US Politics

On Wednesday, judge declined administration’s request to order state to not count ballots from up to 20,000 peopleThe Trump administration has opened a criminal investigation in California over claims that thousands of noncitizens are registered to vote in the state, and has begun subpoenaing election officials.The development, which was reported by Bloomberg Law and the New York Times, comes just days before the US midterm elections in which the president’s party is expected to see major losses. Continue reading… More

Late-night hosts discussed the president’s weird campaign behaviour and his out-of-touch comments about wealthLate-night hosts expressed disgust at Donald Trump’s latest racist attacks while also taking aim at his comments about money. Continue reading… More

Ex-congresswoman is connecting with young people and Native voters with promise to expand the social safety netThe road to Isleta Pueblo, a Native American tribal community just 20 minutes south of downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico, is peppered with campaign signs. Among the many names of candidates running in next week’s midterm elections and tribal elections later in November, there’s one that is poised to make history.Deb Haaland is set to become the first Native American female governor in the US when voters cast their ballots on 3 November. Recent polling shows her with a comfortable lead over her opponent, Republican Gregg Hull, a businessman and the longtime mayor of the city of Rio Rancho. Her bid for office also signals the growing power of the Democratic party in the state, where Democrats control the legislature, hold all top offices and have enacted progressive policies, such as universal childcare, that have been heralded across the country. Continue reading… More

As Scott Colom challenges Cindy Hyde-Smith, one of the country’s most reliably Republican states may be in playOn Tuesday, with just one week until the election, Scott Colom’s headquarters was buzzing. Volunteers arrived for phone-banking, while staffers prepared for another day of campaigning. Colom, a Democrat who is challenging incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith for US Senate, had just held a press conference in Corinth, Mississippi.Donald Trump campaigned for Hyde-Smith in Corinth, a small city near the Tennessee border that typically leans Republican on Tuesday, too. He told attenders that he was there “because Cindy’s doing great, but I just got to make sure. I can’t take a chance.” Continue reading… More

Democrats have failed to win statewide office in Texas for 30 years. Before the midterms, Oliver Laughland and Tom Silverstone travel to San Antonio to follow James Talarico and Ken Paxton on the campaign trail – to find out whether the state’s Senate race is really up for grabs, how Elon Musk’s millions are affecting the race and whether voters have changed their minds on Trump Continue reading… More

Despite structural differences between countries, protests are a reminder of what makes demonstrations so powerfulSince mid-September, students in metropolitan France have been mobilizing against poor conditions in public high schools. The mouvement lycéen has spread from a single campus in a Parisian suburb to include high schoolers and university students nationwide, with public sector workers, climate activists, labor unions and everyday people joining in solidarity. The unifying concerns have largely centered on the climbing costs of daily life, shrinking funds for social services and general anxiety about the future.For two weekends running, France has seen hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets: first on 17 October, when a day of largely peaceful gatherings ended in looting and vandalism; then on 24 October, as the state met the movement with aggressive policing and protest bans intended to keep people at home. Continue reading… More

With his poll numbers tanking and his behavior getting odder, the remark seems more appealing to himself than to votersAs he criss-crosses the nation, stumping for Republican candidates, Donald Trump keeps asking voters to use their imaginations.“In this election, I’m asking you to pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot. Just pretend,” he urged at a Kansas rally as he campaigned for the incumbent senator Roger Marshall and gubernatorial challenger Ty Masterson last month. Continue reading… More

Are the Democrats really going to take Texas? If there is going to be a blue wave, as polling suggests, winning the Lone Star state is going to be essential. James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for US Senate, is currently leading against Ken Paxton, a scandal-ridden political survivor. Even the gubernatorial race in Texas, pitting Greg Abbot, the current governor, against Gina Hinojosa is within the margin of error. These elections, and ultimately control of the US Congress, are likely to be decided by one key demographic – Latinos. Hispanic men were key to Donald Trump’s 2024 win. But Carlos Eduardo Espina, a news commentator, and Stephanie Valencia, a pollster, tell Kai Wright there are signs that the economy, the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign and Republican redistricting efforts are backfiring – and Latinos seem to be swinging back to Democrats this year. Espina and Valencia break down what we really mean by ‘the Latino vote’ and how those voters might just swing right back next election if Democrats aren’t careful. Continue reading… More