It is Open Line Friday on the Erick Erickson Show, and the hour opens with a trucker named Lewis explaining diesel surcharges before CNN's Matt Egan delivers a sizzling Producer Price Index report: 1.3% monthly and 6.3% annual wholesale inflation, with the Iran war, Saudi and Houthi strikes on refineries, and Ukraine all in the mix. Erick breaks down why he still expects Republicans to hold the Senate, weighs in on James Talarico's CNN town hall with undecided Catholic voters, and reacts to the new federal lawsuit against Matt Gaetz. He then makes the case, through the late pastor Tim Keller, that politics has become an idol on both the left and the right.

• Open Line Friday: a trucker named Lewis on diesel prices, fuel surcharges and the 60 to 90 day pay cycle squeezing small trucking companies
• CNN's Matt Egan on the Producer Price Index report: 1.3% monthly, 6.3% annual, the biggest jump since 2022, plus Iran, the Saudi and Houthi fighting, Russia sanctions, Ukraine and Zelensky
• Midterm outlook: why Erick thinks Republicans keep the Senate, Ken Paxton in Texas, and James Talarico's CNN exchange with an undecided Catholic voter on abortion and the Bible
• The new federal lawsuit against Matt Gaetz, the House Ethics Committee report, and why you should judge people by their friends and not only their critics
• Tim Keller, Christian nationalists and Abdul El-Sayed: why the gospel is not a category error, why politics can become an idol, and Erick's case against Michigan's Senate Democrat
• Georgia wins at the 11th Circuit on the Protect Georgia's Children on Social Media Act, and Erick's take on parental responsibility and Snapchat

On the Erick Erickson Show, Erick takes a caller's question about why the U.S. military can no longer fight two wars at once and walks through the Pentagon procurement mess, the Navy's saltwater maintenance problem, cheap drones versus exquisite weapons, and the Trump administration's fortress Western Hemisphere thinking. He defends Ukraine and Volodymyr Zelensky against Russia and Vladimir Putin after the Starlink shutdown and Elon Musk's call for Zelensky to go, then holds up El Salvador and Nayib Bukele as proof that locking up repeat offenders works. Plus Georgia ballot advice, Angie Nixon and Chris Rabb wanting to lock up Republicans, and Abdul El-Sayed's Muslim Brotherhood ties in the Michigan Senate race against Mike Rogers.

• The two-war military shrinks to one: how Barack Obama's force planning, bloated Pentagon procurement, the defense contractor oligopoly, Navy corrosion on ships like the USS Abraham Lincoln, and drone production (Ukraine at 5 million, the U.S. under 100,000) left America struggling against Iran
• Zelensky, Putin and Starlink in Ukraine: why Erick says the Pentagon, not Elon Musk, shut off the system, why Ukraine's constitution bars wartime elections, and his warning that appeasing Putin invites a Neville Chamberlain moment
• What Nayib Bukele's El Salvador teaches about crime: a homicide rate now below France, repeat offenders, and Erick's case for bringing back three strikes laws
• Midterm races: Georgia down ballot picks including Rick Jackson over Keisha Lance Bottoms, Byron Donalds in Florida, and Angie Nixon and Congressman Chris Rabb saying they want to lock up Republicans while abolishing prisons
• Abdul El-Sayed and the Michigan Senate race: new video, Mike Rogers, Trump's Friday trips to Georgia and Michigan, and why Erick still thinks Republicans keep the Senate

1. Trump Cancels Execution Livestream
President Trump has canceled plans to livestream an execution following bipartisan outrage. Polling described in the episode shows majority support for the execution but even greater opposition to broadcasting it. The cancellation follows concerns about footage of real deaths becoming viral memes.

2. Ukraine Plans to Resume Russian Refinery Strikes
Ukraine says it will resume strikes on Russian refineries after Russia continued attacks despite Trump's push for an energy ceasefire. Zelensky told Piers Morgan that Trump is helping Russia rather than acting as a neutral mediator. Attacks on Ukraine's power grid and energy supplies remain a concern ahead of winter.

3. Susie Wiles Departure Rumors Circulate
Rumors suggest White House chief of staff Susie Wiles could leave after the election, with claims that Trump has complained about her and sought recommendations for a replacement. Her departure is not confirmed. The rumors are described as circulating largely among opponents she has pushed aside.

4. College Football Playoff Expansion to 24 Teams
The college football playoff is set to expand to 24 teams in 2027, doubling the current field. The expansion raises questions about competitive games, television revenue and the place of historic bowls. Corporate bowl branding and sports betting are also part of the debate.

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Erick Erickson opens with a hot September CPI inflation report, a 3.7% annual rate, gas up 9.1% in a month and a 3.6% Social Security COLA for 2027, and argues the unfinished Iran war and the Strait of Hormuz tanker attacks are driving it. He then walks the global fire: Houthi strikes on Saudi Aramco, a drone attack off Bulgaria, protests shaking India's Modi, Ethiopia and Eritrea heading toward war, and the Starlink shutoff in Ukraine, all with midterm warnings for the White House and Republicans.

• CPI inflation report: 3.7% annual rate, core CPI at 2.6%, gasoline up 9.1%, real wages falling, and Erick's tariff "I told you so" on farmers and bankruptcies
• Social Security COLA 2027 of 3.6%, Fannie Mae mortgage rates near 7.5%, and talk of an October Federal Reserve interest rate hike
• Iran war fallout: six tankers hit in the Strait of Hormuz, Brent crude at $106, and why the Pentagon's 15 more days of bombing never happened
• Trump's Russian diesel deal, Argentine beef imports, and why Canada is the obvious supplier, plus farm country and midterm danger for Republicans
• World on fire: Houthi attack on Saudi Aramco, Bulgaria drone strikes, India protests against Modi, Ethiopia and Eritrea, and the Starlink cutoff in Ukraine

Ukraine's Starlink signal cut, inflation concerns, Netflix layoffs, and a tightening Texas Senate race lead the four things you need to know for October 14, 2026.

1. Ukraine Starlink Cut Sparks Bipartisan Anger
   The Pentagon's involvement in cutting Ukraine's military internet signal draws frustration from Republicans and Democrats. The disruption hampers Ukraine's ability to detect Russian drones and target Russian supply lines.

2. Inflation Fuels Fears of a Fed Rate Hike
   Inflation has remained above the Federal Reserve's 2% target for 64 consecutive months, fueling concerns about a rate increase before the election. Wages trail inflation as rising costs extend beyond energy to appliances, apparel, and vehicles.

3. Netflix Cuts 1,000 Jobs Amid Slowing Growth
   Netflix is eliminating 1,000 jobs while investing in sports, live events, and movies to attract subscribers. Competition from other streaming services and consumers' efforts to save money add to its challenges.

4. Texas Senate Race Tightens
   The race between Ken Paxton and James Talarico is narrowing, with Talarico still slightly ahead in the polling average. Paxton's candidacy remains a point of criticism, including allegations of corruption reported to the FBI by his own staff.

Text ERICK to 33-777 for "Show Notes" and to stay updated on all things Erick Erickson.

www.erickerickson.com

https://www.youtube.com/@ewerickson 

https://rumble.com/ewerickson 

Stay grounded, stay informed, and keep the faith.

Erick Erickson takes a furniture store owner's call on how tariffs and fuel costs are squeezing Main Street, then makes the case for Anduril and Palmer Luckey: Ukraine will build five million drones this year while America builds fewer than a hundred thousand, and Patriot missile output and the Houthi missile threat show why defense procurement needs a shake-up. He also reacts to Shane Gillis, Dan Levy, and The View, plus a Bill Gates farmland call and a warning about population decline.

• Tariffs and inflation on Main Street: Woodchuck's Furniture owner Doug in Jacksonville on tariffs, fuel costs, mortgage rates, and why bringing manufacturing back would take five years and a labor force America does not have
• Anduril and Palmer Luckey: Erick wishes he could buy Anduril stock, and explains how World War II style manufacturing, General Motors Patriot missile work, and cheap drones like the Roadrunner could fix defense procurement
• Ukraine drones versus American drones: Ukraine will build five million drones this year while the US builds under a hundred thousand, plus the Houthi effort to build Iranian style ballistic missiles with Chinese parts and AI help
• Population decline, socialism, and hope: why Trump administration equity stakes in companies look like socialism to Erick, and why neither party is selling a hopeful message
• Shane Gillis fallout: Dan Levy on The View, the Cornell Seven comments, and Erick's take on comedy, outrage, and victimization culture, plus a caller on Bill Gates and farmland

Erick Erickson opens by fact checking Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed after his Meet the Press denial of any Muslim Brotherhood ties, walking through his family history, his donors, and the Holy Land Foundation court record. Then a new White House press secretary debuts, Kimberly Guilfoyle is out as ambassador, and Erick makes the case against live streaming the Nidal Hasan execution after the fatal Goliath accident at Six Flags Over Georgia.

• Abdul El-Sayed on Meet the Press with Kristen Welker: the Muslim Brotherhood denial, his half sister's 2012 posts, and his mother's Islamic American Relief Agency ties
• El-Sayed's 2012 letter backing Mohamed Morsi, his donors tied to CAIR, and the Holy Land Foundation trial, plus the Michigan Senate race against Mike Rogers
• New White House press secretary's first briefing, and Kimberly Guilfoyle's resignation as ambassador
• Six Flags Over Georgia Goliath roller coaster death: Charles Cooke on how safe coasters really are, and the video spreading on social media
• Why Erick opposes live streaming the Nidal Hasan execution while still backing the death penalty, with a caller and a nod to Rick Jackson coming up in hour two

Erick Erickson sounds the alarm on the 2026 Senate map as Republican donors scramble to defend Nebraska, Ohio, Iowa, Kansas, and South Carolina, and blames the Ken Paxton scandals in Texas for draining money from Mike Rogers in Michigan and handing James Talarico a path to the Senate. Georgia governor candidate Rick Jackson joins by phone to take on Keisha Lance Bottoms, with plans on affordability, data centers, mental health beds, and a Mississippi style push on third grade reading. Erick also plays Democratic candidates promising to abolish ICE, Vivek Ramaswamy's Ohio rally pitch against Sherrod Brown, and a pro-Trump Ohio voter, with Shane Gillis and the SNL monologue outrage teed up next.

• Senate panic: Republican outside groups spending in Nebraska for Pete Ricketts, plus Ohio, Iowa, Kansas, and South Carolina, and why Erick thinks the GOP internal polling must be bad
• Ken Paxton scandal in Texas: the Wall Street Journal report on Dubai, the Trump endorsement, James Talarico, and why Erick says saving the Senate matters more than saving Texas
• Democrats who "abolish ICE": Angie Nixon in Florida, Maxwell Frost, and a Hassan Piker interview, plus impeachment talk if Democrats win the House
• Rick Jackson interview: Georgia governor race against Keisha Lance Bottoms, affordability, data center rules for local counties, 500 new mental health beds, and reading by third grade
• Vivek Ramaswamy in Youngstown against Sherrod Brown in the Ohio governor's race, an Ohio voter on Iran, and the Shane Gillis SNL monologue backlash preview