Scoop: Senate GOP to send $5m to shore up Graham in South Carolina  —  The main super PAC supporting Republican Senate candidates plans to inject $5 million into the South Carolina campaign as an “insurance policy” to help GOP nominee Darline Graham, a source familiar with the move tells Axios.

Trump suggests letting Iran ‘take out’ Los Angeles and San Diego at campaign rally  — 3 min Click here to listen to this article  — California Gov. Gavin Newsom called the president ‘deranged and dangerous.’  — The crowd in Grand Island, Neb., cheered the remarks about Los Angeles and San Diego.

Facing Backlash, Trump Says His Super PAC Will Pay for Taxpayer-Funded Ads  —  The president said that his PAC, MAGA, Inc., would pay for TV ads promoting him which had been paid for with taxpayer money.  —  President Trump reversed course on Monday and announced that his super PAC would now pay …

Midterm Elections in Maine, October 2026  —  Jackson and Collins Competitive in Senate Contest in Maine... Pingree Leads Charles by Double Digits in Race for Governor  — Jackson (51%) is +4 points against Collins (47%) among registered voters in the U.S. Senate race in Maine.

Potential Iranian Drone Attack Led to Exit of U.S. Aircraft From British Air Base  —  According to U.S. and British officials, 12 B-1 Air Force bombers from R.A.F. Fairford air base were withdrawn because of the risk of a drone attack ordered by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

More Than 500 U.S. Citizens Have Been Detained, Including Handcuffed or Held at Gunpoint, in Trump's Immigration Crackdown  —  How Abortion Bans Lead to Preventable Deaths  —  How Recent Arrivals at the Border Have Changed the Country and Its Attitudes  —  SCOTUS Justices' Beneficial Relationships With Billionaire Donors

Trump approves firing squad execution for Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan  —  President Donald Trump has approved the execution by firing squad of Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan for the 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas.  —  The U.S. military has not carried out the death penalty since 1961.

Jim Bakker, Television Preacher Felled by Sex and Financial Scandals, Dies at 86  —  With his wife, Tammy Faye, Mr. Bakker built a broadcasting juggernaut around the gospel of prosperity.  —  Jim Bakker, a television evangelist who lost his popular and prosperous ministry in a 1980s sex scandal …

256. So Unexplained: Justice Alito's Non-Responsive Emergency Docket Defense  —  Justice Alito's new book purports to answer the Court's shadow docket critics—by rebutting a caricature and by ignoring the ways in which his own behavior has contradicted nearly every claim he makes.

Energy prices loom large in key Senate, House races  —  Scratch the surface of the year's biggest stories — the Iran war and AI — and both are bound up in the costs of energy. … - The war has kept gasoline prices way above $4 per gallon for months, and helped push diesel to record highs.

Palm Beach County GOP endorses candidate accused of child sex abuse  —  Suspended Palm Beach County Clerk of Courts Mike Caruso said he still “intend[s] to win” the November election and has not abandoned his campaign — nor has the local Republican Party abandoned him …

Germany's ex-spy chief arrested for espionage  —  August Hanning, the man who once led Germany's spy service, is now under investigation for passing on state secrets.  —  Police have arrested the former head of Germany's BND foreign intelligence agency, August Hanning, on suspicion of espionage …

Megyn Kelly on Cornell's Jane Doe: “I'm just going to be honest, she's not the most attractive gal.  She's extremely beefy in her arms and her legs.”  —  Kelly: Jane Doe “liked the feeling of being sexy and desired and wanted, ... and that's why she kept saying yes”

Bucks for babies: Trump administration unveils plan to tie transit funding to high birth and marriage rates  —  Communities with high birth and marriage rates could soon gain an advantage in securing federal transit money — a long-sought goal of the Trump administration but one that a top …

America.gov: Branding in Search of a Product  —  Last week the Trump administration held a big event, featuring Trump, his Cabinet, and Big Balls, to unveil America.gov.  —  What is America.gov?  Two answers.  — As of today, it's a chatbot that searches government websites and collates the answer using Grok and Gemini AIs.

If the polls end up missing, this may have been our early warning sign  —  “Low-effort” survey respondents vote very differently than other poll-takers, and that could be biasing polls by up to 3.5 points against  —  The biennial freak-out over potential error in election polls is now in full force.

Spain is becoming Europe's Cuba — and American capital is the next target  —  Spain is rapidly becoming a serious hazard for international investors.  Instead of upholding property rights, the country's political climate now drives its institutional decay, threatening to compromise a fragile legal system.

Texas Pediatricians Face Paxton Investigations for Vaccinating Children  —  Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general and Republican Senate candidate, has alleged a sprawling profit-driven conspiracy.  Pediatricians say the accusations are an attempt at intimidation.

AI Versus Everything Else  —  Until now, discussions of the potential economic problems created by the AI boom have mostly focused on the future.  Will it destroy millions of jobs?  Is there a bubble and will it cause a severe recession if it bursts?  Will it destroy humanity?

Outgoing Sen. Tillis regrets pivotal vote for Hegseth: 'He's an actor.  He's not a manager'  —  Tillis, who voted to confirm Hegseth last year, said the defense secretary has “not demonstrat[ed] any knowledge of the Department of Defense.”  —  Outgoing Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. …

Trump calls for media outlets to be ‘arrested’ over rally coverage  —  President Trump said Monday that reporters from The New York Times and other media outlets should be “arrested” over their coverage of his Saturday rally in Ohio.  —  “The Ohio Arena was already full to the brim …

What voters in 6 key states could tell us about the 2026 midterms  —  A version of this essay first appeared in the Up First newsletter.  Subscribe here to get the news you need to start your day — plus a little fun — every weekday and Sunday.  —  Four weeks from now …

Why deep-red Kansas has become an unexpected Senate battleground … In a state that hasn't elected a Democratic senator since 1932, Republican Sen. Roger Marshall suddenly finds himself in a competitive race with weeks to go until the 2026 midterm elections.