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Welcome to the Jim Acosta Morning Memo on a Wednesday morning after Trump’s embarrassing performance at the UN amid his dictator-style press ban and a brand-new set of deadly poll numbers.

And The Ban Played On: Trump’s unconstitutional ban on media outlets that hurt his feelings continued to loom over the news. When he showed up at the UN yesterday, Trump seemed to forget who did the banning around here.

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: So, it’s an honor to be here. I’m surprised that CNN is here covering me.

COLLINS: The United Nations allowed us in, sir.

TRUMP: You should not be here covering me. You said you weren’t going to cover me. You shouldn’t be covering me.

Trump was so triggered by the exchange that he lashed out hours later in a Truth Social rant.

All of the SLEAZEBAGS, like Third Rate “Reporter,” Kaitlan Collins, of Fake News CNN, a truly unhappy person, said they weren’t going to be covering me. Then why were they ranting and raving like Lunatics, in the Press Area, at the United Nations? Why was she there? She’s got a “TRUMP” addiction, and so does CNN and MSDNC. They’re all sick, treasonous, and demented! The “good news” is that they have a great, for them, and totally disloyal Judge.

Tell It To The Judge: Trump was asked about the ban during a photo op, and seemed resigned to taking a loss while attacking the judge — whom he appointed.

Question: If the district court decides against you, will you let the three media outlets back in?

Donald Trump: Well, probably will, because this is a judge who’s not a particularly fair judge. So you never know,

Mini-Me Thinks He’s Funny: Back in DC, JD Vance taunted the banned outlets during a photo op while his goons laughed as if they were in the presence of comedy greatness.

And with that, uh, I have my notes here that I'm supposed to take questions from, uh, CNN and Politico.

Anybody from CNN and Politico here? No? Okay. [GOONS LAUGH]

Trampling free speech is such a hoot.

Check Your ‘Privilege’: In a Tuesday night filing, Trump’s goons pushed back to defend the ban by claiming, among other things, that “Access to the White House is a privilege — not a right.”

The White House is the home and workplace for the Nation’s Commander-in-Chief. Plaintiffs CNN, MSNOW, and Politico have long been granted privileged access to White House grounds. But the President concluded that they have failed to maintain basic minimum “standards of professionalism and decorum expected of those given access to the White House Complex, including” by “publishing sensitive or classified information.”

…In response, the President has preliminarily revoked their continued access to White House grounds.

After all, access to the White House is a privilege—not a right.

The US Constitution begs to differ.

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Gaffe Alert:

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Donald Trump has been plagued with spectacularly bad poll numbers for most of his second term, but he has outdone even himself this week with a pair of new polls that broke new ground just in time for the midterms.

Things weren’t exactly going great to begin with. Trump got some deadly poll news last week, as midterm races continued to shift toward Democrats since his convention — including a new Texas poll showing James Talarico clobbering Ken Paxton by six points.

And a new Fox News poll hit Trump right where it hurts with a 61 percent disapproval rating and, get this, a whopping 73 percent of Independent voters saying the Trump administration has made the economy worse.

But with Trump, things can always get worse. This week, they most definitely did.

In a new American Research Group poll, Trump’s approval hit just 29 percent — his all-time low in this or any other poll.

There’s a lot more bad news in that poll, but perhaps nothing quite as disastrous as this: of the 29 percent of people who approve of Trump, “5% say they expect the financial situations in their households will be better a year from now.”

Ouch!

In the same survey, just 26 percent approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, and:

Among independents, 19% approve and 75% disapprove of the way Trump is handling the economy.

But there’s more!

In this ARG poll, Trump came close once before, hitting 30 percent after Jan. 6 among adults and 29 percent among the smaller registered voter sample.

President Joe Biden, meanwhile, never dipped below 37 percent in the ARG poll. George W. Bush was the only president to do worse, hitting 19 twice as he crashed the economy on the way out the door.

In the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll released Monday, Trump was at 32 percent approval overall, and just 23 percent on the economy — including a spectacular 16 percent among independent voters. That’s two points lower than the voting age.

Could it get any lower? Yes it could. On this question:

Do you approve or disapprove of the way President Donald Trump is handling the following issues? Inflation/rising prices

Trump’s overall number on that question was 17 percent — and just eleven percent among Indies. Eleven. Percent.

These polls are obviously at the low end of the galaxy of polls being put out, but the trends are deadly for Trump and the Republicans all over, and state polls continue to show jaw-dropping gains by Democrats in places like Kansas and Nebraska.

That could help explain why Trump is doing things like banning the free press and threatening to annihilate an entire country at the UN.

The Daily Update is a video companion to our daily newsletter for all you social media mavens and folks on the go. Enjoy, share away, and keep JAMMing!

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Welcome to the Jim Acosta Morning Memo on a Tuesday morning after Trump’s press ban blew up in his face and he bro-manced Mayor Mamdani once again, while his ICE goons ran wild. Let’s JAMM!

Pool Trouble: Major news outlets reacted to Trump’s ban of MS NOW, CNN, and Politico by boycotting the TV pool, which had immediate and hilarious consequences when Trump tried to hold a photo op for his new helipad.

Without the TV pool, there were no microphones to pick up what Trump was saying. Even pro-Trump NewsMax anchors had to admit this thing is not going great. Take a look.

This is not the movement from the pool cameras. It’s on the White House. Let’s see if we can pick up some of the sound from President Trump here in the new helipad.

…

Okay, so there is no microphone because there’s no microphone because the pool cameras aren’t there. So maybe, Tim, this is one example of it backfiring just a little bit.

Wrong Kind Of Buzz: The White House feed was even worse, with Trump sounding like he was addressing a crowd made up of killer bees. Here’s a quick taste.

Visitors to the White House website could be forgiven for thinking they had stumbled on a rerun of VEEP.

Bad News, Bare: In an even more surreal moment, those same Newsmax announcers then broke the bad news that Trump drew Judge Timothy Kelly, the same Trump-appointed judge who ordered him to reinstate the last reporter he tried to ban — one Jim Acosta.

TIM: I think it’s not gonna work out well if we look at the first-term example of Jim Acosta. You take away his press pass, and it goes to the courts, and the courts say you have to put it back in, and you go back to square one.

ANCHOR: And that’s the judge who’s handling this case now.

TIM: So I wouldn’t expect it to be a successful resolution if what you want is to keep them out of the White House.

Trump wandering around while Newmax anchors discuss his failure is just chef’s kiss, as the kids say.

Picky, Picky: Trump reacted to Judge Kelly’s selection with a lengthy and incoherent Truth Social rant in which he blurted “They have drawn a great Judge, for them, a man who ruled in favor of Jim Acosta, who now seems to have disappeared from the Planet. The Judge’s name is Tim Kelly, and he was, sadly, appointed by ‘TRUMP.’”

Yeah, who let THAT idiot pick a judge?

Losing Kernen: The ban also didn’t go over well with Trump fan and CNBC host Joe Kernen. When he challenged Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent over the ban, Bessent claimed he hadn’t heard much about it because quote, “I’ve been traveling.”

Traveling where? In caves?

Kernen tried to keep it friendly, but he told Bessent “We don’t do that in this country.”

Joe Kernen: Things that sets the United States apart, I think, is that our leaders have to answer difficult questions, sometimes even hostile questions, and we see the alternative, and it’s a badge of honor. I watch you answer hostile questions, and I think that’s when you’re in your element.

How is this going to play out with this ban, and then what do you think of it?

Scott Bessent: Joe, I’ve been traveling. I don’t know much about it…

…

Joe Kernen: …I will grant you that I think maybe Republican presidents historically have had maybe a tougher time with mainstream media, but you’ve got Fox News that has been all over Democratic presidents. I just don’t think this is something that will last in this country. We don’t do this in this country.

Whatzit News: Bessent was so rattled that seconds later, he completely forgot the name of Trump’s biggest media allies.

Scott Bessent: One thing I am sure is that this will be covered by the press, and I think we could get back to something that is a little more, I can’t even remember which network it is, fair and balanced.

Ouch! That’s Foxxed up!

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Speaking of Trump TV:

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There’s good news and bad news for Donald Trump and his attempt at what even he calls a “ban on the free press.”

The good news is that the case has been assigned to Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly.

The bad news? That’s the same Trump-appointed judge who ruled in 2018 that his ban of Jim Acosta from the White House violated the 5th Amendment.

As Acosta recalled on MS NOW this weekend, he got his press pass back and was aboard Air Force One when Trump was flown back to Florida on January 20, 2021 in disgrace.

The complaint lays out a fairly open-and-shut case in the opening paragraph — using Trump’s own words as the rope:

On Friday, September 18, 2026, President Donald J. Trump announced that he was “banning” journalists with three news organizations—CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO—from the White House “effective immediately” for one simple reason: He dislikes the content of their coverage of him and his administration.

The President was expressly clear about his viewpoint- discriminatory motive for targeting CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO. He called it the “result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!”—a term he routinely applies not to reporting that is false, but to any reporting he dislikes.

He then threatened there would be “[o]ther Fake News Media Outlets to follow.” In an Oval Office press conference later that day, the President doubled down. He was clear there was no particular story that triggered this decision—saying “it’s really just cumulative stories over the last two years”—and equally clear that the ban was motivated by his disdain for reporting he considers “one-sided” and “never good” because it “diminish[es]” him and his accomplishments.

The President repeated his straightforward rationale for targeting these three news organizations, calling it “wrong” to “allow people to write purposely negative stories.” The President complained about coverage he considers “one-sided” and “never good,” and at one point even referred to his own unprecedented act as the “ban on the free press.”

Acosta, meanwhile, pointed out on The Don Lemon Show that attempts to appease Trump — like the hiring of Scott Jennings — only emboldened Trump and led to this moment.

As for Jennings, Acosta didn’t hold back.

Don Lemon: Thank you for joining us. I hate to tell them, but we told you so. I mean, we did. We told them.

I want to feel bad for them, but it’s kind of of their own making, and I don’t think that this should happen, but I—hey.

Jim Acosta: Yeah, I mean, you hire Scott Jennings, you put him on the payroll, you make him basically a paid Trump spokesman, and you still get banned. I mean, that’s part of the problem here. Appeasement does not work. It does not work.

Don, you and I know this. You have to stand tough against this guy, and we’re starting to see a little bit of it. I’m glad that they’re filing these lawsuits. I’m glad that they’re pulling the TV pool.

I’m a little mystified as to why other news organizations are still sending in their teams and crews over to the White House. He’s banned three networks. I mean, he’s banned three news organizations—two networks and Politico. It took me aback.

…The Scott Jennings thing, I got to a point where I just didn’t want to have him on my show anymore. And I don’t know what kind of signal that was sent when I said that, but I made it clear that I didn’t want to have him on my show anymore. I thought he was full of shit.

And this was somebody that torched Trump after January 6th and rightly said he was responsible for what happened on January 6th, and then he was carrying his water. And I’m thinking to myself, well, what’s this all about?

I think the news should be the news, Don

…And people can figure this stuff out when they see ABC and CBS paying these bribes, when they see PBS and NPR being defunded, when they see what’s happening at CNN. Seeing Scott Jennings on CNN makes people want to throw up. Why would you do that?

The only reason why you would have Scott Jennings on is to send a signal to the administration that, hey, we’re going to do what you want here in order for us to get what we want. And that is just totally dishonest, I think.

And I hate to say it—I don’t want to talk bad about my former place when they’re going through what they’re going through right now—but people need to understand that certain events led us to this point.

You can see the full complaint below.

Gov

988KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

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Welcome to the Jim Acosta Morning Memo on a Monday morning after Trump shredded the First Amendment and kept right on going. Let’s JAMM!

First Amendment Assault: Our top story began Friday afternoon when Trump blurted out a social media rant announcing “I am proud to announce that, effective immediately, I am banning Fake News CNN, MSNOW, and Politico!”

See You In Court: And breaking this morning, the three outlets put out the following joint statement.

“This morning, we notified the government that we are filing a lawsuit today to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes.”

Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists’ credentials because it objected to our reporting. Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference.”

No Pool For You: And the White House Correspondents’ Association announced Monday morning that there will be no network pool cameras covering Trump today:

The primary White House TV pool is made up of 5 networks: CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, and FOX. We take turns covering POTUS for pooled events and trips, and then share footage with the other 4 plus other outlets.

Today there is no tv pool, so Trump won’t have a crew with him at UNGA.

Fake Spews: After Trump posted his threat, reporters grilled him about the ban during an Oval Office photo op. He began with an expulsion of lies and attacks.

Because they’re fake news. I get so tired of reading and seeing fake news. When you look at CNN, it’s just fake. That’s why their ratings are no good. When you look at MS NOW, which used to be MSNBC, which some people called MSDNC — Democratic National Committee. It’s fake news. It’s fake news.

And when you look at Politico. I mean, they got government — the government under Biden gave him, like, $8 million to keep them afloat

He continued like that for several more minutes.

Testify!: Asked why he’s doing this now, Trump was explicit — he doesn’t like the quote “negative news.”

REPORTER: Yeah, but the president is doing his plan now. Is there a particular reason —

PRESIDENT TRUMP: No, just because they do. No, no, it’s really just cumulative stories. Over the last few years, you get sick of it.

And you call them, and you tell them — I have very good experts, like people behind me, Bobby — they call, and they try and explain things to them. They know that — they know it as well. They’re smart people, but they purposely write negative news.

And in case the judge who eventually strikes this down has any lingering doubts, Trump went on to literally call it a quote “ban on the free press.”

REPORTER: What do you envision the ban looks like from media outlets?

PRESIDENT TRUMP: Oh, the ban on the free press, right? A very simple ban. I don’t want them in my office.

Your witness, Mister Blanche.

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Your Slip Is Showing: And in a classic Freudian slip, Trump told a stunning truth we’ve been saying all along.

REPORTER: Mr. President, President Xi coming here next week. China is one of the most repressive countries of journalists in the world. What signal is it sending you about China?

PRESIDENT TRUMP: I think we’re repressive also.

Piggy Spank:

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Things moved fast this week, so don’t feel bad if you missed something — the Daily Update Digest has you covered!

Monday: Trump Gaffes His Way Through Ireland, Ted Cruz Takes an L, & El-Sayed Hits Back

Tuesday: Trump Panics Over AI Panic, JD Vance Goes Racist On Heckler, & Don Jr. Is Defiant

Wednesday: New Trump Lies, Kash’s Standards, Stunning Blanche Briefing, & Kennedy Center Brawl

Thursday: Is the Kennedy Center Going to Be Demolished, Zombie Mitch, and Bad News for Bari

Friday: Trump Blocked From Demolishing Kennedy Center, & the GOP Keeps Getting Horrible Polls

Catch the Daily Update every morning.

A federal judge called BS on Andrew Tate and Tristan Tate in a blistering order denying bail and requiring both to remain in jail pending extradition on 59 sexual assault and related charges in the United Kingdom.

We’ve been following developments and resurfacing disturbing connections to Donald Trump and his family since the arrests of Andrew and Tristan Tate last month.

When last we left the brothers, Andrew Tate was blurting out a steady stream of persecution complex patter, bizarre slam poetry-esque ranting, and unintentionally hilarious Jack Handey-style Deep Thoughts, and thanking the one guy who showed up to lend moral support outside the jail while his lawyers argued that the brothers are too famous to flee and the Trumps were not returning his calls.

Tate Brothers attorney Joseph McBride showed up at a rally last month and was still name-checking Donald Trump in his quest to pressure the administration into freeing his clients.

But the brothers Tate were dealt a major blow recently when Federal Magistrate Judge Lauren Louis denied bail and ruled the pair will have to remain in jail until their extradition proceeding is complete. That could take as much as a year or more.

Judge Louis’s order also revealed new details from the Tates’ testimony at an August 27, 2026 detention and bail hearing, and debunked many of the clais they have been making both in court and in public.

For example, the judge called BS on the claim that the brothers aren’t a flight risk because their professed wealth is “attributable to the characters they play online but are vastly exaggerated (or outright false). Emory [Andrew] Tate additionally advanced evidence that social media posts boasting about his willingness and ability to evade law enforcement are just the “hyperbole” that Respondents disseminate in their capacity as public-facing figures selling an image.”

The filing reveals that the brothers responded rather emphatically about how full of shit they are about their wealth, but the judge was unimpressed:

Crediting Respondents’ argument that they are not billionaires does little to dispel the concerns, presumptively in place, that they constitute quintessential flight risks with the capacity to flee. While Respondents may not in fact possess what extravagant holdings they portray themselves as possessing online, the record reflects that they possess an exceptional capacity to flee the jurisdiction.

The judge also used the Tates’ own words against them in determining flight risk:

Emory [Andrew] Tate exhorted that one must amass multiple passports, explaining that it is no longer possible to live “off the grid” but rather, that one should seek to live on as many grids as possible; he very specifically describes how he has passed himself off to various law enforcement agencies using identification documents issued by different countries as a method of evading law enforcement.

The order also revealed that their complaints about losing weight due to hunger were, I believe the legal term here is… crap. Turns out they gained weight:

Respondents also gave testimony that they had lost substantial weight in their time in detention. The Government, during its presentation, proffered that Respondents’ weight had been taken and that neither weighed any less than when he was first booked at FDC-Miami; in fact, both 7 Respondent Tristan testified on direct that he had obtained access to FDC-Miami’s commissary since the filing of the instant Motion. Case 1:26-mj-03260-LFL Document 64 Entered on FLSD Docket 09/09/2026 Page 25 of 30 26 have gained insignificant weight since entering FDC-Miami. Having viewed Respondents shortly after their arrest in the courtroom, see (ECF No. 10), neither appeared to have lost any significant, i.e., visible amount of weight since they first appeared before the Court

Prosecutors also responded to the starvation charge with some hilariously detailed commissary receipts.

These receipts are making me hungry.

The denial and the order exposing these damning details haven’t slowed Andrew Tate’s complaining down one bit, including this bit of curious philosophizing:

None of the Epstein list is in jail. But I am.

It’s a start.

Read the full filing here.

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Welcome to the Jim Acosta Morning Memo on a Friday morning as Donald Trump continues his assault on a memorial to a president who actually was great, and throws another lavish dinner for himself while you can’t afford to gas up without collateral. Let’s JAMM!

Blocked: Since we last saw the newly-closed and blocked off Kennedy Center and Trump’s escalating threats to demolish it, a judge has handed another loss to Trump and his goons.

On Thursday, Federal Judge Christopher Cooper issued a ruling that the Trump administration must provide at least 30 days notice before making any major physical changes or demolishing the Kennedy Center:

In his order on Thursday, Judge Cooper instructed the center to inform Ms. Beatty, along with a number of historic preservation groups that sued in a separate case, more than 30 days before carrying out any significant changes to their renovation plan, “including but not limited to any ‘demolition’ of the center’s main building.”

Is It Safe: But Congresswoman Joyce Beatty — the lone board member fighting Trump on this — told MS NOW she’s worried Trump might just go ahead and do it anyway.

Well, obviously we’re very concerned about this because Donald Trump has been so unpredictable, but maybe he’s really been predictable. We knew that he was upset and he threw a tantrum, and now it’s like he’s holding the institution hostage.

Ring Around The Loser: Hands Off the Arts has organized a Hands Around the Kennedy Center demonstration that will take place tonight, September 18 at 6:30 PM as a way to fight back against Trump’s assault on the Center. We will keep you posted as that protest unfolds.

Bye-son: Meanwhile, Trump hosted another lavish party just steps away from his other favorite demolition site, hosting allies and executives from the outdoor industry after he signed a bunch of executive orders.

And once again, while Americans can barely afford meatloaf, Bison was on the menu for Trump and his pals.

Deco Chamber: Trump spoke for a relatively brief 18 minutes, but packed a lot of dumbassery in a short time, beginning with his obsession with redecorating, which he claimed not to spend a lot of time on.

I have a lot of fun. I don’t devote too much time to it, but I know what I’m doing when it comes to that.

Whatever you say Liberace… Also, the ruins of the East Wing would like a word.

Self-Dear Leader Files: In one especially cringeworthy moment — among many — Trump took time out to admire his own signature.

You know, it’s hard to believe the show “Veep” used to exist.

The Fisher King: Trump also blurted out a bizarre and power-mad aside about banning fishing.

I could've banned fishing. The power of this office is crazy. I could've banned fishing. I think I'm gonna do that.

Honestly, after watching that cringey Jake Tapper/Gavin Newsome interview, I don’t completely hate this idea.

But on the other hand, was that really fishing? I’m not sure.

Knot-Head: As a hot war with Iran, a trade war with Canada, and runaway inflation rage on, Trump ranted about boat speed limits.

Some boat owners came up to me and they thanked me so profusely. Boaters can now once again enjoy the open ocean, and you can go slightly faster than 10 miles an hour, like 120 miles an hour if you're crazy, but you can go as fast as you want, and we have that order. It's all signed, sealed, and delivered.

So you are now free to ram endangered whales at 120 miles per hour in your 65-foot or larger vessel. ‘Murica.

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It’s Electric: Trump also told dinner guests his bonkers parable about the dilemma of the electric boat, which hits differently now that he’s been underwater for so long.

I said, “So here’s my question.” You remember this? They used to say it during the campaign, driving the press crazy, but people found it sort of amusing.

I said, “So if I’m in an electric boat and I see I’m going down and the water’s pouring in, so I know I’m gonna be electrocuted, but five yards away there are sharks. Do I take the electrocution or do I go swimming with the sharks?”

And you know what my answer was? I’ll take the electrocution, okay?

“Electrocution or shark. You know what? Let’s call it dealer’s choice,” you can imagine Republicans saying as they are being dragged down by Trump in the polls.

What’s really stunning is that the media will use the fact that Trump tells this insane story over and over again as a reason NOT to report on it, instead of the other way around.

Melania Antoinette:

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The results are in, and Donald Trump’s midterm convention was a major bust, with a new round of polls showing races going better for Democrats and worse for Republicans — and a blockbuster Texas poll that should have Republicans rethinking their life choices.

It was barely a week ago that Trump and whichever Republicans who were willing to stand next to him convened in Dallas for their so-called “Trumpapalooza” midterm “convention,” two days of lies, racism, and other assorted fails.

Trump himself bragged about the convention a few days later, writing on Truth Social:

The Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas was a solidly sold out winner for Republicans. Also, great Views and Ratings. Should have a big impact on November 3rd.

Not so fast — the event was obviously far from sold out and got clobbered in the ratings by NFL football.

As for the “big impact,” it already seems to be making one — in the wrong direction.

While most competitive races have shifted even more in the Democratic Party’s direction since the convention in models like Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball, Democrats have taken a big lead in the generic ballot. They lead by eight points in a New York Times poll released after the convention.

But there is no better example of the Trump effect than in a new Siena poll of Texas that shows State Rep. Gina Hinojosa leading Governor Greg Abbott by four points, and State Rep. James Talarico clobbering AG Ken Paxton by six.

From the pollster:

“Hinojosa has opened a small four-point lead over Abbott. He had a six-point lead in June, and led by a point in July” ReconMR Senior Research Analyst Lindsey Hendren said. “The movement over the last three months is largely seen by looking at independent voters who now favor Hinojosa by 38 points, 65-27%, up from 13 points, 49-36%, in July.”

As for Talarico, his wider lead comes with more good news — his favorability has cracked fifty percent and he is hammering Paxton with Independents:

Paxton has a negative 38-55% favorability rating, down slightly from 40-52% in July, while Talarico’s favorability rating is 50-39%, up from 46-39% in July. In June, a quarter of voters didn’t have an opinion about Talarico; now it’s just 10% of voters. The movement in favorability ratings is consistent with the movement in vote choice.

“The race for US Senate is heating up as Talarico extends his lead over Paxton,” Hendren said. “This movement can also be seen by looking at independent voters who now favor Talarico by 40 points, 64-24%, up from 23 points, 53-30% in July.”

While the Trump-endorsed Paxton’s weakness as a candidate is well-known, there’s another factor embedded in the poll’s crosstabs — Donald Trump’s favorability is just 31 percent overall and a deadly sixteen percent with Texas Independents.

There’s still a lot of time left, and Democrats have been burned by Texas before, but right now it looks like Republicans are sinking across the board, with Trump dragging them to the bottom.