“President Donald Trump said he would ‘consider’ a pardon for his former fixer turned foe, Michael Cohen,” the Washington Sun reports.

“Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) delivered a video message at the Republican midterm convention, in which he praised a bipartisan effort to bolster the steel industry and distanced himself from his party’s left wing,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “It comes on the first night of the Republican midterm convention, in which multiple speakers have portrayed […]

“Rep. Jim Jordan said Wednesday he plans to end his eight-year run leading Republicans on two of the House’s most prominent committees after this Congress, raising fresh questions about what comes next for the veteran Ohio lawmaker,” Politico reports. “Jordan, 62, said in an interview on the sidelines of the Republican midterm convention that he […]

“A group seeking to block Missouri from using a new congressional map that favors Republicans in November’s midterm elections has asked the Supreme Court to intervene,” the Washington Post reports. ”The appeal is the latest twist in an extraordinary legal fight that has plunged the state into electoral confusion just as it was supposed to […]

“President Trump prides himself on his television ratings. But on Wednesday night, his speech at the Republicans’ midterm convention will confront one of the few forces in American culture that reliably draws a bigger audience than the president: the National Football League,” the New York Times reports. “Mr. Trump’s remarks, scheduled for around 9 p.m. […]

“The Associated Press said it will not refer to Lake Ontario as ‘Lake America’ unless it’s deemed ‘relevant,’ despite President Donald Trump’s executive order to rename the body of water,” the Washington Sun reports.

“Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s push to calm the bond market is colliding with a more political role, as his planned Republican convention speech raises questions about the credibility he needs to manage U.S. debt markets,” CNBC reports. “Bessent’s prime-time speech at the Republicans’ midterm convention in Dallas on Wednesday will mark the first time in […]

“A sibling dispute is now playing out in the governor’s race in Maine, where the sister of Republican nominee Bobby Charles said publicly that she’s supporting his opponent,” the Washington Sun reports. “Anita Charles, a Lewiston resident, wrote in the Portland Press Herald that she and her brother have never agreed politically but have historically […]

“The nation’s election system is in a messy legal limbo, with fights over mail-in voting, electoral maps and voter records still locked in court,” Axios reports. “Americans are in the eye of the storm, with over half saying they don’t think the 2026 midterms will be conducted fairly or are unsure, according to a new […]

James Talarico (D) said his opponent, Ken Paxton (R), “is ‘lying to the people of Texas’ with a new AI advertisement that Talarico said puts ‘words in my mouth,'” CBS News reports. Said Talarico: “When you look at this ad, they are using AI in order to mislead the people of this state, and that […]

“President Trump’s unusual midterm convention is also an unusual fund-raising opportunity for the Republican Party,” the New York Times reports. “To begin with, the two-day extravaganza in Dallas is more like a cash-for-seat reception than it is a traditional experience for delegates who carry out party business at a normal presidential-year convention.” “Mr. Trump’s convention […]

A new The Economist/YouGov poll finds President Trump’s approval at 37%, while 61% disapprove. Trump Approval Approve 37%   Disapprove 61%   The Economist/YouGov poll · ±3.4%

“President Trump’s departure to Texas on Wednesday was delayed after an inflatable emergency slide on the new Qatar-gifted Air Force One deployed on the tarmac before he boarded, prompting workers to eventually remove it,” CBS News reports.

“Republicans are using their midterm convention to make a congressional stock-trading ban part of their anti-corruption pitch — even as President Donald Trump’s own investment accounts continue actively trading millions of dollars,” CNBC reports. “Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) is one of at least two speakers expected to call for restrictions on congressional stock trading […]

“President Donald Trump says the war in Iran will end after the November midterm elections, and that significant gasoline price relief won’t come before then,” Bloomberg reports.

A new Univision/YouGov poll in Texas finds Gina Hinojosa (D) and Greg Abbott (R) tied in the governor’s race, 47% to 47%. Texas Governor’s Race Gina Hinojosa (D) 47%   Greg Abbott (R) 47%   Univision/YouGov poll · ±3.6%

A new Univision/YouGov poll finds James Talarico (D) leading Ken Paxton (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 48% to 43%. Senate Race James Talarico (D) 48%   Ken Paxton (R) 43%   Univision/YouGov poll · ±3.6%

“The idea of federal law enforcement seizing ballots in the middle of an active election would have once been considered impossible,” NPR reports. “Now, as President Trump continues his unprecedented hunt for voter fraud, ballot seizures and search warrants are scenarios voting officials and the legal community are actively preparing for.” “UCLA’s Safeguarding Democracy Project […]

“One thing is missing from President Trump’s midterm gathering for Republicans this week: any semblance of official party business that forms the backbone of traditional quadrennial conventions,” the New York Times reports. “Essentially, Mr. Trump has stripped out all the perfunctory, yet necessary, parts of a typical presidential convention and kept the made-for-TV elements.” “Only […]

“Millions of residents could be excluded from the U.S. census, congressional representation could be reshaped and federal funds could be reallocated across states under changes proposed by the Trump administration,” the Washington Post reports. “In the proposal posted to the federal register Wednesday, the Census Bureau suggested adding a citizenship question to the decennial questionnaire, […]

“The U.S. Postal Service is poised to play a critical new role in determining which mail ballots are delivered to voters this fall,” the New York Times reports. “If the Supreme Court allows President Trump to move forward with an executive order he issued in March, the agency would screen ballots after they are submitted […]

“As Republicans gather with President Donald Trump in Dallas this week in an effort to boost their sagging midterm elections prospects, their political challenges mounted with an ominous number flashing across financial terminals and news sites: $100,” the Washington Post reports. “Brent crude, the global benchmark for oil, crossed that threshold Wednesday amid fresh fighting […]

“I mean, this is the most corrupt administration in American history. Donald Trump makes Richard Nixon look like a choir boy. It ain’t even close.” — House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), quoted by MS NOW.

“Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, when asked whether she’d consider running for Texas governor or a Senate seat, said she is focused on her current job,” Bloomberg reports. Said Rollins: “That is a ‘no’ right now for sure. We’ve got way too much to do to be thinking about a potential run in the future.”

“Iran is ready for a more intense war and will escalate its counterstrikes if the U.S. continues attacking its territory and infrastructure, according to a senior official from the Islamic Republic,” Bloomberg reports. “Tehran has no intention of backing down in the face of an American naval blockade and attacks on its oil tankers, said […]

“The U.S. military’s top officer said Wednesday that the Pentagon needs Congress to approve a defense budget as the department negotiates deals with weapons makers to rapidly expand munitions production,” the Washington Sun reports. “Gen. Dan Caine, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stopped short of discussing the Pentagon’s recent munitions agreements specifically. […]

“These days, it’s easier than ever to conduct some form of polling and as difficult as it’s ever been to get it right,” CNN reports. “Completely faked numbers like a phony ‘poll’ of the Los Angeles mayoral race that made waves last month are thankfully rare. That said, even real polls can have serious flaws […]

A new CNN/SRSS poll in Maine finds Troy Jackson (D) leading Susan Collins (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 48% to 45%. Maine Senate Race Troy Jackson (D) 48%   Susan Collins (R) 45%   CNN/SRSS poll · ±3.7%

A new CNN/SSRS poll in Michigan finds Abdul El-Sayed (D) leading Mike Rogers (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 47% to 44%. Michigan Senate Race Abdul El-Sayed (D) 47%   Mike Rogers (R) 44%   CNN/SSRS poll · ±3.7%

“Hunter Biden’s new laptop-theme meme coin hit the market on Wednesday morning… and then dropped 95% within a few hours of trading, following an initial spike,” Mediaite reports.