The Week Republicans Finally Panicked About Trump  —  Here's a thought experiment: try listening to the speech that Donald Trump gave, earlier this week, at the United Nations General Assembly as if you'd never heard Trump before—or, at least, not for a long while.

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...

Trump ad airing with government funding despite law against ‘propaganda’  —  The agency responsible for the commercial was not immediately clear.  —  SummaryLoading...  A television ad promoting President Donald Trump began airing on cable Wednesday saying it was paid for by the U.S. government …

Republicans say they want to address data centers.  Democrats smell a campaign-season rat. … Senate Democrats will soon have to decide whether to do one of their most vulnerable Republican colleagues a big political favor just weeks before the midterm elections.

A Quiet ICE Surge That Unfolded ‘Everywhere All at Once’ This Summer  —  A review of dozens of incidents caught on camera sheds new light on a largely invisible crackdown.  —  The most effective escalation of President Trump's mass deportation campaign happened quietly.

Inside NBC News' polling averages: Democrats enjoy biggest lead yet in the race for Congress  —  Meanwhile, President Donald Trump's approval rating is at a low point for his second term.  —  Democrats are heading into the final stretch of the 2026 midterms with their largest lead yet …

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.

Intelligence from Chinese groups aiding in Iran's increasingly effective targeting of US sites, sources say  —  The Middle East Asia China National security  —  Satellite imagery and intelligence support provided by Chinese groups has helped Iran threaten ships in the Strait of Hormuz …

Cambridge Abandons Plans to Fully Investigate Its Hiring of Jason Arday  —  The professor became a flashpoint in debates over diversity efforts in higher education.  —  The University of Cambridge has abandoned plans to fully investigate its hiring of Jason Arday, the professor who became …

Unused Tents and Uneaten Food: Watchdog Finds ‘Waste’ in Immigration Crackdown  —  In a report Thursday, the Government Accountability Office said the Trump administration squandered millions of dollars to expand detention.  —  The Trump administration wasted millions of dollars in its swift effort …

58% say the U.S. is worse off under Trump vs Biden, 24% say it's better  —  “Are you better off than you were four years ago?”  This old line from Ronald Reagan's 1980 campaign for president encapsulates a surprising breadth of political science on American elections.

U.S. military lays groundwork for potential action around Cuba  —  Washington — The U.S. Army Reserve is examining whether it can provide the military's Southern Command with police forces, medical personnel and other support units within the next four months, according to an internal Army message reviewed by CBS News.

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.

$100 million in teen pregnancy prevention funds remain unused.  What happened?  —  Congress passed $101 million in funding for teen pregnancy prevention, and President Trump signed that into law as part of his budget bill.  But with less than a week to go in the 2026 fiscal year, about $100 million of that funding remains unspent.

Finland and Sweden scramble Quick Reaction Alert jets to intercept Russian aircraft  —  European countries have been on high alert for any Russian interference, with fears that Moscow could target Kyiv's Western backers as the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine drags on into its fifth year.

Why a U.S. Diesel Export Ban May Not Lower Prices  —  President Trump has said he is considering restricting overseas sales of the fuel to bring down domestic prices, but experts say the policy will have many unintended effects.  —  Weeks away from the midterm elections …

For China, a Truce With Trump Buys Valuable Time  —  Easing tensions with Washington gives Beijing room to tackle economic troubles at home while reducing its vulnerability to American pressure.  —  For China and its top leader, Xi Jinping, the biggest prize from a summit in Washington …

‘Shove it with your culture wars’: Hinojosa urges Democrats to focus on economy ahead of November and 2028  —  Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa chided her party for having “taken the bait” in the debate over culture war issues, leaving voters unsure of “what else we stood for.”

It's Not That Xi Insults Trump Once...  It's that the Chinese are actively destroying the US global position while the US president bows and scrapes  —  OK, I have that piece on Ukrainian concepts of ending the war ready to go.  However, what we saw yesterday was so extreme in the history …

Iran offers US new seven-day ceasefire proposal  —  Foreign minister says plan could see Strait of Hormuz reopen within a week  —  Tehran has offered Washington a new seven-day proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and to restart broader talks to find a final resolution to the war …

Debate-shy: Candidates aren't sharing the stage like they used to  —  Debates in political campaigns used to be a given.  Today, candidates increasingly view them as optional — or a political liability to be avoided. … - It's a sign of how campaigns have evolved, and an erosion of norms …

Man who was shot during 2024 Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, has died  —  James Copenhaver, one of three campaign rally attendees shot in 2024 during an assassination attempt on then-candidate Donald Trump, has died in Pittsburgh, his lawyer said Thursday.  He was 76.

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 …

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 …

Trump administration urges Supreme Court to revive third-country deportation policy  —  In an emergency request Thursday, the Trump administration urged the Supreme Court to revive its policy of deporting some migrants to places other than their country of origin, a practice that was struck …

CDC vaccine recommendations are at a standstill, and unanswered questions are piling up  —  The Food and Drug Administration recently approved a new flu vaccine that tested well in older adults.  But the federal agency responsible for telling doctors and the general public how to use it has made no recommendation on it.

Why Generation Z is less likely to view China as a threat  —  Recent research on American attitudes toward China reveal stark generational divides.  —  When asked if China's growing presence on the world stage is a “critical threat,” 34 percent of Gen Z respondents agreed …

Pentagon turns on the jets in $1.5 trillion defense budget push  —  Pentagon officials have ramped up their efforts in recent weeks to help Congress carve a path toward President Trump's record $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget request.  —  But some GOP senators are worried the Defense Department deployed …

Alaskans Dismayed, but Not Moved, by Peltola's Treatment of Her Staff  —  Voters interviewed in Anchorage and Fairbanks on Thursday said news that Mary Peltola, the Democratic nominee for Senate, had used offensive slurs would not change their vote.  —  Many Alaskans on Thursday largely brushed off …

Senate Dems' main super PAC ‘actively thinking’ about spending in Kansas  —  The leaders of Senate Democrats' flagship super PAC are “actively thinking” about whether to wade into Kansas and other even redder states as the party looks to leverage an increasingly favorable environment ahead of November.

‘Pink Slime’ Is Infecting AI Chatbots Ahead of the Midterms … It's no secret that AI has become an explosive factor in American politics.  Even before the latest concerns that AI poses existential risks to humanity, many people had soured on the rapid growth of data centers used to support the technology.