President Donald Trump has frequently been accused this year of prioritizing pet construction projects rather than addressing voters’ concerns about the economy and rising prices ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. True to form, in a speech that had been billed as his closing argument to voters and, likely, his final public appearance before the […]
President Trump told Axios in a phone interview Monday he's "in no rush" to decide whether to resume fighting in Iran. Why it matters: The midterm elections have been seen as an inflection point for Trump on whether to unleash a massive bombing campaign to try to bring the war to an end. But it appears the president, at least for now, will continue pursuing dual tracks — letting negotiations play out while preparing to go back to war if he concludes a deal isn't possible. What he is saying: "One way or the other, we will do something, but there is no rush. We crippled them financially. They have no money, no gasoline and their people are getting very tired of it," Trump said in the interview. Driving the news: Qatari mediators have written a draft agreement outlining a three-day sequence of confidence-building measures aimed at resuming direct U.S.-Iran negotiations, according to regional sources. A diplomat with knowledge of the situation said the Qatari mediators are waiting for feedback from the U.S. and Iran. Trump is giving diplomacy a chance but is clear-eyed about the chances of reaching a deal. "We are talking to them. It's going fine. The problem with them is ... they try and tap tap tap [us along]. There's less urgency [on the Iranian side] than you think there would be, but they want to make deal more than they ever wanted," Trump said. Between the lines: Trump is weighing three courses of action, backed by three different camps: Make a deal: Vice President Vance and White House envoy Steve Witkoff are urging him to move toward a deal because a renewed war might not change the situation for the better. Most Gulf countries support this position and have communicated that to Trump, sources say. Go back to battle: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to resume combat, as does Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. They argue that Iran can't be trusted to make a deal let alone abide by one, and that Trump should finish the job militarily. Maximum econo
New York Times polling gives all seven U.S. Senate swing states to Democrats, including Kansas and Iowa. The Washington Post released a poll last week showing Democrats winning a U.S. Senate seat in Kansas — Kansas! — by ten points. The post Nolte: NY Times, Washington Post Fret over Republicans Ignoring Pollsters appeared first on Breitbart .
Erin Ogunkeye is pleased to welcome Richard Johnson, Senior Lecturer in US Politics at Queen Mary University of London. He says that "Donald Trump is damaged goods at this point in his presidency." With this uncompromising assessment, Johnson takes us through the political forces shaping the 2026 US midterm elections. Far from assuming that Trump's formidable campaigning instincts can once again mobilize Republican voters, Johnson questions whether the president's political influence has become a liability for the very party he once transformed. He points to a potentially significant realignment within the American electorate. Economic grievances, rising living costs, trade disputes and disillusionment with the war in Iran appear, in Johnson's reading, to be weakening important elements of the coalition that sustained Trump's return to power. Particularly consequential is the possibility that Latino voters, agricultural communities and sections of the MAGA electorate may be reconsidering their political loyalties or withdrawing from electoral participation altogether.
Vice President Vance is hitting the campaign trail in New York and Ohio on Monday, making a final push for Republicans with the midterms just one day away. He will first rally voters in Rome, N.Y., alongside GOP House hopeful Anthony Constantino, who is competing in a district President Trump carried by 21 points in…
Kelly Loeffler says the SBA delivered $100 billion to Main Street businesses for a second straight year under Trump's tax and trade policies.
Despite the US president’s ratings being at rock bottom, undoing his legacy will be difficult, not least because the Democrats are in disarray The stats and polling all suggest one thing: the Republicans are set for a hammering in the midterms. Donald Trump has the lowest approval rating of any US president going into a midterm election since Harry Truman. And it’s still dropping. The Democrats are projected to win by a margin of 11 percentage points , the largest swing by any party in almost 20 years. It is possible that the Democrats flip the Senate and secure a large majority in Congress. Those majorities would make a material difference, perhaps finally establishing oversight of the policies Trump has brought in during his second term: immigration enforcement, trade disputes, gutting the federal workforce, the Iran war, to say nothing of his own family’s corruption. The tide seems to be turning, and one question is on everyone’s mind: is the Trump era really ending? “Nobody wants to jinx it,” wrote David Wallace-Wells of the New York Times, but: “All the signs we have suggest that, historic or not, these midterms are likely to mark the end of a political era.” What that gives way to is a much more complicated picture in which the US will be delivered from Trump himself, but remains a country riven and undermined by what he has unleashed. By the time he is gone, Trump will have been president for eight years, and a toxic force for more than 12. That is a long time even for a normal politician. Under one who shatters norms and forces himself into the centre of everything, Trump’s effect is as if he were president for decades. Continue reading...
Republican Michigan Senate hopeful Mike Rogers said that an internal model has him up by almost seven points with early votes in the critical contest.
Florida Republicans aren't panicking about sluggish turnout for the midterms , but in the words of one GOP elder: "We're white-knuckled." Why it matters: Florida once looked like a much safer Republican bet for the midterms. Losing any statewide race would stun and embarrass its elite Republican residents, starting with President Trump . "I don't necessarily want to be the bearer of bad news, but I don't think the turnout is as strong as we would like to see," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis fretted last week. The biggest GOP concern is U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds' campaign for governor, though most polls show him narrowly leading Democrat David Jolly. Donalds has raised $176 million; Jolly just $28 million. Zoom in : The GOP's jitters are rooted in early turnout data. Republicans led Democrats in early ballots cast by just 2.8 percentage points as of Saturday afternoon. That's much lower than in the past two general elections — and it's despite a much-bigger Republican registration advantage over Democrats: 11 points. Republican turnout is weakest in parts of the conservative Panhandle and rural North Florida, including many of the 17 counties Donalds lost in the Republican primary. In those 17 counties, GOP turnout is 3.2 points below 2022, compared with 1.1 points below in counties that Donalds won, University of Florida political scientist Michael McDonald found. Between the lines: Republican turnout is made up of more habitual voters, while Democrats and independents are banking ballots from people who don't always show up. That could benefit Jolly if polls underestimate those voters. Democrats already have surpassed their entire 2022 early and mail-in vote totals in 15 counties, compared with four counties for Republicans. Nearly every poll shows independent voters favoring Democrats by double digits, so Republicans need a heavy turnout advantage. About two-thirds of Florida voters typically cast ballots before Election Day, making the early and absentee margins critica
Notching wins from Washington, the Russian leader is talking with foreign leaders and could return to diplomatic center stage with possible summit meetings.
Just ahead of Election Day, Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) leads his independent challenger Dan Osborn, a new survey of the Nebraska Senate race shows. The New York Times/Siena University poll shows Ricketts leading Osborn by 6 points, 49 percent to 43 percent, respectively, among likely Nebraska voters. November’s election is the second cycle in a…
Lance Wallnau has gathered supporters to talk about Charlie Kirk and school boards – with no mention of GOP One of Donald Trump’s most influential Christian nationalist backers has privately shied away from rallying supporters for the Republican party before the midterms, instead urging them to focus their attention elsewhere – including emulating El Salvador and Poland, finding a successor for Charlie Kirk and even focusing on their own diets. At the “As One” weekend for paying “partners” in the Dallas-Fort Worth area earlier this month, Lance Wallnau, one of the first prominent rightwing evangelicals to back Trump in 2015, spoke across three sessions about the virtues of El Salvador’s prison system, school boards and the movement’s future. The midterms, then little more than three weeks away, were not mentioned once. Continue reading...
Dan Osborn trails by six points, and voters don’t seem to buy that he’s truly independent from Democrats.
The prime minister has categorically ruled out an early general election, but it has not stopped speculation at Westminster.
Vice President Vance joked Thursday he is “jealous” President Trump has repeatedly praised other male politicians’ appearances, namely that of Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio), and not his own. Asked by Fox News’s Jesse Watters during a town hall why the president continues to compliment Husted’s backside, Vance laughed it off, saying Trump is a comedian.…
A House Republican called the competitive Senate race in South Carolina “embarrassing,” adding that incumbent Sen. Darline Graham (R) is “dragging Rs down the ticket.” “Republicans won this seat by 18 points. The fact it’s this close and the speaker has to come to SC 1 to drag the R across the finish line is…
For years, Supreme Court aspirants have avoided talking about how they might rule. Trump’s frustrations with his first-term picks could change that.
The first lady continues to let her coats do the talking.
Alongside the economy and gas prices, voters from both parties say government corruption is a top issue. Candidates are running ads and talking about the issue on the trail.
Abdul El-Sayed repeatedly dodged a question about whether he would support a universal health care plan that excluded gender transition treatments for minors during a Thursday interview. “Breaking Points” host Saagar Enjeti shared video of the exchange, in which he asked the Michigan Democrat to clarify his position on gender transitions for minors. Noting that ...
Ten months into a US fuel blockade, Cuba’s hospitals, power grid, and economy are buckling, and the threat of invasion has become a midterm talking point in Florida. But the island hasn’t broken. That may make Washington more dangerous, not less.
ProPublica's smear campaigns act as springboards that give Democrats and their media allies the talking points they need to advance their agenda.
In the face of political turmoil, private sector innovation points to the nation’s strength.
President Trump seems to think he can save a vulnerable Ohio Republican senator's ass by talking about how strong it is. Why it matters: Republicans are getting hammered over the war in Iran, gas prices and data centers. But they're playing along with Trump's ogling of male candidates, which he's described as an election strategy. "I don't do this with men very often. I started examining his body because I didn't know he was a great athlete. And I looked and I watched up and down and I looked at his ass," Trump said of Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) at an Ohio rally. "My wife and I have a good sense of humor, and we know he's doing all he can to help us win," Husted told Axios. "We have made sure to hit the gym during the busy campaign to uphold the high standards the president has set for us." Zoom in: In five rallies over three weeks across the country, Trump gave a head-to-toe appraisal of his most vulnerable Republican senator. "His ass was like a big piece of muscle," Trump said in Michigan last week. "Then I looked at his legs and I said, 'Man, his feet are big,' " Trump said in North Carolina. Polling has shown Husted narrowly behind or tied with former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D), and Republicans view him as the most vulnerable GOP incumbent. Zoom out: Husted is getting the most love, but he's not alone. "You know, he's a very handsome guy," Trump said about Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) at a Montana rally earlier this month. "I like the white hair, I like the big, strong build. Big, strong guy." Trump said of Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.), who is running for Senate in Georgia. Trump called him "all man." "I actually think that Rick Jackson's a very handsome, distinguished, beautiful-looking guy," Trump said about the Republican gubernatorial candidate in Georgia. "Look at this beautiful guy," Trump said of House candidate Ed Gallrein (R-Ky.). Trump called him: "Central casting." Between the lines: Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has also joined the fun: "I know tha
The campaign to defend access to transgender healthcare for young people in Missouri is taking an unhurried approach to talking with voters about the proposed ban.
Vice President Vance sent a letter to Iran's national security chief stressing that any negotiations to head off U.S. military strikes "require discussions on the nuclear issue," a U.S. official said. Why it matters: The letter to Mohsen Rezaei, which focused on the possibility of restarting negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, is the most senior-level outreach by the U.S. to Iran in several months. It comes as President Trump considers resuming major combat operations in Iran after the midterm elections. Behind the scenes: Vance suggested sending the letter to Rezaei, who is one of the top national security officials in Iran and has a direct line to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. "The President was enthusiastic about the letter," said the U.S. official, who declined to say when it was sent. The Wall Street Journal first reported the letter. Zoom out: One of the key sticking points in efforts to relaunch negotiations is Iran's demand that the U.S. first lift its naval blockade, release frozen funds, and allow oil sales. The U.S. wants Iran to restart nuclear negotiations before receiving any sanctions relief. What he's saying: Trump told reporters Wednesday that Vance's letter was about helping Iran obtain needed medical supplies. "Basically, it's getting supplies in to help people that are not well," he said.
Democrats will happily tell you how good they feel about retaking the House on Tuesday — just as soon as they stop hyperventilating into a paper bag. Why it matters: They've been burned too many times on Election Day to feel anything more than "nauseously optimistic," as one House Democrat put it to Axios. The polls point to a decisive Democratic victory on Nov. 3, yet fears of a massive polling error or some other eleventh-hour disaster are giving party members sleepless nights. "One woman at a rally in New Jersey told me last week that she was 'nauseously optimistic,'" Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) told Axios. "That may capture a lot of people's last-minute jitters." A House Democrat who has spoken to leadership told Axios: "They feel optimistic. You know, guarded. Guarded optimism. Where we're going to end up, you never know." State of play: Democrats are targeting dozens of Republican-held seats they think could flip, some of which President Trump carried by 10, 15, even 20 percentage points in 2024. Democrats' House Majority PAC, for instance, went on the air Wednesday in retiring Rep. Elise Stefanik's (R-N.Y.) district, which Trump won by 21 points. They also began spending against Rep. Mike Flood (R-Neb.), who won his last reelection with 60% of the vote. HMP is so bullish it has moved money out of the races to replace retiring Reps. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) and Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), which they believe Democrats are on track to win handily. "I am cautiously optimistic we win between 20-25 seats," Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) told Axios. Democrats' landslide scenario puts them closer to 40 or 50 pickups, which would be a historic night for the party. Yes, but: Mid-decade redistricting in Republican-controlled Southern states is all but certain to cut into those gains. The GOP is expected to easily flip redrawn seats in Tennessee and Louisiana where the incumbent Democrats chose to retire rather than face uphill reelection battles. Democratic lead
Long before its baroque décor and class identity became midterm talking points, this durable restaurant chain survived some withering critiques.
Republicans fear that Vivek Ramaswamy 's explosive attack ad featuring his opponent's estranged mother could cost them the Ohio governor's race, based on new internal polling that shows him falling further behind, Axios has learned. Why it matters: The poll's findings underscore Republicans' anxiety over Ramaswamy's decision to air the deeply personal attack on Democrat Amy Acton despite warnings from some fellow Republicans that it crossed a line. Driving the news: The private poll, commissioned by a Republican group and obtained by Axios, found Acton leading Ramaswamy by eight points — up from a two-point lead in the same poll earlier this month, before the ad began circulating on Oct. 19. The ad "is having a significant effect on the gubernatorial race," a memo attached to the poll states. Catch up quick: The ad at the center of the controversy features Donna Arthur, Acton's estranged mother, who accuses her daughter of lying about her childhood and urges Ohioans not to vote for her. Acton has said she was sexually abused by her stepfather when she was 12 and that her mother sided with her abuser. The stepfather was charged with sexual assault but fled to Pennsylvania, where he died in 2004 as a fugitive. Acton and her brother were removed from their mother's custody. Acton has said she hasn't seen her mother since 1978. Zoom out: As Axios first reported , Ramaswamy's campaign treated the ad as a game-changer in the campaign for governor, committing $4 million to airing the commercial statewide despite warnings from other Republicans that it could backfire. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R), who worked closely with Acton when she was the state's health director, said that airing the ad was wrong and urged Ramaswamy to take it down. But President Trump and Vice President Vance backed Ramaswamy. Vance told the bipartisan critics of the ad to "stop whining." The intrigue: The new poll done for Republicans indicates that the ad was indeed a game-changer — just not the type R
Here’s what you need to know from John Healey’s first Budget, as the chancellor sets out the government’s tax and spending plans.
Political editor Chris Mason analyses Chancellor John Healey's Budget 2026 announcements.
California Deputy Atty. Gen. Marissa Roy leads Los Angeles County Deputy Dist. Atty. John McKinney by 17 points in the race to replace Los Angeles City Atty. Hydee Feldstein Soto, according to the latest poll results, which show a large number of voters still remain undecided in the contest.
Senate Republicans see Iowa moving their way and Ohio slipping, with pessimism growing over Alaska and Kansas. Why it matters: Even when they squint, top Republicans struggle to see a majority beyond 51 seats, according to half a dozen senior operatives. ✈️ A combination of paid media and Air Force One visits has bolstered GOP confidence that they'll hold South Carolina and Mississippi . But across the map, the outlook looks bleak, with only a few bright spots. Zoom out: Republicans are fighting a two-front war: unprecedented Democratic enthusiasm and undeniable Republican apathy. 🏈 President Trump's strategy is to whip up the MAGA faithful with rallies in the reddest parts of red states. 😱 "The Red Scream is my biggest concern , not the blue wave," said Alex Castellanos, a veteran Republican consultant who has worked to help Trump get elected. ‼️ "Republicans and independents are going to be screaming for attention, and many of them, including those who voted for Trump, may show their frustration by not showing up." Zoom in: Texas is starting to look like a late-season football showdown against an SEC rival: The GOP is still in the game, but defeat seems like a real possibility. 🌾 In Kansas, Sen. Roger Marshall (R) has stopped the bleeding, but it's unclear whether there's enough time left to save his seat. 🛥️ Republicans are quietly bullish on Michigan, but they recognize that the demographics have to break heavily in their favor, especially among Black voters. By the numbers: The math hasn't changed, but Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) sees multiple paths to 51 seats. No one disputes that North Carolina is going to have a Democratic senator. It seems like another lifetime ago that Republicans were talking seriously about flipping Georgia. If just two of the next tier of Ohio, Kansas and Alaska flip, the Senate would be split 50-50 before factoring in other competitive races, like Michigan, Iowa and Maine. 🦞 In Maine, Republicans and Democrats a
From Brexit debates to North Sea oil, there is plenty getting the cabinet, the Labour Party and the country talking.
The prime minister takes longer than his predecessors to respond to questions from MPs, writes Matt Chorley.
Kemi Badenoch is more popular than her party right now - Tories are hoping it will rub off on them.
