“A proposed rule change by the Trump administration could jeopardize billions of dollars of housing investment in rural areas and small towns – potentially undermining the White House’s efforts to boost housing supply in order to bring down costs just as mortgage rates soar,” Bloomberg reports.
Daily Archives
October 12, 2026
90 posts · Monday
Bad Blood in Texas Senate Race Tears Republicans Apart
“It’s been a brutal stretch for Republican Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton,” NBC News reports.
“Damaging leaks of his private conversations. Public details of his past romantic affairs. Regular jabs at his physical appearance.”
“The curious part about it all? At least some of his allies are convinced the sabotage is coming from within his own party.”
“In the waning days of a campaign that could help decide control of the Senate, Texas Republicans remain bitterly at odds since a May primary ousted longtime Republican Sen. John Cornyn and installed Paxton as the nominee with President Donald Trump’s help.”
12 Hours Worth of Diesel
Paul Krugman: “The big news on U.S. foreign policy was that Trump announced that he was buying 300,000 tons of Russian diesel. He’s not allowed to do this: Sanctions preventing purchase of Russian oil are law, not a choice on Trump’s part. But under Trump laws are suggestions at most, so it might happen anyway…”
“But being a nerdy economist, my first printable reaction to the announcement was, 300,000 tons??? That’s a bit over 2 million barrels. America consumes approximately 4 million barrels of distillates — diesel (mostly) and heating oil — every day.”
“So Trump is betraying an embattled democracy, demonstrating our faithlessness to the whole world, seriously damaging whatever is left of America’s leadership in the world, for the sake of maybe 12 hours’ worth of diesel. Really?”
Quote of the Day
“Over the next week to 10 days you will see a lot of moves — a lot of coordinated moves — that are around trimming the map for the home stretch. It’ll be all over the place. It’ll just just be moving on from districts that we don’t think it’s the right time for, and piling in further on ones we think it is the right time for.”
— A MAGA Inc. official, quoted by Politico, on how President Trump’s super PAC is pulling out of some races it no longer considers winnable.
The Welfare State Is Crushing Britain
Wall Street Journal: “Some seven million people—more than 10% of the population—now claim at least one or more sickness or disability benefits. The numbers are growing fastest among working-age people who should be powering the country’s economy, surging more than 60% in the past six years to 4.7 million from 2.9 million in 2019.”
“Not including healthcare, the country will spend more than £100 billion this year on all types of welfare benefits for the sick and disabled, about a third more than defense spending.”
Trump Is an Easy Mark for Putin
David Frum: “Since Trump’s return to power in 2025, the Putin regime has dangled lucrative deals in front of the president’s entourage…”
“But all these apparently enticing Russian schemes come with a catch: Russian energy assets are not worth much if those assets are regularly wrecked by Ukrainian drones. This makes plain the implicit quid pro quo in these lucrative deals offered to Trump’s family and friends: If you compel Ukraine to surrender, we will enrich you beyond reckoning.“
“Putin is attempting to leverage Russia’s most strategic asset in his war on Ukraine: Trump’s weakness for corruption. The 2.25 million barrels of diesel Putin offered Trump will have zero net impact on world energy markets or the world price of diesel. But accepting those barrels will collapse the U.S.-led sanctions regime on Russia—and align Trump with Putin against the Ukrainian air attacks on Russian energy production.”
Talarico Says He Hasn’t Changed His Views
“With a week to go before early voting starts in Texas’ Senate race, Democrat James Talarico said Sunday he is running as a moderate who can appeal to Republicans without changing his positions on contentious social issues,” the Dallas Morning News reports.
“In an interview with The Dallas Morning News editorial board, the Austin state representative rejected suggestions he has softened his views on transgender issues, defended his disagreements with fellow Democrats and acknowledged deliberately provocative past comments about religion.”
The Bulwark: MAGA’s Talarico mental breakdown conspiracy implodes—instantly.
Houthi Attacks Challenge Saudi Ambitions
“Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman started the year on a high note. He had just visited the White House where he was embraced by President Trump. Even after the war with Iran kicked off, Saudi Arabia looked relatively well positioned. It could export oil through a pipeline that bypassed the blocked Strait of Hormuz,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“But the Saudis’ escalating fight with Iran-backed Houthi militants in neighboring Yemen now poses new challenges to the kingdom’s security and the crown prince’s ambitious but already struggling plans to transform the country’s oil-dependent economy.”
Bloomberg: Houthis deal Saudi Arabia its deadliest airport strikes yet.
John Kennedy Hits the Road With 2028 On His Mind
“After hearing Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy unload his characteristically colorful combination of homespun quips, over-the-top insults and Talladega Nights movie quotes to reporters on Friday, former Rep. Mike Rogers, the Michigan Senate GOP candidate with whom Kennedy was campaigning, knew his own words wouldn’t be getting much attention, CNN reports.
Said Kennedy: “It’s like following the baton twirler in the talent show. You know, you’re never going to win that thing.”
“Kennedy has taken his act on the road, campaigning with GOP Senate nominees in several states in the closing weeks of this year’s midterm elections — including stops in Ohio on Thursday and Michigan on Friday, where he repeatedly declared that Rogers ‘pisses excellence.’ The 74-year-old Kennedy is ‘tired,’ he said, but still thinking about making a second trip to Alaska and a stop in Texas, both also home to key Senate races, ahead of Election Day.”
Obama Cuts Ad in Mississippi Senate Race
“Former President Barack Obama has cut an ad for Mississippi Senate candidate Scott Colom, the latest sign of Democrats putting real effort behind boosting their candidate in the deep red state as they eye a potential upset next month,” Semafor reports.
“The Colom campaign will run the 30-second spot on digital and radio statewide in Mississippi as part of a seven-figure media buy in Mississippi, according to details shared first with Semafor.”
Musk’s DOGE Army Now Profits From Government
“Last year, billionaire Elon Musk unleashed a small army of Silicon Valley techies to drain what he called the ‘swamp’ of Washington — wielding the U.S. DOGE Service to slash at a bureaucracy they argued was bloated and corrupt,” the Washington Post reports.
“But today, many of his former DOGE foot soldiers have leveraged their government stints to fuel private-sector ambitions: building companies that tap government largesse or that deploy knowledge they garnered during their brief tenures in Washington.”
Democrats in Northern States Hammer Trump’s Tariffs
“Democrats are using the U.S.-Canada trade dispute as an opportunity to appeal to voters and industries that have direct economic ties to Canada in competitive districts,” the Washington Sun reports.
“The trade war has translated into higher costs that are front of mind for voters. And it has put Republicans on the defensive — at times they have even taken the rare step of breaking with President Donald Trump over his pursuit of the tariffs.”
Zelensky Says Putin Breaching Trump’s ‘Energy Ceasefire’
“Volodymyr Zelensky has blamed Russia for breaking an ‘energy ceasefire’ announced by Donald Trump on Sunday, but the Ukrainian president said Kyiv was still willing to observe a pause in strikes if Moscow did the same,” the Financial Times reports.
Inside Elon Musk’s Midterm Rescue Mission for Republicans
“Elon Musk has quietly funneled more than $276 million into Republican groups and his super PAC since the start of July, building a huge turnout operation to help the party battle headwinds in the midterm elections,” the New York Times reports.
“The staggering amount of money makes Mr. Musk, the richest person in the world, by far the largest known donor in the midterms.”
Hakeem Jeffries on the Brink of History
Punchbowl News: “Anyone around Jeffries these days will tell you everything is breaking his way. House Majority PAC raised more than $230 million last quarter. Mega-billionaire Mike Bloomberg is starting to open his wallet for House Democrats, allowing Jeffries’ DCCC and HMP to go into second-tier districts. And President Donald Trump keeps getting less popular as he presides over $6.20-per-gallon diesel, stubborn inflation and an Iran war with no end in sight.”
”If Democrats win on Nov. 3, Jeffries will be on the brink of becoming the first Black speaker in American history. First he’d have to win a Democratic Caucus vote, which won’t be a problem. Then on Jan. 3, Jeffries would need to lock down 218 votes on the floor.”
Mike Johnson Says He Intends to Remain GOP Leader
“Speaker Mike Johnson said he intends to serve as GOP leader if Republicans lose their House majority in November — but he remains bullish about the party’s chances despite significant headwinds,” CBS News reports.
Said Johnson: “In the unlikely scenario where we lost the majority, I would expect my colleagues would ask me to continue leading this conference, even if we have divided government.”
GOP Scrambles to Stop Steep Midterm Losses
“The Republican Party’s midterm campaign has turned into a triage operation just three weeks out from November, as officials race to avert losses in a string of once-safe seats that they increasingly fear could cost them total control of Congress,” CNN reports.
“The worsening landscape has alarmed GOP operatives across several battleground states, forcing the party to pour resources into traditionally red districts and states at the expense of their once-expansive ambitions in Democratic areas.”
“And after months of pressing President Donald Trump to ramp up his travel on behalf of key candidates, some Republicans now worry he’s grown so unpopular that his presence on the campaign trail may in some cases be doing more harm than good.”
Trump’s Midterm Roadshow Reveals GOP Troubles
“President Donald Trump’s whirlwind travel itinerary this month reflects a careful calculation as Republicans brace for midterm losses: where he can mobilize his most devoted supporters, where his low approval ratings make him a liability and where he can simply have a good time,” the Washington Post reports.
”His packed agenda reflects political strategy, travel logistics and the reality that the president — despite being far more active on the campaign trail than his predecessor — is an 80-year-old man with a country to run, people around him say. Trump insists on signing off on the list of places he is visiting each week.”
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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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