Politics desk
Politics
How power moves: legislation, elections, agencies, and court decisions that shape daily life. We separate what passed from what was proposed.
Democrats win control of the House and Senate in the 2026 midterms
Democrats won majorities in both chambers of Congress in Tuesday’s midterm elections, flipping seven Senate seats, according to race calls reported by The Associated Press, NPR and NBC News. The new Congress takes office in January.
Election Day 2026: Polls open with control of Congress at stake
Voters across the country are choosing who controls the U.S. House and Senate in Tuesday’s midterm elections. More than 54 million ballots were cast before Election Day, NPR reported, and the first polls close at 6 p.m. ET.
Democrat Haley Stevens endorses Republican Mike Rogers as midterm campaigns close
On the last weekend before Tuesday’s midterm elections, Rep. Haley Stevens of Michigan, who lost the Democratic Senate primary to Abdul El-Sayed in August, endorsed Republican Mike Rogers for the seat, the BBC and AFP reported. President Donald Trump praised her. Both parties are holding final rallies on Monday.
Alaska asks a judge to toss the DOJ’s Senate ballot suit as the FBI contacts the other Sullivan’s donors
Alaska state officials asked a federal judge on Saturday to dismiss a Justice Department lawsuit that seeks to block certification of the state’s U.S. Senate race if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses, CBS News reported. The FBI has begun contacting donors of Daniel J. Sullivan, an independent candidate who shares the senator’s name, CBS and AP reported. Election Day is Tuesday, November 3.
Israel’s final results leave Netanyahu’s bloc at 53 seats, short of a majority
With all votes counted, Israel’s Central Elections Committee published final results early Friday giving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc 53 of the Knesset’s 120 seats, Gadi Eisenkot’s opposition bloc 48 and the Arab-led parties a record 19, The Times of Israel reported. No bloc reaches the 61 seats needed to govern, setting up hard coalition talks. The results go to President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday after any final checks.
Judge denies Justice Department bid to set aside 20,000 California ballots
A federal judge on Wednesday rejected the Justice Department’s request for an emergency order requiring California to segregate roughly 20,000 mail-in ballots from people the Trump administration says are “likely” noncitizens, ABC News reported. U.S. District Judge David Carter wrote that the order would disrupt an election already underway. The midterm election is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Trump and Talarico hold dueling Lubbock rallies as Texas Senate race tightens
President Donald Trump made his third campaign trip to Texas this month on Tuesday, rallying in Corpus Christi and Lubbock for Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton, the New York Times reported. Democratic nominee James Talarico held his own rally in Lubbock about an hour apart from Trump’s, USA Today reported. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Poll gives Democrats an 8-point edge a week before the midterms as 30 million ballots are cast
Democrats lead Republicans 52% to 44% among likely voters in the race for Congress, according to a PBS News/NPR/Marist poll released Tuesday, one week before the November 3 midterm elections. More than 30 million ballots have already been cast, CNN and PBS News reported. A poll is a snapshot of opinion, not a result.
Serbia’s Vučić concedes defeat as student-led list wins snap election
Aleksandar Vučić, who has dominated Serbian politics for more than a decade, conceded defeat in Sunday’s snap parliamentary election to a list backed by a student-led protest movement, the BBC and The Guardian reported. Results are still preliminary, but projections point to a majority for the Student List in the 250-seat parliament.
Obama rallies for El-Sayed in Detroit as Trump heads to Michigan for Rogers
Former President Barack Obama campaigned in Detroit on Saturday for Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, and President Donald Trump is scheduled to rally Republicans in Port Huron on Sunday, NBC News and Reuters reported. Michigan’s open Senate seat, a race between El-Sayed and former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, is one of the most competitive in the country ahead of the Nov. 3 election.
Justice Department sues to block Alaska Senate certification if Sen. Dan Sullivan loses
The U.S. Justice Department has sued Alaska election officials in federal court, asking a judge to block certification of November’s Senate result if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses and a second candidate named Sullivan could have changed the outcome, NBC News and The Associated Press reported. President Trump said on Friday that he ordered the suit.
Judge orders Trump to sit for a deposition in his $10 billion BBC lawsuit by Dec. 11
A federal magistrate judge in Miami on Thursday ordered President Donald Trump to sit for a deposition in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC by Dec. 11, The Associated Press reported. The judge warned that failing to follow court orders could bring sanctions, up to dismissal of the case, unless the discovery deadline is extended, the BBC reported.
Democrats sue to stop the Trump administration from overriding states on elections
Democratic Party leaders, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, have sued in federal court in Washington to block the Trump administration from taking over states’ role in running elections or pressuring election officials, The Associated Press reported. The case comes two weeks before the November 3 midterms.
Lawmakers in both parties push back on reported Ukraine aid curbs and vow legislation
Democrats and some Republicans in Congress said this week they will try to pass legislation to force the Trump administration to restore support for Ukraine, after reports of disrupted Starlink service, interrupted intelligence sharing and delayed air defense interceptors, Roll Call reported. No bill has passed; the proposals are plans for now.
Suspicious powder letters reach more than three dozen congressional offices as the FBI hunts the sender
More than three dozen members of Congress have had their offices targeted with envelopes containing white powder, less than three weeks before the Nov. 3 midterms, The Guardian reported Monday, as the FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service try to identify who sent them. Election offices in at least 15 states had also reported suspicious mail as of last Thursday, ABC News reported.
Trump’s approval falls to a record-low 33% in Post-ABC-Ipsos poll two weeks before the midterms
President Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen to 33%, lower than at any point in his first term, and Democrats lead by eight points in the race for the House, according to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll released Sunday. A separate NBC News Decision Desk poll put his approval at 34%, a second-term low in that survey.
Trump waives new Russia sanctions under Graham law, drawing bipartisan backlash
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday waiving new sanctions on Russia set out in a law he signed last month, named for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, saying the move “is in the national interests of the United States.” Republicans and Democrats in Congress criticized the decision, and Ukraine’s president called it a “financial reward for Putin.”
Katie Zacharia leaving as White House press secretary after five days
Katie Zacharia is transitioning out of the White House press secretary job after a rocky first week marked by a 14-minute debut briefing and questions about her legal credentials, a person familiar with the matter told the Associated Press. President Donald Trump had said earlier Friday that if he were her, he would reconsider.
Majority of Americans expect Democrats to take the House; Senate outlook nearly tied
A Pew Research Center survey of 5,062 U.S. adults finds 55% expect Democrats to win control of the House, while the public is nearly split on whether Republicans will keep the Senate. Partisans largely forecast wins for their own party.
Republicans pull ad money from House battlegrounds as Democrats map a first-100-days agenda
The leading House Republican super PAC canceled advertising in four battleground races and shifted money to safer districts, AP reporting found, while House Democrats outlined an affordability and oversight agenda if they retake the chamber in three weeks.
Judge blocks Trump's White House ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico while lawsuit plays out
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly issued a preliminary injunction late Tuesday that keeps reporters from CNN, MS NOW and Politico on the White House grounds until their case is decided, finding the ban likely violated the First Amendment and due process. Trump has said he will appeal.
Federal agents search Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Washington home in criminal probe
Homeland Security Investigations agents executed a judge-approved search warrant at Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Washington, D.C.-area home early Monday, the Justice Department said. Omar, who has not been charged with any crime, called it an attempt to “weaponize federal law enforcement.”
Federal judge orders taxpayer-funded pro-Trump TV ads off the air
A federal judge in Manhattan on Sunday ordered the Trump administration to immediately stop airing government-funded TV ads that portray President Donald Trump favorably. The order bars using Department of Homeland Security funds to make or place the challenged ads.
Trump calls for Ukraine to "get a new leader" after diesel deal clash
After President Volodymyr Zelensky called Friday’s U.S. easing of Russian diesel sanctions a “weak decision,” President Donald Trump said Ukraine should “get a new leader” who can make a deal. European allies backed Zelensky and said they would not ease pressure on Moscow.
House Republicans fretting over once-safe red seats ahead of midterms
Internal GOP polling circulated in late September showed competitive races in districts Donald Trump won by double digits in 2024. Party leaders are campaigning deep in red territory less than four weeks before Election Day.
Trump says U.S. will not attack Iran before Nov. 3 midterms
President Donald Trump said late Thursday the United States will not attack Iran before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, citing “productive discussions” with Tehran. Oil prices jumped Thursday on Hormuz tensions, then briefly dipped after his post.
Two-thirds of Republicans in tight races are putting distance between themselves and Trump, Reuters review finds
A Reuters review of 62 competitive House and Senate races found Republican candidates in 41 of them breaking with President Trump on policy or playing down ties to him ahead of the Nov. 3 midterms. Most are splitting on single issues, such as the Iran conflict, rather than rejecting his agenda.
Trump says his super PAC will pay for his promotional ads, but not for the taxpayer-funded spots that already aired
After criticism from both parties, President Trump said MAGA Inc. will cover future costs of the government ads featuring him. The White House says that does not mean paying back the millions already spent, and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer wants two federal watchdogs to investigate.
Trump order lets truckers use cheaper dyed diesel on highways and defers federal diesel tax
A Monday executive order temporarily allows off-road “red” diesel on public roads and tells Treasury to defer the federal excise tax on it through year-end. Diesel’s national average topped $6 a gallon for the first time in September.
Supreme Court opens its term with Boulder’s climate lawsuit against Exxon and Suncor
On the first argument day of the new term, eight justices — Samuel Alito has stepped aside — hear oil companies’ bid to throw out a Colorado lawsuit seeking damages for local climate-change costs.
Trump’s approval sinks near career lows as midterms approach
Multiple national polls put President Trump near career-low approval weeks before the midterms, raising questions about whether Republicans can hold narrow majorities in Congress.
Trump’s midterm blitz hits red states as approval sits near 32%
The president’s first major November campaign swing is focused on GOP strongholds while Democrats say they are “on the edge” of flipping a narrowly divided Congress.
Miami judge rules federal noncitizen-voting law unconstitutional in Florida case
U.S. District Judge David Leibowitz dismissed a Justice Department case against Chelsea Cox, holding that states — not Congress — set voter qualifications; the ruling binds only her case.
Senate recesses until after the midterms as Trump and Vance open a campaign blitz
Lawmakers left Washington after final messaging votes on Wednesday; the president begins a 32-day travel sprint in Texas and Oklahoma while the vice president stumps in Florida.
Senate blocks GOP stock-trading and data center bills in final votes before the midterms
Two House-passed Republican bills — one limiting lawmakers’ stock purchases, one on data centers’ power costs — fell short of 60 votes Wednesday as senators left Washington to campaign.
Former special counsel Jack Smith set for Senate Judiciary hearing Tuesday
Jack Smith is scheduled to testify alone Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee on his Trump probes and investigators’ handling of lawmakers’ phone and messaging records.
National Rally wins enough French Senate seats to form a group for the first time
Marine Le Pen’s National Rally cleared the seat threshold to form a group in France’s upper house after Sunday’s Senate elections — a first for the far-right party.
Judge temporarily restores White House access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico
A Trump-nominated federal judge ordered the White House to reinstate hard passes for three banned outlets for 14 days, finding the ban likely violated due process. The fight is still shaping the political week as midterms approach.
Supreme Court blocks Missouri’s new congressional map for the third time
With absentee voting already underway, the justices ruled that Missouri will hold its November House elections under the 2022 district lines — not the Republican-drawn 2025 map.