Top Items:
Wall Street Journal:
Putin Floats a Summit With Trump and Xi to Decide Ukraine's Fate — The Russian leader is trying to capitalize on warming ties with the president to unlock a favorable resolution to the war with Kyiv — Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed that he, President Trump …
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William Kristol / The Bulwark:
‘Happy Birthday, Vlad. Yours, Always.’ - DJT. — In Donald Trump's telling, he wins everywhere, from Florida to California, when the votes are counted properly, and his campaign rallies do nothing but juice the Republicans he deigns to share the stage with.
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars
Tom Nichols / The Atlantic:
America Is Now an Ally of Russia — Donald Trump has abandoned the Western order. — In the past week, the president of the United States has conclusively turned America into an ally of the Russian Federation. — Donald Trump has now abandoned pretense and is openly aiding the Kremlin …
Discussion:
Scripps News, Reuters, The Hill, The Independent, Kyiv Post, HuffPost, NewsMax.com and Mediaite
Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:
October 18, 2026 — Tonight Lingling Wei, Alex Leary, Thomas Grove, and Josh Dawsey …
October 18, 2026 — Tonight Lingling Wei, Alex Leary, Thomas Grove, and Josh Dawsey …
Discussion:
Reuters, NewsMax.com and Wall Street Journal
Constant Méheut / New York Times:
Zelensky Says Trump Risks ‘Historic Mistake’ If He Backs Russia
Discussion:
Straight Arrow, Bloomberg, Washington Examiner, NewsMax.com, The Guardian and Grabien
ProPublica:
This Cybersecurity Agency Is Supposed to Protect U.S. Elections. Officials Fear It's Been Compromised by Trump. — A few months into President Donald Trump's second term, political appointees at the Department of Homeland Security made an unusual request of its agency focused on cybersecurity …
Discussion:
Politico, more at Techmeme »
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Paul Blumenthal / HuffPost:
Donald Trump Is Learning That He Can't Steal This Election — All of the president's schemes have so far failed and his remaining tools are either illegal or implausible. — President Donald Trump's efforts to interfere with the 2026 elections have almost universally failed.
Discussion:
The Hill
Politico:
Republicans already know who they want to blame if they suffer big midterm losses — Republicans are already starting to blame each other as the midterm election spirals further out of their control. — Everyone is bracing for President Donald Trump's ire if the party loses big in November.
Discussion:
PoliticusUSA, Daily Mail and The Hill
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Shane Goldmacher / New York Times:
That Huge Republican Cash Edge? It's in Senate Races, Not House Races.
Discussion:
The Downballot and Deseret News
Michael Scherer / The Atlantic:
Democrats' Sudden Revulsion Toward Big Tech
Max Tani / Semafor:
How CBS News' Middle East war spread to the Upper Midwest — The News — Control of the US Senate for the next two years could come down to how much the news media chooses to focus in the final weeks of the midterms on a tweet sent years ago by the younger half-sister of Michigan's Democratic Senate candidate.
Discussion:
HotAir, Deadline, Variety, The Parnas Perspective, New Republic, Mediaite, twitchy.com, HuffPost, The Hill, Fox News, The Guardian and The Wrap, more at Mediagazer »
Zach Schonfeld / The Hill:
Judge refuses DOJ's demand to step aside from golf course hearing — A federal judge refused the Justice Department's (DOJ) demand to step aside from a key hearing on Monday over the future of East Potomac Park, which President Trump wants to renovate into a championship-style golf course.
Discussion:
New York Times, ABC News, CNN, Talking Points Memo, Yahoo News, Mediaite, The Gateway Pundit and New Republic
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Washington Post:
Residents bash Trump's high-end golf plans for East Potomac Park
Discussion:
New York Times, National Review, The Guardian, The Hill, NPR, Fox News, Washington Examiner, New York Post, Forbes, NewsNation, RedState, The Washington Sun, CBS News and Bloomberg
Steve Vladeck / One First:
258. DOJ and the East Potomac Golf Links
MS NOW:
France's prime minister calls for local curfews in cities to curb rioting — PARIS (AP) — French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu says he has instructed prefects to impose “very limited” and “localized” curfews in cities to prevent more rioting and looting, after this weekend's …
Discussion:
Politico, New York Post, Financial Times, France 24, Bloomberg, Associated Press and The Daily Caller
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Benoit Berthelot / Bloomberg:
France Toughens Protest Response as Officials Admit Failure
Discussion:
CBS News, Breitbart, Los Angeles Times, France 24, Business Insider, Semafor, Politico, NewsMax.com and Associated Press
Catherine Porter / New York Times:
France's Far Right Seizes the Moment as Rioting Stuns the Country
France's Far Right Seizes the Moment as Rioting Stuns the Country
Discussion:
Al Jazeera, Fortune, Blaze Media, Newsweek, Bloomberg and Breitbart
Paul Krugman:
Donald Trump is Politically Bankrupt. Be Very Afraid — What will he do when he has nothing left to lose? — According to CNN, all-out war with Iran may be about to resume: … Trump says that he won't order a strike before the midterms. But Robert Pape, author of the Substack Escalation Trap …
Discussion:
Lawyers, Guns & Money
University of Houston:
Texas Votes 2026 — Across the nation, voters, political analysts, campaign professionals and journalists are watching the outcome of the 2026 U.S. Senate race in Texas. Will Democrat James Talarico break the Republican stronghold on statewide positions in the Lone Star State?
Discussion:
The Hill, Political Wire, Los Angeles Times and CBS News
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J. David Goodman / New York Times:
Vital Early Voting Period Begins in Texas
Vital Early Voting Period Begins in Texas
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo
The Washington Sun:
Trump Aides Are Getting Ready to Penalize Defaulting Student Loan Borrowers — Trump administration officials are preparing to impose financial penalties on millions of Americans in default on their federal student loans next year, according to five sources familiar with the matter.
David Rothkopf / Need to Know:
So, as it Turns Out, America Lost the Cold War — Trump is America's Most Anti-Historical President...It's Why He's the Most Dangerous and Destructive — It is starting to feel like all the history we learned was wrong. — We were taught we won the Cold War.
Judd Legum / Popular Information:
Meta shuts down “No Kings” account during major anti-Trump protest — On Saturday, thousands of “No Kings” events were held around the country. It was a critical day for the anti-Trump protest group, which has attracted millions of participants since 2025.
Discussion:
The Guardian, The Independent and Lawyers, Guns & Money, more at Mediagazer »
Melissa Quinn / CBS News:
Supreme Court to decide legality of federal ban on distilling liquor at home — Washington — The Supreme Court on Monday said it will consider the constitutionality of a nearly 160-year-old federal ban on distilling liquor at home. — Arguments in the case, known as Department of Justice v. McNutt …
Discussion:
NBC News, Bloomberg, Washington Examiner, Associated Press, The Hill, KIFI-TV, Courthouse News Service and SCOTUSblog
Kendall Staton / The Washington Sun:
National Guard Member Shot Near Capitol Hill Neighborhood — A National Guard member was shot in the leg late Sunday night while attempting to break up a fight near Capitol Hill's Eastern Market neighborhood, interim Metropolitan Police Chief Jeffery Carroll said Monday.
Discussion:
The Hill, Washington Examiner, Stars & Stripes, One America News Network, The Daily Caller, RedState, abc7NY, The Post Millennial, WTTG-TV and Fox News
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Noah Berlatsky / Public Notice:
The weird rise and spectacular fall of Katie Zacharia — Public Notice is proudly celebrating 5 years of independent journalism. Our coverage is possible thanks for paid subscribers. Become one ⬇️ — ✅ Subscribe to PN ✅ — On October 9, Newsmax commentator …
Alasdair Pal / Reuters:
Australian lawmaker Helen Haines in critical condition after vehicle attack — Australian lawmaker Helen Haines was in a critical condition on Monday after being deliberately struck by a car outside her office in Wangaratta, northeast of Melbourne, police and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
Discussion:
ABC, Washington Examiner, Politico, Associated Press, KIFI-TV and Bloomberg
Marc Caputo / Axios:
Exclusive: Secret pay-for-play text rocks Trump White House … - “Once the money comes to the company here, I will arrange the donation to Kennedy Centre [sic], and you'll be joining the VIP events and get close with the administration, even with POTUS,” the May 3, 2025, text says.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo
Nate Cohn / New York Times:
Polls Show Democrats Ahead. Are They ‘Right’ This Time? — Polls are inherently imprecise, but they don't have a record of systematically overestimating Democrats in recent nonpresidential elections. — Are the midterm polls overestimating the Democrats? — It's hard not to wonder.
Discussion:
Politico, American Thinker, RedState and NBC News
Nia-Malika Henderson / Bloomberg:
Vance Went Off-Script. It Didn't Go Well — While stumping for the Republican ticket this year, Vice President JD Vance has gained a certain comfort with delivering speeches. He also shows fluency in scripted moments where he can anticipate questions and interactions.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Daily Caller News Foundation and CBS News
Nathan Taylor Pemberton / New York Times:
I Have Never Seen the Online Right So Happy — The online right has that old spring to its step. The infighting brought on by Donald Trump's chaotic second-term agenda has settled down and the anonymous accounts have been posting at a furious clip. What is the source of this newfound unity?
Mark Hertling / The Bulwark:
George Washington's Legacy of Religious Freedom Is Under Threat in the Military — ANYONE WHO HAS EVER BEEN A BOSS or had a boss knows that the influence of a superior extends far beyond explicit instructions. Subtle signs of expectations, priorities, values, and preferences can be just as important, if not more so.
Dan Alexander / Forbes:
Trump's Golf Empire Is A Billion-Dollar Tax Shelter — This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more. — For decades, the president has claimed charitable deductions on golf courses he never gave away. Now, facing one of the most significant tax bills of his life …
