“Tactical Penetration” and Rieckhoff’s Unplanned Moment on the Moment with Katy Tur. JD Vance’s Gold Star Fumble. Hegseth’s Popularity Plummets. Media Blitz Pod

Labor Day weekend, the end of one summer and the start of the most consequential fall in American politics in a generation. Paul brings you a rapid media blitz from New York — Brooklyn Bridge behind him, football season in front of him, and a country lurching into an election cycle where the rigged two-party system is asking independents to save it from itself. Only about 9% of independents approve of Donald Trump. The Democratic brand is still toxic in red states like Nebraska, where Pete Ricketts keeps calling Dan Osborn "Democrat Dan" because it works. Independents are the ballgame. The question is whether anyone can actually land the message.