August 2026 National Poll: Democrats Lead Congressional Ballot by Eight Points; Rubio Outperforms Vance on 2028 Ballot Tests

August 2026 National Poll: Democrats Lead Congressional Ballot by Eight Points; Rubio Outperforms Vance on 2028 Ballot Tests

August 20th, 2026

Home Polls August 2026 National Poll: Democrats Lead Congressional Ballot by Eight Points; Rubio Outperforms Vance on 2028 Ballot Tests

23% of Voters Consider Themselves Supporters of the Democratic Socialists of America

A new Emerson College Polling survey of likely voters finds 40% approve of the job President Trump is doing in the Oval Office, while 56% disapprove. On the generic ballot test, 51% support the Democratic candidate, while 43% support the Republican. Six percent are undecided.

“President Trump’s job approval has been relatively steady in the past several months, with about 2 in 5 likely voters approving of the President, driven by consistent ratings among Republicans, 86% of whom approve of the president,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said. “A majority of voters, 56%, disapprove of the job Trump is doing, including 66% of independents and 92% of Democrats. Men are now split: 48% approve and disapprove of the president, while women disapprove by a 30-point margin, 62% to 32%.”

The survey asked a series of hypothetical 2028 presidential matchups between the top two candidates in the Republican primary, JD Vance and Marco Rubio, and the top five polling Democratic primary candidates, Pete Buttigieg, Gavin Newsom, Jon Ossoff, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Kamala Harris. Rubio performs better than Vance on multiple ballot tests, while Buttigieg, Ossoff, and Newsom perform strongest among the Democratic candidates.

Buttigieg is the only candidate to hold the same five-point lead against both Vance and Rubio, while Ossoff and Newsom’s leads tighten against Rubio, to 3 and 2 points respectively. Harris leads Vance by four points, but trails Rubio by five points.

Twenty-three percent of voters consider themselves supporters of the Democratic Socialists of America, 60% do not, and 17% are unsure. A version of this question was asked by CBS News in August 2010 among U.S. adults: 29% were supporters of the Tea Party movement, 54% were not supporters, and 17% were unsure.

“Forty-six percent of Democrats consider themselves DSA supporters, while 30% do not and 25% are not sure,” Kimball said. “This is concentrated among younger members of the party: 53% of Democrats under 50 support the DSA compared to 37% of Democrats over 50 who support.”

The economy is the top issue for 37% of voters, followed by threats to democracy at 16%, healthcare at 16%, and immigration at 13%.

Forty-nine percent of voters oppose U.S. military action in Iran, while 36% support it. Since March 2026, those who oppose military action in Iran increased two points, from 47% to 49%, while those who support it decreased four points, from 40% to 36%.

Seventeen percent of voters think the actions of the killer of the United Healthcare CEO are acceptable, while 72% think they are unacceptable. Eleven percent are neutral. The share of voters who find it acceptable has not changed since December 2024, when the question was asked following the assassination, while the number of those who think it is unacceptable increased four points, from 68% to 72%.

In December 2024, the poll found 41% of voters under 30 found the actions of the killer to be acceptable; this figure now sits at 39%.

https://emersoncollegepolling.com/august-2026-national-poll/

Moderna Inc

MRNA:NASDAQ

+

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The Exchange

RT Quote | Last NASDAQ LS, VOL From CTA | USD

Last | 1:35 PM EDT

131.60

quote price arrow down-42.78 (-24.53%)

1D5D1M3M6MYTD1Y5YALL

https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/MRNA/

Kind of unbelievable based on the bullshit on Covid

https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/MRNA/

When states can begin processing and counting absentee/mail-in ballots, 2022

This article lists the dates on which states can begin processing and counting absentee/mail-in ballots for the 2022 general election. These dates, which reflect permanent statutory law, are estimated. They may be temporarily revised by state and/or local officials.[1]

In the 2022 general election, 42 states and the District of Columbia allow processing to begin before Election Day. Eight states provide that processing can begin only on Election Day. Fifteen states allow for counting to begin before Election Day. Thirty-five states and the District of Columbia provide that counting may not begin until Election Day or after.

Background

Upon receiving completed absentee/mail-in ballots, election officials must first process the ballots before they can be counted. Processing generally entails verifying voter signatures and physically preparing ballots for tabulation. Processing practices can vary widely from state to state. Counting entails the actual tabulation of votes (and processing ballots through tallying machines).

When states can begin processing and counting absentee/mail-in ballots

Processing and counting dates for November 8, 2022, general election[1] See chart very long chart

https://ballotpedia.org/When_states_can_begin_processing_and_counting_absentee/mail-in_ballots,_2022#google_vignette

Russia strikes drone and missile plants in Kiev – MOD

Five military-industrial facilities in and around the Ukrainian capital have been hit, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said

Published 20 Aug, 2026 07:05 | Updated 20 Aug

Russian forces have carried out a large-scale strike against drone-making plants and other facilities in Kiev linked to the Ukrainian military, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said.

The latest overnight raid involved ground-, air-, and sea-launched missiles as well as attack drones, the ministry said in a statement on Thursday morning.

An industrial facility belonging to weapons maker Fire Point was hit during the bombardment, the ministry said, adding that the plant had manufactured components for long- and medium-range drones and had also assembled and stored boosters for Flamingo cruise missiles.

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky actively promotes Fire Point and its products internationally, despite the firm being linked to his longtime business associate Timur Mindich, who fled Ukraine after becoming a key figure in a $100 million corruption scandal last year.

Another target was the Antonov aviation plant, where An-196 Liutyi long-range fixed-wing drones and other types of UAVs were designed and produced, the ministry said.

A large warehouse where UAVs were manufactured and stored, an aviation industry assembly plant, and an arms depot hosting vacuum bombs, anti-tank mines, and ammunition for Baba Yaga drones were also struck in the Ukrainian capital, the statement read.

In Kiev Region, Russian missiles and drones struck the Martusovka logistics center, used to store and distribute dual-use goods, including those intended for the production of UAVs and electronic warfare systems, it said.

According to the statement, a fuel and lubricants depot housing up to 8,000 cubic meters of fuel intended for the Ukrainian military was blown up in the town of Brovary, east of the capital.

The Ukrainian Emergencies Ministry said12 people were killed and more than 30 others wounded in the bombardment.

Ukraine has also carried another major drone raid against Russia overnight, with 726 UAVs destroyed by air defenses in 20 regions of the country, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Moscow has condemned Ukrainian drone incursions, which target civilian infrastructure and residential areas inside Russia, as terrorist attacks aimed at compensating for Kiev’s setbacks on the battlefield, where Russian forces continue their steady advance.

According to Russian officials, the intensification of long-range missile and drone strikes against targets in Ukraine is a response to those actions.

Moscow maintains that it does not attack civilians, with its strikes being directed solely at military targets and infrastructure supporting Kiev’s forces.

(https://www.rt.com/russia/644428-ukraine-strike-kiev-fire-point/

Zelensky fires senior aide amid anti-corruption scandal

Irina Mudraya ended up in hot water as investigators are looking into an alleged $3.3 million laundering scheme

Published 19 Aug, 2026 18:25 | Updated

Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky has fired Irina Mudraya, deputy head of his office,after media reports indicated that her home was raided as part of anti-corruption probe over alleged money laundering scheme.

The Western-supported National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) announced on Wednesday that it and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) were targeting an alleged criminal organization led by a current and former lawmaker and involving senior officials from Zelensky’s office.

NABU later said members of the alleged group had laundered 150 million hryvnia ($3.3 million) in cash through shell-company accounts to finance bail for a defendant in the Midas investigation. That sprawling corruption case centers in part on an alleged $100 million embezzlement and kickback scheme involving the country’s nuclear operator Energoatom, which investigators say was masterminded by Timur Mindich, a longtime business associate of Zelensky.

While NABU did not name the suspects, ZN.ua, citing law-enforcement sources, identified them as Mudraya, lawmaker Vadim Stolar, and ex-MP Maksim Mikitas, adding that several Justice Ministry officials and Sense Bank representatives were also targeted.

As for the defendant in need of bail, Ukrainian media identified him as former Energy Minister German Galushchenko, who was fired after the Midas scandal broke and detained as he attempted to flee the country.

Recordings released by NABU featured discussions about moving the bail funds and avoiding scrutiny. In one excerpt, an unidentified woman –potentially Mudraya – cites another unidentified person as saying, “corruption needs to be systematized and controlled, not fought.” Another voice adds: “and led.”

The scandal is part of several high-level graft cases. Earlier this month, anti-corruption authorities accused former ambassador to the US Olga Stefanishina of illicit enrichment and inaccurate asset declarations. Last month, they also accused several senior officials in Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry of large-scale fraud, embezzlement, and money laundering aimed at stealing foreign money.

Rampant corruption in Ukraine has long been the case, and only intensified after the escalation of Kiev’s conflict with Russia in 2022.EU officials have also designated graft as one of Ukraine’s key obstacles to membership.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has saidthat “corruption in Ukraine has become a byword” as it “permeates the entire Ukrainian power structure, including Zelensky’s inner circle and Zelensky himself.”

(https://www.rt.com/russia/644408-ukraine-corruption-zelensky-graft/

Russia warns UK over drones used by Ukraine

Moscow will view British involvement in long-range strikes as participation in the war, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said

Published 19 Aug, 2026 04:14 | Updated

The UK will face consequences if it continues to supply drones used by Ukraine for strikes deep inside Russia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned. Moscow has accused Ukraine of targeting civilian infrastructure and carrying out indiscriminate strikes that kill civilians.

According to the Sunday Times, drones made by BAE Systems and another unnamed UK company have been used in attacks over the past six months, including strikes on oil refineries in Volgograd, southwestern Russia, and Yaroslavl, northeast of Moscow. The UAVs reportedly used in long-range strikes included the Nyan, a jet-powered drone manufactured by a BAE Systems subsidiary.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said the UK will continue to support Ukraine “100%.”

“We are not fair-weather friends, we will be there in Ukraine’s hour of need and that won’t change,” he said, according to the BBC.

Commenting on Tuesday, Lavrov told Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin: “You know, I feel sorry for Britain if it intends to stand with Ukraine until the very end.”

“[Russian President Vladimir Putin] has warned that we have the right to act in any part of the world’s oceans if anyone encroaches on our interests or our property. Likewise, we have every right to regard the proudly proclaimed direct involvement of British missile forces in strikes against Russia as participation in the war, with all the consequences that entails,” Lavrov added.

In a statement on Monday, the Russian Embassy in London branded the UK “an accomplice and co-perpetrator of the bloody crimes and terrorist attacks” committed by Ukraine.

“The deeper its involvement in the conflict and the greater its support for Kiev’s terrorist machinery, the higher the price it will pay,” the embassy said.

Ukraine has stepped up attacks in recent months, targeting Russian port infrastructure, energy sites, and warehouses belonging to Wildberries, the country’s equivalent of Amazon. In a number of cases, drones have also struck residential areas, including high-rise apartment buildings and houses.

An attack last week on industrial and civilian sites in Nizhnekamsk in Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan killed 13 people, while a strike on a Wildberries warehouse in Kotovsk, Tambov Region, on July 18 left seven workers dead.

One of Ukraine’s deadliest strikes on Russia came in May, when a drone hit a college dormitory in the Donbass city of Starobelsk, killing 21 people, mostly young women.

(https://www.rt.com/russia/644387-lavrov-warns-uk-drones/

FBI raids former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s home, seizes devices in probe tied to sexual assault claims

By Allison Gordon, Pamela Brown, Evan Perez, CNN

Updated: 2:13 PM EDT, Thu August 20, 2026

Source: CNN

Federal agents seized electronic devices from former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell at the San Francisco airport on Saturday and then raided his home in Washington, DC, the next day as part of an ongoing probe connected to sexual assault allegations, sources familiar with the investigation told CNN.

Swalwell did not immediately respond to messages from CNN following the raid, but he has repeatedly denied all allegations of sexual assault. The FBI declined to comment.

Swalwell resigned from Congress and dropped his gubernatorial bid in April after reporting from CNN and the San Francisco Chronicle detailed allegations of sexual misconduct, including one former staffer who said he had raped her.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department opened criminal investigations into Swalwell in the wake of the reporting. The raids this weekend are part of a federal investigation connected to the claims of sexual assault, the sources told CNN.

Four women confirmed to CNN that they have been contacted by the FBI as part of this probe.

The FBI’s raid was first reported by the Daily Mail.

In CNN’s earlier reporting about Swalwell, one staffer said that the congressman raped her when she was heavily intoxicated and left her bruised and bleeding.

“I was pushing him off of me, saying no,” the woman said of the incident, which she said happened in 2024 after she had stopped working in Swalwell’s office. “He didn’t stop.”

Three other women who spoke with CNN also alleged various kinds of sexual misconduct by the Democratic congressman – including Swalwell sending them unsolicited explicit messages or nude photos.

The women who spoke to CNN asked not to be named out of fear of retaliation by Swalwell or other professional consequences.

CNN later reported that more than a dozen other women described interactions with Swalwell that made them uncomfortable over the last decade, from social media messages to in-person encounters to alleged attempts by the congressman to lure them to his hotel room.

https://lite.cnn.com/2026/08/20/politics/eric-swalwell-fbi-raid-sexual-assault-claims-invs

FBI seizes devices from Eric Swalwell at SFO, raids DC home in probe tied to sexual assault claims

CNNWire logo

Thursday, August 20, 2026 11:17AM

SAN FRANCISCO – Federal agents seized electronic devices from former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell at the San Francisco airport on Saturday and then raided his home in Washington, DC, the next day as part of an ongoing probe connected to sexual assault allegations, sources familiar with the investigation told CNN.

Swalwell and his lawyer did not immediately respond to messages from CNN.

Swalwell resigned from Congress in April after reporting from CNN and the San Francisco Chronicle detailed allegations of sexual misconduct.

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office and the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department opened criminal investigations into Swalwell in the wake of the reporting. The raids this weekend are part of a federal investigation connected to the claims of sexual assault, the sources told CNN.

Two women who have spoken publicly about sexual misconduct allegations against Swalwell also told CNN they spoke with the FBI.

https://abc7news.com/post/fbi-seizes-devices-former-rep-eric-swalwell-san-francisco-airport-raids-dc-home-probe-tied-sexual-assault-claims/19708341/

Frank Luntz Calls for ‘Total and Complete Shutdown of Primary Polling’ After Polls Got Michigan and Wisconsin So Wrong(VIDEO)

By Mike LaChance Aug. 12, 2

One of the mostremarkable aspects of the last two Democrat primaries in Wisconsin and Michigan is how utterly wrong the polls were.

Abdul El-Sayed was supposed to win by double digits, according to the polls. He squeaked out a win by one point. Francesca Hong was supposed to win in a landslide, according to the polls. She ended up losing. What is going on?

Pollster and political analyst Frank Luntz took to Twitter/X last night and called for a complete shutdown of primary polling in the midwest.

Frank Luntz

@FrankLuntz

I am calling for a total and complete shutdown of primary polling in the Midwestern United States until we can figure out what the hell is going on.

OSZ

@OpenSourceZone

Last 5 Wisconsin Governor Democratic Primary Polls

State Navigate: 🔵 Hong +22

Public Policy Polling: 🔵 Hong +18

Marquette University: 🔵 Hong +25

State Navigate: 🔵 Hong +29

Public Policy Polling: 🔵 Hong +20

Results (88% Reporting): 🟡Crowley +0.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/08/frank-luntz-calls-total-complete-shutdown-primary-polling/

OUTRAGE: Jocelyn Benson’s Election Bureau Moves to KILL Michigan Proof-of-Citizenship and Photo ID Ballot Measure After “Random” 1,000-Signature Sample Leaves Petition Just 17 Valid Signatures Short — Despite 709,841 Collected

By Jim Hᴏft Aug. 20, 2026 8:00

Democrat-aligned election officials have effectively killed a popular citizen-led ballot initiative that would have required proof of U.S. citizenship and a photo ID to vote.

Americans for Citizen Voting–Michigan submitted a staggering 709,841 signatures supporting its proposed constitutional amendment, more than 263,000 above the 446,198-signature requirement.

But the Michigan Bureau of Elections, operating under Democrat Secretary of State and gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson, is now recommending that the petition be declared “insufficient.”

The recommendation is based on a statistical review of only 1,000 randomly selected signatures from the more than 709,000 submitted.

According to the Bureau’s official 13-page staff report, election workers initially determined that 692 of the 1,000 sampled signatures were valid.

That number would have been more than enough for certification.

Then came a challenge filed by attorney Robert LaBrant and the left-wing voting organization Promote the Vote Action.

According to the Bureau’s official 13-page staff report, election workers initially determined that 692 of the 1,000 sampled signatures were valid.

That number would have been more than enough for certification.

Then came a challenge filed by attorney Robert LaBrant and the left-wing voting organization Promote the Vote Action.

The organization challenged 377 signatures in the sample. Of those, 217 had already been rejected during the Bureau’s initial review, leaving challenges against another 160 signatures that staff originally considered valid.

After processing those challenges, the number of accepted signatures plunged from 692 to 607. The campaign responded with evidence seeking to restore 149 signatures, but Bureau staff reinstated only five.

The final count was 612 valid signatures. The campaign needed 629…

That means the fate of a statewide constitutional amendment supported by more than 709,000 Michigan residents could come down to how bureaucrats treated just 17 signatures in a 1,000-name sample.

Based on that sample, the Bureau estimated that the petition contained 434,423 valid signatures, 11,775 below the required 446,198.

The Bureau therefore recommended that the Board of State Canvassers declare the petition insufficient.

other words, officials did not individually determine that the campaign lacked 446,198 valid signatures. They projected that conclusion across the entire petition using a sample representing roughly 0.14% of the signatures submitted.

This is how Democrats kill election integrity measures they cannot defeat at the ballot box. More than 700,000 Michiganders signed the petitions.

Democrat staffers and their allies then nitpicked a tiny sample, invalidated signatures over technicalities such as city/township mismatches, date issues, illegibility, or circulator information, and declared the whole effort dead.

“Our petitions were submitted more than four months before the deadline, yet here we are at the last minute being told they should not be certified,” said Kurt O’Keefe, the initiative’s treasurer.

“We spent months reviewing these petitions, removing duplicates and discarding signatures we believed might not comply with Michigan law. We are confident we submitted significantly more than the 446,198 valid signatures required.”

Americans for Citizen Voting–Michigan spokeswoman Kristin Combs vowed that the campaign would continue fighting.

“The fight continues. More than 700,000 Michiganders signed our petition. They deserve a vote.”

She is absolutely right.

The proposed amendment would have required voters to prove citizenship with documents such as a passport or birth certificate, mandated photo ID (or provisional ballots with follow-up documentation), created a statewide citizenship verification program, and ordered the removal of noncitizens from the Qualified Voter File after notice and a response window.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/08/outrage-jocelyn-bensons-election-bureau-kills-michigan-proof/

(What are all the federal laws broken by the Governor Benson??)

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/08/outrage-jocelyn-bensons-election-bureau-kills-michigan-proof/

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent BLASTS Democrats After Target Takes $1 Billion Tariff Refund – Democrat-Funded Corporate Welfare

By Jim Hoft Aug. 20, 2026 2:40

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, arguably the greatest Secretary of the Treasury in decades, blasted Democrats and Democratic Attorneys General for taking tariff money from the people and redistributing it to multi-million dollar corporations.

In February, Senate Democrats served the Trump administration notice that refunds should start flowing to U.S. companies who paid for the president’s tariffs.

Democrats do not want to punish China and any foreign countries that flood American markets with their cheap goods. They want to punish Trump and America for placing tariffs on foreign competitors.

The US Supreme Court gave Democrats a lifeline. The court ruled 6-3 that Trump lacked the authorityto invoke the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to impose tariffs in support of American workers.

Following the SCOTUS ruling, FedEx, Target and other multinational corporations sued the Trump administration for a refund.

So Democrats got their wish and the money was stripped from US coffers and redistributed back to multi-nationals.

On Thursday, Treasury Secretary Bessent was asked about the massive $1 billion refund given to Target.

Reporter: Target received a $1 billion refund for tariffs. What does that say about the size— besides the fact that it was done so quickly and efficiently, the refund— but what does it say about the amount of Chinese-made goods and foreign-made goods that our retailers are still selling in the United States?

Secretary Bessent:Yeah, well, what it says is that the Democratic attorneys general who filed a ridiculous lawsuit against this administration wanted the money to go back to the payer of record. So that is corporate welfare.

The American people had that money. And if I hear another Democratic legislator say— make the inane remark, the American people should get the money – the American people had the money in the U.S. Treasury, and we were forced to give it back. But using the 301s, which have survived more than 5,000 suits, that we will get that tariff income back.

But what you are seeing is that we don’t know the discount that Target got from the Chinese suppliers. So— You know, this is a corporate bonanza, which I said it would be at the time.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/08/treasury-secretary-scott-bessent-blasts-democrats-after-target/

The SC is fucked up and is getting worse!