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.

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.

Congressional candidate is raped while repairing her campaign signs  —  Embarrassed, she initially didn't want to report attack.  Maricopa County Sheriff's Office's investigation is ongoing.  —  Add New Times  —  as a preferred source on Google  —  It was just after 2 a.m …

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 …

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 …

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.

Mamdani draws heat over Oct. 7 statement: ‘Cannot give Jewish New Yorkers even a single day to mourn’  —  New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has drawn backlash from several pro-Israel political pundits and officials in response to his statement on the third anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023 …

Hillary Clinton unveils first endorsement in House, Senate midterm races  —  Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday endorsed Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (D) in her bid for the Senate, marking the former first lady's first endorsement of a House or Senate candidate in 2026.

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.

Trump administration plans to charge international students $70,000 for work authorization  —  The US Department of Homeland Security has proposed that international students pay at least $70,000 in training fees if they want to work in the country, according to a government notice posted online on Wednesday …

Fox News at 30: Even the pretense of impartiality is all but gone  —  Fox News' role as a Republican propaganda machine is clear to anyone who has bothered to peruse its programming — President Donald Trump knows it, Fox co-founder Rupert Murdoch knows it, disgraced network co-founder Roger Ailes knew it …

Trump threatens to ‘terminate’ top campaign advisers after revelation of work for pro-Russia Bosnia party  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump threatened Wednesday to “terminate” two key advisers after they were revealed to have raked in “hundreds of thousands of dollars each” …

Wednesday Update: Camp Mar-a-David  —  It's Wednesday and we are just 4 weeks out from Election Day, though many states have already begun to vote.  —  Here's what we are tracking today:  — Trump's top campaign advisers took money from a pro-Putin government in Bosnia

Naked statue of Trump named ‘Orange Plague’ unveiled at European Parliament  —  The creator of the sculpture said it was a ‘satirical outcry’ against Trump's volatile climate and foreign policies  —  Become an Independent member to bookmark this article  —  Want to bookmark your favourite articles …

A Mysterious Nonprofit Run by SpaceXAI's Top Lawyer Is Paying the Salaries of Government Workers  —  The National Design Studio has been something of a successor agency to DOGE.  A WIRED investigation finds some of its members are on loan from a nonprofit run by SpaceXAI's general counsel.

Democrats push back on Trump administration's ‘brazen’ attempt to roll back education standards  —  They're calling on HHS Secretary Kennedy to stop proposed changes to Head Start.  —  Stock image of children at pre-school.  —  Democrats are urging Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr …

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.

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 …

FBI arrests man who allegedly planned to shoot up Mall of America in support of Islamic State group  —  https://www.youtube.com/live/ inZ8NY2Q4OE?si=SNYCv89ruHzjzPcV  —  Federal authorities have arrested a man accused of plotting a terrorist attack at Mall of America and pledging his allegiance to the Islamic State group.

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 …

Americans don't want taxpayer dollars funding campaign ads: poll  —  Nearly nine in 10 voters say using taxpayer money to pay for election-related ads featuring the president or Cabinet members is inappropriate, including 80% of Republicans, according to a recent Reuters-Ipsos poll.

No Emergency Exception: The Ban on Troops at the Polls Was Built for Crises  —  With the mid-term elections approaching, questions have arisen over whether the Trump administration might attempt to station federal troops at polling places.  As the Brennan Center and many others have pointed out …

Could Democrats Win the Texas Governor's Race?  The Party Is Starting to Spend There.  —  Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois and the Democratic Governors Association are each sending $1 million to back Gina Hinojosa in a bid for Texas governor that appears increasingly competitive.

Maryland voters skeptical of Democrats' redistricting amendment, polls show  —  Maryland Democrats scored a win last month when the state's Supreme Court allowed a constitutional amendment on redistricting to appear on the November ballot.  —  But the victory might be short-lived.

October 6, 2026  —  Judging from his social media posts, Trump is panicking.  —  Shortly after noon yesterday, he posted that it was “no longer the Strait of Hormuz” driving up gasoline prices, but Ukraine's strikes on Russia's refineries.  In fact, some oil tankers have indeed …

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 …

ICE came to town and left behind weakened economies … MINNEAPOLIS — Operation Metro Surge has been over for months.  The same can't be said for the crisis facing Daniel Hernandez's Colonial Market grocery stores.  —  After Hernandez's parking lot became a well-known hangout spot …