The race for the midterms begins

QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Midterms are typically a referendum on the party in power. So the fact that Trump’s approval rating has been under 40% for the past several weeks, and it has obviously been made worse by the war in Iran, is going to be a really significant issue for Republicans.“

– Erin Covey, elections analyst at Cook Political Report.

Public polling shows most voters are dissatisfied with President Donald Trump’s job performance and historically, the party not in the White House wins seats in the midterms. Five months out from November’s Election Day, Jonathan Shorman and Jacob Fischler of the States Newsroom Washington team look at which could be stronger: voter displeasure producing enough Democratic gains to retake the U.S. House or Republican gerrymandering sufficient to maintain the GOP trifecta in Washington.

The announcement that Cargill is closing its Menomonee Valley plant and laying off 221 packinghouse workers is just the latest blow to Milwaukee’s industrial working class. It is also a cautionary tale, economist Michael Rosen writes in a commentary, a window into the way huge, highly concentrated industries dominate the United States economy to the detriment of workers, family farmers and consumers.

The future of data centers and their huge appetite for electricity is quickly escalating as a political flashpoint from coast to coast, moving from cities and states now to the nation’s capital. But finding consensus on how to proceed in D.C. is tough, with the industry spreading around millions to make its case. Veteran Washington reporter David Lightman has the story.