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We’re entering the final month of the midterm campaign. Why not try our quiz on famous US campaign trail moments. It’s not fun and games for some Republicans who fear the $1 billion at their disposal won’t be enough to deliver victory in November. More on that below. Also in the news today: Israelis mark the 3rd anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack, and what the Skydance takeover means for CNN’s future.
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At left, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks in McKinney, Texas, May 19, and at right, Texas state Rep. James Talarico, in Austin, Texas, Feb. 17. (AP Photo/LM Otero and Eric Gay) |
Can $1 billion buy victory in the midterm elections? Some Republicans fear the answer is no |
Republicans have $1 billion at their disposal but worry it may not be enough to counter President Donald Trump’s unpopularity, persistent cost concerns and the fallout from the war in Iran. Read more. |
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The cash advantage, spread out across a half-dozen groups, is driven largely by the Trump-aligned MAGA Inc., which began stepping up its spending on critical races in September. But that money may have come too late, forcing the president’s group to pay much higher advertising rates because of the shrinking availability of airtime.
The 2026 campaign is shaping up as a referendum on the power of money in American politics. Democrats freely acknowledge their disadvantage, relying instead on anti-Trump sentiment among voters and targeted messaging on issues like corruption. Some Republicans, meanwhile, are open about the challenge of trying to spend their way out of a tough campaign at this late stage.
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The challenge is acute in places like Texas, where Trump will travel on Wednesday for the second time in a week to stump for Republican Ken Paxton’s Senate campaign. The state hasn’t elected a Democratic senator since 1988, yet MAGA Inc. has spent more than $22 million in the past month, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact.
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Israelis mourn on the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack as Palestinians live in devastated Gaza |
Israelis gathered on Wednesday to commemorate the Hamas-led attack in 2023 that killed 1,200 people, saw 251 taken hostage and sparked a devastating war in Gaza that has left much of the territory in ruins and its 2 million people living in dire conditions. Read more. |
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In southern Israel, families mourned at intersections, bomb shelters, and the site of a music festival that the militants overran three years ago in the deadliest attack against Israel. It is the first anniversary that all the hostages are home.
Most of the population in Gaza lives in vast, squalid tent camps, with large parts of the strip’s cities reduced to rubble, after the Israeli retaliatory campaign killed tens of thousands of people. More than half the territory remains in the hands of the Israeli military. Despite a ceasefire deal reached nearly a year ago, Israeli strikes continue almost daily.
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CNN now has a new owner. What will the future of the network be under Skydance? |
After a tumultuous, roughly yearlong process, Skydance-owned Paramount closed its $81 billion buyout of Warner Bros. Discovery on Tuesday. Beyond Hollywood, the mega merger brings two titans of the American TV news landscape — CBS and CNN — under the same roof. Read more. |
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The billionaire family of Skydance CEO David Ellison has a cozy relationship with President Donald Trump — who has been far from shy about targeting coverage he deems unfavorable from both CNN and CBS.
On the eve of the deal’s completion, Skydance confirmed that CNN’s Mark Thompson will stay on as editor-in-chief of the network — separate from CBS, where Bari Weiss remains at the helm. Ellison has pledged to maintain “complete” editorial independence. The company also agreed to establish new monitoring of CBS and CNN by forming a “News Editorial Independence Board” within 180 days. Still, Skydance's corporate leaders will choose who sits on this board. And critics warn of the consequences of industry consolidation overall.
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