memeorandum: The corruption election: Democrats link Trump's wealth to voters' economic pain (Cat Zakrzewski/Washington Post)

7:15 AM ET, November 1, 2026

Top Items:

Anna Griffin / New York Times:

Democrats File Suit Over Closed Polling Places in Rural Alaska — Voting sites in 18 far-flung communities failed to open, the suit claims. — As a Justice Department lawsuit challenging the presence of two U.S. Senate candidates named Dan Sullivan on the Alaska ballot plays out …

Amy Sherman / PBS NewsHour:

When will we know 2026 midterm election results? It may take some time, but that's normal — If you go to bed on election night and don't know who won a midterm congressional race, that's normal. And if you wake up the next morning and find that a candidate who was behind hours earlier has since pulled ahead, that's normal, too.

Discussion: Tell Me How This Ends, The Gateway Pundit and The Washington Sun

Associated Press:

Attorneys for Alaska say ‘meritless’ Trump demand to set aside Senate ballots ‘not even possible’ — Alaska's Republican-run state government on Saturday urged a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed at President Donald Trump's direction to stop the certification of a possible Democratic win …

Discussion: NBC News, NewsMax.com, Political.org, Democracy Docket, The Alaska Current and Associated Press

New York Times:

A Midterm Campaign Dominated by Concerns Over High Prices Nears Its End — Across the country, many voters have drawn a straight line between President Trump's policies and inflation. — Financial concerns have been the most pressing issue for voters in four of the six previous midterm elections of this century.

Discussion: Fox News

Cat Zakrzewski / Washington Post:

The corruption election: Democrats link Trump's wealth to voters' economic pain — Candidates are painting the president and Republican incumbents as enriching themselves while ordinary Americans struggle to make ends meet. — SummaryLoading... Last year, a super PAC dedicated …

Discussion: New Yorker and New York Times

Sahil Kapur / NBC News:

2026 Democratic candidates throw Joe Biden under the bus on the border — From Senate to House races, in red and purple areas, Democrats are looking to make a clean break from Joe Biden's unpopular border enforcement policies in a bid to redefine the party.

Discussion: NewsMax.com and Al Jazeera

Bill Barrow / Associated Press:
Paxton and Talarico tussle for Texas Senate seat. Trump to campaign virtually instead of in person

Discussion: NewsNation, Associated Press, Breitbart, WTOP News and Political.org

Julia Mueller / The Hill:
The 6 races that could decide Senate control

Discussion: Washington Post, Al Jazeera, Fox News and Political.org

Hans Nichols / Axios:
Your election night cheat sheet

Discussion: NPR and OutsideTheBeltway

Michelle Goldberg / New York Times:
Republicans Tried to Turn the Cheesecake Factory Against Democrats. It Flopped.

Discussion: DeLong's Grasping …

New York Times:

El-Sayed Doesn't Want Haley Stevens to Join Him at Sunday Event — Tensions have flared between Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic Senate nominee in Michigan, and his former primary rival. “I don't want any distractions,” Dr. El-Sayed said Saturday. — Dr. Abdul El-Sayed …

Discussion: The Guardian, Breitbart, The Hill, Reuters, The Washington Sun, Mediaite, Townhall, Political.org, Jewish Insider, Daily Mail, HotAir, Politico and NewsNation

Ben Johansen / Politico:
The last weekend of midterm campaigning begins

Discussion: Mediaite

Reid J. Epstein / New York Times:
Why Haley Stevens Can't Stop Talking About Abdul El-Sayed

Natasha Korecki / NBC News:

‘Sea change’: Early voting numbers show Hispanic turnout exploding in Texas — It's not yet clear who people are voting for. But Hispanic early voting turnout is up, including large numbers of people who haven't participated in recent elections. — Since July, the sign at the streetside memorial …

Discussion: CBS News

Katie Robertson / New York Times:

As Political Ad Spending Skyrockets, Broadcast TV Remains King — Even though marketers have increasingly shifted their dollars to other media, local stations are reaping a bonanza during these midterm elections. Nowhere is this is more evident than in Texas.

Tim Arango / New York Times:

Culture War Tensions Roil Beverly Hills School Board Race — Battles over Israel, antisemitism and race have shaken Beverly Hills in recent years and divided the formerly Democratic enclave. — Since the Covid-19 pandemic, school board elections around the country, once sleepy affairs …

Marina Dunbar / The Guardian:

Judge dismisses Trump lawsuit against Wall Street Journal over Epstein birthday letter — Ruling ‘with prejudice’ means US president may not amend or refile his lawsuit over his alleged birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein — A US judge dismissed Donald Trump's lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal …

Discussion: Associated Press, Straight Arrow, The Gateway Pundit, CBS News, MS NOW, New York Times, Deadline, The Independent, Mediaite and Politico, more at Mediagazer »

Ben Berkowitz / Axios:
Judge tosses Trump lawsuit against WSJ, Murdoch over Epstein story

Discussion: CNBC, Newsweek, Associated Press, The Parnas Perspective, MeidasTouch, The Wrap, Joe.My.God., Political.org and Variety

New York Times:

Gaffes and Men's Bodies: Analysis of Trump's Speeches at Age 80 — A Times review of the president's public speeches finds that he is more profane, more absolutist, longer-winded and less coherent than he was in 2016. — NEWS ANALYSIS — A Times review of the president's public speeches finds …

Kayla Guo / The Texas Tribune:

Ken Paxton appears to cancel final rally of his “Come and Take It” tour at the Alamo — Paxton's campaign initially said he would close his get-out-the-vote push at the landmark. Instead, his campaign schedule lists events in North Texas on the eve of Election Day. — TAKE OUR CONTENT — PLEASE!

Andrew Childers / Democracy Docket:

DHS Secretary Mullin claims 300,000 noncitizens under investigation for illegally voting — Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin claimed his department is investigating 300,000 cases of potential noncitizens voting, with 1,600 active investigations.

Discussion: NewsMax.com

Jacob Knutson / Democracy Docket:
Judge orders DOJ to stop threatening election officials

Discussion: ABC News, The Independent, The Daily Wire, Washington Post, Truthout, The Gateway Pundit, CBS News, Political.org, Fox News, Reuters, NewsNation, MS NOW, Politico, NBC News and Axios

Nicholas Riccardi / Associated Press:

More than 40% of names on DOJ list of alleged noncitizens not on California's voter rolls — More than 4 in 10 names flagged as possible noncitizen voters in California by the Trump administration cannot even be found on the state's voter rolls, according to a legal filing Saturday by an immigrant rights group.

Discussion: Political.org, Democracy Docket and Salon

Bloomberg:

German Protests Turn Violent as Activists Clash With Police — Mass demonstrations in Germany that passed largely peacefully on Saturday turned violent as night fell and rioters faced off against police in Frankfurt, Cologne, Hamburg and Berlin. — Authorities blocked off Frankfurt's main …

Discussion: Reuters, CBS News, Agence France-Presse, France 24 and Political.org

Tyler Pager / New York Times:

Trump Calls Former Lawyer's $50 Million Deal ‘Obnoxious and Outrageous’ — At a Halloween event in Florida, President Trump told reporters that Alina Habba Mildon's lucrative work for someone seeking a pardon was “not acceptable.” — President Trump on Saturday strongly criticized his former lawyer …

Discussion: Mediaite and Daily Kos

Laurie Perez / CBS News:

Video shows immigration agent detaining man in North Hollywood, pointing gun at bystander — Los Angeles leaders are speaking out after video captured the moments when what appeared to be a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent pointed a gun at a bystander as a different man was detained in North Hollywood on Friday.

Discussion: Los Angeles Times

U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Russia:

Security Alert: Threat to Tsaritsyno Museum Reserve in Moscow (October 31, 2026) — Security Alert: Threat to Tsaritsyno Museum Reserve in Moscow — Security Alert: Threat to Tsaritsyno Museum Reserve in Moscow (October 31, 2026) — The U.S. Embassy in Moscow is aware of a credible threat …

Discussion: The Independent, Legal Insurrection, Political.org, Human Events, Reuters and WAGA-TV