October 30, 2026

The Weekend Reader

Required Reading for Political Compulsives

1. The Pay-to-Play Childhood

Private travel leagues have made youth sports expensive, hypercompetitive, and all-consuming for families. At least investors are making a killing.

2. Flock Is Freaking People Out

Americans are protesting — and vandalizing — traffic cameras, as politicians and podcasters tap into the techlash.

3. Rebecca Katz’s Risky Formula for Winning Elections

The political consultant has an uncanny gift for finding charismatic progressives. Why do so many of them implode?

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4. Trump’s Ballroom May Be Built Before the Law Can Stop Him

The president bet that if he acted fast enough, no one would be able to beat him in court before it was too late. He was likely right.

5. Trump’s Iran War Was Even More Reckless Than We Realized

A (still-growing) list of all the warnings he ignored, dismissed, or maybe was unable to understand.

6. A Democratic Power Grab in Brooklyn

Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn is forging ahead with committee expansion plans despite stiff opposition from reformers and party leaders.

7. Why the Editor of Stars and Stripes Is Suing the Pentagon

Journalist Erik Slavin speaks about his firing, the paper’s USS Abraham Lincoln reporting, and how covering the military has “fundamentally changed.”

Why the Editor of <em>Stars and Stripes</em> Is Suing the Pentagon

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8. 6 Reasons Republicans Dread Trump’s Midterm Convention

GOP candidates and operatives have a lot of complaints about this expensive, poorly planned, and likely counterproductive “Trumpapalooza.”

9. The Data-Center Backlash Looms Large Ahead of the Midterm Elections

The playbook for Democrats was already easy. Trump is making it even easier.

10. Despite Primary Whiffs, Poll Haters Are Still Wrong

Yes, there have been some misfires in 2026 primary polling. But ignoring data isn’t the solution.

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