“President Trump warned that the U.S. may join Saudi Arabia in its upcoming retaliatory attacks against the Houthis after the Iran-backed terror group carried out the deadliest attack on Riyadh and has threatened even more attacks on civilian enclaves,” the New York Post reports.
Daily Archives
October 11, 2026
55 posts · Sunday
Just dropped · Trial Balloon · Ep. 191
Blue Wave Update
Trial Balloon · Ep. 191: Blue Wave Update
Department of Fate
Coming soon: Department of Fate: The Promise, the Power, and the Collapse of America's Most Consequential Institution by Rachel Maddow.
A look at the history of the Justice Department.
Pre-order · Out November 10, 2026Department of Fate
The Promise, the Power, and the Collapse of America's Most Consequential Institution
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Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“I think you’ll see Bobby Kennedy impeached, I’ll think you see Pete Hegseth impeached. I think you’ll see subpoenas flying every day. They will look to destroy President Trump, and we’ll be bogged down for two years.”
— Steve Bannon, quoted by CBS News, on if Democrats take control of the House.
How John Fetterman Spends His Time
Philadelphia Inquirer: “An analysis of Fetterman’s record and public appearances by The Inquirer shows he has accomplished little legislatively while also doing less — in bills introduced, public appearances made, and committee hearings attended — as time has gone on.”
“He has attended just 16% of his own committee meetings in the last two years and had only 31 public appearances or publicized meetings in his home state in nearly four years.”
The Guardian: Trump urges John Fetterman to switch parties: “I’d love to see him as a Republican.”
GOP Goes Scorched-Earth On Abdul El-Sayed
The Bulwark: “Mike Rogers has been consistent about one thing: He won’t take on Trump directly. Whether talking about the ‘war’ with tariffs or the war with bombs, he won’t blame the president. And it’s no mystery why. Breaking with Trump is not something you can do in modern Republican politics.”
“That explains the precarious political position of Rogers and so many other Republicans, both here in Michigan and in the rest of the country as well. They can’t separate themselves from Trump without antagonizing him and his most rabid supporters. But if they don’t make a clean break from Trump, they are stuck leaving the impression that they support his policies or, maybe even worse, that they are afraid to confront him when they don’t.”
“Here in Michigan, Rogers’s solution has been to make the debate about El-Sayed—and then, to make El-Sayed seem as scary as possible—in hopes voters will forget about everything Trump has done to the state.”
Rolling Stone: Abdul El-Sayed wouldn’t let Mike Rogers wash off his MAGA makeup.
How the White House Manufactured a False Narrative
New York Times: “A release of selected records from the classified documents inquiry is a case study in how omitting context can create political ammunition.”
If Democrats Win the Senate
Jonathan Bernstein: “It’s been a while since the out-party had a Senate majority. It was once common, happening in 1969-1976; 1987-1992; 1995-2000; and briefly in late 2001-2002. Since then, it happened in the final two years of the presidencies of George W. Bush and Barack Obama – just four of the last 24 years.”
“Those Obama years are most famous for Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s refusal to consider a Supreme Court nomination…”
“The difference, if the Democrats win a majority this time, is that Chuck Schumer and the party won’t have to actively blockade nominations the way McConnell did to get a similar result. Most Democrats – yes, including John Fetterman – are currently voting against Trump’s typical selections for most positions. Certainly that would be the case for any Supreme Court nominee Trump might plausibly select, and it’s almost certainly true for Circuit Court picks as well.”
Andy Burnham Confirms Russia Interfered in Brexit Vote
“Andy Burnham has said UK authorities are ‘clear’ that there was Russian interference in the Brexit vote: this is the first time a prime minister has confirmed Kremlin involvement in the 2016 referendum,” The Observer reports.
“The prime minister, who is embarking on efforts to redraw the UK’s relationship with the European Union, said he ‘asked the question’ when he entered Downing Street this summer and was given ‘the clear answer that, yes, there was.'”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“If we don’t win the midterms, they’re going to blame me. You know that. And if we do win them, I will get no credit whatsoever. It’s true. I won’t get any.”
— President Trump, quoted by NBC News, at a campaign rally.
Attorney General Can Take Part in Political Campaigns
“The Justice Department has loosened the guidelines for the attorney general and other senior political appointees, allowing them to participate in political activities,” CBS News reports.
“The guidance applies to the attorney general, the deputy attorney general, assistant attorneys general, the FBI director, U.S. attorneys and others.”
Trump Approval Remains Deeply Negative
A new Financial Times poll finds Donald Trump’s approval at 34%, while 59% disapprove.
Trump Approval
Approve 34%
Disapprove 59%
Donald Trump After the Midterms
David Remnick: “Signs of a midterm blue wave are everywhere, and yet it would be journalistic malpractice not to attach some nervous caveats to any prediction. Polls are sketchy. Campaigns have never been more subject to the desires of the wealthy. What is more, the President of the United States has the impulse control of a toddler, though most toddlers have neither the authority nor the inclination to spark an insurrection, destabilize the Western alliance, live-stream an execution, or threaten to end ‘a whole civilization.’”
”We are subjected daily to the caprices of a mind both unregulated and amoral. As Mark Milley, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said, the Commander-in-Chief is ‘fascist to the core.’ You may prefer milder terminology. Fine. But, after a decade defined by Donald Trump’s unceasing presence, a growing percentage of the American electorate appears to recognize the uniqueness of this President and the mayhem that he has instigated from the Oval Office.”
“We are, collectively, on guard against undue optimism. Still, if the coming election does result in a blue wave, Trump will be faced with the fact of his diminishment. The rest of us will be faced with the wreckage.”
Raphael Warnock Has a Plan to Be Heard in 2028
CNN: “Warnock’s friend and fellow Georgia senator, Jon Ossoff, immediately shuts down all speculation about whether he’ll run for president. Warnock very much does not, other than to say that he wants to make sure Democrats get through this year’s midterms first.”
“He is making campaign stops to boost Democratic allies while test-driving a 2028 message that critiques both parties on faith and character.”
Voters Frustrated with Trump’s Agenda Blame the GOP
Ron Brownstein: “Of all the dynamics threatening the GOP this year, the most menacing may be the unusually direct connection voters are drawing between their economic frustrations and the policies that President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans have implemented.”
“Presidents always suffer from proximity when Americans are discontented about the economy. But this year, Trump faces an additional level of vulnerability. A significant majority of voters consistently say in polls that they believe his policies — particularly surrounding tariffs and the Iran war — are exacerbating the problem that most concerns them: the high cost of living.”
Quote of the Day
“Democrats should not misinterpret the results of midterm and say, ‘Well, great, we won some seats. That means everyone loves the Democrats again.’ The Democrats owe a positive, affirmative agenda to the public, and a midterm tends to be kind of a protest vote against the leader in power.”
— Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), quoted by the Washington Post.
Trump Would Love to Have Fetterman as a Republican
“President Donald Trump praised Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) as a ‘great guy’ on Saturday, saying he would welcome the Pennsylvania Democrat into the Republican Party,” the New York Post reports.
Said Trump: “I’d love to see it. I think he’s great. It’s going to be hard for him to get the nomination as a Democrat, but I’d love to have him as a Republican.”
Elected Officials Report Surge in Death Threats
New York Times: “Serving in public office in the United States is dangerous. From state and local government to Congress, an unending river of violent threats is washing through the mailboxes, offices, voice mail and texts of those who govern the nation. Thousands of public servants are living, working and, in the final weeks of election season, campaigning in a state of fear.”
“And it’s getting worse, officeholders said in dozens of interviews.”
“An investigation by The New York Times examining hundreds of records obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests, court documents and law enforcement logs has found that, over a two-year period from 2024 to August of this year, thousands of violent threats inundated the lives of elected officials in unprecedented ways.”
Susan Collins Often Defies Trump but Rarely Stops Him
“It was approaching midnight on the Senate floor, and a vote that had been meant to last 15 minutes had dragged on for nearly three hours as Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, weighed whether to kill one of President Trump’s top priorities,” the New York Times reports.
“It was hardly the first time she had faced such a choice.”
“Throughout Mr. Trump’s two terms, Ms. Collins had frequently criticized the president and voted against his initiatives more often than anyone else in her party. She cherished her reputation as one of the few remaining independent-minded Republicans in the Senate, which helped explain her enduring popularity in her purple home state. Yet she had more rarely blocked the president’s agenda outright.”
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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