“Brad Lander, an ally of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani who is a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Congress, was among 90 volunteers detained by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday,” Reuters reports.
Just dropped · Trial Balloon · Ep. 192
November Surprises
Trial Balloon · Ep. 192: November Surprises
Homeland Security to Test Heat Ray Weapon at Border
“The Pentagon has given the Department of Homeland Security permission to test a military-grade heat ray and develop tactics to potentially use it in operations at the southern U.S. border,” CNN reports.
“The heat ray, officially known as the Active Denial System, is a nonlethal weapon that shoots an invisible beam of electromagnetic waves that can reach a little more than half a mile away, according to the U.S. military.”
“The energy beam causes a burning sensation when it comes into contact with the human skin — which Pentagon officials have previously compared to feeling a blast of heat when opening a hot oven.”
Democrats Dare to Dream in Mississippi
“For Democrat Scott Colom, his quest to win a U.S. Senate seat in Mississippi is a long shot but not a lost cause,” CNN reports.
“The 43-year-old local district attorney is hoping to topple Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in a deep-red state that hasn’t sent a Democrat to the chamber in nearly four decades or elected a Black candidate in a statewide race since the Reconstruction era. President Donald Trump won the state two years ago by 23 points.”
“He and his allies argue that the GOP’s political headwinds and the state’s significant Black electorate – which at 35% is the largest of any state – puts Mississippi on the cusp of becoming competitive, with enough attention and money.”
Trump Is Very Much on the Ballot
Doug Sosnik: “President Trump is calling on Americans to cast their vote as if he were ‘on the ballot.’ With less than two weeks before the election, it appears that voters will do exactly that.”
“The political environment continues to deteriorate for the GOP. Over the past month, Republicans have abandoned congressional races once considered highly competitive and have shifted resources to defending seats that once looked safe at the beginning of the year.”
“Republican losses were expected given midterm election history, but not at the level now projected.”
Trump Leans Into Unprecedented Power
“President Trump boasted this weekend of his growing power in his second term – and all the things he’s doing now that he wouldn’t dare in his first term, such as changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America,” NPR reports.
Said Trump: “I don’t think I could have done this in my first term. This is a much more powerful term. I can do stuff that’s unbelievable.”
He also joked about how big companies wouldn’t take his call in the first term, but “now they kiss my ass.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“This may prove to be the most memorable ad of the entire election cycle. It is devastating. But I would’ve held it until the final weekend of the campaign. With this much time before the election, I fully expect the Democrats to have an equally devastating response.”
— Republican pollster Frank Luntz, quoted by Politico, on the campaign ad run by Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy (R) featuring his opponent’s mother.
Trump Envoy Calls Putin a ‘Humanitarian’
“Praising President Vladimir Putin as a ‘humanitarian,’ the Trump administration envoy Steve Witkoff on Wednesday thanked the Russian leader in St. Petersburg for releasing an American man held for over four years on what the State Department called fabricated charges,” the New York Times reports.
A Quick Way to Check the Polls
The gusher of polling this time of year can be overwhelming — so don’t forget to check the Polling Dashboard for the latest in all the key races.
Latino Voters Threaten to Sink Republicans in Midterms
“One of the biggest political shifts in the last presidential election is now swinging back against Donald Trump and the GOP — and it could cost them in some of the country’s most critical races,” Bloomberg reports.
“Latino voters have recoiled against the president this year after giving him surprising levels of support two years ago, pollsters in both parties say. The backlash is a major reason a Texas Senate seat is now in play and could sway other close Senate races. It’s also threatening GOP-leaning House seats.”
Trump Is Destroying Americans’ Healthcare
Paul Krugman: “Rising prices are the obvious explanation for this stress. And while presidents usually have much less influence on the economy than is generally recognized, the current outbreak of high inflation is all on Donald Trump. He began this with two wars of choice: one, a trade war with his destructive tariffs, and then an unwinnable military war in the most important energy transit point in the world.”
“There is, however, a third factor behind Americans’ anger, and it isn’t getting nearly as much attention as it should. There has been a catastrophic decline in health insurance coverage combined with sharply rising premiums for many of those who have managed to hang on to their coverage. And this, too, is all on Trump.”
Trump Says Data Centers Must Provide Own Electricity
“President Trump called for companies that build large data centers in the U.S. to make their own electricity and suggested they pay communities a dividend when constructing new facilities to blunt local opposition,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Said Trump: “New and large, in some cases gigantic, data centers are mandated by me to make their own electricity, and give or sell any excess back to the local community, or grid.”
Ohio Governor’s Race in Uproar Over Ad
“Ohio’s bitter governor’s race got even uglier Tuesday when an attack ad surfaced featuring Democratic nominee Amy Acton’s long-estranged mother calling her daughter ‘a liar,’ prompting Acton’s brother to accuse Acton’s Republican opponent, Vivek Ramaswamy, of turning childhood rape ‘into a political talking point,'” the Washington Post reports.
“The 60-second video by Acton’s mother, Donna Arthur, initially circulated on social media Monday night. It included no disclosure of who produced or financed it, and the Ramaswamy campaign early Tuesday did not acknowledge responsibility.”
Dan Pfeiffer: “This ad is so obviously gross that I think it will hurt Ramaswamy more than it will help. The most likely scenario is that it blows up in his face.”
“Ramaswamy’s biggest vulnerability is that he comes off like an overly ambitious, sleazy asshole. The worst caricature of a used-car salesman. His personality is repellent. But you don’t have to take my word for it. He got kicked off the DOGE commission because he was so annoying that people preferred dealing with Elon Musk.”
Macron Accuses Foreign Leaders of Exploiting Riots
“French President Emmanuel Macron said recent riots are being used abroad for political purposes, accusing foreign leaders of disliking France,” Bloomberg reports.
Said Macron: “There is no visible foreign interference in the events that took place, but there has been foreign manipulation of information in the aftermath.”
“Without naming them, Macron suggested that President Donald Trump, whose party is struggling ahead of mid-terms elections, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing a general election in the coming days, are campaigning at France’s expense.”
Abdul El-Sayed Just Ahead in Michigan Senate Race
A new Marist poll in Michigan finds Abdul El-Sayed (D) leading Mike Rogers (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 50% to 48%.
Michigan Senate Race
Abdul El-Sayed (D) 50%
Mike Rogers (R) 48%
The same poll in Michigan finds Jocelyn Benson (D) leading John James (R) in the governor’s race, 51% to 45%.
Michigan Governor’s Race
Jocelyn Benson (D) 51%
John James (R) 45%
Quote of the Day
“If we don’t win, there’s no money. If we do win, you’re getting it.”
— President Trump, quoted by the Raleigh News & Observer, making promises of cash payouts of supporters in North Carolina.
Democrats Open Their Widest Lead on the Generic Ballot
A new Strength In Numbers/Verasight poll finds Democrats leading Republicans on the generic congressional ballot, 54% to 42%.
Generic Congressional Ballot
Democrats 54%
Republicans 42%
Republicans Are Sounding Desperate
Playbook: “Two weeks from Election Day, Republicans are looking — and sounding — increasingly desperate.”
“JD Vance is making jokes insinuating Texas Senate hopeful James Talarico is gay. President Donald Trump and Michigan Republican Mike Rogers are labeling Democrat Abdul El-Sayed as a ‘jihadist.’ And GOP groups are pouring millions into misleading ads accusing Sherrod Brown and others of supporting sex changes for minors.”
“The latest October surprise to land on X this week: A now $4 million ad from Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio featuring Amy Acton’s estranged mother denouncing her own daughter as a liar. MAGA influencers and allies of Ramaswamy, including Donald Trump Jr., quickly seized on the video as a potential political kill shot in the governor’s race.”
“That shot backfired spectacularly.”
Florida Races Are Closer Than Expected
A new University of North Florida poll in Florida finds Byron Donalds (R) leading David Jolly (D) in the governor’s race, 49% to 47%.
Florida Governor’s Race
Byron Donalds (R) 49%
David Jolly (D) 47%
The same poll in Florida finds Ashley Moody (R) leading Angie Nixon (D) in the U.S. Senate race, 49% to 45%.
Florida Senate Race
Ashley Moody (R) 49%
Angie Nixon (D) 45%
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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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