The Note
Follow the latest The Note news, videos, and analysis from ABC News.
- Oct 19
The Note: Trump showing midterm worries
As for President Trump, real worries are coming through about the races that — whether he accepts it or not — will be viewed as a referendum on his presidency.
Oct 19
- Oct 18
The Note: Democrats see blue in Midwestern Trump country
Something is rumbling in the states that delivered Trump the presidency, suggesting blue spots for Democrats in places they once saw as red states.
Oct 18
- Oct 17
The Note: Trump takes rhetoric back to lonely comfort zone
When President Donald Trump goes low … he can always go lower.
Oct 17
- Oct 16
The Note: Old-school scare tactics haunt campaign messaging
GOP ads decry Democrats as Washington insiders, pro-Nancy-Pelosi-and-Hillary-Clinton liberals, sexual predators, tax-hiking big spenders, “radical” or “dangerous"
Oct 16
- Oct 15
The Note: Poll reveals tale of 2 Americas as midterms draw close
Trump has a 41 percent approval rating, and Democrats have a 53-42 percent edge in the generic ballot for the House.
Oct 15
- Oct 12
The Note: October surprises threaten GOP ‘peace and prosperity’ messages
A faltering stock market and tension with Saudi Arabia could command attention.
Oct 12
- Oct 11
The Note: Melania Trump speaks out, as anger animates midterms
“You always need to watch your back,” First Lady Melania Trump said.
Oct 11
- Oct 10
The Note: Ahead of 2018, Trump’s path to 2020 opens wider
Trump can count on relative peace inside his party in the run-up to the midterms
Oct 10
- Oct 9
The Note: GOP gets Trumpier in Kavanaugh’s wake
Trump is shaping the direction of his party through his "Make America Great Again" rallies.
Oct 9
- Oct 8
The Note: Kavanaugh confirmation scrambles political expectations
We now resume the regularly scheduled campaign. But nothing looks quite like it did a few weeks ago.
Oct 8
- Oct 5
The Note: Winners could be losers in politics around Kavanaugh
Ronan Farrow, who broke the New Yorker story on Kavanaugh accuser Deborah Ramirez with Jane Mayer, speaks at 10 p.m. Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, also speaks at 10 p.m. Candidates in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District face off in their first debate Friday night at 6 p.m. EDT when Republican Rep. Rod Blum goes up against Democratic challenger state Rep. Abby Finkenauer.
Oct 5 - Oct 4
- Oct 3
The Note: Trump uses Kavanaugh to start political gender war
Kavanaugh, Sen. Lindsey Graham argues, should be on the midterm ballot. A whole lot of Democrats like that idea.
Oct 3 - Oct 2
The Note: 2020 pace picks up with Kavanaugh nomination
The buildup to the 2020 election is picking up speed.
Oct 2 - Oct 1
The Note: FBI’s Kavanaugh inquiry still controlled by political forces
This phase of the Trump presidency is in the hands of … the FBI. Sort of.
Oct 1 - Sep 28
The Note: Broken Senate picks up pieces of Kavanaugh nomination
If it’s all over but the voting now, the damage is already severe.
Sep 28 - Sep 27
The Note: On Kavanaugh, Trump’s 'dangerous' roadmap for GOP
Deny, deflect, attack. Then, contradict and confuse.
Sep 27 - Sep 26
The Note: Kavanaugh’s fate rests on vanishing middle
Of the 100 senators, easily 90 – perhaps upwards of 95 – know how they'll vote.
Sep 26 - Sep 25
The Note: GOP fears what Trump can’t control -- and what he can
What can Trump control? What can he not?
Sep 25 - Sep 24
The Note: Defense of Kavanaugh could backfire on GOP
Standing behind Brett Kavanaugh is carrying costs that grow by the hour.
Sep 24 - Sep 21
The Note: Kavanaugh fight takes politics a step backward
Amid the hyperspeed of politics these days, this week inched by slowly – even seeming to move backward at times.
Sep 21 - Sep 19
The Note: Uncertainties cloud Kavanaugh fight
“There shouldn’t even be a little doubt,” President Trump declared Tuesday.
Sep 19 - Sep 18
The Note: Kavanaugh fight raises stakes for midterms
The storylines have converged to set up a defining couple of days.
Sep 18 - Sep 17
The Note: Kavanaugh allegation tests Washington on #MeToo
The politics of a smooth-sailing Supreme Court nomination have turned.
Sep 17 - Sep 14
The Note: Storm brews over Trump's death toll claims
President Trump's tweet did fresh damage to his credibility.
Sep 14 - Sep 13
The Note: Primary season highlights Democrats’ leftward march
It’s not all about who wins and who loses.
Sep 13 - Sep 12
The Note: As storm approaches, a self-imposed test for Trump
Trump has set up his own fresh tests for his administration.
Sep 12 - Sep 11
The Note: Left’s squabbles play out in final primaries
The campaign worries for this fall reside mainly on the right. But much of the remaining primary action is on the left.
Sep 11 - Sep 10
- Sep 7
The Note: Obama takes the midterms stage
Out of the chaos and norm-busting and institution-bursting of the last few days comes a voice from the not-so-distant past.
Sep 7 - Sep 6
The Note: Trump firestorms that could spark an explosion
It does not get, in matters of state, much deeper than this.
Sep 6 - Sep 5
The Note: Democrats seizing fight over Kavanaugh
The RUNDOWN with Adam Kelsey The pre-race comparison was easy and so it dominated the storyline as Election Day approached: A white, male incumbent congressman representing an urban East coast district since the late '90s faces an upset by a younger, minority woman running on a progressive platform.
Sep 5 - Sep 4
The Note: Democrats could see better days according to poll, leaving Trump and Republicans on defense
Two months out, it’s easy to see how things might get worse for President Donald Trump and the Republican Party – and less easy to see how things could get better.
Sep 4 - Aug 31
The Note: A look back on McCain, a future with Trump
Sen. John McCain loved a good fight. He did not live to witness what could be a whole lot of bad fights this fall.
Aug 31 - Aug 30
The Note: Trump on the ballot, everywhere?
Trump’s push to put himself on the ballot puts his style of politics everywhere.
Aug 30 - Aug 29
The Note: A Sanders vs. Trump matchup for Florida governor
Remember when Donald Trump challenged Bernie Sanders to a debate?
Aug 29 - Aug 28
The Note: Florida and Arizona primaries show lure of Trumpism
The moment belongs to Sen. John McCain. But the GOP still belongs to Trump.
Aug 28 - Aug 27
The Note: The McCain legacy finds no obvious heir
The nation can use a touch of McCain’s stubborn optimism at this or any moment.
Aug 27 - Aug 24
The Note: A bad week for Trump clarifies the stakes
A week with so many game-changers didn’t actually change the game very much at all.
Aug 24 - Aug 23
The Note: Words matter, even in the age of Trump
So truth isn’t truth, a crime isn’t a crime, and doing “nothing wrong” includes paying off a porn star who wanted to go public about an alleged affair.
Aug 23 - Aug 22
The Note: No finality to legal sagas surrounding Trump
Two former top aides to President Donald Trump played opposite sides of the loyalty card to the same stunning conclusion: guilty pronouncements in federal court.
Aug 22 - Aug 21
The Note: Can Democrats beat Trump’s GOP with Obamacare?
Trump has said the fight over Obamacare continues – and the men and women he’s trying to defeat are welcoming that.
Aug 21 - Aug 20
- Aug 17
- Aug 16
The Note: Trump yanks security clearance from Trump critic
Call it a blacklist, Nixonian or simply an execution of presidential power.
Aug 16 - Aug 15
- Aug 14
The Note: Both parties on offense in Tuesday primaries
There is primary voting on Tuesday and both parties are playing some offense.
Aug 14 - Aug 13
The Note: Trump continues to reset the bar
In two years, the voters will decide where they think the bar should be.
Aug 13 - Aug 10
The Note: Trump effect not what GOP hoped for
President Donald Trump took another post-election victory lap.
Aug 10 - Aug 9
The Note: Swamp waters rising for Trump
The waters of President Donald Trump's swamp continue to rise.
Aug 9