Daily Archives
74 posts · Friday
Just dropped · Trial Balloon · Ep. 191
Blue Wave Update
“President Trump is halting implementation of most of the sanctions that were to be imposed on Russia under a bipartisan bill he signed last month,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The announcement came in an executive order on Friday night, and was part of a broader pivot by Trump toward courting Moscow as he seeks to end the war in Ukraine and keep energy prices under control ahead of the midterm elections.”
New York Times: Trump signs order exempting Russia from sanctions legislation.
“At a rally in north Georgia, Donald Trump again claimed that the 2020 election in Georgia was fraudulent, alleging that the election of U.S. senator Jon Ossoff was illegitimate,” The Guardian reports.
Said Trump: “He was never elected.”
MS NOW: Trump campaigns in Georgia, a longtime focus of his election fraud claims.
“Federal agents collected garbage in hopes of obtaining the DNA of U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar and her family before this week’s raid at the Minnesota Democrat’s home in Washington,” NewsNation reports.
“Investigators historically have used secretive ‘dumpster diving’ to obtain DNA when search warrants were not possible or would have tipped off investigatory targets. It is legally permissible for law enforcement to collect trash that has been discarded for pickup and comb through it for genetic material.”
New York Times: Ilhan Omar’s sister’s phone was seized before search of lawmaker’s home.
“The Trump administration announced on Friday that it was banning unauthorized drone activity along the southern U.S. border with Mexico as part of efforts to curtail criminal cartel operations and other cross-border security threats,” the New York Times reports.
“One of the last big campaign-finance snapshots before the Nov. 3 Election Day is now available, and both political parties found something to like. But campaign cash is flowing in very different ways — and, on balance, points to an environment more favorable for Democrats,” CNBC reports.
“On one side, Democratic candidates have turned into absolute cash cows, raising oodles more than their Republican rivals across Senate and House battlegrounds.”
“Republicans, however, still have a leg to stand on from an unprecedented flood of outside super PAC cash, bankrolled by a tiny circle of billionaires led by Elon Musk.”
“John Thune took criticism from President Donald Trump, agitated online conservatives, and occasionally frustrated some of his own members this year,” Semafor reports.
“Yet his next leadership election is looking smooth compared with the past couple of bouts to lead the Senate GOP. In fact, Thune may actually run unopposed this year, regardless of how the midterms go.”
“Dear Katie Zacharia — Speaking as the world’s leading expert on short White House tenures: turn off the news and go enjoy your family. In time you’ll realize that the Universe did you a major favor.”
— Anthony Scaramucci, on X.
The Atlantic: “Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has enjoyed President Trump’s full support for any number of Trumpian initiatives: staging macho, campy shows of military bravado; trashing political opponents and the press, often by name; dissing European allies; posting videos of air strikes on suspected drug boats off the coast of Latin America.”
“But Hegseth apparently crossed a line with his revelation last week that the execution by firing squad of a military death-row inmate would be livestreamed to the world. Even a president who’d brought a bloody mixed-martial-arts fight to the White House lawn apparently didn’t relish the thought of an afternoon spent watching Army soldiers shoot bullets into a paraplegic.”
“A federal appeals court panel sounded deeply skeptical Friday about President Donald Trump’s effort to invalidate the Watergate-era law that governs presidential records — and played a central role in the criminal charges he faced for hoarding classified documents at Mar-a-Lago,” Politico reports.
Wired: “Elon Musk has assembled a presidential-level field operation this midterm cycle, underscoring the extent to which he has taken over the get-out-the-vote effort for the Republican party.”
“The United States budget deficit approached $2 trillion in the 2026 fiscal year, its highest level since the pandemic, as spending on the military, safety net programs and interest on the debt dwarfed the Trump administration’s cost cuts, Treasury Department figures showed on Friday,” the New York Times reports.
“The widening gap between what the government spends and what it collects in taxes and other revenue comes at a critical moment. Investors are nervous about America’s surging debt load, along with stubborn inflation, and have driven up borrowing costs.”
Los Angeles Times: “In the final stretch of the 2026 midterms, nearly two weeks out from election day, a White House that has enjoyed relative stability over the past two years has returned to the state of disarray that characterized much of Trump’s early political career, anticipating sweeping losses to Democrats in the House and Senate.”
“Staff upheaval is expected as officials brace for a blame game over Republican performance, with some distancing themselves from what they see as a fading political movement.”
A new Public Policy Polling poll in Nebraska finds Jim Pillen (R) leading Lynne Walz (D) in the governor’s race, 44% to 43%.
FiftyPlusOne: “We do not have nearly as many polls this year as we’ve been accustomed to in past midterm cycles. In many Senate races, we’re practically flying blind, which may mean some surprises in what looks to be a particularly turbulent environment.”
“Elon Musk approached Donald Trump with the idea of slowing down Starlink in Ukraine,” The Telegraph reports.
“The billionaire tech entrepreneur approached the U.S. president with the proposal to introduce speed limits on the system, which hampered Ukraine’s drone defenses.”
“One of the sources said Mr Trump ‘agreed’ with Mr Musk’s suggestion, paving the way for the Pentagon to execute the slowdown on Starshield, the military-grade version of the satellite communications system.”
“In North Carolina and Georgia, Democratic Senate candidates are lapping their Republican rivals in fundraising, according to new campaign finance reports,” the Washington Sun reports.
“It’s the latest ominous sign for Michael Whatley and Mike Collins, the Republican candidates who have seen national party attention shift to other races amid attempts to win enough seats to retain a Senate majority.”
“After being called a ‘weasel’ who should ‘shut his mouth’ by Vice President JD Vance, Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed said he was something else instead,” CBS News reports.
Said El-Sayed, a Michigan alumnus: “No, no, no. What you’re talking about is a fucking Wolverine. You could take your Buckeye and go shove it somewhere else.”
“More than 1 million people have already cast their ballots in Alberta’s referendum on separation from Canada, signaling strong voter turnout that pollsters say may favor the ‘remain’ side,” Bloomberg reports.
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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