1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

This November's midterm is a straightforward referendum: will Congress be a check on Trump, or a rubber stamp? The answer should be obvious. Trump's approval has collapsed to 33 percent, down from 40 percent in January. At the GOP's own convention this week, he spoke to a half-full stadium, lied about it to the crowd's face, and spent two hours recycling the same promises that haven't materialized in two years. His $5,000 check pledge is economic fantasy — his own answer for why it hasn't happened yet was incoherent. Meanwhile, diesel just hit $6 a gallon for the first time in history, and experts are warning it will reignite inflation across the entire supply chain in time for the holidays. This is the record Republicans want you to run on. Voters aren't buying it — 49 percent want Democrats to take the House, versus 38 percent who want Republicans to keep it. Do your job. Be the check this country needs.