Top Items:
The Washington Sun:
White House Is Weighing Mass Pardons for Junior Staff — White House attorneys are evaluating whether to issue mass pardons to junior staffers, as Trump allies press the administration to protect lower-ranked officials from prosecution and other legal challenges, according to two sources familiar with the conversations.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, NewsMax.com and Mediaite
Politico:
Facing an electoral wipeout, Trump goes after the system — President Donald Trump is escalating his crusade to exert control of America's elections as his party barrels towards a potentially bruising midterm. — The Justice Department has already filed lawsuits in nearly every state to try and gain access to voter files.
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Wall Street Journal:
Exposing ‘Decoy Dan’ in Alaska
Discussion:
Democracy Docket, Politico, CNN, MS NOW, Alaska Public Media, Washington Examiner, The Independent, CBS News, The Hill, NewsMax.com and New York Times
Yunior Rivas / Democracy Docket:
Trump-appointed judge delivers DOJ its 27th straight loss in voter roll crusade
Trump-appointed judge delivers DOJ its 27th straight loss in voter roll crusade
Discussion:
Salt Lake Tribune
Jane C. Timm / NBC News:
Trump administration's election lawsuits are on shaky legal ground, experts say
Trump administration's election lawsuits are on shaky legal ground, experts say
Discussion:
Mediaite, Politico, Crooks and Liars, Daily Kos, Fox News and Democracy Docket
Charlie Savage / New York Times:
Why Legal Experts See the Justice Dept.'s Alaska Election Challenge as Dubious
Why Legal Experts See the Justice Dept.'s Alaska Election Challenge as Dubious
Discussion:
Democracy Docket, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Independent, France 24, Associated Press, Vox, Slate, Votebeat, MS NOW, Al Jazeera, Grabien, The Guardian, The Daily Wire and Election Law Blog
New York Times:
In U.S. Gas Talks With Kremlin, Hidden Financing for Alaska Project Emerges — Interviews and documents show a Russian energy giant secretly funded a U.S. firm. The deal has been discussed in talks to end the war in Ukraine. — At first blush, the proposed venture looks like it would further …
Discussion:
Letters from an American, The Parnas Perspective and Stories Framing the Globe
Bloomberg:
Trump Prepares for Iran Escalation After US, Israeli Elections — A Middle East war that President Donald Trump said would be over in a matter of weeks now looks set to escalate as it enters its eighth month. — Trump has repeatedly hinted that his forces in the Mideast would resume strikes …
Discussion:
Truthout, Al Jazeera and Middle East Monitor
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New York Times:
How Trump Gave the Worst Polluters a Free Pass — The president temporarily waived clean-air rules for industrial facilities that spew cancer-causing gases. Then his appointees worked to gut the regulations altogether. — Within sight of a southeast Texas middle school stands a chemical plant …
New York Times:
Justice Dept. Demands That California Counties Help Identify Noncitizen Voters — Election officials across the state received letters from the agency saying if they fail to comply, they “risk significant federal scrutiny.” — The Department of Justice sent letters on Friday …
Discussion:
The Contrarian, Daily Mail, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Documented and Townhall
RELATED:
NBC News:
DOJ demands that California counties help identify noncitizen voters — The move is the latest in a legal battle between California and the Trump administration as the White House attempts to root out suspected noncitizen voters. — The Department of Justice on Friday warned local election officials …
Discussion:
The Hill, Associated Press and Fox News
Laura Beveridge / Washington Post:
Woman in ad who said a Democrat endangers kids pleaded guilty to endangering kids — Shellie Flockhart, who called Iowa Democratic House candidate Sarah Trone Garriott “dangerous” for kids, pleaded guilty after authorities said she drove drunk with her children in the car in 2017. — SummaryLoading...
Discussion:
Mediaite
Shannon K. Kingston / ABC News:
Britt McHenry resigns from State Department job after basketball game altercation — The former ESPN reporter was appointed as a press adviser last month. — In this Sept. 8, 2015, file photo, ESPN television reporter Britt McHenry smiles before a baseball game between the Washington Nationals …
Discussion:
Page Six, Front Office Sports, TMZ.com, The Washington Sun, Washington Examiner, Daily Mail, Los Angeles Times, Blaze Media, Mediaite and HuffPost
Wall Street Journal:
Grift Becomes Bigger Issue for Voters in Final Days Before Midterms — Democrats have spent $182 million this year highlighting corruption as an issue in House and Senate races — WASHINGTON—President Trump walked out of the White House on Thursday afternoon and delivered a warning to his political allies.
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Luke Broadwater / New York Times:
Corey Lewandowski Always Found His Way Back to Trump. Until Now.
Corey Lewandowski Always Found His Way Back to Trump. Until Now.
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, Blaze Media and Grabien
New York Times:
How the Most Ruthless Ad of the Midterms Divided Republicans — The fallout from Vivek Ramaswamy's brutal spot targeting his Democratic rival in the Ohio governor's race showed that even in the Trump era, a political attack can be seen as going too far. — The most explosive advertisement …
Discussion:
Mediaite, The Contrarian and NBC News
RELATED:
Ford McCracken / The Hill:
Cook Political Report shifts Ohio governor's race from toss-up to lean Democrat
Cook Political Report shifts Ohio governor's race from toss-up to lean Democrat
Discussion:
Associated Press, Washington Examiner, NBC News, NewsMax.com and Washington Post
Lisa Needham / Public Notice:
In defense of empathy — Public Notice is proudly celebrating five years of independent journalism. This special Saturday edition is possible thanks for paid subscribers. Become one ⬇️ — 🙏 Subscribe to PN 🙏 — Empathy is one of those things that really shouldn't need defending.
Paul Waldman / MS NOW:
Hillary Clinton thinks we should have 13 Supreme Court justices. Here's why that matters. — Hillary Clinton may no longer be the most influential voice in the Democratic Party, but she remains a member in good standing of the party establishment. So when she expresses support for expanding …
Discussion:
Reason
Associated Press:
Fire devastates the Eagle's Nest retreat built for Hitler in Germany. A person is detained — The retreat known as the Eagle's Nest built for Adolf Hitler in the Bavarian Alps was almost completely destroyed in a fire, and work to extinguish the blaze was still in progress Saturday, authorities said.
Discussion:
Metro.co.uk, NewsMax.com, Agence France-Presse, WTOP News, Mediaite, CBS News, Daily Mail and Reuters
Eugene Daniels / MS NOW:
The signs for El-Sayed in Detroit — and the lack of them — are setting off alarm bells — Sixteen days before Election Day, Abdul El-Sayed is sitting at the dinette of a bus that has his face plastered all over it. — I had just played him a clip on my iPad.
Discussion:
Fox News, RedState and New York Times
Sarah Davis / The Hill:
Trump joins Hannity-Earhardt wedding rehearsal dinner at Mar-a-Lago — Fox News hosts Sean Hannity and Ainsley Earhardt held their wedding rehearsal dinner on Friday evening at President Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla. — Both Trump and first lady Melania Trump were in attendance …
Politico:
Dem infighting erupts over which candidates to fund in midterms homestretch — Democrats have more midterm targets than they can afford to tackle — and they are sparring over where to spend the limited cash they have. — The party's progressive and establishment wings are squabbling …
Discussion:
The Daily Wire
Isabel Kershner / New York Times:
Netanyahu Has Reinvented Himself. Will Voters Think It's Enough? — The Oct. 7 attacks marred Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's image as Mr. Security. Ahead of elections, he's trying to sell Israelis on the new, hawkish version of himself. — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu …
Discussion:
Eschaton, MS NOW, GZERO, Reuters and Foreign Affairs
Nicholas Riccardi / Associated Press:
This US House district was once a political battleground. Now it shows why Congress is dysfunctional — In 2022, Democrat Wiley Nickel ran as a moderate and narrowly won North Carolina's 13th Congressional District by about 9,000 votes. Two years later, the current congressman …
Discussion:
New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Daily Caller, WTOP News and NewsMax.com
Sarah Fortinsky / The Hill:
Early voting surges in battleground states as Democrats outpace GOP gains — Early voting is surging in several key battleground states, giving Democrats hope that their strength in midterm polling could translate into a turnout advantage in November. — In North Carolina …
Discussion:
NewsMax.com, The Guardian, Breitbart, The Independent, Newsweek and The Daily Signal
France 24:
Live: Police say 110,000 turn out for ‘calm’ Paris protest, reports of clashes in other cities — French police reported at least 110,000 rallied peacefully in the French capital on Saturday while clashes erupted in Lyon, Lille, Toulouse and Nantes, where tear gas was fired at protesters.
Discussion:
Reuters
Jennifer Bendery / HuffPost:
‘INSANE!’: Voters Are Done Being Inundated With ‘Pathetic’ Political Texts And Mailers — We asked HuffPost readers to tell us about drowning in unwanted campaign messages. You certainly delivered! — WASHINGTON - Americans are in the final stretch of the 2026 midterm elections …
Nicholas Kristof / New York Times:
What's at Stake in the Midterms — America's midterm elections will probably be determined primarily by issues like affordability. But what is at stake goes far beyond the quotidian concerns that many voters are focused on. — The principles and strategies that over multiple generations …

