New York Magazine: The biggest sign yet that Democrats will flip the House.

“A new memo being sent to Republicans across the country reveals four key topics that the House GOP is focusing on in the final four weeks before the election: the border, fraudulent use of taxpayer dollars, the economy, and public safety.”

“But the reports left mysterious just who was carrying out the attacks.”

“It turns out it was Iran itself.”

CBS News: Trump vows Iran war to end “very quickly” as more troops head to Mideast.

“The memories were fresh of a botched attempt just four months earlier, as a doctor spent 90 minutes poking another condemned inmate with needles and slicing open his chest in search of a vein before the state called off the execution. Ms. Pike’s lawyers had cautioned that she had health issues that could create similar complications.”

“Still, the state pushed ahead, administering two doses of the drug pentobarbital, and Ms. Pike did not die. She remains in critical condition, her prognosis unclear.”

NPR: Failed “torturous” execution attempt on Christa Pike reignites death penalty debate.

“But there is no ‘Paul McLaren’ residing in Plano, and the address listed on the campaign finance record is for a rented mailbox in a strip mall.”

“The donor, it turns out, is a Texas businessman whose father was a well-known construction executive who received a pardon from President Donald Trump years after he pleaded guilty to filing a false tax return.”

Associated Press: Inside Ken Paxton’s jet-setting lifestyle: California wineries, European hot spots and ski resorts.

“Oh, and there’s the small matter of that disastrous war.”

“Yet the Trump administration insists that this troubled environment is a Golden Age. This isn’t just bad politics. It’s an indication that Trump is living in a bubble of fantasy and sycophancy, in which nobody dares suggest — even as a matter of cynical political strategy — acknowledging that things are less than perfect.”

”Their TV reservations may tell a different story.”

”According to AdImpact, the NRSC is running coordinated TV ads with several GOP Senate campaigns in Ohio, Maine, Alaska, Iowa, Michigan and New Hampshire.”

”It isn’t running any with Michael Whatley, the GOP’s Senate nominee in North Carolina, or Republican Rep. Mike Collins, the nominee in Georgia.”

”President Donald Trump’s allied super PAC appears to be winding down in both races, too.”

”Democrats are investing in deep-red districts that could pad a future majority, banking on what appears to be a strong political environment to not just win but win big. That would strengthen Jeffries’ hand.”

Said one senior House Democrat: “Another five-or-so-seat buffer would be a game-changer.”

“It was over the top, even for a showman.”

“Mr. Trump served up reliable red meat, warning the crowd about socialists, open borders and rising crime if Democrats take majority control of either chamber of Congress in November. But he was largely preaching to his most fervent fans, not the voters he will need to elect or re-elect a slate of Republicans fighting in states from Alaska to Maine. He knew it.”

“As candidates enter their final weeks of campaigning this midterm cycle, Democrats are seeing massive gains in some of the reddest areas of the country. Senate races in Alaska, Kansas, Nebraska and even Mississippi are polling much closer than expected, given that President Donald Trump won those states in 2024 by 13, 16, 21 and 23 points respectively.”

“But at the same time, Democrats aren’t seeing the same wave of support in blue and purple states. Kamala Harris won New Hampshire by three points, Maine by seven, and lost Michigan by about half a percentage point. And yet, the Senate races in those states show the candidates polling within just a few points of each other.”

“Now high-profile Democrats are paying visits to the Republican bastion and urging party bosses to send scarce financial resources to Colom’s campaign, hoping to put into play a state that hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate in more than four decades.”

“But it also has several controversial elements: cuts and new rules that haven’t come into effect yet — things like Medicaid work requirements and reduced federal funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), that are scheduled to begin right when the new Congress starts in 2027.”

”The bill would largely bar the federal government from using the AI-powered cameras or accessing data collected by them. It would also prohibit the Justice Department and other federal agencies from making grants to state and local governments unless they put similar bans in place.”

”It’s the first major spending by Democratic leadership in the state’s Senate race — but a drop in the bucket compared to Republicans’ investments over the past month.”

Said Vance: “Historically there’s always a bit of an uphill climb, and I think you definitely sense that. I also think you can sense a sense of cautious optimism, in the sense that, you know, people feel like the numbers are sort of moving, maybe in our direction.”

He added: “Politically, there’s just a recognition that it’s always going to be hard to win a midterm when you have the White House, the Senate and the House.”

“At the time, Trump was ordering missile strikes against Venezuelan boats he alleged were smuggling drugs into the U.S. He asked Grok how Venezuelans would react if the U.S. captured Maduro. According to the official present, the chatbot responded that Maduro was a repressive and deeply unpopular dictator and that many Venezuelans would likely celebrate his downfall.”

“After Trump ordered the mission to seize Maduro, the following month, celebrations broke out in the streets. Trump, according to officials, came away thinking Grok was ingenious.”