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Hey everyone, happy Monday. If last week felt intense, this week is already raising the stakes. Before the sun came up this morning, federal agents raided the home of Rep. Ilhan Omar, a sitting member of Congress the president has openly said should be in jail. That comes just days after Trump’s Justice Department opened an investigation into five major TV networks for standing up to the White House. Meanwhile, a MAGA conspiracy theory about James Talarico collapsed in spectacular fashion, two federal judges stepped in to stop the administration, and Russia ignored Trump’s “ceasefire” within hours. Raids. Investigations. Pressure on the press. With the midterms just three weeks away, it’s becoming clear that this administration is willing to use the full weight of the federal government against the people it sees as enemies. Lawmakers, networks, and yes, journalists. I’m not going to stop telling you the truth, no matter how much pressure comes our way. But staying independent takes resources, and it’s only possible because of readers like you. If you believe in journalism that holds power accountable, especially when the stakes are this high, please become a paid subscriber today. It directly funds the reporting, the interviews, and everything it takes to cover this moment the way it deserves to be covered. And if you’re already a subscriber, thank you. Please share this with one person who needs to read it.
Now, let’s get into today’s news. Federal Agents Raid Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Home as Trump’s Campaign Against His Critics Escalates Federal agents carried out a predawn raid Monday on the Washington-area home of Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar. Homeland Security Investigations executed a search warrant secured by the Justice Department, according to Fox News Digital, which first reported the raid. A DOJ spokesperson said the warrant was “judicially authorized” and that the action is “part of an ongoing federal investigation.” The raid is reportedly tied to a criminal fraud probe into Omar’s immigration paperwork, which was filled out by her late father after the family came to the U.S. from Somalia when she was a child. Omar, 44, has been a U.S. citizen since 2000. Neither her office nor the Justice Department immediately responded to requests for comment, and the story is still developing. This move today violates longstanding DOJ policy:
The raid follows years of attacks from Trump, who has openly said he wants Omar in jail. In a Truth Social post in January, Trump called her a “scammer” and wrote that she and her “absolutely terrible friends from Somalia should all be in jail right now, or far worse, send them back to Somalia.” Trump has repeatedly cast the Somali American community as a threat to Minnesota in a burst of anti-Somali and anti-Muslim rhetoric. Last month, Trump’s border czar Tom Homan announced that the Department of Homeland Security had opened a criminal investigation into the congresswoman. Now, just weeks later, federal agents are searching her home. The sequence raises serious questions about whether the president’s political grudges are driving federal law enforcement.
The raid on a sitting member of Congress marks a dramatic escalation in the Trump administration’s use of federal power against its critics. It comes just days after Trump’s Justice Department opened an antitrust investigation into five major TV networks that stood together against the White House’s press ban. Omar has also faced a wave of threats in recent years, including an incident at a January town hall in Minneapolis where a person with a syringe charged the podium as she spoke. Executing a search warrant at the home of a member of Congress is an extraordinary step, especially over paperwork filed by a parent when the lawmaker was a child. With the midterms just three weeks away, the move is likely to intensify concerns among Democrats that the administration is targeting political opponents. More details are expected as the story develops.
Trump Faces Shrinking Crowds and a Fractured GOP as Republicans Fight to Hold Texas and South Carolina Trump is holding near-daily rallies to fire up a Republican base that is showing signs of fatigue, but the crowds are shrinking. He has already held eight rallies in October and plans to campaign in 35 races before Election Day, often in heavily Republican areas. Instead of packed arenas, he’s now speaking in smaller venues, often in front of empty seats and watching people leave before he finishes. At a much-hyped rally in San Antonio, he didn’t come close to filling an 11,000-seat coliseum, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has skipped both of Trump’s Texas rallies this month. A former senior Trump campaign aide said bluntly, “I don’t think they’re getting the same thing anymore.” Trump is now leaning on celebrities like Kid Rock, Mike Tyson, and Dennis Rodman to draw crowds, while even some supporters doubt his promise of $5,000 checks, with one saying, “He does a lot of talking.” Trump’s rally pitch has turned bizarre, telling voters to back Republicans “even if you hate” them. In Ohio, he told the crowd, “Go out and vote, even if you hate Jon Husted, even if you hate Vivek Ramaswamy.” In Texas, he called his own hand-picked Senate candidate Ken Paxton a “pain in the ass” and has mocked the way Paxton looks, dresses, and talks. He has also gone off script in ways that hurt his candidates, praising AI data centers in Ohio even though Republicans have warned the issue could sink Husted’s campaign against Sherrod Brown. “We want them,” Trump said of the data centers. “They’ll go to China.” His stump speech has otherwise settled into a familiar routine of touting his record, calling Democrats “communists,” and attacking Democratic nominees. In Texas, the Republican Party is tearing itself apart as Paxton trails Democrat James Talarico. Months after Trump helped Paxton oust Sen. John Cornyn in a bitter primary, the two camps remain at war, with Paxton’s allies convinced Cornyn’s side is leaking damaging recordings to sabotage him. In one leaked audio clip, Paxton said of Cornyn, “He’s clearly not helping. He wants me to lose.” Cornyn has refused to endorse Paxton by name, has called him “lazy,” a “poor campaigner,” and a “crook,” and is raising money for other Senate races instead. Karl Rove has gone even further, saying, “If John Cornyn were the nominee, this race would be over,” while pointing to Paxton’s affairs and corruption scandals. Republicans have now poured $179 million into ads in the race since September, more than three times what Democrats have spent, yet polls still show Talarico narrowly ahead. In deep-red South Carolina, Republicans are spending $5 million to protect their Senate candidate after the race tightened. Republican Sen. Darline Graham, appointed to replace her late brother Lindsey Graham after his death in July, faced Democratic pediatrician Annie Andrews in a fiery debate Sunday night. Andrews mocked Graham as “the White House’s ambassador to South Carolina” and called her “unserious and unqualified,” pointing to Graham’s earlier admission that “national security is not my thing.” Graham tried to paint Andrews as the state’s “most radical liberal,” but Andrews fired back, “My name is Annie Andrews,” touting her support for the Second Amendment and border security. Andrews also blamed record gas prices on the Iran war, noting Graham voted three times against a war powers resolution that could have ended it. Whoever wins will become the first woman elected to the Senate from South Carolina. Taken together, the races show a Republican Party struggling to hold even its safest ground. Texas hasn’t elected a Democrat statewide in more than three decades, yet a former state GOP finance chair warned the threat is “real” and “not just nonsense in the public polls.” Polls also show Latino voters in Texas swinging back toward Democrats after backing Trump in 2024. In South Carolina, AI data centers have become a major flash point, with Andrews dubbing her opponent “Data Center Darline” and calling for a two-year moratorium to protect families from rising power bills. Meanwhile, Trump’s dismal approval ratings and an unpopular Iran war are weighing on Republicans across the map. With three weeks to go, Republicans are spending heavily just to defend seats they once considered safe.
MAGA’s “Bombshell” Talarico Conspiracy Collapses After Ohio Hospital Says He Was Never a Patient A viral MAGA claim that James Talarico was secretly treated at a psychiatric hospital completely fell apart within hours. Pro-Trump influencer Nick Sortor posted an “exclusive” claiming that the Lindner Center of Hope, a mental health facility in Ohio, had “CONFIRMED” Talarico was discharged there, calling his flu explanation a “BIG FAT LIE.” Elon Musk amplified the post, Trump ally Richard Grenell accused Talarico’s campaign of a cover-up, and another influencer demanded he drop out of the race. But on Sunday, the hospital itself shot it down, posting that “Representative James Talarico has never received treatment from Lindner Center of Hope.” Talarico shared the statement, adding, “I’ve never even been to Ohio.” His spokesman called it “a lie designed to promote a pathetic conspiracy theory.”
The influencers’ own timeline didn’t even add up. Their supposed evidence claimed Talarico was discharged from the Ohio facility on the evening of October 10, but he had already been seen back on the campaign trail at Austin City Limits on October 9 and on stage with Kacey Musgraves in Dallas on October 10. The claim relied on a recording of a phone call with a purported hospital employee, and questions are now being raised about whether it was real and how it was obtained, since the hospital requires a patient-selected code to share any information. One of the influencers even appeared to admit the real goal, writing, “Nah, public humiliation is the end goal here.” Legal experts note that obtaining protected health information under false pretenses can carry federal penalties, though no wrongdoing has been established. Rather than apologize, Sortor mocked Talarico again, posting that he’d “caught the flu” and would respond “in 12-15 days (maybe).”
Talarico says he simply had “a nasty case of the flu,” and the smear campaign has only drawn more attention to Paxton’s refusal to debate. “I was in bed, drinking lots of liquids,” Talarico told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth, adding that he stayed home because he didn’t want to get anyone else sick. “You can’t believe everything you read on the internet,” he said. He also turned Trump’s own words against Paxton, saying, “I agree with President Trump. I think Ken Paxton should debate,” noting Paxton has ignored his debate requests for 85 days. A recent YouGov poll shows Talarico leading Paxton 50% to 44% among registered Texas voters. A win would make him the first Democrat to win a statewide race in Texas in more than 30 years.
Federal Judges Hit the Brakes on Trump’s Taxpayer-Funded TV Ads and DC Golf Course Tree Cutting A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to immediately stop airing taxpayer-funded TV ads that critics call political propaganda ahead of the midterms. Judge Jennifer Rochon issued a temporary restraining order Sunday night barring the Department of Homeland Security from spending any more of the $20 million set aside for the ad campaign, about $19 million of which has already been spent. The ads, labeled “Paid for by the U.S. Government,” feature rapid shots of Trump alongside claims like “Largest Tax Cuts in History,” while flashing the words “AMERICA WILL NEVER BE A COMMUNIST COUNTRY.” The money was appropriated by Congress for immigration enforcement. Rochon also canceled all scheduled ads, blocked any new ad contracts, and froze a purchase order with the contractor running the campaign. The order lasts 14 days unless extended.
The judge rejected the administration’s argument that it was “too late” to act, and the government didn’t even defend the ads on the merits. The Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office told the court the ads would stop after Sunday, but the plaintiffs pointed out that more ads were still set to air during Sunday evening programming watched by millions. Rochon ruled the case was not moot, found the coalition was likely to win, and said an injunction “serves the public interest.” The lawsuit was filed by Common Cause and the SEIU, while the Democratic National Committee filed a separate challenge. Trump said earlier this month that he or his super PAC would pay for the ads going forward, but the White House said he would not reimburse taxpayers for the millions already spent. The coalition called the ads “blatantly unlawful political propaganda,” adding there is “no legal justification and no precedent” for using government money to sway an election. A separate federal judge halted all tree cutting at the historic East Potomac Golf Links that Trump wants to turn into a championship course. Judge Ana Reyes ordered a stop to the removals until at least Tuesday morning, just days after the National Park Service began clearing 169 trees as part of a plan to remove more than 500 in total. She also ordered the superintendent of the National Mall to testify under oath Monday about who ordered the tree removals and when he received that order. The Park Service has insisted the cutting is routine maintenance separate from Trump’s redesign plans. But the DC Preservation League and local residents suing to stop the project told the court that even if the administration deserves the benefit of the doubt, “they’re not entitled to a suspension of disbelief.” The project is part of Trump’s broader push to remake Washington in his vision.
Kremlin Rejects Ceasefire and Ignores Trump’s “Energy Truce” as Zelensky Quips “Putin Does Not Read Truth Social” Russia kept bombing Ukraine’s power grid within hours of Trump announcing an “energy ceasefire,” and the Kremlin still won’t even acknowledge it. Russian drones hit a power plant in Kyiv on Sunday, causing blackouts in the capital, followed by a “targeted attack” on a power station in Kharkiv. “It’s clear that Putin does not read Truth Social,” Zelensky quipped on Monday. Asked about Trump’s ceasefire, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov refused to comment, saying only, “Contacts continue.” Zelensky said Ukraine learned about the ceasefire “from the media” like everyone else. Russian strikes killed six people in Ukraine on Sunday, including three at a grocery store in Kharkiv, where 20 more were wounded, including two children.
 The Kremlin flatly rejected Zelensky’s offer of a 60-day ceasefire to hold elections, offering just one day instead. Zelensky had proposed a “total” 60-day ceasefire so Ukraine could hold the elections Trump demanded when he said it was “time for Ukraine to get a new president.” Peskov dismissed the idea, saying, “We do not want a ceasefire. We want long-term peace.” In a remarkable counteroffer, he said Putin would be willing to halt strikes on Ukraine only on election day itself. Zelensky said holding elections now is nearly impossible, with more than a million soldiers on the front lines who would need to vote. He said he’s willing to find ways to change the constitution to hold elections “very quickly” if a full ceasefire is put in place. Zelensky vowed that Ukraine will strike back if Russia keeps attacking its power grid this winter. “If Russia does not agree to an energy ceasefire this winter, we will respond,” he told European security officials in Warsaw. He said Ukraine already showed good faith by holding off on hitting Russian oil refineries Sunday night, only for Russia to launch a jet-powered drone strike on a Ukrainian facility at midnight. “We agree, if they agree,” he said, calling on the U.S. to apply “real pressure” on the Kremlin instead of sanctions relief. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas noted that Trump’s proposal to halt refinery strikes favors Russia, which has far more refineries than Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Financial Times reported that the Trump administration is threatening to cut off a key weapons procurement system for Ukraine to pressure Kyiv to stop its strikes on Russian energy. Europe is moving in the opposite direction from Trump, approving the largest round of Russia sanctions since the war began. The EU added nearly 1,600 individuals and entities to its sanctions blacklist, with more than half tied to Russia’s ballistic missile production. “Europe is again showing a united front,” Kallas said. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said a diesel deal like Trump’s is “out of the question” for Europe, adding, “Russia will only negotiate seriously under pressure.” Lithuania’s foreign minister said the deal “doesn’t help” and damages transatlantic unity, while Estonia’s top diplomat said it won’t actually change diesel prices and linked it to Trump’s midterm worries. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also said the diesel deal “is in direct opposition” to efforts to bring peace to Europe.
Other news: Trump’s new White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia, has a history of pushing the debunked Pizzagate and QAnon conspiracy theories. According to a report by Popular Information, Zacharia repeatedly posted on Truth Social promoting Pizzagate, the baseless claim that top Democrats ran a child sex trafficking ring out of a D.C. pizzeria. She called John Podesta a “pedo,” wrote that “Hollywood elites are sick pedo cannibals,” and shared a post claiming Democrats have a “satanic platform.” She also engaged with QAnon posts, agreeing with a user who suggested Trump drinking bottled water during a speech might be a coded signal tied to specific “Q posts.” When asked about her history, the White House simply pointed to Trump’s post announcing her hire, in which he called her “a devoted fan and member of MAGA.” The 41-year-old previously worked at Trump Media and once wrote an op-ed calling Trump “the greatest president in U.S. history.”
Trump reposted a rant from Kid Rock warning of a future “civil war over religious ideology” with Muslims in Michigan. On Lara Trump’s Fox News show, Kid Rock attacked Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed as “a wolf in sheep’s clothing” and said he feared his grandchildren would one day have to fight a religious civil war. Trump shared the clip on Truth Social, the latest in a string of attacks in which he has called El-Sayed a “Jihadist lunatic” and “Terrorist Sympathizer” and repeatedly called him “Mohammad.” “He knows my name is Abdul,” El-Sayed responded. “He’s not just attacking me. He’s attacking all of us.” At a Trump rally in Tennessee on Saturday, Kid Rock also questioned whether Islam is “a religion, ideology, a cult,” offering no evidence for his claims, and Trump later said he’d “like it” if the rapper ran for office. The attacks come as El-Sayed’s race against Republican Mike Rogers remains tight in the final weeks of the campaign. Saudi Arabia extended the shutdown of all flights at Riyadh’s main airport after another deadly Houthi missile attack. Houthi strikes on Saturday killed 13 people and injured more than 300, and Saudi state TV aired security footage showing passengers waiting to board being engulfed in smoke and falling debris. A further attack left one more person dead, and the military said it has detected additional missile and drone threats. The Houthis have repeatedly broken through Saudi Arabia’s stretched air defenses, destroying a parked passenger plane and damaging at least five others, and they have vowed to target airports across the country. Schoolchildren and some workers have been told to stay home, while Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman hasn’t been seen in public since last week. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman also took a shot at Trump over his treatment of Zelensky, saying, “Being an enemy of America can be dangerous, but being a friend of America is deadly.” Anti-vaccine activists are targeting the doctors who treated children who died of measles, as RFK Jr. disputes the rising death toll. Measles has now killed eight people in the U.S. in less than two years, including two unvaccinated young girls in Texas and several people in Pennsylvania’s outbreak, the state’s largest in decades. Children’s Health Defense, the anti-vaccine group RFK Jr. once led, claims it has sparked medical board reviews of the Texas doctors, blaming the deaths on antibiotics rather than measles. Kennedy has suggested Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro made up measles deaths for political reasons, and the CDC has only listed two of Pennsylvania’s five deaths this year. Leading vaccine expert Dr. Paul Offit says the goal is to “distract, distract, distract” from the damage anti-vaccine messaging has caused. A Texas public health director noted that during her area’s outbreak, hesitant parents rushed to get their kids vaccinated as soon as cases appeared. Two American economists won the Nobel Prize in economics for work that helps governments fight recessions and inflation. Robert Hall of Stanford and Michael Woodford of Columbia were honored for building the economic models that central banks and finance ministries around the world now use to stabilize their economies. Their work improved on older Keynesian models, which struggled to explain the 1970s, when countries faced high inflation and high unemployment at the same time. Woodford’s “New Keynesian” framework was used by policymakers to steer the global economy away from a second Great Depression after the 2008 financial crisis. Their research also led to “forward guidance,” where central banks signal where interest rates are headed. Woodford said he was “elated,” calling the award “a tremendous honour.” Republican Sen. Roger Marshall finally paid off a six-year-old bakery bill after a small business owner’s post went viral. Kansas baker Holly Thomas wrote that Marshall’s campaign ordered cookies and treats for a 2020 election watch party but never paid the $678.75 invoice, despite nearly a year of calls and emails during the pandemic. “Every single dollar mattered,” she wrote, adding that the experience is why Marshall “will never get my vote.” After the post blew up, Marshall said he had “absolutely no idea how this happened” and paid $1,300, claiming he’d repaid the bill “double,” though critics quickly pointed out that doubled would actually be $1,357.50. The episode comes as the Cook Political Report moved Marshall’s race to a toss-up and after reports that his medical practice has sued hundreds of patients over unpaid bills. Thomas acknowledged the payment, writing, “Better late than never, right?” A French photographer captured a stunning image of rare “red sprites” lighting up the sky over a village in Corsica. The red flashes, which look like giant glowing tentacles or fireworks, appeared above the village of Montemaggiore, but were actually triggered by powerful thunderstorms near Barcelona, hundreds of miles away. Red sprites are electrical discharges that form 30 to 55 miles above storms and last only a few thousandths of a second, making them nearly impossible to see with the naked eye. Their red color comes from nitrogen in the upper atmosphere giving off light after being energized by powerful lightning strikes. The photographer planned the shoot in advance by studying storm forecasts and picking the perfect vantage point. Scientists didn’t capture the first conclusive photo of a sprite until 1989, and NASA now runs a citizen science project inviting the public to submit their own images.
See you soon. — Aaron |
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