The HillSig. 5NewsDefensePoliticsElections
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will chair a new Pentagon advisory board on homeland defense, created to provide integrated advice on hemispheric defense and domestic security. The article notes the board follows Hegseth’s 2025 purge of advisory panels and comes amid National Guard deployments and concerns about military involvement in elections.
PBS NewsHourSig. 8NewsElectionsPoliticsLaw
Several left-leaning voter engagement and racial justice groups face steep funding shortfalls and staffing cuts ahead of midterm voting, alarming Democratic strategists who fear reduced turnout and voter protection efforts. The article attributes the pullback to disenchanted donors and fear of retribution from the Trump administration, while noting the DNC says it is making historic organizing investments.
The GuardianSig. 7OpinionPoliticsForeignElections
The essay argues that Democrats are reckoning with their Gaza policy after refusing to give Palestinian voices a platform and continuing to back Israel’s military campaign. It portrays Biden and Harris as deferential to Netanyahu and Aipac while grassroots Democratic voters and Palestinian American advocates push for a policy shift.
AxiosSig. 7NewsImmigrationElectionsPolitics
Arizona immigration advocates are building an interactive heat map to flag reported ICE activity near polling places this fall, citing fears of voter intimidation. The article also notes a failed Republican-backed state bill to require ICE agents at polls, a DHS denial that it targets polling sites, and evidence that noncitizen voting is extremely rare.
The HillSig. 7NewsElectionsPolitics
A Reuters/Ipsos poll finds Trump’s approval at 32%, a record low, with disapproval at 66% and a 15-point decline since the start of his second term. The article links the slump to the midterms, an unpopular Iran war, and economic and immigration concerns, and notes other polls showing Republicans trailing Democrats.
The HillSig. 6NewsElectionsPoliticsLaw
A new NBC News poll indicates fewer Democrats and independents plan to vote by mail in the 2026 midterms, with more opting for early in-person or Election Day voting. The shift follows Trump's attacks on mail-in voting and a Supreme Court ruling blocking his postal-service order. Democratic and progressive groups are encouraging early in-person voting.
New York PostSig. 6NewsElectionsPolitics
A Trump-aligned Super PAC is spending nearly $8 million on TV and mail ads attacking Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi and boosting Republican challenger Mike LiPetri in New York’s 3rd Congressional District. The ad accuses Suozzi of self-serving stock trading, while Suozzi’s campaign denies he has bought stocks and calls the attacks hypocritical given Trump’s own trading. The article also notes Suozzi’s centrist ads and a U.S. Chamber award as he seeks reelection in a competitive district.
PoliticoSig. 6AnalysisPoliticsAIElections
Mayor Zohran Mamdani is set to meet President Donald Trump at Gracie Mansion, continuing an unusual cordial relationship despite their ideological differences. The article also covers Gov. Kathy Hochul floating an AI 'kill switch' as New York implements the RAISE Act. It notes Democratic unease over engaging Trump while Mamdani's left-wing base has not objected.
PBS NewsHourSig. 6NewsElectionsPolitics
Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick is distancing himself from President Trump in a competitive Pennsylvania district, but voter frustration with Trump and rising fuel prices may still hurt his reelection chances. Democratic challenger Bob Harvie and disaffected Republican voters could threaten the GOP's narrow House majority. The race includes heavy attack ads and no scheduled debate.
Washington ExaminerSig. 7NewsElectionsForeignPolitics
United Russia dominated Russia’s Duma elections, but the article highlights restricted opposition, questionable election practices, and protest voting abroad. It quotes observers calling the vote not free or fair and notes an unexpected regional win for the anti-war Yabloko party.
PBS NewsHourSig. 7NewsElectionsPoliticsForeign
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he would stay in office after his CDU suffered regional election defeats, including being voted out of a state legislature for the first time in 77 years, while the far-right AfD became the strongest party in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The article reports no immediate leadership challenge but notes pressure on Merz's reform agenda and coalition tensions.
PBS NewsHourSig. 7NewsPoliticsMediaElections
Vice President JD Vance defended Trump's decision to revoke special White House access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico during a GOP midterm campaign stop in North Carolina, saying the outlets are not banned. The article notes the White House deactivated their access badges, leaving reporters to film from nearby street corners.