Inside Look at Trump Midterm Strategy, Maine Ad Controversy, Habba-Grenell Dispute: AM Update 10/30

Good morning, everyone. I'm Emily Drushinsky, host of After Party and the Megyn Kelly Wrap-Up Show on SiriusXM Channel 111. It's Friday, October 30th, 2026, and this is your AM Update. A blaring warning sign for Republicans in a state that should be safe territory. New Senate polling raising alarms for Republicans in traditionally red states, as the New York Times reveals behind-the-scenes concerns at the White House over President Trump's midterm campaign strategy. A Susan Collins supporter accusing a Democrat-aligned political group of tricking her into appearing in a campaign ad backing her opponent, Troy Jackson. The feud between Alina Haba and Rick Grinnell taking another turn, as the White House reportedly questions the authenticity of key evidence in a multi-million dollar dispute. And U.S. intelligence agencies reportedly uncovering a suspected Chinese spy with close ties to NVIDIA's CEO, raising concerns. All that more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update. 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Election Day is just four days away, as new polling showing Democrats ahead in four critical Senate contests, including two traditionally Republican strongholds. And the New York Times reports growing anxiety inside the White House over the prospect of Republicans losing control of Congress. CNN's John Berman breaking down the latest polling from four Senate races. In Texas, Democrat James Tallarico leaves Republican Ken Paxton by six points. This would be a major flip. No Democrat has won a statewide race, in Texas, in three decades. In Michigan, Democrat Abdul Al-Sayed leads Republican Mike Rogers by seven points. This is a significant shift. Back around Labor Day, there was no clear leader here. For Democrats, holding onto Michigan is essential in their Senate math. In deep red Kansas, Democrat Adam Hamilton is at 49 percent to 45 percent for Republican incumbent Roger Marshall. This is within the margin of error, but still a blaring warning sign for Republicans in a state that should be safe territory and not where they want to be spending time, effort, and money. And in Maine, Democrat Troy Jackson is at 49 percent. The incumbent Republican Susan Collins is at 45 percent. This, too, is within the margin of error. But again, across the boards, in these numbers that we've seen from these four states, Democrats will see a path to the majority. The increasingly competitive Senate map raising the stakes for Republicans, who need 50 seats to maintain their majority, given Vice President J.D. Vance's ability to break a tie. The latest polling coming as The New York Times reports growing concern behind the scenes at the White House, where some Republican political advisors and outside groups have reportedly warned that President Trump's appearances in closely contested states could actually hurt GOP candidates. According to The Times, which interviewed 16 current and former administration officials and Trump allies, a gloomy atmosphere settling over parts of the administration as Republicans confront the possibility of losing both chambers of Congress. The paper describing tensions among competing factions, staff turnover, and uncertainty over what might happen inside the White House following a Republican defeat. Some advisors reportedly anticipating personnel changes after Election Day, as questions emerge about the influence of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. President Trump publicly rejecting suggestions that Wiles could be replaced, while White House spokeswoman Danielle Alvarez disputing the characterization of a divided administration, describing the president's team as "united behind his agenda." Despite reported concerns about his involvement in competitive races, Mr. Trump and his political advisors continuing to emphasize his ability to energize Republican voters, their strategy focusing heavily on traditionally Republican states, relying on the president's personal appeal to boost turnout. The president emphasizing crowd enthusiasm yesterday ahead of a South Carolina rally. The rallies are unbelievable. I'm doing a rally now in South Carolina, it's packed. The rallies are very well attended and I think we've changed the whole, we've done a lot of them in over the last week and a half, a lot. We did two the other day in Texas. We did a big one, a great one yesterday, and this one we have lines of people going two miles long, so it'll be great. In a notable late change to his campaign schedule, Mr. Trump canceling a planned Saturday rally in Kansas, opting instead for virtual appearances. A White House official telling NewsNation, "The president plans to participate in more than 20 telephone rallies before Election Day," describing the virtual events as "an opportunity to expand his reach across the country." President Trump still scheduled to appear in Florida today and Iowa Sunday. The campaign push coming as Republicans receive some encouraging economic news. According to the Commerce Department yesterday, the U.S. economy expanding at an annualized rate of 3.4 percent during the third quarter, accelerating from 2.2 percent growth during the previous three months. The increase driven in part by stronger investment and consumer spending. However, a separate Commerce Department report showing inflation accelerating in September, as the Federal Reserve's preferred measure of inflation climbing to 3.6 percent annually, up from 3.4 percent in August. The mixed economic picture giving Republicans stronger growth figures to highlight, even as continued price increases, complicate their message on affordability just days before voters head to the polls. A Maine woman accusing a Democrat-aligned political group of misleading her into appearing in a campaign ad attacking Republican Senator Susan Collins, after allegedly telling her she was filming an advertisement supporting Collins. According to Steve Robinson of The Maine Wire, Kelly Kushnirak, a longtime Republican who owns a laundromat near Portland, agreed to participate in the filming last spring. Kushnirak, claiming the videographer approached her at her business, identified himself as working for the Collins campaign and asked her to discuss economic conditions in Maine. Months later, her remarks appearing in a digital ad backing Democrat Senate candidate Troy Jackson, Collins's opponent in next week's election. As far as affordability in Maine, nothing is affordable in Maine. Rent is not affordable. Buying a house is not affordable. But do our wages go up? Do we have good jobs in Maine? No. The ad ending with a full-screen message declaring Susan Collins too expensive for Maine and urging voters to elect Jackson. The spot paid for by the campaign for a family-friendly economy pack, an outside political group supporting Democrats in competitive congressional races. According to federal campaign finance data, the group spending nearly $2 million supporting Jackson's Senate bid, part of a broader effort to help Democrats campaigning on affordability issues. Jackson becoming the Democrat nominee in July after Graham Plattner withdrew from the race, calling a sexual assault allegation, which he denies. Kushnerak telling Robinson she had no idea her comments were being used against Senator Collins until a friend spotted the ad. Now the Collins campaign releasing its own response video, giving Kushnerak an opportunity to explain what happened and make clear which candidate she's actually supporting. I am not a Troy Jackson supporter at all. I definitely feel like I was misled because when I did finally see the ad, I was like, oh, wow, look at that banner, Troy Jackson. I thought it was going to be for Susan Collins. If they're willing to mislead me, how far will they go? The economic problems we have in Maine right now are pretty much the result of our legislature in Augusta that has been in control for the past eight years. Susan Collins works on the national level, but she always puts Maine first. I would say she does. She does more for Mainers economically on certain issues than the legislature in Augusta has done for any Mainer when it comes to affordability. Jackson himself serving as Maine Senate president during part of the eight-year period, Kushnerak blames for the state's economic troubles. The race remaining extremely close heading into election day, the latest RealClearPolitics polling average showing Jackson leading Collins by just 1.4 percentage points, 48.7, to 47.3 percent. Coming up, new questions surrounding key evidence in a multi-million dollar dispute between Alina Hava and Rick Grinnell and a suspected Chinese intelligence operative reportedly developing close ties to NVIDIA's CEO, raising new questions about Beijing's efforts to obtain America's most advanced AI technology. You might already own a firearm, but what if you could start with less lethal methods? To avoid the financial and mental repercussions of pulling the trigger. This is where Burna comes in. That's B-Y-R-N-A. Burna's less lethal launchers are equipped with tear gas and kinetic ammo, and designed to incapacitate an attacker for up to 40 minutes. And Berna is excited to introduce the all-new Compact Launcher. It's sleek, it's slim, and it hits like a sledgehammer. We love ours. 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The Daily Mail reporting that administration officials are raising doubts about evidence presented by former Trump attorney Alina Haba Mildon against former Kennedy Center President Rick Grinnell, as the White House postpones any conclusions until after next week's midterm elections. At the center of the dispute, allegations that Grinnell directed Haba's billionaire husband, Turkish businessman Turhan Mildon, to send millions of dollars to the White House are being made public. to a private company promising to forward a portion of the money to the Kennedy Center, but allegedly failing to do so. According to the Daily Mail, the dispute dates back to May 2025, when Mildon transferred $17.6 million to a Houston-based defense company called Texas Armament and Technology. Haba claiming that $5.6 million of that transfer was intended as a donation to the Kennedy Center, but the money never reached the institution. Grinnell denying any wrongdoing, acknowledging that he previously worked as a consultant for the White House, but maintaining that he had no involvement with the business when the transfer occurred the following year. The dispute reaching President Trump on October 9th, when Haba reportedly confronted the president in the Oval Office about the alleged missing donation. Central to Haba's claims is a purported text message from Grinnell to Mildon dated May 3rd, 2025. In the message, Grinnell allegedly promising to arrange the donation once the money reached the company, offering Mildon access to exclusive Kennedy Center events, including the President. The Daily Mail now reporting that White House officials are questioning whether Grinnell actually sent the message, pointing to unusual spelling choices, including the British spelling of center and the hyphenated form of email. One White House official telling the outlet that those word choices are not typical of an American writer, raising concerns that the message may have been fabricated. A second official cautioning that the White House has not determined whether the text is legitimate, and that questions about its authenticity do not automatically answer the question of whether or not Grinnell sent the message. The Daily Mail reporting that White House attorneys have requested evidence connecting the message to Grinnell's phone, as the two sides dispute whether Haba's legal team has supplied everything requested. Grinnell's attorneys reportedly offering to conduct a forensic examination of his phone to demonstrate that the message did not originate from the device, although officials tell the Daily Mail that the results had not been provided as of Monday night. Kennedy Center records showing no donation from Mildon approaching that amount, although the Daily Mail reporting that the message had not been provided as of Monday night. Grinnell rejecting the accusations outright, previously telling the Daily Mail he never directed Mildon to send money elsewhere under the pretense of donating it to the Kennedy Center and never received a payment from him. U.S. intelligence agencies reportedly identifying a suspected Chinese spy who developed a close relationship with NVIDIA CEO Jensen Wang. The New York Times reporting President Trump was briefed on the findings nearly a year ago, but chose not to intervene. The New York Times reporting that President Trump was briefed on the findings According to the Times, the investigation beginning in late 2024, when a U.S. Commerce Department official visited a data center in Malaysia operated by Singapore-based company Megaspeed. The official, discovering advanced NVIDIA equipment still packed in boxes. Raising suspicions the company was illegally diverting restricted American technology to China. That's when Alice Wong, a Chinese executive associated with Megaspeed, came under scrutiny. American intelligence agencies eventually concluding she was gathering information for Beijing. The New York Times reporting that President Trump is in close relationship with NVIDIA CEO Jensen Wang. Raising concerns about China's potential access to sensitive company information and U.S. policy discussions. Jensen Wang becoming an increasingly influential figure in Washington. Cultivating a close relationship with President Trump and successfully lobbying his administration to loosen certain restrictions on chip sales to China. The Times reporting Mr. Trump was briefed on the intelligence findings last year, but chose not to act. The president is reportedly reluctant to disrupt NVIDIA's business or further complicate trade relations with Beijing. At the time, U.S. officials believing Jensen Wong was unaware of Alice Wong's alleged espionage. Some senior Trump administration officials now questioning that assessment. The revelations coming ahead of Trump's planned visit to China next month, where restrictions on American AI technology is likely to be on the agenda. The Times reporting Alice Wong remains under surveillance and Jensen Wong has never received a formal warning from U.S. intelligence officials. The original investigation into Megaspeed transferred to the Justice Department earlier this year. NVIDIA pushing back on the allegations. In a statement to CNBC yesterday, a company spokesperson arguing Jensen Wong's interactions with Alice Wong were routine business dealings, noting the CEO meets with thousands of customers every year. NVIDIA also disputing suspicions of illegal chip shipments to China, arguing those allegations were thoroughly investigated and debunked last year. Megaspeed announcing its own internal investigation and pledging cooperation with U.S. authorities. China's embassy rejecting the espionage allegations. The White House, CIA, and NSA declining to comment to The Times. That'll do it for your AM update. I'm Emily Jaschinski, host of Afterparty. Go and check out more at AfterpartyEmily.com. Catch The Megyn Kelly Show later tonight, live on SiriusXM's The Megyn Kelly Channel, 111 at Noon East, on YouTube.com slash Megyn Kelly, and all podcast platforms. © transcript Emily Beynon