The Republican Party’s Midterm Nightmare Is Taking Shape

 https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2026/08/30/republican-party-midterms-trump-01055934

He’s in serious trouble in farm country,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) told me. “He being Trump — and Trump is us. I’m not very optimistic.”

The triple-whammy of tariffs, expensive diesel and fertilizer and now imported beef has created a crisis for agriculture-state Republicans.

The culprits are obvious: the exorbitant cost of living, Trump’s deep unpopularity with the political center and the massive enthusiasm gap Democrats enjoy over Republicans.

Florida, Vaccines and Religious Liberty

 https://www.wsj.com/opinion/james-uthmeier-florida-vaccines-catholic-schools-3e678e5a?mod=hp_opin_pos_4

State Attorney General James Uthmeier threatens to bar Catholic schools from voucher programs if they insist on vaccinations.

The movement against vaccines has led to a resurgence of measles and now is taking a dangerous constitutional turn in Florida. Attorney General James Uthmeier is threatening to ban Catholic schools from the state’s voucher programs over their immunization requirements. Democrats aren’t the only politicians attacking the free exercise of religion these days.

Mr. Uthmeier in July issued a peremptory letter to Catholic bishops accusing them of violating Church doctrine and state law by requiring students to be immunized and not allowing parents who object to vaccines for religious reasons to opt out. There is “no legitimate religious reason” to deny religious exemptions, he wrote.