Trump’s two Texas stops: from the political office

Welcome to From the political officea daily newsletter bringing you the latest reporting and analysis from the NBC News Politics team from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.

In today’s edition, we look at another visit by the president to Texas. Plus, Andrea Mitchell examines what has happened – and what hasn’t happened since Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

—Adam Wollner

Trump’s two Texas stops

By Adam Wollner

President Donald Trump made its second trip last week to Texas Tonight, highlighting how the mid-round fight shifted a traditionally red field down the stretch.

He’s set to rally in San Antonio for state attorney general Ken Paxton and candidate for Congress Carlos De La Cruz. Paxton remains engaged in a tight, costly battle with Democrats James Talarico. And De La Cruz’s race in the 35th District, which was redrawn during the redistricting process last year to be more Republican-friendly, was more competitive than expected. While Trump would have carried the district under his new 10-point lines in 2024, the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter calls the race “skinny Republican.”

Notably absent from this evening’s gathering? Governor. Greg Abbottwho cited a scheduling conflict.

“Well, first of all, every time he shows up, it builds enthusiasm among the base, and he does a good job of organizing the base and participating,” Abbott said yesterday of Trump.

“Because of the schedule I manage, where I travel to multiple cities per day to do events like this, events like this are already scheduled for that day, and I will not be able to attend,” he added.

Abbott also faces a tougher re-election battle than Republicans anticipated at the start of the cycle: He has won his last three gubernatorial races by double digits.

But the broader political environment has proven dangerous for Republican candidates at all levels. And now, national Democrats are under increasing pressure to spend more resources on behalf of the gubernatorial candidate. Gina Hinojosawhich is at a financial disadvantage compared to Abbott.

Natasha Korecki reports that Texas Latino leaders, including members of Congress, met this morning with the Democratic Governors Association to discuss Hinojosa’s campaign. In a letter, a group of Latino stakeholders in the state called on the DGA to “make a real and meaningful investment of $3 million” in the race before early voting begins in less than two weeks.

The DGA recently committed $1 million to the race, while Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced he would send $1 million to his campaign after already donating $200,000. (The New York Times was first to report on these contributions.)

Meanwhile, Abbott isn’t the only Republican on the ballot this fall who appears to be looking to distance himself from Trump. Michigan GOP Senate Candidate Mike Rogers said in a new ad today that “we need to end this tariff war now.” The party’s candidate for governor of the state, John Jamesalso highlighted his differences with Trump over tariffs and the Iran war during a debate last night.

🥊 Learn more about the debate phase: In Maine’s Senate race, Republican Sen. Susan Collins and democrat Troy Jackson traded attacks on Trump, the cost of living and abortion. In the Georgia gubernatorial race, Democrats Stockings Keisha Lance and republican Rick Jackson they also argued about Trump and the economy. And in the Iowa gubernatorial race, Republican Zach LahnThe history of the residence was a major topic.

The attack of October 7, three years later

Analysis by Andrea Mitchell

Three years ago today, on the eve of a holiday weekend, Israel was stunned when hordes of Hamas terrorists burst across its border, slashing and kidnapping revelers at an all-night music festival and rampaging through neighboring settlements or kibbutzim. A total of 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals, including 46 American citizens, were killed, while 251 were taken hostage.

Thus began a war that shook Israel’s confidence in its military superiority and ultimately transformed the region, sowing the seeds of the current war against Iran. Despite a ceasefire and the release of hostages, the conflict in the Gaza Strip and now the occupied West Bank continues to slow with periodic flare-ups to this day.

How could Israel have been so surprised? Although the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blocked an official investigation into how his country’s vaunted military could have been so blind, NBC News has confirmed authoritative reports of colossal intelligence failure, including a stunning account that early warnings from an all-female border patrol were dismissed by male superiors. Inexplicably, it took more than six hours after the massacre for the country to mobilize a response.

The human cost is incalculable. By the numbers, the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry estimates that 75,000 people, including more than 44,000 children, have died in Gaza. Thousands more were injured. Israel claims to have lost 970 soldiers. Gaza has been largely razed, its homes, schools and hospitals destroyed. The International Criminal Court, a United Nations entity that is not recognized by either Israel or the Trump administration, has cited both sides over allegations of war crimes. And the conflict has fueled cries of genocide against Israel from protesters in Europe and the United States, an accusation offensive to residents of a country born as a refuge for Holocaust survivors.

Based on a Biden administration plan, Trump envoy Steve Wittkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner finalized a ceasefire and the release of surviving hostages, as well as the return of hostage remains. The White House promises that its Peace Council – a group of world leaders each pledging $1 billion to a non-governmental entity led by the President Donald Trump – is supposed to recruit a multinational peacekeeping force to disarm Hamas and force Israel to withdraw to a border buffer zone. Trump said the Gaza Strip could be rebuilt into “the Riviera of the Middle East.” None of this happened.

Now, Netanyahu faces a hotly contested election in three weeks, which has become a referendum on his conduct of the war in Gaza and his failure to prevent it. His national security ministers are now leading a campaign to seize as many Palestinian villages as possible in the disputed West Bank, to guard against a victory by a government less opposed to Palestinian statehood. And Israel’s conduct of the war has become a political issue in the United States that could affect some of this year’s key midterm elections as well as the race for the Democratic Party nomination in 2028.

Fiona Glisson contributed to the research.

That’s all that’s coming from the politburo for now. Today’s newsletter was written by Adam Wollner.

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