Top Items:
Paul Krugman:
The Traitor in Chief — Trump and his allies hate America and what it stands for — Trump says Russia is being “fine” on Ukraine — Writing in the New York Times, David Sanger highlights the extent to which Donald Trump is going all out to support Vladimir Putin's war of aggression in Ukraine:
Discussion:
Phillips's Newsletter and The Kyiv Independent
RELATED:
Barak Ravid / Axios:
Trump isn't out to hurt Ukraine, Rubio tells Zelensky — Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a phone call Tuesday that President Trump hasn't issued any kind of order to harm Ukraine. … - The 45-minute call took place several hours ahead …
Discussion:
New York Post, Kyiv Post, The Kyiv Independent, Reuters, Bloomberg, CBS News, Washington Post and National Politics
Washington Post:
Trump administration holds up Patriot missiles for Ukraine — Delays in approving transfers from partner countries coincide with a worsening rupture between President Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky. — SummaryLoading... The Trump administration has not approved the transfer …
Discussion:
The Washington Sun, CBS News, Straight Arrow, Bloomberg, KFGO, The Kyiv Independent, The Guardian, France 24, HuffPost, NewsMax.com, Washington Examiner, The Editorial Board, CNN, Semafor and CNBC
Veronika Melkozerova / Politico:
Rubio insists the US isn't trying to hurt Ukraine — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the country had not changed its policy on sharing early warnings of Russian missile attacks with Ukraine and that the Pentagon was not deliberately withholding air defense missiles.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Reuters and The Kyiv Independent
David R. Lurie / Public Notice:
The plot against Ukraine (and Europe) — Public Notice is proudly celebrating 5 years of independent journalism. Our coverage is possible thanks for paid subscribers. Become one ⬇️ — 🌍 Subscribe to PN 🌍 — Donald Trump has never hidden his infatuation …
Discussion:
Bloomberg, Washington Examiner, The Guardian and Mediaite
David E. Sanger / New York Times:
Trump's Push for Deals With Russia Powers His Frustration With Ukraine
Discussion:
CNBC, The Washington Sun, The Atlantic, The Bulwark and Mediaite
Edward Luce / Financial Times:
Putin's American friends
Jason Wilson / The Guardian:
Michigan heckler the son of Republican adviser paid for ‘influencer marketing’ against El-Sayed — Timmy Teepell's firm paid $250,000 by America Next, which has been trying to gin up ‘organic’ opposition to El-Sayed — The man who attempted to ambush the Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed …
Discussion:
MS NOW, Wonkette, Daily Kos and New Republic, more at Mediagazer »
ProPublica:
How Trump's FBI Purge Saved Lindsey Graham and James Clyburn From a Bribery Investigation — On March 3, 2020, Sen. Lindsey Graham walked into a private dining room at Charlie Palmer Steak in Washington, D.C. Graham's time was expensive. He was meeting with two executives and a lobbyist …
Discussion:
Mediaite, The Hill and New Republic
Russell Contreras / Axios:
America's deep religious divide over empathy — White evangelical Protestants are the only major religious group in which a majority says empathy can become dangerous when it leads people away from a society guided by God's truth, according to a new survey.
RELATED:
Rob Gillies / Associated Press:
Alberta rejects a move toward independence from Canada in a victory for Carney — Voters in Canada's oil-rich Alberta province overwhelmingly backed remaining in Canada, with early referendum results Tuesday delivering a boost to Prime Minister Mark Carney's push for national unity amid U.S …
RELATED:
CBC News:
Alberta votes to stay in Canada, CBC News projects. Here's how the referendum is unfolding — Premier Smith to address Albertans Tuesday evening on where ‘province goes from here’ — The CBC's Loren McGinnis, Tara McCarthy and Angela Knight bring you live results and analysis on Alberta Morning.
Discussion:
The Guardian, Global News, CityNews Edmonton, The Gateway Pundit and Associated Press
Mickey Djuric / Politico:
Alberta delivers decisive vote to stay in Canada
Alberta delivers decisive vote to stay in Canada
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Al Jazeera, France 24, CityNews Edmonton, CNN, Newsweek, Associated Press, Reuters and NPR
Alex Roarty / The Washington Sun:
Trump Voters Are Souring on Trump, Says a New Survey — One-third of voters who supported President Donald Trump in 2024 think his presidency is going worse than expected, according to a new poll — a worrying sign for Republicans as they try to save the party's congressional majorities ahead of next month's election.
RELATED:
Alex Miller / Fox News:
Top Trump ally warns Republican Party ‘dead’ if it loses key voting bloc ahead of midterms
Discussion:
NewsMax.com and Los Angeles Times
Ryan Mancini / The Hill:
Trump approval at record-low 31 percent ahead of midterms: Survey
Trump approval at record-low 31 percent ahead of midterms: Survey
Discussion:
The Independent
Jason Lange / Reuters:
Trump approval falls to record low of 31% as midterms near, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds
Trump approval falls to record low of 31% as midterms near, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds
Discussion:
Democracy Docket, Mediaite, Axios, RealClearPolitics, Washington Examiner, Reuters and Newsweek
Sarah Manavis / Wired:
They Fled Trump's America. Now They Regret It — The internet told them Europe was a social paradise. Turns out the trains are awful, the health care isn't free, and people can be really mean. — In the autumn of 2024, Annie was ready for something new.
Politico:
Democrats have a message for Elon Musk: Watch out — Democrats are eyeing many targets as they make plans to probe corruption in and around President Donald Trump's administration should they win control of the House next month. — Few loom larger than Elon Musk.
Discussion:
The Bulwark and Talking Points Memo
RELATED:
Calen Razor / Politico:
Capitol agenda: Dem gavels are coming for Elon Musk
Mira Bhakta / The Hill:
Acton's estranged mother calls her a ‘liar’; Democrat calls Ramaswamy ‘despicable’ — Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton's (D) mother called her a “liar” in a new ad, as her brother labelled the video “a despicable low” on Tuesday ahead of the state's elections in November.
Discussion:
Breitbart, The Daily Wire, Blaze Media, The Gateway Pundit and Newsweek
RELATED:
D.J. Byrnes / The Rooster:
🚨Vivek Ramaswamy hits disgusting new low with ‘October Surprise’ on Dr. Acton
🚨Vivek Ramaswamy hits disgusting new low with ‘October Surprise’ on Dr. Acton
Discussion:
MeidasTouch and Mediaite
Kevin Draper / New York Times:
Trump Announces $8 Billion Plan to Cover Farm Losses — Under the Harvest Fuel Relief program, the Agriculture Department will provide economic aid for farmers hurt by high diesel prices. — President Trump said at a rally in Kansas Monday night that the Agriculture Department …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Wall Street Journal, CBS News, FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul, KIFI-TV, Fox News, Newsweek, The Hill, Toledo Blade and NewsMax.com
Charles Creitz / Fox News:
Bush family royalty backs Democrat in battle to flip Texas blue — The NBA executive gave $2,500 to Lone Star Rising PAC, choosing a transparent filing over an anonymous 501c4 — Texas Democratic Senate hopeful James Talarico got a big-name boost from a surprising corner of the Republican Party …
Noah Robertson / Washington Post:
U.S. officials privately advise states fearing Trump election meddling — Their private efforts have reached governors, election stewards and lawmakers from both parties who are increasingly alarmed that the administration may interfere in the midterms. — SummaryLoading...
Discussion:
The Independent, The Hill, HuffPost and Politico
RELATED:
Wall Street Journal:
Trump to Offer Up to $30,000 for Tips That Expose Government Fraud — The new $25 million antifraud program will be administered by the Justice Department — WASHINGTON—President Trump is planning to announce a new program on Tuesday that will pay people up to $30,000 for successful tips …
Joel Pollak / New York Post:
The Katie Zacharia I know — and what she told me about her five days of Washington hell — I asked Katie Zacharia how she is doing. It's been rough, she says, but she's holding her head high. — A week ago, she was preparing to face the press for the first time in the White House Briefing Room.
Discussion:
The Independent, Mediaite and New York Magazine
Megan Messerly / Politico:
Democrats target Oklahoma's deep-red governor's race — The Democratic Governors Association announced Tuesday it is investing half a million dollars to flip the governor's mansion in Oklahoma — a state the president won by 34 points in 2024. — The race between Republican former state …
Discussion:
NewsMax.com
New Republic:
Transcript: Trump Hits Brutal Poll Low—and MAGA Finger-Pointing Erupts — The following is a lightly edited transcript of the October 20 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:
MS NOW
Matt Gertz / Media Matters for America:
French riots are the new Hunter's laptop which was the new migrant caravan which was the new Ebola — On Monday, Fox covered the riots every hour from 5 a.m. to midnight — a total of more than 2 hours of airtime — Fox News appears to have settled on this cycle's October surprise …
Discussion:
New York Times
Hans Nichols / Axios:
Republicans see shrinking boost from redistricting — House Republicans are quietly scaling back hopes for the 10-seat boost they sought from redistricting nationwide, amid a souring political climate and polls showing a collapse in GOP support among Latino voters in Texas and Florida.
Discussion:
Washington Post and Democracy Docket
Politico:
Was eggflation foul play? — With help from Steve Folk and Cheyenne Haslett — Economists dismissed egg collusion as crankery and blamed bird flu for high prices for years. Then the feds found evidence that could prove the cranks right. — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr …
Emily Peck / Axios:
The deficit is getting real expensive to deal with — The U.S. budget deficit is ballooning, reaching $2 trillion this fiscal year, according to the latest figures. … - The deficit is being driven in part by the cost of servicing the nation's enormous debt at a time when interest rates are rising due …
Discussion:
Fortune, Fox Business, MS NOW, NewsMax.com and The Daily Hodl
Politico:
Two Dans, four choices, one big headache for GOP in Alaska Senate race — ANCHORAGE — Alaska Republicans have railed for years against ranked-choice voting. Now some worry it could cost them in a critical Senate race. — GOP Sen. Dan S. Sullivan is facing not only well-known former Democratic …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Advocate and NewsMax.com
Politico:
'They've awakened him': How a wealth tax fight made Brin a political force — Sergey Brin once called government a “giant bonfire of partisanship” and spent years on the political sidelines. But in recent months, the Google co-founder has emerged as a political force in California …
E.J. Dionne Jr / New York Times:
Could Mississippi Elect Its First Black Senator Since Reconstruction? — On a recent Sunday morning at the Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church in Natchez, Miss., a large sign facing the worshipers described the congregation's goal for 2026: “The Year of Re-Alignment.”
Jared Ochacher / CBS News:
With early race for 2028 fast approaching, 3 more Democrats slated to join summit to plot out future — Nine days after next month's midterm elections, three prominent Democrats who are widely believed to have presidential ambitions will join other potential 2028 party contenders in Denver to discuss the future of the party.
Max Rego / Associated Press:
Musk to give SpaceX share to every US child — Close — Thank you for signing up! — The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Business and Economy newsletter — — The Big Story — Musk promises SpaceX share for every American child
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit, Business Insider, 24/7 Wall St., Popular Information, Townhall, Axios, American Greatness, Semafor, CNBC, Washington Examiner, Deseret News, CNN, Daily Caller News Foundation, The Daily Wire, One America News Network, The Verge, Associated Press, Variety, Wall Street Journal, The Hill, TechCrunch, NewsMax.com, New York Times, Bloomberg and CBS News
Luke Nicastro / The American Conservative:
Is Europe Doomed? — Is Europe Doomed? — Shocking scenes out of France show a continent in crisis. — When France sneezes, it used to be said, all Europe catches cold. One need only consider the French Revolution, 1848's “Springtime of the Peoples,” or even the student protests …
Discussion:
France 24, Semafor, Reuters, Washington Examiner and Bloomberg

