Politics news summaries — Page 18
Essential facts and source links for recent politics stories.
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Raskin says Democrats cannot stop Trump video before midterms
Jamie Raskin says Democrats cannot stop the Trump administration’s video before the midterms and will file protest complaints with the General Accounting Office. He calls it an illegal, taxpayer-funded political ad and says they will address it after the election. -
Iowa polls give Turek a narrow Senate edge as Sand leads for governor
Recent Iowa polls give Democrat Josh Turek a narrow average lead over Republican Ashley Hinson in the Senate race, while Democrat Rob Sand leads Republican Zach Lahn for governor. The latest Marist survey put Turek ahead 50%-42% and Sand 54%-42%. -
Trump makes Rubio national security adviser while he remains secretary of state
A U.S. official says President Donald Trump has appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio as national security adviser, making permanent a role Rubio had held in an acting capacity since succeeding Mike Waltz in May. Rubio also has several other administration assignments. -
New U.S. visa curbs target commercial birth-tourism networks and fixers
Marco Rubio announced visa curbs targeting commercial birth-tourism networks and visa “fixers.” The administration says the networks arrange U.S. births so children can obtain U.S. citizenship; some family members may be covered, but pregnant travelers face no blanket ban. -
New Jersey Lt Gov Dale Caldwell resigns after sexual harassment finding
New Jersey Lt Gov Dale Caldwell resigned Friday after investigators found he violated state ethics rules and engaged in behavior constituting sexual harassment. Governor Mikie Sherrill said she would appoint Shirley Emehelu as acting lieutenant governor. -
Dale Caldwell resigns after Sherrill's demand and 61-page ethics report
New Jersey Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell resigned Friday after Gov. Mikie Sherrill demanded it, following a 61-page report detailing sexual-harassment allegations and ethics violations. His lawyers disputed the report’s conclusions, saying they went beyond the evidence. -
US intelligence says Saudi Arabia wants to keep nuclear-weapons option open
U.S. intelligence assesses Saudi Arabia wants to keep a nuclear-weapons option open, The Washington Post reports. The July U.S.-Saudi deal for four nuclear plants is under 90-day congressional review; some Democrats fear it could allow enrichment near 20%. -
Bipartisan DEFEND IP bill would enable court-ordered blocks on foreign piracy sites
Bipartisan lawmakers introduced the DEFEND IP Act, which would let content owners ask courts to designate foreign piracy sites and then seek an order requiring U.S. internet providers to block access without disrupting lawful content. -
Mark Halperin says the Trump White House is losing ground ahead of midterms
Mark Halperin warned Republicans Friday on X that the Trump White House was faltering ahead of midterms, citing Trump’s low approval and lost support among young men, women, Hispanics and independents, as well as an unpopular war and high consumer prices. -
New Mexico jury finds Facebook liable for privacy deception
A New Mexico jury found Facebook liable for deceiving users about privacy protections and misleading the public about data-broker investigations, finding more than 2 million violations. A judge will set the penalty; state attorneys seek up to $5,000 per violation. -
Ted Cruz warns of Hasan Piker’s influence, cites El-Sayed campaign ties
Sen. Ted Cruz called Hasan Piker a radicalizing influence in the Democratic Party, citing remarks on communism, Mao and 9/11. Piker campaigned with Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, who says he disagrees with Piker and has no plans to campaign with him again this fall. -
NYC weighs AI shutdown controls and whistleblower shares of fines
New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin is sponsoring two proposed AI bills: one would require third-party validation and a human shutdown override; the other would let whistleblowers share fines collected from AI companies that break applicable laws. -
US acceptance of Iran’s Hormuz offer would bring no nuclear concessions, official says
An anonymous senior Iranian official told Reuters Tehran would make no nuclear concessions even if the US accepts Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The official said the strait would stay closed until Washington meets all of Iran’s conditions. -
Democrats demand removal of taxpayer-funded Trump ad ahead of midterms
Democrats demand the White House pull a taxpayer-funded ad promoting President Trump, arguing it violates a federal ban on government propaganda. The White House calls it a public-service announcement, not a political ad, ahead of the Nov. 3 midterms. -
Gates urges AI laws, warning AI could help cause a billion deaths
Bill Gates called for AI laws and safeguards, saying the technology could eventually drive events causing a billion deaths. In an interview aired Friday, he said self-regulation was insufficient and urged politicians and law enforcement to discuss monitoring. -
Netanyahu’s election-season UN address draws walkout and ally support
At the UN Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had done the “opposite of genocide” in Gaza and defended its attacks on neighbors; delegates from dozens of countries left before he spoke. With elections a month away, supporters praised the speech. -
Climate Week speakers differ on wind and solar's place in U.S. energy plans
At Climate Week events, Trump adviser Jarrod Agen said wind and solar would not be the solution to U.S. power needs, while Rep. Mike Levin called clean energy the country's path forward, reflecting agreement on expanding energy but disagreement over how. -
Trump showed Xi the Biden autopen display during White House visit
During Chinese President Xi Jinping’s White House visit Thursday, Donald Trump pointed out the autopen image displayed instead of Joe Biden’s portrait on the Presidential Walk of Fame; former deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews said the gesture humiliated the United States. -
Renée Good’s mother says she voted for Trump expecting ICE to protect innocents
Donna Ganger told a Senate committee she voted for Donald Trump expecting ICE agents to protect innocents. Her daughter, Renée Good, was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis in January; more than nine months later, Ganger said her family was still struggling. -
Appeals court backs Pentagon’s Anthropic supply-chain risk designation
A federal appeals court ruled 2-1 for the Pentagon, upholding its designation of Anthropic as a national-security supply-chain risk and keeping the company on the military blacklist. The panel temporarily stayed its ruling, preserving Anthropic’s chance to seek further review. -
Burnham opposes decriminalising personal drug use as Scotland backs policy
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham rejected decriminalising personal drug use, despite Scotland First Minister John Swinney’s support after drug deaths there rose 11%. The UK government controls drug policy and would need to approve the change in Scotland. -
Supreme Court to hear Maine lobsterman’s challenge to always-on GPS rule
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear Maine lobsterman Frank Thompson’s challenge on Sept. 28 to a rule requiring federally permitted lobster and Jonah crab boats to keep GPS trackers active even outside commercial fishing; lower courts rejected his case in 2023 and 2025. -
Darlene Roberson to face South Carolina’s first school trustee misconduct hearing
Charleston County school board member Darlene Roberson is scheduled to face a Sept. 28 hearing before a three-member panel over allegations of misconduct and conflicts of interest; the process could lead Gov. Henry McMaster to remove her from office. -
Hanson says Trump’s remarks about Reiner, Ford and McCain made him cringe
Victor Davis Hanson told Mike Rowe that Donald Trump’s comments about Rob Reiner after his death and John McCain, plus his insult of Doug Ford, made him cringe. He said a campaign gesture toward a reporter was ambiguous but could appear to mock someone with a disability. -
Bill Gates urges federal AI legislation, saying AI could enable events causing a billion deaths
Bill Gates said AI could enable events causing a billion deaths and urged federal rules requiring government monitoring and enforcement. He warned malicious actors could cause widespread harm now, but did not predict an imminent civilization-ending catastrophe. -
Xi’s Washington visit ends with Trump-led tour of US founding documents
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping ended Xi’s Washington state visit Friday at the National Archives, where they viewed the Declaration of Independence and US Constitution. Trump said they discussed the Iran war, but the summit produced few concrete results. -
GAO says ICE spent over $20 million on seven warehouses it plans to sell
ICE incurred more than $20 million in costs on seven warehouses it plans to sell, after buying 11 for about $1.07 billion between January and April, a GAO report says. The watchdog found ICE pursued the detention expansion without a comprehensive strategic plan.
