Top Items:
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:
MeidasTouch, Cleveland 19 News, The Downballot, CBS News, The Washington Sun, Mediaite, The Message Box, Scripps News, No More Mister Nice Blog, Forbes, The Hill, The Independent, The Daily Caller, Rolling Stone, Dr. Amy Acton for Governor, RedState, National Review, The Daily Wire, Washington Examiner, Crooks and Liars and The Guardian
RELATED:
Alex Isenstadt / Axios:
Exclusive: Ramaswamy doubles down on explosive ad featuring rival's mother, despite backlash — Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign for Ohio governor is pouring $4 million into a bombshell ad in which his opponent's estranged mother attacks her daughter — doubling down on the message despite fierce bipartisan backlash, Axios has learned.
Discussion:
Bloomberg, The Hill, MS NOW, Media Matters for America, PolitiFact, Mediaite, Mercury News, CNN, Newsweek, The Daily Caller, Zeteo, Liberal Currents, The Independent, The Daily Wire, The Rooster, LiveNOW from FOX, New Republic, Tangle, Washington Examiner, ActiVote, Eschaton, KEYT-TV, Dr. Amy Acton for Governor, KIFI-TV, NBC News, Grabien, Daily Kos, Washington Post, Breitbart, Marist Poll and NewsMax.com
Politico:
Republicans' mom burn messaging — With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco and Irie Sentner — Good Wednesday morning. Days after Bradley Whitford blew off steam in “The Diplomat's” White House swimming pool, a new round of renovation murmurs are brewing around the briefing room. Coincidence?
Discussion:
The Hill and New York Post
Jim Swift / The Bulwark:
How Low Can Vivek Go? — Trump and his cronies keep using slurs like they're going out of style—which, to be fair, they are.
Discussion:
NBC News, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Hill, Mediaite and MS NOW
Associated Press:
Vance says he's ‘disgusted’ by GOP pushback to Ramaswamy ad featuring Amy Acton's estranged mother
Vance says he's ‘disgusted’ by GOP pushback to Ramaswamy ad featuring Amy Acton's estranged mother
Discussion:
Politico, Washington Examiner, National Review, twitchy.com, National Politics and The Hill
Julie Carr Smyth / Associated Press:
Democrat in Ohio governor's race pushes back against unattributed ad featuring her estranged mother
Democrat in Ohio governor's race pushes back against unattributed ad featuring her estranged mother
Discussion:
Wonkette, The Hill, Forbes, Deseret News, Abortion, Every Day, The Status Kuo, The Independent, Nightcap, Adam Kinzinger, The Gateway Pundit, Mediaite, New York Post, CBS News, WOSU Public Media, Media Matters for America, WKMG, Ohio Capital Journal, Cleveland 19 News, The Wrap, MS NOW, Ace of Spades HQ, Blaze Media, Grabien, Slate, Yahoo News, ABC News, Newsweek and National Review
Nate Cohn / New York Times:
Democrats Have a Wide Lead in Our New Poll as Trump Slides — The map favors Republicans, but cracks in their base are leaving them vulnerable in defending House and Senate control. — The final New York Times/Siena University national poll of the 2026 midterm campaign finds Democrats leading nationally …
RELATED:
G. Elliott Morris / Strength In Numbers:
Poll: Democrats post their biggest generic-ballot lead yet, two weeks out — Democrats lead by 10 among registered voters and 12 among likely voters, both highs for our poll, as Trump sets new lows on immigration and border security … Just under two weeks before Election Day …
New York Times:
Trump Approval Hits New Low Two Weeks Before Midterms, Poll Finds — Likely voters favored Democratic candidates over Republicans by 11 percentage points in their congressional district, a New York Times/Siena poll found. — President Trump's approval rating hit a new low just a few weeks …
Discussion:
The Guardian, The Hill and Reason
New York Times:
Russia Releases American Who Was Jailed for 4 Years, State Media Reports — The move buys good will with President Trump while costing the Russian leader, Vladimir V. Putin, little. — Russia on Wednesday released an American man who was held for four years on what the State Department …
Discussion:
Associated Press, CBS News, TMZ.com, Mediaite, The Hill, Reuters, The Daily Caller, Newsweek, NewsMax.com, Fox News and Trump's Truth
RELATED:
Paul Dallison / Politico:
Witkoff to Putin: ‘You are a humanitarian ... I salute that’
Discussion:
Associated Press, New York Post, The Parnas Perspective, KIFI-TV, Reuters, Mediaite and Politico
Kathryn Watson / CBS News:
Witkoff faces backlash for calling Putin a “humanitarian”: “Embarrassing and outrageous”
Witkoff faces backlash for calling Putin a “humanitarian”: “Embarrassing and outrageous”
Discussion:
Rolling Stone, MS NOW, Mediaite, The Hill, Notes from the Circus, National Review, The Kyiv Independent, Straight Arrow and New Republic
James Romoser / Wall Street Journal:
Supreme Court Maintains Access to Transgender Medical Care in Federal Prisons — Court blocks the Trump administration from banning hormone treatment and gender-related accommodations for federal inmates — WASHINGTON—The Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that the Trump administration …
Discussion:
NBC News, CBS News, NPR, New York Post, Washington Examiner, New York Times, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Columbian and Slate
RELATED:
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 …
Kyle Cheney / Politico:
The House GOP's imminent decision on the Omar raid — House Republicans have publicly cheered on the Trump administration's investigation of Rep. Ilhan Omar. But underneath the posturing, the raid raises thorny nonpartisan questions about how aggressively Congress wants to defend itself from encroaching federal prosecutors.
Discussion:
New York Post
RELATED:
Jamelle Bouie / New York Times:
The Hunting of Ilhan Omar
Mary Radcliffe / FiftyPlusOne:
FiftyPlusOne just caught a pollster faking data — and they copped to it — On Tuesday, Oct. 20, FiftyPlusOne reached out to Wedgewood Polls, a self-professed polling firm, with a request for comment on an investigation we had conducted into their alleged survey research.
RELATED:
Claire Carter / Washington Examiner:
Where false polling from Wedgewood might have misled campaigns
Where false polling from Wedgewood might have misled campaigns
Discussion:
Fox News, Newsweek, Newsbusters and Breitbart
Michelle Del Rey / The Washington Sun:
George W. Bush's Brother Backs Talarico and Bashes Ken Paxton — Neil Bush, the brother of former President George W. Bush, said this week that he voted for James Talarico, breaking with his family's Republican political dynasty. — Bush, the fourth of former President George H. W. Bush …
Discussion:
San Antonio Current, Mediaite, Houston Public Media and Fox News
RELATED:
Ford McCracken / The Hill:
Neil Bush, brother of George W. Bush, says he voted for Talarico
Discussion:
The Guardian, The Independent and HuffPost
Caroline Linton / CBS News:
George W. Bush's brother Neil Bush says he voted for James Talarico in Texas Senate race
George W. Bush's brother Neil Bush says he voted for James Talarico in Texas Senate race
Discussion:
Breitbart, FOX 26 Houston, Daily Mail, Washington Examiner and The Hill
The Washington Sun:
How Rough Is It for Republicans? Look at This North Carolina District. — North Carolina's 11th Congressional District sits in a rural and conservative region of the state, has been held by a Republican for more than a decade and backed Donald Trump by a nearly double-digit margin in 2024.
Discussion:
Washington Examiner and Reuters
RELATED:
Madeleine May / CBS News:
Federal agents knock on doors to track down possible noncitizen voters ahead of midterms — Armed and in uniform, federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security have been knocking on doors in several states to ask residents about their immigration status — and to inquire …
Jason Schreier / Bloomberg:
Electronic Arts to Shed 400 Jobs, Shut Down BioWare to Cut Costs — The next ‘Mass Effect’ will be canceled as part of the layoffs — Electronic Arts Inc. said it will lay off staff and shut down BioWare, the long-running development studio behind roleplaying games such as Dragon Age and Mass Effect.
Discussion:
The Verge, Variety and CityNews Edmonton, more at Techmeme »
CNN:
Pentagon grants DHS permission to test heat ray weapon for potential use at border — Federal agencies US military Pete Hegseth National security — The Pentagon has given the Department of Homeland Security permission to test a military-grade heat ray and develop tactics to potentially use …
Discussion:
WTOP News
Tyler Pager / New York Times:
A Billionaire Wanted a Trump Pardon. His Family Gave Alina Habba a $50 Million Deal. — A Billionaire Wanted a Pardon. His Family Gave Alina Habba a $50 Million Deal. — A prominent Venezuelan was seeking clemency. He got it not long after his daughter gave Ms. Habba, a lawyer close to President Trump, a lucrative job.
John McCormick / Wall Street Journal:
Minnesota's Democratic U.S. Senate Nominee Inflated Academic Record — Peggy Flanagan said she ‘graduated Phi Beta Kappa,’ but records raise questions about claim — Peggy Flanagan said she “graduated Phi Beta Kappa” while arguing a decade ago for legislation to encourage greater teacher diversity in Minnesota's public schools.
Discussion:
Townhall, The Daily Wire, NewsMax.com, RedState and Mediaite
Emma Graham-Harrison / The Guardian:
Israeli military detains US politician Brad Lander and rabbis at olive harvest — About 80 US, Israeli and British volunteers held near Nahalin in West Bank and taken to police station — The Israeli military has detained about 80 US, Israeli and British volunteers helping Palestinians …
Andrew Feinberg / The Independent:
Trump lost control and ordered me to be ‘quiet’ in the Oval Office. Then it got personal — What was supposed to be an announcement on fraud quickly devolved into Trump vs The Independent. Andrew Feinberg details how it all happened in the Oval Office — Leer en Español
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, Daily Kos, Wonkette, Blaze Media, American Greatness, HuffPost, The Wrap, Daily Mail, The Gateway Pundit, MPR News, The Hill, Breitbart, CBS News, Rolling Stone, Mediaite, Forbes, Legal Insurrection, VINnews, The Guardian, RedState, Newsweek, New York Post, MS NOW, One America News Network, Ace of Spades HQ, Associated Press, Washington Examiner and Fox News, more at Mediagazer »
Washington Post:
How ex-cops gained access to a massive surveillance network … When Andrae Wright left his job as an investigator at the Effingham County Sheriff's Office in 2021, he handed in his gun and badge. But he kept something powerful: his log-in credentials for Flock, a police tool he used to search …
Discussion:
NewsMax.com
Politico:
Scalise heads to Florida to boost several GOP candidates — House Majority Leader Steve Scalise is heading to Florida to boost a raft of Republicans as the House GOP campaign arm launches new spending across the ruby-red state. Republicans are working to ensure they prevail in a series …
Discussion:
NewsMax.com and Wall Street Journal
Dan Mangan / CNBC:
New Mexico AG lawsuit accuses Epstein's attorney and accountant of facilitating sex trafficking … New Mexico's attorney general on Wednesday filed a lawsuit accusing Jeffrey Epstein's long-time personal lawyer and accountant of facilitating Epstein's sex trafficking operation.
Discussion:
Associated Press, KIFI-TV, The Independent and Mediaite
Whitney Curry Wimbish / American Prospect:
ICE Profiteers Trying To Buy the Senate for Republicans — Read the top story of the day in your inbox. Sign up for the Daily Prospect newsletter here. — Only three months had passed since Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero was killed by a federal immigration agent in Maine …
City of Toledo:
Hazardous Materials Evacuation and Shelter-in-Place Orders in Effect for North Toledo — What happened? — At 10:48 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 20, Toledo Fire & Rescue ordered everyone within a 1-mile radius of 1266 Progress Ave (MC Tank Terminal) to evacuate. because of a hazardous materials release.
Discussion:
RedState, The Gateway Pundit, CBS News, Washington Examiner and The Hill
MS NOW:
Trump is the ‘principal enemy of the U.S.’ for helping Russia, veteran foreign analyst says — Lawrence: Trump and Hegseth ‘not telling how much damage there really was’ by Iran war to Navy base — Trump desperate to save ‘yes man’ senator in Kansas, says Democratic Senate candidate
Barak Ravid / Axios:
Israeli military conducts massive “power projection” operation near Iran's border — Dozens of Israeli Air Force fighter jets conducted a sortie on Monday, flying as far as the Iranian border, according to Israeli and U.S. officials. … The sortie wasn't connected to Hegseth's visit.
Jeff Green / Bloomberg:
Trump Voters Who Listen to Joe Rogan Take a Page From The Matrix for Midterms — Frustrated by the war in Iran and rising costs, the coalition of young men courted by the GOP is poised to sit out the midterms — “I've checked out.” — That's how Dallas Cruze sums up his political journey …
The Hill:
Watch live: Trump hosts roundtable on protecting Americans from cybercrime — President Trump is set to host a roundtable on Wednesday afternoon focused on protecting American families and seniors from cybercrime. — “President Trump is unleashing every available tool …
Discussion:
Townhall, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Examiner and CoinDesk

