Politics Gets Sexy, Medicine Gets Weird & a Cat Outsmarts New Zealand | TMI Ep 447

It’s Fun Friday, and today we’ve got politics discovering the thirst trap, scientists turning gut bacteria into potential living medicine, Saudi Arabia reaching for the clouds with the world’s next tallest skyscraper, and one remarkably elusive feral cat who kept New Zealand conservationists busy for three years. On today's TMI Show with Ted Rall and Manila Chan... Democrats are giving political campaigning a makeover ahead of the 2026 midterms, with younger candidates, sharper social-media strategies and — apparently — a growing appreciation for candidates who photograph well. Is American politics entering its influencer era, where policy positions have to compete with V-necks, cheekbones and whatever stops the scroll? Scientists in China have engineered gut bacteria that can sense rising blood sugar and respond by producing GLP-1, the same hormone pathway targeted by drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Early animal studies suggest these microscopic drug factories may someday deliver treatment exactly when the body needs it — potentially turning an ordinary probiotic pill into something considerably more ambitious. Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Tower is climbing again, with construction now past 100 floors and the eventual goal of becoming the first building on Earth to exceed one kilometer in height. The engineering is extraordinary, the price tag enormous and the inevitable question remains wonderfully simple: why? And finally, meet “Nine Lives,” the feral cat who spent three years evading conservationists in New Zealand while developing a reputation somewhere between wildlife menace and furry criminal mastermind. Cameras watched him, traps failed to catch him and an entire team struggled to predict his next move — until somebody finally discovered the limits of feline discipline. Join The TMI Show LIVE Mon-Fri at 10am ET. ******************** Smart analysis. Bigger questions. Stories that matter. New episodes weekdays at 10:00 a.m. ET.