Federal authorities are investigating letters with “suspicious substances” that have been mailed to congressional and election offices nationwide and are urging recipients to treat the letters as “potentially hazardous.” Senators were informed by the Senate Sergeant at Arms in a message obtained by the AP. The mailings come just three weeks before Election Day.
President Donald Trump said Thursday that the Pentagon will not live-stream the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan, after the announcement faced bipartisan criticism that such images could fuel radicalization.
And a strong majority of voters believes Trump is falling short at home and abroad, and they want major change in the upcoming midterm elections, according to a new AP-NORC poll that raises serious warning signs for the Republican Party at a critical moment.
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County election offices in Texas have cleared thousands of backlogged voter records
Just days before early voting began in Texas, the Secretary of State’s office confirmed that they were not aware of any counties with pending voter records to clear after a backlog caused thousands to pile up.
Counties were alerted of the problem in late September, and spent weeks sorting through data from records that were not properly forwarded to a person’s home county, where they are processed and verified. State officials blamed an unspecified error that started with an online voter registration system within the Texas Department of Public Safety dating to October 2025.
The official statewide number of backlogged records has still not been released, although a recent lawsuit from the Texas League of Women Voters and another civil rights group against the state agencies reported it at nearly 600,000.
House Speaker says Trump diesel deal with Putin is ‘complicated situation’
Rep. Mike Johnson said that Trump is “thinking outside the box” on how to bring down the fuel costs, which he said Republicans are “laser focused” on every day.
“We’ll figure out the best mechanism to do it,” Johnson told AP during a campaign swing in battleground Maine this week.
Pressed if he agreed with the president’s deal to bring in Russian diesel – which critics said defies a law banning Russian energy imports passed by Congress at the start of the Ukraine war — Johnson did not answer directly.
“That’s a complicated situation,” he said.
US further targets Iran’s international financial reach with sanctions on Iraqi bank
The U.S. Treasury announced Thursday that it is adding an Iraq-based financial institution along with several banks and financiers to its list of sanctioned actors for their alleged support for Iran’s proxy networks.
U.S. officials accused the entities and individuals of helping the Iranian government move hundreds of millions of dollars through shell companies and foreign‑exchange specialists across the region and in Asia.
The penalties issued against International Development Bank for Investment and Finance and others are part of a months-long U.S. economic campaign against Tehran as the Trump administration struggles to reach a diplomatic solution to the eight-month war.
“The noose is tightening around Iran’s economy, and not even Iran’s so-called allies can save it,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.
FBI employees sue over terminations linked to Trump investigation
FBI employees fired for their roles in the investigation of President Donald Trump’s retention of classified documents at his Florida estate sued on Thursday to get their jobs back, calling their terminations unlawful acts of “political retribution.”
The complaint adds to the growing list of legal challenges to the mass terminations under FBI Director Kash Patel of agents who participated in investigations of the Republican president or are seen as opposed to Trump administration interests.
The suit was filed in federal court in Washington on behalf of nine agents, intelligence analysts and staff operations specialists who were fired in February following earlier dismissals of agents who had worked on the investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
Their firings, the lawsuit says, create an “immeasurable loss” to “America’s national security.”
“In return for their service, they were fired because they did their jobs, as they always did to follow the facts and law without bias or favor. To this administration, this is an offense. To the rest of us, it is heroic,” said a statement from their attorneys, Margaret Donovan, Abbe Lowell and Rebecca Tinio.
“This lawsuit will prove their unlawful dismissal and hold the administration accountable for this blatant attack on the rule of law,” the statement added.
Trump, running on little sleep, says maybe a ‘beautiful’ robot could replace him on the campaign trail
The president told the crowd in the Rose Garden that he arrived back at the White House from his western campaign swing just before 5 a.m. that morning.
“Yeah, I didn’t get too much sleep, come to think of it. Supposed to be sleeping now, but I’m not,” he said.
Trump said he hopes his voice holds out as he continues his heavy schedule of traveling and speaking at campaign rallies for Republicans.
“You could maybe get one of those beautiful robots that they make nowadays and make them look just like me and you wouldn’t know the difference. They make them pretty good. Send them out on the trail. I could sit home and watch them on television. But, I love doing it, actually,” Trump said.
Trump hosting Rose Garden lunch for police and firefighters
The president is trying to showcase to voters his commitment to first responders by hosting them at the White House for lunch at the Rose Garden.
Trump invited police and firefighters, among others, to discuss his administration’s efforts to reduce crime and the tax cuts that were signed into law last year, according to the White House.
“The President has empowered law enforcement and first responders to do their jobs, provided them with resources to restore law and order, and delivered on his promise of no-tax-on-tips to ensure they get to keep more of their hard-earned money,” said White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis.
Trump says he’s going to Iowa, Kansas, Michigan
The president, who was holding an event in the White House Rose Garden for first responders, opened his remarks by talking about the campaign rallies he’s been doing around the country for Republicans ahead of the midterm elections next month.
“We got a lot of them left,” he said after previewing the upcoming stops on his calendar.
FBI releases statement on ‘suspicious substances’ sent to officials
An FBI statement said the bureau and the Postal Inspection Service were “investigating a series of suspicious mailings sent to various addresses nationwide, including Secretary of State offices and their related election offices.”
“Some of the letters contained an unknown substance and we are working closely with our law enforcement partners to respond to each incident,” the statement read. “We are also working with our partners to identify the individual or individuals responsible for the letters.”
Trump telephone rally seeks to boost Darline Graham in South Carolina
The Republican nominee and interim senator posted on social media Thursday that Trump would speak alongside her that evening during another telephone rally.
Trump had a close ally in Graham’s brother Lindsey Graham, who died this summer as he sought a fifth Senate term. Darline Graham was appointed to fulfill his current term and won a special GOP primary this year with Trump’s endorsement. The president has joined telephone rallies for her before, as he has for other Republican candidates.
With her general election matchup against Democrat Annie Andrews appearing to tighten, Republican groups have poured money into the state.
Trump came to South Carolina ahead of this summer’s runoff to stump with Darline Graham and is expected to return ahead of Nov. 3.
Wholesale inflation increase highest since 2002
The big jump in fuel costs is posing more pocketbook challenges for millions of Americans and a growing political problem for Republicans.
Monthly wholesale prices rose 1.3% from August to September, the largest increase since March 2022, after a 0.5% gain the previous month.
The data indicates that more expensive diesel fueling long-haul trucks and freight trains is pushing up the cost of shipping and warehousing goods, which in turn is lifting the cost of food. Diesel averaged $6.32 a gallon nationwide Thursday, according to AAA, up from just $3.66 a year ago.
“The jolt to transportation prices affects every good in the economy, since inputs to manufacturing move to factories and goods at all stages of production move from producer to wholesaler to retailer by truck, train or rail,” Carl Weinberg, chief economist at High Frequency Economics, wrote in a client note. “This is how increases in energy prices ‘bleed through’ to prices of core goods.”
Newsom to campaign for Democrats in New Hampshire
The California governor and potential 2028 presidential candidate will be in Nashua, New Hampshire on Saturday. Gavin Newsom is joining Chris Pappas, a Democratic candidate for Senate, along with Cinde Warmington, who is running for governor.
Democrats currently hold both of New Hampshire’s Senate seats but the party has worried that Pappas’ campaign could be more competitive than expected.
New Hampshire is still attracting potential White House hopefuls like Newsom, even if Democrats have stripped the state of its longheld status as host of the nation’s first presidential primary. The state is poised to vote third in 2028, after South Carolina and Nevada.
DNC and Trump administration make court arguments on taxpayer-funded ads
Democratic National Committee attorney Adam B. Miller asked a federal judge in Washington on Thursday to block the Trump administration from continuing to develop or air federally funded ads that the committee views as violating propaganda law.
The government’s counsel, Elisabeth Neylan, argued the DNC’s claims that the ads cause irreparable harm in its emergency request are unconvincing, because the government already stopped airing the ads this week.
U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan said she’d take the issue under advisement. The case proceeds as a federal judge in New York already has temporarily blocked the pro-Trump ads from airing through Nov. 8, siding with plaintiffs who said they were an illegal misuse of funds.
The FBI and Postal Service are probing letters with ‘suspicious substances’ sent to congressional and elections offices
The letters have been mailed to congressional and election offices around the nation. Federal authorities are urging recipients to treat the letters as “potentially hazardous.”
The U.S. Senate was informed of the investigation in a message from the Senate Sergeant at Arms obtained by The Associated Press.
The mailings come just three weeks before Election Day and are reminiscent of a similar threat in 2023, when several election offices received envelopes containing the powerful opioid fentanyl.
GOP senator wants Defense Department to be investigated over Ukraine’s Starshield loss
GOP Sen. Thom Tillis said he plans to ask the Defense Department’s inspector general to investigate after restrictions were imposed on Ukraine’s battlefield use of the U.S.-made Starlink satellite communications systems.
The restrictions affected Starshield, a military version of Starlink developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, but Tillis wrote that “the latest reporting suggests this strategic snafu may have occurred more locally within DOD Starshield systems, not with Starlink.”
“At best, this was an unacceptable error or lapse,” Tillis wrote in a Wednesday night post on X, and at worst a conscious decision “to clear the field for a Russian attack.”
Tillis is retiring at the end of the year and has become increasingly critical of the White House and Trump’s appointees. He wrote Wednesday that he’s “not holding my breath for Defense Secretary Hegseth to offer transparency.”
A new Medicare season begins, with concerns about higher costs to come
Enrollees are facing some cost increases that go into effect in 2027 as open enrollment for Medicare plans begins.
During the enrollment period, which began Thursday and ends Dec. 7, people can choose between traditional Medicare and privately run Medicare Advantage plans in their area, as well as prescription drug plans. Those changes go into effect on Jan. 1.
New changes to Medicare coming in 2027 include higher Part D out-of-pocket caps and the end of temporary federal Part D premium subsidies. New negotiations could lower drug prices in some cases.
The open enrollment period comes as inflation adds pressure on seniors whose healthcare costs have risen and as Americans prepare to cast ballots in the Nov. 3 elections. Voters have consistently said cost-of-living is a major concern.
Trump, after bipartisan backlash, says Pentagon won’t livestream execution of Fort Hood shooter
Trump said Thursday that the Pentagon no longer plans to live-stream the firing squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Malik Hasan, after the announcement faced bipartisan criticism.
Trump said on social media that publicly airing the execution “might have been a strong deterrent for the World to witness how America deals with Terrorists and SCUM like Hasan,” but “very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die, through streaming, or through any other visual device.”
Trump said the Dec. 3 execution can be viewed in person by immediate families of the victims, “if they so choose.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had said the execution would be public. The Pentagon had said it would be live-streamed. Both Republicans and Democrats denounced the plans, some saying the images could fuel radicalization. Vice President JD Vance said he wouldn’t watch it.
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Zelenskyy says he feels betrayed by the American president
Zelenskyy has complained that Ukraine was being denied the usual Western intelligence on Russian ballistic missile strikes, and that U.S.-made Starlink communications were being hamstrung. Both are vital for Ukrainian defenses and attack operations.
Meanwhile, Trump made a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to import Russian diesel, despite international efforts to sanction Russia for its invasion and diplomatically isolate Putin.
Zelenskyy said in an interview late Wednesday with Piers Morgan on the British journalist’s YouTube show that he felt betrayed by Trump’s deal with Putin, the energy ceasefire announcement and the Starlink operational issues.
“Our country has to survive, and we count on our real partners, strategic partners, the United States and President Trump,” Zelenskyy said.
Elon Musk noted on X that the military version of Starlink, called Starshield, is controlled by the U.S. military and Trump.
Zelenskyy said someone is pushing Trump into a stance that is “not the right side of history.”
Zelenskyy complains about US stance toward Ukraine
Thursday’s strike could further complicate Kyiv’s relations with Trump, which have soured again in recent days, but Zelenskyy was outraged by Russia’s continuing aerial bombardment of his country’s energy infrastructure in apparent defiance of Trump’s demand on Sunday for both sides to halt those attacks.
The Ukrainian government had said it was heeding the ceasefire. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Ukraine never stopped its strikes. It wasn’t possible to independently verify each side’s claims.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov labeled Ukraine’s strikes on oil facilities as a “direct and crude challenge to President Trump.”
Ukraine resumes attacks on Russian oil refineries as US relations teeter
Ukrainian drones attacked a refinery in Russia’s Ryazan region early Thursday, hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that a brief truce declared by Trump but spurned by Moscow was over amid deepening tensions with Washington.
The drone strike started a fire at the refinery about 300 kilometers (180 miles) southeast of Moscow, Russia’s Defense Ministry and Ryazan Gov. Pavel Malkov said. Russia’s Astra online news outlet posted what it said was a photograph of the blaze.
A senior Ukrainian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak publicly, confirmed that Ukraine had hit the refinery.
Associations representing election officials condemn letter threats
At least two state election offices, in Louisiana and Oklahoma, have been evacuated this week after being sent envelopes containing white powder.
The mailings come just three weeks before Election Day and are reminiscent of similar threats in 2023, when several election offices received envelopes containing the powerful opioid fentanyl.
This time, authorities said no harmful substances were immediately identified. The Ohio Secretary of State’s office said the Postal Service had noted that similar mailings had been sent to election officials in multiple states.
The National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors condemned the threats. “Those who administer our elections should never fear for their safety while carrying out their essential duties,” their joint statement said.
The associations said security measures are in place for future threats.
Democrats see voter enthusiasm reflected in small-dollar donations
The Democratic National Committee says it’s raised more than $10 million from grassroots donors in September, a late surge of money for the cash-strapped party that outpaces the same month’s totals during the three previous midterm election cycles.
Chairman Ken Martin said it’s a “clear sign” Democrats are on a winning path. The party has struggled with fundraising during Trump’s second term, lagging behind Republicans and carrying debt into this year’s campaign season.
Joe Rospars, a Democratic strategist who worked on Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns, said small-dollar donations often reflect voter excitement and volunteering for the party and candidates. About 1 in 5 of the donors are giving for the first time, the DNC said.
“It means that the grassroots dollars are not just dollars. They’re energy,” he said.
As anger over Iran war spreads, Democrats hope military veteran candidates can flip GOP seats
Democrats are investing campaign cash in districts that have been longshots for years, counting on the unpopular war with Iran and upheaval in the armed forces to put more seats in play as the party pushes for control of the U.S. House. Democratic candidates who previously served in the military are running in Colorado, Florida, South Carolina and Virginia districts with significant veteran populations.
Although veterans hold all sorts of political beliefs, the population overall leans right — nearly 6 in 10 voted for Trump two years ago, according to AP VoteCast.
“I know there’s a bunch of veterans in the room, so I don’t have to tell you where we are with foreign policy,” Democrat Jessica Killin, an Army veteran who served in the Balkan war, told voters in Colorado’s 5th, one of the nation’s most veteran-heavy districts. “For the first time in history, now the global community thinks more of China than of the United States.”
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