The Cruelty and the Crazy  —  Migrant airlifts and the Unabomber candidate.  —  Sorry, but shipping migrants to Martha's Vineyard is brilliant — a political masterstroke, an epic troll, and, above all hilarious.  —  You can tell because of the reaction on the right …

Ohio Senate race: Tim Ryan blasts Lindsey Graham abortion ban as J.D. Vance stays quiet  —  U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan railed against a federal abortion ban introduced in the U.S. Senate this week, accusing “extremists” of trying to take advantage of the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Pennsylvania GOP gubernatorial nominee was registered to vote in N.J. until 2021  —  Mastriano, Oz both come from New Jersey  —  New Jersey is serving as an incubator for Republican candidates in Pennsylvania, with two statewide candidates being New Jersey natives and longtime residents.

Democrats Buoyed by Abortion and Trump, Times/Siena Poll Finds  —  President Biden's approval rating has climbed to 42 percent, and the number of Americans who believe the country is on the right track has doubled but remains low.  —  Even as they struggle to persuade voters that they should be trusted …

Oregon Governor Moves To Toss Up  —  With less than two months until Election Day, the 2022 gubernatorial map has seen some surprising shifts since the outset of the cycle.  Republicans had initially started targeting the Rust Belt, hoping to flip control in perpetual swing states like Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Iran's Supreme Leader Cancels Public Appearances After Falling Ill  —  Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is currently on bed rest under observation by a team of doctors, according to four people familiar with his health situation.  —  Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei …

Will The Polls Overestimate Democrats Again?  —  As Democrats' prospects for the midterms have improved — they're now up to a 71 percent chance of keeping the Senate and a 29 percent chance of retaining the House, according to the 2022 FiveThirtyEight midterm election forecast 2 …

Alabama poll worker insisted state GOP chair show a proper voter ID — and was fired shortly after: report  —  An Alabama man who volunteered as a poll worker in his community was fired shortly after he asked Alabama State Republican Party Chairman John Wahl and his family to present proper identification before voting.

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, September 15  —  Click here to see ISW's interactive map of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  This map is updated daily alongside the static maps present in this report.  —  Ukrainian forces are continuing counteroffensive operations in eastern Ukraine …

Is This 1998?  Or 2018?  —  In order to succeed in a midterm election, one that historically benefits the party out of power, the White House party needs to be able to do two things: 1.  Energize their base 2.  Convince independent/swing voters that supporting the change candidate is a bigger risk than sticking with the status quo.

Why Is There Still No Strategy to Defeat Donald Trump?  —  One of the stunning facts of the age is the continued prominence of Donald Trump.  His candidates did well in the G.O.P. primaries this year.  He won more votes in 2020 than he did in 2016.  His favorability ratings within his party …

Biden aides are quietly assembling a 2024 campaign as they await a final decision on his political future  —  WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden's top aides have been quietly building a 2024 campaign effort, with increasing discussions about who might manage the operation, potential themes and structure …

Biden's Income-Driven Repayment plan would turn student loans into untargeted grants  —  For media inquiries, contact:  —  Brieanna Nicker esmedia@brookings.edu 202.540.7721  —  Nonresident Senior Fellow - Economic Studies Executive Director, Marriner S. Eccles Institute, University of Utah