A new Marist Poll poll in Ohio finds Sherrod Brown (D) leading Jon Husted (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 48% to 44%.
The same poll in Ohio finds Amy Acton (D) leading Vivek Ramaswamy (R) in the governor’s race, 50% to 43%.
“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth quietly visited Israel on Monday and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” CBS News reports.
“Democrats are eyeing many targets as they make plans to probe corruption in and around President Donald Trump’s administration should they win control of the House next month,” Politico reports.
”Few loom larger than Elon Musk.”
“The world’s richest man and nine-figure Republican donor has emerged as a man of intense interest to several potential committee chairs — not to mention scores of rank-and-file Democratic lawmakers — who see multiple fronts for investigations.”
The Bulwark: Kara Swisher warns Elon Musk: A reckoning is coming.
“In the run-up to the midterm elections, Iranian state media is gleefully chronicling high prices at American gas pumps — and their impact on President Trump’s political standing,” the New York Times reports.
“Taking advantage of a recent Supreme Court decision, the Republican National Committee is sending tens of millions of dollars to help the party’s midterm candidates. The long-awaited move adds to the GOP’s considerable financial advantages, especially in Senate races, despite a tough political environment,” the New York Times reports.
“The RNC, which entered September with an enormous $126 million on hand, told The New York Times that it was finishing moving more than $50 million to the groups overseeing the party’s efforts to elect House and Senate candidates. The cash infusion, significantly larger than what Republicans have done in the past, is something that the troubled and financially struggling Democratic National Committee is incapable of doing.”
“If Sherrod Brown wins his Senate race, Ohio’s delegation will be the most awkward in the chamber next Congress,” Semafor reports.
“Brown would have to serve with Republican Bernie Moreno, who defeated Brown in 2024 — and would likely become the leading tactician in charge of toppling the Democrat again in 2028. That’s thanks to a quirk in the Senate cycle math: Brown would have to run again for his seat in two years, against a National Republican Senatorial Committee that Moreno is likely to take over for the 2028 campaign.”
“Brown and Moreno never spoke after Moreno’s 2024 win, according to a person familiar with the matter. They also never debated.”
“Democrats are hungry for a blue wave in the November election, and a series of recent polls has them thinking they could pull off victories in some deeply red territory that would have seemed unthinkable a few months ago,” CNN reports.
“Expectations for the party are so high that one could envision a fair amount of disappointment in the party — and celebration among Republicans — if Democrats don’t shoot the moon on Election Day and take control of both chambers of Congress.”
Said David Axelrod: “I think Democrats are in striking distance in enough states to have a really good day. But it wouldn’t surprise me if they fell short of taking over the Senate.”
“The riots sweeping France have rocked the country’s political establishment, but one person is positioned to emerge from the chaos with a stronger hand: Marine Le Pen,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“For more than a decade, the far-right leader has cast France as a nation adrift, buffeted by waves of immigration and lawlessness that have torn at the country’s social fabric. As bands of hooded rioters in dark clothing have descended on city centers across France, raiding city halls and looting thousands of stores, Le Pen has sought to present herself as the sole candidate in this spring’s presidential election willing to restore order.”
“The strategy was on display this week as Le Pen released a video address that bore the hallmarks of a president addressing the nation. Seated at a desk before an august bookcase and flanked by France’s tricolor flag, Le Pen cast the riots as a crisis of faith in President Emmanuel Macron’s authority.”
Foreign Policy: Why is France perpetually rioting?
“Vice President JD Vance declined to endorse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reelection bid, saying he intends to stay out of Israel’s election despite President Donald Trump throwing his support behind the Israeli leader,” Fox News reports.
“President Trump’s intensifying effort in the past few weeks to rehabilitate Russia and usher President Vladimir V. Putin back into diplomatic society is remarkable for its speed, its characterization of Mr. Zelensky as the primary obstacle to peace, and its brazen denial that Russia is continuing the war that Mr. Trump says he is trying to end,” the New York Times reports.
Said Trump: “Russia, frankly, has been fine on Ukraine. They haven’t been doing much.”
In contrast, he added: “We’ve given a lot to Ukraine. They’ve given nothing to us. Remember that.”
“The Trump administration has not approved the transfer of interceptor missiles to Ukraine that are needed to protect the country from Russian missile and drone attacks, a delay that comes as President Donald Trump has embraced Russia and slammed Ukraine in recent weeks,” the Washington Post reports.
“They’ve been telling us for years that an independent vote is a wasted vote. Well, a great question for our times is, has that unwasted vote been working out for you?”
— Matthew McConaughey, quoted by Fox News.
“One issue is breaking through even among the most loyal Republican supporters: gas prices,” Axios reports.
“Republicans promised to slash gas prices. But the Iran war sent them soaring, up 37% since President Trump took office.”
For members: Trump’s Broken Promise at the Pump
“The Trump administration’s cuts to weather satellites will set the country back nearly a decade,” CNN reports.
“The loss of data used to observe, forecast and research extreme weather could prevent the country from making major advances in weather prediction in the coming years.”
“A legal fight over a public golf course near the National Mall is quickly turning into one of the most heated clashes between the Trump administration and the judiciary,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“A preservation group’s lawsuit challenging President Trump’s plans to overhaul the East Potomac Golf Links recently boiled over when the administration cut down more than 400 trees on short notice. U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes, a Biden appointee, has spent the days since conveying her outrage—and trying to understand who ordered the removals and why.”
“The plot thickened Monday after Trump said the renovation work was starting immediately—while the Justice Department said it wasn’t.”
The New Republic: Trump crashes out after failing to remove judge in golf course case.
“President Donald Trump on Monday said he thought someone other than Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should negotiate on Kyiv’s behalf as it seeks to end the war with Russia,” Reuters reports.
Said Trump: “Maybe it’s time for Zelensky to get somebody else to negotiate.”
“The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the federal government said Monday that they had reached a settlement to close 19 federal inquiries. The agreement made UNC the latest school to align itself formally with the Trump administration’s vision for higher education,” the New York Times reports.
“The university, which did not acknowledge wrongdoing, will not pay any money in connection with the agreement, setting it apart from schools that pledged to shell out tens or hundreds of millions of dollars. But it agreed to abide by the Trump administration’s views on matters like admissions; diversity, equity and inclusion; and the punishment of student groups for actions perceived as antisemitic.”
“The campaign of Republican David Flippo, who faces an unexpectedly tough race to fill a red House seat in Nevada, credited a dead woman from a prominent Nevada family for a donation, according to federal disclosures,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The attribution marked the latest in a string of stumbles for the campaign, including missing deadlines for financial disclosures and retracted claims about military awards.”
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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