“A federal judge extended an order blocking tree removal from a Washington, DC golf course President Donald Trump is seeking to renovate, while imposing new notice requirements on any other major changes the administration seeks to make on the golf course grounds,” CNN reports.
Ex-FBI Director James Comey Charged Again
“Former FBI Director James Comey has been charged for the third time with federal crimes, according to a court filing unsealed Monday in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., at Comey’s request,” CNBC reports.
“Comey is accused in the new case with knowingly communicating information related to national defense to a person not entitled to receive it.”
“He is also charged with conspiring with others to violate the law against sharing such information.”
Trump Offers $1,000,000 Voter Fraud Bounty
Rolling Stone: “All around America, voters are fed up with the short-sighted, destructive policies of Donald Trump’s second administration. But rather than addressing those concerns, the president today decided to try a new tactic in shifting the balance of America’s fragile democracy: offering a boat load of cash to anyone who could catch a fraud.”
“In a Truth Social post on Monday afternoon, Trump said that ‘anybody reporting Voter Fraud in the past Elections, or the upcoming 2026 Midterm Election, will be paid $1,000,000 upon the arrest and conviction of those that created the Fraud!'”
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U.S. Maps Path for Venezuela to Hold New Election
“Venezuela and the U.S. are setting up a path toward elections in the South American country that would be triggered by declaring a vacancy in the office, which technically has been empty since American forces captured Nicolás Maduro in January,” Bloomberg reports.
“The plan laid out Monday by a senior State Department official offers the clearest timetable yet for Washington’s effort to move Venezuela toward a new election, while making clear that the U.S. doesn’t want an election held under inherited institutions.”
Another Bonus Quote of the Day
“It looked like another rigged election, frankly. Elections have to be indisputable, and it looked very bad to me.”
— President Trump, quoted by Axios, on the Brazilian election in which Trump-aligned populist Flavio Bolsonaro lost.
Prediction Markets’ Credibility ‘On the Line’ in Midterms
“America’s political class is hurtling toward an election that some fear could turn into yet another public opinion polling flop,” Politico reports.
“Enter the prediction markets.”
“Wall Street’s buzziest startups — Kalshi and Polymarket chiefly among them — have long held themselves up as paragons of the forecasting business, arguing that voters will be more truthful with money on the line. Now, the midterm elections are about to test whether their predictive chops hold up when on display.”
Brazilian Markets Crash After Lula’s Surprise Election Win
“Brazilian financial assets were swept by a historic rout Monday after the surprise election victory of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wrong-footed investors who had bet on his defeat,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The Brazilian real slid more than 10% against the U.S. dollar while the country’s benchmark stock index fell nearly 17%, which would mark a record daily loss.”
Silicon Valley Braces for a Democratic Congress
Washington Post: “As Trump’s approval rating plummets, Silicon Valley companies that ingratiated themselves with Trump’s Washington are bracing for the possibility of a Democratic Congress — and with it congressional investigations targeting their dealings with the president and his administration.”
“Democrats are preparing to investigate some defense technology firms, as well as manufacturing and mining companies that serve the military supply chain, according to conversations with nearly a dozen congressional staffers, political lobbyists, lawyers, investors and executives.”
“The firms make a tantalizing target for Democrats because of their close ties to the Trump administration and mounting public anger over unregulated AI, autonomous weapons and data centers.”
Wes Moore Campaigns in Virginia
Washington Post: “Moore, the only Black governor of a U.S. state, is up for reelection next month. But his Suburban with Maryland plates recently logged more than 650 miles crisscrossing Virginia, where he rallied Black and veteran voters in the commonwealth’s most competitive House districts instead of campaigning at home.”
“In the newly minted early presidential primary state, Moore also was fortifying his ties to Virginia’s Black political power structure ahead of a widely presumed 2028 presidential bid.”
Sleeper Issue Could Decide the Texas Senate Race
“Americans’ concern with what they view as government corruption is defining midterm races across the country, as voters from both parties consistently rank the issue second only to the economy and high prices,” the Washington Post reports.
“Corruption has particularly animated the crucial Senate battleground of Texas, where Republicans are scrambling to prevent the first Senate Democratic victory since 1988 as state Rep. James Talarico (D) pounds Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) with tens of millions of dollars in advertising calling him corrupt.”
New York Times: Ken Paxton’s state-funded jet-setting draws campaign scrutiny.
A Flurry of Diplomacy in Iran
“Senior representatives from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan met with Iranian officials in the capital, Tehran, on Monday, amid widespread concern that the United States and Israel could soon launch fresh attacks on Iran,” the New York Times reports.
“The visit is the latest in a flurry of diplomatic efforts by regional mediators to stave off further turmoil in the Middle East. American and Israeli officials are said to be drawing up plans to potentially attack Iran after the U.S. midterm elections next week.”
Bloomberg: Top Saudi, Turkish officials travel to Iran to quell war tension.
Trump Enlists Football Stars for Final Midterm Push
“President Trump will campaign with three football stars in Texas on Tuesday, leaning into America’s favorite sport as Republicans scramble to turn out voters in the final week before the midterms, Axios has learned,” Axios reports.
“Trump is trying to mobilize the low-propensity voters who helped return him to the White House in 2024 — but who may be less inclined to vote when he isn’t on the ballot.”
Trump Hides Court Ruling About Spying On Americans
“Two Democratic senators who have long overseen U.S. intelligence say the Trump administration is illegally withholding a secret court’s findings from Congress until lawmakers renew a program that lets federal agents read Americans’ communications without a warrant,” Wired reports.
“Seven months ago, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court objected to search filters that let intelligence analysts pull Americans’ messages from intercepted data without the approvals, written justifications, or records the law requires. The court approved another year of surveillance anyway. The ruling has never been made public, and Senators Ron Wyden of Oregon and Adam Schiff of California say the administration’s own deadline for releasing it passed in September.”
Roy Cooper Leads in North Carolina Senate Race
A new Quantus Insights poll in North Carolina finds Roy Cooper (D) leading Michael Whatley (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 51% to 43%.
North Carolina Senate Race
Roy Cooper (D) 51%
Michael Whatley (R) 43%
CNN and Politico Again Are Barred From Air Force One
“CNN and Politico again were restricted from traveling with President Donald Trump on Air Force One on Monday, only the latest effort by the White House to punish outlets for content it does not like,” Deadline reports.
Trump Tariffs Test Republicans Ahead of Midterms
“President Trump faces an uncomfortable political dilemma ahead of the impending midterm elections: how to stand by the tariffs at the heart of his economic agenda when Republican voters are less convinced of their benefits,” Axios reports.
“Since returning to the White House, Trump has moved more aggressively than any modern president to remake the global trading system, with sweeping tariffs at the center of that effort.”
Introducing Econ Arcade
My son Alex, the creator of the Political Trivia site, has just released Econ Arcade, a new suite of games about money and markets. Fair warning: they’re very addictive.
Netanyahu Goes Into Full Panic Mode
Graeme Wood: “When the going gets tough, the tough don’t get subtle. Yesterday, with polls casting doubt on his continuing as Israel’s prime minister after Tuesday’s election, Benjamin Netanyahu posted a closing argument on Instagram: an AI-generated image of Tel Aviv destroyed by a nuclear blast, with accompanying text that asked, roughly, Would you prefer to reelect Netanyahu, or be incinerated along with your family?”
“The text—written by the commentator Yuval Bloomberg and reproduced approvingly by Netanyahu—called all of the other campaign issues a ‘smokescreen,’ and accused Netanyahu’s opponents of being so blinded by hatred that they would rather increase their chances of being burned alive than see their country’s political maestro win another election. If you support another candidate, the Instagram post cautioned, ‘your hand should tremble’ as you vote.”
Axios: Trump allies fall in two elections as Netanyahu faces next test.
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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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