Exclusive: Ramaswamy doubles down on explosive ad featuring rival's mother, despite backlash  —  Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign for Ohio governor is pouring $4 million into a bombshell ad in which his opponent's estranged mother attacks her daughter — doubling down on the message despite fierce bipartisan backlash, Axios has learned.

Democrats Have a Wide Lead in Our New Poll as Trump Slides  —  The map favors Republicans, but cracks in their base are leaving them vulnerable in defending House and Senate control.  —  The final New York Times/Siena University national poll of the 2026 midterm campaign finds Democrats leading nationally …

A Billionaire Wanted a Trump Pardon.  His Family Gave Alina Habba a $50 Million Deal.  —  A Billionaire Wanted a Pardon.  His Family Gave Alina Habba a $50 Million Deal.  —  A prominent Venezuelan was seeking clemency.  He got it not long after his daughter gave Ms. Habba, a lawyer close to President Trump, a lucrative job.

Trump Pushes to Evict the Press From the White House  —  President Trump has talked about replacing the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room with an indoor swimming pool.  —  In late August, during one of Karoline Leavitt's final meetings with President Trump in the Oval Office …

Russia Releases American Who Was Jailed for 4 Years, State Media Reports  —  The move buys good will with President Trump while costing the Russian leader, Vladimir V. Putin, little.  —  Russia on Wednesday released an American man who was held for four years on what the State Department …

FiftyPlusOne just caught a pollster faking data — and they copped to it  —  On Tuesday, Oct. 20, FiftyPlusOne reached out to Wedgewood Polls, a self-professed polling firm, with a request for comment on an investigation we had conducted into their alleged survey research.

Trump brings a last-minute rally boost to Darline Graham in South Carolina's US Senate race  —  President Donald Trump will visit South Carolina on Wednesday to boost Sen. Darline Graham, whose stumbles in her first campaign since replacing her late brother have Democratic voters hopeful …

FEMA tells states to handle disasters on their own  —  The Trump administration's disaster chief told state officials Tuesday they must increase their financial reserves and emergency capabilities to handle most disasters on their own, without federal help.  —  Federal Emergency Management …

Justice Kagan Warns Supreme Court Rulings Are Fueling Polarization  —  The liberal-leaning justice said both political parties are “in a race to the bottom” with partisan gerrymanders.  — Copy  —  Justice Elena Kagan on Tuesday said voting and elections decisions from her conservative …

US envoy Witkoff arrives in St Petersburg for talks with Putin  —  US special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived on Wednesday in Russia's second-largest city of St Petersburg where he is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks aimed at resolving the war in Ukraine, two sources with the visit told Reuters.

A Major Democratic Super PAC Begs Donors for More Cash as the Map Expands  —  The flagship Democratic House super PAC is urging donors to pony up more cash in the final sprint before the midterms, pointing to private polling showing a slew of deep-red House seats within the party's reach.

Most Americans say AI is bad for society, oppose more data centers: ABC/Post/Ipsos poll  —  Majorities see risks in AI and fewer see benefits.  —  An aerial view of the 5C Data Centers CMH01, Oct. 18, 2026, in Springfield, Ohio.  —  A majority of Americans say artificial intelligence …

Trump leans into unprecedented power ahead of midterm elections  —  President Trump boasted this weekend of his growing power in his second term - and all the things he's doing now that he wouldn't dare in his first term, such as changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.

Trump Says Data Centers Must Provide Their Own Electricity  —  In a social-media post, the president asked companies to pay communities a dividend to make the facilities more popular  —  President Trump called for companies that build large data centers in the U.S. to make their own electricity …

The House GOP's imminent decision on the Omar raid  —  House Republicans have publicly cheered on the Trump administration's investigation of Rep. Ilhan Omar.  But underneath the posturing, the raid raises thorny nonpartisan questions about how aggressively Congress wants to defend itself from encroaching federal prosecutors.

The Senate map expands (again): From the Politics Desk  —  Plus, the secretary of state races to watch. … Democrats jump into the Mississippi Senate race  —  Two weeks out from Election Day, Senate Democrats' top super PAC is launching a new ad campaign in the Mississippi Senate race …

The Secret Terms of Trump's Venezuelan Oil Deal  —  In late August, President Donald Trump announced what he called the “biggest oil deal in world history.”  Since then, the full text of the accord — which grants the U.S. sweeping access to Venezuela's oil reserves — has been one of the most sought-after secrets in Washington, D.C.

US Democratic congressional nominee Lander detained by Israeli authorities in West Bank  —  Brad Lander, an ally of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani who is running for the US Congress next month, was among 90 individuals detained by Israeli authorities in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday …

Trump is Destroying Americans' Healthcare  —  Twelve million have lost coverage — and it's getting worse  —  On the eve of the midterm election, American families are feeling financially stressed As the chart above shows, the percentage of families who say that their financial situation is good has plunged.

Griffin Says Republicans Erred by Cutting Taxes Last Year  —  Billionaire Ken Griffin said Republicans in Congress and President Donald Trump made a mistake by cutting taxes even further last year.  —  “We didn't have the fiscal space to renew the tax cuts,” Griffin said in a wide-ranging interview Tuesday …

Macron Accuses Foreign Leaders of Exploiting France's Riots  —  French President Emmanuel Macron said recent riots are being used abroad for political purposes, accusing foreign leaders of disliking France.  —  “There is no visible foreign interference in the events that took place …

Musk chose to restrict Ukraine's access to SpaceX satellite network, sources say  —  A decision by Elon Musk led to restrictions on Ukraine's use of SpaceX's satellite communications network, people familiar with the matter told CBS News.  —  The satellite service, which is used for drone operations …

FACT FOCUS: When it comes to Trump's economy, these are the numbers that matter before Nov. 3  —  President Donald Trump is trying to convince voters before the Nov. 3 midterm elections that the U.S. economy is rocketing upward.  But voters say inflation remains a challenge because the Iran war …

DHS Plane Purchases Tied to ‘Ongoing Criminal Law Enforcement Investigation’  —  The purchase of several aircraft by the Department of Homeland Security during the final days of former Secretary Kristi Noem's tenure is tied to an “ongoing criminal law enforcement investigation,” the department's Privacy Office told The Washington Sun.