By The Free Press | Created at 2026-10-18 22:16:17 | Updated at 2026-10-18 23:27:11
1 hour ago
On September 30, Texas representative James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for Senate in Texas, appeared on Zoom for a scheduled event with the United States Hispanic Business Council. He had the flu, he explained—that’s why he couldn’t make it in person. It turned out to be a pretty nasty case, so Talarico took himself off the campaign trail temporarily to recover at home.
Or so he said. Soon, rumors began flying in the MAGA-sphere. Something wasn’t adding up here; it couldn’t just be the flu, could it? Talarico was next seen in public at the Austin City Limits (ACL) Music Festival on Friday, October 9. The next night, he was at a Kacey Musgraves concert. Wasn’t a nine-day absence a bit much for the flu? (It’s worth noting that Talarico has type I diabetes, which can exacerbate flu symptoms.)
Internet sleuths got to sleuthing. Influencers got to influencing. In short order, they discovered the truth, as they saw it: Talarico had been spirited away to Ohio and admitted to the Lindner Center of Hope, a psychiatric clinic outside Cincinnati. Surely this revelation would implode his campaign and hand the race to Talarico’s Republican opponent, Ken Paxton. There was much rejoicing.
Continue Reading The Free Press
To support our journalism, and unlock all of our investigative stories and provocative commentary about the world as it actually is, subscribe below.
Annual
$8.33/month
Billed as $100 yearly
Monthly
$10/month
Billed as $10 monthly
Already have an account?
Sign In
