“The Pentagon has secretly installed several conservative military veterans with large online followings in government roles, declining to disclose their assignments as they amplify Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s viewpoints and attack those who scrutinize the Trump administration,” the Washington Post reports. “At least some of the influencers have been assigned to civilian roles that could […]

“Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on Sunday renewed his call for free and fair elections in Venezuela, just two days after the Trump administration announced that the U.S. would take over 65 billion barrels of oil from the South American nation,” NBC News reports. Said Cruz: “There need to be democratic, free elections in Venezuela.”

“President Donald Trump escalated his trade war with Canada on Sunday by declaring he wants the USA to reject all products coming from North of the border — unless those companies are willing to relocate from Canada to the States,” Mediaite reports. Said Trump: “I don’t want Canadian cars, I don’t want Canadian parts, I […]

“The U.S. military struck Iranian military targets to prevent the deployment of sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz,” Axios reports. “This is the first known U.S. strike in Iran since late July when President Trump paused a two-week U.S. military campaign in the Strait of Hormuz in late July.” CNN: U.S. strikes Iranian island […]

The final Emerson College Polling poll in Massachusetts finds Ed Markey (D) leading Seth Moulton (D) in the Democratic Senate primary, 60% to 33%. Massachusetts Democratic Senate primary Ed Markey (D) 60%   Seth Moulton (D) 33%   Emerson College Polling poll

“Venezuelan interim President Delcy ​Rodriguez said on Saturday that an energy agreement with the U.S. would remain in force for 25 ‌years, target an increase in crude output to 1.5 million barrels per day and preserve the country’s sovereignty over its natural resources,” Reuters reports. “Rodriguez hailed the accord in a late-night address as a […]

A new EPIC-MRA poll in Michigan finds Abdul El-Sayed (D) leading Mike Rogers (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 47% to 43%. Michigan Senate Race Abdul El-Sayed (D) 47%   Mike Rogers (R) 43%   EPIC-MRA poll

A new Albuquerque Journal Poll/Research & Polling Inc. poll in New Mexico finds Deb Haaland (D) leading Gregg Hull (R) in the governor’s race, 49% to 43%. New Mexico Governor’s Race Deb Haaland (D) 49%   Gregg Hull (R) 43%   Journal Poll/Research & Polling Inc. poll

“Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent began the week vowing an ‘economic onslaught’ against Iran and its trading partners in a fresh bid to end the war. By the week’s end, countries with ties to Tehran had so far shrugged off the threat and analysts were left underwhelmed by the U.S. actions,” Bloomberg reports. “China, which buys […]

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has denied reports as “100% false” that he intends to run for president in 2028, the Telegraph reports.

“Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that Germany’s eastern Saxony-Anhalt region will suffer economic damage if the far-right AfD party wins control of the state’s government next Sunday,” Bloomberg reports. Said Merz: “If things turn out the way the polls suggest, this federal state will face significant problems. I cannot imagine international investors showing up for a […]

Jonathan Martin: “The Senate map is less complicated than it appears. As with every modern presidential campaign, it runs through the Midwest.” “If Democrats flip Republican-held seats in Ohio and Iowa while retaining Michigan, they will almost certainly net the four seats total needed to take control of the Senate for President Donald Trump’s final […]

“President Donald Trump stepped up his attacks against the media on Sunday with an admonition to the Federal Communications Commission to investigate polling used by news outlets,” Bloomberg reports. “Trump has long had an adversarial relationship with journalists and news organizations who publish stories he doesn’t like, particularly those about his standing in the polls. […]

“The Trump administration is shuttering research projects key to the federal government’s fight against cyclospora, the foodborne parasite sickening thousands of Americans this summer,” Politico reports.

“The country’s first mail ballots for November are due to be sent out this week — but the method used by one-third of voters has a cloud of uncertainty hanging over it,” Politico reports. “The prospect of new U.S. Postal Service rules to tighten up mail voting and demand voter lists from states, given new […]

“Ontario Premier Doug Ford ridiculed President Donald Trump’s order changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America, while expressing optimism that Canada and the U.S. would eventually overcome their differences on trade and tariffs,” Bloomberg reports. Said Ford: “It was like something out of Saturday Night Live, when he signed a document saying ‘Change […]

Rana Foroohar: “People increasingly blame large corporations for the sense that they have ever less control over their own lives.”

“MyPillow founder Mike Lindell said he would appeal his loss in Minnesota’s Republican gubernatorial primary to the U.S. Supreme Court after the state’s top court rejected his recount bid,” NOTUS reports.

Matt Viser: “Control of the Senate could come down to a ranked-choice ballot that currently includes two Dan Sullivans (the Republican incumbent and the Republican challenger) and one Mary Peltola (a Democrat who was the state’s former at-large congresswoman). Republicans are worried that voters could be confused about which Dan Sullivan to select. Theories abound: […]

Wall Street Journal: “The Talarico campaign is still considered a long shot in red Texas, but the candidate is giving Democrats hope that they can fulfill the elusive dream of winning statewide office there for the first time since the 1990s. Race raters at Fox News, Cook Political Report and The Center for Politics all […]

“In a social media post on Sunday, President Trump said he would use the oil from his deal in Venezuela to refill the United States’ stockpile of oil, but that’s something of a pipe dream — at least in the short term,” the New York Times reports. “The agreement, announced last week, covers some 65 […]

The Economist: “In just the past two months Donald Trump has described unnamed Democratic candidates as ‘jihadists’ and ‘radical lunatics.’ He has mocked opponents’ weight and appearance, said he hated Adam Schiff, a Democratic senator from California, and referred to James Talarico, the Democratic Senate candidate in Texas, as ‘Tal-a-freak-o.’ He has also attacked former […]

“Ontario Premier Doug Ford expressed firm opposition to President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Canada this weekend, saying that the result of a trade war could be harmful to both countries,” ABC News reports. Said Ford: “Everyone’s feeling bullied by President Trump, and this is the worst thing you could do for the American economy. I […]

“This time around, Republicans want voters to think of Democrats as the weird ones,” NBC News reports. “The GOP is reviving an attack line popularized in 2024 by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, who took to calling his Republican opponent, JD Vance, ‘weird,’ going viral in the process.” “The descriptor is […]

“CIA Director John Ratcliffe proposed a trilateral meeting between President Trump, Russian President Putin and Ukrainian President Zelensky during his covert trip to Moscow earlier this week in an effort to end the war,” Axios reports.

“Donald Trump and Canada continued a verbal duel on Saturday over the U.S. government’s administrative renaming of Lake Ontario, with the country erecting a giant sign saying ‘Lake Ontario. Now and Always’ – and the American president posting a video of him tearing down an avatar of that sign, erecting a replacement saying Lake America, […]

“Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) on Sunday said that Democrats should not prioritize impeaching President Donald Trump if they win control of the House in the upcoming midterm elections, but instead should focus on making life more affordable for Americans,” NBC News reports.

“Google announced on Saturday that it had begun rolling out changes to how its maps display Lake Ontario’s name, after President Trump signed an executive order changing it to ‘Lake America’ amid a trade fight between the U.S. and Canada,” CBS News reports.

“President Donald Trump is entering a critical stretch of his second term with a slew of resignations among his senior staff, forcing him to rely on an even smaller circle of aides,” Bloomberg reports. “Over the last month, Trump lost his chief spokesperson, his top legal adviser, a key national security adviser and his liaison […]

“Over a 10-day period, the Trump administration sent more than 100 deportees from Afghanistan, Cuba, Nicaragua and other nations to eight countries across Africa, expanding its ‘third country’ deportation campaign,” CBS News reports.