Vance says he's ‘disgusted’ by GOP pushback to Ramaswamy ad featuring Amy Acton's estranged mother  —  Vice President JD Vance said during a campaign visit to Ohio on Wednesday that he is “disgusted” by the Republican pushback against an ad by Vivek Ramaswamy that features the estranged mother …

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 …

The War Tehran Believes Is Coming  —  Iran believes the U.S. and Israel may strike before the midterms.  Top security official Gen. Mohsen Rezaei tells Drop Site Iran has new targets in its sights. … The U.S. and Israel are preparing to resume attacks on Iran, according to senior Iranian officials …

Federal agents knock on doors to track down possible noncitizen voters ahead of midterms  —  Armed and in uniform, federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security have been knocking on doors in several states to ask residents about their immigration status — and to inquire …

US, allies warn of critical vulnerabilities in programming underlying 70% of the internet  —  The National Security Agency and cyber agencies in Europe, Australia, Canada, and elsewhere on Wednesday urged organizations to take their websites offline immediately after OpenAI tools found critical bugs …

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 …

White House to Politico: Retract stories or face “consequences”  —  The White House counsel's office warned Politico in a Monday letter that it had 48 hours to retract or correct recent stories about alleged staff drama, or it would suffer unspecified consequences.  — That deadline expires Thursday.

Scoop: Senate Republicans fear Mississippi is in play  —  Senate Republicans are weighing three last-ditch spending moves that would have been unimaginable six months ago: a cash infusion for Mississippi and even more money for South Carolina and Kansas. … But panic is spreading through the Republican Party.

Meta Ordered to Pay $25 Billion for Deceiving Users on Privacy  —  The penalty, one of the largest levied against the tech giant, stemmed from a lawsuit by New Mexico claiming the social media company had misled users about their data privacy.  —  A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion …

Trump Says He'll Decide Who Gets Rewards From New Whistle-Blower Program  —  President Trump's announcement raised concerns that he would use the program seeking information on fraud for political purposes.  —  President Trump this week announced a new $25 million whistle-blower incentive program …

In Six Decades of Public Life, I Never Thought I Would Write This Piece  —  The economy has been voters' top issue in four of the six midterm elections this century — and 2026 appears all but certain to make it five of seven.  Beyond the cost of living, the war in Iran and tariffs …

US preparing to issue ordered departure of some personnel from Gulf embassies, say US officials  —  The US State Department is preparing to issue an ordered departure of some personnel and family members from US embassies across the Gulf region, three US officials said on Wednesday.

Pentagon grants DHS permission to test heat ray weapon for potential use at border  —  Federal agencies US military Pete Hegseth National security  —  The Pentagon has given the Department of Homeland Security permission to test a military-grade heat ray and develop tactics to potentially use …

Minnesota's Democratic U.S. Senate Nominee Inflated Academic Record  —  Peggy Flanagan said she ‘graduated Phi Beta Kappa,’ but records raise questions about claim  —  Peggy Flanagan said she “graduated Phi Beta Kappa” while arguing a decade ago for legislation to encourage greater teacher diversity in Minnesota's public schools.

AIPAC retreats from candidate endorsements and direct giving as political backlash grows … The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, better known as AIPAC, plans to stop endorsing candidates, making direct PAC contributions and earmarking contributions to candidates.

Russia launched covert influence campaign to undermine US candidates supportive of Ukraine, lawmakers say  —  The Russian government has launched a covert online influence campaign to sway public opinion and undermine both Democrats and Republicans sympathetic to Ukraine ahead of the midterms …

Six Charged in Large Scale Marriage Fraud Ring  —  For Immediate Release  —  U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts  —  For over a decade, alleged leader earned millions, arranging sham marriages between illegal aliens and U.S. citizens in Massachusetts; defendant bragged about Massachusetts being a “sanctuary”

The Real Lessons of the French Riots  —  POLLS BEING WHAT THEY ARE, Republicans and their supporters must be feeling a bit like the condemned Frenchmen who rode to the guillotine during the Reign of Terror.  It's fitting, then, that they are seizing on unrest in France as a desperate campaign gambit.

Bush's brother crosses party lines to vote for James Talarico for Senate  —  Republican Neil Bush says he was ‘deeply troubled’ by Ken Paxton's conduct and ‘enormously impressed’ with Talarico  —  Neil Bush, a son of former president George HW Bush and a lifelong Republican …

Big Win for Federal Workers: Federal Court Rules OPM Broke the Law by Handing DOGE Access to Sensitive Data  —  U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York rules OPM unlawfully disclosed records belonging to tens of millions of current, former, and prospective federal workers

Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Allow Border Wall Construction  —  A lower court judge had halted the administration's plan to erect hundreds of miles of barriers in the Big Bend region of Texas.  —  The Trump administration on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to allow …

Meta Offers Zuckerberg New Shares to Shield Him From Wealth Tax  —  Meta Platforms Inc. signed an agreement with Mark Zuckerberg to keep him living in the same jurisdiction as the company's headquarters after the CEO said he was weighing leaving California if the state passes a wealth tax.

Americans who moved to Europe after Trump win now say they regret leaving  —  Liberal Americans who fled to Europe after President Trump's re-election shared how the grass is not always greener on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.  —  Wired Magazine released an article Thursday headlined “They Fled Trump's America.

Brendan Carr takes up Trump's ‘fake polls’ fight  —  Brendan Carr warned broadcasters Wednesday to vet their polling carefully, suggesting his Federal Communications Commission could punish outlets for sharing results the administration believes deceive viewers.