Newsom Trounces Republicans With Campaign Haul
“California Governor Gavin Newsom is betting his political future on a controversial ballot measure that would redraw the state’s congressional maps to favor Democrats. A coalition of super wealthy and working people is giving him a big financial advantage,” Bloomberg reports.
“Over the past 11 weeks, Newsom and his allies brought in more than $120 million for Proposition 50, about three times the total raised by the proposal’s opponents.”
Early Voting Surges in New York City
“New York voters are turning out early in high numbers for a mayoral race that’s captured the country’s attention,” Bloomberg reports.
“After six days of early voting, 398,477 ballots have been cast, according to the New York City Board of Elections. That’s more than double the total of early voters in the 2021 general election and already higher than the 384,338 early votes during June’s primary.”
Trump’s Plan Is Now Out in the Open
Peter Wehner: “Give Donald Trump this much: He has never tried to hide his malice, his lawlessness, or his desire to inflict pain on others. These were on vivid display when he engaged in a multipart conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and stood by as a mob of supporters sought to hang his vice president. These were displayed, as well, every day during his 2024 vengeance campaign. Yet more than 77 million Americans decided that he was the man with whom they wanted to entrust the care of this nation.”
“For more Americans than not, and for many more evangelical Christians than not, Trump is the representative man of our time. His ethic is theirs. So are his corruptions. And for those of us who, in our younger years, revered America as a shining city upon a hill, a nation of nations, the ‘last, best hope of earth,’ this is quite a painful period. America has lost its moral bearings; as a result, it has also lost its moral standing in the world.”
“A curtain of darkness is settling over our nation. And it’s getting ever harder to avoid connecting the authoritarian dots.”
Trump Is Very Confused About Nuclear Weapons
Tom Nichols: “The president says he wants to resume nuclear testing but doesn’t seem to know why.”
Obama Steps Up Plans to Fight Back Against Trump
“Barack Obama used to be confident America would survive Donald Trump. He’s not so sure anymore,” CNN reports.
“The 44th president can still draw a crowd of thousands or dial Gavin Newsom’s cell phone to strategize about the California governor’s redistricting push. But friends who talk to him say it’s become clear that eight years out of the White House, darkness and anxiety have crept in on Obama’s message of hope and change.”
“After deliberately stepping back during the Biden years — while remaining the party’s biggest fundraiser even then — Obama and his aides are reworking his longstanding strategy of minimizing his public presence to allow the next generation of Democrats to emerge. Trump’s moves to block Democrats from power since his return to the White House and his calls to indict or shut down liberal institutions might, Obama fears, deny that next generation the chance.”
Why the Budapest Summit Was Axed
The U.S. canceled President Trump’s planned Budapest summit with Vladimir Putin after a Russian memo to Washington holding firm to hard line demands on Ukraine was swiftly followed by a tense call between the two countries’ top diplomats, the Financial Times reports.
Democrats Hold Solid Lead in Generic Ballot
A new Strength in Numbers/Verasight poll finds Democrats up 7 points on the 2026 U.S. House generic ballot, a public that prefers checks and balances over unilateral presidential action, that 55% of voters think Donald Trump is “acting like he is above the law, consolidating power like a king.”
Russia Used Missile That Led Trump to Quit Nuclear Treaty
“Russia has in recent months attacked Ukraine with a cruise missile whose secret development prompted Donald Trump to abandon a nuclear arms control pact with Moscow in his first term as U.S. president,” Reuters reports.
SpaceX Set to Win $2 Billion Pentagon Satellite Deal
SpaceX is set to receive $2 billion to develop satellites that can track missiles and aircraft under President Trump’s Golden Dome project, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Note to Readers
This week’s episode of Trial Balloon briefly pointed to last week’s show. That’s now been fixed. You may need to re-download the episode in your podcast player.
An investigation into who should be blamed is now underway.
FBI Fires Agent Who Investigated Trump
The FBI has fired a special agent who previously helped oversee public corruption cases, including an investigation that became part of former special counsel Jack Smith’s probe into President Trump — another apparent casualty of the Trump administration’s retribution push, CNN reports.
Mike Collins Leads Race to Challenge Jon Ossoff
A new Atlanta Journal Constitution poll in Georgia finds Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) holds an early advantage in the GOP race for Senate with a 10-point lead over his nearest rival.
But with nearly 40% of the likely Republican voters undecided, the contest is far from settled.
Kennedy Center Ticket Sales Have Plummeted
Washington Post: “Nearly nine months after Trump became chair of the center and more than a month into its main season, ticket sales for the Kennedy Center’s three largest performance venues are the worst they’ve been in years… Tens of thousands of seats have been left empty.”
Too Cruel Too Soon
Paul Krugman: “Why are these terrible things happening? At a basic level they’re happening because Republicans want them to happen. Drastic cuts in food stamps and health care programs were central planks in Project 2025, which is indeed the Trump administration’s policy platform, and were written into legislation in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that passed last summer.”
“But the consequences of these cruel intentions weren’t supposed to be this obvious, this early. The harshest provisions of the OBBBA were backloaded, set to kick in after the midterm elections…”
“Why the backloading? Presumably Republicans believed that by the time Americans woke up to what was happening, the GOP would have effectively consolidated one-party rule, making future elections irrelevant.”
“Instead, however, the mask is being ripped off right now, well ahead of schedule.”
Why Mark Warner Is Sitting Out the Shutdown
Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), often a player in bipartisan “gangs” has so far stayed away from the government shutdown negotiations and refused to fold, saying President Trump has to get involved, Politico reports.
Trump Tells Senate to Use ‘Nuclear Option’
President Trump called for the end of the Senate filibuster on Thursday, urging Republicans in a post on Truth Social to “initiate the ‘nuclear option” to end the government shutdown, Axios reports.
Said Trump: “It is now time for the Republicans to play their ‘TRUMP CARD,’ and go for what is called the Nuclear Option — Get rid of the Filibuster, and get rid of it, NOW!”
He added: “If we did what we should be doing, it would IMMEDIATELY end this ridiculous, Country destroying ‘SHUT DOWN.’”
Good Sportsmanship
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