The Morning Roundup – October 23, 2026

Good morning from The Monolith Media. Eleven days out from the midterms, today’s coverage is dominated by Vivek Ramaswamy’s controversial attack ad in the Ohio governor’s race and President Trump’s defense of it, the Texas Senate fight around Ken Paxton, the fresh allegations swirling around Rep. Ilhan Omar, and Trump’s renewed feud with LeBron James. The left is hammering Trump, Paxton and the Ramaswamy ad while poking at California’s billionaire tax; the right is focused on Omar and Chicago’s leadership; and center outlets are tracking the war in Ukraine and breaking news from France. Here’s how all three sides are covering it.

LEFT

Timothy Noah (The New Republic) – “The California Billionaire Tax Just Scored Mark Zuckerberg a Raise”

Noah argues that California's billionaire tax has backfired in at least one high-profile case, contending that Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg found a way to game the system. The piece frames the outcome as an example of how the ultra-wealthy can turn tax policy aimed at them to their advantage.

Moira Donegan (The Guardian) – “A Democratic win in Texas is a long shot – but Ken Paxton's weakness is obvious”

Donegan concedes that a Democratic victory in the Texas Senate race remains unlikely, but argues that Republican nominee Ken Paxton is a visibly weak candidate. She contends Republicans are resorting to childish taunts to defend what she calls an uncommonly dishonorable state attorney general.

Charles P. Pierce (Esquire) – “The Legal System Is Taking Another Shot at Forcing Trump to Tell the Truth About January 6”

Pierce writes about a legal proceeding connected to President Trump's dispute with the BBC that could require a deposition touching on January 6. His sardonic verdict on the prospect of Trump being forced to tell the truth is summed up in two words: "Good luck."

Charles P. Pierce (Esquire) – “When You've Got 6,000 State Senate Seats to Fill, You're Occasionally Going to Elect a Homophobic Sauerkraut Salesman”

Pierce takes his seasonal tour of down-ballot races across the country, cataloging the strange and wonderful side of representative democracy. With thousands of state legislative seats on the ballot, he argues, some truly odd candidates are bound to slip through.

Matthew Lally (CNN) – “Trump lashes out at LeBron James, calls NBA star 'a total disgrace'”

President Trump renewed his feud with LeBron James over the national anthem, calling the NBA star "a total disgrace." In this CNN video segment, Audie Cornish and the Group Chat examine James' response to Trump's latest attack.

Robbie Hawken (CNN) – “Ohio voters react to Ramaswamy attack ad”

Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy launched a controversial ad featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic rival. CNN's Lauren Fox spoke with Ohio voters about whether the ad has changed how they view the race.

Jamille Whitlow (CNN) – “Trump says Republicans criticizing Ramaswamy ad are 'weak'”

President Trump is offering a defiant defense of Ramaswamy's ad featuring the estranged mother of Democratic opponent Amy Acton, even as more Republicans condemn it. Kevin Liptak reports that Trump dismissed the GOP critics as "weak."

CENTER

TIPP Insights – “Ukraine Says Satellite Restrictions Are Still Disrupting Military Drones”

Ukraine says satellite restrictions are continuing to disrupt its military drone operations. An adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky said there was no evidence the restrictions had been lifted.

TIPP Insights – “French Police Arrest Suspect After Deadly Drive-By Shooting”

French police have arrested a suspect after a deadly drive-by shooting in Trappes. Mayor Ali Rabeh told BFMTV that the gunman fired from a vehicle and appeared to shoot at random.

Na'Porsha Williams (The St. Louis American) – “City of Legends celebrates St. Louis icons”

Twenty-eight banners honoring notable St. Louis figures have gone up above downtown streets as part of the City of Legends project. Honorees range from Chuck Berry and Tina Turner to Ozzie Smith and Dr. Donald M. Suggs.

RIGHT

Kamal Sultan and Will Zimmerman (New York Post) – “All the clues Ilhan Omar had sham marriage to brother — from marriage certificate to living with 'dirty dandy'”

In an exclusive, the Post lays out what it presents as the evidence that Rep. Ilhan Omar fraudulently married her second husband, Ahmed Elmi, who is alleged to be her brother, citing records including the marriage certificate. The paper notes that Omar has denied the allegations but responded cautiously when asked whether the two are related.

Paul Vallas (John Kass News) – “Michael Sacks Wants Back In. Chicago Should Ask What He Brings to the Table”

In a column reposted from The Chicago Contrarian, Vallas argues that nothing is more important than retiring Mayor Brandon Johnson and keeping Hilario Dominguez from becoming school board president. He questions what Michael Sacks, who wants back into Chicago politics, would actually bring to that effort.