“Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. falsely claimed on Monday that Arabs did not win major global awards and ‘don’t produce literature,’ remarks that came as President Trump and his allies step up anti-Muslim messaging in the final days of the midterms,” the New York Times reports.
Fox’s Trump Fatigue
Status: “According to Nielsen ratings obtained by Status in advance of their release, October 2026 will be Fox News’ lowest-rated month since December 2023, with the network averaging 1.1 million total day viewers. Among viewers in the advertiser-coveted 25-54 demographic, the picture is even worse. Fox News will post its lowest-rated month in that category in 25 years, averaging just 98,000 viewers in the 25-54 demo.”
”Those figures represent a steep 27% drop compared to last October in total viewers, and a 32% plunge in the 25-54 demo…”
”The Fox News ratings indicate that conservatives are tuning out ahead of the high-stakes elections. While television ratings are not a scientific measure of voter enthusiasm, the eye-popping decline in Fox News’ audience should be a flashing warning sign for Trump and his Republican allies as voters prepare to head to the polls. In comparison to Fox News, the progressive MS NOW is averaging 588,000 total day viewers, a 16% spike compared to last year, suggesting enthusiasm has shifted to the Democratic side of the aisle.”
Hasan Piker Hits Scott Jennings with Defamation Suit
“Leftist livestreamer Hasan Piker sued commentator Scott Jennings in federal court Tuesday, seeking more than $72 million in damages over allegations that Jennings falsely depicted him as advocating the lynching of Black Americans,” the Washington Sun reports.
The Wrap: Hasan Piker sues CNN’s Scott Jennings for defamation, citing “false” and “fabricated” livestream calling for racial violence.
Jon Stewart Makes Final Midterms Plea
“Election Day draws near, and Jon Stewart has one final plea for his ‘Weekly Show’ podcast listeners: ‘Please, please for the love of God, get out there and vote,'” The Wrap reports.
“But that plea came with some conditions on Tuesday.”
“‘I’d like to frame it as a, ‘However you’ll vote,’ but I don’t mean that,’ he said. ‘I mean it as, please send a message to this reckless s–tshow of an administration that enough is enough, that we have had it, that it is time for someone to step up and provide, I believe the framers referred to them as checks and balances, on this utterly imperious administration.'”
The Style Gulf Splitting the Democratic Party
“For Democrats, the midterms have been a test of which ideological wing of the party has more juice: the progressive left, which notched high-profile wins during the primaries, or the moderate middle,” the New York Times reports.
“But, as the general election draws near, there’s also a stylistic gulf emerging, most notably in the purple and red states that have become major Senate battlegrounds. And it poses another big question for the party.”
“Should a candidate thrill an audience and light the world on fire? Or is being a little bit boring actually a secret weapon?”
“What works in November could shape the way the Democratic Party thinks about 2028.”
The Most Racist Election Cycle in a Generation
Rolling Stone: “In 2010, a splinter group of far-right Republicans known as the Tea Party summoned a red wave of Republican voters in Barack Obama’s first midterm elections, capitalizing on the remnants of the global financial crisis and troop surges in Afghanistan to help the GOP win 63 seats in Congress. The Tea Party wanted to be known as fiscal conservatives, but their darkest power was abject, open fury that the United States had dared to elect a Black man as president.”
“But 2010 was not, somehow, the most racist election in recent memory. It’s the 2026 midterms, thanks to the invective spewed by the man in the White House and the worst dregs of his movement around the country. With a war in Iran, skyrocketing gas prices, rampant inflation, and a burgeoning housing crisis, the GOP has no claim to fiscal conservatism this election cycle. Instead, all they have is race.”
Murkowski Endorses Democrat for Alaska Governor
“Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has endorsed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins,” KTUU reports.
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U.S. Opens Door to Flávio Bolsonaro
“The State Department will issue visas to Brazilian Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro and his family to permit them to enter the U.S.,” The Hill reports.
“The move comes after reports that Bolsonaro had left Brazil and was bound for the U.S. following his runoff presidential election loss.”
Semafor: U.S. offers visa to Brazil’s Flávio Bolsonaro as he flees corruption charges.
FEC Outage Hits One Week Out From Election Day
“The Federal Election Commission is grappling with outages to its campaign finance filing and alert systems less than a week before the Nov. 3 general election,” the Washington Sun reports.
Graham Leads Andrews in U.S. Senate race for a full term
A new Citadel poll in South Carolina finds Darline Graham (R) leading Annie Andrews (D) in the U.S. Senate race for a full term, 43% to 39%.
South Carolina U.S. Senate race for a full term
Darline Graham (R) 43%
Annie Andrews (D) 39%
Prosecutors Fail to Indict Cassidy Hutchinson
“Justice Department prosecutors on Tuesday tried and failed to secure a grand jury indictment of former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson over her testimony about President Donald Trump’s role in the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot,” CNN reports.
Washington Sun: Grand jury refuses to indict ex-White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson.
Could Iowa Swing Back to Democrats in 2028?
“Before President Donald Trump won Iowa three times in a row, Democrats took the state in six of the seven presidential races between 2012 and 1988,” Semafor reports.
“Next week, Iowa Democrats are competitive in a Senate race, gubernatorial race, and three House races; if they win, Democrats think it might put Iowa back in the mix as a presidential swing state.”
Key Senate Democrats Set High Bar for Permitting Bill
“Four Senate Democrats are pressing Trump officials to begin restoring billions of dollars in clean energy grants before a key vote on the permitting deal,” Axios reports.
“The path for the bipartisan bill in the lame duck session just got steeper.”
The Next Campaign Begins in 8 Days
I joined Julie Mason this afternoon to discuss the final week of the 2026 midterms — and the opening moves of the 2028 presidential race.
Rock Legend Sues Trump Campaign for $10 Million
“Rock ’n’ roll legend Neil Young is suing President Donald Trump for $10 million after the president’s team played one of his songs at a recent rally,” the Washington Sun reports.
Democrats Get Ready for the Sore-Loser-in-Chief
Joe Perticone: “While it might feel to you as though this year’s midterm elections sneaked up on us, a handful of House Democrats have been preparing for this moment for years. One of the upshots of January 6th and the related attempts to disrupt the certification of Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential win was that congressional Democrats realized they could no longer count on American elections going smoothly.”
“As a result, there is now significant infrastructure to track and respond to election disputes as they arise. Democrats are just hoping that they’re not missing anything.”
Trump’s Midterm Giveaways
“President Trump has been teasing thousands of dollars in potential payments and rewards for Americans ahead of the midterms, with some promises tied to Republicans retaining control of Congress,” Axios reports.
“Trump is putting financial relief at the center of his election pitch as voters grapple with high prices. But some payments are already underway, while others remain unfunded proposals or require congressional approval.”
“Voters have doubts about whether Trump’s giveaway promises will come true.”
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Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
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