Democrats target Trump’s rural stronghold

And FBI’s co-deputy director resigns after demotion of agents assigned to case on Stephen Miller’s wife |

VIEW IN BROWSER Tuesday, Sep. 29, 2026 Today, we’re looking at how Democratic candidates are targeting rural voters, Trump’s self-promotional midterm ads, the impact of long Navy deployments and more. Plus, Rachel Maddow sounds off on the U.S. and Russia reportedly weakening AI guardrails.    Ben Brewer / Bloomberg via Getty Images Democrats make a play for farmers squeezed by Trump’s economy By Adam Hudacek Abdul El-Sayed just unveiled a plan to help Michigan’s struggling small farms, making him the latest Democratic Senate hopeful to court farmers as rising costs weaken Republicans’ grip on rural America. Farmers are under serious financial strain. Diesel prices, pushed up by the war in Iran, hit a record national average of about $6.52 a gallon last week, according to AAA. Fertilizer prices spiked this spring, just as farmers were buying for planting season, as the war bottlenecked the global supply. But even before the war, many farms were on precarious financial footing. Now, with the midterms weeks away, Democrats in several Senate races see an opening in farm country, where their party has long struggled.   This is a preview of Adam Hudacek’s latest article. Read the full article here. Respond directly to Adam Hudacek’s latest article by submitting a letter to the editor through this form. Read our submission guidelines here.  Respond directly to Adam Hudacek’s latest article by submitting a letter to the editor through this form. Read our submission guidelines here.  Must Reads   Anna Lefkowitz / MS NOW; Alex Wroblewski / AFP via Getty Images; Getty Images The White House says these propaganda ads are PSAs. They’re not. Government-funded ads praising President Trump are the opposite of “educational,” argues Hayes Brown. Trump’s DOJ is deploying election monitors — and Democrats are demanding answers In a letter first shared with MS NOW, the top Democrats on the House Judiciary and Administration committees demand information about the deployment of the Trump administration’s election monitors. Read more from Syedah Ashgar. Why it’s mind-boggling that Trump may have offered weapons to China The alleged offer speaks to a remarkable combination of incoherence and incompetence, argues Zeeshan Aleem.  U.S. Navy via AP ‘Very worried about fatigue’: Long Navy deployments in the Iran war raise concerns about accidents onboard Navy studies have shown that exhaustion onboard ships can increase the risk of accidents. Military families are concerned about fatigue putting sailors in danger during long deployments in the Iran war. Read more from Priya Sridhar.   Top Videos   RACHEL MADDOW Maddow on report that U.S. and Russia weakened AI guardrails: ‘Why are we doing this?’ Watch now   DEADLINE: WHITE HOUSE Kash Patel’s FBI plunged into more chaos after co-deputy director resigns Watch now   THE LAST WORD WITH LAWRENCE O'DONNELL Lawrence: Trump is the first wartime president to care about golf more than his war Watch now   THE MOMENT WITH KATY TUR Growing number of Republicans break with Trump over Iran war Watch now   More from MS NOW   Have a question about relationships, family dynamics and today’s social climate? Each week, Nedra Glover Tawwab addresses your questions and offers practical advice. Submit your questions for her to answer in a future episode of MS NOW’s Member-exclusive series, “Dear Nedra.” This week on “The Best People,” Nicolle Wallace is joined by former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to discuss how the moment we’re in is a “make-or-break” moment in American politics, and what he’d like to see if Democrats take control of the government after the midterms. Subscribe to MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts for early access, ad-free listening, and bonus content. 229 West 43rd St. New York, NY 10036 PRIVACY | CONTACT | UNSUBSCRIBE PRIVACY | CONTACT | UNSUBSCRIBE