Jack Crosbie: “What’s clear now is that in what may be the beginning of the end for Trump’s political reign, the king is focused on the things that matter to him most: ambition, aesthetics, and of course, asses. It’s a curious fixation for a president who should be desperate to resonate with voters who appear […]

“A federal judge on Wednesday restricted the Department of Homeland Security from election-related investigations in nine states, finding that error-prone government lists could sweep U.S. citizens into the effort,” the Washington Post reports.

“With less than two weeks until the 2026 midterm elections, early votes cast so far serve as one more piece of evidence that Democratic enthusiasm is high in some key states,” ABC News reports. “Registered Democrats and those modeled as likely to vote for Democrats have cast an even higher share of early votes in […]

“Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has denounced a controversial ad featuring the estranged mother of Dr. Amy Acton, taking sides with the Democratic candidate for governor and former member of his Cabinet over her Republican rival, Vivek Ramaswamy,” the Washington Sun reports. DeWine called the ad “deeply, deeply troubling.” He added: “It’s wrong to run […]

President Trump’s political organization is readying a late-stage infusion of more than $25 million into the battle for control of the House, Punchbowl News report. Trump’s super PACs are spreading the cash on television across the map, including into districts that the Congressional Leadership Fund abandoned.

“The State Department has asked some foreign service officials up for promotion who they voted for in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 presidential elections, raising concerns the agency is violating a federal law that bars politicized personnel decisions within the nonpartisan ranks,” the Washington Sun reports. “Top officials in the State Department made clear that […]

“Late last week, as local stations around the country continued to prepare for Election Day, executives at CBS’ owned and operated television stations learned of an unexpected curveball from corporate management. Their election coverage, they learned, would now be sponsored by the sports gambling site DraftKings,” Status reports. “The sponsorship raised immediate eyebrows among some […]

“President Donald Trump said he called Google’s Sundar Pichai to discuss renaming the Atlantic Ocean, but would ‘probably pass’ after the chief executive told him: ‘Please don’t ask us to do that,'” the Washington Post reports. The New Republic: Trump tried to get Google to rename Atlantic Ocean after him.

“Police guarding the U.S. Capitol against riots on Jan. 6, 2021, as Congress certified the 2020 election results, were punched, shoved, dragged down steps and pulled into the crowd. Some officers were hit in the face with bear spray, struck with flagpoles or had their shields and batons used against them,” Bloomberg reports. “Now, dozens […]

“Virginia state Sen. Louise Lucas (D) has been charged in a federal indictment with leading an alleged marijuana racketeering conspiracy that included members of her family,” CNBC reports. “Lucas, an 82-year-old and one of the top elected Democrats in Virginia, is a critic of President Donald Trump. She was an architect of efforts in Virginia […]

Mother Jones: “Talarico for Texas, in other words, is a messaging machine. His ability to efficiently frame an argument and deliver it to an audience is why he is leading the scandal-plagued Republican attorney general Ken Paxton in the polls (the plague of scandals has also helped), and why he raised a record $64 million […]

“French President Emmanuel Macron has criticized ‘unacceptable’ and ‘stupid’ comments made by foreign leaders and others after the country saw mass protests and its worst rioting in years,” CNBC reports. Said Macron: “There was foreign disinformation in the aftermath, which prompted comments that were as unacceptable as they were stupid from many people, including foreign […]

A new Franklin & Marshall College poll finds Josh Shapiro (D) leading Stacy Garrity (R) in the governor’s race, 59% to 36%. Governor’s Race Josh Shapiro (D) 59%   Stacy Garrity (R) 36%   Franklin & Marshall College poll · likely voters · ±4.1%

“Top Trump administration officials are starting to point fingers squarely at SpaceX founder Elon Musk for the decision to slow down his company’s Starlink satellite internet services and its military counterpart Starshield for Ukraine, which has been muddled in uncertainty over the culprit,” The Hill reports. “Looking to deflect the controversial move — which was […]

“For decades now, Donald Trump has been keeping Americans informed about the relative attractiveness of various celebrities and public officials,” New York Magazine reports. “While the former beauty-pageant proprietor claims to have particular expertise in female aesthetics, he has worked to diversify his objectification.” “Now, Trump has expanded this important service by opining on the […]

A new VoteHub/Verasight poll in Ohio finds Amy Acton (D) leading Vivek Ramaswamy (R) in the governor’s race, 46% to 45%. Ohio Governor’s Race Amy Acton (D) 46%   Vivek Ramaswamy (R) 45%   VoteHub/Verasight poll · likely voters The same poll in Ohio finds Sherrod Brown (D) leading Jon Husted (R) in the U.S. […]

“Voter turnout is soaring compared with the last midterm election in many of the states that are expected to decide control of the U.S. Senate,” the Associated Press reports. “In Texas, early voting is up 74% compared with 2022. In Kansas it’s more than doubled. Maine, North Carolina and Ohio also have seen increases of […]

“Trump Tower had just opened and The Art of the Deal was three years from publication when 38-year-old Donald Trump suggested he could negotiate Russian arms control better than Ronald Reagan,” the Associated Press reports. Said Trump in 1984: “It would take an hour-and-a-half to learn everything there is to learn about missiles. You either […]

Former Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) “has sent tens of thousands of campaign dollars to companies recently created by his wife that don’t appear to have any physical or online presence,” the San Antonio Express-News reports.

“I feel it is even stronger than in 2018. The energy that’s out there, the level of frustration with this Trump administration. It’s the energy that is trying to flip Congress.” — Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ), quoted by the New Jersey Globe, on the blue wave building for this year’s midterms.

If Republicans lose control of the House in next month’s midterm elections, the fallout could extend well beyond their loss of the majority. It could also trigger a bitter leadership fight. 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 […]

With political news moving at a relentless pace, it’s easy to miss an important story — even if you check Political Wire several times a day. That’s why I’ve added a new feature for members in the right hand column of the site called “In Case You Missed It.” Using multiple signals to identify stories […]

Washington Post: “Ordinarily, moving historical items within the building is a deliberate process overseen by trained curators. Instead, Hegseth’s staff dispatched its own team to relocate an Eisenhower globe.” “They lost control of the artifact and dropped it, sending the globe crashing onto its base and impaling the fragile shell near Antarctica, according to those […]

A new CNBC All-America Economic Survey poll finds President Donald Trump’s handling of the economy’s approval at 34%, while 65% disapprove. economy Approval Approve 34%   Disapprove 65%   CNBC All-America Economic Survey poll · registered voters · ±3.1%

Nahal Toosi: “This month, the original Trump — the one who fawns over Russian leader Vladimir Putin and despises Zelensky — roared back. He waived many of the legislation’s penalties on Russia, moved to buy Russian diesel and signaled he’s more interested in doing business with Moscow than seeking justice for Kyiv. Ukrainians suspect the […]

“A new Politico poll shows that 66% of Republican voters this midterm want a Democratic House to find common ground with President Donald Trump to pass legislation next year, assuming the party flips that chamber in November.” “Democrats don’t seem sold on the unity vibe. Almost the same percentage of Democratic voters want their party […]

“Farmers angry over high diesel prices and spiking fertilizer costs who voted thrice for Donald Trump are questioning their allegiance not only to him — but the GOP,” Politico reports. Said GOP strategist Ron Bonjean: “Farmers are patient people by nature, but patience isn’t an economic policy.” “Even if Republicans eke out victories in close […]

G. Elliot Morris: “Last month, I showed that error in how Americans report who they voted for in the 2024 election could be causing polls to underestimate support for the Democrats in the U.S. House generic ballot.” “What’s going on here is that many pollsters now weight their samples so that the share of respondents […]

“Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY) is heading to Portland, Maine, to stump for Democrat Troy Jackson at a student town hall in the final sprint of the state’s closely watched Senate race,” Politico reports. “AOC’s the latest progressive to campaign for Jackson, following Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in recent weeks.”

Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball: “Democrats are now at least narrowly favored in our ratings in enough states to win an elusive majority of state governorships.” “The most notable rating change comes in the open Ohio governorship, which has been in the national spotlight because of an explosive—and desperate—attack ad by Vivek Ramaswamy (R) against Amy […]