News
Election news
The latest headlines on the 2026 midterms and U.S. politics from news outlets across the spectrum, election-related first. Updated every hour; each opens on the outlet's site.
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Trump calls for prosecution of Alaska Senate candidate Peltola over Sullivan name controversy
President Donald Trump called for the criminal prosecution of the Democratic candidate running for Senate in Alaska on Wednesday after revelations that her campaign appeared to be involved in recruiting a candidate with the same name as Republican incumbent… Read more
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New polls suggest surprising Democratic gains in red-state Senate races
President Trump headed to Ohio to rally voters in a race that could determine control of the Senate. That stop comes after dueling rallies in another key state offered a snapshot of the divisions shaping the midterm elections. Liz Landers reports. Read more
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Where key Senate races stand in the final days of campaigning
The race for the Senate has moved from off-the-radar a year ago to a dramatic, hard-to-predict finish where Democrats stand a chance of retaking the chamber. The contest will come down to just over a dozen races across the country. Read more
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Democratic and GOP strategists assess midterm landscape in final week
To discuss how the midterm races are shaping up in the final days, Amna Nawaz sat down with Democratic strategist Mo Elleithee and Republican strategist Doug Heye. Read more
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How the Associated Press tracks and calls races on Election Night
Nearly 40 million votes have already been cast for races that will determine not only who controls Congress, but also governors, mayors and city councils. For many years, PBS News has relied on the Associated Press to keep track of results, and we will again… Read more
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WATCH: Trump calls for Peltola to drop out after report her campaign helped recruit 2nd Dan Sullivan
President Donald Trump called for Mary Peltola to leave Alaska's Senate race and be prosecuted on Wednesday. Read more
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Alvin Hellerstein, federal judge who handled cases on Trump, Maduro and 9/11, dies at 92
Just two weeks ago, Hellerstein presided over the arraignment of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Maduro's wife, Cilia Flores, on torture charges that were added to their ongoing narco-terrorism conspiracy case. Read more
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AP report: FDA scientists opposed the Trump administration's move to ease peptides access
A plan to give people in the United States easier access to unproven peptide drugs favored by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was opposed by most Food and Drug Administration scientific staff members, who had limited input in drafting the policy… Read more
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WATCH LIVE: Obama stumps for Ossoff and Bottoms at Georgia midterm rally
Former President Barack Obama, the last Democratic president to serve two terms, is increasingly campaigning for his party, acting as a foil to President Donald Trump. Read more
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WATCH LIVE: Trump rallies voters in Ohio after divisive Ramaswamy campaign ad
President Donald Trump is finishing the midterms with a cross-country blitz of campaign rallies that allow him to bask in applause when he's otherwise profoundly unpopular. Read more
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WATCH: Defeated Brazilian candidate Flávio Bolsonaro arrives in U.S. amid investigation
The stunning move came after 48 hours in which Bolsonaro refused to concede to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and then threatened to attempt to annul the election result. Read more
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Democrats put economy and affordability at center of final campaign push
With one week until Election Day, the final push is on. President Trump is making a swing through Texas, a state Republicans have long counted on, but where Democrats see an opportunity to make gains. Read more
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Poll gauges voter enthusiasm for both parties a week before election
A new PBS News/NPR/Marist poll released on Tuesday shows Democrats hold an eight-point lead among likely voters. With independents, that lead grows to 13 points. Geoff Bennett breaks down the poll results and what it tells us with Domenico Montanaro of NPR. Read more
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Grand jury refuses to indict former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, AP sources say
It's the latest setback in the Justice Department's efforts to charge Trump's perceived adversaries. Read more
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Why Trump's coalition of evangelical voters could be fraying
White evangelical Christians have been among President Trump's most loyal supporters for more than a decade, and our new PBS News/NPR/Marist poll shows that most still approve of him. But signs of slippage are emerging ahead of the midterms. Read more
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Libertarians could siphon Republican support in the fight for control of the U.S. Senate
Third-party Libertarian candidates threaten to siphon votes from Republicans in competitive states and could imperil the party's chances of holding its narrow majority over Democrats. Read more
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WATCH LIVE: 2026 midterms preview, plus your questions on voting
Ahead of Election Day, our politics crew takes a closer look at what to watch in the 2026 elections and take your questions around election security and voting rights. Read more
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WATCH: Trump says Venezuela sent him 1 million barrels of oil as a 'gift'
President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday plan to show off a newly arrived oil tanker filled with Venezuelan crude to be processed in Texas refineries. Read more
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WATCH LIVE: Trump campaigns for Ken Paxton at rallies in Texas
Trump was in Corpus Christi and Lubbock to boost Republican Ken Paxton's competitive U.S. Senate campaign against Democrat James Talarico. Read more
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What our final poll before Election Day says about midterms and Trump
Democrats hold an 8-point lead among likely voters in the fight for control of Congress with one week until Election Day, according to the latest PBS News/NPR/Marist poll. Read more
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Candidates enter final week of campaigning with control of Congress at stake
It's crunch time for candidates across the country with Election Day just over a week away. On Monday, President Trump campaigned in ruby-red Mississippi, a state he won by almost 23 points two years ago. Read more
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Campaigns spend big to sway voters with increasingly personal attack ads
Campaigns and their allies are making their closing arguments, and they've spent more than the annual budgets of a handful of states doing it. Much of that money is aimed at voters' wallets, but the attacks are also getting more personal and more artificial. Read more
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Tamara Keith and Amy Walter on the midterm outlook and possible redistricting backfire
NPR's Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter join Amna Nawaz to discuss the latest political news, including where the races for the House and Senate stand, the possibility of a backfire in the Republicans' redistricting… Read more
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Spiritual leaders unite to help keep the peace on Election Day
A minister, a rabbi and an imam walk into a polling place. No, it's not the beginning of a joke, but a coordinated effort to train clergy to help keep the peace on Election Day. Deema Zein reports. Read more
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Trump administration charges former FBI Director James Comey for the third time
The Trump administration is attempting to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey for what it calls disclosing classified information, employing the unusual maneuver of bypassing a grand jury. Read more
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Trump administration asks Washington state to set aside ballots from 400 voters it says may be noncitizens
The effort is the latest by the administration to identify noncitizen voters, even though noncitizen voting is exceptionally rare. Read more
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Tens of thousands of Israelis living abroad are expected to fly in for pivotal vote
Tens of thousands of Israelis living abroad are expected to fly in for this month's election. That's according to AID Coalition, a U.S.-based nonprofit focused on strengthening Israel's democracy. Read more
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Voters in these Democratic strongholds could ban trans girls from girls' school sports
Colorado and Washington are reliably Democratic states where elected officials have rejected moves to ban transgender women and girls from female sports competitions. Now activists have gone around lawmakers to put proposed bans on both states' ballots. Read more
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After a flurry of ethics cases, sexual harassment rules for Congress are under review
Lawmakers reviewing the issue of sexual harassment on Capitol Hill say they're disturbed by what they've found. Read more
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Catholic bishops say White House prayer photo with Trump was used politically
Two Catholic bishops have expressed regret that they agreed to a White House meeting that produced a publicly distributed photo of them praying with President Donald Trump. Read more
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A guide to the key ballot measures voters will decide on Election Day
When Americans cast their ballots in this year's midterm elections, they'll not only be picking who represents them in Congress, but also weighing in on a range of topics that could change their state laws and constitutions. Read more
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6 citizens sue Trump over media ban, saying it deprives them of news as audience stakeholders
In the increasingly bitter legal standoff between President Donald Trump and media outlets whose reporting he dislikes, a new and crucial third party has emerged: citizens who watch and read the news and need it to do their jobs. Read more
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Thune campaigns for Republicans in marquee Senate races in scramble to save majority
Republican candidates in marquee Senate races have welcomed Thune's help as he's traveled around the country in the weeks before the midterm elections, scrambling to save his majority. Read more
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Trump DOJ illegally fired ex-FBI director's daughter, Maurene Comey, as a federal prosecutor, judge rules
The judge noted that Comey had worked on some of the nation's highest-profile cases and consistently received stellar reviews. Read more
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Trump promised to stop inflation. Now Republicans may pay the price in the midterm elections
Voters blame Trump, pointing to the Republican president's tariff policies and the war he started with Iran. Read more
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Thousands of observers from the right and left will descend on polling places to monitor the vote on Election Day
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Trump escalates rhetoric against El-Sayed as he tries to undermine Democrat in Michigan Senate race
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America's long history of gerrymandering and its role in this year's midterms
Following partisan battles over political maps, nearly 35 million Americans will vote in congressional districts redrawn ahead of this year's midterms. As the nation marks its 250th anniversary, Judy Woodruff explores the origins of gerrymandering and why… Read more
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American taxpayers' bill for Iran war grows to estimated $47.1 billion
The Republican president has said new strikes on Iran are an option after the midterms and is sending more military resources to the Middle East, despite initially promising Americans a military campaign that would last only a matter of weeks. Read more
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Dolores Huerta, labor and civil rights icon, dies at 96
Huerta co-founded the United Farm Workers union to improve working conditions in the nation's fruit and vegetable fields and coined the phrase "Sí, se puede!" that became a widespread rallying cry. Read more
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