memeorandum: Fear and Delusion in Dallas: Inside Trump's Midterm Convention Flop (Nikki McCann Ramirez/Rolling Stone)

1:05 PM ET, September 12, 2026

Top Items:

Republicans, Facing Midterm Peril, Try to Brand Democrats as Communists — Communism, in the president's hyperbolic telling, is a graver threat to the country than the Pearl Harbor or 9/11 attacks were. Whether this midterm strategy works is an open question.

Discussion: MS NOW and NPR

Elleiana Green / Politico:

Trump doubles down on $5K check idea despite GOP doubts, inflation concerns — Despite doubts from GOP members of Congress, President Donald Trump again promised to send every adult in the U.S. a $5,000 check if Republicans retain control of Congress in the midterm elections on Friday.

Discussion: Bloomberg, The Hill and New York Post

Politico:

Republicans aren't convinced Dallas changed the midterms — DALLAS - Republicans breathed a sigh of relief that the GOP midterm convention didn't go poorly. But many aren't convinced it will help in November. — On flights out of Dallas Friday morning, Republicans were grateful …

Discussion: The Guardian, Roll Call, MS NOW, The American Conservative and Al Jazeera

NBC News:

Lutnick says Trump's $5,000 checks for Americans wouldn't rely on taxpayer funds — A top White House official suggested Congress would use a budget process to fund them. Vice President JD Vance had said tariff revenues. … President Donald Trump's promised $5,000 “dividend” …

Discussion: The Guardian, Newsweek, NewsMax.com, Bloomberg, The Hill, Fox Business, Joe.My.God., MS NOW, New Republic, Axios and Breitbart

Tony Romm / New York Times:
Inflation Complicates Trump's Midterms Pitch to Voters

Discussion: MS NOW

Mia McCarthy / Politico: Convention puts GOP's reality on display: Midterm policy agenda is skimpy

Nikki McCann Ramirez / Rolling Stone:
Fear and Delusion in Dallas: Inside Trump's Midterm Convention Flop

Discussion: The Independent

Avani Kalra / The Washington Sun:
Republicans Jump at the Chance to Advertise on Trump's $5,000 Checks

Discussion: The Atlantic, No More Mister Nice Blog, Joe.My.God., Washington Examiner, Mediaite, MeidasTouch and MS NOW

CNN:

‘A f***-up of epic proportions’: Blame game begins after Iran-backed Houthis' lightning advance down Red Sea coast — The desperate pleas for air cover from Yemeni generals started coming mid-morning on Thursday. An advance by the Iran-backed Houthis toward Yemen's strategic port city …

New York Times:

Saudi Oil Exports Face Heightened Threats After Attacks on Pipeline — Ship operators already faced severe risks in navigating the region, and now the danger is higher as Houthi militias assert control in the Red Sea. — The world's most valuable energy corridors are pinching shut.

Discussion: Bloomberg, Associated Press, Mediaite, Reuters, NewsNation, NewsMax.com, Agence France-Presse, The Washington Sun, Los Angeles Times and Foreign Affairs

Azhar Sukri / CNBC:

Trump sees Iran war ending soon after mid-term elections, predicts oil prices will then fall sharply … The war in Iran will likely end soon after November's mid-term elections, President Donald Trump said Saturday, and predicted that energy prices would fall sharply once that happens.

Discussion: Straight Arrow, PressTV, Mediaite and New York Times

Gregory Schmidt / New York Times:
Saudis Shut Down Crucial Pipeline After Drone Attack From Iraq

Discussion: Reuters, WTOP News, Associated Press, Hopium Chronicles, HotAir, The Daily Caller, Straight Arrow, New Republic, KTVZ-TV, NPR and CNN

New York Times:

Trump Says Irish Unification Would Be ‘Fantastic,’ Breaking With Precedent — The United States is officially neutral on an issue that had been a source of decades of violence in Northern Ireland until a 1998 peace deal. — Shortly after setting foot in Dublin, President Trump on Saturday said it would be …

Discussion: CNN, Bloomberg, The Hill, One America News Network, Reuters, NewsNation, GB News, Politico, Fox News, France 24 and Joe.My.God.

CBS News:
Trump says he would “love” a unified Ireland, as he kicks off visit that mixes diplomacy and golf

Discussion: The Guardian, Mediaite, France 24, Metro.co.uk, TheJournal.ie, Associated Press, GB News, NPR and Politico

Padraic Halpin / Reuters:
Trump says he would ‘love’ to see a united Ireland

Discussion: Washington Examiner, MS NOW, Washington Post, Forbes, The Hill, New York Post, Breitbart, TheJournal.ie, PoliticusUSA, GB News, Bloomberg and NewsMax.com

Bloomberg:
Trump Jabs at Europe on Trade, Immigration During Ireland Visit

Discussion: France 24, The Spectator, TheJournal.ie, The Parnas Perspective, Mediaite, GB News and Associated Press

New York Times:

How Trump Is Wielding Power to Stifle Speech — President Trump has harnessed agencies across the government to curtail press freedoms, a sweeping campaign that free speech advocates say will have lasting effects. — NEWS ANALYSIS — President Trump has harnessed agencies across …

Finya Swai / The Hill:

DeSantis: ‘Florida will provide asylum’ to holdout juror in Lindsay Clancy case — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Friday accused the media of launching a smear campaign against the lone holdout juror in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial, after a report revealed that the juror had a history …

Discussion: NBC Boston, The Post Millennial, The Gateway Pundit, NewsMax.com, RedState, Breitbart, Daily Mail, TMZ.com, Mediaite and The Daily Caller

Wall Street Journal:

U.S. Links Chinese Satellite Imagery to Iranian Strike That Killed Three Troops — Finding deepens U.S.-China tensions ahead of the Trump-Xi summit as officials examine possible Chinese help tracking American warships — Before Iran carried out its attack that killed three U.S. troops in July …

Discussion: Washington Examiner and New York Post

Washington Post:

These are the Trump investigations Democrats plan if they win in November — Democrats hope to retake control of the House, and to use that power to probe Trump's business ventures, legal maneuvers and policies. — Summary — House Democrats are eagerly preparing to wield a power they do not yet have.

Liz Goodwin / Washington Post:

Ohio Senate campaign staffer used Nazi soldiers as profile photo — Jon Husted's campaign, after being contacted by The Post, said it would part ways with the political director. — Summary — A top campaign staffer for Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) once used a photo of SS soldiers …

Discussion: The Guardian, Newsweek, Washington Examiner, LGBTQ Nation, NewsMax.com, The Hill and Mediaite

Gavin J. Quinton / The Washington Sun: Husted Fires Political Director Over Past Nazi Posts

Stephen Robinson / Public Notice:

Mike Johnson runs out the clock on his own speakership — This special Saturday edition of PN is made possible by paid subscribers. Become one ⬇️ — 🔥 Subscribe to PN 🔥 — Mike Johnson, the theoretical speaker of the House, announced last Thursday he's canceling votes …

Discussion: Joe.My.God.

Joseph Gedeon / The Guardian:

Calls for Democrats to be shot go unchallenged at Republican convention — Crowd member repeatedly said some Democrats ‘should be shot’ during Ted Cruz's speech, without senator responding — On the night Republicans gathered to mourn the killing of Charlie Kirk and warn against the dangers …

Discussion: Washington Examiner and Washington Post

CNN:

What we know about when Mitch McConnell will return to the Senate — The Senate is set to return Monday after a five-week recess, and it is still unclear if GOP Sen. Mitch McConnell will end his three-month absence from the Capitol due to health issues. — McConnell was hospitalized in June …

Zoe Williams / The Guardian:

Naomi Klein: ‘Extreme wealth has a deranging effect. It turns you into a supremacist’ — She's tackled neoliberalism and the digital world, now the writer and activist is taking on tech billionaires. She explains how the super-rich are capitalising on climate and financial chaos in pursuit of power

Discussion: New York Times

Roque Planas / The Guardian:

Man arrested over death of Mississippi woman found hanging from a tree — Police have arrested Jacques Ratliff and ruled the death of Tasia Fortune, a 29-year-old Black woman, as a homocide — Police in Jackson, Mississippi, have arrested a man in the death of Tasia Fortune …

Discussion: The Post Millennial, TMZ.com, CBS News, WTOP News, TheGrio, KTVZ-TV and Mississippi Free Press

Zeteo:

Trump Partied in Texas as Iran and Its Allies Began a ‘Tet Offensive’ on the World Economy — ‘It looks bad, I am willing to admit it,’ a Trump adviser told Zeteo late Thursday. — ∙ Paid — DALLAS — The Republican Party's “Trump-a-palooza” midterm convention in Texas concluded …

Discussion: Daily Mail

Nathan Bomey / Axios:

Record diesel prices squeeze food, transport — The record price of diesel threatens to stoke inflation at a time when consumers are already price-sensitive and businesses are reeling from higher costs due to trade tensions. … - That's up 60% from a year earlier.

Discussion: Christian Science Monitor, Financial Times, Newsweek, KTVZ-TV and Scripps News

Alexandra Marquez / NBC News:

As MAGA Inc. begins to spend on Senate races, super PAC chief says he's ‘cautiously optimistic’ about midterms — Top Trump political adviser James Blair spoke with NBC News' new podcast, “Here's the Scoop: Election Edition,” about the midterms and the super PAC's spending.

Discussion: Forbes

Sarah Davis / The Hill:

Trump wants Smithsonian to build George Washington statue, exhibit — President Trump asked the Smithsonian Institution in late Friday social media posts to install a 30-foot-tall statue of George Washington outside of its National Museum of American History (NMAH) and open an exhibit to honor the founding father.

Discussion: The Independent, Joe.My.God., NewsMax.com, Washington Post, Agence France-Presse, New York Post, WTOP News, Washington Examiner, Mediaite and Althouse

Fox News:

Abdul El-Sayed touts ‘whole a—’ medical credentials while defending sex changes for children — Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed said the government should not restrict sex changes, arguing that “whole a—” doctors like himself should be allowed to make their own determinations for patients' treatment plans.

Discussion: The Daily Wire

New York Post:

Palestinian flag-waving idiot runs onto field at Yankee Stadium at cryptic moment — and Subway Series fans respond with ‘USA’ chants — A bozo waving a Palestinian flag ran onto the field at Yankee Stadium during Friday night's Subway Series game — at 9:11 p.m. on the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.