Dumpster fire instead of firing squad
Donald Trump has canceled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plan to livestream the December 3 firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan. Trump reportedly changed course after supposedly just learning Hasan uses a wheelchair. That is hard to believe, since Hasan has been paralyzed since his 2009 attack.
In fact, the plan drew loud opposition from across the political spectrum. First, critics, including Republican Senator Thom Tillis, pointed out that it copied the playbook of dictatorships like Iran and Afghanistan. As Republican Congressman Rob Bresnahan put it, the focus should be on justice for the victims and their families, not entertainment.
Moreover, as described by Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the livestream execution idea was “a barbaric promotion of a culture of death.” More than 60 soldiers had voiced religious objections to taking part in a livestreamed firing squad.
Critics also feared the plan would hand America’s foes a propaganda weapon. Conservative talk show host Erick Erickson warned that the livestream would give Hasan the “platform for martyrdom he wants” and predicted that the video would inspire more terrorists to attack Americans. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senator Kevin Cramer gave similar warnings as well.
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No October Surprise party for GOP
An “October Surprise,” a late-breaking revelation or dramatic development that shakes up an election campaign, has become a staple of American politics. In 2016, for example, just 11 days before Election Day, FBI Director James Comey announced that the FBI was examining newly discovered emails potentially related to Hillary Clinton’s private email server, thrusting the controversy back into the headlines and hurting her election chances.
This year, with the 2026 midterm elections less than three weeks away, Democrats lead the generic congressional ballot by 8.8 points, according to Nate Silver’s October 13 polling average, while Donald Trump’s approval rating is under 40%. Those numbers give Trump and his allies a powerful incentive to change the political narrative before voters go to the polls.
And right on cue, the Trump administration has been making dramatic announcements and taking controversial actions. For instance, on October 9, Trump announced an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to increase Russian diesel supplies to global markets, promising relief from soaring fuel prices. However, critics say the initial shipment amounts to less than one day’s worth of U.S. consumption, and therefore would have little impact on prices. American motorists and truckers continue to face high fuel costs, as do consumers paying more for many goods that rely on fuel for production, transport and/or delivery.
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Gas prices become dangerous for GOP
Democrats have hammered Republicans on affordability, especially gas and food prices, as the main issue of the 2026 midterms. They picked a good theme, as a plurality of 47% of registered voters call the rising cost of living the single most important factor in their midterm vote. Democrats now hold their largest lead yet in the polls.
Data centers are a second hot issue, with a large majority of Americans opposing one being built near them. This opposition cuts across party lines. Reflecting one of the major concerns, sixty percent of Americans think that a new data center in their community would raise their electric bills. Voters are also concerned about data centers’ water use, their noise and light pollution, and their effect on residential property values.
For the Republicans, however, time to address these concerns is running out. Election Day is Nov. 3, only 33 days away. Early voting began on September 18 in a number of states, with more being added to the list regularly. The U.S. House already left town until after the midterm elections. The U.S. Senate is scheduled to stay in session only through tomorrow.
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