Owners of luxe steakhouse opening in Trump-owned building used COVID funds for personal expenses: lawsuit
Maple Hospitality Group, the owners behind Maple & Ash, was accused of 'fraudulently' tapping $7.6 million in Small Business Paycheck Protection Program funds, according to the civil suit brought by investors in Chicago's Cook County Circuit Court.
'The MA restaurants never received a dollar of these funds,' according to the suit, which was obtained by The Post.
4 Maple & Ash, which opened its flagship steakhouse in Chicago in 2015, is the nation's fourth-highest-grossing restaurant with more than $35 million in revenue a year.
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According to the complex case, the alleged misappropriation was part of a wider pattern of fiscal wrongdoing by Maple & Ash co-owner Jerald Lasky, his brother James Lasky and by companies controlled by them.
Although the lawsuit refers only to 'private jet expenses,' the Chicago Sun-Times and radio station WBEZ traced the payment for the pricey Learjet in 2021 to 'a company whose president is James Lasky.'
The owners have denied the charges in the complaint, which was first filed three years ago but received little media attention outside the Windy City.
As reported in The Post in February, Maple Hospitality Group signed a lease for 12,000 square feet at 1290 Sixth Ave., which is majority-owned by Vornado Realty Trust but where the Trump Organization has a 30% passive stake. Trump's position reels in more than $60 million in annual rent revenue.
4 Maple & Ash co-owner James Lasky and his brother Jerald denied using federal funds meant to pay employees' salaries during COVID for personal expenses.
Maple Hospitality
Maple & Ash, which opened its flagship steakhouse in Chicago in 2015, is the nation's fourth-highest-grossing restaurant with more than $35 million revenue a year.
But there seems to be as much sizzle in the Chicago court as on its fancy plates.
Investors who helped raise $3 million each to open Maple & Ash in Chicago and in Scottsdale, Ariz., also claim the company wrongfully used profits to fund the owners' other restaurant brands in other cities, according to the complaint.
The Laskys allegedly retaliated against the investors for filing the suit by dissolving their interests in the company, according to an amended filing.
4 A Maple & Ash restaurant will be opening at 1290 Sixth Ave. later this year.
J. Scott Wynn
James Lasky has been sanctioned by the judge in the case for failing to comply with court orders to turn over bank records and other information. He was ordered to cover plaintiffs' $191,000 legal fees resulting from withholding information, court records show.
The lawyer for the investors, Michael Forde of Forde & O'Meara, said he hoped the case would finally go to trial early next year.
James Lasky's lawyer, James Stamos of Stamos & Trucco, didn't immediately respond to an email and phone call.
4 Maple & Ash's newly opened restaurant in Miami.
Google Maps
The hospitality group launched another steakhouse in Miami in March. Haut Living magazine said the restaurant 'brings [the brand's] signature blend of refined dining, uninhibited energy, and indulgent luxury to the Magic City.'
The Big Apple opening is slated for later this year.
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Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Which way will Senate swing in 2026? Here are 11 pivotal races that will decide.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump's agenda in the second half of his second term will hinge on whether Republicans can maintain control of Congress in next year's midterm elections. In the Senate, where the GOP currently has a slim 53 to 47 majority, being the party in charge is vital for the president and his ability to pass key legislation priorities, confirm nominees, including any potential Supreme Court vacancies. Heading into 2026, congressional Republicans look to keep their legislative advantage but face the challenge of precedent. Often, the party that does not hold the White House – Democrats, currently – fares better in midterm congressional elections. In need of a pick me up after last year's bruising presidential and congressional elections, Democrats are trying to flip the upper chamber back to blue by winning a handful of states scattered from the South to the Great Lakes. More: What to expect when you're expecting a GOP trifecta For their part, Republicans trying to defend their majority in next November's races must first weather some base-splitting primaries, in which established GOP incumbents hope to hold on against challengers from inside their own party. Here are 11 Senate races to watch across the country heading into the 2026 midterm elections. 1. North Carolina More: Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announces run for Senate in a win for Democrats North Carolina's two-term senior senator, Republican Thom Tillis, announced in June he would not be seeking reelection. His news, which Tillis called 'not a hard choice,' came as debates over Trump's sweeping tax, spending and policy bill engulfed Congress and pitted GOP members against one another. The news was music to Democrats' ears. Already a top target for the liberal party in next year's midterms, the North Carolina race was set to be one of the most competitive Senate battles in 2026, even with Tillis on the ballot. More: After Lara Trump opts out, president endorses RNC Chair Whatley for NC Senate race Now, the open seat has attracted high-profile contenders on both sides of the aisle. Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, announced his campaign formally on July 28, following weeks of speculation. On the Republican side, Lara Trump, the president's daughter-in-law and former co-chair of the Republican National Committee, said she considered jumping in. However, after she announced July 24 she would not run for the seat in North Carolina, President Trump gave his backing to Republican National Committee chair and former North Carolina GOP Chair Michael Whatley. Primary elections in the state will be held March 3. 2. Michigan In Michigan, another retiring incumbent has set the stage for a toss-up race next year. Sen. Gary Peters, a Democrat, announced in January he would not seek a third term representing the Great Lakes State in the Senate. More: Michigan's Gary Peters won't run for US Senate reelection next year His absence leaves the race open for either party's taking. Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman with Trump's endorsement, is his party's expected nominee. Rogers ran in 2024, narrowly losing to Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin. Among Democrats, Rep. Haley Stevens and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow lead the pack of 2026 candidates. Primary elections in the state will be held Aug. 4, 2026. 3. Georgia Georgia's Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff must fend off a pack of conservative lawmakers in order to hang onto his seat in 2026. Alongside fellow Georgia Democrat Sen. Raphael Warnock, Ossoff's win in a Jan. 2021 runoff election secured him a first term in Congress and his party a chamber majority. Once again, his race will be key in determining whether Democrats win control of the Senate. Republicans looking to unseat him include Rep. Buddy Carter, a former pharmacist who represents the Savannah area. Carter was first to throw his red hat in the ring. But others, including Rep. Mike Collins, have since joined the contest. Both Carter and Collins are coveting Trump's support, an endorsement that could carry weight with Georgia's deep red electorate pockets. Georgia's primary elections are set for May 19. 4. Texas Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn stands a good chance of winning a fifth term against a Democratic challenger next November, in the red-leaning Lone Star State. But first, he must make it through what is promising to be a tough primary against the state's attorney general, Ken Paxton. Cornyn has served in the Senate since 2002, but early polls showed him down double digits to Paxton. More: Texas AG Ken Paxton's wife files for divorce 'on biblical grounds' National Republicans have expressed concern that Paxton, who has faced indictments, impeachment and, more recently, a very public divorce, could cost the GOP their safely held Texas seat in a general election. Democrat and former Rep. Colin Allred, who ran unsuccessfully against Sen. Ted Cruz in 2024, has announced his campaign for 2026. Texas state Rep. James Talarico has said he is 'seriously considering' a run as well. More: Former congressman Colin Allred launches 2026 campaign for US Senate Primary elections in the Lone Star State are scheduled for March 3. 5. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, has also drawn a GOP challenger in his 2026 bid for reelection. Paul Dans, the original author of Project 2025, a sweeping conservative agenda to overhaul the federal government, announced his entrance into the race at an event in Charleston July 30. More: Lindsey Graham gets Republican challenger: Project 2025 author to announce Senate bid The primary contest will likely pit MAGA voters in the Palmetto State against one another. Though Graham has previously been a regular target of criticism from Trump − displeased by the lawmaker at times breaking from the GOP leader − he is currently an ally to the president and has already received Trump's 'complete and total endorsement.' Dans' primary challenge will be an uphill battle. Should Graham come out on top, he is heavily favored to win a fifth term representing the Palmetto State. A pack of Democrats are vying to face Graham or Dans in the general, though South Carolina is generally considered a safely red seat. Both party primaries will be held June 9. 6. Maine Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is about to wrap her fifth term in the Senate, and while she has yet to formally announce her bid for reelection, many colleagues expect her to run again. Her position as one of the upper chamber's most independent voices has kept her in favor, and in office, with her left-leaning state, though Democrats still see this upcoming race as one of their top pick-up opportunities if two-term Gov. Janet Mills decides to run. Collins has garnered a reputation for being one of the few congressional Republicans willing to tell Trump no. She voted against two of his major legislative priorities this summer – a sweeping tax and spending bill, as well as a $9 billion cut to public broadcasting and foreign aid funding – and has openly criticized some of the president's nominees. More: 'See you in court.' Trump, Maine governor clash in tense exchange at White House Willingness to oppose Trump typically comes with the president's full public ire – and often a MAGA-aligned primary opponent. However, Collins is the only Republican senator to have won a state in which Democrats won the popular vote in 2024. Her unique position seems to, at least for now, have kept Trump from speaking out against who many view as the GOP's best chance to keep their seat in Maine. Several Democratic candidates have announced campaigns against Collins, including David Costello, who ran unsuccessfully against Maine's Independent Sen. Angus King in 2024. All eyes are most focused on Mills, the state governor who has also tussled with Trump but hasn't yet said if she will run. Maine will have its primaries on June 9. 7. Minnesota Minnesota's Democratic Sen. Tina Smith announced earlier this year her plan to retire at the end of her current term, calling the decision "entirely personal." With the state's blue tilt, Smith's seat has a good chance of staying in Democrats' hands. More: 'Entirely personal': Democrat Tina Smith to not seek reelection in 2026 Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Rep. Annie Craig are among the frontrunners for their party's nomination. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris' running mate, opted back in February not to run for Senate. On the Republican side, former NBA player Royce White is running again, after losing his bid against Sen. Amy Klobuchar in 2024. Former Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze has also announced his campaign for the GOP nomination. The Minnesota primaries will be held Aug. 11. 8. Ohio The Buckeye State represents one of Democrats' few pick up opportunities, and even then it will not be an easy flip. Republican Sen. Jon Husted was picked by Ohio's governor to fill the seat vacated by Vice President JD Vance at the start of the year, and Husted will be on the ballot next November to keep his spot. Ohio has become reliably red in recent years, making the fight to flip it tough for Democrats. Their best shot likely is former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, who lost his bid for reelection last year to Sen. Bernie Moreno. Axios reported that Brown met with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in late July, as part of the top Senate Democrat's efforts to lobby Brown to run again. 9. New Hampshire Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire announced she would not be seeking another term in 2026 either. Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas, who launched his campaign in April, is widely seen as a strong contender to succeed Shaheen. More: Former GOP Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown running for Senate in New Hampshire Republican Scott Brown, a former Massachusetts senator and ex-ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa under Trump's first term, is among a handful of candidates competing on the GOP side. Like Minnesota, Cook Political Report has rated New Hampshire's race leaning Democrat. 10. Iowa In Iowa, Sen. Joni Ernst, a Republican, has the advantage, with Cook Political Report rating her race likely Republican. Three Democrats so far have launched bids in hopes of beating those odds: Nathan Sage, the former chamber of commerce director from Knoxville; state Rep. J.D. Scholten; and state Sen. Zach Wahls. More: Iowa Democratic Rep. and minor league pitcher J.D. Scholten to run against Sen. Joni Ernst Trump's sweeping tax, spending and policy bill, passed into law earlier this summer, is expected to be a defining issue in Iowa's race. Ernst was one of 50 Senate Republicans who voted in favor of the legislation, which her Democratic opponents decried as a move "to gut Medicaid for hundreds of thousands of Iowa children and families." The primary in Iowa is scheduled for June 2. 11. Nebraska Nebraska is widely seen as a Republican stronghold with incumbent GOP Sen. Pete Ricketts, though there could be a surprisingly competitive race in 2026 with Independent candidate Dan Osborn jumping back into a statewide election. More: Nebraska independent Dan Osborn could be poised to shake up U.S. Senate Osborn came within seven percentage points of beating Sen. Deb Fischer in 2024, a closer-than-expected margin in the GOP-dominated state. Osborn, a former labor leader, is a registered Independent but received campaign contributions from Democrats in his last campaign (money he told NBC he did not ask for). Ricketts, a former Nebraska governor and part owner with his family of the Chicago Cubs, is running for a full term after being appointed to the job in January of 2023 upon the resignation of Republican Sen. Ben Sasse. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who will win Senate majority in 2026? These are 11 key races to watch.
Newsweek
27 minutes ago
- Newsweek
It's the Worst Time To Be an American Farmer in Decades
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. America's farmers are locked in a generational crisis, fending off an array of threats that could jeopardize food supplies and spell financial disaster for those often hailed as the "backbone of the nation." "They love their way of life, and they love that dirt," President Donald Trump said this week, in a somewhat off-piste response to a question on the importance of farmers. "They don't know how to do anything else, but they don't want to do anything else." But the current storm of rising debt, declining commodity prices and labor shortfalls has begun to echo the great Farm Crisis of the 1980s and may be testing the love farmers hold for their profession. Farm sector debt is expected to reach a record $561.8 billion in 2025, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, up 3.7 percent from 2024. The Kansas City Federal Reserve has attributed this primarily to increased lending for small- and mid-sized farms. This growing financial pressure has also pushed up bankruptcies. Researchers at the University of Arkansas recently found that Chapter 12 filings—specifically for farmers and family fishermen—reached 88 in the first quarter of the year, nearly doubling the previous year's figure. "Bankruptcies are on the rise and you will see many more on the auction block in the coming months especially this fall," said John Boyd, a crop and livestock farmer and founder of the National Black Farmers Association. Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Getty Tariffs Putting Pressure on Crop Prices Boyd has been farming since the early 1980s, currently growing soybeans, corn and wheat across 1,500 acres in Virginia while raising 150 head of beef cattle. He told Newsweek that 2025 marked the first time in his career that he was unable to receive an operating loan, which provides farmers working capital needed to cover daily expenses, and blamed this on the trade policies of the current administration. "I was turned down by banks for the simple fact of low commodity prices due to the president's tariffs," he said. The higher costs for foreign importers have dampened foreign demand, leading to further reductions in the price of America's agricultural exports. Corn futures, as an example, have fallen about 15 percent since the start of the year, according to TradingEconomics. "Mexico buys U.S. corn, China buys soybeans," Boyd said. "We cannot survive on low crop prices with input costs at an all-time high.I have not seen such political chaos like this, and I have been farming since 1983." A May survey by Purdue University found that a strong majority (70 percent) of U.S. farmers believe Trump's tariffs will strengthen U.S. agriculture—some telling Investigate Midwest that they will help the U.S. pressure China to boost its imports. But according to Caleb Ragland, president of American Soybean Association, the "tit-for-tat trade war"—which has still not given way to a full-fledged deal despite several weeks of negotiations—could see American soybean farmers lose out on this critical market. "Make no mistake, American soybean farmers do stand at the edge of a cliff and will suffer if tariffs are not replaced with trade agreements that reduce tariffs before our harvest this fall," Ragland said in his May testimony before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee. Vanishing Farm Workforce "American farm and ranch families need a workforce that is ready, willing and available," said Michael Marsh, president and CEO of the National Council of Agricultural Employers (NCAE). "The shortage of these workers is perhaps the most significant challenge facing U.S. agriculture." "This year, the labor shortfall in U.S. agriculture will exceed 400,000 jobs," he added. "Technology will not fill that need." The California Farm Bureau listed "access to a stable workforce" among the key challenges facing America's farmers, and pointed Newsweek to its recent statement warning that "current immigration enforcement activity has caused disruptions to farming operations." Farms have been one the key targets of the administration's crackdown on illegal immigration, raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) resulting in worker shortages and even rotting crops as the country heads into harvest season. Federal agents block people protesting an ICE immigration raid at a nearby licensed cannabis farm on July 10, 2025, near Camarillo, California. Federal agents block people protesting an ICE immigration raid at a nearby licensed cannabis farm on July 10, 2025, near Camarillo, California."The president's immigration policies have hurt America's farmers," Boyd said. "Who's going to do the hard work that is required in 100-degree heat and enduring work conditions?" "A significant portion of our domestic workforce is here in unauthorized status," Marsh said. "Congress has failed since 1986 to pass meaningful agricultural labor reform. As a result of that and stepped-up efforts to remove unauthorized persons from the U.S., people on our farms and ranches are frightened." However, beyond the current enforcement actions, Marsh said the issue has been exacerbated by labor regulations, which "expanded significantly during the last administration." "For instance, in just 18 months the Biden administration issued 3,000 new pages of regulations for users of the temporary H-2A visa program," he said, referencing changes made by the Department of Labor in 2024. That, he said, has been "jeopardizing the ability of farm and ranch families to sustain the enterprise but also jeopardizing the safety and security of our people." Consequences of America's Latest Farm Crisis For the consumer, the struggles of American farmers in 2025 are beyond simply a rural community crisis and carry direct repercussions at the checkout line and dinner table. "When our farmers face persistent challenges, the broader consequences can include higher food prices, fewer choices at the grocery store and reduced access to the variety and quality of food Americans have come to expect," California Farm Bureau President Shannon Douglass told Newsweek. "In the long run, it could also weaken our domestic food supply and make the U.S. more reliant on imports." For farmers, the impacts could be even more dire. "We as Black farmers are facing extinction!" said Boyd, adding that this group has "never really benefited" from the billions in subsidies paid annually by the government. The sweeping tax and spending package signed into law by Trump on July 4 frees up significant funds to support America's farmers. The "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" will continue commodities programs and boosts subsidies for farmers by an estimated $66.4 billion over 10 years. While a lifeline for many, analysis has shown that these benefits will be unevenly distributed, depending on the type of crops are grown, with larger farms and those in the South expected to reap the greatest benefits. "It fails to offer any meaningful support for independent farmers—who face increasing challenges from low prices, trade wars and the climate crisis—and the communities they feed," was the response of the National Family Farm Coalition, a nonprofit that advocates for small- and medium-scale family farmers and fishing communities. And to others, while subsidy programs are a step in the right direction, they fall short of addressing the structural issues plaguing U.S. agriculture. "There are provisions included in the Big Beautiful Bill that benefit farmers and ranchers," the California Farm Bureau said. "However, a comprehensive farm bill is still needed." Newsweek has reached out to the Department of Agriculture via email for comment.
NBC News
27 minutes ago
- NBC News
Democrats work to transcend weak party brand by exploiting Trump's problems
WASHINGTON — As members of Congress prepare to head home for summer recess, both parties are reckoning with their respective weaknesses and monitoring key changes to the emerging 2026 landscape. Democrats, saddled with record-low ratings for their party, are seeking a jolt of energy from appealing local candidates who can credibly claim distance from the national brand and the disappointments of 2024. Republicans are looking to sell voters on the most popular aspects of President Donald Trump's 'big, beautiful bill,' though Trump's own ratings have slid this year and polls show the sweeping law to be unpopular overall. It all comes as both parties are gearing up for next year's midterm elections, which historically tend to be a referendum on the president. Republicans control both chambers of Congress, with Democrats needing to net three seats to take control of the House and four to flip the Senate. The president's party traditionally loses seats in a midterm year, though new Republican redistricting efforts could bolster Trump's GOP. Democrats face a steeper climb in the Senate, with most of the Republican seats up in 2026 in red states. Still, Democrats are more optimistic lately that voters' disdain for their party will subside — and that a combination of unpopular Trump policies, strong Democratic candidates, high base enthusiasm and a fragile Republican coalition could tilt the midterm battlefield in their favor. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., who chairs the party's Senate campaign arm, said she sees Democratic prospects improving and predicted a 'backlash' reminiscent of the 2006 midterms, when she was first elected to Congress and Democrats pulled off surprise wins in red states. 'I think the Republican majority is at risk because of a series of recruitment failures, damaging primaries and their very toxic plan that slashes Medicaid and spikes costs,' she said. Republicans stress that they remain in a strong position. 'We feel very confident. Certainly not complacent, but confident,' said Alex Latcham, executive director of the Senate Leadership Fund, the GOP super PAC aligned with Senate Majority Leader John Thune. 'We're taking nothing for granted.' Democrats' bruised brand While they feel optimistic about their midterm prospects, Democrats acknowledge that they have a brand problem. Polls taken throughout 2025 have shown record-low ratings for the Democratic Party, with the GOP faring better, though also in net-negative territory. A Quinnipiac poll this month found that voters gave Democrats in Congress a dismal 19% approval rating, with 72% disapproving. Even self-identified Democrats disapproved by a 13-point margin. Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., who chairs Democrats' House campaign committee, acknowledged her party's brand problem in a recent conversation with reporters. She said House Democrats have to work to transcend it with 'great candidates' who offer 'authentic' messages for their districts. Voters 'are absolutely frustrated with the dysfunction, the chaos that they see in Washington, D.C. And they want strong representatives who are going to stand up for them,' DelBene said. DelBene suggested more than a dozen House Democrats were able to win last year even as Trump carried their districts 'because we had people who were talking directly to voters, who were talking about the issues that matter.' Some Democrats also note that the low ratings are driven in part by Democratic voters who are unhappy with their own party but who won't be inclined to support Republicans. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said the polls show 'there are a lot of Democrats out there who want us to be fighting harder,' arguing that his party can turn the problem into an advantage. 'Trump is lighting our democracy on fire, and so it's frankly a good sign that there's a lot of Americans who see the threat that he poses to people's health care, to our way of life, to our very democracy, and want their leaders here to be standing up and fighting,' Murphy told NBC News. 'I understand that those numbers look kind of harrowing for Democrats, but at some level, it's a good sign.' Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who is retiring, also warned that the Democrats' low rating won't save the GOP next fall. He noted that the Republican Party's broad brand was in terrible shape the year before the 2010 GOP wave election. NBC News' July 2009 poll showed 28% of respondents viewing the Republican Party positively, versus 41% who viewed it negatively. 'I would go back and remind everybody to look at roughly the 2009 time frame when the same sort of assessments were being made in reverse,' Tillis said. 'We should take nothing for granted. We should all assume we're running from behind.' The hunt for 2026 candidates Both the House and Senate majorities run through territory Trump won in 2024. House Republicans are defending just three districts Trump lost last year, while 13 Democrats are defending seats Trump carried, according to an analysis of election results from the NBC News Decision Desk. Senate Democrats, meanwhile, need to net four seats to take control of the chamber, and just one Republican, Maine's Susan Collins, represents a state that also backed former Vice President Kamala Harris last year. Any path to the majority requires Democrats to win a few states Trump carried by double digits. Pressed on which seats she sees as competitive enough for Democrats to flip, Gillibrand declined to name states but said 'there's at least seven or eight states that are going to be in play because of the nature of their agenda.' Joanna Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, laughed when asked about Gillibrand's contention that seven pickups are a possibility. 'Democrats are facing historically low approval ratings of 19% because their delusional leaders focus on radical policies that are unpopular with voters,' she said, adding that Republicans are working to 'lower costs of living, eliminate government fraud and waste, and keep males out of girls' sports.' Democrats are trying to cut into the red-tinted map with specific candidates who have demonstrated crossover appeal before. Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who just jumped into the race to succeed Tillis, has won six statewide elections since 2000. He's on a collision course with Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley, who launched his own campaign Thursday after Trump asked him to run. Tillis warned Tuesday that Cooper will 'no doubt' be a formidable candidate. In Ohio, a state unlikely to have a heavily contested Senate race without a particularly strong Democratic candidate, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has twice traveled to the state in recent months as part of an aggressive recruitment effort targeting former Sen. Sherrod Brown, who lost his seat to Republican Bernie Moreno last year despite outrunning the top of the ticket. Schumer's latest visit came last week, a source familiar with the meeting confirmed to NBC News. (The meeting was first reported by Axios.) Brown has been contemplating a comeback but is torn between the idea of running for Senate or running for governor in 2026, which would give his party a top-tier candidate to take on Trump-endorsed Vivek Ramaswamy. In Texas, meanwhile, some Republicans are worried about scandal-tarred Attorney General Ken Paxton defeating Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, in the primary and jeopardizing a safe seat in the general election. 'Number one, he's not going to win. But number two, if he were to win, I think it would jeopardize the president's agenda,' Cornyn told NBC News. 'It would be the first loss of a statewide race by Republicans in 30 years. So it'd be a disaster.' 'All that money could be used to pick up Senate seats in Georgia, New Hampshire and Michigan,' he added. 'But we don't need — we don't expect to give Democrats that opportunity.' GOP challenges Democrats have also been buoyed by recent polls with warning signs for Trump and Republicans defending their slim majorities in Congress. The president's approval rating has declined by a net 8 points since April, per a recent Fox News poll. Voters remain unhappy with the cost of living, and the president's ratings on handling prices and the economy have tanked — though voters also split evenly on the question of which party they trusted more to handle those issues. Trump's 'big, beautiful' law, which both parties call the defining issue in the midterms, is also broadly unpopular, although some provisions get high marks. And the GOP faces a unique challenge: turning out Trump supporters who don't show up as regularly when he isn't on the ballot. Democrats have also stumbled on an issue that provides a rare opening to drive a wedge between Trump and his base: encouraging MAGA-world criticism of how the administration has handled government files surrounding convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. As they prepared for the monthlong August recess, House Democratic leaders distributed a memo encouraging their members to highlight the issue back in their states and districts. Republicans, meanwhile, urged their members to campaign on the 'big beautiful bill.' The National Republican Congressional Committee issued a memo on Monday urging GOP lawmakers to hold local events and engage with local media to tout popular provisions in the bill, like making the 2017 tax cuts permanent, increasing the child tax credit, cutting taxes on tips and overtime pay, and boosting funds for border security. 'Out of touch House Democrats voted to raise taxes, kill jobs, gut national security, and allow wide open borders — it's no surprise their polling is in the gutter,' NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella said in a statement. 'We will use every tool to show voters that the provisions in this bill are widely popular and that Republicans stood with them while House Democrats sold them out.' Republicans have started to tout the measure on the airwaves. One Nation, the nonprofit arm of the main Senate GOP super PAC, has launched ads praising it as a 'working family tax cut.' The GOP also plans to nationalize New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist whose focus on affordability and grassroots energy powered his campaign. 'While President Trump and Republicans are delivering real results by lowering costs and securing the border, Democrats are embracing radical candidates like socialist Zohran Mamdani and fomenting violence against ICE and Border Patrol agents,' Republican National Committee spokeswoman Kiersten Pels said. Still, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., warned that Democrats' weak brand won't save the GOP in the 2026 election. 'It'll be a referendum on the party in power, which would be us,' Hawley said, adding that his party can only win 'by delivering for the people who elected you, which would be my humble suggestion to my Republican friends.'
