November 3, 2026

RAS found a curious message on X posted by the FBI office in New Haven, CT. It began, “Election day is Wednesday and the #FBI is working around the clock to ensure the midterms are safe.” This was not a fake. Was it designed to confuse young people attending Yale -- and others -- who may never have voted before and might not realize that almost all U.S. elections are held on Tuesdays? ~~~

     ~~~ Thomas Breen of the New Haven Independent: “The [Connecticut] secretary of the state’s office reminded Connecticut voters on Tuesday that Election Day is Tuesday — not Wednesday — regardless of whatever the FBI’s New Haven office might post on social media. 'We are aware of misinformation circulating on social media, posted by the FBI’s New Haven office, incorrectly stating that Election Day is Wednesday,' Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas is quoted as saying in a Tuesday morning press release.... Do not believe it. Election Day is TODAY, Tuesday, November 3.'... [The FBI post] has since been taken down.... [A spokesperson for the FBI's New Haven office said] the post 'was removed once the typo was identified.'” ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: Allow me to explain to the FBI what a "typo" is and is not. "Tuisday" is a typo; the "i" is right next to the "u" on the qwerty keyboard, and a touch-typist uses the same right-hand index finger to type both "i" and "u." It's possible to err and make such a typo. When one means to type "Tuesday," and types "Wednesday," that is not a typing error a/k/a "typo." Typing "Wednesday" for "Tuesday," particularly on a critical matter, is either an unintentional "mistake" because "stupid," as RAS suggests; or, alternatively, it is a purposeful, malicious effort to suppress the vote, and as RAS surmises, "illegal."

David Sanger of the New York Times: Donald “Trump said on Tuesday that the bulk of American aid to Israel would be 'cut off at the end of the year,' under an agreement reached with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu months ago. He described the Election Day declaration chiefly as a political effort to take a 'bad talking point' away from the left wing of the Democratic Party. 'We were giving them 4 billion,' Mr. Trump told Brian Kilmeade of Fox News in a morning interview, just as polls were opening on the East Coast. 'We are. But it gets cut off at the end of the year.' Instead, he described a different agreement in which Israel would pay for weaponry from the United States. The move comes as Congress was already considering phasing out the aid and instead undertaking a far more integrated defense and technology partnership built around legally mandated defense industrial cooperation between the two nations. Such a partnership could be lucrative for Israel through joint projects with the Defense Department and American military contractors.... The current memorandum of understanding with Israel does not expire until 2028; Mr. Trump seemed to suggest on Tuesday canceling it two years early, with Israel’s consent.” The link is a gift link. The Guardian's report is here.

Ukraine/Russia. Siobhán O’Grady & Liubov Sholudko of the New York Times: “A day after a Russian glide bomb attack killed at least 31 Ukrainians at a school distributing medicine and food, emergency workers braved armed Russian drones on Tuesday as they searched for dozens of people still missing, officials said. It could take days to determine the exact toll: The threat of continued Russian strikes limits rescuers to short bursts of activity. But the attack was the deadliest against civilians in the southern Zaporizhzhia region during nearly five years of war, and could amount to one of the deadliest of the entire conflict.... Russia hit the village with at least nine glide bombs, each loaded with around 3,000 pounds of explosives.... Hours after the strike on Monday, the Trump administration’s peace envoy, Steve Witkoff, announced that talks among the United States, Russia and Ukraine would be held early next week in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates.” The link is a gift link.

Another (Allegedly!) Dangerous Trumplodyte Arrested. Perry Stein of the Washington Post: “A Georgia man who brought firearms to Washington and threatened former House speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) the day after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was arrested again in recent days and accused of threatening federal judges, according to court documents. Cleveland Grover Meredith, Jr. — one of more than a thousand Jan. 6 defendants who received a pardon from ... Donald Trump last year — allegedly wrote on Facebook in April 'ALL J6 Federal JUDGES will be EXECUTED!' The message was an apparent reference to the D.C. federal judges who oversaw the cases of the people who participated in the attack.... A December 2025 report from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, an advocacy group, found that at least a dozen Jan. 6 defendants have been charged with crimes since Trump pardoned them in January 2025. More faced criminal accusations in the year following the pardon, according to an update from the group.”

 

Marie: I'm not sure of how much of the following story is true, but there is general agreement that the photos have not been altered: ~~~

~~~ Someone Left the Paint Out in the Rain. Jack Hobbs of the Mirror (U.S.): "The Arts of War and Arts of Peace, two statues situated between the Lincoln Memorial and Memorial Circle, were refurbished by ... [Donald Trump] and allegedly painted in 24-Karat gold, and were seen melting in the Autumn sunlight. However, it was noted on social media that gold has a melting point of 2,000 degrees, so whatever the statues were painted in was not gold.... 'So… whatever Trump approved for those statues was not gold,' [someone said on X]. 'Another multimillion-dollar grift/money laundering scheme while Americans suffer.'... The project ... had a no-bid contract at an already eye-watering $2.5 million, which ballooned to a whopping $5 million. It was reported that the contract was awarded to Maryland firm The Gilders' Studio." Notice the dripping paint (or whatever) beneath the statue & above the stars.

~~~~~~~~~~ 

Ali Swenson of the AP, published by Madison.365: "The final day of voting in this year’s midterm elections arrives Tuesday against a backdrop of uncertainty after a year in which ... Donald Trump has tried to interfere in how states run their elections and sown doubts about the outcome should Republicans lose. Millions of Americans already have cast their ballots, with early voting turnout on pace to eclipse that of the last midterm elections. In contrast to the president’s continued rhetoric about election cheating, voting so far has unfolded with relatively few problems. Trump has spent months trying to use the power of the presidency to put his thumb on the scale of this year’s elections, which will determine whether his party keeps control of Congress." MB: As a reminder: while real presidents have of course advocated and/or stumped for their party's candidates in past midterm elections, none in recent times has overtly attempted to interfere with or curtail voting among likely opposition voters.

A Clear & Present Danger. Zolan Kanno-Youngs of the New York Times: “Local law enforcement and election officials are bracing for a tense Election Day as ... [Donald] Trump has kept up a sustained attack on the integrity of U.S. elections, including by offering a $1 million reward for information that leads to an election fraud conviction. In response to Mr. Trump’s unsubstantiated claims about voting problems and his campaign to assert more federal control over state-run elections, officials have prepared for potential worst-case scenarios in which the federal government tries to intervene in voting. Now some local authorities have said they also fear that the president’s offer of a large financial incentive could foster unrest or even vigilantism, with Americans eying one another with suspicion as they head to the polls....

“Mr. Trump’s unfounded claims that the election could be rigged come at a time when violent threats against public officials and election workers have increasingly become a new normal. To prepare for Tuesday, election officials and local law enforcement agencies have held hundreds of exercises to anticipate a variety of possible threats and disruptions at polling sites.” The link is a gift link.

Like Martin Luther King, Jr., TrumpWentto the Lincoln Memorial to Give His "I Had It Cleaned" Speech. (Thank you, Jon Stewart.)

Marie: It isn't often that one learns a new word reading a story about a Trump speech (he speaks at a fourth or fifth grade level, according to a NYT analysis [gift link]). I'm sure you'll guess what that word was: I hadda look it up: ~~~

~~~ The Closing Argument: Drain Pipes Are Very Important. Shawn McCreesh of the New York Times: “It was the day before the election, and the president had decided to come [to the Reflecting Pool], a place that excites him, to talk about many of the topics that make him happiest. Trouble is, almost none of those topics have anything to do with the issues that are driving this election.... Mr. Trump used his final in-person appearance before Americans head to the polls to talk about drain pipes, top soil, limestone, fountains and his favorite kind of columns.... The 'brand-new pipes,' Mr. Trump said, are 'very important in terms of the algae and other things. And it’s a complete job, and we’re very proud of it.' The Lincoln Memorial in front of him, Mr. Trump addressed a small audience seated in folding chairs. There were a few dozen National Park Service employees, reporters, White House officials and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum....

“In the history of American politics, the speech may go down as one of the more unusual closing messages on the eve of an election. But it was a pretty good crystallization of what matters to Mr. Trump as he heads into the lame duck phase of his second term — despite, or maybe because of, his depressed poll numbers and voter unhappiness over the economy, corruption and an unresolved war. And now here he was, using his final in-person address before the election to talk more about his chryselephantine fantasies of ballrooms and arches and Corinthian columns.” The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Dan Friedman of Mother Jones has more on Trump's remarks at the Reflecting Pool. Worth reading in conjunction with the NYT report. ~~~

~~~ Heather Cox Richardson also reprises more of the low moments in Trump's remarkable Reflecting Pool digression. Richardson also looks back at "key moments in American history, the majority of voters have woken to the reality that a small group of men has rigged the system to funnel the wealth produced by ordinary people into their own pockets. With that wealth, they have bought power and undermined democracy in favor of themselves." ~~~

~~~ Digby excerpted a portion of the transcript of a rally "speech" Trump made Sunday. Not a speech so much as a string of words loosely associated, or not, with one another. Thanks to RAS for the link. Akhilleus found a portion of another "speech" (same day; I'm not sure if it's the same "speech") which he described in yesterday's thread as "the lexical version of driving while drunk, drugged, and demented." Akhilleus & digby both remind us, as if it hadn't occurred to us, that this demented man has the nuclear codes, and as Akhilleus adds, "... there's no one around him to say no if he decides to push the button." See also the report by Kathryn Wilkins of Mediaite, linked below.

 

Glenn Thrush of the New York Times: “Senior leaders of the Justice Department, many of them veterans of ... [Donald] Trump’s legal and political wars over the past decade, share a singular, striking attribute: They have not admitted, unequivocally or plainly, that he lost the 2020 election. Attorney General Todd Blanche; his predecessor, Pam Bondi; the F.B.I. director, Kash Patel; and Harmeet K. Dhillon, the head of the department’s civil rights division, have all avoided providing yes-or-no answers about the election in appearances before Congress. Instead, they have acknowledged only that President Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s victory was legally certified.... Mr. Trump built a powerhouse political movement by mobilizing supporters to align with his grievances, including his debunked claims of a conspiracy to steal the election and his rage over being prosecuted for his role in inciting the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. And the president has explicitly linked his stop-the-steal message six years ago to the midterm elections this year.” The link is a gift link.

Trump lost big, then he lost big, then he lost again. All in the course of one day.

Abbie Van Sickle of the New York Times: “The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Monday to require that California set aside 20,000 mail-in ballots that the administration claims have been provided to noncitizens. The emergency application to the justices came after a divided federal appeals court rejected the administration’s arguments that California officials should impound the ballots for further scrutiny.... Filing just one day before the midterm elections may forestall a ruling in the case — and a potential loss for the administration — until after Election Day. The request requires the Supreme Court to consider how much power the federal government has to order states to make last-minute changes to their vote-counting procedures. Under the Constitution, states have responsibility for administering elections. The Justice Department has claimed that it is empowered by a federal law that makes it illegal for noncitizens to cast ballots.” The link is a gift link. ~~~

     ~~~ Wait, Wait, There's More. Within hours, this story was updated. Here's the new lede, plus:

⭐“The Supreme Court on Monday evening swiftly rejected a request by the Trump administration to require that California set aside 20,000 mail-in ballots that the administration claims have been provided to noncitizens. The order, which was unsigned and gave no reasoning, came the same day that the administration lawyers had asked the court to step in after a divided federal appeals court had rejected the administration’s arguments that California officials should impound the ballots for further scrutiny. No public dissents were noted. The ruling appeared to be an extraordinary rebuke of the Trump administration, sending a message that the court was not interested in stepping in to assist ... [Donald] Trump’s efforts to interfere with how states are administering elections. It was a highly unusual ruling because it came only hours after the administration filed its emergency request and without the court even calling for a response or briefing from the opposing parties. It is nearly unheard of for the court to rule on an application filed by the federal government without first asking for a response from the opposing parties.” (Also linked yesterday.) Politico's report is here.

Alan Feuer of the New York Times: “A federal magistrate judge on Monday threw out charges against two former F.B.I. intelligence officials [link fixed] accused of lying to Congress, excoriating prosecutors for what he described as a failure of one of their most basic responsibilities: showing there was any probable cause that crimes had been committed in the first place. In an emotional, hourlong address from the bench in Federal District Court in Washington, the magistrate judge, Zia M. Faruqui, said that the case against the former officials — Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides — was a rushed, political prosecution ordered by the White House intended to affect the upcoming midterm elections. Two weeks ago, the administration charged the former officials with falsely minimizing their work on investigations involving Hunter Biden, the son of the former president. Judge Faruqui blasted the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington for how it handled the case, admonishing prosecutors for trying to avoid some of the fundamental checks and balances of the criminal justice system. At the same time, he apologized directly to Ms. Floris and Mr. Benavides for having been 'dragged through this process' of being charged by the same federal government they had served for decades.” The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: This was yet another shocking abuse of the law enforcement apparatus that is supposed to be looking out for all of us, and it will be barely a blip on the radar among all the other shocking abuses of and by the DOJ.

And Way Back on Friday. Michael Schmidt & Alan Feuer of the New York Times: “A federal grand jury in Washington on Friday rejected an effort by the Justice Department to indict an individual for voter fraud who prosecutors claimed voted in two jurisdictions during the 2024 election, according to four people briefed on the matter. The rejection, along with a string of losses the Justice Department has been handed in courts across the country in recent weeks, demonstrates the department’s harried push to prove President Trump’s unsubstantiated claims of rampant voter fraud.... According to one person familiar with the matter, the case was brought in response to pressure from political appointees, including the U.S. attorney in Washington, Jeanine Pirro, who wanted to follow through on Mr. Trump’s demands to bring cases involving potential voter fraud as the midterms neared.” The link is a gift link.

Mark Arsenault of the New York Times: “A federal judge on Monday granted Harvard University’s motion to dismiss a Trump administration lawsuit that sought to force the school to turn over admissions documents for a government discrimination investigation. The administration sued Harvard in February, accusing the university of trying to stymie a federal review of the school’s admissions procedures by withholding documents that the government wanted — among them, application essays written by individual students. Harvard “slow-walked the pace of production” of documents and refused to provide other materials related to applicant-level admissions decisions, the administration said in its suit. A federal district judge in Boston, Myong J. Joun, wrote that the administration had not cleared procedural hurdles to justify a court order for the documents.” The link is a gift link. ~~~

This Is What A Trump “Win” Looks Like. Zach Montague of the New York Times: “A federal judge late on Monday turned down a request by Democratic lawmakers and party organizations to prohibit the Trump administration from coercing states into screening incoming ballots. The judge, James E. Boasberg of the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia, assessing the last-minute push by the Trump administration on the eve of the midterm elections to try to disqualify voters in a handful of Democratic-led states, wrote that states like California that were targeted had already largely succeeded in rebuffing the federal government. He added that until there were signs that states could not stop the Trump administration’s efforts 'to dictate changes to their voting procedures,' the groups suing had not suffered any direct impacts that he could step in to correct. Judge Boasberg wrote that states were 'hardly bit players' when it came to federal elections, and that the four targeted — California, Nevada, Washington and Pennsylvania — had successfully used their constitutional authority to challenge the Trump administration’s claims of voter fraud.” The link is a gift link. MB: Oh, not exactly a win, more like an acknowledgment that Trump already lost.

Charlie Savage of the New York Times: “Since ... [Donald] Trump returned to office nearly two years ago, courts have frequently ordered his administration to pause or halt aggressive actions after they drew legal challenges. But again and again, his executive branch has skirted judicial constraints through delayed, contested or incomplete compliance, all while Mr. Trump has attacked judges appointed by presidents of both parties. An examination of confrontations across the country shows a widening breakdown in trust between the executive branch and the federal judiciary. Judges increasingly greet Justice Department representations with skepticism. Administration officials, meanwhile, have treated courts with disdain — accusing judges of bias and seeking their removal. In an extraordinary step, the administration recently filed a misconduct complaint against nearly every active district judge in Minnesota. The result has been a poisoning of the relations between the branches to such a degree that it is now straining the judiciary’s ability to serve as a check on executive power, as Mr. Trump approaches the second half of his term.” The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.)

Rick Maese of the Washington Post: “The Trump administration has submitted its proposed overhaul of East Potomac Golf Links for federal review, calling for a new championship golf course and a $304.5 million seawall around the Hains Point peninsula. The plan leaves basic questions unanswered, including how much the golf project would cost, how long construction would take and what golfers would pay to play there. The 55-page concept proposal, obtained by The Washington Post, was submitted Friday to the National Capital Planning Commission and offers the most detailed official presentation yet of the administration’s plans for the 124-year-old public golf facility. It calls for an 18-hole championship course designed by Fazio Design, new practice facilities and a new layout that would extend to the seawall and encompass the southern tip of Hains Point, significantly altering how portions of the public park have been used for more than a century....

“The proposal also acknowledges that the overhaul would displace other longtime activities at Hains Point, including biking, walking and fishing along Ohio Drive and the waterfront promenade, as well as lawns and picnic areas.... The commission is scheduled to consider the concept proposal at its Dec. 3 meeting, more than two weeks after Nov. 15, the date administration officials have said they intend to close East Potomac.... The submission, dated Friday, makes clear the extent to which President Donald Trump has personally shaped the administration’s case for remaking the course. Two of its opening pages are devoted almost entirely to excerpts from Trump’s social media posts, including his descriptions of the existing facility as 'dilapidated,' 'very dangerous' and a 'National Disgrace,' and his promises to build a course capable of hosting the U.S. Open and other major tournaments.”

Helene Cooper, et al., of the New York Times: “The U.S. military struck Iran’s Qeshm Island on Monday in what American officials described as a small-scale defensive measure against Iranians accused of planning missile strikes against U.S. assets. The U.S. strikes were limited, the officials said, adding that there are no immediate plans to escalate. Yet the military action comes on the eve of the midterm elections.... [Donald] Trump, meanwhile, has been considering renewed strikes against Iran after the elections. But the president, who has changed his mind several times on how to conduct the war, said earlier Monday on social media that an agreement with Iran “could happen.” His multiple about-faces on Iran have left many in his own administration and government uncertain as what his next steps will be.” The link is a gift link. ~~~

~~~ But Trump Was Unaware of the Strike. Kathryn Wilkins of Mediaite: “... Donald Trump appeared unaware that the U.S. military had carried out a strike against Iran just hours before he appeared on Fox News Monday night, insisting that American forces had not fired anything in months. The president joined Fox News host Sean Hannity on the eve of Tuesday’s midterm elections, where he downplayed the ongoing conflict with Iran and touted his administration’s military successes. 'I mean, what’s a war? A war is fighting,' he said. 'Take a look at World War I, World War II. When was the last time you saw us fighting with them?' 'We’re not fighting a war,' Trump insisted. 'Everyone says, “You’re at war!” Well, when was the last time we fired anything? This isn’t a war. It’s a very soft war.' He continued, 'We did have a big hit on them, and we hit ’em very hard, and that took out their Navy: 159 ships are gone. But this isn’t, like, a war that’s going on. There’s no war raging. It could happen if they don’t make a deal, but they wanna make a deal very badly.” MB: Did no one tell him? Or did he forget? ~~~

     ~~~ AND. Jonathan Yerushalmy of the Guardian: “Trump was asked earlier on Monday [before the WSJ reported the strikes] whether he had considered resuming strikes on Iran after Tuesday’s midterm elections and replied 'no'.”

Erika Solomon & Sanam Mahoozi of the New York Times: “Iran is prepared to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in two days if the United States agrees to a set of demands, its foreign ministry said on Monday, after a week of intensified negotiations to avert a return to war. But those demands, which include the Trump administration lifting sanctions on Iran and releasing billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets, appear difficult for Washington to accept. The foreign ministry’s spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, made the comments hours after ... [Donald] Trump had said at a campaign rally that he might eventually decide to give Iran 'the hammer' if the two sides could not reach a deal to end the war.” The link is a gift link. (Also linked yesterday.)

Jeremy Roebuck of the Washington Post: “The FBI’s former top agent in Chicago sued Justice Department officials Monday, claiming he was forced out of the bureau in July over his resistance to 'politically motivated investigations' targeting protesters demonstrating against the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement crackdown. Douglas DePodesta — who served as special agent in charge of the FBI’s Chicago field office for two years before what he described as his forced resignation in July — said the city’s Trump-appointed U.S. attorney, Andrew Boutros, has since sought to scapegoat him for the spectacular collapse of the highest-profile of those cases, a prosecution of six demonstrators who have collectively become known as the 'Broadview Six.'... DePodesta’s lawsuit, filed in federal court in Chicago, is the latest of the legal actions taken by former agents and Justice Department personnel who maintain that they lost their jobs for resisting what they describe as inappropriately political demands or were fired for partisan reasons since Trump’s return to the White House.” The Guardian's report is here.

Coral Davenport & Rebecca O'Brien of the New York Times: “The Trump administration is preparing to scale back workplace accommodations for women related to pregnancy and reproductive health, seven people with knowledge of discussions of the plans said. The moves will limit the impact of a 2022 law that was meant to fill a gap in disability and discrimination protections that employees are guaranteed at workplaces. It was intended to provide accommodations for pregnant workers, such as bathroom and water breaks, reprieves from heavy lifting or time off for prenatal appointments. But the scope of the regulations under the law, known as the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, has been debated since their drafting.... Narrowing [the E.E.O.C.'s rules] would fit with other efforts by Andrea Lucas, the E.E.O.C.’s chair, to roll back what she has called the liberal excesses of the Biden administration. The E.E.O.C. has targeted corporate diversity, equity and inclusion programs, abandoned some discrimination cases and stopped enforcing workplace protections for transgender workers.” The link is a gift link.

Joseph Goldstein of the New York Times: “A child in New York’s North Country died after contracting measles, the first death in the state from the viral disease in 30 years, health officials announced Monday. Gov. Kathy Hochul said the death was a signal that public health protections were eroding as a growing number of families forgo vaccinations. The child died in Lewis County, which is northeast of Syracuse and has recorded 15 measles cases this year, according to the health authorities, who shared few details about the case.... The governor linked the death to Trump administration policies that she said had undermined public confidence in pediatric immunizations.” The link is a gift link.

Lydia DePillis of the New York Times: “William D. Nordhaus, a Yale economist and Nobel laureate who tabulated the economic wreckage of carbon emissions and influenced climate policy across several presidential administrations, died on Friday at his home in New Haven. He was 85.” The link is a gift link.~~~

     ~~~ Paul Krugman: "He was a great economist, an inspiring teacher, a wonderful academic citizen — and my first mentor."