Democrats May Have Found the Recipe for Flipping Red-State Senate Seats  —  New Times/Siena polls continue a run of strong results for the party in states that President Trump won easily in 2024.  —  On paper, the Democrats' path to winning the Senate in November is daunting.

Trump promises $100 checks for 20 million seniors for Medicare  —  President Trump late Friday night said the administration would send just under $100 to more than 20 million senior citizens to help pay for Medicare benefits. … - Trump said the money would come from the Medicare Improvement Fund …

U.S.-Russia Talks on Ukraine Now Involve an Oil Deal Tied to Trump Allies  —  President Vladimir V. Putin brought up a sale of Russian energy assets with President Trump's envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, pushing a deal that raises new questions about conflicts of interest.

In Alabama, Trump Relives His Glory Days (This Time With Some Empty Seats)  —  The Deep South was the birthplace of the mega MAGA rally.  How do people on the Gulf feel about President Trump now?  —  On Friday night, President Trump turned up in Mobile, Ala., to give a campaign rally five weeks ahead of the midterm elections.

Scoop: Trump's top national security aides meet secretly at Camp David on Iran, Yemen  —  President Trump's top cabinet members huddled for hours at Camp David on Friday to discuss next steps in the Iran war and the Saudi-Houthi conflict in Yemen, three U.S. officials told Axios.

How a Provocative Ad on Trump and Immigration Stirred a Florida House Race  —  Representative María Elvira Salazar, a Republican, ran an ad criticizing the Trump administration.  It may have jolted other Republicans — and drawn attention to her Democratic opponent.

A gut punch in Ohio: Nearly 1,400 laid off at truck factory just days before Trump rally  —  Sipping tea from beer mugs with his co-workers, Kyle Bos listed the ways his life is changing.  Bos has two daughters, with a third due in January.  At the grocery store, five items cost as much as a full cart once did.

Justice Alito confirms he is considering retirement  —  Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has confirmed that he is considering retirement, leaving open the possibility that he could leave after next year's term and hand another nomination to President Donald Trump.

Judge Slows Border Wall Construction in Big Bend Sector  —  The order prevents the Trump administration from waiving environmental protections that would allow it to quickly build across a national and state park.  — Copy  —  A judge on Friday slowed the Trump administration's plans …

Agency Diverted $1.4 Billion in Science Funds Mandated by Congress  —  The move, affecting about one-fifth of the National Science Foundation's primary research budget, is the latest sign of how the White House is asserting more control over grants.  —  The National Science Foundation …

FlyDubai Attacker Had Been Banned From Flying by Oman for Radical Views  —  The U.A.E. airline later hired the co-pilot who stabbed the captain of Flight 1073 and nearly crashed the plane  —  The FlyDubai co-pilot who stabbed his captain and sent Flight 1073 diving toward the ground …

Editor's Notes: “The Indian Question” Shows That No One Is Safe From White Nationalism  —  That is the entire point.  —  Christopher Rufo, longtime right-wing agitator, recently recorded a podcast in which he discussed “the Indian Question,” an explicit nod to “the Jewish Question” that so animated Adolf Hitler.

Cross-Tabs: September 2026 Times/Siena Polls of the Likely Electorate in Battleground Senate Races  —  Results of New York Times/Siena polls conducted among 2,946 voters from Sept. 21 to Oct. 1, 2026. … ‹ ›  —  Do you think [state] is on the right track, or is it headed in the wrong direction?

Senior House Republican says Trump's ‘lack of favorability’ creating ‘tough’ politics  —  House Financial Services Chair French Hill said he has “no concerns” about winning back his Arkansas seat in the upcoming midterm elections, but the six-term House member acknowledged the political headwinds for his party.

Trump's ‘March of Folly’ Empowers Iranian Extremists  —  In early March, nine days after starting his war with Iran, President Trump held a news conference to crow about his “military success, the likes of which people haven't seen.”  —  “We're winning very decisively,” he claimed, and “the result will be lower oil prices.”

The Fall of Roe Changed Doctors.  Now They're Changing Politics. … A gaggle of doctors in white coats gathered at the Virginia state capitol in Richmond on Friday to make their case that the safety of their patients and their ability to practice medicine is threatened by an upcoming referendum …

Few voters see either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party as able to solve important problems or help people like them  —  Sixty-eight percent of voters think President Trump is too extreme.  Just over half say the Republican party is too extreme while just under half say the same about the Democratic party.

Diesel Don is tanking the GOP  —  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.  If you're not already one of them …