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Take President Donald Trump’s threat on the MOAB seriously. The U.S. Air Force’s GBU-43 Massive Ordnance Air Blast weapon, nicknamed the "mother of all bombs," could figure prominently in any new airstrike plans targeting Iran.

"The mother of all bombs is not nuclear," Trump said. "This is just an extremely large bomb. It’s like a tiny nuclear bomb, but the mother of all bombs is one big bomb, but it’s not nuclear."

"I wouldn’t use nuclear. We don’t have to," Trump said.

FRESH ACTIVITY EMERGES AT IRAN’S DEEPLY BURIED NUCLEAR SITE AS TRUMP WARNS IRAN NOT TO ‘GET CUTE’

He’s right. The U.S. has a range of precision weapons that can knock out any suspicious target in Iran, including the construction activity at Pickaxe mountain. Admiral Bradley Cooper, Commander, United States Central Command, has detailed knowledge of high-value Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps sites that could be MOAB targets.

President Trump has said he won’t strike Iran prior to the mid-terms, but clearly he is looking at Central Command’s strike briefing charts in great detail. And he wants Iran to know it.

Here are four reasons the MOAB is a formidable threat.

Trump ordered the first use of a MOAB in Afghanistan in April 2017

The MOAB was dropped on April 13, 2017, on a cave complex in Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan. "There was no surprise," then-Secretary of Defense James Mattis said of the MOAB. "The battle was going on, and we were going to use what was necessary to break ISIS," he added. Mattis said he wasn’t going to waste time "digging into tunnels to count bodies"; CNN reported 94 ISIS fighters killed.

Too big for U.S. bombers

While America’s B-2, B-52 and B-1 bombers can easily carry the weight of the 21,000-lb. MOAB, the problem is the shape. The MOAB used in 2017 was too big to fit on the standard racks and rotary launchers in the bomber weapons bays. For the Afghanistan mission, the MOAB was loaded on a special cradle and slid out of the back ramp of an MC-130 while in flight. Don’t worry about the MC-130s. Yes, the basic C-130 is a cargo plane, but the Special Operations versions like the MC-130 are adapted for clandestine missions. This is also where air dominance over Iran comes in handy. The initial weeks of Operation Epic Fury knocked out Iran’s Russian-built integrated air defenses. Subsequent strikes by CENTCOM have prevented Iran from reconstituting their air defenses. MC-130s on a MOAB mission might also get help with electronic warfare and other attack suppression from the Space Force, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Navy carrier-based aircraft like the EA-18G, F-35C and E-2D.

MOAB is a precision weapon

The clue is the official designation of GBU-43 which stands for Guided Bomb Unit. Small drogue parachutes stabilize the MOAB upon release and then the satellite-guidance kit guides the bomb to the designated point of impact. MOAB is actually an air burst; earlier, smaller heavy air blast weapons were used in World War II and in Vietnam under the name "daisy-cutter." The theory behind an air burst is to maximize blast effect without muffling by the ground.

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Built for the Iraq war

The MOAB was built in great haste by the Air Force Research Lab just prior to Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. At the time, reports suggested Iraq might have built large underground bunkers for dictator Saddam Hussein’s loyal troops. Saddam Hussein back in 1991 had famously taunted the U.S.-led Coalition about engaging in "the mother of all battles," which, of course, turned out to be the airpower-led victory of Operation Desert Storm.

Trump’s decision to bring up the MOAB is all about keeping military pressure on the IRGC as the U.S. naval blockade squeezes their oil revenue. The MOAB would be an intimidation weapon for knocking out military targets. IRGC commanders would face major losses. And it’s also a reminder that the U.S. can carry out any military strike deemed necessary, to prevent Iran’s path to a nuclear weapon and stop their terrorism.

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Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, commuted the sentence of a death row inmate on Tuesday after the current Jefferson County district attorney and several former judges and prosecutors raised concerns about his conviction.

The governor said she was commuting Toforest Johnson’s death sentence to life in prison without parole. Johnson, who has long maintained his innocence, was convicted in the 1995 murder of Jefferson County Deputy Sheriff William Hardy. He remains incarcerated at the Holman Correctional Facility.

"When presented with Mr. Johnson’s case, I had concerns there was not enough direct evidence to carry out the most serious punishment, death," Ivey said in a statement. "My decision is not a determination of innocence, but a recognition that the circumstances of this case justify commuting his death sentence to life imprisonment, without possibility of parole."

Ivey has commuted the death sentences of three death row inmates since she became governor in 2017. She has also overseen 27 executions during her tenure, which will end in January because she is term-limited and cannot run for re-election.

GOP GOV DEWINE URGES OHIO TO ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY, SAYS IT IS NO LONGER A DETERRENT

The governor spared his life despite Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall urging her last week to reject the clemency request and "respect the jury's decision" and the rulings of the courts reviewing Johnson's case.

On July 19, 1995, Hardy was shot twice in the head as he was working off-duty security outside a hotel in Birmingham. Johnson said he was on the other side of the city when the shooting happened.

One of Johnson’s attorneys, Ty Alper, said he and his client are grateful to Ivey for "diligently reviewing Toforest’s case and taking action to spare an innocent man from execution," but added that they will continue to fight to overturn the conviction.

"Toforest Johnson is innocent. Now it is up to the courts to overturn his conviction and grant him a new trial. We will keep fighting until he is home with his family," Alper said in a statement.

LAWYERS, EXPERTS URGE TENNESSEE GOVERNOR TO COMMUTE CHRISTA PIKE’S SENTENCE AFTER BOTCHED EXECUTION

Johnson's attorneys have waged a yearslong legal battle to secure a new trial. His push for a new trial has received national attention and attracted widespread support, including from prominent lawyers, such as the original prosecutor in his case, as well as celebrities such as Kim Kardashian.

Several former judges and prosecutors have joined supporters seeking a new trial for Johnson over questions about his conviction. Former Alabama Attorney General Bill Baxley, former Chief Justices of the Alabama Supreme Court Sonny Hornsby and Drayton Nabers and other former judges and prosecutors have submitted briefs or written editorials backing a new trial.

Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr, who was elected in 2018, is among those who have backed Johnson’s call for a new trial. In 2024, Carr wrote in a court filing that the "evidence in this case has unraveled over 20 years."

Carr said that credible alibi witnesses place Johnson in another area at the time of the shooting. He also said there are multiple reasons to doubt the key prosecution witness, who "claimed she overheard Johnson confess to the murder on a three-way phone call on which she was eavesdropping."

LONGEST-SERVING US PRISONER DIES AT 101 AFTER ESCAPING DEATH PENALTY 8 TIMES

The woman testified during Johnson's 1998 trial that she was eavesdropping on a phone call when she heard a man she believed was Johnson admitting to the shooting.

She received a $5,000 reward in 2001 for her assistance in the case.

Johnson’s lawyers said that the state withheld evidence of monetary incentive for her testimony.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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A new survey found that close to half of undergraduate students surveyed believe physical violence can be justified to stop "hate speech," as one university president warns that higher education has "lost its way."

In the Buckley Institute's 2026 National Undergraduate Student Survey, 45% of students said violence can be justified to stop what they deem to be hate speech. This includes 54% of liberals, 36% of moderates and 30% of conservatives.

The study also found that 46% of students support shout downs and 40% believe that offensive speech should be subject to criminal prosecution. Additionally, 42% said they would rather live under a socialist system, compared with 28% who chose a capitalist system, and 22% said the U.S. deserved the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Cornerstone University President Dr. Gerson Moreno-Riaño characterized the findings as more of a "moral formation issue" than a matter of free speech, warning that students have developed a "violent entitlement."

CONFIDENCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION SLIPS AFTER BRIEF RECOVERY, GALLUP POLL FINDS

"American colleges and universities for a long time now have really ceased to form students morally and are teaching resentment, teaching grievance politics, teaching violent entitlement," he told FOX News Digital. "So when graduates leave these universities, they leave with that. They're not leaving with a moral formation of their hearts, their minds, their lives. They're leaving with resentment."

Moreno-Riaño said that entitlement and resentment are among the reasons why many employers are concerned about the value of a degree.

"It's not just what some will say are worthless degrees. It's also what's behind the degree. Individuals who have been taught to resent, not to reason, not to deliberate, not to have deep conversations with those with whom they disagree," he said.

"Rather, it's grievance, anger, violence, entitlement, and then violent action against it. And that to me is a significant problem. Again, not a free speech issue. It's really about how moral education in higher ed has lost its way. We're training people to be grieved, angry, entitled, violent. And that does not bode well for our democracy and our republic," he continued.

Moreno-Riaño, who has led the private Christian university in Grand Rapids, Michigan, since 2021, emphasized that higher ed has "lost its way" in the U.S. for decades and has become "godless."

"When there is no moral compass in higher ed, there's a vacuum, and what fills it? Ideologies, communism, socialism, grievance, culture. That's what's happened, and it's been happening for years," he said. "Not only that, there's an anti-history bent in higher ed. When you think about today's young students not really knowing the evils of communism, the evils of socialism, and believing it's inspirational, that demonstrates just the moral bankruptcy, but also the academic bankruptcy of these institutions."

Moreno-Riaño argued that some employers may increasingly question the value of hiring college graduates and instead consider training workers directly out of high school.

Moreno-Riaño argued that employers are increasingly concerned about "worthless degrees" that do not prepare the workforce to tackle complicated problems, as well as the ideological bent of many recent college graduates. He warned that many colleges and universities are preparing "socialists and Marxists" who want entitlement and to "destroy the system" rather than "build it, make it, refine it and improve it."

"I think what's happening is that employers are seeing this and many employers are saying, maybe we should train our own people or maybe we should go into the high schools directly and educate the future at the high school level and forget colleges altogether, because colleges are morally bankrupting our future," Moreno-Riaño said.

FOX NEWS POLL: FAITH IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN THE US IS COLLAPSING

"I think that's what's happening. And if you combine that with artificial intelligence, you have sharp minds without a moral compass. That's a very dangerous thing because a sharp mind without a moral compass is a weapon looking for a target," he continued.

"For a democracy, we need individuals who can reason, who can deliberate, who can speak with those with whom they disagree and not seek violent action against them, but think deeply about what they're saying, reconsider positions, pursue what is good and with courage. If we don't do that, then we're in trouble. And I think the workplace and employers are seeing that and want to shift that in a different direction," he added.

Moreno-Riaño stressed that American higher education "has to shift," saying it needs to "take moral formation seriously and not be grounded in entitlement and grievance culture."

The Buckley Institute survey, conducted by Inquire LLC, included 803 full-time undergraduate students under age 25 attending four-year public or private colleges and universities. Respondents completed the online survey between Sept. 5 and Sept. 14.

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FIRST ON FOX: The U.S. Navy is quadrupling the ceiling on a contract for AI-powered robots used to inspect warships to $300 million.

Just six months after initially tapping the technology to help get ships through maintenance and back to sea faster, the expanded agreement with Pittsburgh-based Gecko Robotics underscores the importance the U.S. military is putting on tech-based solutions. The initial ceiling for the deal was $71 million, but the Navy is pushing to improve fleet readiness amid a widening shipbuilding gap with China.

"While the U.S. may not be able to out-manufacture faster than China, we can outsmart the ways that we maintain, operate and are ready with our vessels," Gecko Robotics CEO Jake Loosararian told Fox News Digital.

Gecko says its technology can save the Navy up to $8 million in repair costs on a single ship and identify some structural issues up to 50 times faster than traditional inspection methods.

INSIDE TRUMP’S DEAL TO GIVE AMERICAN TAXPAYERS A MASSIVE STAKE IN NEW $6.6B SUBMARINE DEAL

The company is also unveiling a new robot developed specifically for the Navy that can inspect the steel beneath thick coatings on warship decks without first stripping them away.

Dubbed Komodo, the robot scans a ship's deck to map corrosion and material thickness, giving maintenance crews a picture of what needs to be repaired before more invasive work begins.

"It's essentially a CAT scan," Loosararian said. "You're basically understanding exactly what's going on."

Traditionally, determining the condition of steel beneath a ship's non-skid deck coating can require removing material before crews know the extent of the problem. Komodo is designed to gather that information without first taking the surface apart.

"The robots are able to actually understand what's wrong without having to take apart the ship to figure out what to fix," Loosararian said.

In another example cited by Loosararian, an assessment that initially called for roughly 1,200 square feet of repair work was narrowed to about 300 square feet after robotic inspections provided a more precise picture of the damage.

"You reduce and focus the kinds of repairs that you need," Loosararian said. "You're repairing less."

CHINA’S LONG-TERM FINANCES ARE ALL WET AS BILL TO MAINTAIN HUGE NAVY COMES DUE IN 2031

The increased ceiling comes just six months after the Navy awarded Gecko a five-year, $71 million contract vehicle to expand the use of its robotic inspection technology across the fleet.

Under the initial agreement announced in March, Gecko was set to begin work on 18 ships in the U.S. Pacific Fleet, including destroyers, amphibious warships and littoral combat ships.

The company's wall-climbing robots crawl across hulls, flight decks, ballast tanks and other difficult-to-access areas, scanning for corrosion, metal loss and other structural problems. The data is fed into Gecko's AI-powered Cantilever platform to help maintenance planners determine where repairs are needed.

The goal is to find those problems earlier, before a ship enters a major maintenance period and crews discover additional work that can extend its stay in the shipyard.

"The biggest savings are just in speed," Loosararian said. "Speed — you can't put a price tag on it, especially if you're in the U.S. Navy right now."

The expansion comes as Navy leaders seek to push fleet readiness toward 80% while maintenance delays continue to sideline ships that would otherwise be available for deployment.

China already fields a larger battle force than the U.S. Navy and can produce vessels at a pace American shipyards cannot easily match. That has put additional pressure on the Pentagon to keep more of the ships already in the American fleet available for operations.

For Gecko, the longer-term goal is to move beyond finding existing damage and use years of inspection data to anticipate problems before they force ships into longer repair periods.

"You are able to predict exactly what's going to break before it does," Loosararian said, allowing maintenance planners to have workers, materials and repair plans ready when a ship reaches the pier or enters a shipyard.

The technology could also reduce the amount of dangerous and labor-intensive inspection work performed by shipyard workers as the industrial base struggles with shortages of skilled labor.

Loosararian said the combination of robotics and AI is ultimately aimed at allowing a limited workforce to spend more time fixing ships and less time determining what needs to be fixed.

For a Navy racing to keep pace with a rapidly expanding Chinese fleet, he argued, getting more out of the ships already in the water could prove just as important as building new ones.

"While the U.S. may not be able to outmanufacture faster than China," Loosararian said, "we can outsmart the ways that we maintain, operate and are ready with our vessels."

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America seems to be on the precipice of a future technological golden age. Whether we take steps toward that future could depend on which political vision prevails over the next few election cycles.

Speaking alongside President Donald Trump at the White House in September, Elon Musk predicted a world where artificial intelligence and advanced robotics create an "age of abundance." Musk suggests these technologies could eventually provide your average person with better medical care than what today’s wealthiest individuals enjoy.

TRUMP TO USHER IN ‘GOLDEN AGE’ OF AMERICAN TECH WITH DC BASH SHOWCASING POWERFUL NEW TOOL

This optimistic vision aligns well with Trump’s repeated promises of a new American golden age. Yet, as his administration works to accelerate technological advancement, an increasingly influential wing on the far left appears determined to slam on the brakes.

The Trump administration has made American leadership in artificial intelligence a cornerstone of its economic agenda. Through its AI Action Plan and executive orders, the administration has prioritized eliminating regulatory barriers, constructing data centers and expanding energy infrastructure necessary to power the AI revolution.

TRUMP ANNOUNCES NEW 'AI FORCE,' VOWS TO PROTECT INDUSTRY AS AI CZAR ANNOUNCEMENT NEARS

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has argued that AI and automation could help create a new era of American manufacturing. In an interview from 2025, Bessent suggested that the advanced "smart factories" of tomorrow could overcome labor-cost issues, making manufacturing in the United States far more economically feasible.

Imagine a future in America where advanced robotics makes domestic manufacturing globally competitive, where AI leads to major medical breakthroughs and where technological innovation produces unprecedented economic prosperity.

THE NEXT AMERICAN BOOM COULD BE HERE — UNLESS WASHINGTON REGULATES IT TO DEATH

Of course, there are legitimate questions about how this societal transformation will unfold, but the potential benefits are incredible.

While many in the Trump administration plan for a golden age, Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders and his fellow democratic socialists are promoting an entirely different future.

In March, Sanders and New York Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez proposed a nationwide moratorium on new data center construction until Congress establishes a sufficient regulatory system for the industry.

INSIDE THE FAR-LEFT'S ANTI-DATA CENTER PUSH AND WHAT EXPERTS SAY IS DRIVING IT: 'PLAYBOOK WE'VE SEEN BEFORE'

These positions have quickly become commonplace for Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) activists and candidates. Many of these DSA-endorsed candidates support data center moratoriums and push these sorts of proposals at the state and local level.

But Sanders’ anti-AI sentiment goes way further. His American AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act would effectively nationalize 50% of the AI industry, converting those stakes into a government-controlled fund. The plan would also include stacking the boards of these companies with federally picked appointees to influence corporate decisions.

SANDERS PUSHES 'DEATH PENALTY' FOR CRUCIAL US INDUSTRY THAT COULD GIVE ADVANTAGE TO FOREIGN ADVERSARIES

More recently, Sanders introduced legislation that would permanently prohibit the development of artificial superintelligence. This plan would establish a new federal AI agency and halt other advanced AI development until regulators approve continued efforts. Under this proposal, individuals who violate the research bans could face up to 20 years in federal prison.

Think about that. At a time when America is competing with China for technological supremacy, one of the country’s most prominent socialist politicians wants federal bureaucrats to target AI scientists with potential prison time for developing AI research it deems too advanced.

WINNING THE AI RACE MEANS BEATING CHINA ON INNOVATION, COST AND TRUST

To be sure, the AI revolution comes with many legitimate concerns that deserve conversation. Potential job displacement, privacy violations, algorithmic manipulation and the possible misuse of advanced AI are issues that will likely need to be addressed.

However, the consequences of deliberately suppressing technological innovation are rarely given equal attention.

Consider the potential benefits of AI-assisted drug discovery, which could lead to better treatments for cancer, Alzheimer’s and many other conditions. AI-enhanced robotics and logistics could transform manufacturing, increase agricultural output and help elderly and disabled Americans maintain their independence.

Imagine the lives and the industries that could be saved and the economic opportunities that could spring up from these technologies that we have only now begun to understand.

Under the far left’s proposals, we may never see these benefits materialize. Sanders says he is concerned that average Americans will be left behind in the AI revolution, but his proposed restrictions threaten to undermine the very innovations that could cause growth in societal prosperity.

Perhaps the most concerning consequence of the far left’s vision is America’s geopolitical future.

Like America, China is also pursuing AI at breakneck speeds. While America has enjoyed a substantial lead in this race, the recent Stanford University 2026 AI Index showed the performance gap between American and Chinese models has effectively disappeared.

The proposals from Sanders and the far left to stall AI research and data center construction give the Chinese Communist Party opportunity to pull ahead in the AI race. If China were to take the lead in the AI race, America’s global status economically and geopolitically could be severely diminished.

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At the same White House meeting where Musk outlined his optimistic vision of the future, Trump warned that Chinese President Xi Jinping "will take every data center that we don’t want."

The AI revolution carries great potential for increased prosperity unlike anything we have seen in our lifetime. It would be a historic tragedy if America surrendered that opportunity because our politicians were more afraid of technological progress than our geopolitical rivals.

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Republicans made their pitch to Michigan voters at a Fox News town hall Monday night, with GOP Senate nominee Mike Rogers arguing Democrat Abdul El-Sayed is vulnerable among Black and Jewish voters as one of the nation's most closely watched Senate races enters its final two weeks.

Fox News host Sean Hannity also spoke with Republican gubernatorial nominee Rep. John James and House GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain, R-Mich., as the candidates sought to tie Michigan Democrats to government spending, socialism and the party's progressive wing ahead of Nov. 3.

Early on in the night, Rogers argued that his opponent, El-Sayed, could underperform among a handful of key demographics that traditionally support Democratic candidates, presenting political opportunities for Republicans.

EL-SAYED GRILLED ON PIKER, ISRAEL AND SOCIALIST TIES AFTER MIKE ROGERS SKIPS SENATE DEBATE

Hannity pressed Rogers about El-Sayed's past criticism of former President Barack Obama, whom El-Sayed described as "not the right choice" to advance a progressive agenda following Obama's 2012 re-election.

"He is dismissive in Detroit. We have just dozens of black pastors that we have talked to, neighborhood leaders in the city of Detroit that we’ve talked to. They’re looking for a change," Rogers said.

Notably, Obama is scheduled to campaign with El-Sayed in Detroit on Oct. 24 and has released a video urging voters to support the Democratic nominee.

ROGERS WARNS MICHIGAN VOTERS AGAINST EL-SAYED’S ‘EXTREME’ AGENDA AHEAD OF ELECTION

Rogers argued the Jewish community could present a unique opportunity for Republicans amid El-Sayed's criticism of Israel.

Recently, El-Sayed declined to answer whether he viewed Iran or Israel as a greater threat.

"I think both of them have proven dangerous in their own way. One, at risk of attacking us. One, getting us into wars we have no business fighting," El-Sayed said in a recent debate.

Rogers noted that if only half of Jewish Democratic voters in Michigan felt alienated by El-Sayed’s remarks enough to support his campaign, it would provide a significant boost.

"There are about 70,000 Jewish Democrats. If we get half of them to vote for us, which we think — we had an event last night. Had over 1,000 people at it. We’re fired up and excited and scared for their children, by the way. They’re afraid for their children. They’re with us, and they’re going to vote, we think, 35,000 votes out of the Jewish Democrat — these are normally solid Democratic votes."

"That’s changing the dynamic," Rogers added.

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Rep. John James, R-Mich., the state’s Republican candidate for governor, also appeared with Hannity, presenting his pitch to attendees on what he would do differently if elected.

Alongside promises to reshape education, James promised to create more scrutiny around government programs and expenses.

"Michigan is spending 50% more right now under Gretchen Whitmer than we spent under Rick Snyder’s administration, the last Republican, and $20 billion more per year than at the height of the pandemic."

"Michigan does not have a taxation problem. Michigan has a spending problem," James added.

Snyder left office in 2019.

James also raised concerns about potential fraud in Michigan, drawing comparisons to Minnesota's sprawling taxpayer-funded fraud investigations.

"If a 19-year-old journalist named Nick Shirley can find $9 billion of fraud in Minnesota, a state with 50% of our population and 60% of our budget, what do you think he can find here?" James said, referring to a videographer who had become famous for investigating Somali fraud rings.

Shirley drew national attention to suspected fraud involving Minnesota childcare providers, although he did not uncover $9 billion in fraud. That figure came from former federal prosecutor Joe Thompson, who estimated last year that fraud across 14 high-risk Medicaid programs could total $9 billion or more. Minnesota officials have disputed the estimate. Federal and state investigators in Minnesota have uncovered fraud involving taxpayer-funded childcare, food assistance and healthcare programs, including schemes in which defendants allegedly billed the government for services they never provided.

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At the close of Hannity’s town hall, Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., the House GOP conference chair, accused Democrats of hiding their true character.

"I don’t even call them Democrats anymore; it’s the Communist Party," McClain said.

"They want to pack the Supreme Court, they want to abolish the police, they want to let people out of prisons."

With primaries in the rearview mirror, Michigan heads to the polls alongside the rest of the country on Nov. 3.

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With everyone and his brother predicting that a blue tsunami will wash over the Senate as well as the House, I want to write something contrarian. 

This way, if the Republicans do hang on to the Senate, I’ll get credit for defying the conventional wisdom. And if they don’t, I won’t get kicked out of the punditocracy – folks will just say well, he put a lot of caveats in there.

THE NINE KEY RACES THAT WILL DECIDE WHO CONTROLS THE SENATE, AND WHERE THEY STAND

The truth is, I don’t know who is going to capture the upper chamber, and neither do you. 

And neither do all the pontificators and speculators online or on the air. 

I do know the GOP is pouring tens of millions into contests they might otherwise lose, giving their people – even scandal-scarred Ken Paxton – a huge advantage on the airwaves in the final two weeks. But money doesn’t always move voters once they’ve made up their minds in this era of early voting. 

Is Maine’s Susan Collins liked enough to hang one more time against aggressive Troy Jackson (and thankfully not weirdo Graham Platner), when Donald Trump shouts every day ‘Pretend I’m on the ballot’?" We got it, Mr. President. 

Josh Turek is an Iowa legislator and also a wheelchair basketball player who suffers from spina bifida. His GOP opponent, Rep. Ashley Hinton, says she doesn’t want "endless wars" but welcomes a Trump visit. 

She’s talked about such issues as open borders and transgender surgery. Turek has focused on the Iran war and soaring health premiums because Congress failed to amend the Affordable Care Act.

In nearby Kansas, where Trump campaigned yesterday, Democrat Adam Hamilton is the founder of a Methodist mega-church, which would seem like a big plus in that conservative state, but some Dems are turned off by the religious aspect. Republican Sen. Roger Marshall, an obstetrician who served in the Army Reserves, was hurt by a New York Times report on him suing patients who were behind on their bills.

By the way, did you ever think you’d see the day when the Republicans just gave up on North Carolina and steered their money elsewhere (conceding the win to former Gov. Roy Cooper)?

PRESIDENT TRUMP HEADS TO KANSAS TO CAMPAIGN FOR SEN ROGER MARSHALL

So I can conclude three things: 

Many of these races have 1-or-2 point "leads," which is within the margin of error, and polling is often inaccurate in an off-year election.

The GOP is playing defense in ruby-red states–Trump in Kansas?—which is why Democrats are increasingly confident this is their big year.

And, in the famous Tip O’Neill saying, all politics is local.

There may be a mega-church guy or a man in a wheelchair or ex-Alaska congresswoman Mary Peltola, a former tribal judge who’s for "Fish, Family, Freedom," but who former staffers say they heard using awful slurs.

How on earth do you handicap races with so many toss-ups?

Of course, Republicans want to make the country believe that all Dems are like Michigan socialist Abdul el-Sayed, who, when asked whether he’d provide military aid if Israel was under attack, says he would rather spend the money at home.    

I still think the Democrats will need to have Vegas luck to win enough Senate races to take control. They also have to defend their own turf. But (escape hatch here) I’m not saying it couldn’t happen.

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