News of the Week for September 20th, 2026
- 2026 Election
- Abortion
- Gun Rights
- Hide the Decline
- Socialized Medicine
- War & Terror
- National News
- Economy & Taxes
- International News
- Opinion
2026 Election
Chris Kyle Widow Demands Bo French Stop Using Him in Campaign
Lawyers representing Taya Kyle, the widow of famous Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, sent a cease-and-desist letter Wednesday to Texas House candidate Bo French.
Bo French doubles down on racist post made after UT win against Ohio State
On a conservative radio show, Bo French suggested the politicians who criticized him were “less-conservative people.”
Vance’s presence in Kansas signals how spooked Republicans are as map tilts in Democrats’ favor
The vice president is campaigning in the state on Monday as Sen. Roger Marshall (R) faces a tougher-than-expected challenge from Democrat Adam Hamilton.
Democrats Gain Edge as Trump Drags Down G.O.P., New Poll Finds
Even some Republicans are losing faith in Trump’s economy, a New York Times/Siena poll found, and Democrats were favored on the top issues as the sprint to the midterms gets underway.
‘I’ve been an American my entire life’: UT students answer Bo French’s disparaging post
Lawmakers in both parties condemned French’s post as racist, but the Republican candidate refused calls to take it down and continued attacking the students.
The Not-So-Cheery Outlook for the GOP in the Senate
Back in 2018, President Trump’s job approval rating was around 43 percent, but despite doing badly in U.S. House, gubernatorial, and state legislative elections, Republicans picked up two seats in the U.S. Senate. A lot of senators from red states were up for reelection that year, and Republicans defeated Democrats or previously Democrat-held seats in Florida, Indiana, Missouri, and North Dakota, while losing GOP-held seats in Arizona and Nevada.
75% of Americans Say Tariffs Will Be Important to Their Vote in the Midterms
74% Say President Trump’s Tariffs Have Raised Prices; 53% Say Tariffs Have Weakened the Economy, 70% Say the President Needs Congressional Approval to Impose Tariffs
Republican Campaign Aide Is Fired Over Nazi Photo
Senator Jon Husted, running in a high-stakes race in Ohio, dismissed his political director because of social media activity displaying a “complete lack” of judgment, a spokeswoman said.
Losing the Sun Belt
If you seek evidence that the GOP might still avert an electoral crisis in November, you’ve come to the wrong place.
The Senate Races Are Breaking Bad Already
Mid-September polling is not the last word, but if Trump’s approval rating is below 40 on Election Day, it’s grisly news for the GOP.
A Republican ‘Minivan-Driving Mom’ Swerves Away From the Trump Brand
Representative Ashley Hinson is hoping to keep a crucial Senate seat red in Iowa, where the president has created major headwinds for her party.
Lauren Boebert accused of sex with three staffers in complaint alleging $200K hush payment
An explosive sworn complaint filed with the House Ethics Committee alleges Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) carried on a sexual relationship with her district director in the office, in a car and in campaign-paid hotel rooms — and that roughly $200,000 changed hands when the staffer threatened to go to the committee.
Where abortion is on the ballot in 2026
But in four midterm races spanning different regions of the country, voters will have a chance to weigh in directly on how their states approach abortion.
Abortion
Court Cases & Legislation
Virginia’s Amendment 1 Is Extreme and Deceptive
The voter referendum would allow abortion up to birth, abolish parental consent, and more.
South Korea Set to Approve Abortion Pills Next Year
South Korea this week announced that it plans to approve abortion medication, with restrictions, for the first time in a nation that used to have one of the strictest policies against abortion among developed countries.
Gun Rights
Second Amendment Roundup: 5th Circuit En Banc to Rehear Felon Gun Ban Cases
Two cases raise Commerce Clause and Second Amendment issues.
Hide the Decline
Environment &“Green Energy”
The Climate Underground
Matthew Huber’s May op-ed in the New York Times went off like a bomb inside the increasingly jilted community of climate activists. The Democratic Party’s candidates — many of whom were once committed to a wholesale renovation of the entire American economy, its modes of transportation and housing, and even its very social contract to combat climate change — don’t even talk about the issue anymore. Nor should they, Huber wrote. Democratic office-seekers’ “first task must be to regain credibility with working people by tackling their more immediate, material concerns.”
Push On to Grant ‘Rights’ to Arctic Sea Ice
We live in irrational times epitomized by the “rights of nature” (RoN) movement that seeks to grant human-type rights to various aspects of the natural world, including geological features.
Socialized Medicine
Government in Healthcare
Real Hope for Ethical Way to Reduce Wait for Organs
The long wait for organs threatens the ethics of transplant medicine, with some bioethicists calling for the end of the dead donor rule — allowing “death by organ donation” — while a few have gone so far as to argue that cloned fetuses be gestated in artificial wombs for that purpose when the technology is perfected.
Italian Doctors Under Threat of Criminal Prosecution for Refusing Participation in Assisted Suicide
Assisted suicide/euthanasia legalization is spreading like a stain. But with most doctors refusing to participate, how do we ensure that people who want to die are indeed made dead?
War & Terror
The Emergence of AI-Designed Viruses
Just because the New York Jets are undefeated doesn’t mean all is right with the world. It seems the whole political and economic chattering class is worried about artificial intelligence, and in particular, departing and current employees’ warnings about a small but real risk of an apocalypse. Rich Lowry warns, “Any deal with the Chinese to slow down research couldn’t be trusted, and it might simply allow them to pass us in the AI race by subterfuge. In other words, we’d still get Skynet, only with Chinese characteristics.” John Puri urges everyone to be wary about business leaders asking the federal government to regulate their industry.
Iran-backed Houthis reach Yemen’s Dhubab on Bab el-Mandeb Strait, sources say
The Iran-backed Houthis reached ?the Yemeni town of Dhubab which sits ?directly on the Bab el-Mandeb ?Strait across from the island of Perim, two Yemeni government ?sources told Reuters on Friday.
Russia ‘plotting assassinations in US and European countries supporting Ukraine’
Russia is plotting to carry out targeted killings across the US and European countries supporting Ukraine, the FBI has warned.
Russia’s Attempted Attack Inside America Should Be a Turning Point for Trump
Moscow has grown increasingly brazen amid a campaign of sabotage and provocations targeting the West. The tempo of attacks on Western targets is also increasing, as is Moscow’s appetite for risk. The gravest recent offense involved a Russian drone strike on a train carrying former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson just miles from the Polish border. Former CIA director David Petraeus was another potential target of Russian aggression
Hill investigates after F-35 parts diverted to Hong Kong
The incident raises the possibility that top secret weapons technology may have been exposed to a foreign adversary — including China.
National
Oregon universities maintain $7M DEI payroll amid multimillion-dollar budget cuts
Portland State University is eliminating two academic departments and dozens of positions as it confronts a $35 million deficit. Meanwhile, Portland State, Oregon State University, and the University of Oregon maintain 92 DEI-related positions costing more than $7.2 million annually.
Supreme Court Refuses to Block Lower-Court Ruling Against Trump’s Mail-in Ballot Executive Order
The decision was 7-2.
Chief Justice Roberts Goes Postal on Trump’s USPS Rule
Neither Snow Nor Rain Nor Heat Nor Gloom Of Night Will Stop The Shadow Docket.
Donald Trump Jr says Putin ally paid for two nights of his wedding celebrations as ‘generous gift’
Umar Kremlev, president of the International Boxing Association, was pictured with Vladimir Putin a month before he “generously hosted” the wedding celebrations.
Mitch McConnell Returns to the Senate After Three Month Absence
McConnell has been absent for three months. McConnell went to the hospital on June 14. He remained there for a month. The senator’s office wouldn’t elaborate on his condition or even what happened.
ICE is quietly firing new hires. For one recruit, it was devastating.
Joseph Moore killed himself after learning ICE was going to fire him. Investigators had identified issues in his past that ex-officials say should have blocked his hiring.
Kash Patel defends removing bestiality as automatic disqualifier for FBI applicants
FBI Director Kash Patel’s decision to remove bestiality as an automatic disqualifier for FBI job applicants drew bipartisan disbelief Tuesday after he said the change was intended to protect trafficking victims coerced into sexual acts with animals.
Hackers Got Inside a Flock Camera. Its Data Shows How the System Really Works
A hacker collective pulled down a Flock camera and dumped its data. The files included thousands of videos and logs showing that the device captured 1.6 million images of 50,000 vehicles in 21 days.
2nd Circuit Rules Warrant Not Required for Cell Phone Searches at Border
“Under our[Second Circuit] precidents, no suspicion is required before the government searches a traveler’s property at the border,” Judge Steven Menashi wrote. “Because a cell phone is property, our precedents establish tht the government does not need to hve reasonable suspicion before searching a traveler’s cell phone at the border.”
A Third Of Americans Still Can’t Name The 3 Branches Of Government
35 percent of U.S. adults can’t name all three branches of government, a figure statistically unchanged from 2024 and 2025. Freedom of speech is the only First Amendment right a majority can name, and recognition of it fell from 79 percent to 73 percent in a year. A quarter of adults mistakenly think the right to bear arms is a First Amendment protection; it’s actually the Second Amendment. Most adults correctly answered the survey’s birthright-citizenship question, an issue now before the courts (76 percent), and most also knew constitutional protections extend to immigrants without legal status (56 percent).
Lindsay Clancy Juror Taken to Undisclosed Location to Protect His Safety
The lone juror in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial has been taken to an undisclosed location to protect him from threats from feminists and other who support the mom who killed her three children.
Short Circuit: An inexhaustive weekly compendium of rulings from the federal courts of appeal
Cellphones searches, home searches, and strip searches.
UC Ban on “Intentional or Repeated Use of a Name or Pronoun Inconsistent with the Individual’s Gender Identity” …
likely violates First Amendment, federal judge holds (and issues a preliminary injunction).
Economy & Taxes
Safety net spending has surged. Where’s the money going?
The United States spends an enormous amount of money on interest, the world’s largest military and programs for seniors. Does that mean there hasn’t been enough money in the federal budget for safety-net programs to help the poor?
Here’s How Much Donald Trump Is Worth
What’s Donald Trump really worth?
Elmet Group wins $2 billion US tungsten stockpile contract
Elmet Group (ELMT.O), opens new tab said on Monday one of its units had been awarded a contract worth about $2 billion by the U.S. ?Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to help rebuild the National Defense Stockpile ?and strengthen the country’s tungsten supply chain.
Economic Populism Is a Dead End for the GOP
It was probably inevitable that the Right’s economic populism would degenerate into promises of more government checks.
Census Bureau’s Measure Paints Inaccurate Picture of Poverty in America
The Census Bureau’s annual Poverty in the United States report has major flaws.
Fed approves interest rate hike, signals one more to come this year
The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to a target range of 3.75%-4%, its first increase since 2023. The FOMC approved the move unanimously after three members favored a hike at the July meeting. Updated projections point to the possibility of another rate increase this year.
We’re Not as Dumb as You Think
There’s a certain type of political observer whose low esteem for his fellow Americans’ character and intelligence is matched only by his high regard for his own talents and temperament. That’s the sort, overrepresented on social media, who assumed that the savage masses would fall to their knees in gratitude to Donald Trump over his promise to provide several hundred million of them with $5,000 checks — that is, so long as they vote Republican in November. That same archetype seemed perfectly befuddled by the public’s rejection of Trump’s proposed kickback.
International
The Price of Affirmative Action in Canadian Academia
Podcast host Jonathan Kay speaks with Eric Kaufmann about his new report, ‘The Equity-Excellence Trade-Off: A Study of EDI in the Canada Research Chairs Program?
E.U. Talks of Making Canada First ‘Associate Member’ as U.S. Ties Weaken
Canada and the European Union have been confronting an increasingly challenging relationship with the United States under President Trump.
Canada’s Europe pivot worries US senators amid trade war
US lawmakers from both parties are pushing back against President Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada, with one Republican senator warning Ottawa’s growing relationship with Europe could make it harder to repair ties with Washington.
Australia and New Zealand could follow Canada into associated EU membership, Metsola tells Euronews
Metsola tells Euronews pitch for “associate membership” with Canada will strengthen cooperation with like-minded countries and incite new ones.
EU’s Social Media Ban Could Bring ID Checks for Adults
The EU wants to keep children off social media, but enforcing the rules could mean adults increasingly having to prove their age or show ID online.
Opinion
Memo to Vance & GOP: You’ll never outspend the left — so stop trying
It was probably inevitable that the right’s economic populism would degenerate into promises of more government checks. Last week, the Trump administration floated the idea of redirecting federal child-care aid so low-income married stay-at-home parents could get a $9,000 subsidy per child for day care.
Longhorns fans are a Texas-size win for American assimilation
Diversity at a football game is not a problem.
Don Jr. Will Regret It
Recall all the juice that the Trump campaign wrung out of Hunter Biden’s obvious corruption and his father’s complicity.
Peak Postliberalism
For the “postliberals,” this is about as good as it gets
Why Is There Any Donald Trump Jr. 2028 Buzz?
As noted on today’s edition of The Editors, besides Donald Trump Jr.’s abysmal judgment in who he accepts lavish wedding parties from, and general association with shady wealthy foreigners, there is the strange phenomenon of Trump Jr. often being listed as an option in surveys asking Republicans who they want to nominate for president in 2028. The president’s son often places a distant but still respectable third place. The most recent Financial Times poll has him at 7 percent, and the Harvard-Harris poll has him at 18 percent.
It’s Harder to Win with Bad Friends
Donald Trump Jr. is acting as if there could be no consequences for behavior that just reeks of the same sort of ethical morass that made the Biden family notorious. That attitude has been a major theme of the second Trump term, which has produced scandals that would have landed like the Hiroshima bomb on past presidential administrations.
The Protect College Sports Act Shows How Much the GOP Doesn’t Care About Limited Government Anymore
Nothing says “small government” like having politicians run college sports.
Why a Ted Cruz Type Can’t Be Ruled Out for 2028
The easy thing to do, upon seeing the news that Texas Senator Ted Cruz is exploring a potential presidential bid in 2028, is to scoff and point to him being booed on ESPN’s College GameDay and run with the popular narrative that nobody likes Cruz. But a year is a long time in politics, and by this time next year, Republicans will probably have had a presidential debate or two. Also by this time next year, we will probably have a Democrat-controlled U.S. House of Representatives, perhaps a Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate, and President Trump’s job approval rating will probably still be around where it is right now — 40 percent or so. What’s more, once Democrats have some influence over the federal spending process, long-dormant fiscal conservative instincts tend to rejuvenate in Republicans. No matter what other issues Republican candidates want to run on in 2028, America’s worsening finances will be front and center because of how they tie to the ever-increasing cost of living
The Midwestern Führerbunker Driving the Right Off the Cliff
Editor’s Note: I’ve worked on this for weeks. Yes, it is long. I beg you to read it all. I’ve kept it as easy to understand as I can. Please read it. You guys always ask me to “name names.” Challenge accepted.
Heritage Americanism Is Massively Overrated and Counterproductive
An online fracas over Texas college football fans underscores the hollowness of this cause.
Against Losing Our Souls Along with Our Liberties
Erick Erickson has a must-read, deeply researched dive into Charles Haywood and other “Schmittian” thinkers insinuating themselves into positions of influence within the American right and certain of its institutions to promote white identity politics, monarchism, and other noxious ideas
The Repulsive Online Attack on Indian Americans
Afew University of Texas at Austin students of South Asian descent cheered their football team’s dramatic comeback win against top-ranked Ohio State, and found themselves in the foreground of a picture worth a thousand tweets. Bo French, the Republican nominee for railroad commissioner (a more important position than its name might suggest, having jurisdiction over energy policy), did not like what he saw. “The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined,” he posted on X.
Nixon’s Not the One
Reagan was a better leader.
Flight 93 and a Republic Worth Saving
There is something fitting about the calendar placing Constitution Day less than a week after September 11. One asks us to remember those we lost in an evil terrorist attack driven by hatred for America and her people. The other reminds us of the Constitution that defines the United States and forms us into one people.
Our Great American Heritage Belongs to All Americans
In my column on some people’s effort to make the status of “heritage Americans” (i.e., descended from multiple generations on American soil) a basis for political and policy arguments, I observed that “there’s a motte-and-bailey quality to this argument, as if those of us who don’t buy it are claiming that having family roots in this country is entirely irrelevant.”
Why We Need Our Constitution — and Need It Back
At 239, our Constitution has been a wild success story. But it might not make it to 250.
I Read One Carl Schmitt Book at 22. This Is My Punishment.
Revisiting Schmitt, correcting a Greek mistake, and exploring the ethics of loving your enemies
Inside a Radical Right Plan to Infiltrate American Conservatism
Charles Haywood made his fortune manufacturing shampoo. Now, he’s using his money to launch a takeover of the right.
The American New Right Looks Like the European Old Right
When conservatives reject constitutional limits on executive power and foment civil conflict, what exactly are they conserving?
Free Speech: An American Oddity
In recent years the U.S. has been diverging from our allies in Western Europe economically, culturally and legally. One thing that has become clear is that very few countries share our* commitment to free speech. Germany, for example, where Chancellor Friedrich Merz considers free speech to be an American oddity.
DOGE and the Doomers
Maybe artificial intelligence will kill us all in the next few years. Count me dubious, but who knows? We’re certainly doing our best to deserve it. But whether we are doomed or not, the tone and substance of the warnings on that front from Silicon Valley, which have picked up this month, strike me as both familiar and revealing.
