Top Items:
Axios:
Exclusive: Paxton privately blames woes on Iran war, gas prices — Texas Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton privately lamented the impact of the Iran war and gas prices on his campaign in a meeting last month, telling a group of donors and lobbyists, “I don't make the decisions,” according to audio obtained by Axios.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, New York Post, The Hill, The Washington Sun, HuffPost, Daily Kos, The Daily Caller, Forbes, New Republic, The Guardian and Mediaite
RELATED:
Politico:
Paxton's latest audio leak is making things tough for national Republicans — National Republicans have spent months trying to rescue Ken Paxton. He's complicating that effort. — Tensions are brewing with some Republicans after POLITICO published Paxton's closed-door comments that …
Isaac Arnsdorf / Washington Post:
Half a billion dollars in GOP spending does little to move polls — Republicans' massive money advantage has yet to reshape the midterm map, as Democrats keep expanding their ambitions. — SummaryLoading... Since Labor Day, when President Donald Trump opened up his war chest for the midterms …
Discussion:
Associated Press, The Independent and Daily Kos
Wired:
Elon Musk's America PAC Is Spending Big on the Midterms. We're Tracking It Daily
Discussion:
Washington Post and Deseret News
New Republic:
Transcript: Trump Spirals into Fury as GOP Pollsters Deliver Bad News — The following is a lightly edited transcript of the October 7 episode of the Daily Blast podcast. Listen to it here. — Greg Sargent: This is The Daily Blast from The New Republic, produced and presented by the DSR Network.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, HuffPost, Associated Press, Mediaite, MS NOW, The Independent, NBC News and CBS News
RELATED:
Politico:
Republicans enter triage mode as their election hopes continue to dim — Republicans are flooding the electoral map with a deluge of advertising to defend their House and Senate majorities. But their once-towering financial advantage is starting to show its limits.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, PoliticusUSA, New Republic, Alternet.org and Daily Mail
Noah Berlatsky / Public Notice:
Roger Marshall is running an all time terrible campaign — 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.
Discussion:
Scripps News, Washington Post and Mediaite
Meryl Kornfield / Washington Post:
Trump wants to turn his West Palm Beach golf club into the new Camp David — The plan calls for the federal government to be granted part of the property, with the rest maintained as a private course. — SummaryLoading... Much of President Donald Trump's second term has focused on changes to the nation's capital.
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Examiner, New Republic, The Parnas Perspective, The Independent, NewsMax.com and Mediaite
Nathan Lee / ABC News:
Trump sons' investments have won billions in Pentagon contracts since his election — The contract for a new plant in Baltimore is the latest linked to the brothers. — President Donald Trump and his sons Eric Trump, back left, and Donald Trump Jr., back, second right, and granddaughter Chole Trump …
Discussion:
The Daily Wire
Jacob Knutson / Democracy Docket:
ICE probed hundreds of voter registration groups across the U.S. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over the past year investigated hundreds of nonprofits across the U.S. that help people register to vote, according to new records analyzed by Democracy Docket.
Discussion:
New York Times
RELATED:
Kenneth P. Vogel / New York Times:
Amid Midterm Crunch, Trump Advisers Took Time to Help Russia-Aligned Government — James Blair and Chris LaCivita, who are leading the president's congressional campaign operation, traveled to Republika Srpska to provide election advice. — As President Trump crisscrossed the country …
Discussion:
The Bulwark, The Spectator and The Daily Caller
RELATED:
Politico:
Trump's cracking Latino coalition
Trump's cracking Latino coalition
Discussion:
Business Insider, The Nation, Alternet.org, Bloomberg and NBC News
Fox News:
Rubio to deliver urgent plea to save Western civilization during speech in its birthplace — Secretary of state will speak against the backdrop of the Acropolis, urging allies to reject the decline of the West — Secretary of State Marco Rubio will deliver a speech in Greece on Wednesday calling …
Discussion:
Reuters, The Hill, Agence France-Presse, RedState, Washington Examiner, Breitbart, Associated Press and National Politics
RELATED:
Ayman Mohyeldin / MS NOW:
Gaza became a stress test for Western democracy. And the West is failing.
Gaza became a stress test for Western democracy. And the West is failing.
Discussion:
Al Jazeera
Erin Cox / Washington Post:
Amid 2028 buzz, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore doesn't commit to full second term — Moore is widely expected to run for president in 2028. But the Democrat must get reelected first. — Loading... In the lone debate of his reelection campaign, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore's toughest question was about his own future.
Claudia Chiappa / Politico:
WHO seeks clarity on second pneumonia case in Russia amid plague fears — Donald Trump will speak with Vladimir Putin about the situation after the U.S. urged Russia to share more information following the death of a lab worker. — The World Health Organization is looking into reports …
Discussion:
Fox News, Reuters, The Hill, Malone News, Political.org, New York Times, The Independent, CBS News, CNBC, Healthbeat, Forbes, UnHerd, ABC News, Associated Press, MS NOW, NewsNation and RTÉ
RELATED:
Jonathan Cohn / The Bulwark:
Donald Trump Is Buying Votes at $500 a Pop — He's calling it an Obamacare “refund,” but it's nothing of the sort. — October Surprise: 30% OFF Bulwark+ for a year. Upgrade now. — DONALD TRUMP IS HAVING the federal government send checks to millions of Americans …
Paul Cuno-Booth / FactCheck.org:
The Context for Trump's ‘Take Out’ Los Angeles, San Diego Remarks — President Donald Trump's remarks about the possibility that Iran could “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego have sparked a firestorm of criticism, with Democrats claiming the president was either calling for a foreign adversary …
Discussion:
The Hill, The Guardian, Forbes, Erick Erickson's Show Notes, The Independent, NewsMax.com, Reuters, Washington Examiner, RedState, Breitbart, Mediaite, Los Angeles Times, Daily Kos, Salon, Straight Arrow, The Spectator, Associated Press, Political.org, New York Post, HuffPost, TMZ.com and CBS News
RELATED:
Ryan Bort / Rolling Stone:
California Leaders Erupt After Trump Suggests Letting Iran ‘Take Out’ Cities
California Leaders Erupt After Trump Suggests Letting Iran ‘Take Out’ Cities
Discussion:
New Republic, HuffPost, New York Times, New York Post, Breitbart, The Hill, C-SPAN.org, Reuters, The Guardian, Adam Kinzinger, New York Times, Axios, The Hollywood Reporter, Los Angeles Times, The Mahablog, PolitiFact, Variety, Alternet.org, Truthout, twitchy.com, Mediaite, The Independent, Newsbusters, The Wrap, Washington Examiner, MS NOW, The Washington Sun, CBS News, Esquire, Grabien, Louder With Crowder, NewsMax.com, KTVZ-TV, U.S. Congresswoman Sara Jacobs …, Washington Post, KNSD-TV, Mercury News, Forbes, NBC News, RedState, MeidasTouch, Al Jazeera and ABC News
Aljean Harmetz / New York Times:
Eva Marie Saint, Oscar Winner for ‘On the Waterfront,’ Is Dead at 102 — A luminous beauty with dramatic depth, she brought a layered intensity to harrowing roles and seduced Cary Grant in the romantic thriller “North by Northwest.” — Eva Marie Saint, who won an Academy Award in 1955 …
Wall Street Journal:
Inside Bessent's Treasury: Tension, Turnover and Unmet Economic Goals — Ahead of midterms that could turn on high prices and borrowing costs, secretary dresses down officials — WASHINGTON—Scott Bessent was fuming. — President Trump had just asked his Treasury secretary …
Discussion:
The Independent, Semafor, Mediaite and Alternet.org
John Hendel / Politico:
‘Head on a guillotine’: ABC says Trump's threats are already swaying coverage — ABC programs are already tempering their election coverage ahead of the midterms to avoid angering President Donald Trump, a lawyer for the broadcast company told a federal judge on Tuesday, but any possible reprieve is still likely weeks away.
Discussion:
Daily Mail, The Guardian, Los Angeles Times, KTVZ-TV, CBS News, Associated Press, Deadline, The Hill, Political.org, NPR and New York Times, more at Mediagazer »
Jessica Grose / New York Times:
Billionaires Love This School Policy. Many Regular Parents Hate It. — “I've been voting Republican my whole life. I'm super conservative,” Pine Tree superintendent Steve Clugston tells the camera in an Instagram reel. “I'm gonna tell you what, when Greg Abbott sold us out to the billionaires …
Discussion:
Diane Ravitch's blog and The Daily Texan
Frank Andrews / Associated Press:
Vance appears to soften U.S. demands on Iranian nuclear enrichment — What to know about the Iran war today: — Vice President JD Vance appeared to soften U.S. demands on Iran to end the war Tuesday, saying Tehran must do something “meaningful” to reduce its nuclear enrichment …
Discussion:
The Hill, CNBC, Al Jazeera, Political.org and The Independent
RELATED:
Jonathan Saul / Reuters:
Attacks on tankers in Hormuz hit highest of any week since start of Iran war, sources say — Attacks on tankers sailing through the Strait of Hormuz hit their highest last week of any week since the Iran war began, according to maritime security sources tracking incidents, amid a bigger export push by Gulf producers.
Discussion:
CNBC and Al Jazeera
Tim Balk / New York Times:
Live Updates: Collins and Jackson Clash in First Debate of Crucial Maine Senate Race — Senator Susan Collins and her Democratic challenger, Troy Jackson, faced off on Supreme Court appointees, health care, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and their approach to governing. — Here's the latest.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, MeidasTouch, Daily Kos, NBC News, The Hill, Scripps News, ABC News, New York Post, Straight Arrow, Blaze Media, RedState, The Portland Press Herald, The Independent, The Daily Wire, The Washington Sun, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, CNN, The Guardian, Washington Post, NRSC, PoliticusUSA, National Politics, MS NOW, Althouse, Grabien, The Maine Wire, Semafor and Bloomberg
RELATED:
Dan Merica / Washington Post:
Susan Collins faces her biggest test yet
Susan Collins faces her biggest test yet
Discussion:
CBS News, WTOP News, Associated Press, New York Post and The Washington Sun
Kadia Goba / The Washington Sun:
Republicans Want to Flip the Script on Health Care — Back in the summer, physician and former Republican Rep. Brad Wenstrup and Trump-aligned pollster John McLaughlin offered coaching to House Republicans on how to talk about health care: Lean in. — Republican strategists say the party …
Glenn Thrush / New York Times:
Justice Dept. Turns to Partisans and Conspiracists to Fill Depleted Ranks — The civil rights unit has recruited people whose questionable work histories and dearth of education and experience might have disqualified them in the past, former officials said.
Discussion:
Rolling Stone and Executive Functions
Ryan Quinn / Inside Higher Ed:
Alabama Makes State Workers Say ‘Gulf of America.’ Colleges Aren't Spared. — Republican lawmakers say faculty can only call it the Gulf of Mexico for “historical purposes” in academic courses. Journalists are constrained by the restriction, too. — Alabama's Gulf of America Act took effect …
Tamara Keith / NPR:
Carpetbagger allegation, misplaced valor make Nevada's safe red House seat competitive — RENO, Nev. — The race for Nevada's 2nd Congressional District shouldn't be competitive, just based on history and math. But the Republican Party's nominee, David Flippo, is facing …
Discussion:
Alternet.org
Politico:
‘Use your majority’: In the unlikely event of a Supreme Court vacancy, Republicans are ready to act — Senate Republicans are unlikely to get a Supreme Court vacancy this year. They're privately prepared for one, just in case. — A Democratic midterm triumph would carry massive implications …
Liberty Street Economics:
How Fast Do Tariffs Pass Through into Consumer Prices? — Mary Amiti, Sebastian Heise, and David E. Weinstein — There has been a lot of interest in how tariffs affect consumer prices (for example, Cavallo et al. 2021, 2025). In this post, we present results from our new research paper …
Discussion:
New York Times
Avery Lotz / Axios:
Raskin seeks to preserve Trump's D.C. “propaganda” in Smithsonian — Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) introduced legislation Wednesday that would direct the Smithsonian to preserve and display artifacts he said reflect the rise of “governmental propaganda” under President Trump.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner and Mediaite
