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October 5, 2026

74 posts · Monday

← October 4, 2026October 6, 2026 →

Just dropped · Trial Balloon · Ep. 191

Blue Wave Update

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Trial Balloon · Ep. 191: Blue Wave Update

Republicans Bind Their Senate Hopes to Sununu Dynasty

October 5, 2026 · 10:14 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“John E. Sununu was first elected to the Senate in the aftermath of the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks and was the chamber’s youngest member during his single term,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Nearly two decades later, the Republican from one of New Hampshire’s most durable political families is seeking a comeback that could act as a lifeline in the GOP’s quest to cling to its teetering Senate majority.”

“But to do so, Sununu will need to navigate a tightrope, creating enough distance from President Trump in a difficult political environment while still attracting Trump’s MAGA supporters. Polls show his opponent, Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas, with a slight edge in a state where Democrats have dominated federal offices for the past decade.”

2026 Campaign, Senate

Trump Approves Firing Squad Execution

October 5, 2026 · 10:11 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“President Donald Trump has approved the execution by firing squad of Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan for the 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas,” the Associated Press reports.

“The U.S. military has not carried out the death penalty since 1961.”

National Security, White House

Trump Says His Super PAC Will Pay for Pro-Trump Ads

October 5, 2026 · 8:53 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“President Trump said he plans to pay for controversial pro-Trump television ads using funds from his MAGA Inc. super PAC rather than the federal government, following lawmaker criticism that the spots might violate federal law and were an improper use of taxpayer money,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The advertisements, which predominantly feature the president and promote the administration’s policies, started airing on national television last month and were paid for by federal funds from the Department of Homeland Security.”

Mediaite: Trump relents on government-funded “patriotic ads,” says he’ll “pay for them myself.”

Campaign Finance, White House

Thune Says ‘No Clear Path Forward’ for Clock-Change Bill

October 5, 2026 · 8:53 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Monday there is no ‘consensus’ yet on advancing a bill establishing permanent daylight saving time even as President Donald Trump ramps up pressure on Republicans to pass it,” Politico reports.

Senate

Trump Uses Anti-Transgender Slur to Attack Democrat

October 5, 2026 · 8:51 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“President Donald Trump on Monday used an anti-transgender slur to attack Democratic South Carolina Senate nominee Dr. Annie Andrews, as he tries to push his handpicked GOP candidate, Sen. Darline Graham, over the finish line in the midterm election,” CNN reports.

Said Trump: “Annie ‘Trannie’ Andrews is running against our wonderful Darline Graham for the Senate in South Carolina.”

“He used a version of the slur three times in the post.”

2026 Campaign, Senate

Trump Says the New York Times ‘Will Be Forced to Close’

October 5, 2026 · 6:19 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“President Donald Trump offered an ominous prediction/threat on Monday, saying The New York Times is nearing the end of its existence,” Mediaite reports.

“The president went on a tear against the Gray Lady after it reported that the venue where he hosted a rally in Alabama on Friday ‘was not full.'”

Media Buzz

Democratic Super PACs Cut Ads in Key Races

October 5, 2026 · 6:10 pm ET · Leave a Comment

Two top Democratic super PACs are cutting nearly $2 million in ad reservations in battleground races, signaling confidence their candidates are on track to win, Punchbowl News reports.

2026 Campaign

Top House Republican Says Battleground Is Narrowing

October 5, 2026 · 5:35 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) is scaling back expectations and zeroing in on a narrowed battlefield as Republicans’ prospects of keeping their majority look increasingly bleak,” Axios reports.

“Emmer, a former National Republican Congressional Committee chair who helped the GOP unexpectedly gain seats in 2020, argues his party can still defy historical headwinds in November.”

“But with less than a month to go, Emmer acknowledges that some tough decisions are coming about where Republicans spend their money, including walking away from races they don’t think they can salvage.”

Mediaite: House Republicans in “triage mode” over feared blue wave.

2026 Campaign, House of Representatives

Trump Eyes Easing Access to Tax-Exempt Diesel

October 5, 2026 · 5:33 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“President Trump is reportedly poised to suspend restrictions on a type of diesel fuel that is currently exempt from taxes in a move intended to deliver temporary pricing relief,” Axios reports.

Energy

Abdul El-Sayed Maintains Lead in Michigan Senate Race

October 5, 2026 · 5:03 pm ET · Leave a Comment

A new CBS Detroit/Mitchell Research & Communications poll in Michigan finds Abdul El-Sayed (D) leading Mike Rogers (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 46% to 41%.

Michigan Senate Race
Abdul El-Sayed (D) 46%
 
Mike Rogers (R) 41%
 
CBS Detroit/Mitchell Research & Communications poll · likely voters · ±3.8%

2026 Campaign

Alme Way Ahead in Three-Way Montana Senate Race

October 5, 2026 · 5:01 pm ET · Leave a Comment

A new NonStop Local/American Pulse Research and Polling poll in Montana finds Kurt Alme (R) leading Seth Bodnar (I) in the U.S. Senate race, 45% to 26%, with Alani Bankhead (D) at 19%.

Montana Senate Race
Kurt Alme (R) 45%
 
Seth Bodnar (I) 26%
 
Alani Bankhead (D) 19%
 
NonStop Local/American Pulse Research and Polling poll

2026 Campaign

Saudi Forces Launch Fight to Free Strait From Houthis

October 5, 2026 · 4:48 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“Saudi and Yemeni forces pressed a counteroffensive against Houthi fighters Monday, seeking to oust the rebels from the strategic port city of Mokha and ease the threat to energy exports though the narrow Bab al-Mandeb strait,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Bloomberg: Yemen says it’s retaken Mokha as battle for Bab El-Mandeb looms.

Foreign Affairs, National Security

Supreme Court Sounds Wary of Suits Against Oil Producers

October 5, 2026 · 4:28 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“The Supreme Court justices sounded wary Monday of state-by-state lawsuits that could impose huge damage verdicts on energy producers for the impact of global climate change,” the Los Angeles Times reports.

“Instead, several of them suggested these local and state claims may be blocked by the federal Clean Air Act.”

Washington Sun: Supreme Court wrestles with future of climate change cases.

Environment, Judiciary

Brazil Could Complete Trump’s Regional Map

October 5, 2026 · 4:21 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“Over the last 18 months, right-wing candidates in Latin America have won the last seven presidential elections. Now the region’s biggest nation might be weeks away,” the New York Times reports.

“On Sunday, Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of Brazil’s former hard-right president Jair Bolsonaro, received the most votes in the election’s first round, making him a strong favorite for the presidency when he faces off against President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva later this month.”

The Guardian: Trump wants control of the entire western hemisphere. Brazil might become his biggest prize.

Foreign Affairs, Foreign Elections

Threat of Drone Attack Prompted U.S. to Pull Bombers

October 5, 2026 · 4:16 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“The U.S. abruptly moved a dozen B-1 bomber aircraft from a U.K. military base on Sunday because of urgent concerns about a potentially complex drone attack ordered by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The planned attack was part of a multifaceted Iranian plot to target the aircraft and kill personnel at RAF Fairford, including American pilots.”

Foreign Affairs, National Security

Trump Approval Stuck at 32%

October 5, 2026 · 4:00 pm ET · Leave a Comment

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll finds President Donald Trump’s approval at 32%, while 65% disapprove.

Trump Approval
Approve 32%
 
Disapprove 65%
 
Reuters/Ipsos poll · adults

White House

Trump Explains Moving Long-Range Bombers From U.K.

October 5, 2026 · 3:58 pm ET · Leave a Comment

“President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States moved all of its long-range bombers out of the United Kingdom in response to ‘a threat,'” CNBC reports.

Said Trump: “Why would I leave them there? It costs very little money to move them.”

Foreign Affairs, National Security, White House

Using the Power of the Government to Win Elections

October 5, 2026 · 3:12 pm ET · Leave a Comment

Paul Rosenzweig: “The principle that government ought to be administered for the benefit of all citizens, not on behalf of one political party, lies at the core of America’s democratic enterprise. The Trump administration couldn’t care less: It appears to see the federal government not as something to steward on behalf of all Americans, but as an opportunity—a set of levers it can pull on to protect its reign.”

“America’s adherence to this principle of executive neutrality has never been perfect, but as a norm it has been honored more than breached.”

Democracy, White House

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Taegan Goddard

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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