The A.M. Update

Aaron McIntire covers reports that the Justice Department has intensified a criminal investigation into Alaska's second Senate candidate named Dan Sullivan after a New York Times report on Mary Peltola's campaign, plus President Trump's call for prosecutions, while Alaska's Supreme Court has already ruled the candidacy can stay on the ballot. He plays Barack Obama's campaign pitch on child care and health premiums, and covers the death of actor Patrick Stewart, 86, who died Wednesday after a brief journey with Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia. Aaron also highlights former NFL quarterback Alex Smith telling the Bussin' With the Boys podcast how rehab at the military's Center for the Intrepid helped him overcome shame over his leg injury. In AOTMA, he answers listener questions on YouTube video quality, whether young voters are skipping polls, how likely Republicans are to hold both chambers of Congress, the America Next PAC ad, and the courts, and closes with a faith montage from the World Series champion Milwaukee Brewers.

Aaron McIntire covers a New York Times report that staffers for Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola were told in 2025 to find as many people named Dan Sullivan as they could, ahead of a second Dan Sullivan appearing on the ballot against Republican Senator Dan Sullivan; Peltola's campaign denies recruiting him, and Attorney General Todd Blanche says the Justice Department is suing over the ballot. He covers ICE arrests of two more Haitian nationals in Ohio accused of fraudulently collecting SNAP benefits, and Vice President JD Vance's Kinston, North Carolina rally for Michael Whatley, where he blamed Roy Cooper for the killing of Iryna Zarutska, a claim Cooper's campaign disputes. Aaron also covers Hennepin County's felony charges of unlawful voting and identity theft against James O'Keefe and Cam Higby over their August primary polling place stunt, in which prosecutors say they gave election judges the names of real registered voters, while the pair says they were testing Minnesota's vouching law. He plays New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's early voting video saying voters need not bring ID to the polls, which Aaron compares to the Minnesota case. Aaron also marks the Spanish high-speed train collision south of Madrid that has killed at least 68 people, which Spain's transport minister blames on an inexplicable control center decision. He closes with his mixed reaction to America Next PAC's "Full of Hate" ad, which aired during sports broadcasts, and previews Friday's Ask Or Tell Me Anything.

Aaron McIntire covers President Trump's Corpus Christi rally for Ken Paxton, where Alexis Nungaray, mother of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, spoke about her daughter's 2024 killing by two Venezuelan men who entered the country illegally, and Trump's claims that Democrats cheat in elections. He covers Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro reportedly leaving for the United States two days after losing the runoff to Lula, despite a Supreme Court order to surrender his passports in a money-laundering probe, as the State Department says it will issue visas to him and his family. Aaron also covers U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz's shouting match with Cuba's foreign minister during a General Assembly embargo debate, and former FBI Director James Comey's response to a third federal case over alleged leaks to the New York Times. He plays House Speaker Mike Johnson urging Christians not to sit out the midterms, and Florida Democratic Senate nominee Angie Nixon's answer on whether Cuba is a dictatorship, which drew criticism from Republicans and some Democrats after CBS deleted and corrected its initial post about it. Aaron breaks down Israel's election exit polls showing neither Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc nor Gadi Eisenkot's reaching 61 seats, and Pakistan's Supreme Court upholding the death sentence of Christian Qaiser Ayub in a blasphemy case while acquitting his brother. He closes with DHS General Counsel James Percival's pushback on a 60 Minutes question about law-abiding immigrants and his argument against sitting out the election.

Aaron McIntire covers President Trump's Truth Social pledge of $1 million to anyone who reports voter fraud leading to an arrest and conviction, a plan with no details yet on funding or who would administer it. He covers Trump calling Brazil's runoff "another rigged election" after Lula beat Flávio Bolsonaro 51.8 percent to 48.2 percent and Bolsonaro refused to concede, and he questions the vote swing between rounds, though Brazil's electoral court certified the result and no fraud evidence has been presented. Aaron also covers Barack Obama's Saddam Hussein Cheesecake Factory joke about Trump's gold-accented White House renovations and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's lunchtime response outside a Cheesecake Factory. He plays House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries telling MS NOW that Democrats will hold Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth accountable if Trump does not push him aside, ahead of an impeachment resolution expected after the midterms, and a new Gallup survey in which 46 percent of Republicans and 6 percent of Democrats named patriotism among the values the country needs most. Aaron reacts to newly circulating remarks from a 2023 speech by Texas Senate nominee James Talarico on what Jesus would say to the Texas legislature, and Vice President JD Vance's Montana campaign stop, where he said Democrats will bend the knee to Pelosi and Schumer. He closes with Microsoft's voluntary buyout offer to about 60,000 employees, roughly 27 percent of its workforce, which the company ties to its AI spending and which Aaron suspects could signal offshoring.

Aaron McIntire covers President Trump's Michigan rally for Mike Rogers, where he attacked Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, who denies claims of Muslim Brotherhood ties, and a viral Oval Office exchange in which Trump snapped at reporter Andrew Feinberg over a golf course question. He breaks down the Pentagon's FORTRESS initiative requiring major U.S. military bases to sustain essential operations for 90 days without outside power or supplies, a planned requirement rather than a forecast of a nationwide blackout. Aaron also covers the full Fifth Circuit's 10 to 7 ruling that immigrants who entered without inspection have no constitutional right to bond hearings while detained, ahead of a related Supreme Court case. He covers Rep. Ilhan Omar's first TV interview since the search of her home, where she said "not to my knowledge" when asked if she is related to her former husband, and a New York Post report on her sister's 1997 marriage certificate listing the surname Elmi, which does not establish whether the two are related. Aaron plays former President Barack Obama's Detroit rally pitch for El-Sayed, the Coast Guard rescue swimmer who saved 16 people from a capsized boat off Baja California where 11 others were never found, and a tally of 64 bear attacks across North America this year.