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US Politics

US politics: the White House, Congress, the courts and the elections.

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US Politics

Hochul defies Democratic leaders, opts New York into federal school choice program

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has opted the state into the Trump administration's Education Freedom Tax Credit, breaking with the Democratic leaders of both legislative chambers and making New York the 31st state to join the first nationwide federal school choice program. 'I'm not going to leave money on the table when it could help our kids,' Hochul said in her Oct. 9 announcement. She is only the second Democratic governor to join, after Colorado Gov. Jared Polis.

·3 min
US Politics

AIPAC stops endorsing candidates and making direct PAC contributions

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee announced Wednesday that it will no longer issue endorsements, make direct PAC contributions or earmark funds for political candidates, a major shift for the influential lobbying group as it faces growing criticism over its role in the 2026 midterm elections and its positions on the wars in Gaza and Iran. AIPAC says its mission is unchanged and its affiliated super PAC will continue to operate.

·3 min
US Politics

Democrats sue Trump administration over 'intimidation' of election officials with flawed noncitizen voter data

Prominent Democratic groups and leaders including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday accusing the Trump administration of illegally pressuring states to purge voter rolls using unreliable noncitizen data and threatening election officials with prosecution. The suit, which names President Donald Trump, the Justice Department, the Department of Homeland Security and their heads, asks a judge to declare the actions unlawful and block further interference.

·2 min·2 sources
US Politics

White House gives Politico 48 hours to retract Susie Wiles stories or face 'consequences'

The White House has demanded that Politico retract or correct three stories about Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, issue a public apology and remove the reports from its archives within 48 hours, warning of unspecified consequences if it does not. The ultimatum, from White House Counsel Will Scharf, deepens an ongoing confrontation between the administration and Washington news organizations.

·3 min
US Politics

Trump administration drops appeal of ruling blocking Public Service Loan Forgiveness limits

The Trump administration has agreed to drop two of its appeals of a federal court ruling that blocked its plan to limit eligibility for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, according to reports on Wednesday. The decision marks a pause in the administration's efforts to narrow the program, which forgives student debt for government and nonprofit workers after 10 years of payments.

·2 min·4 sources
US Politics

Trump administration files emergency Supreme Court appeal over Big Bend border wall

The Trump administration filed an emergency petition with the Supreme Court on Wednesday asking the justices to lift a federal judge's injunction blocking construction of a border wall system across roughly 500 miles of Texas's Big Bend region, a day after the judge again ruled against the administration. Solicitor General D. John Sauer called the injunction "baseless" and argued that the government's border-security interests outweigh the environmental, aesthetic and recreational harms cited by opponents. The court has not yet responded.

·3 min·7 sources
US Politics

Senate Republicans weigh emergency spending as Democrats put Mississippi in play

Senate Republicans are considering last-ditch spending in Mississippi and additional cash for South Carolina and Kansas, an acknowledgment that the party's once-impregnable Senate map is now under strain. The scramble comes as Senate Majority PAC, the main Democratic super PAC, announced a $1.2 million investment in the Mississippi race on Tuesday to back Democrat Scott Colom against Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith.

·2 min·2 sources
US Politics

Trump's political groups burn through $277M in midterm spending, leaving $164M still in the tank

President Donald Trump’s political groups have spent nearly $277 million since the start of September to boost Republican midterm candidates, an outlay that strategists say far outstrips any previous sitting president, according to new Federal Election Commission filings. The bulk of the money flowed through Trump's flagship super PAC, MAGA Inc., which transferred $200 million to No Going Back PAC and $25 million to Safety & Affordability PAC for advertising. Despite the heavy spending, MAGA Inc. still reported $164 million cash on hand as of Oct. 14, giving the Trump operation ample firepower for the final weeks of the campaign.

·3 min
US Politics

FEMA denies individual aid for Texas flood survivors, shifting responsibility to states

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has denied a request for individual assistance for Texans affected by July 2026 floods, telling states they must take the lead on disaster recovery. Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Division of Emergency Management are reviewing the decision, according to a statement from the governor's office. The denial leaves residents in Kerr County and Uvalde, many still rebuilding from deadly floods in July 2025, without federal funds for temporary housing, home repairs and lost belongings.

·3 min
US Politics

Trump super PACs pour $300m into House races as once-safe Republican seats become competitive

Trump-aligned super PACs have unleashed more than $300 million into the midterm campaign, with new Federal Election Commission filings showing heavy spending in House districts that were barely competitive two years ago. The outlays include $75.5 million in the first two weeks of October, much of it routed through two new groups: No Going Back PAC and Safety & Affordability PAC, which together have reported over $209 million in independent expenditures.

·3 min
US Politics

New Mexico sues Epstein's lawyer and accountant for facilitating sex trafficking

New Mexico's attorney general filed a federal civil lawsuit Wednesday against Jeffrey Epstein's longtime personal lawyer, Darren Indyke, and his accountant, Richard Kahn, accusing them of facilitating and concealing the late financier's sex trafficking operation. The suit asks a federal judge to prevent the two men from receiving payments from Epstein's estate while the case proceeds.

·2 min·6 sources
US Politics

40 charged in $40M SNAP fraud scheme, Vance announces

Vice President JD Vance announced Wednesday that 40 individuals have been charged in connection with more than $40 million in fraud targeting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a federally funded food assistance program for low-income Americans. The announcement comes as the Trump administration highlights its anti-fraud task force, created in February, which the White House says has identified $260.7 billion in fraud across the federal government since President Trump took office.

·3 min
US Politics

Severely ill ICE detainees face imminent deportation to unknown African countries, advocates warn

Advocates and family members say US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is preparing to deport severely ill detainees from Florida detention centers to unspecified African countries this week, despite worsening medical conditions and the risk of inadequate care upon arrival. The Workers Circle, an immigration advocacy group, and attorneys representing detainees revealed the planned flights at a Tuesday press conference, citing calls from detainees at facilities in south Florida.

·4 min
US Politics

Kagan: Supreme Court conservative rulings have created a 'nightmare' for US democracy

Justice Elena Kagan has launched a blistering critique of the US Supreme Court's conservative majority, arguing that its recent rulings on redistricting and campaign finance have undermined American democracy and made the political system 'a nightmare.' Speaking at Catholic University's law school in Washington DC on Tuesday, the liberal justice warned that the court's decisions were pushing candidates toward the extremes and deepening polarization, just two weeks before the midterm elections.

·2 min
US Politics

Trump mandates AI data centers to pay energy dividends to local communities

President Donald Trump has called on AI data center operators to pay 'dividends' to local communities to offset the environmental and energy burdens of the facilities, marking a shift ahead of the November midterm elections. In a Truth Social post, Trump warned that data centers would be mandated to generate their own electricity and sell or give excess power back to the grid, aiming to make the centers more palatable to voters.

·3 min·2 sources
US Politics

California calls DOJ voter roll lawsuit 'absurd' as 28 permanent residents charged

California filed a blistering response Tuesday to a Trump administration lawsuit demanding the state purge thousands of voters from its rolls, calling the action 'borders on the absurd.' The filing came as a Los Angeles County elections official submitted a court declaration finding the federal government's list of suspected noncitizen voters deeply flawed. Separately, the U.S. Department of Justice announced charges against 28 lawful permanent residents accused of illegally registering or voting.

·3 min·3 sources
US Politics

Columbia analysis shows major time savings as permitting bill faces new criticism from left

The push to pass a sweeping bipartisan permitting bill enters a critical stretch, bolstered by a new Columbia University analysis projecting major time savings for energy projects and a letter from 19 former senior officials spanning six presidential administrations, but facing fresh criticism from Representative Ro Khanna over its implications for data centre construction. The Senate is expected to hold a procedural vote on the bill immediately after lawmakers return from the midterm recess.

·2 min
US Politics

Trump administration leaves Ukrainian and Sudanese TPS holders in limbo as midterms approach

The Trump administration has left more than 100,000 Ukrainians and Sudanese in the United States in legal limbo, neither terminating nor renewing their Temporary Protected Status as it lapsed on Monday. The move breaks with months of policy and comes as immigration advocates question whether the timing is tied to the November 3 midterm elections, in which Republicans are fighting for control of Congress.

·4 min
US Politics

Texas comptroller's 'executive orders' called 'internal housekeeping' as election nears

Texas Comptroller Don Huffines has issued four directives he calls executive orders that would rewrite state rules on online marketplace taxes, medical record fees, Flock surveillance cameras and spending on diversity programs. Experts and his Democratic challenger say the orders are really internal rulemaking dressed up to amplify the appointed incumbent's profile weeks before the November 3 election.

·4 min
US Politics

GOP activist who pressed El-Sayed on Muslim Brotherhood had ties to anti-El-Sayed campaign, records show

The man who confronted Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed at a town hall and demanded he disavow the Muslim Brotherhood was a former aide to Republican Senator Josh Hawley, and his father's firm was paid $250,000 by a non-profit for canvassing and influencer marketing against El-Sayed, according to federal records. The exchange, viewed more than 50 million times, has become a flashpoint in a race marked by what researchers say is the worst wave of Islamophobic attacks since the aftermath of 9/11.

·3 min·2 sources
US Politics

Political campaigns spend $137 million on AI ads ahead of US midterms, up from near zero in 2024

A new report from the Wesleyan Media Project has revealed that spending on AI-generated campaign ads has surged to more than $137 million ahead of the 2026 US midterm elections, a dramatic increase from less than $50,000 in the 2024 cycle. The study, which tracked over 220 campaign videos made at least partly with AI, found that Republican campaigns or political action committees were responsible for 81 percent of the ads and 88 percent of the spending. Researchers and candidates alike have raised concerns about the lack of disclosure, with more than 70 percent of AI ads containing no disclaimer that they were generated by artificial intelligence.

·3 min
US Politics

Vance defends Ramaswamy ad featuring opponent's estranged mother, says appropriateness 'not my concern'

Vice President JD Vance defended an Ohio campaign ad that uses Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton's estranged mother to attack her character, telling reporters on Wednesday that whether the ad was appropriate 'is not really my concern', instead directing focus on who will govern. The ad, produced by Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy, features Donna Arthur accusing her daughter of lying about her past, though Arthur lost custody of Acton when she was a child and the two have not spoken since 1978.

·3 min·8 sources
US Politics

Guatemalan man sentenced to 30 years for role in San Antonio migrant truck deaths that killed 53

A federal judge in San Antonio on Tuesday sentenced Guatemalan national Rigoberto Ramon Miranda-Orozco to 30 years in prison for his role in the 2022 human smuggling operation that left 53 migrants dead inside a tractor-trailer. Miranda-Orozco, 39, pleaded guilty in July to conspiracy and aiding and abetting human smuggling offenses resulting in death and serious bodily injury. Authorities have called the tragedy the deadliest human smuggling event in U.S. history.

·2 min·3 sources
US Politics

ACA anti-fraud sweep removes 760,000 as transparency concerns emerge

The Trump administration has removed 760,000 people from Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance plans in a sweeping anti-fraud effort. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) instructed insurers to disenroll policyholders who failed to respond to verification requests within 30 days. Supporters call the crackdown a necessary cleanup of the federal marketplace, but health policy experts and insurance industry sources warn that a lack of transparency and a rushed process have likely swept up legitimate enrollees. A second phase is now targeting an additional 419,000 sign-ups.

·3 min
US Politics

House Republicans Hold Narrow Fundraising Lead Over Democrats in 2026 Midterms

House Republicans are entering the final two weeks of the 2026 midterm campaign with a rare fundraising advantage. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has outraised the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) by $1 million over the current cycle, taking in $250 million compared to the DCCC's $249 million, according to figures shared by Axios. The result marks a sharp turnaround from the 2022 and 2024 cycles, when Democrats held advantages of $74 million and $84 million respectively.

·2 min