Afternoon Sun: Choosin’ Texas? I Can’t Tell

Good afternoon. This is the Afternoon Sun newsletter for Oct. 7, 2026. You can get it in your inbox every day by signing up here — it’s free!

THE LATEST

Donald Trump is descending on Texas for the fourth time in six weeks — this time to San Antonio. The president made one trip to the state during the 2018 midterm stretch, Houston Chronicle reporter Jeremy Wallace notes.

• The leaks keep coming: Ken Paxton told donors and lobbyists he believes the war in Iran and high gas prices have hurt his campaign, Axios reported this morning. Last week, he was recorded saying the president’s Dallas midterm convention had “dropped our numbers.”

• But Trump continues to stand behind his pick: “I think he’ll be a great senator,” he told reporters in the Oval Office, adding that “I would have no regrets at all” about the endorsement.

Meanwhile, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and the Democratic Governors Association are each sending $1 million to boost Gina Hinojosa in her quest to unseat Gov. Greg Abbott, per The New York Times.

• Abbott’s reported cash on hand still dwarfs hers by about $14 million, according to yesterday’s fundraising reports — but that’s after he burned through $141.3 million since the start of this year.

THE WHITE HOUSE

Trump says he’s looking into reports that two political advisers performed consulting work for a pro-Russian nationalist government in Bosnia-Herzegovina, suggesting he may fire both longtime confidants if there is a conflict of interest.

Trump wants to build a permanent Camp David-style presidential retreat at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida — and the county is seriously considering the proposal.

Pete Hegseth greeted thousands of sailors returning from a record-setting deployment aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln by saying, in prepared remarks, that media reports had overstated the problems they faced aboard the carrier.

THE AGENCIES

The FCC is considering a conservative group’s request to loosen rules on political robocalls, including those with AI-generated voices, before the midterms.

The EPA plans to roll back regulations on methane emissions and other greenhouse gases for the oil and gas industry, administrator Lee Zeldin announced today.

U.S. officials warned Russia in a confidential diplomatic communication that it was failing to comply with global health obligations by not sharing details about the death of a plague researcher in Siberia.

THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

Hillary Clinton endorsed her first candidate of the 2026 election cycle this week: Minnesota Senate candidate Peggy Flanagan, who is the state’s lieutenant governor.

Michigan Senate nominee Mike Rogers called for an end to the “tariff war” with Canada in a new campaign advertisement, Politico reports, marking another Republican break from Trump weeks before the midterms.

THE COURTS

The DNC is suing Trump’s administration over its recent TV ads made using taxpayer dollars.

A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to make public a presentation Kennedy Center officials used as they considered closing the building for two years. The ruling also allows the government to propose limited redactions to a separate 163-page renovation plan.

ACHY BREAKY HILL

Thank you for reading! Today’s newsletter was produced by Kelly Poe and Erik Schutz. If you liked it, please forward it to a friend. If someone shared it with you, please sign up — it’s free! Got a tip or comments to share? Email us at newsletters@washsun.com.