A federal judge blocked the Trump administration last night from barring CNN, Politico and MS NOW from the White House.
The Supreme Court for the second time in a matter of weeks has ruled in favor of Republicans seeking to ensure that party committees can pay the same lower TV ad rates that candidates currently enjoy.
The court again blocked a ruling by the Richmond, Va.-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in favor of Democrats who challenged the policy announced earlier this year by the Federal Communications Commission.
The policy has been in effect, so the Supreme Court decision has no practical impact.
In the latest decision, the court, divided 7-2, said the appeals court had no authority to order the FCC to speed up its internal review of the policy.
“The Communications Act requires the Commission to act on every application it receives, but it does not obligate the Commission to act within a particular timeframe,” the unsigned ruling said.
Two liberal justices, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson, dissented.
Trump began his speech at a rally on the tarmac of in Bullhead City this afternoon by talking at length about the Air Force One gifted to him this year by the Qatari government.
“And you saw the brand new 747 Air Force One. It was about time,” Trump said to the crowd. “You know, when you’re given gifts, you take them, right?”
He added: “When they give you a 747, you say two words: thank you.”
Over the summer, Trump said that the new plane, which drew concerns over its security capabilities compared to the previous Air Force One, would be sent away for upgrades at some point.
Trump said today that the Qatari government gave him the plane because he is their “friend,” and that he had to accept it, calling the previous Air Force One outdated.
Facing a stormy political forecast, Republican groups are making hard choices about which candidates may get left out in the rain.
A pair of battleground district incumbents, Reps. Tom Kean Jr. of New Jersey and Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa, have seen millions of dollars in GOP ad reservations cut from their districts in the last few days, according to AdImpact, an ad tracking service.
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The Justice Department is threatening legal action against California unless state and local officials review a list of potential noncitizens on their voter rolls.
Acting Deputy Attorney General R. Trent McCotter sent letters to California Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder Dean Logan yesterday demanding that they review a list of possible noncitizens the federal government identified by noon tomorrow.
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More than 100 Democratic Senate staffers will be deployed to key polling locations in November to observe the election process, an effort the chamber’s Democratic leaders are branding a “first-of-its-kind Senate Election Observer Program.”
“Their role is very clear: to observe, to document, and report the facts,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., the ranking member of the Senate Rules Committee, described it as “an official Senate program,” with paid Senate staffers and added that it is not a “political partisan or political party operation.”
Padilla added that the observers “are going to be doing just that: observing,” and emphasized that the observers are “not there to interfere, they’re not there to cause the scene.”
Both Schumer and Padilla highlighted President Donald Trump’s past efforts to undermine election results.
“Donald Trump has made it clear he wants to undermine our elections and interfere with the democratic process,” Schumer said.
He accused Trump of trying to “change the rules of the game,” and Padilla said that “Trump has sought to weaponize both the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, and others, particularly in the election space.”
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today admitted to feeling betrayed after Trump struck a diesel deal with Russia and declared an “energy ceasefire” between Russian and Ukraine.
“Really, yes, really,” Zelenskyy said during an interview on “Piers Morgan Uncensored” when asked whether he felt “betrayed by what has been happening.”
“But it’s a little bit more complicated than just my emotions or my feelings,” he added. “I mean, our country has to survive.”
“It’s a pity that we are losing strong partner,” he added.
Facing pressure from Trump to halt strikes on Russia’s energy industry, Kyiv and its backers have worried Washington could cut off battlefield support to try and force it into concessions at the negotiating table.
Ukraine is also reeling from intense Russian ballistic missile attacks that it said came without the usual advance warning from allies. It has accused Elon Musk’s SpaceX of undermining its ability to defend itself by limiting Starlink internet services.
The Justice Department today issued about a dozen subpoenas as part of an investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar, including to members of her family, a person familiar with the investigation said.
The congresswoman herself was not subpoenaed, the source said, adding that the orders seeking information are tied to a federal grand jury in Minnesota, Omar’s home state.
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The Justice Department has agreed not to prosecute a former CIA analyst who in 2024 was accused of serving as a secret agent for South Korea’s intelligence service, according to court documents filed yesterday.
Federal prosecutors said Sue Mi Terry shared nonpublic government information, facilitated access for South Korean officials to U.S. officials and accepted luxury gifts in exchange for advocating South Korean government positions during media appearances.
The Justice Department agreed yesterday to put her prosecution on hold for a year and then drop the charges altogether if Terry stays out of legal trouble. The deal comes weeks before Terry was set to stand trial in a Manhattan federal court on charges of acting as an unregistered foreign agent.
Prosecutors did not explain in court documents why they decided not to move forward with her case, saying only that they determined that the interests of both Terry and the U.S. “will be best served by deferring prosecution.” The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Trump said “massive” oil, gas and mineral exploration is set to begin in “our new and beautiful Greenland” early this morning.
It wasn’t immediately clear what exploration or developments the U.S. president was referring to in his post, and Greenland is a self-governing territory of Denmark, rather than a part of the United States.
Trump posted on his Truth Social platform following a campaign event Tuesday in Wasilla, Alaska, to stump for Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan as he seeks his third term to represent the state in an election against Democratic former U.S. congresswoman Mary Peltola.
Rising energy prices — a direct result of Trump’s war in Iran — are creating serious and sustained financial hardships for America’s working class ahead of the midterm elections next month. Trump’s comments today are likely aimed at addressing voters’ concerns before they head to the polls.
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During his rally in Alaska, Trump pardoned Zachary Czuback and Patrick Fleming, co-owners of a vehicle repair shop in Anchorage. Both pleaded guilty in 2022 to violating the Clean Air Act by tampering with federally mandated and monitored devices that tracked vehicles’ diesel emissions.
Inflation in September picked back up again after three months of largely stagnating. Overall, prices rose 3.7% from a year ago, and 0.6% from August.
The increase was slightly more than had been expected by economists polled by Dow Jones, which had forecast a jump to 3.6%.
“The index for gasoline rose 9.1 percent in September, accounting for over half of the monthly all items increase,” the Bureau of Labor Statistics said in its report. Other categories where prices increased were housing, clothes and restaurant and take out food.
Only three categories saw price declines: groceries, medical care commodities, and utility gas service.
This morning’s number is the final inflation report before November’s pivotal midterm elections, where business owners and consumers have said they will be voting with their bottom lines in mind.
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As Abdul El-Sayed took questions from reporters outside a hip tavern last week, a question of his own came to mind.
“How,” Michigan’s Democratic Senate nominee wondered about his GOP rival, “were Mike Rogers’ events today?”
In a race in which there are stark differences in style and substance between the two candidates, El-Sayed had archly homed in on one of the most profound.
Rogers, right, and El-Sayed debate on Oct. 8. Paul Sancya / AP
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Kimberly Guilfoyle, the U.S. ambassador to Greece, officially resigned her position in the Trump administration following a request from the White House over allegations she asked a donor to pay off a $100,000 credit card bill in exchange for access to senior administration officials. NBC’s Gabe Gutierrez reports for “TODAY.”
Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., said last night during a debate that he will not run for president in 2028.
Ossoff made the statement in response to a question as he faced off with his Republican challenger, Rep. Mike Collins. Ossoff is seeking a second six-year term in Georgia and said he would serve the full term.
Rep. Mike Collins, left, and Sen. Jon Ossoff debate last night. Mike Stewart / AP
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A federal judge issued an order late last night blocking the Trump administration from banning CNN, Politico and MS NOW from the White House complex while the organizations’ lawsuit over access proceeds.
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly of Washington, D.C., issued the preliminary injunction in the wake of a hearing Thursday at which the administration contended it imposed the ban in part because of national security concerns; media organizations said it was because of “viewpoint discrimination.”
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Trump will hold rallies in Arizona and Montana today, the latest in a string of midterm stops over the past two weeks.
The Arizona rally takes place in Mohave County, one of the reddest parts of a swing state. Arizona is seeing several competitive races this cycle, including incumbent Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs’ re-election race against Republican Rep. Andy Biggs and several House contests.
Later, Trump will travel to Kalispell, Montana, where Republican congressional candidate Aaron Flint is locked in a close race against Democrat Sam Forstag. In the state’s Senate race, Democrats have split on whether to support the party nominee, Alani Bankhead, or the independent candidate, Seth Bodnar. They are facing Trump-endorsed GOP nominee Kurt Alme.
Today’s rallies come on the heels of the president’s visit to Alaska yesterday, where he campaigned for incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan. Sullivan is locked in a tight race against Democrat Mary Peltola, with another candidate named Dan Sullivan serving up a twist in the contest.
Trump has embarked on a series of trips in recent weeks as he aims to mobilize his supporters in the final stretch of campaign season. His recent travels have included stops in Ohio, Texas and Nebraska.
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