October 12, 2026 - Saudi Airport Struck Again by Houthis

Would you encourage someone you love to run for office today?

Two major news organizations put that question squarely in front of us today. The New York Times reports that over the last two years at least 44 governors, 70 senators, and 185 House members, nearly half the chamber, have received violent threats, along with more than half the nation’s secretaries of state. And last night on 60 Minutes, Secret Service Director Sean Curran, who shielded Donald Trump at Butler, said threats against the people his agency protects are up more than 40 percent from last year.

The targets come from both parties. Derrick Van Orden, a Republican congressman and former Navy SEAL, moved his family after death threats that the FBI investigated. Elissa Slotkin, a Democratic senator, watched her dying father answer the door to police who had been sent by a false report that he was killing his wife.

Princeton’s Bridging Divides Initiative tracks hostility toward local officials. It found that threats against mayors, council members, and school board members hit their highest monthly level of 2025 right after Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Nearly three in four local officials now say they’re less willing to do some part of the job. Among women, 61 percent are less willing to seek higher office.

Mitt Romney told his biographer, McKay Coppins, about colleagues who weighed their families’ safety before casting Trump impeachment votes. They point to the hardest question of all: whether fear is shaping how officials vote, and not just who is willing to serve.

Physical political violence is still rare, and most Americans reject it. But a democracy depends on people willing to run.

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A projectile struck Riyadh’s international airport for a second consecutive day, killing one person and injuring 11 more as Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for repeated attacks that threaten regional security, global oil supplies and the possibility of deeper U.S. involvement in the escalating war.

Associated Press

A New York Times investigation found that thousands of elected officials across both parties have faced escalating threats of violence, forcing them to spend millions on security, change their daily lives to protect their families and, in some cases, abandon public office.

The New York Times

A 60 Minutes investigation examines how the Secret Service is responding to a more than 40% surge in threats against its protectees, including President Trump, while strengthening security against assassination attempts, AI-powered attacks and emerging drone threats.

CBS News

Sen. John Fetterman has grown increasingly disengaged from his duties, attending just 16% of his committee meetings over the past two years, making few public appearances in Pennsylvania, and drawing criticism from former staffers as questions mount about his record, political loyalties, and potential 2028 reelection bid, according to a Philadelphia Inquirer investigation.

The Philadelphia Inquirer

Pope Leo XIV announced that he will undergo surgery at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital in the coming days to remove a small, localized lung nodule detected at a very early stage, with doctors estimating a recovery period of about one week.

Vatican News

The Justice Department is investigating NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN and Fox News for potential federal antitrust violations after the networks temporarily suspended White House pool coverage in protest of the Trump administration’s decision to bar CNN from the rotation, prompting press freedom advocates to warn of an effort to intimidate journalists.

NBC News

Congress is advancing bipartisan legislation that would require all new cars to include AM radio, as automakers phase out the technology in some models due to interference from electric vehicle motors, while broadcasters argue the century-old medium remains essential for emergency alerts, local news, sports and communities with unreliable internet and cell service.

CNN

Despite earning more than double the national median salary, many Americans making $100,000 a year are struggling to make ends meet as rising costs for housing, groceries, health insurance, childcare and debt payments consume their income, prompting experts to question whether six figures still provides the financial security it once promised.

The Independent

CBS New York confirmed it reviewed but omitted key excerpts from text messages in the Cornell 7 case, including the accuser’s statements that the sexual activity was not illegal, using the phrase “our body our choice.”

Mediaite

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni took responsibility for a costly late-game decision to kick the ball in bounds rather than force a touchback, allowing the Jaguars to return it 53 yards and set up Cam Little’s dramatic 57-yard field goal as time expired to seal a 19-17 victory in London.

ESPN