Political Headlines
Mullin threatens to withhold aid from states that don’t comply with DHS election directives
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin speaks during a news conference in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on July 17, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin threatened on Friday to strip states of federal election-related aid, and to possibly seek criminal penalties against election officials, if they don't comply with the administration's voting roll probe ahead of the midterms.Mullin told reporters that if states want to continue to receive federal reimbursement "to run federal elections," they must now cooperate with DHS's efforts to "scrub" their voter rolls and update the security of their election systems."We're saying that the machines had to be secure, and that your voter registration list needs ... Read More
Trump says documents show voting vulnerabilities, China meddling and fraud
[caption id="attachment_1525114" align="alignnone" width="1024"] President Donald Trump speaks in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, July 16, 2026, in Washington. (Saul Loeb/Pool via AP)[/caption]President Donald Trump, in a primetime address on Thursday, announced he has declassified a slew of documents he claims reveal vulnerabilities in America's elections systems, election fraud and interference in elections by China, and ordered the Department of Justice to prosecute those believed to be involved. "America is back and doing really well, but we still have a major challenge that must be urgently addressed because no country can be great without fair and honest elections, you have to trust your country," Trump said. "Because if there can be no trust, there can be no ... Read More
Democrats launch prebuttal to Trump’s primetime address: ‘He’s scared to death’ of the midterms
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) speaks to members of the media outside the U.S. Capitol on June 18, 2026, in Washington, DC. Sen. Schumer blasted President Trump's new agreement with Iran, calling it an "epic failure" that keeps Americans in the dark due to a lack of transparency while leaving the U.S. in a worse strategic and security position. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- Democrats on Thursday offered their prebuttal to President Donald Trump's prime time address that they expect to focus on the 2020 election. Georgia Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, whose home state has been the target of many of the administration's election challenges, told reporters Thursday, "If the president declares Georgia's elections illegitimate, or if the president declares ... Read More
Blanche must meet with Epstein victims to earn confirmation vote, Sen. Tillis says
Sen. Thom Tillis attends the confirmation hearing by the Senate Judiciary Committee for acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Capitol Hill, July 15, 2026, in Washington. Win McNamee/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- A key GOP member of the Senate Judiciary Committee whose vote is needed to secure acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's confirmation as the next attorney general said Thursday that he will require Blanche to sit down with victims of deceased convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein before he can vote for him. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., announced the new condition during a hearing Thursday where one of the witnesses was Epstein victim Dani Bensky.Facing a potentially rocky confirmation, Blanche made a brief attempt to meet with Epstein survivors on Capitol Hill Thursday afternoon. He and ... Read More
Biden to release his presidential memoir after the midterms
Former President Joe Biden speaks to a crowd during a fundraising event with the South Carolina Democratic Party at the Columbia Museum of Art on February 27, 2026, in Columbia, South Carolina. The event marked the sixth anniversary of Biden's presidential primary win in the early voting state of South Carolina. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- Former President Joe Biden announced in a video message on Wednesday that he has written a book which is set to be released after the November midterm elections.The book is titled "Promise Me, America" and is out on Nov. 17. Biden said the book is about the decisions he made as president and touches on response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy, "restoring our ... Read More
Justices pitch lawmakers on enhanced security in rare Hill appearance
Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan (L) and Amy Coney Barrett testify to the House Appropriations Committee on Capitol Hill July 14, 2026, in Washington, DC. The justices appeared before the committee's budget hearing for the Supreme Court requesting additional funding for security. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- U.S. Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett made a rare appearance before Congress on Tuesday to pitch lawmakers on new security enhancements for the Supreme Court even as they fielded criticism about their transparency and ethics practices.The hearing marked the first time since 2019 that members of the Supreme Court have testified on Capitol Hill and comes as the justices seek support for a larger budget -- $228 million, ... Read More
Trump wants Lindsey Graham’s sister to finish his Senate term
Lindsey Graham rides on the back of a golf cart with his sister Darline Graham Nordone (C) during the Iowa State Fair on August 17, 2015 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump said on Monday he wants Lindsey Graham's sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to be his temporary replacement in the Senate.South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster announced around the same time as Trump's post that he will be making an announcement about who is appointing to the Senate seat at 4 p.m. on MondayABC News has reached out to McMaster's office about Trump's push for Nordone to be Graham's replacement. ABC News has already reached out to Nordone for comment.Trump wrote in a social media post ... Read More
Air Force revokes more than 100 promotions after testing snafu
Air Force logo (STOCK IMAGE/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- The Air Force earlier this week said 135 airmen who were initially told they had earned promotions will not receive those promotions after the service discovered a scoring error on a required promotion exam.The issue, announced Tuesday, affected only security forces airmen, who serve as the Air Force's law enforcement and security personnel. An outdated answer key was used to score the promotion test, leading the service to incorrectly notify 135 airmen that they had been selected for promotion to technical sergeant, a mid-level enlisted rank, according to the Air Force."We owe it to those affected to address it immediately," Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force David Wolfe, the service's top enlisted ... Read More
Trump says he’ll remove Syria as state sponsor of terrorism for the first time since 1979
U.S. President Donald Trump (R) meets with Ahmed al-Sharaa, President of Syria (L) for bilateral talks at Be?tepe Presidential Compound during the NATO Summit on July 08, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump, sitting next to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the NATO summit in Turkey, said Wednesday that he will remove Syria from the State Department's State Sponsors of Terrorism list. "He's done a great job. Maybe he would have brought that up. That's a good question. Yeah, any problems with that? I think we should. Yeah, I will," Trump said of al-Sharaa when asked about removing Syria from the list.Trump offered high praise for al-Sharaa during their meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit, a remarkable ... Read More
Angry crowd confronts Republican Rep. Mike Flood at Nebraska town hall over Trump policies
Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb., leaves the House Republican Conference caucus meeting at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington on Wednesday, May 13, 2026. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)(BELLUVUE, Neb.) -- While Congress is out of session this week, a House Republican encountered a hostile crowd at a heated town hall meeting in Bellevue, Nebraska, Tuesday night – a sour reception that may preview the tenor other lawmakers could face heading into the midterm elections. Rep. Mike Flood faced repeated boos and shouts from audience members as they pressed him on the SAVE America Act, Israel, NATO, the bipartisan housing bill, the Trump administration’s policies and more, as seen on video of the town hall recorded by ABC affiliate KETV ... Read More
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear sends letter to Sen. Mitch McConnell asking for full update on health
Andy Beshear speaks at the 38th Annual Michigan Democratic Women's Caucus Legacy Luncheon on April 18, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- Kentucky's Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear sent a letter on Wednesday to Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell asking for details on McConnell's health situation after weeks of the Kentucky senator being hospitalized with few details shared by the senator's team."Over the last several weeks, Kentuckians have grown increasingly concerned about the current state of your health and wellbeing, and ability to hold office in the United States Senate," Beshear wrote in the letter, which was shared by the governor’s office."As Governor, I request that you fully update Kentuckians regarding the current status of your health."Beshear wrote that public ... Read More
Trump gives Ukraine OK to produce Patriot missiles as war with Russia drags on
President Donald Trump holds a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy alongside the NATO leaders summit at the Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, Turkey, July 8, 2026. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)(ANKARA, Turkey) -- President Donald Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday the U.S. will give Ukraine a license to produce Patriot air defense systems."One of the things we're going to be talking about is, you'll -- we're going to give a license to you to make Patriots. That's pretty cool, right?" Trump told Zelenskyy during a bilateral meeting at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey."This way he can't complain that we're not giving him enough. I said, 'Make them yourself,'" Trump added.Trump said the company that manufactures Patriot ... Read More
Senate Republican leaders say they’ve spoken to Mitch McConnell as he remains hospitalized
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on "The Abduction of Ukrainian Children by the Russian Federation" on Capitol Hill on December 3, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)(WASHINGTON) -- Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell has had phone conversations with several Republican leaders as he remains hospitalized, spokespeople for the lawmakers told ABC News on Tuesday.A spokesperson for McConnell first confirmed the senator had been hospitalized on June 14 for an unknown condition. His office has not provided many updates, though they said McConnell is continuing his recovery in the hospital. "Senator McConnell appreciates the outpouring of support he's receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital," a McConnell spokesperson said in a statement ... Read More
How Democrats could replace Graham Platner in Maine Senate race and who might take his place
Senate candidate from Maine Graham Platner speaks during a campaign event at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6859, May 17, 2026, in Portland, Maine. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)(MAINE) -- Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner has said he is considering his options in the wake of a sexual assault allegation that he denies. But Democrats in Maine and nationally are calling on him to withdraw from the race against Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins. How his replacement could be chosen if he does withdraw and who might run in his place has become a firestorm among Democrats.How could Maine Democrats select another candidate?The Maine Democratic Party has called on Platner to leave the race. If he does by July 13 at 5 p.m. ET, ... Read More
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