Welcome! Here are today’s topics:

• Montana U.S. Senate Debates
• Ping Ping & Fu Shuang
• Tester in North Dakota
• Playoffs & Playoffs
• One More Thing

MONTANA U.S. SENATE DEBATES:

A Montana U.S. Senate debate is scheduled for this Thursday, October 1, at 7:00 p.m. at the Whitefish Performing Arts Center.

From what I understand, there are about four other debates scheduled in October. 

Will MAGA Republican candidate Kurt Alme show up? He has skipped at least two prior debates and is being called “AWOL Alme” by his opponents. 

PING PING & FU SHUANG:

Two giant pandas, named Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, have arrived in the U.S. from China as part of an agreement between the Chinese and American governments, the Atlanta zoo confirmed on Sunday.

The zoo said giant pandas Ping Ping and Fu Shuang arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Sunday morning “via a dedicated ‘FedEx Panda Express’ Boeing 777 aircraft.” (Source)

CBS News reported that while in Washington for a three-day summit with President Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that the pandas would be loaned to Zoo Atlanta and that they would arrive in the coming days. They were one of the few concrete outcomes to come out of the state visit. 

Can we trade Trump and Vance for two pandas? At least pandas only destroy bamboo. 

TESTER IN NORTH DAKOTA: 

The North Dakota Democratic-NPL announced that former U.S. Senator Jon Tester of Montana will be the keynote speaker at the 16th Annual Burdick Dinner on October 10, 2026, in Fargo. (Source)

In case you were wondering, the North Dakota Democratic-Nonpartisan League Party (ND Dem-NPL) is the North Dakota affiliate of the Democratic Party of the United States. This political organization is the outcome of a merger of two parties. (Source)

PLAYOFFS & PLAYOFFS:

Women’s National Basketball Association…

The WNBA playoffs started Sunday, and there are several games scheduled throughout the week. Check out the schedule HERE. 

The top eight teams in the league, regardless of conference, qualify for the playoffs. Teams are seeded by their regular season records. The WNBA playoffs consist of three rounds: a best-of-three (1-1-1) first round, followed by best-of-five (2-2-1) semifinals and best-of-seven (2-2-1-1-1) finals. 

The eight teams that qualified for the 2026 WNBA playoffs are the Minnesota Lynx, Golden State Valkyries, Las Vegas Aces, Atlanta Dream, Washington Mystics, Indiana Fever, Dallas Wings, and New York Liberty.

Major League Baseball…

The MLB regular season ended Sunday. The 2026 Postseason field is set. Here are the teams:

American League playoff teams (listed with seeds)

No. 1 Rays (AL East champ, 1st-round bye)

No. 2 Guardians (AL Central champ, 1st-round bye)

No. 3 Astros (AL West champ, host White Sox in Wild Card Series)

No. 4 Yankees (AL Wild Card, host Red Sox in Wild Card Series)

No. 5 Red Sox (AL Wild Card, play at Yankees in Wild Card Series)

No. 6 White Sox (AL Wild Card, play at Astros in Wild Card Series) 

National League playoff teams (listed with seeds)

No. 1 Brewers (NL Central champ, 1st-round bye)

No. 2 Dodgers (NL West champ, 1st-round bye)

No. 3 Braves (NL East champ, host Phillies in Wild Card Series)

No. 4 Padres (NL Wild Card, host Cubs in Wild Card Series)

No. 5 Cubs (NL Wild Card, play at Padres in Wild Card Series)

No. 6 Phillies (NL Wild Card, play at Braves in Wild Card Series) 

The first playoff games begin on Tuesday. Check out the schedule HERE.

By the way, the World Series begins October 23. 

ONE MORE THING:

I heard that someone is suing Smart Water for not making them smarter. I’d like to formally announce my lawsuit against Thin Mints…

## HAVE A GREAT WEEK ##