New York Times: “Mr. Mamdani is a master of new media, and his rise to power has been driven largely by his ease in front of a camera and his ability to harness the seeming informality of social media to connect with broad constituencies.” “But as mayor, he has also been able to use taxpayer […]

“Federal regulators are opening an investigation into whether Tesla’s new steering-wheel-free taxis comply with safety rules a day after the company began offering rides in the vehicles,” Associated Press reports. “The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it was looking into whether Tesla was in full compliance with federal rules in deploying so-called Cybercabs in […]

“North Carolina became the first state to start sending out mail-in ballots for November’s U.S. midterm elections on Friday, as Donald Trump’s administration fights to impose sweeping restrictions on the practice before millions of Americans cast their votes,” The Guardian reports.

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“The Federal Communications Commission has asked a federal judge to dismiss ABC’s First Amendment lawsuit challenging the agency’s early review of licenses for eight Disney-owned television stations, arguing the court lacks jurisdiction and that the network failed to establish that the scrutiny was retaliation over its programming,” The Wrap reports.

I got to this a little late last night because I was at the U.S. Open watching some great tennis, but Democrats got two potentially significant redistricting wins. First, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the state must use its old congressional map in this year’s general election. Join now to continue reading. Members […]

Lionel Laurent: “The Nov. 19 release date of video-game series Grand Theft Auto’s latest installment must seem like an agonizing wait for fans. But there’s an amuse bouche for those looking for perhaps less bloody but just as dramatic interactive thrills: A new game that puts you in the shoes of a French budget minister […]

“President Donald Trump on Friday demanded that the Federal Reserve slash interest rates or else he will cut off trade with countries with which the U.S. maintains trade deficits,” CNBC reports. “Trump issued the sweeping ultimatum in a Truth Social post reacting to a much-stronger-than-expected monthly jobs report by urging the central bank and its […]

Democrats may be stumbling into a way to “win” in some of the reddest states in the country. The trick is not running a Democrat. Join now to continue reading. Members get exclusive analysis, bonus features and no advertising. Learn more. If you’re already a member, sign in to your account.

Politico: “The threat of a Trump drag is so dire that some at-risk Republicans have relayed to Trump’s political team that they don’t want him to visit their districts ahead of November… And top GOP pollsters have advised some vulnerable incumbents and candidates to either not talk about Trump on the trail, or at least […]

“President Donald Trump did not dispute that he is building monuments to himself amid his architectural blitz in Washington, DC,” CNN reports. Said Trump: “Nobody will do it once I’m gone. When I leave here, nobody will.”

A new University of Massachusetts Amherst poll finds Democrats leading Republicans on the generic congressional ballot, 42% to 34%. Generic Congressional Ballot Democrats 42%   Republicans 34%   University of Massachusetts Amherst poll

New York Magazine: “Since Trump’s return to the White House, his administration has made changes to more than 100 structures in Washington, D.C. The total price tag: somewhere north of a billion dollars. The biggest project, in terms of both cost (estimated to be $800 million when done) and presidential mindshare, is the ballroom and […]

“An Army doctor told a federal court in Virginia she’s working with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to probe whether troops died from Covid-19 vaccines after President Joe Biden mandated the shots for service members in 2021,” Politico reports.

“The past couple of weeks have shown the gauntlet Vice President JD Vance will have to navigate if he seeks to sew up the GOP nomination for president in 2028,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “He will need to stay close to President Trump while also owning the fact that he is not President Trump.”

“Former Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R) was arrested Thursday evening in Paris, Kentucky, according to 911 dispatchers,” WDRB reports. “The active bench warrant against Bevin was for failing to turn over financial documents related to his ongoing child support case.”

“House Democrats’ top election leader has a message for states ahead of the midterms: count faster,” Politico reports. Said Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY): “We are, I think, nicely trying to encourage people to do their balloting as quickly as possible, and that means hiring additional staff so that it doesn’t call into question results.” “The […]

“The U.S added 162,000 jobs in August, the Labor Department reported Friday, a much-stronger-than-expected result that suggested the labor market shook off its early-summer doldrums,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “The unemployment rate stayed steady at 4.1%. That leaves it at a historically low level that indicates the labor market remains generally healthy.” NOTUS: U.S. […]

Antonia Hitchens: “A coterie of advisers, planners, and architects is enabling the President’s passion project—renovating D.C. in his own image.”

Punchbowl News: “The House Democratic Caucus is going to change its rules to punish those members who don’t show up for votes or skimp out on DCCC dues. Most Democrats agree that it’s not sustainable to have nearly 40% of the caucus paying less than 25% of their dues requirement – or dozens give nothing […]

“A mark of Giorgia Meloni’s success is how little the word ‘fascism’ is mentioned in association with her now, if ever,” Bloomberg reports. “Her record speaks for itself. She presides over Italy’s longest-serving government since the republic was founded after World War II.” “Having moved away from the political fringes, outmaneuvered rivals and established herself […]

A new Beacon Center poll in Tennessee finds President Trump has fallen out of favor with a majority of Tennessee voters. Only 48 percent said they approved of the way the president is handling his job, and 51 percent disapproved, the first time those numbers have skewed that way.

“Early last month, more than three dozen people gathered in a conference room at former Attorney General Eric Holder’s law offices in Washington,” NBC News reports. “Organizers asked them to keep the day’s speakers anonymous. Then came remarks from the person who convened them: former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.” “The purpose of the Aug. […]

Ruth Marcus: “In both the ballroom and the mail-in-ballot cases, the President has tested the Justices’ willingness to stop him in his tracks.”

“Republican strategist Karl Rove expressed his doubts about Texas Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton’s chances in his November race,” The Hill reports. Said Rove: “So, time is running out. If the president wants to have Paxton win, he needs to be tossing a lot of money Paxton’s way so that ads can be run that […]

“Argentina’s President Javier Milei has ramped up a long-running dispute over the Falkland Islands, reasserting the country’s claims over the self-governing British overseas territory and threatening to impose sanctions on oil companies working off the archipelago,” CNBC reports.

“A new poll suggests that if Sen. Marsha Blackburn becomes Tennessee’s next governor, Republican voters want her successor to be Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN),” the Tennessean reports.

“Russia’s failed drone attack on a German airport was part of a dangerous pattern of escalation that, experts and officials said, risks sparking an open confrontation with NATO — whether the Kremlin wants it or not,” the New York Times reports. “German officials declared this week that the Russian state was behind the attack, in […]

“Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA) said Thursday he was informed by the Department of Justice that his phone calls with a Virginia state legislator in the spring were wiretapped,” Axios reports. “The Democratic congressman is casting the tap as part of a pattern of the DOJ targeting President Trump’s political enemies, calling the incident ‘deeply concerning.'”

“South Korea is reviewing a possible military deployment to the Strait of Hormuz, as the country comes under pressure from Donald Trump’s White House to contribute to security in the Middle East,” the Financial Times reports. “South Korea’s presidential Blue House said it was considering various options including dispatching a warship to the strait. Trump […]