Pete Hegseth

Barack Obama campaigned in Cleveland on Oct. 24 for Ohio Democrats Amy Acton (governor) and Sherrod Brown (U.S. Senate) ahead of the 2026 midterms. His remarks on civic decency and criticism of Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth drew praise from commentators like Aaron Rupar, Sarah Posner and Robert Reich, who urged wide sharing of the speech. Obama also condemned a Vivek Ramaswamy ad attacking Acton's family.

A separate line comparing Trump's White House redecoration to a "Cheesecake Factory" drew sharper reaction, with critics like Scott Jennings and Steve Krakauer calling it condescending, while Nate Silver and James Surowiecki defended the joke.

Illinois Democrats are split on strategy ahead of potential midterm gains that could hand their party control of the House and possibly the Senate. Some, like Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, who is running for Senate, favor confrontation, including refusing to confirm Trump nominees or fund ICE and potentially ending the filibuster. Others, including Sen. Tammy Duckworth and Rep. Bill Foster, favor combining aggressive oversight of Trump officials and businesses with legislative wins, while downplaying quick impeachment. Republicans, including Speaker Mike Johnson and Trump himself, warn that a Democratic majority would mean relentless investigations and a renewed impeachment push.

The debate reflects broader uncertainty over Democratic strategy and control of Congress following the November midterms, a key variable for prediction markets tracking the 2026 elections and any renewed impeachment proceedings.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Democratic challenger Troy Jackson met for their final debate before the final stretch of the Maine Senate race, this one hosted by Maine Public and The Portland Herald. Jackson again sought to tie Collins to President Trump's agenda, pointing to her vote advancing Trump's tax and spending bill despite her later opposition to the final version. Collins countered that she sides with Trump roughly 72 percent of the time, not the higher figures Jackson cited, and touted her votes to confirm three Democratic-nominated Supreme Court justices and her unsuccessful effort to block Pete Hegseth's confirmation as defense secretary. The Iran war remained contentious, with Jackson arguing Collins failed to use her Appropriations Committee chairmanship to cut off funding, while Collins defended her War Powers votes and said Congress should have been consulted.

A notable moment came when Jackson, who had pledged to reject billionaire and corporate PAC money, admitted receiving billionaire donations and $15,000 from oil and pharmaceutical interests, which he said he donated to charity. Collins also criticized his delayed financial disclosure. A protester briefly interrupted over AI data center concerns.

Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) publicly condemned reported plans by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to livestream the execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army major convicted in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting that killed 13 people. Hasan is scheduled to be executed by firing squad on December 3 at Fort Cavazos (formerly Fort Hood), which would mark the first U.S. military execution since 1961 and the first ever by firing squad in modern history.

Slotkin argued that livestreaming the execution would hand propaganda material to America's enemies and risk turning Hasan into a martyr, comparing the tactic to methods used by the Taliban and ISIS. She joins lawmakers from both parties who have called the plan "gruesome" and urged the Pentagon to reverse course. President Trump previously endorsed Hasan's execution, while Vice President JD Vance said he personally would not watch a livestream. Trump declined to say whether he would watch. Hegseth has defended the decision, noting the rarity of military executions.

Plans announced by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to livestream the firing squad execution of Nidal Hasan, the former Army major who killed 13 people in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, are drawing bipartisan criticism. The execution is scheduled for Dec. 3 at Fort Hood, the site of the attack; the U.S. military has not carried out an execution since 1961, and no public execution has occurred in the country since at least 1936.

Utah Sen. John Curtis became one of the first congressional Republicans to publicly oppose the plan, warning that broadcasting the execution "cultivates an appetite for executions as a form of entertainment" and urging Hegseth to reconsider. Sen. Thom Tillis called it "beyond disgusting" and compared it to practices in authoritarian states, while Rep. Austin Scott likened it to tactics used by jihadists. Democrats including Sen. Mark Kelly said Hegseth should be removed from his post over the plan. Vice President JD Vance cast doubt on whether the livestream would actually happen. Legal questions remain over whether social media platforms can or should carry the event live.

Logos School, a Christian school in Moscow, Idaho, founded by Doug Wilson, has approved naming a new track and field stadium after Charlie Kirk, the Turning Point USA founder killed last year at Utah Valley University. The stadium is part of a new 30-acre campus and will include an eight-lane track, 2,500 seats, an alumni fieldhouse and locker rooms, with Kirk's name featured above the western entrance. School leaders said Kirk exemplified the values of gratitude, excellence and sacrifice they hope to instill in students.

Wilson, a self-described Christian nationalist, appeared onstage with Kirk months before his death and has publicly mourned him since. The move adds to a broader pattern of tributes to Kirk nationwide, following an earlier failed push to rename an Idaho highway after him. Wilson and his affiliated network, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, have drawn scrutiny for controversial views on race, gender roles and religion, making the memorial another flashpoint in ongoing debates over his influence.

Reps. Zach Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Republicans in competitive Iowa House districts, joined Democrats and a handful of GOP colleagues on Tuesday in voting for a resolution to end U.S. military action against Iran without congressional authorization, reversing earlier votes against similar measures. It was the third such House vote, with a similar margin to prior attempts but a few more Republicans defecting, including retiring Rep. Nancy Mace and Reps. Tom Barrett, Warren Davidson, Brian Fitzpatrick and Thomas Massie. Rep. Ashley Hinson, running for Iowa's open Senate seat, voted against the measure, saying she wants a "decisive and immediate victory" instead.

The reversal comes amid political pressure ahead of the midterms, with the war remaining broadly unpopular and fuel and diesel prices rising as harvest season begins. Both Nunn and Miller-Meeks cited the need to bring troops home and end an open-ended conflict; 18 U.S. service members have died in the war, including two from Iowa. The White House says it has briefed Congress more than 30 times since February. Nunn had recently campaigned with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, prompting a Hatch Act complaint from former national security officials. Both lawmakers face competitive rematches in November, underscoring how the war's unpopularity is shaping battleground House races.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren visited Pittsfield to promote the "21st Century Road to Housing Act," a bipartisan housing reform bill she co-sponsored with Sen. Tim Scott that became law without President Trump's signature after he demanded passage of a separate voter ID measure, the SAVE America Act, first. Warren said the housing law includes nearly 50 provisions aimed at boosting housing supply and, notably, bars private equity firms from buying up single-family homes.

Warren also addressed reports of CIA involvement in strikes on suspected drug boats near the Galapagos Islands, calling for a congressional investigation, and criticized the Pentagon's handling of conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. She framed the 2026 midterms as a check on Trump, urging Democratic turnout to guard against election interference.

The visit coincided with other Massachusetts political developments: a new poll showing Democratic primary challenger Patrick Roath narrowing the gap against Rep. Stephen Lynch in the 8th District, and a congressional inspection of an ICE detention facility in Plymouth County by Reps. Jim McGovern, Lynch and Ayanna Pressley.