Source: The Atlantic
by Jonathan Lemire

“Trump’s primary rationale for why voters should support the GOP, as best I can tell, is that the affordability crisis is a ‘hoax,’ Bill Maher is a ‘loser,’ and Senator Jon Husted of Ohio has a nice physique. That easy-to-mock message has been accompanied by a staggering number of missteps. Just for starters, he’s belittled the impact of his stalled war with Iran, sided with Russia as it continues to pummel Ukrainian cities, defended an attack ad from the GOP candidate for Ohio governor that repulsed other top Republicans, downplayed high energy prices while boasting that U.S. oil and gas companies are ‘making a freaking fortune,’ embraced AI as the nation turns against it, obsessed over White House construction projects, and spent a lot of time talking about handsome men, Husted being just one.” (10/28/26)

https://archive.is/cRnhx

Source: Common Dreams
by Mario Alfonso Murillo

“The empty spaces inside Colombia’s National Museum in Bogotá offer a dramatic, if not painful introduction to its new, right-wing government. Several dozen objects related to the peace process with the M-19 rebel group; the historic 1991 Constitution; and mementos of social movements, LGBTQ rights, and other artifacts of the country’s complex history have disappeared from public view. Those objects included a Carlos Pizarro campaign poster, an armband from the political movement that emerged from the M-19’s demobilization, and the student ballot associated with the constituent process that produced the 1991 Constitution. These histories record how Colombians previously excluded from national power fought to enter public life in a country governed for generations by a white, economically powerful, and politically exclusionary elite. Critics say removing them from the public view diminishes the evidence of that decades-long struggle. Museum anthropologist Andrés Góngora described it in El País as ‘a mutilated museum’.” (10/29/26)

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/colombia-goes-maga

Source: Independent Institute
by Brady Leonard

“Within hours of the tragic shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School in Bend, Oregon on October 15th, the familiar political script was dusted off. Gun control organizations were immediately mobilized to demand fresh restrictions on firearm access, expanded waiting periods, and outright bans. Yet no policy proposed by gun control advocates would have changed the outcome, save for the one that left every student and teacher on campus defenseless.” (10/28/26)

https://www.independent.org/article/2026/10/28/repeal-gun-free-zones/

Source: In These Times
by Diana Orcés

“One week before the midterm elections, most Hispanic Americans are unhappy with the direction of the country. Should Republicans be worried? According to PRRI’s newly released 2026 American Values Survey, where I serve as the Director of Research, nearly three in four Hispanic Americans (74%) say the country is headed in the wrong direction, up from 67% in 2025. Since the beginning of the current Trump administration, immigration has become an even larger pain point for Hispanic Americans. As arrests of undocumented immigrants without a criminal record continue to increase, alongside deportations and deadly ICE raids, most Hispanic Americans (77%) disagree with the way the federal government is dealing with undocumented immigrants. Even most Hispanic Protestants, who largely supported Trump in 2024, say their opinion of President Donald Trump has mostly changed for the worse.” [editor’s note: That might depend on their immigration status, legal or not; some may think it’s the only thing he has done right! – SAT] [additional editor’s note: According to the US Constitution, there’s no such thing as “illegal” immigration status; and if anyone is thinking what SAT suggests, that thing they’re doing that they think is thinking isn’t – TLK] (10/29/26)

https://inthesetimes.com/article/hispanic-voters-midterms-trump-democrats

Source: Persuasion
by Jeffery Tyler Syck

“While poll-tested liberal leaders fell to populism around the world, Mark Carney has done the opposite—by giving liberalism a moral core.” (10/28/26)

https://www.persuasion.community/p/what-mark-carney-gets-about-liberalism

Source: Niskanen Center
by Andrew Justus

“The Denver region built a rail transit system but struggles to attract riders due to tradeoffs made in its planning and construction to prioritize speedy project delivery over ridership potential. Colorado’s recently enacted Transit Oriented Communities (TOC) law encourages communities to upzone land around transit infrastructure to boost the state’s housing supply and grow transit ridership. The law is likely to drive substantial housing growth that will complement the Denver region’s existing transit infrastructure, but to be most effective the state should better support communities that facilitate this growth.” (10/28/26)

https://www.niskanencenter.org/linking-housing-affordability-to-successful-transit-lessons-from-colorados-transit-oriented-communities-law/