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News for the public, not the powerful.
Forecasters Hand Democrats an 84% Shot at the House. Can Anything Stop the Wave?
We’re three weeks from Election Day, and the numbers look brutal for Republicans. VoteHub, a forecaster that calls itself “nonpartisan and independent,” now gives Democrats an 84% chance of winning the House. Their model doesn’t just guess. It runs predictions for more than 10,000 counties and 350,000 precincts across America. And they’re not alone. Analyst G. Elliott Morris’s model put Democrats at 85% back in August, better odds than they had before the 2018 blue wave. Republicans hold the House right now by a handful of seats, 219 to 212. Democrats need 218 seats for a majority. But here’s the thing. An 84% chance isn’t a win. Forecasts don’t vote. People do. And with gerrymanders stacked against us, this only happens if you show up.
Nearly 6 in 10 Americans Accuse Trump of Cashing In on the Presidency. Will Congress Act?
A new AP-NORC poll out today finds 41% of Americans believe Donald Trump has broken the law to profit from the presidency. Another 18% say he’s been unethical but not illegal. Only 18% think he’s done nothing wrong. Pollsters surveyed 2,140 people by phone. And 75% say he’s interested in making himself richer in office, while 51% say he doesn’t care at all about people like them. It splits by party, with 8 in 10 Democrats saying illegal against one in 10 Republicans. No wonder people noticed. His net worth has reportedly jumped from $2.3 billion to $6.5 billion, with more than $1 billion from crypto last year alone. Trump told CNBC there’s “nothing wrong with it.” The founders wrote the emoluments clause for exactly this. A presidency for sale isn’t a presidency. It’s a business.
Furious Judge Slams the Brakes on Trump’s Chainsaw Raid at a Public Golf Course
Over the weekend, Trump administration crews cut down hundreds of trees at East Potomac Golf Links, a public course in Washington that’s been open to everybody since 1919. Trump wants to turn it into a championship-level showpiece. On Monday, federal Judge Ana Reyes shut the cutting down and said the weekend removal “has cost the government all of its credibility.” She’d already ordered officials to give notice before taking down more than 10 trees. The Park Service had promised it would only remove dead, dying or invasive trees and wouldn’t touch healthy historic cherry trees. The DC Preservation League sued back in February, pointing to an 1897 law that set this park aside for the people’s recreation. Public land belongs to the public. It isn’t one man’s private country club.
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Air Force Major Calls for Trump’s Impeachment. Why Has He Spent Two Months in Solitary?
Major Jason Watson is 40, an Air Force Academy graduate with 17 years of service. On July 1 he stood on the Capitol steps in uniform with a sign calling to impeach, convict and remove Trump and JD Vance, citing military action in Venezuela, Cuba and Iran. After he repeated it on CNN in August, the Air Force locked him up the very next day. His lawyer, Christopher Mutimer, says he’s been in solitary around the clock for nearly 2 months. “Even if he gets an hour to eat or to exercise, he’s alone.” The Air Force says he can’t legally be held with civilians. Watson faces 10 counts, including 3 under a rarely used law against contemptuous words about a president. He hasn’t been convicted of anything, and he’s presumed innocent. When criticizing the president lands an officer in a cell, every American’s free speech is on trial.
Military Archbishop Tells Catholic Soldiers to Step Away From Hegseth’s Firing Squad
Archbishop Timothy Broglio, who oversees Catholic ministry across the U.S. military, said Monday that any Catholic soldier assigned to the Army firing squad should ask to be excused. He says the duty runs against church teaching. The condemned man is Nidal Hasan, the Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009. He’s set to be shot on December 3, and Pete Hegseth wants it livestreamed. Broglio knows this pain. He presided over the funeral of Michael Cahill, the only civilian killed that day. He called the crime heinous, then asked, “does exposing the public to his execution serve any purpose?” The nation’s Catholic bishops have condemned the livestream too. A country that turns killing into entertainment loses something it can’t get back.
Newsmax Debuts The Big Beautiful Trump Show. Is This News or State TV?
And finally, you can’t make this up. Newsmax spent Sunday night debuting The Big Beautiful Trump Show, a 30-minute tribute that host Matthew Foldi described as “Trump’s greatest hits.” Foldi, a former Republican congressional candidate from Maryland, sat on a set covered in Trump memorabilia. It opened with a peppy theme song singing the show’s own praises. Mediaite called the monologue utterly fawning. He mocked Joe Biden, then relived Trump’s 2025 Alaska summit with Vladimir Putin, bombers and all, while admitting the results were a bit thin. The proof of Trump’s greatness? A clip of Putin agreeing with him. Foldi even pitched it as a replacement for Sunday Night Football. When a so-called news network airs a variety show praising the president, that’s not journalism. That’s what state television looks like.
And that’s the way it is, Today Tuesday, October 13, 2026. I’m Thom Hartmann.
