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9:35 AM ET, September 30, 2026

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 Top Items: 
Liz Dye / Public Notice:
Schmitt happens all over effort to perjury trap Jack Smith  —  Ahead of PN's 5th anniversary next week, we're offering paid subscriptions at the special yearly rate of $40 (or about 16¢ per edition).  This newsletter is only possible thanks to the support of paid subscribers.
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Jack Crosbie / Rolling Stone:
MAGA Media Is Trying to Spin Senator's Brutal Gaffe Into a Win
Politico:
Republicans wanted Jack Smith to give them a smoking gun. They got a gaffe instead.
Theodore Schleifer / New York Times:
G.O.P. Nominee in Texas Privately Said Trump's Convention Hurt Him  —  Ken Paxton, one of the party's top Senate candidates and a Trump loyalist, said that “everybody's numbers dropped” after the event, according to audio obtained by The Times.  —  Ken Paxton, the Republican nominee for Senate in Texas …
Discussion: Mediaite
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Samuel Chamberlain / New York Post:
Ken Paxton admitted 'everybody's numbers dropped' after GOP midterm convention: report  —  Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican candidate for Senate from the Lone Star State, privately told a group of conservative donors and lobbyists that GOP polling numbers suffered as a result …
Discussion: The Bulwark
Calen Razor / Politico:
Republicans sink measure to spotlight Israeli violence in the West Bank  —  Senate Republicans rejected a Democratic-led resolution Tuesday that aimed to shed light on growing Israeli violence against Americans and Palestinians in the West Bank.  The overwhelming Democratic support …
Discussion: Jewish Insider and The Hill
RELATED:
New York Times:
Democrats in Congress Embrace a More Punitive Posture Toward Israel
Discussion: Jewish Insider
Greg Sargent / New Republic:
In Texas, Something Seismic Is Happening—and It's All Trump's Fault  —  James Talarico may or may not win the Senate race in Texas.  But here's something we can say right now: Given how close Talarico is coming in this red state after running such an overtly pro-immigrant campaign …
RELATED:
New York Times:   Hispanic Voters on the Texas Border Have Soured on Trump
RELATED:
Lawrence Hurley / NBC News:
Supreme Court allows Trump's ‘third country’ deportation policy
Mira Bhakta / The Hill:
NYC appeals Staten Island judge's ruling against Mamdani's pied-à-terre tax  —  New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's office filed an appeal on Tuesday following a Staten Island judge's ruling that barred notices from being sent to homeowners affected by the pied-à-terre tax.
RELATED:
Chris Dolmetsch / Bloomberg:
NYC Pied-a-Terre Tax Rollout Blocked Again by State Judge
New York Times:
OpenAI Ignored Employees Who Warned It Wasn't Doing Enough About Security  —  Employees and security researchers said that they had cautioned the company on safely testing its A.I. models and strengthening its corporate infrastructure, but that OpenAI did not listen.
RELATED:
Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:
A.I. Is ‘Better Informed’ Than Doctors, Kennedy Tells Industry-Backed MAHA Summit  —  The health secretary, Vice President JD Vance and other top officials addressed a conference sponsored by corporations, including A.I. companies and others with business before the government.
RELATED:
John Vandiver / Stars & Stripes:
US ends military mission in Iraq, closing another chapter in decades of war  —  The U.S. military formally ended its mission in Iraq, the Pentagon said Wednesday, closing another chapter in more than two decades of American combat operations, withdrawals and returns to a country …
Zeteo:
📺 Trump's White House Agrees His ‘Midterm Ads’ Are Illegal.  They're Doing It Anyway  —  Donald Trump is demanding the propagandistic TV ads, even as some of his aides fret they ‘obviously’ break federal law.  Missouri MAGA Senator Eric Schmitt, meanwhile, makes a fool of himself.
Discussion: CBS News and NBC News
Bloomberg:
Midterms 2026: El-Sayed, Rogers Reject AIPAC Money as Group Ties Turn Toxic  —  The lobbying powerhouse seeks to retain its influence despite accusations of partisanship and Israel's declining support with voters  —  It was once an article of faith that alignment with the American Israel …
Aiden Reiter / Politico:
Financial regulator investigates Adam Kinzinger over Kalshi trading  —  A top federal financial regulator is investigating former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger — an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump — for prediction market trades he made tied to his pardon by former President Joe Biden …
Discussion: HotAir and RedState
Matthew Yglesias / Slow Boring:
Math needs a phonics-style reckoning  —  Teachers should teach students how to do stuff correctly.  —  ∙ Paid  —  At this point, everyone who cares about education policy at all has probably listened to Emily Hanford's “Sold a Story” podcast series, or pretends to have …
Washington Post:
The House reimburses lawmakers for D.C. expenses.  See who spent the most.  —  Taxpayers spent 21 percent more last year on the program, which helps cover the costs of food and lodging in Washington, a Post analysis found.  —  SummaryLoading...  House lawmakers spent $6.7 million …
Discussion: Breitbart
Riley Rogerson / Politico:
The source of Brian Fitzpatrick's campaign ad attack fodder: A guest at his own wedding  —  Facing his toughest election challenge in years, GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick has blanketed southeast Pennsylvania with attacks on his Democratic opponent — many of them citing what appear to be independent local news reports.
The Atlantic:
Right-Wing Groups Are Making Money Off John Fetterman  —  A Republican fundraising consultant alerted her colleagues this month in a private message about a hot new business opportunity from an unlikely source: Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, a Democrat.
Discussion: Mediaite
Matthew Lee / Associated Press:
US withdraws from European anti-corruption panel in latest shift away from global groups  —  The Trump administration has withdrawn the United States from a top European anti-corruption watchdog as it forges ahead with plans to disengage from international and multilateral organizations …
Discussion: Just Security
Marshall Ganz / The Nation:
Zohran Mamdani's Campaign May Have Accomplished Something More Fundamental Than Moving Policy Debate to the Left  —  It's the people, stupid.  —  Pocket  —  Most commentary on Zohran Mamdani's campaign for mayor of New York City focuses on policy, technology, and charisma.
Samuel Chamberlain / New York Post:
Maine university system strips ex-Sen. George Mitchell's name from building, scholarship over Jeffrey Epstein ties  —  The University of Maine System's Board of Trustees voted this week to remove the name of former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell from a building and a scholarship fund …
Discussion: The College Fix and Daily Mail
New York Times:
How Meta Uses A.I. Data Centers to Avoid Billions in Federal Taxes … Mark Zuckerberg says Meta's A.I. push is a tremendous success.  “Our investments in A.I. are accelerating every major part of our core business,” he has told investors.  “Every sign that we're seeing in our own work …
The White House:
Inaugurating The Era Of Super Intelligence  —  By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:  —  Section 1.  Purpose.  America stands at the forefront of a new technological revolution in intelligence.
Alec Hernandez / Politico:
Jon Ossoff is fundraising for Georgia Democrats.  It's a bet for his party's future — and his own.  —  Sen. Jon Ossoff hosted a few hundred donors and supporters for a recent Washington fundraiser — but it wasn't just for him.  —  Instead, the Sept. 16 gathering was geared toward raising money …
Discussion: Wide World of News
Aaron Zitner / Wall Street Journal:
Americans Want Populist Policies That Defy Traditional Political Labels  —  A new Wall Street Journal survey finds broad support for caps on prescription drug prices and strong border security  —  Americans in both parties back government-imposed price caps and other market interventions …
Discussion: The Washington Sun
Julianne McShane / MS NOW:
Kristi Noem files for divorce from Bryon Noem  —  Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has filed for divorce from her husband of over three decades, Bryon Noem, six months after a tabloid published photos that appeared to show him wearing women's clothing and fake breasts and reported …
Garrett Graff / Doomsday Scenario:
The Disgrace and Danger of Kash Patel, Part II  —  A quick check-in on the FBI director's latest raft of scandals (including, of course, the bestiality). … The swirl of scandal around Patel seemed like it would imminently end his career, but the Trump administration's depth and breadth …
Discussion: DCReport.org, MS NOW, SpyTalk and Wonkette
Adam Edelman / NBC News:
California poll: Voters back a billionaire tax, but the proposal falls short of majority support  —  A new NBCUniversal Local/Telemundo Station Group poll shows “yes” supporters leading 48% to 38% on the California ballot measure.  —  A plurality of likely California voters support a proposal …
Daniel Miller / Politico:
Why Aaron Sorkin left Trump out of ‘The Social Reckoning’  —  LOS ANGELES — Aaron Sorkin says “The Social Reckoning” “shouldn't” be a political film.  —  But he acknowledges that it is one, probing Facebook's role in the rise of extremism and division ahead of the 2020 presidential election …
Discussion: Variety and Vanity Fair
Paul Krugman:
One More Reason Americans Hate AI: It Does Nothing for Them  —  One unifying dynamic in America today: Americans really, really hate AI.  What began as a form of NIMBYism — no one wants a data center in their neighborhood — has broadened into severe doubts about the technology as a whole.
 
 
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 More Items: 
Avery Lotz / Axios:
Americans have never trusted the Supreme Court less
Lisa Kashinsky / Politico:
Sanders ramps up his midterm play with cash boost for candidates
Discussion: NewsMax.com
Washington Monthly:
The Unheralded End of Mass Incarceration
Dan Merica / Washington Post:
Some candidates are scrubbing their websites. Here is why that matters.
Discussion: Straight Arrow and Newsweek
Stephen Neukam / The Washington Sun:
How Hakeem Jeffries Is Courting the Left
Hugh Leask / CNBC:
Trump denies offering Iran sanctions relief; Tehran receives U.S. proposal following Qatar talks
Discussion: Reuters and Al Jazeera
Anushka Patil / New York Times:
Air Force Major Recommended for General Court-Martial After Protesting Trump
 Earlier Items: 
Josephine Walker / Axios:
Trump's shadow docket blitz hits a new milestone
Discussion: The Hill, NewsMax.com and PinkNews
Brett Meiselas / MeidasTouch:
MAGA Speaker Johnson Calls Trump Family Investigations a ‘Nightmare’ Ahead of Midterms
Discussion: HuffPost and Daily Kos
Chris Cameron / New York Times:
Trump Launches Government Chatbot That Contradicts Some of His Claims
Victoria Bekiempis / The Guardian:
Trump agrees to end court fight against $5m verdict in E Jean Carroll case
Associated Press:
Homeland Security taps $20M in taxpayer funds for pro-Trump ads
Jonathan V. Last / The Bulwark:
The Forces of Trumpism Are in Disarray
 

 
From Techmeme:

Madison Mills / Axios:
Google rolls out Gemini 4 Argon to trusted cyber defenders through Fairwind and says it is participating in the US government's voluntary prerelease process

Rafe Rosner-Uddin / Financial Times:
Asymmetric Security investigation: OpenAI agents pulled data from 55 business, nonprofit, and government agency websites while actively obscuring their actions

Zachary Small / New York Times:
A profile of Xbox CEO Asha Sharma, who insists “Xbox is not for sale” despite overseeing mass layoffs and divested studios since inheriting the flailing unit

 
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