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October 23, 2026

80 posts · Friday

Just dropped · Trial Balloon · Ep. 193

The Magnificent Seven

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Trial Balloon · Ep. 193: The Magnificent Seven

Trump Declines to Defend Corey Lewandowski

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“President Donald Trump told reporters that he had ‘heard something about’ the Department of Justice investigating allegations that Corey Lewandowski profited off his past role as an adviser at the Department of Homeland Security, after media reports of an investigation surfaced Thursday,” the Associated Press reports.

“The president notably didn’t defend Lewandowski, who was his first campaign manager in 2016.”

Said Trump: “I don’t know exactly what it is. All I know is, I want my people to be honest. And if they’re not going to be honest, they have to be prosecuted. I’ll have my DOJ go and do whatever they have to do.”

GOP Senate Candidate Condemns Ramaswamy Ad

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“Iowa Republican Senate candidate Rep. Ashley Hinson on Thursday strongly condemned Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy for his controversial campaign ad featuring the estranged mother of Democratic opponent Amy Acton,” ABC News reports.

“Hours before he was to appear at a rally with Hinson on Thursday, President Donald Trump defended the ad.”

Ukraine Says Starlink Still Isn’t Working

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“The Starlink system used by Ukraine’s military was suffering from low speeds limits early on Friday, despite President Trump saying that SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk had restored the service,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Ukrainian drone units and government officials said connections with Starshield, a military-grade service using Starlink’s infrastructure, continued to fail in most of the country when drones flew faster than 161 kilometers an hour, equivalent to around 100 miles an hour.”

Bloomberg: Trump called Musk to lift Ukraine Starlink limits.

Some Freedom Caucus Members Want Brandon Gill Out

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“A small group of Rep. Brandon Gill’s fellow House Freedom Caucus members are privately questioning whether he still belongs in the hardline group, Axios has learned,” Axios reports.

“The 32-year-old Texas freshman’s rapid rise through House Republican ranks has transformed him into one of the party’s most prominent young stars — and earned him a growing list of critics.

Said one House Freedom Caucus member: “He’s not really in the Freedom Caucus. He’s just using it for conservative bonafides.”

Trump’s Midterm Strategy Could Backfire

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“President Donald Trump is asking voters to ‘pretend’ he is on the ballot. That might backfire,” Politico reports.

“New results from The Politico Poll show that Democratic midterm voters are more motivated to oppose the president than Republican voters are to support him. Many Republican voters also aren’t looking for blind loyalty to Trump in the midterms: Half say they’d rather their local candidate aim to win, even if it means speaking out against the president.”

Democrats’ Projected Majority Grows

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Cook Political Report: “Republicans’ path to keeping control of the House has all but evaporated. The outstanding question is how large Democrats’ majority will be in 2027; in the best-case scenario, their party could enter the new Congress with more seats than they had after successfully flipping control of the House in 2006 and 2018.”

“As a result of new polling and ad spending, we’re moving another 19 races in Democrats’ direction. Six districts — four of which are held by Republican incumbents — are moving from the Toss Up column to Lean Democrat. Two more open seats are moving from Lean Republican to Toss Up.”

“Following this latest round of ratings changes, Democrats now are favored outright in the 218 seats they need to win control of the House. In other words, 220 seats are rated either Solid, Likely or Lean Democrat. Republicans, meanwhile, are favored in 198 seats, rated Solid, Likely, or Lean Republican. That leaves 17 races rated as pure Toss Ups.”

“Now, we view the likeliest outcome as Democrats flipping between 12 and 22 seats. Democrats currently hold 215.”

Trump Claims His Arch Was Approved 100 Years Ago

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“Over the past year, President Trump and his allies have offered a series of explanations for why the nation needs a 250-foot-tall triumphal arch: It will mark 250 years of American independence. It will befit Washington’s place among Western capitals. It will honor the nation’s veterans. It will serve the military, the president added last month, as a platform for snipers,” the New York Times reports.

“But as the mega project planned for Memorial Circle heads to a final vote by the National Capital Planning Commission Nov. 5, the Trump administration has circled around one argument crucial to the project’s legal defense: The arch will at long last bring to life, officials say, a proposal that has languished on hallowed land for a century.”

Bernie Sanders Gives $1 Million to Bolster El-Sayed

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“Senator Bernie Sanders was so irate when he learned on Wednesday that the nation’s top pro-Israel lobby planned to spend as much as $9 million to defeat Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee in Michigan’s Senate race, that he immediately transferred $1 million to him,” the New York Times reports.

“Then Mr. Sanders and his team started making calls.”

“They dialed other progressive allies, urging them to pony up to counter the spending from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee to help elect Dr. El-Sayed, who would be the first Muslim senator in American history.”

Two Trump Districts in Texas Are Toss-Ups

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“With just 11 days until the midterm election, Texas Democrats have a chance to win two key congressional seats in districts that President Donald Trump won by 10 points in 2024,” a Washington Post-Schar School poll finds.

“Exasperated by the high cost of living and a deportation agenda that a majority says has gone ‘too far,’ voters in one of the South Texas districts surveyed appear closely divided; in the other, they lean toward the Democrat.”

Elon Musk Will Fight Back if Democrats Investigate

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“Elon Musk has adopted a war posture in response to looming threats of congressional investigations: If Democrats win control of Congress in next month’s midterm elections, Musk has signaled he is bracing for a fight,” the Washington Post reports.

Said Musk: “Live by the sword, die by the sword.”

He added: “Those who pick fights with me should understand that I will find out who is really pulling the strings and come for them, not just their puppets.”

Oil Prices Highest in Five Months

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“Oil prices continue to climb as concerns mount that the U.S.-Iran conflict could soon escalate,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Brent crude now trades at its highest level since early May. The U.S. is sending additional forces to the Middle East, and Iran warned it would strike civilian targets in neighboring countries if the U.S. and Israel restart their air campaign.”

CNBC: U.S. oil holds above $100, Brent at five-month high as Iran says it’s prepared for warfare.

Many Latinos Are Over Trump

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Los Angeles Times: “Two years after helping return Trump to the White House with a Republican-controlled Congress, Latino voters are souring on the party in power, fueled by frustration over rising costs and the administration’s aggressive approach to immigration enforcement.”

“In 2024, Trump won the support of 48% of Latino voters, expanding Republican gains with a group that has long leaned Democratic. Now, that support is cratering. The president’s approval rating among Latino registered voters has fallen to 24% from 38% at the start of his second term, polls show.”

Democratic Socialist Set to Become D.C. Mayor

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“Zohran Mamdani famously brought democratic socialism to the largest U.S. city when he became New York’s mayor. Now another member of the Democratic Party’s progressive flank is poised to lead Washington, D.C,” CNBC reports.

“Janeese Lewis George, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and a city council member, is set to become the next mayor of the nation’s capital, which has been led for more than a decade by Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser…”

“As she prepares to take office, looming questions remain about how much she will be able to accomplish in a city that’s home to the federal government, which has significant authority over its governance, and whether her leadership will be primarily symbolic under the larger government’s thumb.”

Buttigieg Is Staging an Aggressive Final Midterms Sprint

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“Pete Buttigieg will embark on an aggressive seven-state campaign tour in the final 10 days of the midterm election, as the potential future presidential candidate attempts to boost Democrats in battleground states and districts,” the Washington Sun reports.

“His tour will see him make three stops in his adopted home state of Michigan, while also rallying in states with competitive Senate races like Georgia, Mississippi and Minnesota. He’ll make his final appearance in Detroit on Election Day, trying to rally voters ahead of Michigan’s key Senate race.”

Corruption Is Now the Top Voter Issue

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“Voters are now more concerned about government corruption than any other issue, including high grocery and gas prices, according to the final CNBC All-America Economic Survey before the Nov. 3 midterm election.”

“The finding follows a monthslong messaging effort by Democrats to link widespread economic dissatisfaction with what they allege is rampant corruption by President Donald Trump and his Republican allies.”

“CNBC’s survey of 1,000 registered U.S. voters found 36% of respondents pointing to government corruption as one of the most important issues facing the country right now. The cost of food and groceries came second with 34%, followed by protecting democracy and the price of gas, which garnered 23% each.”

Earlier for members: It’s the Corruption Too, Stupid

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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