Watch now   Ask the Editor: Fox’s Trump Pullback, the Final Midterm Push, and Democrats’ Epstein Plans In this members only podcast, Ron Filipkowski and Pablo Manríquez answer questions from paid Meidas+ subscribers MeidasTouch Network, Ron Filipkowski, and Pablo Manríquez Oct 5 ∙ Each week, MeidasTouch Editor-in-Chief Ron Filipkowski joins Washington Bureau Chief Pablo Manríquez to answer questions directly from Meidas+ subscribers about the biggest stories shaping the country. With just 30 days until the midterm elections, this week’s questions focused heavily on what comes next: where Democrats can still make a difference before Election Day, why Fox News appears to be showing less of Donald Trump, what a Democratic House could do to rein in presidential power, and how lawmakers plan to continue investigating the Epstein files. Meidas+ subscribers can submit questions for future editions of Ask the Editor in the comments section of Ron’s Daily Bulletins. Paid subscribers can watch this episode of Ask the Editor above and read our summary below! Thanks to all of our paid subscribers who keep this network growing. What Can You Do in the Final 30 Days Before the Midterms? Pablo opened with perhaps the biggest question Ask the Editor has tackled yet: With only 30 days remaining, what can people actually do to make a difference? Ron pointed to an area he believes has been overlooked: competitive governor’s races in traditionally Republican states. He highlighted Nebraska, Florida, Iowa, Kansas and Ohio as examples of states where Democratic candidates could be competitive but have struggled to attract the same national money pouring into marquee Senate and House contests. “If you have some money or some time to put into a race, put it into one of these governor races,” Ron said. The stakes extend beyond a single election. Governors elected now could remain in office through the next census and redistricting cycle, potentially giving them the ability to veto partisan maps. Ron also urged people to look further down the ballot. If their own state legislative district is safely Democratic, he suggested finding a competitive neighboring district where volunteering, donations or even social media amplification could have a larger impact. Pablo added another immediate step: Check your voter registration at Vote.gov and encourage friends, family and neighbors to do the same before Election Day. Could Kushner and Witkoff Face Liability Over Their Russia Dealings? The second question turned to Russia and reports about Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff discussing potential business involving a sanctioned Russian oil company while pursuing negotiations with Vladimir Putin. Ron said the arrangement raises serious ethical questions, particularly because Kushner and Witkoff have private business interests that could potentially benefit from renewed commercial ties with Russia. But he was skeptical that the discussions themselves would necessarily expose them to prosecution. Because Trump designated them as special envoys pursuing negotiations with Russia, Ron said they could argue that discussions about sanctions were part of their official diplomatic mission rather than an unauthorized attempt to conduct business with a sanctioned entity. Ron argued the larger story is what Putin wants: relief from sanctions on Russia’s energy industry. He also raised another question: Who leaked details of the discussions? Given how few people would likely have known what happened in the room, Ron suggested the disclosure may indicate that officials within the U.S. government are deeply concerned about how Kushner and Witkoff are handling the negotiations. Is Fox News Hiding Trump to Help Republicans? Trump has publicly complained that Fox News is no longer carrying his rallies or devoting the kind of airtime to him that he expects. One Meidas+ subscriber offered a provocative explanation: What if Fox is showing less Trump because it believes Trump is hurting Republicans heading into the midterms? Ron said the question made him reconsider what he had been seeing. His initial explanation was simpler: Trump’s rallies have become repetitive, and even Fox may not see much news value in broadcasting the same speeches over and over. But Ron noted that Republican candidates have increasingly faced a political dilemma as Trump’s popularity has fallen. He pointed to leaked comments from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton claiming Republican candidates saw their numbers decline following a Trump appearance. Ron also discussed the remarkable Senate race in Kansas, where Democrat Adam Hamilton is running neck-and-neck with Republican Sen. Roger Marshall despite Kansas not electing a Democratic U.S. senator since 1932. Marshall has closely tied himself to Trump and MAGA, making it difficult for him to distance himself now. That raises the possibility, Ron said, that Fox executives understand the same dynamic Republican strategists do: Less Trump could actually be better for Republican candidates. Where Is Trump Getting the Money for His $500 ACA Checks? Another subscriber asked about the Trump administration’s plan to send approximately 950,000 Americans $500 payments shortly before the midterms. Ron explained that the administration says the money would come from fees collected from insurance companies participating in the Affordable Care Act system. According to the administration’s rationale as Ron described it, those fees have generated more money than the government needs to administer the program, creating a surplus that can now be distributed. But Ron raised significant questions about both the justification and the timing. The payments would reportedly go to ACA enrollees who do not receive subsidies, meaning lower-income Americans receiving federal assistance would not receive the checks. Ron said he had not seen sufficient information to independently determine whether the claimed surplus actually exists at the level asserted by the administration. But his larger objection was straightforward: A president distributing government money to hundreds of thousands of Americans immediately before an election creates an extraordinary ethical problem. “No president, Republican or Democrat, should grab money out of the federal treasury and send it to voters two weeks before an election,” Ron said. What Would Democrats Investigate If They Take the House? The final question looked beyond Election Day. If Democrats win congressional majorities, what can they do to rein in presidential power? And what happens to the investigation into the Epstein files? Ron said House Democrats are already discussing plans for a potential majority, pointing specifically to Reps. Jamie Raskin, Robert Garcia and Joe Neguse. Among the proposals Ron said lawmakers are considering are clearer restrictions on gifts and payments a president can accept from foreign interests, stronger protections for civil servants and whistleblowers, restrictions on pardons involving people who financially supported a president, a permanent commission related to the 25th Amendment process, and stronger limits preventing presidents from redirecting money Congress appropriated for other purposes. Then there is Epstein. Ron said Garcia plans to subpoena Todd Blanche and question him over the handling and redaction of Epstein-related records, the government’s failure to release certain documents, and the treatment of Ghislaine Maxwell. Democrats also want to investigate Epstein’s relationships with foreign governments, foreign officials and international business interests. In the Senate, Ron highlighted Sen. Ron Wyden’s focus on Epstein’s financial trail. Ron said investigators are interested in nearly 5,000 wire transfers totaling more than $1 billion and records held by financial institutions and the Treasury Department that could potentially reveal where Epstein’s money came from and where it went. Those financial records, Ron argued, could provide a path into parts of the Epstein story that remain largely unexplored. All of it, however, depends on what happens at the ballot box. Keep the questions coming. Meidas+ subscribers can submit questions to Ron in the comments of his Daily Bulletins, and Ron and Pablo will be back next Monday to tackle five more. Shoutout to the Meidas Mighty!