Iran has been launching drones and missiles at commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz each week, though it has often failed to strike its targets, according to a Western security official. Iran for the first time appeared to confirm it was behind the near-daily sounds of explosions.

Oil Flows Are Up, but Iran Is Still Menacing the Strait of Hormuz

Iran has been launching drones and missiles at commercial ships in the waterway each week, though it has often failed to strike its targets, according to a Western security official.

nyti.ms

Readers move "Better Call Saul" and "Ted Lasso" way up, relative to the experts, and into the top 10. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Readers Choose Their Top TV Shows of the 21st Century

The people have spoken. Here are their picks.

nytimes.com

Big news in the Senate battle. After pouring $30 million in NC, John Thune's GOP SuperPAC stops spending there, effectively conceding Cooper is likely to win. And they're dumping their first 7-figures in Kansas. (Note: a Dem internal found Hamilton up today.) www.semafor.com/article/10/0...

www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Latest Polls (Free Access)

Track all the polls from today, including the latest data on the 2026 midterm elections, governor’s races, President Trump’s approval rating and more.

nytimes.com

"I feel a little foolish, you know? I’m saying, ‘Go out and vote, go out and vote,’ but they’re going to win in a landslide.” www.nytimes.com/2026/10/01/u...

Trump Puts on a Midterms Show for an Audience That’s Already Sold (Gift Article)

President Trump spent the day preaching to his most fervent fans, not the voters he will need to help elect or re-elect a slate of Republicans fighting in states from Alaska to Maine.

nytimes.com

Families also have options like 529 college plans and custodial brokerage accounts. Find out which one works best for you. Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/10/02/u...

Is a Trump Account the Best Way to Invest for Your Child? Try Our Calculator.

Families also have options like 529 college plans and custodial brokerage accounts. Find out which one works best for you.

nytimes.com

Bottom line: +29k jobs (+50k 3mma) and 4.2% unemployment are hardly catastrophic. Rebound in prime-age e-pop is encouraging. Fundamental issue in this labor market isn't that there aren't enough jobs. It's what they pay: Wage growth is continuing to slow. #NumbersDay

Ben Casselman@bencasselman.bsky.social · 3h ago

U.S. employers added 29,000 jobs in September and the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.2 percent. Data: www.bls.gov/news.release... Full coverage: www.nytimes.com/live/2026/10... #EconSky #NumbersDay

www.nytimes.com/2026/10/02/b...

Tariffs Are Making Instruments So Expensive, School Music Programs Are at Risk (Gift Article)

When a single cello can cost $1,000 and a tuba $9,000, tariffs are straining meager band and orchestra budgets.

nytimes.com

NEW: I noticed something in a couple of recent polls that gave me some caution against a few of the more bullish results for Democrats, and how the definition of the likely voter can have a significant impact on the final outcome of the poll. LINK: electioncord.com/the-likely-v...

@nataliaecm.bsky.social spoke to a Texas voter who thought he had registered at the DMV and then couldn’t vote in the March primary: www.votebeat.org/texas/2026/1...

Nathaniel Rakich@baseballot.bsky.social · 6d ago

After further reporting by @nataliaecm.bsky.social, we now know this error affected at least 200,000 should-be Texas voters. What a mess.

www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Latest Polls (Free Access)

Track all the polls from today, including the latest data on the 2026 midterm elections, governor’s races, President Trump’s approval rating and more.

nytimes.com

NEW: It's that time of year: time to launch my annual guide to November's elections! I guide you through over *650* interesting elections, & why they matter. Judges, AGs, govs, mayors, lawmakers, AGs, county & school boards—plus many (many) ballot measures. Oh, & Congress. Explore & bookmark!

Your Cheat Sheet to the 2026 General Elections - Bolts

Congressional races will take center stage on Nov. 3, but they’re just the tip of what to watch. Prosecutors and governors, attorneys general and sheriffs, school boards and mayors, utility... Read Mo...

boltsmag.org

Same Dem > Rep crossover in new active voter registrations is happening here in Utah. Which hasn't ever happened in any election year this past decade. Truly unprecedented: bsky.app/profile/jake...

Jacob S. Rugh@jakerugh.bsky.social · 2d ago

I have never seen such a blue wave in voter registration here in Utah like this cycle in 2026: Net Diff. in DEM - REP new active voters: 🔴2016 +34K R 🔴2018 +13K R 🔴2020 +97K R 🔴2022 +34K R 🔴2024 +21K R 🔵2026 +19K D Net (DEM+UNA) - REP 🟣2026 +35K By either measure, 2026 is totally unparalleled

New graphics from AdImpact vividly illustrate something we've emphasized repeatedly: The GOP's massive spending advantage is *not* translating into a comparable *advertising* advantage. In #TXSen, e.g., the GOP has spent 66% of all ad money but aired just 54% of all ads adimpact.com/blogs/republ...

www.nytimes.com/2026/10/01/u...

3 Billionaires Have Largely Funded Republican Nominee for Wisconsin Governor (Gift Article)

Under its current rules, Wisconsin has not had a race in which a small number of donors have made up such a large share of a campaign’s funding.

nytimes.com

"Ten years ago this month, in my old job as Washington correspondent for the Toronto Star, I started what I believed would be a quick little side project: fact-checking underdog presidential candidate Donald Trump." (via @cnn.com)

I started fact-checking Trump 10 years ago. Here are 15 things I’ve learned | CNN Politics

Ten years ago this month, in my old job as Washington correspondent for the Toronto Star, I started what I believed would be a quick little side project: fact-checking underdog presidential candidate ...

cnn.com

Ahead of the Supreme Court's new term, 34% of Americans approve of the court in a new @gallup.com survey – among the lowest percentages on record. news.gallup.com/poll/715022/...

Urban, suburban and rural Americans are about equally likely to be politically active, but their differences are not just Republican vs. Democrat. Rural Americans, for example, are more likely than those in urban areas to display signs and bumper stickers, regardless of party. #PewKnightInitiative

‘US gasoline supplies fell to the lowest level in 12 years, flashing a warning sign for higher pump prices as a global refining crisis pushes up fuel bills.’ www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Inflation hit a low of 2.3% in April 2025. Then came tariffs and the Iran War, and it’s been stuck above 3% since March. My @morningjoe-msnow.bsky.social Chart

Under President Trump, the wealth of the top 1% has grown more than twice as fast as the bottom half of Americans.

Republican and Democratic senators struck a deal to vote on the largest overhaul of federal energy and environmental rules in decades. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/30/c...

Visitors to the US are on track to drop by almost two million year-on-year. “We’re the only major country in the world losing visitation,” the head of the US Travel Association said. “It’s mind-boggling.” www.semafor.com/article/09/2...

Unaffiliated voters in California leaned heavily toward Xavier Becerra, a Democrat, in a recent poll, pushing him to his largest lead of this election cycle.

Becerra Holds Wide Leads in Polling of California’s Governor Race

Unaffiliated voters leaned heavily toward Xavier Becerra, a Democrat, in a recent poll, pushing him to his largest lead of this election cycle.

nyti.ms

www.nytimes.com/2026/09/30/s...

Clues to Why a Breakthrough Pancreatic Cancer Drug Eventually Stops Working (Gift Article)

Researchers are asking why patients, like former Senator Ben Sasse, inevitably develop resistance to the drug daraxonrasib.

nytimes.com

The human genome is part virus. And here's a virus that's part human, having picked up a human gene about 100,000 years ago. My story here: nyti.ms/4hRKNPC

This Virus Stole a Human Gene and Won’t Let Go of It (Gift Article)

Scientists have found a human gene lurking in a virus that causes skin infections. It may be using our own DNA to infect us.

nyti.ms

Judge Questions Secrecy Around Trump Administration’s Memo on Boat Strikes The judge also ordered the Justice Department to privately show the court the contested document, which blesses the disputed killings at sea. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/30/u... w/ Ben Weiser

Judge Questions Secrecy Around Trump Administration’s Memo on Boat Strikes

The judge also ordered the Justice Department to privately show the court the contested document, which blesses the disputed killings at sea.

nytimes.com

My take on yesterday's MAHA Summit: There are now two MAHAs: Corporate, Trump-aligned MAHA and grassroots MAHA, which is being courted by Democrats like @abdulelsayed.bsky.social. He just announced his "Build a Healthier America" agenda. BAHA? www.nytimes.com/2026/09/29/h...

A.I. Is ‘Better Informed’ Than Doctors, Kennedy Tells Industry-Backed MAHA Summit (Gift Article)

The health secretary, Vice President JD Vance and other top officials addressed a conference sponsored by corporations, including A.I. companies and others with business before the government.

nytimes.com

Eight of 201 candidates for high-ranking posts this year have been women, or 4 percent — less than half the average percentage of the past 10 years. @cj-robinson.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/08/06/u...

Under Hegseth, Women’s Share of Top Military Promotions Plunged This Year (Gift Article)

The percentage of high-ranking officer nominations going to women is currently at its lowest level in over two decades.

nytimes.com

For those who missed it, this was the article by Sarah Kliff (friend of the Upshot team) that has wound up being a point of discussion in the Kansas Senate race. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/08/u...

A Doctor Sued 700 Patients for Debts; 81 Were Arrested. Now He’s a Senator. (Gift Article)

Patients sued by Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas were routinely charged 18 percent interest, The Times found. Some had bank accounts garnished.

nytimes.com