Politico: “Armed with subpoena power in Congress and a friendly Justice Department on their side, Republican lawmakers have spent two years promising to expose former special counsel Jack Smith as the leader of an anti-Trump witch hunt that morphed into a full-blown attempt to take down the Republican establishment.”

“Smith’s appearance Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee — his third time testifying under oath on Capitol Hill, the second time in public — was supposed to be a watershed moment for the GOP intent on extracting a smoking gun ahead of the midterm elections. Instead, the hearing was most memorable for the fusillade of insults hurled by the panel’s Republicans.”

New York Times: “Among the nine Republicans whose races are expected to be crucial in determining Senate control, four would like Mr. Trump to join them on the trail ahead of the election, or are open to the possibility, according to their campaigns. Three campaigns left their positions unclear, and two said they would not join the president on the trail.”

“Adam Hamilton doesn’t plan to stay in Washington long if he gets there, and he doesn’t plan to spend his time investigating President Donald Trump,” MS NOW reports.

“The 62-year-old megachurch pastor, running a surprisingly competitive Senate campaign as a Democrat in Kansas, told MS NOW he would serve no more than two terms in the chamber if elected. He also said he had no interest in the investigations of Trump and his family that Democratic leaders have signaled they would pursue if their party wins control of Congress.”

Said Hamilton: “I’m not going to Washington to hold trials. I’m going to Washington to fight for the people of Kansas and make life better for them.”

“Senate Democrats may be feeling pretty positive going into their final campaign sprint, but first they must deal with a handful of political headaches on the Hill,” Politico reports.

“Democrats at their weekly caucus lunch today will talk strategy on a number of measures that could split members who have stuck together on other recent high-profile votes.”

“Senate Democratic leaders expect a mostly unified caucus against a bill targeting data center costs and another restricting lawmaker’s stock trading, according to a leadership aide, who acknowledged it’s possible some members break ranks if it makes sense for them politically.”

“Vote counts on a third bill on violence in the West Bank are less clear.”

The Atlantic: “When this year began, the Democrats were heavy underdogs to take back the Senate in the midterms. The task would require not only toppling Susan Collins in Maine but also winning at least five states that voted for Donald Trump in 2024, while holding on to all of the party’s existing seats. The realistic best-case scenario seemed to be a replay of the so-called blue-wave 2018 election, during Trump’s first term, in which Democrats took back the House but the Senate remained in Republican hands. To gain control of the upper chamber, Democrats would need an incredible stroke of luck. They might have gotten one.”

“Trump’s decision to start a war with Iran, and the resulting spike in oil prices, shifted the boundaries of the politically possible.”