US Politics

Judge says justice department policy of checking state voter rolls against a federal immigration database is unlawfulA federal judge ruled on Friday that the US justice department’s policy of collecting states’ unredacted voter rolls to check them against a federal immigration database is unlawful.The ruling, by the US district judge Sparkle Sooknanan, was a setback for Donald Trump, who has pushed his administration to ramp up investigations into non-citizen voting ahead of the November midterm elections, with control of Congress at stake. Continue reading… More

It is odd for the US defense secretary to be laying the groundwork for an event that could be organized by TehranPete Hegseth’s plans to stage a public execution resemble a grotesque Iran-imitation game.Having failed over the past seven months to defeat the Tehran regime on the battlefield, the self-styled “secretary of war” now proposes to mirror its notorious practice of enforcing the death penalty as a grand public spectacle. Continue reading… More

The execution of a former US army psychiatrist by firing squad is to be livestreamed after Pete Hegseth said it would be a public event. Nidal Hasan was sentenced to death after killing 13 people at a military base in Texas in 2009. There has been widespread condemnation of the decision, including from the UN which said it would ‘amount to torture’. Lucy Hough speaks to US academic and capital punishment specialist Austin Sarat, the author of Life After Death: Surviving Execution Continue reading… More

Political parties vie for Jewish support based on false assumptions about a single issue: IsraelEverybody wants the Jewish vote. As if there were one. Jews are educated, generally liberal. Although they comprise only about 2% of the electorate, they vote in high numbers, overwhelmingly for Democrats. In 2024, 79% chose Kamala Harris. They are also assumed to be steadfast friends of Israel, no matter what it does. Republicans, waging a fake war on antisemitism while courting white supremacists, consider Jews increasingly up for grabs.Nationally, Jewish Americans are concentrated in a few bright blue spots. A 2020 map from the Jewish Electorate Institute showed a third of Jews living in 20 congressional districts – out of 435 – most of them in New York, New Jersey, California and (purple) Florida. Of these, only one sent a Republican to Washington. Continue reading… More

From cost of living to the Iran war, these are the issues that matter most to US voters across the political spectrumUS voters are about to deliver their first national verdict on the second presidency of Donald Trump. On 3 November, millions of Americans will vote in midterm elections to decide control of the House of Representatives and Senate, as well as the governorships in 36 states. The results could have a huge impact on Trump’s final two years in office.Today, the Guardian launches its 2026 midterm voter panel. Our reporters have interviewed nine voters across the country and the political spectrum about the issues that matter to them, from the cost of living, immigration and healthcare to the war in Iran and whether they trust their political leaders. Continue reading… More

Candidates traded personal attacks and clashed over a range of issues in closely watched US Senate debates on Thursday, with control of Congress at stakeWith just weeks left in the contentious midterm election campaign, candidates in a trio of highly-competitive Senate races debated Thursday night, clashing over the economy, tariffs, the Iran war and abortion rights, with control of the upper chamber at stake.In Georgia, incumbent Democratic senator Jon Ossoff faced GOP representative Mike Collins. In Michigan, Democrat Abdul Al-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers debated over the state’s open Senate seat. And in Maine, longtime senator Susan Collins met Democratic challenger Troy Jackson. Democrats need to flip four Republican-held Senate seats to win the majority. Continue reading… More

Polling out this week suggests the Democrats could do something no one thought possible even a few months ago: take back the US Senate. Despite this, Donald Trump is telling crowds at rallies across the country that the Republicans will ‘win big’.This week, Jonathan Freedland speaks to David Nir of the Downballot about why Democrats are feeling so hopeful in deep red statesWatch Jonathan Freedland on our new Politics Weekly YouTube channelSend your questions and feedback to [email protected] Aditya Chakrabortty’s new series, Radical Thinking, on YouTube, or listen to it on the Politics Weekly feed Continue reading… More

Pentagon chief joins Trump in attempt to use deadly shooting at Texas base to attack former Democratic presidentThousands turn out to welcome weary USS Lincoln sailorsSign up for the US Breaking News emailDonald Trump has urged James Talarico, the Democratic nominee in the US Senate race in Texas, to debate Ken Paxton – Republican attorney general that the president has endorsed in the election.On Truth Social, Trump described Paxton as “ready, willing, and able” to take on Talarico – the 37-year-old state representative who has been leading in several polls.In Georgia, Jon Ossoff, the Democratic incumbent will face off against Mike Collins – a congressman and the Trump-backed Republican nominee at 7pm ET.At the same time in Michigan, progressive insurgent Abdul El-Sayed, will debate Mike Rogers, the Republican nominee also endorsed by the president.Finally, it’s the second debate in Maine in as many days. Susan Collins, the five-term Republican incumbent will spar (again) with the Democratic nominee, Troy Jackson, at 8pm ET. Continue reading… More