Trump uses anti-trans slur against Democratic Senate candidate in South Carolina  —  Annie Andrews is a physician running against Sen. Darline Graham.

Fury in California After Trump Suggests Iran ‘Take Out’ L.A. or San Diego  —  Gov. Gavin Newsom called the president “dangerous and deranged” after his remarks at a political rally, where Mr. Trump said the Iran war was necessary to “keep the world safe.”  —  California leaders condemned …

More Than 500 U.S. Citizens Have Been Detained, Including Handcuffed or Held at Gunpoint, in Trump's Immigration Crackdown  —  Experts have long warned that immigration dragnets and the erosion of civil rights for immigrants will inevitably result in the erosion of rights for citizens.

Rubio calls for more information from Moscow after researcher's suspected plague death  —  Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Russia to provide more information after an employee in a remote “anti-plague” research lab in the country's east died of what is suspected to be a case of pneumonic plague.

Why Trump unexpectedly reversed course on taxpayer-funded campaign ads  —  The president is taking a step toward resolving an ongoing election-season scandal, but there are plenty of unanswered questions that need answers.  —  As this week got underway and JD Vance prepared to hit …

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Air Base  —  According to U.S. and British officials, 12 B-1 Air Force bombers from R.A.F. Fairford air base were withdrawn because of the risk of a drone attack ordered by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Veteran conservative lawyer quits Trump's interior department and warns of ‘assault on the rule of law’  —  John Murdock had been working for the agency for 18 years and his resignation comes during an exodus of longtime federal workers and scientists  —  An 18-year veteran of the US Department …

Trump administration unveils plan to tie high birth and marriage rates to transit funding  —  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 Democratic appropriator calls “bizarre and dystopian.”

Trump says journalists should be ‘arrested’ for reporting on empty seats at rally  —  The president claims upper-level empty seats were simply attendees moving down to the main floor during the Vandalia, Ohio event  —  Become an Independent member to bookmark this article

Paramount Closes Deal for Warner Bros. Discovery, Creating Media Behemoth  —  After a legal battle, Paramount has finally acquired Warner Bros. Discovery.  The new company, Skydance, combines Hollywood studios, streaming services and cable networks.  —  Paramount closed its deal …

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.

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.

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.

Missing details keep U.S. plague response on hold  —  Two big unknowns stand in the way of determining how serious the plague threat in Russia is and whether travel advisories, restrictions at U.S. ports of entry or other precautions are warranted.  — We still don't know which pathogen killed …

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?

Ocasio-Cortez Says, ‘If Abdul Can Win in Michigan, Anybody Can Win Anywhere’  —  Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made the remarks about Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Michigan, as she considers whether to run for president in 2028.

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 …

Arkansas campaign ad sparks conservative backlash for portraying lazy welfare recipient as white  —  A new video from Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders was standard issue Republican messaging for promoting her state's stricter rules for people on Medicaid.

Alito says he won't retire during lame duck session  —  Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito said he plans to stay on the court through next year, brushing aside speculation that he could retire early and let President Donald Trump fill his seat after the election but before a new Congress is sworn in next year.

As Trump Dithers, Ukraine War Is Approaching a ‘Fatal Point of No Return’  —  Russia is escalating while the Trump administration pursues deals that could help Moscow's war economy  —  The war in Ukraine is becoming increasingly dangerous, with the risk of escalation spilling further into Europe.

“Project Meridian” is the stuff of satire  —  To commemorate PN's 5th anniversary, this 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.

Trump sows doubt about mail-in voting while encouraging it, as midterms approach  —  Trump himself has voted by mail twice in Florida elections this year.  —  President Donald Trump throws a pen into the crowd after he signed an executive order during a campaign rally at Pinnacle Bank Expo Center …

KFF Health Tracking Poll: Health Care Issues in the Lead-Up to the 2026 Midterm Election  —  Authors: Shannon Schumacher, Isabelle Valdes, Mardet Mulugeta, Audrey Kearney, Ashley Kirzinger, and Liz Hamel  —  News Release: Poll: Cost of Health Care and Gas Top Voters' Midterm Concerns …

US Senator Murphy says Pentagon denied him access to US base in Qatar  —  Democratic US Senator Chris Murphy said the US Department of Defense denied him access to a key US military base in Qatar during a visit to the Middle East, describing it as part of a US government effort to conceal the impact of the Iran war.

Trump Rages at ‘Loser’ Female Fox Host in New Tirade  —  FOX FURY  —  The president is not happy with his favorite TV network.  —  President Donald Trump has labeled Fox News host Jessica Tarlov a “loser” in a fiery new tirade just hours after he criticized two female reporters.

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.

Obama returns as closer-in-chief  —  With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco and Irie Sentner  —  Good Tuesday morning.  Election Day is exactly four weeks out and — like Rep. Haley Stevens tackling her fourth hot wing — we're eager to get this over with.  Toss us a note.  —  In today's Playbook ...

Buttigieg, Gallego and other potential 2028 Democratic contenders set to discuss party's future at post-midterms meeting  —  A group of potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidates is heading to Denver days after the midterms to discuss the party's future, in one of the party's first major gatherings following the election.

Trump administration's crackdown on illegal voting rests on a shaky foundation  —  The Trump administration has made a high-profile push to arrest and charge noncitizens suspected of voting in recent federal elections.  But it could come crashing down after the midterms.