Tuesday 15 September 2026
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US Politics

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US Politics

Trump-Endorsed House Candidate in Kentucky Removes References to President from Campaign Website

Ralph Alvarado, the former Kentucky state senator endorsed by President Trump to succeed retiring Republican Rep. Andy Barr, has removed all references to Trump from his campaign website, signaling a possible strategic shift as the general election approaches. The website previously featured a photo of Alvarado and Trump together giving a thumbs-up, but that image has been replaced with more localized branding.

26 Aug 2026
US Politics

Log Cabin Republicans Withdraw Support for Transgender Causes, Citing Focus on Minors

The Log Cabin Republicans, a longstanding organization advocating for gay rights within the conservative movement, announced on Tuesday that it is ending its support for transgender rights causes, arguing that trans rights advocates have placed disproportionate emphasis on issues affecting minors. The decision marks a significant fracture in the broader LGBTQ+ coalition and reflects growing tensions over the direction of the movement.

26 Aug 2026
US Politics

US Lawmakers Urge Trump Administration to Secure Release of American Student Detained by Israel

A bipartisan group of US lawmakers has called on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to take immediate action to secure the release of 20-year-old American student Sama Safi, who is being held by Israeli authorities. The lawmakers urged the Trump administration to use every available diplomatic tool, underscoring growing concerns over the detention of dual-nationals amid regional tensions.

26 Aug 2026
US Politics

Suppressed Report Reveals Toxic Levels in East Palestine, Residents Allege

Residents of East Palestine, Ohio, participating in a class-action settlement over the 2023 Norfolk Southern train derailment claim their own legal team suppressed an environmental report showing unsafe toxic levels, allegedly to convince residents to accept a settlement rather than pursue further action. The report, kept from the community for months, was revealed by whistleblowers within the plaintiffs' legal group and has reignited concerns over lingering contamination.

26 Aug 2026
US Politics

FEMA Crew Violated Hatch Act by Skipping Homes with Trump Signs, Watchdog Finds

A Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) crew violated the Hatch Act and agency policy by skipping homes with President Trump signs during Hurricane Milton recovery efforts in 2024, according to a new report from the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general's office. The watchdog determined that the crew allowed political considerations to influence the provision of disaster assistance, a breach of federal law.

26 Aug 2026
US Politics

Trump Administration Imposes $103,000 Fee on H-1B Visas, Plans Mass Revocation of Asylum Seekers' Status

In a major escalation of immigration enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security on Monday announced a new fee of over $103,000 on H-1B visas, while the State Department disclosed plans to revoke the visas of up to 200,000 asylum seekers—potentially the largest mass visa revocation in U.S. history—as the Trump administration broadens its campaign to reduce both illegal and legal immigration.

26 Aug 2026
US Politics

South Carolina Senate GOP Primary Runoff: Live Coverage and What’s at Stake

The Hill and Decision Desk HQ are providing live, real-time coverage of Tuesday’s South Carolina Republican Senate special election primary runoff, a contest that will choose the GOP candidate for a closely watched special election to fill the state’s vacant U.S. Senate seat. Anchored by NewsNation’s Cory Smith and featuring campaign reporters and political analysts, the coverage offers fast results and expert analysis as voters head to the polls in a race that could reshape the Senate balance of power.

26 Aug 2026· 2 sources
US Politics

Wife of U.S. Soldier Deported to Honduras Amid Trump Immigration Crackdown

The wife of an active-duty U.S. soldier was deported on Monday to Honduras, marking the latest case of military family separations under the Trump administration's enhanced immigration enforcement. Cristy Maryori Villafranca-Trejo is at least the seventh spouse or parent of a U.S. service member to be removed since President Donald Trump took office for a second term, according to her family and the Department of Homeland Security.

26 Aug 2026· 2 sources
US Politics

Trump administration says Kennedy Center may face demolition without federal aid

The Trump administration has told a federal judge that the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts may have to be demolished if urgent repairs are not made, arguing that the iconic Washington venue cannot survive without the president's support. Department of Justice lawyers made the statement in a court filing, escalating a bitter standoff over the future of one of America's most prominent cultural institutions.

26 Aug 2026· 2 sources
US Politics

Federal Judge Again Blocks Trump's Mail-In Voting Order, Citing Election Integrity Concerns

A federal judge in Massachusetts on Thursday again halted the Trump administration's executive order restricting mail-in voting, placing a 14-day hold on its implementation. The decision by Judge Indira Talwani comes just a week before the first postal ballots are scheduled to be dispatched for the November midterm elections, and sets the stage for a potential return to the Supreme Court, which had overturned an earlier block just three days earlier.

26 Aug 2026· 2 sources
US Politics

Trump faces Republican backlash over plan to suspend tariffs on foreign beef imports

President Donald Trump is facing mounting criticism from within his own Republican Party after announcing a temporary suspension of tariffs on foreign beef, allowing up to 300,000 metric tons of imports to enter the U.S. without the usual duties—a move his administration says is aimed at lowering grocery prices but that GOP lawmakers and farm groups warn will devastate domestic cattle producers.

26 Aug 2026
US Politics

Pennsylvania Reports First Measles Deaths in 35 Years, Both Unvaccinated

Two unvaccinated residents of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, have died from measles, state health officials confirmed Tuesday — the first measles deaths in the state in 35 years and the first in the United States in 2026. The deaths come as Pennsylvania contends with 393 confirmed measles cases across 28 counties this year, part of a broader resurgence of the disease that saw three US fatalities in 2025.

26 Aug 2026· 3 sources
US Politics

ICE Seeks Contractor to Collect National Voter Registration Data, Citing Fraud Detection

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is seeking a federal contractor to collect and manage voter registration and history data from all 50 states and U.S. territories, according to procurement records reviewed by 404 Media. The agency says the data will support Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) fraud detection efforts, but critics warn it could be used to justify mass immigration enforcement actions under the guise of election security.

26 Aug 2026
US Politics

‘Murderous dictators’: Author warns of generational shift toward tyranny, citing Trump's comfort with autocrats

An opinion piece published across multiple Australian newspapers by former Iranian detainee Kylie Moore-Gilbert contends that a younger generation is growing more tolerant of authoritarian rule, singling out Donald Trump as a key influencer who appears ‘more comfortable in the company of dictators than among America’s democratic allies.’ The piece has sparked debate over whether the former US president’s approach reflects a broader global trend or an isolated diplomatic style.

26 Aug 2026· 3 sources
US Politics

Man Charged with Three Felonies After Destroying 3D-Printed Decoy Flock Camera in Florida Police Sting

A Florida man faces three felony charges after cutting down and destroying a 3D-printed decoy Flock camera that police had placed to catch vandals. The Oviedo Police Department deployed the fake camera, made by an officer using a home 3D printer, after several real Flock cameras were stolen in late July and early August. Mayor Megan Sladek said she had "NO idea" the sting was happening and called the incident "speechless."

26 Aug 2026
US Politics

EPA proposes rule change eliminating mandatory public notice for industrial air permits, affecting datacenter transparency

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed a rule change that would eliminate federal minimum requirements for public notice and comment on minor-source air pollution permits under the Clean Air Act, a move critics say could allow datacenter operators to build polluting on-site power generation without community awareness. The Environmental Protection Network, a group of former EPA employees, warns this could affect large-scale, fossil-fueled generators for AI datacenters classified as minor sources, bypassing stricter major-source review.

26 Aug 2026
US Politics

Federal judge reinstates block on mail-in voting restrictions for at least two weeks

A federal judge in Boston on Thursday night again blocked the Trump administration from implementing new mail-in voting restrictions, issuing a temporary restraining order that will remain in place for at least two weeks. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani’s ruling reverses her decision just two days earlier to lift a nationwide block, creating whiplash for election officials and voters as the November midterms approach.

26 Aug 2026· 3 sources
US Politics

Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Wins $300,000 Defamation Verdict Against Newspaper

A Louisiana jury on Monday awarded $300,000 to state Supreme Court Justice Jefferson Davis Hughes III in a rare defamation trial involving an elected public official, ruling that a 2019 editorial published by the state's largest newspaper, the Advocate, had defamed him. The award was significantly less than the $10 million Hughes had sought for reputational harm and emotional distress.

26 Aug 2026· 2 sources
US Politics

AIPAC’s Political Influence Under Scrutiny as Bipartisan Support Wanes

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), long regarded as a dominant force in Washington lobbying, is increasingly viewed as a political liability across the spectrum, according to recent analysis. Once a unifying bridge between pro-Israel Democrats and Republicans, the group now faces mounting opposition from progressive elements on the left and a growing chorus of skepticism from certain right-wing circles, signaling a potential shift in the landscape of US foreign policy lobbying.

26 Aug 2026
US Politics

Fossil Fuel Lobbyists Represent Hundreds of Cities Seeking Climate Damages, Analysis Finds

A new analysis of federal lobbying disclosures reveals that congressional lobbyists employed by fossil fuel companies—which are major contributors to climate change—are simultaneously representing more than 300 local governments that are seeking funding to recover from climate-related disasters. The research, conducted by the watchdog groups F Minus and Make Polluters Pay, reviewed filings from the first quarter of 2026 and also found another 568 local governments hired fossil fuel lobbyists to work on non-climate issues, including healthcare and home insurance.

26 Aug 2026
US Politics

Pennsylvania Republicans Favor Democrat Fetterman Over Their Own GOP Senator, Poll Finds

Pennsylvania Republicans now view Senator John Fetterman, a Democrat, more favorably than they view the state’s sitting Republican senator, according to a new New York Times/Philadelphia Inquirer/Siena College poll. The survey, released Tuesday, marks a dramatic shift in the state’s political landscape and underscores Fetterman’s evolution from a progressive icon to a bipartisan figure who has increasingly embraced centrist and even conservative positions on issues ranging from immigration to Israel.

25 Aug 2026