Democrats may “tenuous” leads over their GOP rivals ahead of the midterms despite what polling suggests, warned NBC’s national political correspondent Steve Kornacki Monday.

To have success in the Senate, Democrats “need to pick up at least four” of the Republican seats the party is targeting, Kornacki added. But that may not be easy.

As he put it, “Some of these seats, by the way, in very pro-Trump states over the last decade. But I say at least four because there are also a couple of Democratic-held seats here. Republicans think they can flip it, and if Republicans flip those, it really complicates the math for Democrats.”

Of the GOP-occupied states, Kornacki explained:

You see the numbers with Trump’s approval rating declining, and you hear the chatter of Democrats saying blue wave, Republicans fearing it. This is why, this is what the polls are showing. These are the races that Democrats are targeting. Republican-held seats, and the polls, to some degree here, have the Democrats ahead in all of them. Now, one of them here, North Carolina, you see kind of an outlier. That’s a big lead there for the Democrat. Even Republicans, when you look at how they’re spending their resources, they seem to be moving away from North Carolina. But it is close everywhere else … they are leads for Democrats, but they are tenuous as well.

Some of the states in question were won by Trump by wide margins in 2024, even after polling that predicted Democrat wins.

“I mean, look, Republicans in the Trump era have gotten used to seeing polls like this in states like this and saying, ‘Got them just where we want them’, because we’ve seen it in places — Ohio, Iowa come to mind,” he said. “Even you can go back, there was a Senate race in Kansas in 2020. Polls looked really promising for the Democrats, Republican ended up winning by double digits, so that Trump vote has been missed before doesn’t always show up. A lot of theories why, but if that happens again, these numbers can change in a hurry.”

Watch the above via NBC.

The post NBC’s Steve Kornacki Warns ‘Tenuous’ Democratic Leads Could ‘Change in a Hurry’ as They Try to Flip Senate first appeared on Mediaite.

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I look forward to the fall time change every year, because I have plans for that extra morning hour. Turning back the clock is a perfect opportunity to kick-start a morning routine, since you can get up an hour early without it feeling like you're getting up an hour early.

We are, unfortunately, still doing clock changes twice a year. But I will take advantage of that fact while I can, because the fall time change gifts us with an extra hour in the morning, even if it is cruelly ripped from our evening routines. I'm not a morning person by nature, but my day always goes better when I get my workout in early, so I'm going to take that extra morning hour and use it for a workout instead of recalibrating my body clock to wake up later. I recommend all my fellow night owls do the same.

When to wake up if you're taking advantage of the time change

I mean, you could use your extra hour to sleep in—take it if you need it. But personally, I'm going to set my alarm an hour earlier than I get up, starting on Nov. 1, the first day of standard time for 2026. An hour is enough time for a simple strength workout or for a short run and a quick shower before officially starting your day. I reserve one day a week for sleeping in, which for me is Saturday. On days I'm resting from exercise, I'll still wake up on schedule but use my morning hour for something fun or relaxing, like reading a book.

If you want to fit a full workout in and need more time than the hour gives you, this is still a good way to soften the blow. For example, you can wake up 90 minutes earlier (according to the clock) with it only feeling 30 minutes earlier than usual (according to your circadian rhythms). I've been using my extra hour a little differently each year, depending on how committed I am to those morning workouts. This year, I may split it between extra sleep and a mini workout.

How to plan for morning workouts

On the first day you wake up "early," things will be much as they always are. But now that you're becoming a morning exerciser, you'll have to come to terms with the winter darkness. It will creep in, sunrise getting a few minutes later each day, until your morning jog is, most likely, fully in the dark.

If you are running in the early mornings, definitely get yourself a light to help you see and be seen. I have a Petzl Tikkina, which I bought a few years back because Petzl has a reputation for reliability, and the Tikkina is one of their more affordable models. It's worked so well that the second winter I used it, I sprang for the rechargeable battery that fits in place of its three AAA cells. The rechargeable is designed to work well even in cold conditions, which is a nice plus for winter runs. Also consider wearing bright colors, a reflective vest, or even something like the Noxgear Tracer to give you good visibility on the side of the road. I have a neon pink jacket that comes out on cold dark mornings.

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At the gym, be aware that the rhythm of the place will change. There will be a different group of regulars, and it may be more or less busy than you're used to. But even if everything is the same, there’s something luxurious about being able to take your time, when normally you have to squeeze your last few exercises together and rush to work. Savor that extra hour.

He might be the pope, but that doesn’t protect him from some good, old-fashioned teasing from his older brother.

Pope Leo XIV’s older bro Louis Prevost joined The Sunday Briefing on Fox News to talk about how his sibling is doing, after the 71-year-old pontiff underwent surgery due to lung cancer earlier this week. Prevost said it was a “freak diagnosis,” since no one in their family has dealt with lung cancer before, but that the Chicago-born pope has been making a “fast recovery.”

Once the serious stuff was out of the way, co-anchor Peter Doocy was able to move onto some more lighthearted fare.

“Now that he’s been the pope for more than a year, does it still feel like he’s your little brother?” Doocy asked.

“Yes, that’ll never change,” Prevost said. “When we get on the phone or talk, we give each other crap, we tell jokes, some are off-color—”

Doocy jumped in right then, semi-shocked that Prevost would have the nerve to still tease his brother, now that he was the head of the Catholic Church.

“How do you give the pope crap?!” Doocy asked.

“Well, you tell him he’s being stupid!” Prevost said.

That got a big chuckle out of Doocy, who — like a good Catholic kid-turned-reporter would do — made the sign of the cross and looked up toward heaven while laughing.

Their funny exchange follows Leo having the lower lobe of his right lung removed during a surgery in Rome on Monday.

The Vatican explained:

As planned, the Holly Father underwent thoracic surgery. To ensure a radical resection, the lower lobe of his right lung was removed using a video-assisted technique. An intraoperative histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, as suspected from the preoperative examinations.

The Holy Father was in the operating room for approximately three hours; the operation itself lasted about 90 minutes. The operation was successful, and there were no complications.

Leo’s surgery comes about a year and a half after he was named the first American pontiff. His time leading the Catholic Church has already been an eventful one, thanks in large part to his public spats with President Donald Trump.

But the president put their bickering aside to “wish him well” following the operation. Trump has also made it clear he’s a big fan of the pope’s brother several times, including earlier this year when he said Prevost was “all MAGA.” 

Watch above.

The post ‘How Do You Give the Pope Crap?!’ Peter Doocy Can’t Believe Pope Leo’s Older Bro Teases Him first appeared on Mediaite.

CNN’s Dana Bash threw down with Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers (R-MI) over the president’s rhetoric about his opponent, Abdul El-Sayed.

Bash played video of President Donald Trump mocking El-Sayed’s name and calling him a “jihadist.”

“The President is effectively calling your opponent a terrorist. You’re a former special agent with the FBI, former intelligence chair in the House. Are you comfortable with that?” Bash asked.

“Listen, I’ve never called him a terrorist. I wore the uniform of the United States of America so people can pray any way they want. That is not the issue here,” Rogers said. “What has become the issue is his relationship and his family relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood, which is banned in five Muslim countries.”

Rogers continued to talk about his opponent’s alleged extreme ideology as Bash tried multiple times to interrupt.

“Congressman, I want to go back to what the president said,” Bash managed.

BASH: I want to go back to what the president said, and that you disagree —

ROGERS: I don’t speak for the president. I don’t represent the president —

BASH: I know, but I want to say, do you wish that he doesn’t say that? He’s coming to Michigan.

ROGERS: I’m running my race right here in Michigan, Dana. I’m running my race in Michigan.

BASH: But do you wish that he wouldn’t call him a jihadist?

ROGERS: I know you guys want this to be about Trump. This is about Michiganders who are looking for hope and opportunity —

BASH: Right, the president isn’t —

ROGERS: Two-thirds of our fourth graders can’t read. And the fourth grade. That means you have a 70% chance of going to prison or going on welfare —

BASH: Right, the president is inserting himself in that race because pretty much every time he talks, he says something about Abdul El-Sayed.

Bash played video of El-Sayed’s interaction with a town hall participant who asked him about disavowing the Muslim Brotherhood terrorist organization.

“So he said, ‘Yes, sure,” Bash said.

“He didn’t disavow it,” Rogers said. “He goes on this word salad, trying to get around the fact —”

“He did say, ‘Sure, yeah,'” Bash repeated. “I don’t want to debate with you!”

“I don’t know why the press is so eager for him to protect this,” Rogers said.

“Congressman! I just want to be factual,” Bash insisted.

“It’s an ideology, it’s not about him being a Muslim,” Rogers argued.

After several more minutes of back-and-forth, Bash ended the interview, saying, “And just for the record, I’m not defending anyone. I’m just trying to be factual and use the words that he used, which is, ‘Yeah, sure.'”

“Sure sounded like it to me,” Rogers shot back.

Watch the clip above via CNN.

The post CNN’s Dana Bash Throws Down With GOP Candidate Mike Rogers About Trump Calling El-Sayed a ‘Jihadist’ first appeared on Mediaite.

(Photo via: @McConaughey on X)

Matthew McConaughey called on his fellow Americans to embrace Independent candidates heading into the 2026 midterms, saying the old cliche that Independents like himself are limp “fence-sitters” is bogus. In reality, he said they are the best representation of how most Americans feel and can act as a “permanent check” on the Democrats and Republicans in Congress.

The Interstellar star made his impassioned plea during a six-minute video posted to X on Sunday.

“Independents belong in the fight. not as a protest, not as a spoiler, but as a real and potential winner on the ballot and considered seriously by us,” he said. “Independent does not mean you’re middle of the road. Independent is the original road. Before there was ever a Republican or Democrat, there was an American.”

McConaughey, in his trademark Texas drawl, told his 2.8 million followers he is tired of acting like Independents represent some fringe community. Instead, he pointed out more Americans identify as indies than Democrats or Republicans — a claim backed up by a Gallup poll earlier this year, showing a record-number of Americans (45%) identify as Independents, compared to 27% each for Dems and Republicans.

That reality makes it even tougher to stomach the Dems and GOP having a stranglehold on American politics, he said.

“The system has never been more lopsided,” he vented.

McConaughey added, “I am not here today to endorse a candidate or party. I am here endorsing two things: fairness and reality. See, I believe in a fair fight, and a fair fight is not just two fighters throwing the same punches at each other for 50 years. A fair fight is when the fighters who oughta be represented in the fight are actually in the fight!”

He closed his clip by saying if there were 3-5 Independents in the Senate, they could act as a “toll booth,” where politicians have to “stop at the booth” and make sure they’re not pushing anything too partisan.

“The extreme stuff can’t pay the toll,” as he put it.

That would lead to a Congress which better reflects what the American people actually want, McConaughey argued.

Watch above.

The post Matthew McConaughey Issues Rousing Call for Political Independence: ‘The System Has Never Been More Lopsided’ first appeared on Mediaite.

(Screengrab via CBS on YouTube)

The Obama Foundation is grappling with an “income inequality problem” that has pitted its well-paid executives against its pro-union staffers, according to a Saturday report from Fox News Digital.

More than half of its employees pulled in six-figure salaries, according to its 2025 tax filing. That included CEO and former White House senior official Valerie Jarrett, who is banking $771,000 for leading the foundation — up $15,500 from the year prior — and Executive Vice President Robin Cohen, who is making about $666,000.

For comparison, Jarrett and Cohen made more than the CEOs leading five other major presidential foundations, according to a review by Fox News Digital.

“The Reagan Foundation paid its CEO approximately $735,000 and the Carter Center $531,000 for fiscal years ending in 2025, while the George W. Bush Presidential Center paid its top officer $661,000, the George & Barbara Bush Foundation $426,600 and the Clinton Foundation $425,000 for 2024,” the report said.

Saturday’s report comes as employees at President Barack Obama’s organization are pushing to unionize. The workers accused the foundation in a letter sent to foundation execs earlier this month of rolling back benefits at the same time their workloads have been beefed up.

Those workers also pointed to Obama’s 2016 comments where he said he would join a union if he was looking for a “good job” or wanted to address workplace issues. The foundation told Fox News Digital it supported its workers’ push to unionize.

“We are deeply committed to the fundamental right of workers to organize and make their voices heard,” the nonprofit said in a statement. “As members of our staff explore union representation, we approach this process with immense gratitude for their contributions, deep respect for unions, and a sincere commitment to working collaboratively with our partners in labor.”

The foundation also pushed back on the idea its leaders are paid too much; its executives are paid rates “competitive with the market,” according to a statement shared with Fox. The Foundation did not immediately respond to Mediaite’s request for comment.

Overall, the foundation has seen its annual payroll jump from $18.5 million in 2018 to $50.4 million in 2025. The Obama Foundation spearheaded the fundraising and planning for the ex-president’s new library in Chicago, which opened earlier this year.

The post Obama Foundation Rocked By ‘Income Inequality Problem’ as Staffers Push to Unionize: Report first appeared on Mediaite.

The Trump donor whose corruption allegations led to the ouster of Kimberly Guilfoyle bragged Saturday after he dropped audio of a call with a GOP rep in Greece who leveled stunning claims against the former Greek ambassador.

Eric Deters — who sued Guilfoyle this week for defamation — took to Facebook to tease his critics, a day after he released a recording of a call with Jonathan Constantine, who heads the Republicans Overseas Hellenic Chapter.

“All you haters wanted that word I hate so much…receipts… see them below jackwagons!!” Deters wrote.

“Cracks me up. Trump cultists( there is a difference between them and rational thinkers) and the crazy left with their TDS both are mad at me for what? Being pissed off the administration can pardon PG Sittenfeld and not help the Dr Durrani victims? Revealing a major scandal connected to KG and the administration ignoring since March all posted below? Yeah I am the bad guy. “

“We caught her red-handed,” Constantine claims in the recording of the call with Deters in reference to Guilfoyle, adding “before she even arrived she had set up a system for collecting bribes.”

“In the last year things have gone completely haywire. We can’t get through to anybody,” Constantine said.

“We have very, very detailed reports on what’s going on here, and I’m an attorney, my specialty is financial crimes,” he claimed.

Constantine said 40,000 members of his group in Greece were “extremely disappointed in Kimberly. I mean the woman is just completely out of it.

“It’s just, ‘Gimme money, gimme money, gimme money,’ ” he claimed of Guilfoyle.

“This woman has done a lot of damage to the United States’ interest,” he later added.

Constantine then appeared on YouTube with Deters.

Deters exploded into the public consciousness last week after The Wall Street Journal reported messages Guilfoyle allegedly sent him begging him to pay her $100,000 American Express bill in exchange for influence in the Trump administration.

“Honey, please,” Guilfoyle had reportedly written to Deters.

Guilfoyle, who was once engaged to Donald Trump Jr., resigned Tuesday after Trump told her to go.

The president, who fawned over Guilfoyle a few months ago, coolly proclaimed, “She was never part of my family.”

“Serving as the United States Ambassador to Greece has been the honor of a lifetime,” she wrote as she announced her resignation. “From my first day as Ambassador, I have worked tirelessly to advance President Trump’s America First agenda, strengthen our strategic alliance with Greece, and deliver meaningful victories for the American people.”

She denied the corruption allegations in a statement accompanying her resignation.

“These allegations are false, and I intend to vigorously defend my name, my reputation, and my integrity. I have dedicated my professional life to fighting for justice, standing up for what is right, and defending the values that make America exceptional. I will not allow false accusations to define my decades of public service.”

A lawyer for Guilfoyle could not immediately be reached on Constantine’s allegations.

The post Trump Donor Who Sparked Kimberly Guilfoyle’s Exit Brags After Dropping Audio With Damning Allegations From GOP Official in Greece first appeared on Mediaite.