New York City: Zohran Mamdani (D) has a 93% chance to win.
New Jersey: Mikie Sherrill (D) has a 83% chance to win.
Virginia: Abigail Spanberger (D) has a 98% chance to win.
Quote of the Day
“The honest answer is they could. And that’s why they’re doing it. Because I think that’s the only way they can. I think otherwise we’ll have a 2018 election.”
— Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), quoted by Punchbowl News, on whether Republicans could keep their House majority solely because of newly drawn maps.
GOP Lawmaker Suggests Mamdani Can Be Barred
Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) claimed the 14th Amendment may give Congress the authority to ban Zohran Mamdani from office if he’s elected New York City mayor.
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Bessent Plans to Attend Tariff Arguments
“Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on Monday that he would attend the Supreme Court arguments this week over President Trump’s power to levy many of his tariffs, emphasizing how pivotal the case could be to Mr. Trump’s signature economic policy,” the New York Times reports.
Said Bessent: “I’m actually going to go and sit hopefully in the front row and listen, have a ringside seat.”
Trump Backstops U.S. Attorney Appointment
“Justice Department lawyers on Monday defended Lindsey Halligan’s role as eastern Virgnia’s top federal prosecutor, saying in court filings that even if her appointment as U.S. attorney is ruled invalid, she now has an additional title that will allow her to continue overseeing cases against two of President Donald Trump’s perceived foes,” the Washington Post reports.
“The unusual maneuvering signaled at least some concern among Justice Department officials that questions over Halligan’s status could put the cases against Comey and James in jeopardy.”
Notes on Being a Man
Just published: Notes on Being a Man by Scott Galloway.
“Boys and men are in crisis. Rarely has a cohort fallen further and faster than young men living in Western democracies. Boys are less likely to graduate from high school or college than girls. One in seven men reports having no friends, and men account for three of every four deaths of despair in America.”
“Even worse, the lack of attention to these problems has created a vacuum filled by voices espousing misogyny, the demonization of others, and a toxic vision of masculinity.”
Sale
Notes on Being a Man
- Hardcover Book
- Galloway, Scott (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 304 Pages - 11/04/2025 (Publication Date) - Simon & Schuster (Publisher)
Democrats Begin Their Comeback Attempt
“When voters head to the polls on Tuesday, they will not just be picking a big-city mayor and two blue-state governors — they will be charting a course for the depleted Democratic Party,” Politico reports.
“And the margin of the expected victory will narrate the story.”
“Democrats are desperate to notch victories and emerge from their year in the political wilderness in their first major test of President Donald Trump’s second term. They’re betting on the strength of an economic message, pushed by two moderates with national security backgrounds who have hammered Trump on the trail, as well as the undisputed star of the cycle — democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani, who has rallied progressives and first-time voters, while worrying wealthy donors and business leaders.”
The Network Shaping MAGA’s Post Trump Future
Washington Post: “In 2019, a small group of right-wing donors rented a resort outside the 100-person town of Rockbridge, Ohio, for a summit to secure the future of the MAGA movement. They aimed to turn a singular candidate — President Donald Trump — into an enduring political coalition, with a pipeline of voters, donors and candidates that would cement a radical transformation of the GOP.”
“Convened by Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel and JD Vance, then an investor who had written a best-selling memoir, the meeting included hedge fund heiress Rebekah Mercer, then-Fox News host Tucker Carlson and economist Oren Cass.”
What Trade War?
New York Times: “China has offset the decline from America with breathtaking speed. Shipments to other parts of the world have surged this year, demonstrating that China’s manufacturing dominance will not be easily slowed. Chinese exports are on track to reach another record this year.”
“That’s because China was prepared. It has been seeking out new customers for years, and its massive manufacturing investment allows it to sell goods at low prices.”
Eric Holder Calls on Democrats to Reform Supreme Court
Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder called on Democrats to reform the Supreme Court should they win a “trifecta in 2028” on Monday, calling it “a broken institution” that was causing “an untold amount of damage to the fabric” of the country, Mediaite reports.
Said Holder: “I think the reality is, and it pains me to say this, I think the Supreme Court is a broken institution and it’s something that has to be, I think, a part of the national conversation in ’26 and in ’28. What are we gonna do about the Supreme Court?”
The Cruelty Is Still the Point
Paul Krugman: “There’s been plenty of scathing commentary about the lavish, Great Gatsby-themed Halloween party Donald Trump threw at Mar a Lago — a party complete with sequined, feathered dancers and, yes, a scantily-clad woman in a giant martini glass. The party, held just hours before 42 million Americans were about to lose federal food assistance, as 1.4 million federal workers are going without pay, was grotesque. It was also, like everything Trump, unspeakably vulgar.”
“But many commenters described the festivities as ‘tone deaf,’ as if Trump didn’t realize how it would look to be holding such a party as tens of millions of Americans are facing severe hardship. C’mon. Of course he realized how it would look. He understood perfectly well that he was partying while ordinary Americans were suffering. And that understanding — combined with the belief that he can get away with it — was a big reason he enjoyed the event.”
Trump’s Plan B If Justices Rule Against His Tariffs
Politico: “Aides have spent weeks strategizing how to reconstitute the president’s global tariff regime if the court rules that he exceeded his authority. They’re ready to fall back on a patchwork of other trade statutes to keep pressure on U.S. trading partners and preserve billions in tariff revenue.”
Democrats Splinter as Shutdown Nears Record
“Democrats are showing unmistakable signs of splintering as the government shutdown reaches the cusp of setting an all-time record,” Politico reports.
“While many are still demanding their colleagues dig in and fight, a critical mass of Democratic senators appear to be engaged in serious talks about bringing an end to the five-week stalemate. The shutdown is set to overtake the 35-day record Tuesday night.”
Lauren Boebert Dressed Up as a Mexican Deportee
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and her boyfriend Kyle Pearcy attended a Halloween party on Friday night, in costumes portraying a Mexican woman and an Immigration and Customs enforcement agent, ABC News reports.
The Battle Over an Activist Who Protested Stephen Miller
“Federal and state criminal investigations into a Virginia woman who distributed leaflets disclosing the home address of a White House official, Stephen Miller, have prompted a secret court fight over the balance between personal safety and free speech at a time of rising political violence,” the New York Times reports.
Slow Rollout Throttled Biden’s Clean Energy Ambitions
“President Joe Biden’s agencies allowed bureaucracy, indecision and fear of repeating past mistakes to undermine their efforts to bankroll a historic green energy revolution, former administration officials wrote in a newly prepared autopsy of the ex-president’s energy agenda,” Politico reports.
“The document said that even as administration officials worked to commit hundreds of billions of dollars to build battery plants, solar farms, electric vehicle factories and other clean energy projects, they underestimated how aggressively the incoming Trump team would seek to undo their programs. The slow rollout also made it harder for Biden’s programs to withstand those attacks, they signaled.”
It’s Election Day
Playbook: “Yes, it’s an off-year. Yes, 2026 is where the real action lies. But millions of Americans will wield their democratic rights today, and real power will change hands as a result. Sparkling political careers will be launched; others crushed into the dust. Runes will be read into next year’s midterms; wild judgments made about Donald Trump and the Democrats. And anyway — if you love politics, you love elections. And we’re all staying up late tonight.”
