Saturday, October 3, 2026

The News Roundup – Domestic and International (The 1A) 2026-10-02

Domestic 

The Department of Homeland Security has allocated $20 million to pay for pro-Trump ads glorifying the president, which have drawn criticism from both Republicans and Democrats.

The pay-to-play allegations plaguing Maine Sen. Susan Collins have swing voters in her state re-thinking their support for the five-term GOP incumbent.

And top AI executives descended upon Washington this week for a meeting at the White House. They agreed to self-police their industry following several high-profile mishaps and dire warnings from their colleagues about the dangers of their product.
Interview: 

International

As the value of Iran’s currency hits a record low, Qatari mediators are working to find a deal for peace that would be acceptable to leaders in both Washington and Tehran.

The Gaza Health Ministry reports that the Palestinian death toll for the war in Gaza has surpassed 74,000.

And Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered an increase to the size of his country’s army for the fourth time this year.
Interview: 



Bill Pulte Said He Was Cracking Down on Fraud. Now He’s Firing the Investigators. – Mother Jones

Pulte’s cuts “will eliminate our capacity to effectively conduct criminal investigation of mortgage, bank, and other fraud schemes involving the entities FHFA regulates.”… 

 Top Democrats said Thursday that Pulte “should resign, and if he does not, Congress must hold him accountable.”…

 https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/10/bill-pulte-fhfa-fraud-federal-mortage-inspectors-office-budget-cut/


The U.S. added only 29,000 jobs in September : NPR

Wages are still not keeping up with inflation…

https://www.npr.org/2026/10/02/nx-s1-5989140/jobs-labor-wages-federal-reserve



US job growth slows, easing pressure on Fed to hike rates before midterms - POLITICO

Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal had expected to see 84,000 jobs added in September, well below the 133,000 job surge in August — a number that was adjusted down Friday from a previous estimate of 162,000. The department’s labor count in July was also revised from 21,000 added positions to 10,000 jobs lost…

 https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/02/jobs-report-fed-midterms-rates-01103543 


Burned Cattle, Drought, Smoke-Choked Pastures—and the SCOTUS Case to Make Exxon and Suncor Pay – Mother Jones

“You could call it deception, misrepresentation, but frankly it’s fraud,” Parenteau told me. “What [Boulder is] saying is, the companies lied about what they knew about the dangers of climate change. Fraud is the heart of it.” …

 https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2026/10/burned-cattle-drought-smoke-choked-pastures-and-the-scotus-case-to-make-exxon-and-suncor-pay/


 

Michigan's 10th Congressional District: What's at stake

In a recent conversation with Stateside, David Dulio, professor of political science and director of the Center for Civic Engagement at Oakland University, said it’s important to remember that Macomb County produced the Reagan Democrats of the 1980s…

 https://www.michiganpublic.org/politics-government/2026-10-02/10th-congressional-district-michigan


 

‘Blackmail’: Europe fumes against White House demand for more diesel - POLITICO

The Trump administration’s full-court pressure campaign on Europe to release diesel supplies or face a U.S. export ban heading into the winter has split and angered European leaders, entangled oil companies and raised private charges of “blackmail.” It also appears to have worked...

 https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/02/white-house-diesel-europe-01104936


 

Trump tried to dismantle Voice of America. Now the government is paying to rebuild it. - POLITICO

That includes reinstating canceled contracts, rehiring staff and buying new equipment — while paying 420 employees $3.2 million every two weeks to remain on leave, according to a new report by the State Department’s inspector general. The State Department and USAGM, an independent federal agency, share the same inspector general office… 

…The findings offer a view into how the DOGE-era push to slash the federal government to cut costs created new ones, and how haphazard cuts and ill-planned program terminations and location moves also hampered the agency’s mission… 

 https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/02/trump-tried-to-dismantle-voice-of-america-now-the-government-is-paying-to-rebuild-it-01104914


 

Pro-Trump Influencer Benny Johnson sued for defamation : NPR

Pro-Trump media figure Benny Johnson is being sued for defamation by protesters who say he falsely portrayed them as "left-wing terrorists" who had assaulted federal officers…

 https://www.npr.org/2026/10/02/nx-s1-5989413/benny-johnson-defamation-lawsuit-ice-protesters


 

Karl Rove and David Axelrod give their midterm predictions

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thvuNk8cYSA

 

Musk-led war commission triggers alarms in Pentagon - POLITICO

Two of the Defense Department’s biggest contractors will help lead a project that could directly benefit them…

 https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/02/pentagon-hegseth-musk-palmer-commission-01104908


 

Auchter's Art: Lose my number

Interspersed with that are clips of Mike Rogers claiming to be wanting to bring down drug and grocery prices, being against war with Iran, and making AI safety his top priority, when there is clear evidence that he has historically been working against all of these.

 https://www.michiganpublic.org/opinion/2026-10-02/auchters-art-lose-my-number


 

Kansas enters the chat as Senate map tilts further into red territory - POLITICO

The Senate GOP’s top PAC is diving into Kansas, a sign that the deep-red state is in play amid a worsening political environment for Republicans.

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/02/kansas-becomes-a-surprise-senate-battleground-01105125 


Here’s How Easy It Was for Journalists to Start Two Private Schools — ProPublica

An Easy Process: In Arkansas, all it took to establish a school was filling out a form on a state website, $45 and the purchase of an American flag. 

 No Qualifications Needed: Having no experience running a school — or even teaching — didn’t stand in the way of founding schools. 

Fewer Barriers: We discovered that opening microschools, which are proliferating nationwide, offer an even easier route…

 https://www.propublica.org/article/propublica-private-schools-arkansas-west-virginia-north-carolina


 

Nearly 100,000 Michigan voters have already submitted absentee ballots

Election Day is still a month away but, as of Friday, more than 93,000 Michiganders have already cast their ballot…

 https://www.michiganpublic.org/politics-government/2026-10-02/michigan-absentee-voter-turnout-midterm-election


 








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