How Republicans can win the Midterms – and how to stop them A longer analysis of why the 2026 midterms may be far closer than they look, focusing on marginal districts and voter suppression

All the talk is of a blue wave in the 2026 Midterms. But Republicans do not need to get more popular to hold the House - they just need to stop enough Democrats voting in key seats.

I've done a deep dive in my latest post.

christinapagel.substack.com/p/how-republ...

Musk scorned “shady” loopholes, yet offshore tax tricks likely saved Tesla hundreds of millions When Tesla released its annual report for U.S. regulators in January, the Texas-based automaker, led by the world’s richest man, reported a federal tax bill of zero dollars for 2025.

Elon Musk's Tesla reported an estimated federal tax bill of $0 for 2025. A Reuters analysis found that Tesla units in the Netherlands and Singapore posted $18 billion in profits that likely saved the company more than $400 million in US taxes reut.rs/48wd21x

So sad that no-one has taken or enforced responsibility for this building. Those who stand to benefit will keep going until it can be claimed that there is 'no option" but to demolish it.

Isn't it always just the coincidence that historical buildings simply catch fire... and the Antrim Arms was simply lovely and utterly unique.

Problem now is Mandelson is completely embedded in Labour. Every decision or contract involving Mandelson's input or influence should be looked at, especially if with the US. And those of his offspring like Wes Streeting.

But Mandelson was chosen specifically because of his unsavoury ways and because he knows so many crooks.

I'm afraid it all stinks. You only had to be paying scant notice to Mandelson's decades long career, punctured with sackings, scandal and sleaze, to know that he was unfit for re-appointment to a Government position. And knowing any of it, you'd ask to see the vetting report at the very least.

Reality:

The Tories nearly trebled National Debt, gave us the highest tax burden for 70 years, yet slashed spending for 14 years, including cuts to the military, compounded things with their Brexit disaster and useless deals like Badenoch's CPTPP, leaving Labour to sort out their mess.

Reform said they would pay my energy bills. They haven't Residents of winning street in Nigel Farage's fuel giveaway stunt complain they have missed out on prize

In "bears crap in the woods" news.

Gil Duran tweet: TLDR: Fascism in response to Palantir's long fascists screed on X.

"Your Account is Suspended" Message on X

The CEO of Palantir posted a fascist manifesto on X.

I pointed out that it was fascist—which resulted in a permanent suspension from X (my second time!).

So, when you hear the tweeters complaining that BlueSky is intolerant, remember why many of us came here in the first place.

Miliband to unveil move to delink UK gas and electricity prices Energy secretary’s push comes as Iran war threatens Labour pledge to cut heating bills

Miliband to unveil move to delink UK gas and electricity prices ft.trib.al/zI9c1JF

I'm always skeptical of BBC-bashing, but BBC News website hasn't reported on the Tice tax scandal since 12 April, when the headline was "Tice £91,000 tax row is 'minor administrative error', party claims".

Palantir posts mini-manifesto denouncing inclusivity and ‘regressive’ cultures | TechCrunch Palantir's ideological bent has come under more scrutiny as it's worked with ICE and positioned itself as a defender of "the West."

Knowing a company like Palantir is against "inclusivity" makes advancing inclusion feel even better

techcrunch.com/2026/04/19/p... #Governance #DEI #Palantir #Inclusion #Tech

The National Science Foundation which funds a quarter of all basic scientific research in the country is being dismantled.

In the same manifesto, Palantir's owners argued that we need a national military draft, that soft power is over, and that we were too hard on Germany and Japan after World War II. I don't think that company should be allowed to exist anymore.

Screen cap of BBC Breakfast tweet: "Last year Richard Tice said Angela Rayner should resign if she had any moral decency, after she'd underpaid stamp duty. Should he also resign then by his own standards?"

BREAKING NEWS: Zia Yusuf Reluctant to Apply Same Standards to Richard Tice as Angela Rayner Shock!

#politicslive

A tale of two Americans: The Pope speaks out against Russian atrocities. The president says nothing (and even worse, relaxes sanctions on Russia while ending aid to Ukraine).

Streeting refuses to publish secret Palantir NHS briefings | Good Law Project The health secretary wants to keep us in the dark about Palantir’s systems for handling sensitive health records, so we’re taking legal action with Democracy for Sale to fight back

Wes Streeting is keeping Palantir’s secrets 🤫
https://goodlaw.social/dmxu

This reminds me of that time Starmer was hoodwinked into going to the meeting Mandelson set up with his former client Palantir & CEO Alex Karp & UK boss Louis Mosley while Starmer was on an official US tour & no one took any minutes & it didn't appear on his register of visits .

North Yorkshire farmers must be heard over golden eagle return Calls are made for consultation before any golden eagle-release in northern England.

As if there was the slightest chance of farmers not being listened to on this. Farmers (sheep farmers in particular) are given hugely disproportionate attention for their incessant whinging about wildlife. BBC News should stop running livestock industry propaganda.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The pet I’ll never forget: Benny the cat, who climbed into my shopping bag – then shared my baths I found Benny and his brother, Buster, when they were three months old. I was besotted with them both, but it was Benny, with his quirky ways and loving nature, who really stole my heart

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

Residents on street that won Reform’s energy bills prize say Reform hasn’t paid Reform’s competition promised to cover the winning street’s energy bills for a year

👀 People on street that won Farage’s energy bills competition say Reform hasn’t paid

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/reform-...

It is possible to think that this whole undignified Mandelson vetting debacle does not reflect well on the PM at all, while also thinking that another leadership contest is literally the last thing anybody needs right now.

Does that mean Bulgaria will now start vetoing assistance for Ukraine instead of Hungary?

Israel is blowing up the bridges over Lebanon's Litani River, after ordering all Lebanese civilians south of the river (some 800k people) to flee. They have repeatedly stated that the IDF will occupy Lebanese land south of the Litani and appear to be fulfilling that promise.

This from trade guru Richard Baldwin on Trump's trade war conduct is great. And helps explain why in fact he is not remaking the world economic order or anything else. He's just going to leave a huge mess behind. www.linkedin.com/pulse/trumps...

Apparently, we are going to get "angry Starmer" in the Commons.

But politically, constitutionally, logically and administratively all this flows from his - his! - appointment of Mandelson.

All else is the putting into effect of that decsion.

But: anger at others, blaming others, sacking others.

Traders placed over $1bn in perfectly timed bets on the Iran war. What is going on? Suspicious wagers on the US-Israel war in Iran are creating huge windfalls and raising concerns among lawmakers

Traders placed over $1bn in perfectly timed bets on the Iran war. What is going on? www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...
Sickening: "On 7 April, right before Donald Trump announced a temporary ceasefire with Iran, traders bet $950m that oil prices would come down. They did."

Standard website transfers to Independent with more than 30 staff leaving The Independent has completed a "long-term" deal to run the digital operations and print advertising of The Standard.

The Evening Standard employed 364 journalists and staff when Lebedev bought it for £1 in 2009.

It now has 16

pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/r...

This is awkward
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