So when Donald Trump called up and said, give me five more seats in Texas, it is sadly no surprise that they all just said, yes, sir.

And that's fundamentally what's been behind the Republican effort to rig the midterms, of subservience to Donald Trump while they ignore their constituents back home.

But we're seeing the American people fight back.

Voters from California to Virginia and everywhere in between won't let Republicans

cheat their way into holding on to power.

Hi again, everybody.

It's now 5 o'clock in New York.

In subtle yet essential ways, the events of the last 24 hours have had the effect of moving the dial.

On the first half of the single sentence, it defines Donald Trump's midterm calculus from

if all else fails to when all else fails, the second half of that sentence

remains unchanged. That is, when all else fails, you steal it. Understand Trump is in the midst

of a political freefall and all available public polling. We share with you in the last hour.

Just one third of Americans approve the job he's doing as president.

That's according to the Associated Press, so much for any attempt to try to win fair and square

in the midterms. Trump's effort to rig the 2026 elections ahead of time to stack the deck

has also backfired spectacularly. After California, we did their maps, Virginia voters yesterday

handed him another loss on that approach. All this while he struggles to resolve a war with Iran

that he started. So when we look at what tools Trump has left, we know because he's saying that out loud too.

It's exactly what he's telegraphed over the last few months, an autocratic takeover of our election system.

And we should prepare ourselves from what is clearly his next move.

Calls for federal agents at polling places, laws that would disenfranchise voters, jammed through

Congress, and an acceleration of political prosecutions with a desired effect of intimidating anyone

...