“There is no person who hates the idea of people enriching themselves fraudulently over access to the government than Donald J Trump.”
— Vice President Vance, speaking to reporters.
“There is no person who hates the idea of people enriching themselves fraudulently over access to the government than Donald J Trump.”
— Vice President Vance, speaking to reporters.
“President Donald Trump has made good on his claim of putting more than $300 million of his political war chest into the 2026 midterm election,” CNBC reports.
“New campaign finance filings released Tuesday night show millions flowing into House districts that were barely competitive two years ago, underscoring how far the GOP’s problems have spread in the final weeks of the campaign.”
“The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission said on Wednesday that U.S. broadcast networks could violate their regulatory obligations by airing ‘entirely fake polls and suppression polls,'” Reuters reports.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr said that ahead of the midterm elections “there had been a significant surge in such polls ‘designed to do nothing more than interfere with the regular functioning of the electoral process and alter the normal patterns of voter turnout and enthusiasm.'”
“House Democrats’ campaign arm signed off on a $25 million line of credit — among the largest it’s ever opened — early last week as the party stretches itself to take advantage of an increasingly favorable electoral environment,” the Washington Sun reports.
How Russia Won: Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and the Fight for America by David Corn.
“The little-understood yet crucial story of how Vladimir Putin has waged a secret campaign to subvert and weaken the United States—and how Trump, his MAGA movement, the Republican Party, and right-wing media have served as useful idiots.”

“The rules of the road when it comes to President Trump’s relations with foreign leaders are clear: He may trash you. But woe unto you if you whack back,” the New York Times reports.
“No one knows that better than President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, who has been through this particular diplomatic wringer more than once. But he got a pointed reminder during a closed-door meeting in Oslo this week with Mr. Trump’s negotiators.”
“Steve Witkoff, the president’s special envoy, and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, reproached Mr. Zelensky on Tuesday for his sharp comments responding to Mr. Trump’s sharp comments about him, telling the Ukrainian leader that the way he had conducted himself had infuriated the president.”
Bloomberg: Zelensky’s feud with Trump endangers his plan to defend Ukraine.
“Vice President JD Vance dismissed criticism over a controversial ad from Ohio GOP gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign on Wednesday, slamming Republicans for appearing to care more about playing nice than winning elections,” Politico reports.
Said Vance: “I have to admit that I’m a little bit disgusted when I see Republicans across the country who are whining more about that advertisement than they are about what the congressional Democrats and other Democrats want to do to the United States of America.”
He added: “Politics is a tough business. And my message to my fellow elected Republicans is if you actually believe in the things you say you believe in, stop whining about an advertisement and go win the race in 13 days.”
For members: Ramaswamy’s Self-Inflicted October Surprise
A new The Cook Political Report/New River Strategies and GS Strategy Group poll in Iowa finds Josh Turek (D) leading Ashley Hinson (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 46% to 44%.
The same poll in Ohio finds Sherrod Brown (D) leading Jon Husted (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 49% to 43%.
The same poll in Texas finds James Talarico (D) leading Ken Paxton (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 49% to 44%.
A new The Cook Political Report/New River Strategies and GS Strategy Group poll in Iowa finds Rob Sand (D) leading Zach Lahn (R) in the governor’s race, 54% to 43%.
The same poll in Ohio finds Amy Acton (D) leading Vivek Ramaswamy (R) in the governor’s race, 49% to 44%.
The same poll in Texas finds Greg Abbott (R) leading Gina Hinojosa (D) in the governor’s race, 48% to 46%.
A new Quinnipiac University poll in New York finds Kathy Hochul (D) leading Bruce Blakeman (R) in the governor’s race, 55% to 41%.
“New Mexico’s attorney general on Wednesday filed a federal lawsuit accusing Jeffrey Epstein’s long-time personal lawyer and accountant of facilitating Epstein’s sex trafficking operation,” CNBC reports.
“The civil suit alleges that the attorney, Darren Indyke, and the accountant, Richard Kahn, helped finance and conceal Epstein’s sex trafficking, which included the abuse of girls and young women at his Zorro Ranch in Santa Fe County, New Mexico.”
“Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) is converting reelection ads in the D.C. media market into messages selling voters on a redistricting amendment that’s currently unpopular,” the Washington Post reports.
Punchbowl News: “With less than two weeks to go until the midterms, we’re seeing some GOP lawmakers in deep red territory make aggressive campaign moves.”
“Plenty of House Republicans are going negative on their Democratic opponents. It’s an interesting play, since many of those Democrats aren’t running ads of their own and have low name ID. That so many Republicans are doing it suggests they’re worried the ‘R’ next to their name could cost them with angry voters.”
President Trump claimed in the Oval Office that NATO was “nice enough to give us Greenland. We got Greenland.”
“‘Oh, he’s not going to get it,’” Trump added, mocking his critics. “We got it; we got Greenland.”
Robert Rubin: “The economy has been voters’ top issue in four of the six midterm elections this century — and 2026 appears all but certain to make it five of seven. Beyond the cost of living, the war in Iran and tariffs, America faces a series of daunting longer-term economic challenges, from mounting federal debt to the effects of artificial intelligence.”
“Yet many Americans continue to underestimate one particular potential threat to our economic future: President Trump’s clearly expressed desire to interfere with and even usurp the midterm elections. Nov. 3 could be a defining test for the rule of law in this country, and both our democracy and our prosperity are on the line.”
MS NOW: Democrats are preparing for Trump to try disrupting voting on Election Day.
Dan Pfeiffer: “Polls can be wrong. Even A+ rated polls can be wrong. But the brand-new New York Times/Siena poll suggests that Republicans are in for a brutal election night. Republicans have been spinning that their numbers have improved in recent weeks, or at least stabilized.”
“The Times poll says otherwise.”
“Trump’s approval rating is 36%, down a couple of points from September, and Democrats’ lead on the generic ballot increased two points. Their 11-point lead on the generic ballot is the largest in any election since 2008, when Barack Obama won the popular vote by nearly 10 million votes.”
“Armed and in uniform, federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security have been knocking on doors in several states to ask residents about their immigration status — and to inquire if they have registered to vote or cast votes in past elections,” CBS News reports.
“The operation is part of an effort to root out potential noncitizen voters ahead of the midterms. DHS has alleged that there could be as many as 250,000 citizens illegally registered to vote, although election experts have disputed the accuracy of this figure. Just 156 people have been charged with voting-fraud related offenses since the beginning of the Trump administration.”
“In late August, President Donald Trump announced what he called the ‘biggest oil deal in world history.’ Since then, the full text of the accord — which grants the U.S. sweeping access to Venezuela’s oil reserves — has been one of the most sought-after secrets in Washington, D.C,” ProPublica reports.
“ProPublica has reviewed a copy of the 18-page strategic partnership agreement signed for the United States by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The document reveals carefully constructed terms that favor U.S. interests at every turn and cements the power of a small group of people handpicked by the Trump administration to govern and profit from the deal. The role of the Venezuelan government and the potential benefits to its people are largely absent from the text.”

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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