Section
US Politics
Trump voter-check push opens early midterm purge fight
Federal voter-eligibility checks have opened an early 2026 midterm fight over election integrity and the risk of wrongful voter purges.
White House prayer rally intensifies church-state fight in Washington
Trump and senior officials used a White House-backed prayer rally on the National Mall to invoke America's Christian roots, drawing renewed church-state criticism.
Kansas judge blocks youth gender-care ban pending appeal
A Kansas judge temporarily blocked key parts of the state's ban on gender-transition treatments for minors, handing parents an early court win.
Alabama voting-rights rally thrusts redistricting into 2026 fight
Thousands rallied in Montgomery as Alabama's map fight and a fresh Supreme Court ruling put Black political representation back at the center of 2026 politics.
Cassidy loses Louisiana primary as Trump ousts GOP critic
Bill Cassidy lost Louisiana's Republican primary, turning Donald Trump's impeachment grudge into a concrete defeat and setting a June 27 runoff.
Southern redistricting fights spread into state legislatures
Southern redistricting fights are moving into state legislatures as court rulings narrow Voting Rights Act protections and put Black representation at risk.
Trump presses GOP to tie SAVE Act to housing, FISA bills
Trump is pressing Republicans to link his SAVE Act to bipartisan housing and surveillance bills, increasing pressure on House and Senate leaders and raising the odds of a fresh congressional standoff.
Cassidy primary tests Trump's grip on GOP incumbents
Bill Cassidy's Louisiana primary has become a measure of whether Donald Trump can still punish Republicans who broke with him and shape the 2026 midterms from inside the party.
Republicans press Trump on Iran war after key deadlines pass
Months after Trump notified Congress of hostilities with Iran, Republican senators are raising war-powers objections when the easiest points of intervention have already slipped.
Trump's Kentucky proxy fight tests room for GOP dissent
Trump's campaign to unseat Rep. Thomas Massie has turned a Kentucky primary into an early measure of whether anti-intervention Republicans still have room to break with the party's leader.
Trump says West Potomac Park will host sculpture garden
Trump's decision to name West Potomac Park as the home of the National Garden of American Heroes raises questions over congressional funding, federal review and the politics of public space in Washington.
House fails to curb Trump Iran war powers in 212-212 tie
A third attempt by House Democrats to limit President Trump's authority to wage war against Iran ended in a 212-212 tie on Wednesday, leaving the administration's military campaign without a congressional check.
Texas settlement forces children's hospital to open detransition clinic
Texas Children's Hospital will open what officials call the nation's first detransition clinic, pay Texas $10 million and dismiss five doctors under state and federal settlements.
Warsh confirmed Fed chair as US inflation hits 3.8 per cent
The Senate confirmed Kevin Warsh as chair of the Federal Reserve in a 54-45 vote, the most divisive in the institution's history, as April consumer prices rose 3.8 per cent — the fastest pace since May 2023.
Trump 'seriously considering' making Venezuela 51st US state
President Donald Trump said he is 'seriously considering' statehood for Venezuela, extending US citizenship to 32 million Venezuelans and making it the second-most populous US state. Acting President Delcy Rodríguez rejected the proposal while calibrating a restrained response.
GOP centrists defy Trump to force House vote on Ukraine sanctions
A bipartisan coalition of House lawmakers secured the 218 signatures needed on a discharge petition Wednesday to force a floor vote on the Ukraine Support Act, the first successful pro-Ukraine legislative manoeuvre of Trump's second term.
Who will win the 2026 midterm elections? Polls and predictions
Democrats hold a commanding lead in generic ballot polling and prediction markets, but structural gerrymandering, the Supreme Court's dismantling of Voting Rights Act protections, and the question of MAGA base turnout without Trump on the ticket complicate the path to a House majority.
Virginia asks Supreme Court to reinstate pro-Democrat map
Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to revive a congressional map that would give Democrats 10 of 11 House seats.
Trump nominates Kari Lake as ambassador to Jamaica
Trump nominated Kari Lake, the former Fox News anchor who led an effort to dismantle Voice of America, as U.S. ambassador to Jamaica months after a judge ruled her tenure unlawful.
Missouri Supreme Court Weighs Challenge to GOP-Drawn House Map
Missouri's Supreme Court weighed a GOP map that could flip a Democratic House seat, as Louisiana and South Carolina pursue redistricting.
Democrats move to strip $1bn ballroom security from Senate immigration bill
Senate Democrats led by Chuck Schumer will use parliamentary rules to strip $1 billion in security funding for the White House East Wing ballroom from a $72 billion immigration enforcement package, setting up a floor fight over a project Trump once said would be privately funded.
Texas primary runoffs to set House nominees for November midterms
More than a dozen U.S. House primary runoffs on May 26 will settle races left unresolved after the March 3 primary, with several contests likely to determine who goes to Congress from Texas in November.
Supreme Court bars racial gerrymandering claims under Voting Rights Act
The US Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that using race to draw election districts is unconstitutional, requiring plaintiffs to prove discriminatory intent rather than effects. Republican states began redrawing maps within hours.
Trump demands Jeffries be charged with inciting violence
President Donald Trump demanded House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries be charged with inciting violence, the sharpest escalation yet in a feud defining the closing months of the 2026 midterm campaign. Jeffries refused to back down from his "maximum warfare" rhetoric.
Virginia Supreme Court voids redistricting referendum in 4-3 ruling
Virginia's Supreme Court struck down a voter-approved redistricting referendum on Friday in a 4-3 ruling, blocking a map that would have given Democrats four more congressional seats. Attorney General Jay Jones said Democrats would appeal to the US Supreme Court.
