How every senator voted on the Iran war powers resolution  —  Opposes 50  —  Supports 49 Did not vote 1  —  In a 49-50 vote, the Senate failed to block President Donald Trump from ordering further strikes on Iran less than six weeks before the midterm elections.

Trump administration launches pro-Trump TV ad ahead of midterms  —  The Trump administration launched a new television advertisement featuring President Donald Trump calling out socialism, communism and marxism, appearing to use government resources to go on air in the weeks before the midterm election.

Live Updates: CNN, MS NOW and Politico Return to White House After Fight Over Access  —  A federal court ordered the Trump administration to reverse its ban on the outlets, but reporters were initially denied entry to the White House grounds on Thursday.  —  Here's the latest.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson criticizes Supreme Court's use of emergency docket  —  In a public appearance, Jackson said the high court's use of the emergency docket was “problematic” and called for more restraint from her colleagues when using it.  —  SummaryLoading...

Republican Sheriff Illegally Seized California Ballots, Court Rules  —  The California Supreme Court ordered Sheriff Chad Bianco of Riverside County to return ballots to election officials after he confiscated them for an investigation.  —  The California Supreme Court on Thursday ordered …

From 16,000 to 185 to Zero: Trump's Claims of Illegal Voting in Nevada Fizzle.  —  It was the Trump administration's latest stumble in its effort to find proof of widespread noncitizen voting, despite decades of evidence that it is extremely rare.  —  When the Department of Homeland Security sent Nevada …

Dale Caldwell, New Jersey's Lt. Governor, Violated Workplace Policies, Report Finds  —  Investigators found that New Jersey's lieutenant governor, Dale Caldwell, sought a promotion for his girlfriend and made a sexually charged comment to a staff member.  —  New Jersey's lieutenant governor …

Beyer says Trump is prepping construction of his arch  —  A prominent Democrat said Thursday that President Trump appears to be laying the groundwork for construction of his controversial arch just outside Washington.  —  Rep. Don Beyer (D), who represents the Northern Virginia district …

Man wounded during 2024 Trump rally shooting in Butler County dies  —  One of the men who was wounded in the attempted assassination of President Trump in Butler in 2024 has died.  —  According to the House Republicans' social media feeds, Jim Copenhaver has died.

Massachusetts Is Investigating Gambling Companies' Use of A.I.  —  In response to a New York Times report on DraftKings, the state's gaming commission said it would evaluate how each company deployed the technology.  —  Massachusetts's gambling regulator said on Thursday that it would examine …

OpenAI's agents went rogue — its human response caused the real damage  —  If you've been forwarded this newsletter, you can sign up free here.  —  Confide in me: Send your tips to this generic inbox, canberraplaybook@poltico.com.  —  ESSENTIALS  — It's time to sort out human responsibility for AI agents

Tesla Argues in Court That the N-Word Is Acceptable Under Certain Circumstances  —  Witnesses also report being deceived by Tesla lawyers.  —  Whatever special kind of brain worms have established themselves in Elon Musk's noggin appear to be spreading throughout his companies.

AOC, 9 other House Dems sign on to AI superintelligence ban  —  A group of 10 Democrats has signed on to Rep. Greg Casar's (D-Texas) bill that would ban superintelligence and pause advanced AI development until a vetting regime could be stood up.  Reps. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-N.Y.) …

United States Files Request to Intervene in Case Brought by X Corp. and Elon Musk Seeking to Annul Decision by European Commission  —  For Immediate Release  —  The United States filed an application to intervene in the captioned cases, X Internet and X Holdings v. Commission …

Tucker Carlson has reconsidered Trump.  And quite a bit else  —  Tucker Carlson is talking about his break with President Trump over the war in Iran.  —  Carlson, who supported Trump so strongly that he spoke on his behalf at the 2024 Republican convention, tells NPR that Trump should be removed from office.

Trump eyes an October campaign rally — in Alabama  —  President Donald Trump is tentatively set to visit Alabama for a political rally next week, a curious move in a deep-red state as his party fights for control of Congress in several battlegrounds.  —  The event is penciled in for Oct. 2 in Mobile …

Poll: Voters grow more concerned about capitalism, but they're still wary of socialism and the DSA  —  More young voters have positive views of socialism than of capitalism for the first time in NBC News polling.  —  Voter concerns about capitalism are rising amid the populist streak gripping …

ChatGPT Helped Tumbler Ridge Shooter Focus on Guns, Tactics, and Terror  —  Editor's note: This story discusses suicide and extreme violence.  Also read part 1, part 2, and part 3 of our investigation into AI chatbots and violence.  —  In June 2025, Jesse Van Rootselaar received an email notification from OpenAI.

‘They Picked the Wrong Candidate’: 12 Texas Swing Voters on the Paxton-Talarico Race  —  For years, Democrats have hoped to win a Senate seat in Texas, which has not elected a Democrat statewide since the 1990s.  According to polling, that hope appears to be closer in reach this year than any other time in recent memory.

Iranian president claims out-of-sight Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is ‘completely’ healthy — last saw him a month ago  —  Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian claimed Thursday that he last met with invisible Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei a month or so ago and that the ruling cleric was “completely” healthy.

The blue wave is mostly in red states.  That's a little weird.  —  Still Counting Episode 3 is out.  Video version above, audio below.  We'll be publishing these each week here at the newsletter.  But for faster access, please subscribe on YouTube or follow us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Court reinstates Ohio law requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration  —  An appeals court on Wednesday reinstated an Ohio law requiring people to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote at motor vehicles offices, a win for Republicans seeking to tighten voter requirements nationwide.

Judges Reject ICE's Underhanded Attempt to Maintain Third-Country Removals  —  An appeals court made clear deportation flights to third countries must stop immediately, but flight data showed ICE may be violating the order.  —  A Peruvian man threatened with removal to the Central African Republic …

Mortgage Rates Hit 7% as Iran War Fallout Crushes a Weak Housing Market  —  The average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the United States jumped to 7.03 percent, putting pressure on housing affordability.  —  Mortgage rates jumped to 7 percent this week for the first time since January 2025 …

Michigan student confronts El-Sayed over Iran stance in tense exchange: ‘Do you stand with us?’  —  WASHINGTON — Democratic Michigan Senate hopeful Dr. Abdul El-Sayed danced around pleas from an emotional student Wednesday to condemn the theocratic government of Iran and stand with anti-regime protesters.

Johnson, Trump set meeting with AI executives  —  President Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson will meet at the White House Tuesday with the executives of top artificial intelligence companies, according to two people granted anonymity to discuss private plans.

Trump rolls out red carpets for Xi Jinping, though he has portrayed China as a global menace  —  Just two months ago, President Donald Trump gave a primetime speech accusing China of interfering in the 2020 election.  —  WASHINGTON — He has accused China of hacking America's elections …

'Let's push prices down': Wright asks oil industry to curb exports  —  ALLENTOWN, Pennsylvania — Energy Secretary Chris Wright is calling on the oil industry to voluntarily reduce diesel fuel exports in a bid to bring down prices domestically ahead of midterm elections.

Texas woman triumphs as court upholds acquittal in voting error case  —  Crystal Mason has spent nearly a decade fighting conviction for casting provisional ballot that ultimately wasn't counted  —  The nearly decade-long case of a Black Texas woman who was sentenced to five years in prison …

Weeks Before the Election, Susan Collins's Ties to a Fund-Raiser Are Under Scrutiny  —  Scott Reed, a longtime Washington lobbyist who has a close relationship with Senator Susan Collins of Maine, leads a super PAC backing her campaign.  —  Long before Donald J. Trump upended the Republican Party …

Trump called the MMR vaccine potentially lethal.  His FDA pick says it's safe.  —  Heidi Overton was grilled on vaccines and a commonly used abortion pill, two of the most controversial issues facing the agency.  —  Summary  —  Heidi Overton, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Food …

‘Broadview Six’ prosecutor ‘owns’ mistakes in tainted case, says she was following orders  —  The federal prosecutor at the center of Chicago's “Broadview Six” scandal broke her silence Thursday, insisting through her attorneys that she “owns” her mistakes in the tainted case …