Top Items:
Associated Press:
Vance says he's ‘disgusted’ by GOP pushback to Ramaswamy ad featuring Amy Acton's estranged mother — Vice President JD Vance said during a campaign visit to Ohio on Wednesday that he is “disgusted” by the Republican pushback against an ad by Vivek Ramaswamy that features the estranged mother …
Discussion:
NBC News, National Politics, Daily Kos, New York Magazine, FOX 26 Houston, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, National Review, The Washington Sun, The Guardian, twitchy.com, The Daily Wire, The Hill, Newsweek, Forbes, The Independent, WTOP News, Blaze Media, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Washington Examiner, NewsMax.com, Erick Erickson's Show Notes, Mediaite, CBS News and New York Times
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New York Times:
Vance Defends Ramaswamy's Ad as Backlash Threatens Ohio Campaign — The vice president backed an advertisement featuring Democrat Amy Acton's mother, who has been estranged from Dr. Acton since her stepfather was charged with child rape. — Vice President JD Vance on Wednesday defended …
Discussion:
WSYX, MS NOW, Straight Arrow, Deseret News, KIFI-TV, NewsMax.com, PolitiFact, The Hill, The Mahablog, Mediaite, Newsweek, Tangle and CBS News
Zachary Pleat / Media Matters for America:
Here are the right-wing media figures endorsing “despicable” ad from Ohio Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy — The ad features Democratic nominee Amy Acton's estranged mother, who defended her husband's reported sexual assault of Acton when she was a child
Discussion:
Cleveland 19 News, Associated Press, Vindicator, New York Post, Daily Mail, ABC News, Mediaite, Newsweek, NBC News, The Independent, The Hill, MeidasTouch, NewsNation, The Wrap, Washington Examiner, MS NOW, Mother Jones, Bloomberg, Forbes, The Message Box, Mercury News, The Bulwark and CBS News
Steph Whiteside / NewsNation:
Ramaswamy attack ad ‘backfiring’: GOP strategist
Ramaswamy attack ad ‘backfiring’: GOP strategist
Discussion:
Politico and Washington Post
New York Times:
U.S. and Israel Draw Up Plans for Renewed Strikes on Iran After Elections — Renewed hostilities might not be any more successful than the war's first phase, and President Trump has repeatedly canceled plans for a return to major combat. — The U.S. and Israeli militaries have developed specific plans …
Discussion:
Axios, The Hill, NewsMax.com, CBS News, VINnews and Lawyers, Guns & Money
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Drop Site News:
The War Tehran Believes Is Coming — Iran believes the U.S. and Israel may strike before the midterms. Top security official Gen. Mohsen Rezaei tells Drop Site Iran has new targets in its sights. … The U.S. and Israel are preparing to resume attacks on Iran, according to senior Iranian officials …
Discussion:
New York Post and Financial Times
Wall Street Journal:
Musk Ordered Starlink Slowdown That Blindsided Ukraine — The SpaceX founder authorized the move and has been discussing Ukraine with Trump, but the president has denied ordering the restrictions — WASHINGTON—Elon Musk ordered the slowdown of a military-grade version of Starlink relied on by Ukraine …
Discussion:
Forbes, Ars Technica, United States Department …, The Hill, Daily Kos, The Guardian, Bloomberg, twitchy.com, The Daily Wire, Vox, Stars & Stripes, Slate, Diplomatic,, Wonkette, Washington Examiner, The Editorial Board, Breitbart, Straight Arrow, Mediaite, New York Times and Ohio Capital Journal
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Kevin Breuninger / CNBC:
Trump denies ordering Starlink slowdown in Ukraine, says he doesn't know who did
Trump denies ordering Starlink slowdown in Ukraine, says he doesn't know who did
Discussion:
Mercury News, Reuters, The Hill and Forbes
Marc Caputo / Axios:
White House to Politico: Retract stories or face “consequences” — The White House counsel's office warned Politico in a Monday letter that it had 48 hours to retract or correct recent stories about alleged staff drama, or it would suffer unspecified consequences. — That deadline expires Thursday.
Discussion:
The Wrap and Mediaite, more at Mediagazer »
Fox News:
Fox News Poll: Texas Senate race galloping toward a photo finish — Texas hasn't gone blue in a statewide race in more than 30 years, but that streak could face a serious test this year. A new Fox News poll finds that while Texas likely voters favor Republicans retaining control …
Discussion:
NewsMax.com, New York Times and Marist Poll
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Politico:
US, allies warn of critical vulnerabilities in programming underlying 70% of the internet — The National Security Agency and cyber agencies in Europe, Australia, Canada, and elsewhere on Wednesday urged organizations to take their websites offline immediately after OpenAI tools found critical bugs …
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, The PHP Foundation, Wired, Axios, The Verge, Reuters, The Information, The Register, Wiz Blog, Associated Press, TechCrunch, Mashable, The Hill, Mother Jones, The Atlantic, KIFI-TV, abc7NY, Blaze Media, Gizmodo, NewsMax.com, Cloudflare, Forbes, Krebs on Security, Yle News, OpenAI, Insurance Journal and CBS News, more at Techmeme »
Axios:
Scoop: Senate Republicans fear Mississippi is in play — Senate Republicans are weighing three last-ditch spending moves that would have been unimaginable six months ago: a cash infusion for Mississippi and even more money for South Carolina and Kansas. … But panic is spreading through the Republican Party.
Discussion:
The Washington Sun and NewsMax.com
Josephine Walker / Axios:
Democrats sue Trump over alleged voter intimidation campaign — Democratic groups sued the Trump administration Tuesday, accusing it of using unfounded voter fraud claims to muscle its way into how states run elections. … - They're asking a judge to declare the administration's actions unlawful and block further interference.
Discussion:
ABC News, Washington Examiner, NewsMax.com and New Republic
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Yunior Rivas / Democracy Docket:
Report: Trump DOJ considers suing more states to control ballot counting, before or after the midterms
Discussion:
NBC News, The Hill, The Gateway Pundit and Talking Points Memo
Julianne McShane / MS NOW:
Democrats sue Trump for ‘intimidating’ state election officials
Democrats sue Trump for ‘intimidating’ state election officials
Discussion:
CBS News, Washington Post, Newsweek, New York Times and Bloomberg
Violet Jira / Washington Post:
Trump's special envoy calls Vladimir Putin a ‘humanitarian’ — Steve Witkoff praised the Russian president after Russia released a U.S. citizen from detainment. — Loading... Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy for peace missions, called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “humanitarian” …
RELATED:
Peter Baker / New York Times:
In Trump's World of International Diplomacy, Insults Are a One-Way Street
Discussion:
Foreign Policy and Axios
Luke Fountain / CNBC:
AIPAC retreats from candidate endorsements and direct giving as political backlash grows … The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, better known as AIPAC, plans to stop endorsing candidates, making direct PAC contributions and earmarking contributions to candidates.
Discussion:
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
RELATED:
Jenna Monnin / The Washington Sun:
AIPAC Will Stop Endorsing Candidates, Focus on Super PAC Spending
AIPAC Will Stop Endorsing Candidates, Focus on Super PAC Spending
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Jewish Insider, NPR, New York Times, VINnews, NBC News, Washington Examiner and Mediaite
Bloomberg:
Meta Moves to Keep Zuckerberg in California Amid Wealth Tax Risk — Meta Platforms Inc. is taking no chances that Mark Zuckerberg ends up living far away from the company he co-founded. — After Zuckerberg warned that a proposed California wealth tax could push him to leave the state …
Discussion:
Fortune, The Information, Wired, New York Post and Politico, more at Techmeme »
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New York Times:
Abdul El-Sayed Confronts Attacks on His Faith and Family Ties — In the final weeks of Michigan's Senate race, the Democratic nominee finds himself facing both ugly attacks and pointed questions about family members. He has pushed back forcefully. — In the final weeks …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, NBC News, The Hill, Fox News, The Daily Wire, Jewish Insider, Semafor, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Townhall, New Republic, Bloomberg and The Guardian
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Luke Broadwater / New York Times:
Trump Says He'll Decide Who Gets Rewards From New Whistle-Blower Program — President Trump's announcement raised concerns that he would use the program seeking information on fraud for political purposes. — President Trump this week announced a new $25 million whistle-blower incentive program …
Bloomberg:
NYC Politician Lander Detained by Israel During Olive Harvest — Israeli forces briefly detained Brad Lander, a Democratic candidate for Congress from New York, as he and a group of rabbis and other volunteers took part in a West Bank olive harvest with Palestinian farmers.
Discussion:
NBC News, New York Times, NPR, abc7NY, New York Post, Jerusalem Post, The Gateway Pundit, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, NewsMax.com, MS NOW, Military.com, The Washington Sun, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Washington Examiner, The Guardian, The Independent, VINnews, Fox News, The Hill, Mediaite and New Republic
Maggie Miller / Politico:
Russia launched covert influence campaign to undermine US candidates supportive of Ukraine, lawmakers say — The Russian government has launched a covert online influence campaign to sway public opinion and undermine both Democrats and Republicans sympathetic to Ukraine ahead of the midterms …
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Eric McDaniel / NPR:
Top 2 Democrats on Intel say they're preparing for Trump to claim foreign meddling
Top 2 Democrats on Intel say they're preparing for Trump to claim foreign meddling
Discussion:
The Guardian and Al Jazeera
New York Times:
Meta Ordered to Pay $25 Billion for Deceiving Users on Privacy — The penalty, one of the largest levied against the tech giant, stemmed from a lawsuit by New Mexico claiming the social media company had misled users about their data privacy. — A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion …
Discussion:
Axios, Reuters, Associated Press, Wall Street Journal, Gizmodo, Source New Mexico, The Daily Wire, The Japan Times, The Washington Free Beacon, CNBC, Deadline, WTOP News, The Information, The Verge, The Gateway Pundit, Variety, KIFI-TV, The Wrap, TechCrunch, Courthouse News Service, CBS News, TheDesk.net, Straight Arrow, Mashable, Newsweek, Los Angeles Times, MS NOW, Deseret News, Washington Examiner, Fox Business, Mediaite and Politico, more at Techmeme »
Reuters:
US preparing to issue ordered departure of some personnel from Gulf embassies, say US officials — The US State Department is preparing to issue an ordered departure of some personnel and family members from US embassies across the Gulf region, three US officials said on Wednesday.
RELATED:
Morgan Phillips / Fox News:
US pulls personnel from Saudi Arabia as kingdom comes under Houthi fire
US pulls personnel from Saudi Arabia as kingdom comes under Houthi fire
Discussion:
Bloomberg, The Hill, The Japan Times and Reuters
Calder McHugh / Politico:
Peter Thiel breaks with Trump over Iran war: ‘We should not have done it’ — Billionaire technology investor Peter Thiel said he's skeptical of the U.S. war with Iran and does not believe the United States should have launched it, putting the major Republican donor at odds with President Donald Trump …
Discussion:
NewsMax.com
Robert E. Rubin / New York Times:
In Six Decades of Public Life, I Never Thought I Would Write This Piece — The economy has been voters' top issue in four of the six midterm elections this century — and 2026 appears all but certain to make it five of seven. Beyond the cost of living, the war in Iran and tariffs …
Discussion:
Mediaite, DeLong's Grasping … and The Guardian
Mississippi Today:
Trump rallying in Mississippi on Monday to support Hyde-Smith — Audio articles are automated for accessibility. Humans wrote and edited the story; however, this audio has not been reviewed for accuracy and may contain errors. Read more about how we use AI to increase access to our reporting.
Discussion:
CNN and Magnolia Tribune
US Department of Justice:
Six Charged in Large Scale Marriage Fraud Ring — For Immediate Release — U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts — For over a decade, alleged leader earned millions, arranging sham marriages between illegal aliens and U.S. citizens in Massachusetts; defendant bragged about Massachusetts being a “sanctuary”
Discussion:
Breitbart, The Gateway Pundit, RedState, Washington Examiner, The Post Millennial, Legal Insurrection and Fox News
Vox:
This Democrat's accountability plan has Trump fuming — The 2026 midterms are less than two weeks away, which means we'll soon have a better idea of what the next two years of American politics could look like. If Democrats win at least one chamber of Congress — and they're comfortable favorites …
Mona Charen / The Bulwark:
The Real Lessons of the French Riots — POLLS BEING WHAT THEY ARE, Republicans and their supporters must be feeling a bit like the condemned Frenchmen who rode to the guillotine during the Reign of Terror. It's fitting, then, that they are seizing on unrest in France as a desperate campaign gambit.
Discussion:
Agence France-Presse
Democracy Defenders Fund:
Big Win for Federal Workers: Federal Court Rules OPM Broke the Law by Handing DOGE Access to Sensitive Data — U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York rules OPM unlawfully disclosed records belonging to tens of millions of current, former, and prospective federal workers
Discussion:
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Alfred Ng / Politico:
Millions of Amazon settlement checks credit Trump ahead of the midterms — Millions of Americans are expected to receive a settlement check from Amazon credited to “President Trump's Federal Trade Commission” in an unprecedented move coming weeks before the midterm elections.
Ariana Baio / The Guardian:
Bush's brother crosses party lines to vote for James Talarico for Senate — Republican Neil Bush says he was ‘deeply troubled’ by Ken Paxton's conduct and ‘enormously impressed’ with Talarico — Neil Bush, a son of former president George HW Bush and a lifelong Republican …
Discussion:
The Hill, The Texas Tribune, The Washington Sun, CBS News, Breitbart, New York Times, The Independent and HuffPost
Associated Press:
Trump Props Up Graham in Last-Minute Push in South Carolina Senate Race — PENDLETON, S.C. — President Donald Trump traveled to South Carolina on Wednesday to boost U.S. Sen. Darline Graham, whose stumbles in her first campaign since replacing her late brother have Democratic voters hopeful …
Discussion:
New York Times, Washington Examiner, Bloomberg, The Guardian, National Politics, Al Jazeera, The Hill and Fox News
Abbie VanSickle / New York Times:
Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Allow Border Wall Construction — A lower court judge had halted the administration's plan to erect hundreds of miles of barriers in the Big Bend region of Texas. — The Trump administration on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to allow …
Max Fillion / Wall Street Journal:
The Trump Administration Wants More Tax Charges. It's Going to Be Tough. — The Justice Department has told its overworked fraud prosecutors to look for tax charges wherever they can, but law enforcement is already straining — The Trump administration wants to bulk up its antifraud push …
Discussion:
The Hill
Brennan Leach / NBC News:
Roger Marshall and Adam Hamilton face off in fiery final Kansas Senate debate — The Republican incumbent and his Democratic challenger participated in their second debate Wednesday night as a surprise battleground race heads toward the finish line. — Republican Sen. Roger Marshall …
Discussion:
Fox News, Washington Post, The Hill, Associated Press, The Washington Sun, New York Times, PolitiFact, NewsNation and CBS News

