Wertheimer Political Report, October 15, 2026
TRUMPWATCH 2.0
Secret documents reveal donors behind $330 million for Trump’s ballroom.
“The records offer a panoramic view of a fundraising campaign that is extraordinary for its size and opacity.” — Washington Post
Defying Trump, Zelensky Says Ukraine Will Resume Russian Refinery Strikes.
“President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed overt frustration with the United States in an interview with The Financial Times. He had paused the strikes to comply with a demand from the United States.” — New York Times
Trump’s Democracy-for-Diesel Deal Shames Us All.
“If President Trump does not understand what will happen to him if he proceeds with his plan to trade away support for Ukraine’s democracy for Russian diesel, let me spell it out: He will enter the history books in the chapter on leaders who sold out their country’s democratic values to appease a dictator.” — New York Times
Trump, Senate GOP see Starlink become latest flash point over Ukraine.
“Ukraine’s sudden and unexplained loss of full access to the military version of Starlink is adding to tensions between President Trump and Senate Republicans as GOP senators are scrambling to find out whether Trump played a role in reducing Ukraine’s defensive capabilities.” — The Hill
Hegseth’s Christian nationalist crusade at the Pentagon riles troops.
“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s rhetoric has prompted hundreds of service members to file complaints with the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.” — MS NOW
Trump’s approval rating hits record low in Fox News poll.
“President Trump’s overall approval rating hit a record low for either of his terms, according to a new Fox News survey, amid growing voter dissatisfaction with his handling of key issues.” – The Hill
Trump meme coin buyers vie for dinner with the president. Many appear to be overseas.
“More than half of the top holders listed as competing for seats at President Trump’s next meme coin dinner have used cryptocurrency exchanges that prohibit U.S. customers, indicating that many of the buyers are based overseas, according to a CBS News analysis.” — CBS News
Corruption top issue in latest Fox News Poll.
“Corruption is going to be one of the biggest issues of the 2028 election. And candidates who can speak about it in a compelling way — and can effectively draw a direct line from corruption to other top issues, like how it affects the cost of living — will be rewarded by voters. Per the latest Fox News poll, more voters are concerned about corruption in government (88%) than they are about inflation/high prices (85%) & gas prices (83%). And it’s not just one side that’s worried about it — 73% of liberals, 64% of moderates & 49% of conservatives are “extremely concerned” about it. How they define corruption — and who is partaking in it — may differ, but there’s a populist anti-corruption mantle that’s just waiting to be snatched up.” — Adam Carlson on X (Twitter)
These Women Were Trying to Escape Domestic Abuse. ICE Detained Them Instead.
“They were victims, not abusers. That’s what they told police officers, attorneys, visitors and anyone else who would listen. It didn’t matter. The women were all taken to a sprawling immigration detention center in the woods of west Michigan and handed thin jumpsuits — red, to mark them as a high security risk.” — ProPublica
New Mexico and El Paso Spent Millions on Climate Plans. Three New Data Centers Could Undo Them.
“Last December, New Mexico officials celebrated publication of a plan to address climate change, designed to dramatically reduce the state’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. A few months later, just across the state line in Texas, El Paso city officials adopted their own such plan with a similar ambition. ” — ProPublica
Crime stats touted by Kash Patel are bolstered by arrests made by state and local agencies, not FBI.
“An analysis of publicly available data from the Justice Department shows repeated claims made by the FBI director are false or misleading.” — MS Now
Administration delays release of IRS data showing impact of GOP tax cuts.
“The tax agency was supposed to release detailed data on this year’s filing season in July. Months later, it’s still unpublished.” — Politico
MEANWHILE, ON CAPITOL HILL
House control all but gone, top Republicans privately concede. Republican groups are trying to limit their losses. But few in the party believe they have a good shot at keeping control of Congress. — Politico
Bipartisan chorus to Trump: undo Russian diesel deal. Senators call sanctions waiver “a betrayal.” — Roll Call
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) says he and his Senate colleagues will ask the Defense Department’s inspector general to investigate Ukraine’s sudden loss of access to the military version of Starlink, known as Starshield, which hampered Ukraine’s ability to intercept Russian drones. — The Hill
Amid ‘time of transition,’ Freedom Caucus sees room to grow its influence. Several pillars of the hard-line conservative group are departing after this Congress. — Roll Call
MONEY IN POLITICS, VOTING, ELECTION & OTHER RELATED INFO
The midterms map is shifting as Republicans triage onetime battlegrounds. — Washington Post
Democrats worry about tight midterm races in Maine, Michigan and Minnesota. Despite hopes for a blue wave, Democratic candidates in Minnesota, Maine and Michigan are facing local political headwinds and have struggled to open up clear daylight in the polls. — New York Times
Some Republicans in key races break with Trump over tariffs. Some battleground candidates see benefits in splitting with Trump on his key economic initiative. — NBC News
House Republicans appear to have an open-seat problem. GOP faces headwinds defending districts of some departing members. — Roll Call
These states could elect their first female governors this year. — Roll Call
He crafted a crypto law for Trump—as his company got millions from a crypto giant. — Wall Street Journal
