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What a stinker! Please can anyone help with these?

13a: Do without Conservative network, joining thoughtless movement from USA (13). Looks like TRANSATLANTIC (movement from USA), but why?

23d: Humbly getting attention with introduction of Excel (3,2,4)

I have C - P / - N / - A - D. Could it be CAP IN HAND (= humbly)? If so,how does the rest of it work?

13a transa(c)t + lan (local area network) + tic
23d cap = excel + in hand = getting attention

13 Transact, do - without Conservative = drop the C, so Transat
Lan, network (beloved of crossword setters(
Tic, thoughtless movement.

Thank you both.

I agree. I think I recognise the style of this setter: clues are a lot less fun than I suspect they think they are. Poor grid awareness, obtuse meanings and strange parsings. About as fun as a dud Christmas cracker.

For example, since when is an American runner a river? Unless I am missing some random sprinter/ 1500m gold medallist with that name I would give that clue a straight red since I cannot think of any situation where you would say "Oh look there is the London runner" meaning the Thames. Perhaps in some dictionary somewhere this expression exists but not in the spoken world that I have lived in.

On the other hand, Happy Christmas!!!

Quite agree Mad Woman, what a horror, maybe the worst of the year. I thought 23d was Cap in hand, but couldn’t see why and still don’t like in hand = get attention.

23a Largely discourage D minor (5)
Child?

34a Daunting novel, apart from introduction for A Farewell To Arms (7)
Surely not antigun?

Thanks ASM and SB. I'm relieved to see that it isn't just me. This setter also seems a little too fond of deletions (I counted 11 in this crossword). I hate those type of clues, because they can't be solved just from the wordplay - I have to guess the answer, then work backwards to figure out how the deletion is supposed to work.

On another matter, please can someone explain 38a?

Mostly smoke and mirrors, primarily involving misdirection? (5)

I have M - G - C

It looks like MAGIC, but can anyone explain why?

Yes, SB, it's CHILD - and it's another deletion. Discourage = CHILL (no, me neither, but I found it in Bradford's). Add the D from the clue to give CHILD (= minor).

Yes, it's ANTIGUN (the words "Made To Fit" spring to mind...). An anagram of DAUNTING without its first letter.

#NeedGin

It looks like an &lit, where the whole clue is the definition, and the wordplay is most of smoke, CIGA(R) + M (mirrors primarily) all reversed, i.e. misdirected.