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October 13, 2026

97 posts · Tuesday

Just dropped · Trial Balloon · Ep. 191

Blue Wave Update

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Trial Balloon · Ep. 191: Blue Wave Update

Trump to Fly 3,400 Miles in Hopes of Saving a Senate Seat

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Washington Post: “Trump’s 3,400-mile trip to this ruby-red pocket of a GOP-leaning state — Wasilla, the home of former governor and vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin — shows how urgently his party needs to mobilize its base to keep control of the Senate.”

“With Republicans all but writing off their chances of winning Senate races in states such as North Carolina and Georgia, Alaska has become a crucial battleground this fall. Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan is facing a challenge from former Democratic congresswoman Mary Peltola, and the two are neck and neck.”

“Trump’s political team has effectively given up on trying to win back the swing voters that helped propel him to the White House in 2024, focusing instead on ginning up turnout in Republican strongholds to offset higher Democratic enthusiasm.”

Semafor: Trump crosses country in bid to save midterms.

Adam Hamilton Reports $10.6 Million Q3 Haul

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“Adam Hamilton raised $10.6 million in the third quarter of 2026 across his Senate campaign and his joint fundraising committees, a significant haul for the Kansas Democrat,” Politico reports.

“The fundraising total illustrates Democrats’ newfound bullishness about flipping a Senate seat in the deep-red state for the first time since 1932.”

White House Scrambles to Explain Katie Zacharia’s Résumé

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“The White House on Tuesday scrambled to answer questions about the legal credentials of President Donald Trump’s new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, who made a brief and halting debut in the briefing room and later said she had passed a bar exam in China, a country where noncitizens aren’t allowed to practice in courtrooms,” the Washington Post reports.

The Guardian: Enter the Zachbot: Trump’s new press secretary malfunctions on podium debut.

Strong Floor, No Ceiling

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Strong Floor, No Ceiling: Building a New Foundation for the American Dream by Oliver B. Libby.

A blueprint to reconnect our fractured country and restore belief in opportunity, fairness, and shared progress.

Strong Floor, No Ceiling
Building a New Foundation for the American Dream
by Oliver B. Libby · Advantage Media Group · 2025
Buy on Amazon
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Republicans Hold Solid Leads in Florida Races

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A new Stetson University poll in Florida finds Byron Donalds (R) leading David Jolly (D) in the governor’s race, 52% to 41%.

Florida Governor’s Race
Byron Donalds (R) 52%
 
David Jolly (D) 41%
 
Stetson University poll · likely voters · ±4.2%
Florida Senate Race
Ashley Moody (R) 52%
 
Angie Nixon (D) 41%
 
Stetson University poll · likely voters · ±4.2%

CFTC Staff Told to Retract Analysis of Suspicious Oil Trades

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Bloomberg: “Traders had grown accustomed to prices lurching wildly on developments in the Middle East. But this time, some bettors had timed it perfectly. Billions of dollars’ worth of contracts predicting oil would fall and the S&P 500 would rise were placed about 15 minutes before the president announced his U-turn in a post on Truth Social, fueling widespread speculation about whether someone had an unfair advantage.”

“Responsibility for looking into the incident fell to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission… There, a team of career forensic analysts embarked on their usual task of pulling together data on the day’s winners and losers.”

“Based on the timing of the trading they observed and who was behind it, the analysts, from the agency’s Division of Market Oversight, filed a referral to the Division of Enforcement, which would decide whether to launch a full-scale investigation into potential insider trading…”

“What happened next, they said, was highly unusual: Mel Gunewardena, a senior adviser to the agency’s Trump-appointed chairman, Michael Selig, told a supervisor within the market oversight team to retract the referral.”

Jake Auchincloss Is Making Moves in Other States

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“Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) is doing the things many Democrats do before seeking higher office. He’s hitting early presidential primary states. He’s stumping for candidates in swing districts. He’s trying to help craft what Democrats’ winning message should be,” the Boston Globe reports.

“So is this all the precursor to something more, something bigger, something, say, presidential in 2028?”

Said Auchincloss: “Zero percent chance.”

Most Presidents Lose Power Quickly

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Ron Brownstein: “The last five times a president went into a midterm election with unified control of government, voters have revoked it. That list includes Joe Biden in 2022, Trump in 2018, Barack Obama in 2010, George W. Bush in 2006, and Bill Clinton in 1994. This streak seems virtually certain to continue next month with Republicans on track to lose the House and maybe the Senate.”

“That will extend a dismal record, raising to six the number of consecutive times a president has gone into a midterm with unified control and lost it.”

Guilfoyle’s Collapse Hands Democrats a Midterm Gift

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“Kimberly Guilfoyle resigned Tuesday, and her spectacular collapse as highflying U.S. Ambassador to Greece comes just three weeks before the midterm elections,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Democrats spent much of the spring and summer slugging it out with each other, but in recent weeks they’ve largely changed tactics. Now, many of them unite in alleging that administration officials are preoccupied with self-dealing and enriching themselves at the expense of taxpayers.”

Greg Abbott Sharpens Attacks On Gina Hinojosa

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Dallas Morning News: “Armed with a huge financial advantage and one of Texas’ most effective political operations, Abbott has begun targeting Democratic challenger Gina Hinojosa by name after ignoring her until recently.”

“Hinojosa, an Austin state representative with far less money and lower name recognition, has benefited from a difficult political climate for Republicans, raising questions about the GOP’s three-decade hold on the governor’s mansion.”

NPR: In reliably red Texas, the Senate and gubernatorial races are unusually competitive.

The Steal

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Just published: The Steal: Four Right-Wing Hard-Liners, One Republican Presidency, and the Raid on America's Courts by Alex Wagner.

“The election of Ronald Reagan in 1980 was a sharp right turn for American governance. After decades on the fringes, the conservative right had risen to power, finally poised to fashion some of the country’s most pressing issues in its image. Tax cuts, aggressive foreign policy, and law and order would soon become the cornerstones of Reagan’s agenda.”

“But, behind the scenes, a select group of administration officials and ideological allies had their eyes set on something much more valuable: an institution with the power to shape the country’s legal, cultural and existential identity, long after any presidential term ended. ”

The Steal
Four Right-Wing Hard-Liners, One Republican Presidency, and the Raid on America's Courts
by Alex Wagner · Flatiron Books · 2026
Buy on Amazon
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Mamdani Rejects Pressure to Fire Police Commissioner

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“Mayor Mamdani Tuesday rejected calls from his political base on the left to fire NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch over the presence of ICE agents in New York,” the New York Daily News reports.

“Mamdani went on to praise Tisch’s record, touting her work ‘uprooting corruption from the upper echelons of the NYPD’ as well as overseeing a drop in murders and shootings across the city.”

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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