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3:25 PM ET, October 2, 2026

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 Top Items: 
Christopher Mathias / Talking Points Memo:
Chris Rufo — Known For ‘DEI’ and ‘CRT’ Panics — Tries to Make ‘the Indian Question’ a Thing  —  Rufo often gets treated as a “respectable” conservative.  His latest podcast episode — framing Indian-Americans as a problem in need of solving — is more evidence that he shouldn't be.
Paul Wiseman / Associated Press:
US adds disappointing 29,000 jobs and unemployment ticks up to 4.2% in September  —  U.S. employers added a disappointing 29,000 jobs and the unemployment rate ticked up last month, the government reported Friday, a month before voters go to the polls in pivotal midterm elections …
RELATED:
Konrad Putzier / Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Hiring Slows With 29,000 Jobs Added in September  —  Anemic hiring fell far short of expectations, but the unemployment rate remains near historic lows  —  The U.S. added 29,000 jobs in September, far short of expectations, in a sign that the labor market remains steady but may not be able …
Burgess Everett / Semafor:
Top GOP group pauses Senate spending in N.C., goes up in Kansas  —  Senate Republicans' top super PAC is making a tactical change, pausing its ad campaign in North Carolina's Senate race and launching a new one in Kansas.  —  Senate Leadership Fund is plowing seven figures into Kansas …
RELATED:
New York Times:
As Prospects Dim, G.O.P. Pulls Money Out of North Carolina Senate Race  —  The Senate Leadership Fund is diverting money to Kansas, which has become a growing concern for the party as it seeks to hold its majority.  —  The top super PAC for Senate Republicans is canceling all the remaining ads …
Discussion: Associated Press
Politico:
Top GOP groups scale back North Carolina spending
Discussion: Bloomberg and PoliticusUSA
The Washington Sun:
White House Officials Told the DOJ to Delay Action on Abortion Ahead of the Midterms  —  The White House has instructed the Justice Department to move slowly on any abortion-related actions ahead of the midterm elections, The Washington Sun has learned.  —  In a series of discussions …
Discussion: Mock Paper Scissors
RELATED:
Politico:
‘Blackmail’: Europe fumes against White House demand for more diesel  —  The Trump administration's full-court pressure campaign on Europe to release diesel supplies or face a U.S. export ban heading into the winter has split and angered European leaders, entangled oil companies and raised private charges of “blackmail.”
Associated Press:
Trump Says Europe Has Agreed to Release Diesel Reserves ‘Immediately’
Brandy Zadrozny / MS NOW:
MAGA podcaster Benny Johnson sued for defamation over ICE ride-along videos calling protesters ‘terrorists’  —  Johnson accompanied top DHS officials last year to an ICE protest, where he pointed out “left-wing terrorists” for his millions of followers across social media.
Discussion: NPR, Washington Examiner and Mediaite
Elaine Godfrey / The Atlantic:
The GOP's Culture-War Hail Mary  —  Last week, as the war with Iran dragged into its seventh month, gas prices shot up to an average of $4.50 a gallon, and polling showed President Trump about twice as far underwater with American voters as he was at this point in 2018, Republican senators determined …
RELATED:
Politico:
Who was behind a $250K mystery donation to super PAC backing Ken Paxton?  —  Last year, a super PAC supporting Texas Senate hopeful Ken Paxton received a $250,000 donation from a man calling himself “Paul McLaren,” a supposed “entrepreneur” living in Plano, Texas.
Discussion: Associated Press
Karine Jean-Pierre / New York Times:
This Mistake Doomed Biden.  Trump Is Falling Into the Same Trap.  —  When I served in President Joe Biden's White House, we had good economic news to report: robust job creation, rising wages, low unemployment and a manufacturing jobs revival.  Yes, inflation spiked early in his term …
RELATED:
Ken Dilanian / MS NOW:
Kash Patel commissions classified, internal FBI report to examine department ‘failures’  —  FBI Director Kash Patel has commissioned a classified report examining purported past FBI shortcomings, in what current and former bureau officials see as the Trump administration's latest effort to rewrite history in the president's favor.
Discussion: Associated Press
RELATED:
Sarah Fitzpatrick / The Atlantic:   Is There Anything Kash Patel Won't Do for Trump Before the Midterms?
Caleb Groves / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Georgia board asks Trump administration to investigate voting machines … The State Election Board's Executive Director James Mills has asked the Trump administration to examine Georgia's voting machines that are deployed statewide and prohibit QR-code vote counting, according to letters obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Kieran Healy:
Trump Tourism Effects  —  In the past day or two on social media I kept seeing this graph from a Semafor story on the declining volume of international visitors to the United States.  —  It seems to show, and was being remarked on as showing, that the second Trump administration …
Politico:
Musk-led war commission triggers alarms in Pentagon  —  Pentagon officials warn that Pete Hegseth's plan for a pair of billionaire defense contractors to help steer the military's future will produce conflicts of interest that threaten the long-term integrity of the department.
Scott Nover / Washington Post:
Trump administration is paying $1.6 million a week to keep Voice of America staff on leave  —  Hundreds of VOA staffers have been on paid leave since the agency sidelined them in March 2025.  —  SummaryLoading...  More than a year after the Trump administration attempted to dismantle Voice of America …
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
Not To Alarm You, But Trump's Brain Is Melted  —  Just how bad has Donald Trump's leadership been for the Kennedy Center's financial health?  CNN reports that, after Trump slapped his name on the building late last year, donation pledges plunged more than 100 percent compared to the previous three-month period.
Discussion: Wall Street Journal
David Kurtz / Talking Points Memo:
Bill Pulte Guts the IG Office That Investigated Him  —  Cuts Would Put IG Office Out of Business  —  In a move that smacks of retaliation, Federal Housing Finance Agency director Bill Pulte is moving to slash next year's budget for the agency's inspector general's office by more than 60% …
Adrian Carrasquillo / The Bulwark:
Trump Turned His Beloved Golf Hub Into a Ghost Town  —  In Doral, there are empty tables, shuttered businesses, and families struggling to survive after their loved ones have been thrown in detention.  —  Doral, Florida  —  THE ICONIC EL AREPAZO RESTAURANT IN DORAL is so central …
Discussion: Alternet.org
Jim Saksa / Democracy Docket:
The Postal Service is slowing delivery.  Will your mail ballot be affected?  —  The Postal Service is implementing broad cost-saving measures that will slow pick-up and delivery times that now cover more than 42% of the continental United States.  —  That puts tens of thousands …
Stephen Wolf / The Downballot:
Voters can stop MAGA from running elections in more than a dozen states  —  Our complete guide every race for secretary of state (and more!) this year  —  As Donald Trump once again seeks to subvert America's elections, voters in three dozen states will have the opportunity next month …
Axios:
Senate crushes House on congressional work days  —  The Senate is well on its way to claiming the congressional attendance trophy this year, spending 32 more weekdays in session so far than the House. … - The Senate left town late Wednesday — two weeks after its House counterparts …
G. Elliott Morris / Strength In Numbers:
Amid rising diesel prices, Republicans turn against Trump for first time on handling inflation  —  It's election season.  Here's my pitch to you to support this work with a paid subscription.  —  The next four weeks are like an extended Super Bowl for election analysts.
Dan Froomkin / MS NOW:
Time magazine's big interview with Trump was a huge missed opportunity  —  If you're a journalist about to interview President Donald Trump and ask the kind of questions you'd ask a normal president, you ought to know what you're going to get.  You're going to get lies, nonsense, fantasies and insults.
New York Times:
Russia Is Planning Its Most Powerful Blow Yet to Try to Freeze Ukraine  —  Ukraine showed European partners what it said were intercepted Russian plans to cut off major cities from power, heat and water this winter.  —  For months, Ukrainian officials have warned people to brace for what could be their hardest winter at war.
Discussion: CNBC
Rosie Thomas / Straight Arrow:
Who's making money on the government's new name for AI?  —  This recording was made using enhanced software.  —  A terminology change by the Trump administration has resulted in a windfall for a surprising group of people: anyone who owns a Slovenian web address.
Julia Manchester / NewsNation:
Trump's powerful new friends are making MAGA uncomfortable  —  Get fact-based, unbiased political coverage from the NewsNation team ahead of the 2026 elections.  Get 24/7 news coverage with the NewsNation app.  Not sure how to find NewsNation on your TV?  Find your channel here.
Sergio Candido / CBS News:
Former Florida congressman David Rivera sentenced to 10 years in Venezuela lobbying case  —  Former U.S. Rep. David Rivera was sentenced Friday to 10 years in federal prison for his role in a secret $50 million lobbying campaign on behalf of the Venezuelan government during the first Trump administration.
Discussion: Associated Press
Megan Messerly / Politico:
Trump's ‘pitch perfect’ project announcements may be too late to help the GOP  —  It's finally infrastructure week.  President Donald Trump is announcing major transportation, energy and manufacturing projects and promising thousands of jobs in states with vulnerable Republicans.
Sarah K. Burris / Alternet.org:
Kennedy Center moves to sell all of its Steinway pianos  —  This story has been updated to include comments from Democracy Defenders, Mr. Lewis.  —  Photos show piano movers rolling massive Steinway grand pianos through the red-carpeted halls of the Kennedy Center this week …
Hans Nichols / Axios:
Democrats put $3.4M behind Susan Collins allegations  —  The Democrats' main Senate super PAC is turning an explosive ProPublica investigation into Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) into a 30-second, $3.4 million attack campaign in one of the closest Senate races of the midterms.
 
 
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 More Items: 
elysee.fr:
G7 Leaders' Statement on global energy security and market stability.
Discussion: Politico, NewsNation, The Hill and CBS News
Heather Hollingsworth / Associated Press:
Justice Department finds UCLA law school illegally used race in admissions
Media Matters for America:
Who's calling for the Trump administration to send federal agents to polling places?
Discussion: Associated Press
HuffPost:
How The GOP's Signature Law Is Fueling One Of Its Biggest Political Problems
Matt Viser / The Atlantic:
Here's Who Democrats Want to Impeach Next
 Earlier Items: 
NBC News:
Democrats regain ground on voter registration in key states after steep post-2024 drops
Discussion: NewsMax.com
Alex Roarty / The Washington Sun:
The Democratic Brand Is a Mess. Some Democrats Are Taking Advantage.
Discussion: HuffPost
NBC News:
How Trump's homelessness crackdown became a sweeping retreat from disability rights
Discussion: NPR
Lowkell / Blue Virginia:
Friday (10/2) News Roundup: Trump “Is Not Well”; Russ Vought, “Shadow President”; Hegseth Needs to Be Impeached ASAP
Michael Lewis / Wall Street Journal:
Michael Lewis on the Lone Security Guard Who Resisted DOGE
Discussion: Fox News
 

 
From Techmeme:

Michael Shepard / Bloomberg:
US authorities arrest a California man suspected of smuggling $300M+ worth of restricted Nvidia AI chips to China via Malaysia and Singapore from 2023 to 2024

Arasu Kannagi Basil / Reuters:
OpenAI says that as of September 26, it has notified 100+ organizations about its AI agents bypassing their security controls or negatively impacting a service

Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Apple says it is adding additional controls around “Full Disk Access” on macOS as AI agents have increased “the risks associated with this level of access”

 
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