Judge Once Again Blocks Mail-In Ballot Rules  —  The ruling arrived before the Supreme Court could decide whether to intervene but appeared certain to set off yet another round of appeals.  —  A federal judge in Boston ruled for the third time on Friday that the Trump administration's plans …

Republican House candidates tone down Trump on their campaign websites  —  Several congressional hopefuls have removed or downplayed mentions of the president and his priorities as Trump's popularity wanes.  —  Why did Mike Beltran, a Republican trying to unseat Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Florida), first decide to run for public office?

Missouri asks US Supreme Court to allow use of new Trump-backed congressional districts in midterms  —  Missouri appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to allow the use of new congressional districts backed by President Donald Trump in the fast-approaching midterm election.

US only country to oppose UN resolution correcting Africa's size on world maps  —  The U.S. was the only country to not support a United Nations resolution adjusting the appearance of Africa and other regions on world maps.  —  The body passed the “Correct the Map” initiative by a margin of 164 to one …

In Major Leak Hunt, Pentagon Gives Polygraph Tests to Joint Staff Members  —  About 50 people were tested, an unparalleled inquiry that comes in the wake of news reports about the war with Iran and the U.S. military's diminished stocks of munitions.  —  U.S. government investigators have taken …

Gallup Polls Show Democrats Outnumber Republicans Ahead of 2026 Midterm Elections  —  Data from Gallup shows that Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents have their largest advantage over Republicans since 2008.  —  The share of Americans who associate themselves with the Democratic Party …

US military hits 3 Iranian oil tankers after saying Navy warships were targeted with missiles  —  The U.S. military on Saturday said it struck three Iranian oil tankers after Navy warships were targeted with missiles, warning that it would “if necessary, destroy Iran's limited and exposed oil fleet.”

Putin's envoy Dmitriev to meet Witkoff, Kushner upon their arrival in Moscow, sources say  —  Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev will meet U.S. special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner upon their arrival in Moscow on Saturday, two people familiar with the upcoming visit told Reuters.

Musk has started spending money to help Ken Paxton.  Will it help change the course of the Texas Senate race?  —  PACs Congressional news Senate election US elections  —  For months, Texas Republicans have anxiously awaited the arrival of national resources to help boost Ken Paxton, one of the GOP's most vulnerable Senate candidates.

Maria Bartiromo's Downfall at an Increasingly Cautious Fox News  —  The network this week took Maria Bartiromo off the air, pulling one of the last hosts whose coverage of Dominion Voting Systems drew an expensive defamation lawsuit.  —  In July, as President Trump was preparing a prime …

Tetris Owner Denounces Trump White House Clone of Game  —  Responding to Build the Wall, an apparent copy of the retro video game, the Tetris Company said “we take copyright infringement very seriously.”  —  The Tetris Company, the company that owns the rights to the classic video game …

ChatGPT bans campaigns from using AI to make ads.  They're doing it anyway.  —  A Post review found 39 campaigns that disclosed payments to AI companies, but consultants say many more do it and don't disclose it.  —  Summary  —  Artificial intelligence has subtly entered the machinery …

Ossoff and Talarico to Share Fund-Raising Event in Hollywood  —  The event with the Georgia and Texas Democrats will be hosted by Shonda Rhimes.  —  Two of the top Democratic fund-raisers this cycle are teaming up for a finance event with some big Hollywood names.

Republicans sour on the economy  —  Republicans' confidence in the economy has plummeted over the last six months at a pace unseen since Covid — reminiscent of the declines during the global financial crisis nearly two decades ago. … What's striking now is that Republicans …

Judge refuses to block Pentagon from firing Stars and Stripes staffers over CBS interview  —  WASHINGTON — A federal judge refused Friday to block the Pentagon from firing three Stars and Stripes staff members who claim they were illegally disciplined for speaking out about the military news outlet's need …

Trump's Embrace of AI Data Centers Adds to GOP's Midterm Peril  —  President Donald Trump's fervent support for artificial intelligence data centers has put him at odds with voters who increasingly oppose them and comes despite direct warnings that his stance threatens to deepen Republicans' peril in the November midterm elections.

Inside the D.O.J.'s Investigation of Fauci and Other Virus Scientists  —  As Dr. Anthony Fauci has faced public scrutiny from congressional Republicans, the D.O.J. has pursued a quieter and more expansive effort against a wider circle of researchers.  —  TIMES EXCLUSIVE

The 75 Most Corrupt Things Trump Did in 2026  —  So far.  —  ... This is a list of the 75 most corrupt things Trump did in 2026.  These are not all of the corrupt things.  There were many more, all of which I chronicled throughout the year in my daily column ‘Today in Politics.’ I was planning to list 100.

September 4, 2026  —  On September 5, 1882, workers in New York City celebrated the first Labor Day holiday with a parade.  The parade almost didn't happen: there was no band, and no one wanted to start marching without music.  Once the Jewelers Union of Newark Two showed up with musicians …

Trump calls Iran conflict ‘small potatoes’ and defends Vance's position that it's not a ‘war’  —  President Donald Trump on Friday said the conflict in Iran is “small potatoes” as he defended Vice President JD Vance for asserting that months of on-and-off attacks in the Middle East are not a “war.”

How to survive a national debt scare  —  The national debt hasn't been a major issue in the 2026 midterms.  But perhaps it should be.  As of last month, the United States is in debt to the tune of $40 trillion.  That's 12 zeros, which averages out to about $116,000 per American.

Gen Z's politics aren't what people think  —  After 12 years of dominating American politics — either as president, as a candidate, or from the sidelines — Donald Trump will finally exit the stage in 2028, and it's anybody's guess what will come next.  But one thing we do know is that Gen Z …

Flock cameras draw opposition from across the political spectrum  —  There are plenty of issues Republicans and Democrats disagree on, but increasingly, they're aligned on this: they want Flock surveillance cameras gone.  —  The widespread backlash against AI-powered license plate readers …