The U.S.-Ukraine alliance is careening toward a possible breaking point, with Moscow strengthened by President Donald Trump’s recent rejection of new Russia sanctions and Kyiv undermined by disruptions in satellite support for its drones during the war.
Trump is meanwhile hoping $5,000 checks can boost Republican turnout in November’s midterm elections — but even some of his devoted fans doubt the government will pay them. The offering has become a go-to tactic for Trump when he faces a political jam.
A federal judge on Monday questioned the Trump administration’s claims about its efforts to redevelop a historic Washington golf course, challenging its contention that a recent tree-cutting spree was not an indication that work was moving forward on the project, which is temporarily blocked by a court order.
Here's the latest:
Trump ultimate decider for fraud rewards, Trump says
The president says he’ll be the “arbitrator” of who deserves the reward money for his new anti-fraud initiatives.
“I am going to do something which I think people will like,” Trump said. “I will be the arbitrator of all these decisions.”
The White House earlier Tuesday said the Justice Department will administer the program. Successful whistleblowers can receive up to $30,000, and Trump insisted they will get their money “immediately.”
Rubio accuses Iran of using Nazi tactics in the Strait of Hormuz by targeting commercial shipping
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is accusing Iran of using Nazi tactics in the Strait of Hormuz by targeting commercial shipping, which he says is a throwback to World War II.
In an interview with the Indian outlet News1, Rubio said Tuesday that people should pay more attention to what Iran is doing and trying to do to close the strait.
“We have a nation-state that is openly saying, ‘We are targeting commercial vessels; we are trying to kill sailors who have nothing to do with the war; we are trying to sink commercial ships,’” Rubio said. “You haven’t seen that since the second world war. They are doing Nazi U-boat tactics. And that’s what the world should be rallying around and condemning.”
By contrast, he said that U.S. forces in the region are defending commercial shipping and the vast majority of attempted Iranian attacks have been thwarted.
Trump pledges to spend more than $400 million on midterms
President Donald Trump says he plans to spend more than $400 million on the Nov. 3 midterm elections, a figure that would represent the vast majority of his super PAC, MAGA Inc.
In a Truth Social post Tuesday, Trump claims already to have spent more than $300 million, “on Advertising, Direct and Indirect Voter Contact, Rallies, Rally Arenas, Telerallies, Get Out the Vote Programs, Election Integrity, and more.”
Trump had boasted early in the year about building a political war chest exceeding $1.5 billion.
However, some Republican strategists had complained late in the summer and early fall that Trump was late to unleash money held in MAGA Inc, his main super PAC, which posted $416 million on hand as of the end of August.
As of Tuesday, Trump’s super PAC and aligned groups had spent $191 million on advertising, the lion’s share and costliest of all their expenses. They had another $65 million booked through Nov. 3, making the ad total $256 million, according to AdImpact, an ad-tracking firm.
European leaders say Ukraine-Russia peace ‘process is back on track’ as US envoy heads for Russia
After weeks of the U.S.-Ukraine alliance careening toward a possible breaking point, the leaders of Ukraine, Norway and Finland said Tuesday that progress has been renewed to bring an end to the years-long war with Moscow.
“U.S. and European teams have done substantive work on key issues together with Ukraine,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said at a press conference Tuesday.
He added that President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff will be flying to St. Petersburg on Wednesday to meet with Russian leaders and exchange ideas from the Oslo meeting.
“Today was a good day for peace,” Finland’s President Alexander Stubb said.
Bloomberg is making a late $80 million investment in midterm races
Michael Bloomberg is making a major late investment in the midterms, spending about $80 million to help bolster Democrats in the races’ final stretch.
Howard Wolfson, a longtime adviser to the former New York City mayor, said the bulk of the spending -- about $50 million -- would focus on the House. That includes about $16 million to the House Majority PAC, a super PAC dedicated to electing Democrats, and $24 million to the group Everytown for Gun Safety.
The spending was first reported by the New York Times.
Wolfson said Bloomberg has long been a supporter of House Democrats and believes the money will be able to move the needle.
“I think the Democrats are well positioned for a good night, but there’s a big difference between Democratic control of the House at 218 and Democratic control of the house at 230. And the larger the majority the better,” he said.
As for the timing, he said: “Our view is that late giving provides you with more information to make decisions” about where to spend.
Trump, Vance host event on fraud
The two are announcing a new $25 million effort to incentivize Americans to report cases of fraud.
“This is so big and important, and there’s never been anything like it,” Trump said.
As he kicked off the event, Trump called Vance, who he’s tapped to lead the administration’s anti-fraud efforts, and his task force “JD and the untouchables.”
Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson talks on the campaign trail about her priorities as a working mom
U.S. Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama, 44, told a crowd in Des Moines, Iowa, on Tuesday that she’s currently the youngest woman in the chamber, but she’s excited for Ashley Hinson, 43, to try and change that.
Britt joined Hinson, the congresswoman running to be Iowa’s next senator, for a conversation on how the two Republican moms bring a rare perspective to Congress. Britt and Hinson both have two school-aged children.
“You’ve got a lot of social media stars, but not a lot of statesmen. This woman is a statesman,” Britt said of Hinson. “She takes her intellect, she takes her diligence and she says: ‘How do we actually achieve a result?’ And I do think that’s the mom in us.”
The two talked about the policy priorities they want to continue to work on together, including child care affordability, contraception access and technology guardrails to protect kids online.
Hinson faces Democrat Josh Turek in a competitive – and costly – race to defend retiring Republican Sen. Joni Ernst’s seat.
“You want something done – give it to a busy mom,” Hinson said.
Zelenskyy says some intel sharing has resumed after talks with US officials
Standing next to leaders from Norway and Finland in Oslo, Zelenskyy said Tuesday that Kyiv is once again receiving early warnings from its partners following recent Russian attacks that occurred without prior notice to Ukraine.
Zelenskyy said that this change happened after talks with his American counterparts, including a phone call with Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier in the day.
“We are thankful that intelligence works now and I’m speaking about early warning, which is very important for our people, for children, adults, civilians, because we can hear when ballistic is coming,” Zelenskyy said. “So we are thankful to American side now that it works.”
Immigrant rights advocates and Democratic lawmakers in California accuse Trump administration of trying to intimidate voters
They blasted the federal government’s claims of widespread voter fraud at a press conference in Los Angeles Tuesday, a day after the Justice Department charged 28 people as part of a statewide sweep targeting alleged noncitizens who officials say have illegally registered or voted in U.S. elections.
“Today, people in our communities are being asked whether the very government sworn to protect their rights is now a source of fear,” said Mark Gonzalez, a Democratic state assemblymember.
The Justice Department sued California last week in an attempt to bar the state from counting mail-in ballots in the midterms from people the federal government suspects are noncitizens.
Wisconsin Republican congressman says opponent’s campaign is built on lies
Republican Rep. Bryan Steil said in his only debate Tuesday with Democratic challenger Mitchell Berman that Berman’s campaign against him is “built on a stack of lies.”
“He will say and do anything to get elected,” Steil said.
Steil said despite Berman’s claims, he worked to increase funding for Medicaid in Wisconsin by $1 billion.
Berman, an emergency room nurse, said that was like “putting a Band-Aid on a bullet hole.”
The southeastern Wisconsin district leans Republican but Democrats are investing in the race hoping to flip the district in a wave year.
Steil hit Berman for claiming he was against taking corporate political action committee money while the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which takes PAC money, is running ads in the race.
Berman said Steil hasn’t done enough to lower costs and that “people in our communities are hemorrhaging.”
Sen. Cory Booker is the next potential White House candidate to make a 2026 Southern swing
The New Jersey senator, who ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 and is considering a 2028 bid, will spend Thursday in Alabama and Friday in South Carolina.
South Carolina will host Democrats’ first 2028 presidential primary. Alabama in recent cycles has held a Super Tuesday primary. Black Democrats anchor Democratic electorates in both states.
In Alabama, according to a schedule from a Booker aide, the senator will campaign with U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures and gubernatorial candidate Doug Jones. Figures is running in a district Republicans redrew after the Supreme Court gutted the federal Voting Rights Act. Jones, a former U.S. senator, is trying to upset Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville.
In South Carolina, Booker will campaign with gubernatorial candidate Jermaine Johnson and Senate nominee Dr. Annie Andrews. This marks Booker’s third Alabama trip this year and second to South Carolina.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker gives $1 million to Keisha Lance Bottoms’ Georgia governor campaign
The billionaire Democrat and potential 2028 presidential candidate has personally contributed $1 million to Bottoms’ political action committee, according to a Pritzker adviser.
Bottoms has been massively outspent by Republican billionaire Rick Jackson, who has personally put $100 million-plus into his campaign.
Pritzker already contributed $1.2 million to Texas governor candidate Gina Hinojosa. Hinojosa, a Latina, and Bottoms, a Black woman, would break barriers. Texas has never elected a Latina governor. No Black woman has been elected governor in any state.
Black and Hispanic voters will be influential in Democrats’ early presidential primaries.
Quentin Fulks, a former top aide to Pritzker, encouraged him to contribute to Bottoms after having supported Hinojosa. Fulks managed Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock’s 2022 reelection campaign.
Pritzker angered Congressional Black Caucus members by not backing U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly in Illinois’ U.S. Senate Democratic primary. Pritzker backed his lieutenant governor, Julianna Stratton, who’s also Black. Stratton won.
Senate Democrats launch first ad in Mississippi as their midterm optimism spreads in the South
Senate Democrats’ top campaign spending group is wading into Mississippi’s U.S. Senate race for the first time this year, an aggressive move in a deep-red state that signals a party on the offensive as Republicans look to protect a slim majority.
The Senate Majority PAC will spend $1.2 million on a new television advertisement to boost Scott Colom, a district attorney, in his campaign against Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith. The ad, first disclosed to The Associated Press, is set to start Wednesday and run through Election Day.
“Senate Majority PAC has been watching this race closely, and it is clear Colom is running a competitive race that has put Hyde-Smith on her heels,” group spokesperson Lauren French said in a statement.
With just two weeks to go in the race, it’s unclear what impact the ad will have in a matchup that’s been set since Colom won a March primary. Still, it’s a substantial investment in a race that’s seen only about $8 million in total spending, with Colom outspending Hyde-Smith nearly $4.6 million to $3.2 million, according to AdImpact.
In the 2024 presidential race, Trump won Mississippi by nearly 23 percentage points, and a Democrat hasn’t won a Senate race in the state since 1982.
Beijing opposes US sanctions on Chinese tech companies
Beijing has expressed “firm opposition” to the Trump administration’s sanctions on five Chinese companies connected to a former Google engineer over alleged intellectual property theft.
The move “severely harms the legitimate rights and interests” of Chinese businesses, the country’s commerce ministry said in a statement Tuesday.
The U.S. State Department said Monday that Linwei Ding, who founded Shanghai Zhisuan Technology, had touted his experience with the American tech giant and claimed his company could replicate Google’s super intelligence infrastructure technology.
Ding was charged with stealing artificial intelligence trade secrets from Google while secretly working with two companies based in China. He was later convicted on several counts of economic espionage and theft of trade secrets.
China’s commerce ministry said its AI development is “the result of long-term cultivation in basic research, continuous innovation investment, and adherence to independent scientific and technological innovation and open cooperation.”
It urged the U.S. to “correct its erroneous practice” and said it would take “necessary measures,” without specifying them.
Former elected Republicans criticize Trump for antisemitic comment
Barbara Comstock, a former congresswoman from Virginia, said “Trump once again lets loose his anti-Semitic rhetoric” and called it “a bizarre defense of” Roger Marshall, the Kansas senator.
Trump was defending Marshall against Democrats’ ads that criticize the physician for aggressive collection of small medical debts from his patients. Trump quipped that the ads paint Marshall as a “Shylock,” a slur that plays on stereotypes of Jewish people and is derived from William Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice.”
Joe Walsh, a former congressman from Illinois, noted on social media that “Trump publicly used the antisemitic term again” and predicted “no one on the right” would condemn it.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the president’s use of the word.
Trump draws backlash for using antisemitic term during Kansas speech
The president used the word “shylock” on Monday night while defending Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall for collecting overdue payments from patients of his medical practice.
He had faced criticism for using the same word last year during an event in Iowa. At the time, he insisted that he wasn’t aware that it referenced antisemitic stereotypes about Jewish people caricatured as unscrupulous moneylenders.
He told reporters at the time that he’d “never heard it that way.”
Amy Spitalnick, who leads the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, said on social media that Trump’s usage of the word “after he was called out for doing so” shows it’s “not an accident.”
“He has consistently normalized antisemitic conspiracy theories and tropes,” she said.
Rubio: Americans should be ‘proud’ that Trump is willing to meet with Chinese, Russian leaders
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in India on Tuesday that he saw nothing wrong with the leaders of “the three most powerful nuclear-armed nations on Earth” meeting.
A proposal for Trump to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at an Asia-Pacific summit next month in China to discuss issues including Russia’s war with Ukraine has been criticized by many for abandoning Ukraine.
“I hear people on the TV, ‘Oh, you’re rewarding so-and-so by talking to them.’ Well, that’s absurd,” Rubio said. “I think if there’s an opportunity, and the president’s expressed an openness to do it, for the United States, Russia and China at the leader level, to have a conversation about things like arms control, that’d be a very positive thing for the world. That should be something the world should be enthused by.”
Rubio said concerns that such a meeting might imply weakness are misguided.
Trump and Vance to announce a $25M whistleblower program
Trump and Vice President JD Vance are set to announce the program during a joint afternoon appearance in the Oval Office.
Under the Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program, or WHIP, anyone who submits a tip to fraud.gov that leads to a fraud conviction or a significant federal enforcement action is eligible to receive up to $30,000.
The Justice Department will administer the program.
During the Oval Office event, Trump is expected to present a check for $10,000 to Nick Shirley, a right-wing influencer who posted a video last year that said members of Minnesota’s Somali community were running fake childcare centers to collect federal subsidies.
The White House says a woman who ran a childcare center and pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States was featured in Shirley’s video.
Faith leaders unite across religions to counter voter intimidation on Election Day
Come Election Day, a Quaker leader will travel from the nation’s capital to her home state of Ohio. A Christian minister and a Jewish rabbi will stand vigil outside a polling place in Arizona. A Buddhist nun will offer support to voters in Wisconsin.
In battleground states across the country, these faith leaders and hundreds of their colleagues will assume the role of poll chaplains for one day. They will deploy to nine states — Arizona, Michigan, Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Virginia and Texas — where contentious races are expected to raise political tensions.
Faiths United in Saving Democracy, a nonpartisan coalition of interfaith and secular partners, is helping to train and certify this volunteer force of clergy members and lay peacekeepers in time for the Nov. 3 elections.
They’ll wear identifying hats and vests, and stay outside the poll centers, with the goal of maintaining a calm, reassuring presence to encourage more voters to exercise their rights without fear or hesitation, said co-founder Barbara Williams-Skinner.
Rubio cites NATO alliances in explaining Ukraine aid
Trump has made NATO a political punching bag through both of his presidencies.
But his top diplomat cited the post-World War II alliance when explaining Washington’s approach to aiding Ukraine.
“We do have bases in Europe. Our partners do as well,” Rubio said, as he discussed how the Pentagon and Hegseth weigh approving various weapons sales and transfers.
So, Rubio explained, as Hegseth considers transfers to Kyiv, he has to weigh not only what U.S. bases need but what European allies might need, as well.
“We have other large air presences in the region, and then we have minimum requirements,” he said, adding that “it’s part of our NATO presence.”
The bottom line, Rubio insisted, is “there has not been some deliberate political directive to go out and harm Ukraine.”
In New Hampshire Senate race, Sununu emphasizes independence from Trump
Donald Trump as a teen dad?
“The way Chris Pappas tells it, I’m President Trump’s long-lost son,” former Republican Sen. John E. Sununu says in a new ad objecting to his opponent’s claims that he is beholden to Trump.
“I’ve never even met the man. When the president’s policies are bad for New Hampshire, I’ll oppose them,” says Sununu, who is trying to reclaim the seat he lost in 2008.
Pappas, a Democrat who currently represents the state’s 1st Congressional District in the House, has highlighted Sununu’s previous comments that his campaign “is important to President Trump’s agenda.”
Trump, 80, has five children, the oldest of whom is 48. Sununu is 62.
Marco Rubio denies that US is withholding weapons assistance from Ukraine
The U.S. secretary of state insisted Tuesday that the Trump administration is not restricting military aid to Ukraine in its war with Russia.
“Nothing has changed,” Rubio told reporters. “When things are available for sale, it’s sold for the Europeans who, in turn, transfer to them.”
Rubio also said Trump has not ordered changes in how the U.S. shares intelligence.
The Washington Post reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has withheld approval for some of the weapons transfers.
While Rubio generally called news reports “inaccurate,” he did not dispute Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s complaints that Ukraine has not received enough missile interceptors. Rubio explained that the Pentagon is not making a tactical play against Zelenskyy but instead prioritizing U.S. needs.
“When a country doesn’t get interceptors from the United States, it’s not because they’re denied,” Rubio said. “We have minimum standards that we have to meet internally in our base presence all over the world.”
Vance gets criticism from Fox over declining to back Netanyahu
Vice President JD Vance’s decision to decline to endorse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for reelection after Trump had backed him is being criticized on Fox News.
Fox & Friends co-host Lawrence Jones called the decision “disappointing.” Co-host Brian Kilmeade pointed to Vance campaigning last spring for then-Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
“You can’t say I don’t worry about other people’s elections,” Kilmeade said.
A message seeking a response was left with the vice president’s office.
The criticism Tuesday came after Vance said in an interview with Mark Halperin that he was focused on America’s midterms and that he wasn’t getting involved in Israeli elections.
Trump endorsed Netanyahu on Sunday, calling him a “Great Warrior.”
Justice Department charges more than 2 dozen in California sweep targeting alleged noncitizen voters
Federal authorities charged more than two dozen foreign nationals Monday in California as part of a statewide sweep targeting people who officials say have illegally registered or voted in U.S. elections.
The arrests are part of a Trump administration effort to root out noncitizen voting ahead of next month’s midterm elections, even though data shows that the problem is incredibly rare, difficult to prove and has not been shown to change the outcome of races.
Federal officials on Monday blamed California officials for the alleged crimes, accusing them of facilitating noncitizen voting through inadequate voter roll maintenance and hiding it from the public. The charges escalated a simmering voter roll fight that came into focus last week when the Justice Department sued California and warned that local election workers who knowingly process or tabulate ballots submitted by noncitizen voters are at risk of investigation and potential prosecution.
The Justice Department said the 28 people who were charged as part of a sweep dubbed Operation Protect the Vote are lawful permanent residents — but not U.S. citizens who are permitted to legally vote.
Judge grills Trump administration over plans to overhaul Washington golf course
A federal judge on Monday questioned the Trump administration’s claims surrounding its efforts to redevelop a historic Washington golf course, challenging its contention that a recent tree-cutting spree did not indicate work was moving forward on the project, which is temporarily blocked by a court order.
“There is no universe in which all of this coincidentally happened all at the same time,” U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes said during a hearing over the fate of a project that has emerged as the latest legal flashpoint in President Donald Trump’s campaign to leave his personal imprint on the nation’s capital. The hearing, which continued more than five hours, ended with Reyes taking no action.
Reyes last week ordered a halt to the golf course’s redevelopment plans until at least Oct. 26 after scolding the government for starting a large-scale tree removal at the course over a holiday weekend. Then, on Sunday, Trump announced plans on social media to close the golf course for 15 months. In a post on Monday, Trump said the work would start immediately.
Gimmick or giveback? Even some Trump supporters don’t expect to get $5,000 checks after midterms
Trump is hoping that $5,000 checks can juice Republican turnout in November’s midterm elections — but even some of his devoted fans are doubting that government payouts would arrive.
“I mean, I guess it’s good for some people. I really don’t care,” said Jamie Alvarez, who attended Trump’s recent Alaska rally in a red, white and blue outfit. “I don’t feel like your vote should be bought. I feel like you should vote for who you feel is going to do the best job.”
The offering of government checks has become a go-to tactic for Trump when he faces a political jam. He’s previously endorsed $2,000 in dividends from tariff revenues and large refunds from spending cuts achieved by the Department of Government Efficiency, neither of which materialized. The latest example could reveal how much voters still trust Trump as they decide control of Congress in the midterm elections on Nov. 3.
Staunch supporters such as Lucy Martinez, the president of a Republican women’s club who attended a recent Trump rally in Texas, said there’s no doubt in their minds.
US ties with Ukraine hit new low as Trump slights Zelenskyy and eases up on Russia
The U.S.-Ukraine alliance is careening toward a possible breaking point, with Moscow strengthened by President Donald Trump’s recent rejection of new Russia sanctions and Kyiv undermined by disruptions in satellite support for its drones during the war.
Trump’s relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has always been a moving target, while the Republican president has frequently boasted of his rapport with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. But relations between the U.S. and Ukraine appear to be at a new low, threatening to tip the balance of the war to Russia’s favor and imperil America’s security interests across the globe.
Trump has been lobbing insults at Zelenskyy for over a week and turning to policies that benefit Putin, while Ukraine’s president has said he feels betrayed and worries for his country’s future. But the American president can still shift on Zelenskyy — especially as he faces bipartisan outrage from lawmakers — which Trump has done before.
