Top Items:
Francis Fukuyama / Persuasion:
The Spirit of Democracy Remains Strong — After the piece below had been drafted, news came in of a third development that was perhaps even more consequential than the two described, the victory of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, or Lula, in the second round of the Brazilian presidential election.
Discussion:
GZERO, BBC and New York Times
RELATED:
William Kristol / The Bulwark:
Trump's Rallies Have Become What He Covets: Ass — Eight days to go. Happy Monday. — Ass Clown — by Andrew Egger — In a weird way, it's almost sad to see. Donald Trump has spent a decade as the main character of our politics. He has managed to break and destabilize shockingly much in that time.
Discussion:
HuffPost
Associated Press:
Trump critic Lula wins reelection in Brazil, securing fourth presidential term — Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a vocal critic of U.S. President Donald Trump, was reelected Sunday in a result that provides relief to critics of widening U.S. influence in Latin America.
Discussion:
Truthout, HotAir, New Republic, BBC, GZERO, The Guardian, The Nation, Latin Times, Fox News, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Associated Press, New York Times, RedState, Human Events, Straight Arrow, Jacobin, The Spectator, NBC News, The Daily Wire, Deadline, Louder With Crowder, Axios, Reuters, Politico, Al Jazeera, The Kyiv Independent, Breitbart, The American Conservative, NPR, Courthouse News Service, NewsMax.com, CBS News, France 24 and CNN
Reuters:
Brazil heads back to the future as Flavio Bolsonaro refuses to recognize Lula win
Discussion:
Chatham House, BBC, New York Times, Human Events, France 24, NewsMax.com, Legal Insurrection, The Contrarian, CNBC, Metro.co.uk, Daily Mail and Al Jazeera
Avery Lotz / Axios:
Trump allies fall in two elections as Netanyahu faces next test
Trump allies fall in two elections as Netanyahu faces next test
Discussion:
Reuters, Associated Press and NewsMax.com
New York Times:
Lula Wins Brazil's Presidency, in Stunning Blow to Latin America's Right
Lula Wins Brazil's Presidency, in Stunning Blow to Latin America's Right
Discussion:
GZERO, Variety, MS NOW, Breitbart, The Contrarian, CNN, Atlantic Council, France 24, Reuters, Middle East Monitor, The Spectator, PinkNews, New Republic, Al Jazeera, Straight Arrow, The Hill, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Semafor, Washington Post, Liberal Currents, Bloomberg, Associated Press and Los Angeles Times
Manuela Tobias / Bloomberg:
Milei Is Lone South American Leader Yet to Recognize Lula's Win
Milei Is Lone South American Leader Yet to Recognize Lula's Win
Discussion:
The Hill and Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Lisa Rubin / MS NOW:
House Judiciary Democrats release 50-page report on Trump's alleged involvement in Epstein files — House Judiciary Committee Democrats on Monday released an unsigned staff report laying out what they call “the case against Donald Trump emerging in the Epstein Files and DOJ's desperate efforts to cover it up …
Discussion:
The Hill, Metro.co.uk, New Republic and NewsMax.com
RELATED:
House Committee on the Judiciary:
Judiciary Democrats' Report Details Mounting Evidence Linking Trump to Epstein's Criminal Activities and DOJ's Cover-Up; Specific Accounts Involving 11 Women Provide More Evidence of Potential Sex Crimes — DOJ and FBI Shut Down Investigations and Withheld Evidence While Claiming No Basis …
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Washington Examiner, Truthout and Mediaite
Philip Wang / Time:
New Details of Rape Allegation Against Trump Revealed in House Democrats' Epstein Report
NBC News:
House Democrats call on DOJ to name special counsel in Epstein case
House Democrats call on DOJ to name special counsel in Epstein case
Discussion:
The Parnas Perspective
Chris Marquette / Politico:
House Judiciary Democrats want a special counsel to investigate Trump's ties to Epstein
House Judiciary Democrats want a special counsel to investigate Trump's ties to Epstein
Discussion:
NewsMax.com
Nick Miroff / The Atlantic:
Losing the ‘Big-Ass Truck’ Vote — Along the highways and farm roads of the southern tip of Texas, the bright-red campaign signs for Eric Flores are impossible to miss. Flores, the Republican candidate for the state's Thirty-Fourth Congressional District, has Ken-doll looks …
Discussion:
Texas Monthly
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New York Times:
The Midterms Are Next Week. Here's Who We Think Will Win. — By New York Times Opinion Contributors Oct. 25, 2026 — In July and again in September, Times Opinion asked six polling and politics experts to look into their crystal balls and predict who would win control of the House and the Senate.
Discussion:
Media Matters for America and The UnPopulist
Greg Sargent / New Republic:
Trump's Vile Persecution of Ilhan Omar Is About to Run Into a Wall — Donald Trump's criminal investigation into Representative Ilhan Omar—which is aimed at stripping her citizenship—is far more than just another attack on a vocal critic. As many have noted, this denaturalization push …
Discussion:
Breitbart
Ron Dicker / HuffPost:
Pete Hegseth Reportedly Angling For Blackburn's Senate Seat To Avoid Impeachment — The defense secretary might try an intriguing escape route, according to Puck. — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is “angling” for Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) to appoint him to her Senate seat …
RELATED:
Ellen Mitchell / The Hill:
Massie says he'll move to impeach Hegseth if he's not gone after midterms
Puck:
Hegseth's Senate Exit Option & A G.O.P. Money Pit
Hegseth's Senate Exit Option & A G.O.P. Money Pit
Discussion:
The Independent, Daily Kos, New Republic and Mediaite
Casey He / Politico:
Jeffries edges closer to Hegseth impeachment as he eyes the gavel
Jeffries edges closer to Hegseth impeachment as he eyes the gavel
Discussion:
NewsMax.com and The Hill
Erica Orden / Politico:
Trump admin illegally fired Maurene Comey, judge rules — A judge ruled Monday that the Trump administration broke the law when it fired Maurene Comey from her job as a federal prosecutor last year — sharply curbing the administration's attempt to advance a “sweeping theory” of executive power.
Discussion:
The Washington Sun, The Daily Caller, Associated Press, New Republic and The Independent
RELATED:
CNBC:
Trump DOJ unlawfully fired Epstein prosecutor Maurene Comey, judge rules … A federal judge on Monday said that the Department of Justice's firing of federal prosecutor Maurene Comey was unlawful. — The judge ordered that Comey, who is the daughter of former FBI director James Comey …
Discussion:
Fox News, MS NOW, Legal Insurrection and CBS News
Kathryn Watson / CBS News:
As Trump brags about U.S. oil and gas company profits, his stocks gained millions during Iran war — Washington — As President Trump boasts about how much money the U.S. oil and gas industry is making from the war with Iran, the president's personal holdings in oil and gas …
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, CNN, New Republic and Wall Street Journal
RELATED:
Wyatte Grantham-Philips / Associated Press:
In his own words: Trump on gas prices and energy costs since launching the war with Iran — Since launching the war with Iran nearly eight months ago, U.S. President Donald Trump has struggled to quell soaring energy costs, undermining Republicans' attempt to keep control of Congress in the midterm elections next week.
Steve Vladeck / One First:
259. DOJ's Preemptive Election Interference — Two new lawsuits by the Trump administration—in California and Alaska—are almost certain losers. But it'll be hard to remedy the further distrust in election results that they seem intended to sow. — Welcome back to “One First,” …
Politico:
Spurned by Trump, these outgoing Republicans aren't helping their potential successors — Republicans spurned by President Donald Trump aren't interested in rescuing their would-be replacements. — Instead, a growing number of retiring or ousted GOP incumbents from Nevada to North Carolina …
RELATED:
Calen Razor / Politico:
Sanders could soon get a Senate bully pulpit
Washington Post:
Powerful executives cozied up to Trump. Now they fear a reckoning. … Cooper Teboe's phone won't stop ringing. As Democrats gain ground ahead of the midterms, defense and tech firms have flooded the Silicon Valley-based Democratic strategist with calls.
Discussion:
Bloomberg
Maria Curi / Axios:
Anthropic to investors: Trump hates us so much — Anthropic is warning investors that it may continue to be a target of the Trump administration as it seeks one of the biggest IPOs in history — and that it has no plans of changing its behavior. … Anthropic outlines the risk of being …
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Verge, CNN, Politico, Washington Examiner, TechCrunch, Forbes, CBS News and The Hill, more at Techmeme »
RELATED:
Maria Curi / Axios:
Scoop: FTC demands Anthropic execs testify in probe
Scoop: FTC demands Anthropic execs testify in probe
Discussion:
Blaze Media and The San Francisco Standard, more at Techmeme »
Chris Lehmann / The Nation:
Donald Trump Is Bad at Politics — The president's flailing midterms campaign underscores a truth we should be acknowledging more often: he kind of sucks at this. — Pocket — President Donald Trump rounded off a hectic stretch of midterm barnstorming last week with an appearance in Sioux City, Iowa.
Dell Cameron / Wired:
The US Government Is Hiding a Secret Court Ruling About How It Spies on Americans — Two US senators say the Trump administration is breaking the law by withholding the FISA court decision while it presses Congress to renew America's most sweeping surveillance program.
US Department of Justice:
Justice Department Announces Charges Involving 48 Aliens for Election-Related Crimes — For Immediate Release — Today, the Justice Department announced charges involving 48 aliens in Pennsylvania, California, Florida, New York, and Nevada in connection with illegal voting, fraudulent voter registration, and related election crimes.
Discussion:
American Greatness, The Daily Wire, Washington Examiner, NewsMax.com and RedState
RELATED:
Steph Whiteside / NewsNation:
Justice Department charges 48 people with election crimes
Justice Department charges 48 people with election crimes
Discussion:
Wake Up To Politics and National Review
Barak Ravid / Axios:
The anti-Bibi candidate who has Netanyahu on his heels — TEL AVIV, Israel — Gadi Eisenkot is as low-key as Benjamin Netanyahu is bombastic. He's a political novice up against the longest-serving, most politically savvy prime minister in Israel's history.
Discussion:
The Free Press, Legal Insurrection, France 24, The Daily Caller, Semafor, Time, Al Jazeera, CBS News and Fox News
New York Times:
Norway Pushes Back After Trump Disparages It Over Nobel Prize Decision — Norwegian officials emphasized that their country does not have any influence over who receives the Peace Prize, after President Trump used crude language to express his frustration. — President Trump …
Discussion:
Politico, NewsNation, Reuters, Forbes, Bloomberg, The Hill and New Republic
Jocelyn Timperley / BBC:
'It's offensively cheap': How solar power is quietly becoming bigger than nuclear — After defying projections, solar's dramatic growth means it is now overtaking nuclear as a global power source. Here are seven reasons for solar's success, and where it might go from here.
Discussion:
Blue Virginia
Donald Shaw / Sludge:
Musk-Linked Dark Money Network Funded the Group Behind Cornel West's Ballot Push — The nonprofit that helped get Cornel West on presidential ballots in 2024 received all of its funding that year through a conservative political network that has been bankrolled by Elon Musk, tax records reviewed by Sludge show.
Victoria Bekiempis / The Guardian:
Trump rallies for Mike Rogers - and Nicki Minaj's derriere - in Michigan — Trump again congratulated Ohio senator's rear end before his cheeky comment about rapper being ‘hard to miss’ — Donald Trump reiterated his apparent love for buxom bums during a rally in Michigan on Sunday …
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Rolling Stone, New York Times, Global News, PinkNews, TMZ.com, TheGrio, Conservative Brief, HuffPost, Bloomberg, Louder With Crowder, Mediaite, Fox News, Breitbart, NewsNation, New York Post, The Post Millennial, The Independent, The Daily Wire, PoliticusUSA, Washington Examiner, The Wrap, The Gateway Pundit, Al Jazeera, Daily Mail and WJBK-TV

