News without the noise
US politics: the White House, Congress, the courts and the elections.
1032 articles · page 16 of 22
Donald Trump has promised a $5,000 'Trump Dividend' for every adult American if Republicans keep control of the House and Senate in the upcoming midterm elections, but Vice-President JD Vance has appeared to walk back the pledge, indicating the payment might not go to all and would be funded by tariff revenues despite Supreme Court rulings against much of Trump's trade agenda.
· 2 sourcesUS President Donald Trump has announced a $700 healthcare rebate for approximately 1 million Americans, described as an Obamacare 'refund', adding to his earlier pledge to give every adult $5000 if Republicans win the November midterm elections. The twin promises have sparked debate over legality, cost and feasibility.
· 8 sourcesUS President Donald Trump has said he does not expect the war with Iran to end until after the November midterm elections, adding that oil prices will not fall until then. Speaking en route to the Republican Party's first midterm convention in Texas on Wednesday, Trump told reporters he believes the war will end 'immediately after' the vote because Iran's leaders 'can't hold out any longer'.
· 2 sourcesDemocratic Senator John Fetterman made a surprise virtual appearance at the Republican midterm convention on Wednesday, delivering a video address in which he endorsed Republican Senator Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania and declared he would 'always reject the extremes and socialism,' further distancing himself from his own party.
· 3 sourcesA government watchdog group has filed a formal ethics complaint over President Donald Trump's $45,000 cash gifts to three White House aides, arguing the payments — equal to 30% of each staffer's annual salary — may constitute serious ethical violations and warrant a federal investigation.
· 7 sourcesThe Trump administration on Wednesday proposed changes to the US census that would exclude immigrants without legal status, a move that would significantly affect the allocation of federal resources and the drawing of congressional districts if adopted.
· 2 sourcesJackson, Mississippi police have arrested a man in connection with the death of Tasia Fortune, a 29-year-old Black woman whose body was found hanging from a tree last month, and the state medical examiner has ruled her death a homicide, authorities announced Friday.
· 2 sourcesThe White House has taken down a Tetris-style game called "Build The Wall" from its website days after The Tetris Company publicly raised concerns that the game infringed on its copyright, according to a BBC report.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has announced new agency-level reforms that prioritize commercial fishing and deregulation over conservation, drawing sharp criticism from scientists who warn the changes will erode fish stocks, threaten endangered species, and surrender marine habitats to destructive trawlers.
· 2 sourcesLess than two months before the November midterm elections, Missouri's congressional maps are in legal limbo after conflicting court rulings. The state cannot use a newly redrawn map that Republicans say would give them an edge, but a federal judge has also temporarily barred the use of the existing districts, leaving officials scrambling for a solution.
Iceland has become the latest nation to enter a diplomatic confrontation with the United States after Donald Trump shared a map on his Truth Social platform that depicted the Nordic island nation, along with Canada, Mexico, Greenland and several Caribbean countries, as star-spangled American territory. Iceland’s foreign minister this week summoned the newly appointed US ambassador to explain the image, while the prime minister called it an insult to Icelanders.
The United States military is fighting on two fronts — a war in the Gulf to prise the Strait of Hormuz from Iran's grip, and a culture war inside the Pentagon where Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is pushing a promised shake-up. Last week, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll stepped down after repeated clashes with Hegseth over the nature and pace of reform, becoming the latest in a string of senior departures. The upheaval has drawn rare public criticism from Republican Senator Thom Tillis and former National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, who warned it risks damaging the world's most formidable fighting force and America's global alliances.
US President Donald Trump has again told a story that firefighters "literally lifted me up" and carried him from a building in danger of collapse near Ground Zero in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, according to reports. The claim, which he has resurrected before, has no definitive proof.
· 6 sourcesThe animated satirical series South Park has announced it will be known as “South America” for its upcoming 29th season, a pointed response to President Donald Trump’s campaign to rename geographic features after “America.” Co-creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker said the change was “inspired by the bravery and patriotism” of Apple and Google, which complied with Trump’s request to rename Lake Ontario to “Lake America.”
· 2 sourcesThe Supreme Court has ordered broadcast television stations to extend their lowest advertising rates to political parties and joint fundraising committees, a ruling that benefits Republican campaign committees in the final weeks before the 2026 midterm elections.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has ruled that the federal Constitution does not guarantee a right to clean water, affirming a lower court's dismissal of a 2022 lawsuit brought by residents of Jackson, Mississippi, over the city's lead-contaminated water system. The decision, issued late last week, means the plaintiffs cannot seek federal constitutional remedies for their alleged exposure to tainted drinking water.
· 3 sourcesBorder Patrol has been running secretive predictive policing units that analyze Americans’ financial activity and other data, then feed the intelligence to local police who pull over drivers not suspected of any specific crime, 404 Media reported Tuesday. The units, called Predictive Intelligence Targeting Teams (PITT), have operated in the Spokane Sector along the Canadian border and the Laredo Sector along the Mexican border.
· 2 sourcesNew Hampshire voters head to the polls Tuesday for primaries that will set up a closely watched Senate contest, as Democrats seek to defend a vulnerable open seat left by retiring three-term incumbent Jeanne Shaheen. The Democratic primary features centrist Congressman Chris Pappas against progressive scientist and activist Karishma Manzur, while Republicans see an opportunity to flip the seat.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has released a tranche of 170,000 previously unreported documents that show officials detected asbestos 'nearly everywhere' they tested near Ground Zero in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, even as the public was repeatedly told the air was safe to breathe. The release, which resolves a lawsuit brought by the advocacy group 9/11 Health Watch, comes on the 25th anniversary of the attacks and includes air quality reports and internal communications.
The US Department of Health and Human Services has released a report connecting 'gender ideology' to left-wing authoritarianism and political violence, a study that scientists say is poorly conducted and 'nakedly political,' likely further politicizing science and health. The report follows the Trump administration's broader efforts to limit access to gender-affirming care, including a recent agreement with a New York hospital to end pediatric gender-affirming services.
A coalition of advocacy groups including the Democracy Defenders Fund, the Campaign Legal Center and the American Civil Liberties Union has expanded legal challenges to Donald Trump's executive orders on elections, which they describe as an authoritarian assault on voting rights and a self-serving attempt to influence the upcoming midterm elections.
The man at the centre of a trillion-dollar lawsuit against Saudi Arabia over the 9/11 attacks had extensive ties to Saudi officials and went paintballing with a future al-Qaeda leader, according to video evidence obtained by the BBC. The investigation also reveals that the FBI possessed the footage and a plane diagram within days of the attacks but never shared the evidence with British interrogators, some of its own agents, or the 9/11 Commission.
· 2 sourcesThe FBI may have buried evidence linking an alleged Saudi agent to the 9/11 attacks, according to newly obtained video footage that shows the man, Omar al-Bayoumi, going paintballing with a future al-Qaeda leader and maintaining extensive ties to Saudi government officials, the BBC reports.
Amy Acton, the Democratic candidate for Ohio governor, was the target of an attack on Sunday during a campaign stop at the Canfield Fair, the campaign confirmed. The armed assailant lunged at Acton, knocking volunteers to the ground before being arrested; several people were injured. Authorities have charged the suspect with misdemeanor assault, noting he did not draw his weapons.
· 4 sourcesThe US Supreme Court on Monday rejected President Donald Trump's attempt to impose new restrictions on mail-in voting for November's midterm elections, keeping in place a federal judge's order that blocked the administration from requiring the US Postal Service to deliver ballots only to voters on government-compiled citizenship lists. The decision marks the third time the Trump administration has been rebuffed by the high court on its emergency docket, though Justice Brett Kavanaugh indicated he might later rule in the president's favour as litigation continues.
· 7 sourcesThe Pentagon conducted polygraph tests on approximately 50 high-ranking military officials and civilian employees, including members of the Joint Staff, as part of a sweeping investigation into leaks to journalists about dwindling weapons stockpiles during the war with Iran, according to reports.
· 2 sourcesThe Pentagon has subjected roughly 50 members of the Joint Staff to polygraph tests as part of an aggressive leak investigation, asking military officers and civilian employees whether they disclosed classified information — specifically about shortages of long-range missiles and Patriot interceptors — following news reports that emerged as the U.S. continues its military operations against Iran.
· 4 sourcesMissouri officials have asked the Supreme Court to reinstate the state's Republican-friendly congressional map, which a lower court invalidated, warning that the ruling threatens to disrupt the upcoming midterm elections.
· 3 sourcesFlock Safety's network of automated license-plate recognition cameras is facing a rare bipartisan backlash in the United States, as politicians from both sides of the aisle respond to growing public opposition to the surveillance technology.
Attorneys general from 20 US states and Washington, DC, have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging it illegally rolled back endangered species protections for grey wolves and Mexican wolves following President Donald Trump's executive order last week.
· 4 sourcesThe Trump administration has imposed tariffs of up to 100% on imported drones and their components, effective September 3, 2026, in a bid to reduce reliance on foreign-made unmanned aircraft systems, particularly from China, citing national security concerns.
The Department of Homeland Security has requested inquiries into certain voting machines, particularly ballot-marking devices, after critics alleged that hackers could manipulate digital codes on ballots. Election experts, however, say the systems are safe to use, setting up a debate over election integrity ahead of future votes.
A Massachusetts judge has declared a mistrial in the murder case against Lindsay Clancy after jurors told the court they could not reach a unanimous verdict. Clancy, who faced three counts of first-degree murder for the 2023 deaths of her three children, does not deny the killings but pleaded not guilty, with her lawyers arguing she suffered from postpartum psychosis and should not be held criminally responsible. The five-week trial deeply divided public opinion across the United States.
A federal judge on Friday once again blocked President Donald Trump's executive order imposing sweeping restrictions on mail-in voting, issuing a preliminary injunction just hours after North Carolina became the first state to begin sending out mail ballots for the November midterm elections.
· 2 sourcesThe Pentagon has temporarily rescinded a clinical guidance document for mandatory testosterone screening of US military personnel just one day after its release, following an announcement by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in July.
Donald Trump intends to use the Boeing 747 jet gifted by Qatar for his upcoming trip to Ireland, marking the first international deployment of the aircraft since questions were raised about its ability to protect the president from attack, according to a senior administration official.
The Federal Communications Commission has asked a court to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Disney over the potential nonrenewal of ABC's broadcast licenses, while two watchdog groups and individual ABC viewers seek to intervene in the case, arguing that Disney might settle with the FCC on terms not in the public's interest.
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) on Sunday publicly disagreed with President Trump’s characterization of the ongoing military escalation with Iran as “small potatoes,” calling the situation “serious” and urging the administration to recognize the gravity of the conflict. The rebuke marks a rare intra-party split over Trump’s handling of the crisis.
· 3 sourcesA US war veteran who named her Memphis retirement home 'Serenity' says her peace has been destroyed by the noise and fumes from Elon Musk's SpaceXAI data centre Colossus II, built quietly in an abandoned warehouse with minimal oversight. The conflict is one of many flaring across the country as an AI-driven data centre boom overwhelms local regulations and becomes a hot-button issue ahead of the midterm elections, with some Republican candidates breaking party ranks to oppose new developments.
· 2 sourcesA Massachusetts judge has declared a mistrial in the case of Lindsay Clancy, the mother accused of murdering her three young children in 2023, after the jury announced it was deadlocked for a third time following more than 38 hours of deliberation. The 12-person jury, composed of nine women and three men, was split 11 to one on the verdict, according to notes sent to the court.
· 11 sourcesImmigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has banned contact visits at the California City detention center, the largest immigration facility in California, leaving families like that of Teresa Reyes unable to embrace their loved ones. Reyes drove 300 miles for her son Guillermo's 32nd birthday in May but was only permitted to see him through a thick glass partition, unable to give a gift, share a meal, or even touch him.
The US Supreme Court on Thursday rejected an emergency appeal by Missouri officials to use a Trump-backed Republican congressional map in the November midterm elections, letting stand a Missouri Supreme Court ruling that blocked the new lines and ordered a voter referendum on the map.
· 4 sourcesA judge in Massachusetts has rejected a defence request to remove a juror from the trial of Lindsay Clancy, the former labour and delivery nurse accused of murdering her three children, after the jury forewoman reported that one panel member would not follow instructions on reasonable doubt. The decision came on the sixth day of deliberations, with the jury having previously reported it was deadlocked.
Missouri House candidate Thomas Ross was arrested Wednesday on federal charges alleging he conspired to plant cocaine and Adderall on his Republican primary opponent, Louise Secker, in an attempt to sabotage her campaign.
President Donald Trump on Thursday named Adam Telle as acting secretary of the Army, following the resignation of Daniel Driscoll, who departed amid widespread reports of tensions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
· 2 sourcesA federal judge late Wednesday temporarily blocked a Trump administration effort to overturn California's clean car rules through Congress, according to reports from The Hill. Judge Beryl Howell, an Obama appointee, halted an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) move that would have allowed Congress and President Trump to undo California's emissions standards for vehicles and lawn equipment.
· 2 sourcesHealth Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to delete two measles deaths from the agency's public tally, according to reports published today. The deaths — of a newborn and a child in Pennsylvania — were removed from the CDC website on August 30, but the agency is reportedly still counting them internally.
Elizabeth Oyer, the former pardon attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, has filed a lawsuit against the department and Attorney General Todd Blanche, claiming she was unlawfully fired after refusing to recommend restoring actor Mel Gibson’s gun rights as a political favor for President Trump.