Politics

Ohio gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy’s (R) campaign is no longer airing a controversial ad featuring his opponent’s mother after it ran its course on the air. The campaign previously put millions behind the ad, even after backlash from members of both parties. The ad features Ramaswamy’s Democratic opponent Amy Acton’s mother, who calls her daughter…

Chances of severe weather are looming over certain regions across the U.S. next week, with the possibility of thunderstorms on Election Day potentially impacting voter turnout in key races. Parts of the Northeast have seen a long stretch of dry, warm weather in the recent days, which could extend through the weekend, AccuWeather reported. But,…

Trump’s antisemitism czar terrorized interns while dreaming of a star-studded national tour.

A federal judge rejected on Wednesday a Trump administration request to stop California from processing the ballots of up to 20,000 people over allegations they are likely noncitizens, warning it would "wreak havoc" on the midterm elections.

Both sides have a long tradition of promoting spoiler candidates.

The AP will tabulate results for nearly 7,000 races, including national congressional contests, state legislative and gubernatorial races, as well as some local elections for mayor, city council and school board.

Alaska's governor is ordering an investigation into Democrat Mary Peltola's Senate campaign over reports that it recruited a spoiler candidate to dilute Republican votes. That's as President Trump repeated calls for Peltola's prosecution during a trip to another deep red state where his endorsed candidate is facing headwinds. Liz Landers reports.

Angry about the scale of a contract signed by one of his former lawyers with the family of a wealthy pardon seeker, the president told allies he wanted some of the money to go to his future presidential library.

So a Ninth Circuit panel held today.

Presented by Alliance for Aging Research {beacon} Health Care Health Care The Big Story  HHS begins recruiting new vaccine advisors Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is looking to revive a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) vaccine advisory panel that’s been dormant since last year, after a federal judge blocked his efforts to…

The Trump administration is carrying out the most intense pressure campaign on Cuba in decades. The Cuban government says its plan is simply to endure.

U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper, the commander of forces in the Middle East, briefed President Trump Thursday on the state of the Iran war, with a focus on the ongoing naval blockade , according to two U.S. officials. Why it matters: As he did before Operation Midnight Hammer in June 2025 and Operation Epic Fury in February, Trump is pursuing dual tracks — trying to reach a deal to restart peace talks while also preparing for a possible resumption of major combat operations after the midterms. Behind the scenes: Trump wanted to hear directly from the CENTCOM head on whether the naval blockade is working, the U.S. officials said. Cooper also briefed Trump on the military operation for guiding oil tankers out of the Strait of Hormuz to global energy markets. And he updated Trump on the economic pressure campaign the military is conducting in concert with the Treasury Department. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, White House envoy Steve Witkoff and other senior officials also attended the meeting, the officials said. The White House and CENTCOM declined to comment. The Wall Street Journal first reported the meeting. Driving the news: A group of regional mediators led by Qatar is trying to get the U.S. and Iran to head off a resumption of war after the midterms in favor of negotiations. "The mediation is at a very sensitive stage," a regional source said. Qatari mediators recently delivered a letter from Vice President Vance to Iran's Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Gen. Mohsen Rezaei. Vance proposed restarting negotiations but stressed that any talks would have to address Iran's nuclear program. Trump and Vance met Wednesday to discuss a possible gesture of goodwill toward Iran, such as sending humanitarian goods like food and medicine, according to a source with knowledge. Later in the day, Trump publicly backed the idea. What they're saying: U.S. Amba

The Justice Department has issued grand jury subpoenas to California officials, escalating a dispute over allegations by the federal government that the state may have as many as 20,000 non-citizens registered to vote.

Democrats are favored to take the House in November, but the size of their potential majority could hinge on a handful of competitive races. Four are in Pennsylvania, where President Trump and Republicans made significant gains in 2024. Now, Democrats are betting that the president's low approval ratings and frustration over high prices will shift the political landscape. Lisa Desjardins reports.

As candidates make a final push to win over voters ahead of Election Day, Lisa Desjardins takes a deep dive into the battle for the House of Representatives.

California's Michael Alejandro Castillo Murga became the first U.S. citizen extradited to El Salvador. He faces aggravated femicide charges in a 2019 killing.

Why the GOP is targeting Abdul El-Sayed’s faith more than his ideology.

The 2026 midterms already face a messy pileup of lawsuits and ballot battles, raising fears about election confidence before voters even finish casting ballots . Why it matters: Election challenges aren't unusual, but as the Trump administration continues to make false claims about widespread voter fraud, officials are juggling fights over voter lists, mail-ballot rules and election certification challenges. What they're saying: "The types of challenges that we are seeing pre-election, this close to election day, are very unusual, and mostly because they are coming from the federal government," Jonathan Diaz of the Campaign Legal Center told Axios. "These lawsuits are frivolous," Diaz said, adding they could "create doubt in the minds of the public about the legitimacy of the election process." The other side: The White House referred Axios to comments President Trump made to the media. The Department of Justice did not respond to Axios' request for comment. Here's some of the ways chaos and uncertainty have shaped the 2026 midterms: California In the Golden State, the Trump administration asked state election officials to set aside ballots from roughly 20,000 registered voters whom the DOJ suspects are noncitizens. A federal judge rejected that push Wednesday night, warning that the administration lacked sufficient evidence to justify potentially disenfranchising eligible voters. The judge noted that the DOJ had made similar claims in neighboring Nevada, where election officials determined that 185 voters the DOJ had flagged as noncitizens were actually U.S. citizens. Diaz told Axios that, from his perspective as a voting-rights advocate, the California battle is "not a real lawsuit. It's a political press release that they just happened to submit to the court." The other side: The White House directed questions about the ruling to remarks Trump made Thursday, in which he said "California is very corrupt," and the state's elections are "extremely corrupt." He did n

A Pirro aide said they’d made a problematic mistake in their politically charged case against Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides, an FBI agent testified.