Top Items:
Jessica Piper / Politico:
Elon Musk pours another $76 million into boosting Republicans — SpaceX CEO Elon Musk gave another $76 million to boost Republicans in the first two weeks of October, bringing his total giving this cycle to more than $442 million. The additional funds, which Musk gave to his super PAC …
Discussion:
NewsMax.com, Bloomberg and Election Law Blog
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Bloomberg:
Musk Giving Tops $445 Million in Midterm Election Push for GOP — With a fresh infusion of cash to his super political action committee in the first two weeks of October, Elon Musk has now given more than $445 million in the current election cycle and become one of the biggest-ever contributors to such groups.
Discussion:
THE FARCE, The Japan Times and Mediaite
Andrew Howard / Politico:
Democrats' top Senate super PAC has raised $354M this year
Matthew Cole / Vanity Fair:
The Art of the Deal: Jared Kushner's Hacked Phone Revealed His Secret Negotiations—Including More Than $700 Million in Transfers — An exclusive excerpt from Princes and Thieves: Jared Kushner and Mohamed bin Zayed's Secret Plot to Remake the Middle East examines how bank accounts linked …
Discussion:
emptywheel, Patterico's Pontifications, Gizmodo, Forbes, Newsweek and Mediaite
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Edith Olmsted / New Republic:
Kushner Phone Hack Reveals How Middle East Dictators Bought Him Off
Kushner Phone Hack Reveals How Middle East Dictators Bought Him Off
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money
New York Times:
Justice Dept. Opens Inquiry Into Corey Lewandowski — The details of the inquiry remain unclear, but it is one of the rare instances in which a Trump ally or appointee has been investigated for potential wrongdoing during the president's second term. — The Justice Department has opened …
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Wall Street Journal:
Justice Department Reviewing Allegations Against Corey Lewandowski — The inquiry is one of the first in Trump's second term to target someone close to the president — WASHINGTON—The Justice Department is examining allegations that Corey Lewandowski profited off his top position …
Discussion:
Straight Arrow, CBS News, Reuters, Associated Press, Townhall, ABC News, The Independent, New York Post, The Hill, Fox News, Rolling Stone, Washington Examiner, VINnews and NewsMax.com
Julia Ainsley / NBC News:
DHS watchdog refers its Corey Lewandowski investigation to Justice Department for review — Lewandowski, the first manager on Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, was a top aide to then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem before she was fired. … The Department of Homeland Security inspector general …
Washington Post:
Republican gerrymanders in Texas threaten to fall flat, poll finds — Democrats have strong chances in two key congressional districts, according to a new Post-Schar School poll. — SummaryLoading... With just 11 days until the midterm election, Texas Democrats have a chance to win …
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Kevin Breuninger / CNBC:
Corruption is voters' top issue ahead of midterm election, CNBC survey shows
Chris Stein / The Guardian:
Trump attacks Ohio governor over call for Ramaswamy to drop ‘deeply troubling’ ad — Republican Mike DeWine said ad featuring estranged mother of Democrat Amy Acton was ‘wrong’ — Donald Trump issued a swift rebuke against Mike DeWine, Ohio's Republican governor, who on Thursday …
Discussion:
The Hill, Ohio Capital Journal, CNN, ABC News, New York Times, Associated Press, The Statehouse News Bureau, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, Blaze Media, MS NOW, CBS News, New Republic, HuffPost, Cleveland 19 News, archive.is, Forbes, Talking Points Memo, Newsweek, The Independent, Washington Examiner, National Politics, Politico, NewsMax.com, Scripps News and Toledo Blade
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Dan Mangan / CNBC:
Trump defends Ramaswamy ad with Acton's estranged mom after bipartisan criticism
Discussion:
CNN, New York Times, Politico, The Washington Sun, Bloomberg, The Hill, Daily Mail, The Guardian, The Bulwark, PoliticusUSA, NBC News, TMZ.com, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Wall Street Journal, Erick Erickson's Show Notes, Washington Examiner, MS NOW, Mediaite, Los Angeles Times, The Daily Signal, National Politics, France 24, CBS News, The Daily Wire, Dr. Amy Acton for Governor, WTOP News, New York Post, Newsweek and FOX 26 Houston
Caroline Vakil / The Hill:
Trump on controversial Acton ad: ‘Why would you shield somebody from that?’
Trump on controversial Acton ad: ‘Why would you shield somebody from that?’
Discussion:
Salon, Grabien, Vindicator and NewsNation
Avani Kalra / The Washington Sun:
Democrats Aim to Build Red State Momentum With an Epstein Ad Blitz — As the limits of where Democrats hope to win in 2026 creep further into reliably red territory, party operatives have been turning more often to a wedge issue that helped Donald Trump win in 2024 — disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Discussion:
Washington Post and Florida Politics
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Sasha Vakulina / Euronews:
Starlink restrictions not lifted in Ukraine despite Trump's claims, defence officials say — Ukrainian forces continue to experience disruptions to critical battlefield communications despite Donald Trump's assertion that restrictions have been removed, raising fresh questions about Kyiv's dependence …
Discussion:
Associated Press, The Guardian and WTOP News
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Wall Street Journal:
Trump Called Musk and Asked Him to Lift Ukraine Starlink Restrictions
Discussion:
Straight Arrow, Letters from an American, The Kyiv Independent, Reuters, Politico, Washington Post, HuffPost, The Daily Wire, War Notes, HotAir, The Hill, France 24, Associated Press, The Spectator, Mediaite, CNBC, NewsMax.com, Forbes, CBS News, twitchy.com, Stories Framing the Globe and Diplomatic,, more at Techmeme »
Lawrence Hurley / NBC News:
Supreme Court says New Hampshire student IDs can't be used to vote in November — The high court said a federal judge shouldn't have changed the rules so close to the Nov. 3 election by blocking guidance issued by New Hampshire's secretary of state.
Discussion:
The Daily Caller and The Independent
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Forbes:
The Woolly Mammoth Billionaire's New Startup Is Genetically Engineering War Dogs For The Military — This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more. — Ben Lamm of de-extinction startup Colossal Biosciences has teamed up with Palmer Luckey's team at Anduril to create a dog that's optimized for military use.
Hannah Schoenbaum / Associated Press:
Trump administration stopped sharing evidence in Good and Pretti killings, Minnesota officials say — The federal government has stopped sharing evidence with Minnesota authorities who are investigating the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal officers, state officials said in recent court filings.
Discussion:
KSTP-TV
Chloe Taylor / CNBC:
U.S. oil holds above $100, Brent at five-month high as Iran says it's prepared for warfare — Crude oil futures ticked higher on Friday, with global benchmark Brent crude hovering at a five-month high. — By 4:50 a.m. ET, front-month Brent crude oil futures were 0.7% higher at $113.50 per barrel.
Discussion:
Reuters, Legal Insurrection, Middle East Monitor and Wall Street Journal
Kate Santaliz / Axios:
Scoop: Some Freedom Caucus members want Brandon Gill out — A small group of Rep. Brandon Gill's fellow House Freedom Caucus members are privately questioning whether he still belongs in the hardline group, Axios has learned. … - The lawmakers spoke on condition of anonymity to offer candid assessments of a colleague.
Discussion:
NewsMax.com and Washington Examiner
Mary Radcliffe / FiftyPlusOne:
More pollster funny business uncovered by FiftyPlusOne — A shady pollster from sunny California just disappeared from the internet, a few days after FiftyPlusOne asked to verify its data — Mary Radcliffe, G. Elliott Morris, Cooper Burton, and FiftyPlusOne
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Slate, Straight Arrow, Mediaite, Legal Insurrection, Talking Points Memo, Washington Post and PBS NewsHour
NBC News:
Hegseth staff damaged historic WWII-era Eisenhower globe trying to move it to his office — The globe was especially notable because it had green pen or marker notations where Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower marked areas in Europe, three U.S. officials said. — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's …
Discussion:
Metro.co.uk, New York Magazine, HuffPost, The Independent, MS NOW, New Republic, The Guardian, The Hill, Mediaite, Forbes, Washington Post and Eschaton
Irit Skulnik / CNBC:
Democratic socialist set to become D.C. mayor — and face Trump's pushback … Zohran Mamdani famously brought democratic socialism to the largest U.S. city when he became New York's mayor. Now another member of the Democratic Party's progressive flank is poised to lead Washington, D.C.
Alex Roarty / The Washington Sun:
Pete Buttigieg Is Staging an Aggressive Final Midterms Sprint — Pete Buttigieg will embark on an aggressive seven-state campaign tour in the final 10 days of the midterm election, according to a copy of his schedule shared with The Washington Sun, as the potential future presidential candidate attempts …
Rebecca Santana / Associated Press:
AP Exclusive: Trump's border chief defends wall plans in Texas' Big Bend despite a court setback — The Trump administration's top border official defended plans to build a wall and other infrastructure in Texas' Big Bend region despite mounting opposition against the project and a court-ordered pause …
Shane Goldmacher / New York Times:
Bernie Sanders Gives $1 Million to Bolster El-Sayed and Counter AIPAC in Michigan — The transfer came day after the news that the pro-Israel lobby was planning to contribute as much as $9 million to defeat the Democratic nominee for Senate. — Senator Bernie Sanders was so irate …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Daily Kos, Newsweek, NewsMax.com, Washington Post and The Hill
Katy O'Donnell / Bloomberg:
Trump Signs Executive Order Aimed at Taming Housing Costs — President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order aimed at bringing down housing costs in a bid to show that his administration is addressing voters' affordability concerns in the final sprint to the midterm elections.
Discussion:
NBC News, The White House, Slate, NewsMax.com and The Hill
New York Times:
Covert Russian Group Injects Baseless Claim Into the Texas Senate Race — Russian influence operations appear to be stepping up efforts to meddle in the midterms, according to intelligence officials. Most are targeting Democrats. — Even as President Trump pursued a thawing of relations …
Discussion:
The Kyiv Independent, San Antonio Current, Global News, Mediaite and Politico
Wall Street Journal:
Iran Threatens Wider Strikes on Economic and Civilian Targets if U.S. Attacks — Tehran retains missile and drone stockpiles; Washington is trying to move more servicemembers and diplomatic staff out of harm's way — Iran's message is stark: If the U.S. and Israel restart their air campaign …
Discussion:
NewsMax.com
Emily Badger / New York Times:
Does Congress Need to Approve the Arch? Trump Says It Did 100 Years Ago. — A photograph circa 1931 of Arlington Memorial Bridge with proposed columns by the architect William Mitchell Kendall drawn to scale.Collection of The New York Historical — Over the past year …
Bernd Debusmann Jr / BBC:
Trump ordered to answer questions under oath in BBC lawsuit — A US judge has ordered President Donald Trump to answer questions under oath in his defamation lawsuit against the BBC by 11 December. — Trump is suing the BBC over an episode of Panorama that edited together two different sections …
Discussion:
The Guardian, CNN, Associated Press, The Hollywood Reporter, NPR, New Republic, Salon, Reuters, Esquire, Mediaite, Fox News, Politico, Wall Street Journal, Variety, New York Post, CNBC, Washington Examiner, Courthouse News Service, Los Angeles Times, CBS News, The Hill, Axios, MS NOW and Newsweek, more at Mediagazer »
Rohan Goswami / Semafor:
Elon Musk makes $1 billion investment in Ellison's Skydance — The Scoop — Elon Musk has invested roughly $1 billion in Skydance, according to people familiar with the matter, providing a much needed financial injection as the company looks to cut costs and bolster its stock price.
Discussion:
The Guardian, Daily Mail, Washington Examiner, Daily Kos, Gizmodo, Deadline, TheDesk.net, The Hollywood Reporter, NewsMax.com, TechCrunch, CNBC, The Wrap and Forbes, more at Mediagazer »
Oren Oppenheim / ABC News:
Buttigieg endorses independent over Democratic nominee in Montana Senate race — Both parties are paying increased attention to Montana in recent weeks. — Pete Buttigieg, the former Transportation Secretary and popular Democratic Party surrogate who has confirmed considering a 2028 presidential bid …
Discussion:
NonStop Local Montana, The Gateway Pundit and The Hill

