The Source Behind The Ban … On Tuesday, after Donald Trump banned POLITICO from the White House alongside CNN and MS NOW, the White House press office dispatched a letter to the Rosslyn-based news organization attempting to justify the president's actions.

Big fires everywhere  —  With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco and Irie Sentner  —  Good Thursday morning.  There are 40 days until the midterms, and true to form, the scandals are piling up.  Speaking of, if you know who left their thong in the Cannon tunnel yesterday, drop us a line.

POLITICO barred from White House after court ruling restoring access  —  A POLITICO reporter was denied access to the White House Thursday and his press credentials confiscated after a judge ordered the Trump administration overnight to immediately restore access for news organizations …

Trump greets Xi on tarmac in rare gesture  —  President Trump welcomed Xi Jinping at Joint Base Andrews for the Chinese leader's state visit to Washington D.C. Wednesday evening. … - In February 2025, Trump welcomed Volodymyr Zelensky at the West Wing entrance to kick off the Ukrainian leader's tense visit.

‘Dammit, something has to happen’: White House preparing plan for 90-day diesel exports ban  —  The Trump administration is preparing a plan to ban exports of diesel for 90 days, despite splits inside the administration and with the oil industry, in a bid to bring down energy prices weighing …

Iowa judge dismisses Trump's lawsuit against Des Moines Register and pollster  — 4 min Click here to listen to this article  — Trump accused the Register of fraudulently publishing inaccurate poll results to damage him and help Democrats.  — The pollster and the newspaper described …

AI safety fears stalk Trump-Xi summit agenda  —  The potential dangers of artificial intelligence will hang over Chinese leader Xi Jinping's visit to Washington on Thursday — whether President Donald Trump likes it or not. … But lawmakers and foreign leaders are piling on the pressure …

You should be skeptical of JD Vance's claims about Obamacare fraud  —  A government task force led by Vice President JD Vance announced on Tuesday that it will remove 760,000 allegedly improper enrollments from the Affordable Care Act's marketplaces.  The move is the latest in the administration's efforts …

Dems are being outspent across House and Senate races.  They disagree over where to put the money they have. … Democrats are begging for more money ahead of November.  But they're torn over what to do with the limited funds they already have.  —  After months of downplaying their financial concerns …

MAGA candidate fumes after his relative deported: 'That's not right'  —  A Republican running for the Maine's open 2nd Congressional District seat expressed outrage that a member of his family is facing deportation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Trump Aides Seek to Jump-Start Diplomacy With Iran as Crisis Widens  —  Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that U.S. negotiators had restarted conversations about Iran's nuclear program, but that there were no breakthroughs.  —  Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that U.S. negotiators …

Eight sailors assigned to US carrier group that fought in Iran war attempted suicide, Navy secretary tells Congress  —  EDITOR'S NOTE: This story contains discussion of suicide.  Help is available if you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters.

Democrats Show Strength in Michigan Senate Race but Trail in Maine, Polls Find  —  The party's nominees lead in Michigan and New Hampshire but the Republican incumbent is ahead in Maine, according to New York Times/Siena polls of the three battlegrounds.  —  Democrats appear …

Texas counties are receiving tens of thousands of unprocessed voter registration applications due to state error  —  Votebeat is a nonprofit news organization reporting on voting access and election administration across the U.S. Sign up for Votebeat Texas' free newsletter here.

Susan Collins Dismissed Our Reporting as Old News.  Some of Her Claims Aren't True.  —  As the scandal over Susan Collins' relationship with Hawaii defense contractor Navatek became the central issue in her hotly contested senate campaign, she and her top aides mustered a defense with a series of incorrect and misleading claims.

Former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's ex-bodyguard in ‘homewrecker’ case trashes her Arizona home, causes $200K in damage  —  Former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's ex-bodyguard turned lover allegedly trashed her Arizona home while she was out of town — causing more than $200,000 in damage as he tossed dozens of valuable paintings into her pool.

OpenAI's A.I. Tried Breaching 4 Other Targets, Without Prompting  —  In each incident, the technology appeared to be conducting mundane data collection and resorted to hacking techniques to get it, researchers said.  —  OpenAI's artificial intelligence went rogue this year …

Capitol agenda: Democrats fracture over college sports  —  An ugly fight is brewing among Democrats about an unlikely issue: college sports regulation.  Senate passage of a White House-endorsed bill to overhaul college athletic rules could happen as soon as Thursday.

'Don't owe the old guys anything': Backlash builds to GOP chairs clinging to power  —  House Republicans for decades have prided themselves on their strict three-term limit for committee leaders, saying it promotes fresh blood in the party ranks.  —  But that limit has grown less strict in recent years …