, and Billy Sunday's war on "effeminate" Christianity, all arriving as women organized to vote. Fundamentalism, paid for by Union Oil's Lyman Stewart. And E. W. Kenyon, who learned mind-cure at a Boston elocution school and passed it, word for word, to Kenneth Hagin of McKinney, Texas, Paxton's hometown. From Hagin: Copeland, seed-faith, Osteen, Paula White, and a 2006 poll in which 61 percent of American Christians said God wants people to be rich.

Sources
Kate Bowler, Blessed (Oxford, 2013)
Beryl Satter, Each Mind a Kingdom (University of California Press, 1999)
Catherine Albanese, A Republic of Mind and Spirit (Yale, 2007)
Gail Harley, Emma Curtis Hopkins: Forgotten Founder of New Thought (Syracuse, 2002)
Donald Meyer, The Positive Thinkers (Doubleday, 1965)
Richard Weiss, The American Myth of Success (Basic Books, 1969)
Mitch Horowitz, One Simple Idea (Crown, 2014)
D. R. McConnell, A Different Gospel (Hendrickson, 1988)
George Marsden, Fundamentalism and American Culture (Oxford, 1980)
Darren Dochuk, Anointed with Oil (Basic Books, 2019)
Kevin Kruse, One Nation Under God (Basic Books, 2015)
Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Jesus and John Wayne (Liveright, 2020)
Ann Douglas, The Feminization of American Culture (Knopf, 1977)
David Edwin Harrell Jr., Oral Roberts: An American Life (Indiana, 1985)
Carol V. R. George, God's Salesman (Oxford, 1993)
David Nasaw, Andrew Carnegie (Penguin, 2006)
William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience (1902), Lectures IV–V
Russell Conwell, Acres of Diamonds; Andrew Carnegie, "Wealth," North American Review, June 1889
Ralph Waldo Trine, In Tune with the Infinite (1897); Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich (1937); Bruce Barton, The Man Nobody Knows (1925)
Norman Vincent Peale, The Power of Positive Thinking (1952); Oral Roberts, The Miracle of Seed-Faith (1970); Kenneth Hagin, You Can Have What You Say (1979); Kenneth Copeland, The Laws of Prosperity (1974); Marabel Morgan, The Total Woman (1973); Joel Osteen, Your Best Life Now (2004)
Matt Novak, "The Untold Story of Napoleon Hill," Gizmodo, Dec. 2016
Time, "Does God Want You to Be Rich?" Sept. 10, 2006
Texas House Resolution 2377, May 27, 2023; Texas Senate Court of Impeachment, Sept. 2023
Angela Paxton, petition for divorce, Collin County, July 10, 2025
Ballotpedia and NBC News, Texas Senate runoff results, May 26–27, 2026
Fox News, Angela Paxton at the Texas Federation of Republican Women, Sept. 23, 2026

Get out and vote tomorrow everybody!
Sources:
On This Day: Truman Library — The 1948 election | Chicago Tribune — Dewey Defeats Truman history
Mr. Veto / rich members: The Hill — Trump says he will become “Mr. Veto” | Washington Examiner — “veto everything” | Roll Call Factbase — Mar-a-Lago Halloween gaggle transcript | Yahoo/Daily Beast — “tacky boast” on eve of affordability election | CBS12 — “came as Donald Trump”
Alaska: CNBC — Judge dismisses DOJ lawsuit | AP via ClickOrlando — Sullivan claims Peltola “still lying” | The Hill — Judge rejects DOJ bid | HuffPost/AP — Dismissal
Stevens: NBC News — Stevens endorses Rogers | NPR — Spurning El-Sayed | Bridge Michigan — Detroit appearance | Fox 2 Detroit — Democratic backlash
Murphy: NPR — Murphy hospitalized with stroke | NBC Connecticut — Hospitalized after stroke | CNN — Expected full recovery | Democracy Now — Murphy calls Iran plans “insane”
Election officials: Yahoo/Independent — Judge blasts Trump team for threatening election workers | Fox News — Judge blocks DOJ threats | Davis Vanguard — Judge bars DOJ election intimidation
Idaho: Boise State Public Radio — 9th Circuit lifts halt | Idaho News — Ninth Circuit stays injunction | JAMA — Abortion bans and infant mortality | Milbank Quarterly — State of the research 2025 | GEPI — Maternal mortality after bans | KFF Health News — Idaho drops maternal mortality panel | Idaho Capital Sun — Reconstituted committee
Preschool: NPR — Court hears universal pre-K religious freedom case | OPB — Colorado pre-K case | SCOTUSblog — Court will hear case | The Hill via WSPA — Religious vs LGBTQ rights | Becket — St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy
WSJ / BBC: CNN — Judge tosses WSJ suit for good | CBS News — Dismissed with prejudice | The Hill — Dismissed a second time | Newsweek — List of Trump media lawsuits, BBC deposition | Deadline — 285 Americans may have seen Panorama
Iran: Haaretz — Strikes as soon as one day after midterms | Times of Israel — Trump-Netanyahu call, WSJ | Haaretz — Rubio: no decision | CBS News live — “one way or the other”
Patriots: CNN — $2.1 billion Patriot sale | The Hill — Ukraine gets approval
Markets: NBC News — Tech stocks wipe out $1 trillion | Reuters via Yahoo — AI cash burn fears | Yahoo Finance — October closes with sell-off
Jet crash: NBC Miami — 9 dead in Learjet 60 crash | CBS Miami — Jet from Texas crashes near homes | ABC News — Learjet crashes in Palm Beach County
Shootings: NBC News — 12 killed, 60+ injured across seven states | ABC/AP — At least 6 dead in nightlife districts | CNN — Dallas Deep Ellum | Fox 4 — Deep Ellum shootings | Dallas Morning News — Safety concerns
Jacobs: CBS Sports — Three other women accused Jacobs | AP via NFL.com — NFL will review allegations | Fox 11 — Records released
Polk sting: ClickOrlando — Ex-Mickey Mouse character busted | Fox 13 — 281 arrested | CBS12 — 17 worked at theme parks
Oversight: Fox News — House Dems plan investigation blitz | CNN via KRDO — Trump family, ballroom, Epstein probes | PBS — Vast oversight, impeachment an option | Reuters via Yahoo — Investigations over impeachment
Good news: Positive News — What went right this week | Portugal Resident — Corvo turns off lights | Azores Natural Parks — SOS Cagarro

Sources:
On This Day: History.com — Welles scares nation | Smithsonian — The infamous War of the Worlds broadcast was a magnificent fluke
Rallies / health: NBC News — Trump cancels weekend rallies for tele-rallies | CNBC — Trump, Vance scrap appearances | CBS — “I feel perfect” | AP via WENY — Trump to hold rallies after canceling them | CNN live — Trump revives two red state rallies | IBTimes — Georgia rally “sound” remark
Polls / Cook: The Hill — Cook shifts more races toward Democrats | Washington Post — Democrats could win up to 240 seats | The Hill — Democrats hold 10-point lead | Silver Bulletin — Generic ballot average | The Hill — Democrats leading in Texas, Michigan
Alaska: ABC News — New wave of subpoenas | CNN — Sullivan criminal probe accelerates | NBC News — Dunleavy orders separate investigation | Election Law Blog — Subpoenas
Pope: NBC News — Requested absentee ballot in Illinois | Chicago Sun-Times — Will vote from the Vatican by mail | EWTN — First pope to vote in an American election | Forbes — Requests Illinois mail-in ballot
Mass graves: Yahoo/Army Times — Army practicing digging mass battlefield graves | AOL — Rapid burial training not seen since Korea | Baller Alert — 2,400 soldiers a day
Iran / Murphy: Democracy Now — Murphy calls plans “insane” | Fox 17 — Resume Iran war after midterms is “insane” | CNBC — Iran claims tankers struck mines, strike fears | Fox News live — Pentagon offering options as deadline approaches | Fox News — “Anything’s possible”
G20: CBS Atlanta — U.S. cancels group photo | HuffPost — Scraps photo after allies object | PBS — UK foreign secretary questions Russia’s “appetite” for peace | RFE/RL — Divisions over Russia, Ukraine
Vance: Mediaite — Mocked for opener to affordability question | New Republic — Inappropriate answer on housing costs | Raw Story — Housing question into crude joke
Comey: CBS News — DOJ and Comey’s lawyers face off | AP via ClickOrlando — Lawyers will ask judge to block prosecution
Cornell: UPI — State Police to investigate future cases | CBS6 Albany — Cornell, State Police partnership | CNN — Judge questions request to remove James | ABC7 — James appointed special prosecutor
Missouri: KOMU — Provider group supports Amendment 3 despite most doctors opposing | KCUR — Would allow some abortions; whether women could get them is unclear | Springfield Daily Citizen — Doctors share differing views | Yahoo — First state to overturn voter-approved protections
Binance: Al Jazeera — $6.3bn stolen, what we know | CNN — North Korea suspected | Engadget — Record crypto theft | Axios — Trump pardons Binance founder (Oct 2025)
Israel: Times of Israel — All votes counted, 53-48-19 | NBC News — Neither can immediately form a government | Al Jazeera — No overall majority | Ynet — Netanyahu bloc 53, Eisenkot 48
Pike / Morley: RTE — “Pain in my mind and soul” | Mediaite — Pike speaks out | CNN — Truck sat in Illinois for a day | Newsweek — Morley sightings map | KFVS — Possible link to Wisconsin bank robbery
Good news: Chicago Sun-Times — Illinois medical debt relief | Good Good Good — Good news this week, Oct. 24

Sources:
On This Day: History.com — Statue of Liberty dedicated | Women’s eNews — The Statue of Liberty and early feminism | EBSCO — Statue of Liberty is dedicated

Bolsonaro: CNN — Defies travel ban with flight to US | NBC News — Flees to U.S. | U.S. News/Reuters — Leaves Brazil for US | The Hill — Trump calls Brazil election “rigged” | Euronews — “Rigged” without evidence | SCMP — Bolsonaro’s party acknowledges Lula win

Israel: CNN — Record turnout live blog | Jerusalem Post — Election 2026 coverage | Times of Israel — Final polls | Al Jazeera — When will we know who won

Supreme Court / immigration: ABC News — Court declines to restore closure policy | U.S. News/Reuters — Denies judges power to shelve cases | Detroit News — Same

Phillip James: AP via U.S. News — Documents support citizen’s claim | WTOP — Same

Methane: The Hill — Loosening rules for low-producing wells | Center for Western Priorities — Rollback for all wells | Colorado Public Radio — Weeks after Colorado adopted stricter rules | Bloomberg — EPA readies bid to weaken controls

WMO: WMO — Greenhouse gas levels once again reach record high | UPI — CO2, other emissions record high in 2025 | SCMP — Impact will last centuries

El Niño: Raw Story/Guardian — Monster El Niño bears down on storm watchers Trump gutted | inkl/Guardian — “Cascade” of El Niño dangers | Rep. Amo — 41 lawmakers call for NOAA to prepare | Weather.com — Historic super El Niño ahead

AI term: The Hill — Trump says he will ban term | Forbes — Latest push for “Super Intelligence” | Mediaite — “In all relevant documents, and everything else”

Malfoid: Just the News — Education Department joins Malfoid trend | Know Your Meme — Malfoid / female Draco Malfoy | Yahoo — What is Malfoid

Heckler: CNN — Protester interrupts Trump rally | Mediaite — “Shove that ballroom” | IBTimes — Protester removed at Mississippi rally

Trump Jr.: Forbes — Hunted in Mongolia with oligarch who bankrolled his wedding | New Republic — Closer to Putin ally than we knew | Daily Beast — Hunting trip with Umar Kremlev | UNITED24 — Counterintelligence warning

Pretti: CNN — Family says feds stonewalling | MPR News — Parents speak on his killing | Star Tribune — Family news conference | WVTM/CNN — No answers nine months later

Tennessee escape: CNN — Escaped through fence, fled in stolen truck | NBC News — Manhunt for convicted killer | Washington Post — Search underway | WREG — Stole truck after escape

Bundy: KSTP/AP — Linked to another Utah teen’s 1974 murder | Fox 8 — Connected to another 1970s homicide | PBS — April Laura Aime DNA match

Swalwell: Yahoo/CNN — FBI raids billionaire’s mansion | Newsweek — Mansion raided | NewsNation — Investigation update | Signal — Swalwell ends bid, resigns (April)

Brand: NBC News — Appears in court for trial | Variety — Trial begins | ABC7 — Six women testify

UN Gaza report: CBC — Commission says genocide continued since truce | ABC Australia — Continued after truce | Al Jazeera — “Extermination” in West Bank

Good news: Good Good Good — Nurses secure first countywide 12-week paid parental leave | PublicSource — Compromise amendments | WPXI — Supporters rally at courthouse

Sources:
On This Day: History.com — New York City subway opens | Design World — Today in engineering history | Goldman Sachs — 1904 subway
Serbia: Al Jazeera — Vucic concedes to student movement | CBS News — Putin-endorsed leader concedes | Axios — Students topple Vucic | Al Jazeera — The leader brought down by students | Time — Orban loses Hungary (April)
Brazil: NPR — Lula wins fourth term | CNN — Bolsonaro rejects result | CNBC — Historic fourth term, markets fall | Time — Bolsonaro refuses to concede, Trump reaction | Rio Times — Washington reaction
Israel: Times of Israel — Election day guide | Times of Israel — Final polls, both blocs short | UPI — Liberman seeks treason probe | Jerusalem Post — Liberman: treason probe over Iran plot | Fortune — Netanyahu denies attack plan | Haaretz — Eisenkot final rally
Epstein report: House Judiciary Democrats — Report release | NBC News — Democrats call for special counsel | HuffPost — Keul allegation | MS NOW — 50-page report
James Comey: Axios — Comey charged again | CBS News — DOJ takes steps to charge Comey | CNBC — New case against Comey | The Hill — Charged a third time
Maurene Comey: CNBC — DOJ unlawfully fired Comey | ABC News — Judge reinstates Comey | Mediaite — Ruling text
Kennedy Center: 1News/AP — Judge urged to order release | La Voce di New York — Withheld messages | Nebraska.tv — Beatty motion to compel
Observers / election: AP via Click2Houston — Thousands of observers | NBC News — Same | NPR — Civil rights groups’ observers | CNN — DOJ sues to block Alaska results | PBS — Trump says he ordered Alaska suit | Fox News live blog — Port Huron rally
Minaj: Billboard — Trump praises Minaj at rally | Consequence — White House floats Minaj as press secretary | Mixmag — Minaj responds
ICE / Phillip James: AP via U.S. News — Documents support claim ICE detained mentally ill citizen | WTOP — Same | Yahoo — Same
Iran: CNN — US has plans for major strikes | The Hill — Post-midterm strike options | Al Jazeera — CENTCOM plans, will Trump approve
Ketamine: AP via Yahoo — Pentagon wants ketamine wafers | Washington Times — Ketamine wafers for wounded troops | SSBCrack — Emergency authorization pursuit
FORTRESS: Fox News — Inside the Pentagon’s FORTRESS plan | Newsweek — What is FORTRESS | DefenseScoop — FORTRESS program office memo | Anadolu — 90 days without support
Anthropic: U.S. News/Reuters — Opens books on growth and costs | Al Jazeera — $80bn loss, WSJ | TNW — $518bn compute commitments | Fox Business — Claude accessed Georgia voter data
Golf tax shelter: Forbes — Golf empire as billion-dollar tax shelter | Raw Story — IRS deal could bulletproof write-off | Unusual Whales — Forbes findings summarized
Soccer: EURweb — 3-year-old phenom, police called | BlackSportsOnline — Police called on 3-year-old | Fashion Times — Banned from Florida league
Central Park: CBS New York — Assault at knifepoint | ABC7 NY — Same | PIX11 — Calls for safety measures
Good news: Euronews — Bleached corals recover after touching healthy clones | KQED — Stanford’s new way to revive coral | CP24 — Healthy corals help bleached neighbours