In-person voting for this year’s midterm elections is underway in Virginia, ushering in the final six weeks for Americans to decide which party they trust to lead Congress at a time of a cost-of-living crisis, a prolonged war in Iran and other pressing issues. Voters in Idaho, Minnesota and South Dakota, can cast absentee ballots in person.
Meanwhile, the top official at the U.S. Postal Service has said the agency has stopped work on developing a controversial computer system that was central to President Donald Trump’s effort to limit mail voting after the Supreme Court rejected his executive order this week.
Here's the latest:
Fighting more Trump remake plans
Plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the administration’s takeover of the U.S. Institute of Peace asked a federal appeals court to stop plans to carve President Donald Trump’s name in the façade of the building.
The emergency filing late Thursday alleged that a contractor has been chosen to do the work even though the case is pending. Trump’s name is already affixed to the building. Carving his name into it would cause “irreparable injury,” the filing said.
White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in an email that “frivolous litigation to stymie” Trump’s efforts in global peace should be rejected. She did not address the contract issue.
Elon Musk-led DOGE took over the nonprofit in March 2025, removing the board and firing employees. A district court reversed the action in May 2025 but a federal appeals court stayed that lower court decision.
The filing is just one of several this week by plaintiffs in lawsuits against Trump vanity projects amid concerns work might move forward on them despite pending litigation.
Trump to announce all 50 states joining Medicaid drug pricing model
Trump is set to announce Friday that all 50 states will join in on a program set to provide most favored nation pricing to some drugs within the Medicaid program, bringing the net price of selected drugs down to prices paid in certain other countries.
The Trump administration claims that Medicaid will save billions on prescription drug costs as a result of the plan, dubbed the Medicaid “GENEROUS” model. Experts say the savings are unclear since the content of the deals isn’t public.
Commission to examine human rights in China ahead of Xi visit
In advance of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the U.S. next week, a commission created by Congress to monitor human rights in China will hold a hearing Tuesday that will focus on people imprisoned and persecuted by the Chinese government.
Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., will chair the hearing. A press release from his office said members of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China will examine the treatment of prisoners and the persecution of Christians, Falun Gong practitioners, and Uyghurs.
Another topic of the hearing will be the prolonged detention of U.S. citizens. Nelson Wells, the father of detained American citizen Nelson Wells Jr., and Tim Hunt, the brother of detained American citizen Dawn Michelle Hunt, are among those scheduled to testify. Both have been jailed in China since 2014 on drug charges that family members say are wrongful.
Trump’s DC arch gets FAA approval
The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday determined that the planned “ Triumphal Arch ” would not pose a hazard to aircraft at the nearby Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
The agency said its safety experts reviewed airspace, air traffic patterns and procedures around the airport and other nearby tarmacs to arrive at the decision.
The 250-foot-high triumphal arch is proposed to be built along the Potomac River across from the Lincoln Memorial, on a flight path near the airport.
The FAA said the arch, which would be more than twice as high as the Lincoln Memorial, should be properly illuminated with lights at the top of the structure and near its base to make it noticeable for pilots.
Vance stumps for Iowa Republicans
The vice president is continuing his midterm travel with his second visit to Iowa this year.
On Friday, he appeared with Zach Lahn, the GOP’s nominee for governor in Iowa, and Chris McGowan, the candidate for Iowa’s 4th Congressional District.
As he opened his remarks, Vance called McGowan a “rock star” and complimented Lahn as “not a politician.”
“Zach Lahn exists to fight for you,” Vance said.
U.S. treasury secretary to talk AI, rare earths this weekend with Chinese vice premier
Scott Bessent will meet in New York with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng to discuss a wide range of economic issues, according to a source familiar with the plans who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the details publicly.
The meeting comes ahead of a scheduled meeting in Washington next week between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Artificial intelligence will be a focus of the Bessent-He talks in New York, the source said.
“The United States remains the leader in AI,” Bessent said in a statement ahead of the meeting. “We are open to discussions on avoiding shared risks and avoiding bifurcation of our two systems.’’
Also on the agenda will be China’s stockpiles of rare earths minerals, critical to everything from smartphones to fighter jets. Beijing has used its near-monopoly on the minerals to bring the U.S. to the negotiating table in a trade war started by Trump’s tariffs and other sanctions on China. The talks might continue at the working level into Monday, the source said.
Pentagon is moving forward with testosterone testing for male troops
The Pentagon has rolled out formal guidance for mandatory testosterone testing for male service members 30 and older.
The policy leaves out women for now and faces questions from medical experts about the need for such a program. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced in July that a new program to screen troops for “testosterone deficiency” was necessary to allow them to operate at their “absolute best.”
The new clinical guidance, released late Thursday, outlines how the program would work.
It clarifies that the mandatory testing would initially apply to only male service members and says “the female clinical practice guideline is being reviewed and will be posted upon approval.”
House Democrats demand answers on Trump’s Venezuelan oil deal
The top three Democrats on the Foreign Affairs, Oversight and Natural Resources committees said the Trump administration’s actions “have outstepped its legal authority.”
The letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Attorney General Todd Blanche was from Rep. Gregory W. Meeks, Rep. Robert Garcia and Rep. Jared Huffman. It is seeking information about the U.S. decision to partner with North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP), a private company led by Venezuelan businessman Alejandro Betancourt, raising questions about his background.
“Partnering with Betancourt on this shady oil deal suggests that Trump and Rubio remain more focused on pillaging Venezuela for its natural resources to the benefit of their friends and donors,” Meeks said.
Iran war motivated early vote for mother of Iraq war veteran
Diane Briest, a retired health surveyor voting early Friday in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, said she voted for Democrats because the Iran war was a top concern.
She teared up as she recounted that her son was disabled after serving in Iraq.
“This can’t be happening to people, it’s not OK,” said Briest, 65. “We have a Congress that’s supposed to balance the presidency. They’re doing nothing.”
Affordability was another concern for Briest, who said her 21-year-old grandson pays $6 per gallon to fill his pickup truck and is disappointed he can’t get ahead.
South Dakota voter supports Trump’s immigration agenda
John Thomas, a conservative retired police officer who cast a ballot at a county office in Sioux Falls, said his biggest concerns were public safety and election integrity. He said he doesn’t want to see votes in federal elections from immigrants living in the country illegally.
Trump’s immigration agenda is “spot on,” the 77-year-old said. “We wouldn’t be a country that much longer if it had stayed the same for another four years.”
Melania Trump and counterparts to meet during UNGA next week
The White House says the first lady will welcome new member countries to a global coalition she unveiled during last year’s United Nations gathering.
The aim of her Fostering the Future Together program is to encourage countries to support children through technology and education.
Melania Trump will also be announcing new partnerships with technology companies.
Nearly five dozen nations are members of the group, according to the White House.
US Chamber of Commerce launches bus tour supporting free enterprise
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the nation’s largest business group, announced Friday that the bus tour will visit nearly 20 states in six weeks to promote private enterprise and push back against candidates affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America.
“Free enterprise isn’t perfect,” Suzanne Clark, president and CEO of the Chamber, told reporters who joined her on a short bus drive around Washington. “But it is the best at getting better. ... It’s our job to get out there and promote it and protect it.”
The tour will launch this weekend with events supporting three Pennsylvania Republican members of the House: Rob Bresnahan, Mike Lawler, and Ryan Mackenzie.
Clark acknowledged there were “extremes” in both parties that are increasingly questioning the benefits of a free market economy. Still, she added that, “we have to out-work and out-organize our socialist opponents.”
Virginia voter approves of Trump, except for the Iran war
At a voting center in suburban Richmond, William Curry said he voted for Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate and House.
The 74-year-old retiree, who described himself as a Libertarian-leaning independent conservative, said he generally approves of the job Trump has done so far this term, apart from the president’s handling of the war with Iran.
“He’s in a mess he can’t get rid of,” he said of the conflict. Still, that issue didn’t affect his vote this cycle.
Curry said he wanted to cast his ballot on the first day of early voting to “make sure my vote counts.” But he went on to say he lacks faith in the security of American elections and thinks Democrats are trying to cheat the system.
“I think the whole thing is corrupted now,” he said.
Minneapolis man says he was driven to vote by Trump’s actions
“This is a referendum on our democracy,” said Dragan Colakovic, a 47-year-old business processing engineer, who worries that Trump and his supporters are trying to subvert the elections.
“We didn’t want to wait until Election Day,” said Colakovic, who came with a friend on a rainy morning to a Minneapolis voting center. “We wanted to make sure we weren’t stopped by ICE or Homeland Security.”
Colakovic was also driven to vote by the immigration crackdown that shook Minneapolis earlier this year. The surge of agents terrified Colakovic, a naturalized U.S. citizen who moved from Bosnia in 1997.
“This echoed what I saw in Bosnia,” he said of the heavily armed immigration agents who repeatedly swept through his neighborhood, which has many immigrants.
“These were my neighbors, my friends,” being arrested, he said.
‘People are not going to be stopped or intimidated from participating in our elections’
One Friday morning voter, 63-year-old Laura Bland in Virginia’s Henrico County, said she cast a ballot early to send “a signal that we’re still here” amid Trump’s efforts to curtail mail voting.
“Regardless of whether you vote for a Democrat, Republican, people are not going to be stopped or intimidated from participating in our elections,” Bland said, nearly moved to tears as she explained her reasoning.
Top official at US Postal Service also encourages those voting by mail to get ballots in early
“We say seven days,” postmaster general David Steiner said in an interview. “Everything is solved if people vote early.”
From a voter in South Dakota
On a rainy day in Sioux Falls, Bill Goehring, 67, said he voted early at the county office because he will be traveling later. He voted for a mix of Democrats and independents, and said Trump’s “dictatorial tendencies are bad for America.”
Advocates push for voters to cast their ballots early
Voting rights advocates have encouraged voters this year to cast mail ballots early, in part because of concerns about recent changes in U.S. Postal Service operations that could delay the application of postmarks to ballots.
“Voting early, whether in person or by mail, is good for all of our communities because it gives voters options, eases lines on Election Day and can even mean faster results,” said Hannah Fried, co-founder and CEO of the voting rights group All Voting Is Local.
In a news briefing Thursday, Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon urged people not to be swayed by stories they might have seen or read that cast doubt on election operations. They would be able to vote “just like they always have,” he said.
Voting underway after unusual redistricting and Trump’s bid to control how elections are run
The start of early voting comes at a time of deep angst among many Americans about issues including rising gas and grocery prices, the war in Iran, the looming risks of artificial intelligence and Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement campaign.
It also follows an unprecedented spate of mid-decade redistricting for the U.S. House that began when Trump urged the Republican-controlled legislature in Texas to redraw its congressional map to help the party. California and other states followed.
The changes affect millions of people: Research shows 1 in 10 Americans this fall is a resident of a different congressional district than in 2024.
Early voting underway in US midterm elections
Friday marks the start of early voting in the midterm elections in Virginia. Voters in a handful of other states, including Idaho, Minnesota and South Dakota, can now cast absentee ballots in person.
The first day of early voting ushers in a six-week stretch in which Americans will decide which party they trust to lead Congress through a cost-of-living crisis, a prolonged war in Iran and other pressing issues.
At a voting location in suburban Richmond, a poll worker rang a bell as the building opened Friday morning and a cheerful line of about a dozen voters who had queued up began to file in.
Stephen Gura was excited to be the first in line.
“This election is critical,” said Gura, who added he voted for incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Warner and Shannon Taylor, a Democratic nominee for the U.S. House.
Attorney general’s appearances at political events blur Justice Department boundaries
Attorney General Todd Blanche is blurring traditional boundaries between politics and federal law enforcement with recent speeches at political events that mark a sharp departure from norms meant to protect the Justice Department from the appearance of partisan bias.
Blanche took the stage this week at an event for a Republican Senate candidate in North Carolina days after speaking at a GOP midterm convention, where he praised Trump and touted the administration’s tough-on-crime approach.
Blanche’s participation at the rallies has drawn scrutiny from critics who say it threatens to undermine public faith in law enforcement decisions that are supposed to be made free of political interference. It has added to critics’ concerns about Blanche’s loyalty to Trump and White House influence on Justice Department matters against the backdrop of investigations into numerous perceived foes of the president.
Iranians rally by the hundreds of thousands in biggest show of defiance since war began
They rallied Friday in a government-organized show of defiance after months of war, pledging their readiness to take up arms in the biggest such demonstration since the United States and Israel attacked in February.
Iran’s government has sought to rally the people and stress national unity, even as the economy worsens under a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports and new U.S. sanctions. On Friday, it claimed another attack on a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway it has sought to control since the start of the war.
Estimates varied of the number of people volunteering to receive limited military training and defend the country in an effort described as “Janfaday-e Iran,” or the “ones who sacrifice their lives for Iran.” They marched through downtown Tehran in combat uniform, carrying flags, as onlookers cheered.
Taiwan holds first joint military drills using attack drones ahead of Trump-Xi summit in the US
Taiwan conducted military drills featuring missiles and drones Friday ahead of the summit next week in the U.S. between President Trump and China’s Xi Jinping in which the fate of the self-ruled island will be discussed.
China claims Taiwan, a self-governing democracy, as its own breakaway province and hasn’t renounced the use of force to bring it under its control. Beijing has pushed Trump to take a stronger stance opposing Taiwan’s independence. The leaders of the U.S. and China are set to meet Sept. 24 for the first time since May.
Taiwan’s military drills included for the first time joint combat exercises featuring multiple types of attack drones. President Lai Ching-te said the drills showcased the Taiwanese army’s modernization.
Trump pushes his $5,000 ‘dividend’ pledge if GOP wins midterms. Republican candidates, not as much
President Trump came to battleground North Carolina doubling down on a tantalizing and implausible midterm promise. “If we win,” he said, “we’re going to get you $5,000. So that’s it. Very simple.”
The Republican candidates who spoke at the rally had nothing to say about it.
Their silence reflects a broader pattern. About a week after the president unveiled his “ Trump dividend ” pledge at the party’s unusual midterm convention in Dallas, there’s little evidence that Republicans in competitive races have incorporated it into their campaigns.
The pledge hasn’t been a staple of television advertising, whether from Trump’s own political operation or his party’s candidates. It usually only comes up when reporters ask about it, prompting most Republicans to sidestep the idea.
Judge orders Kennedy Center to provide 30 days’ notice before making any major physical changes
A federal judge on Thursday ordered the Kennedy Center to provide 30 days’ notice before making any major physical changes to the building, including demolishing it as Trump has threatened.
U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper said his ruling would “avoid any confusion on that score given more recent events,” including the building’s sudden closure to the public on Wednesday.
Matt Floca, the Kennedy Center’s executive director and chief operating officer, said he closed the iconic performing arts center temporarily due to “acute risks to public safety resulting from continued structural deterioration” of the aging building. The building will be closed for at least seven days to “assess existing safety risks in those portions of the main building exhibiting severe structural deterioration,” Floca said.
The temporary closure, which occurred without notice, is separate from a vote Tuesday by the Kennedy Center’s board to close the center indefinitely for repairs, Floca and other officials said. The closure was based on an inspection of the roof terrace canopy and a partial ceiling collapse earlier this month, Floca said. The closure may be extended after evaluation next week, he added.
Postal Service chief says work stopped on computer system key to Trump effort to limit mail voting
The top official at the U.S. Postal Service said Thursday that the agency has stopped work on developing a controversial computer system that was central to President Donald Trump’s effort to limit mail voting after the Supreme Court rejected his executive order this week.
“There’s an injunction so we’re not doing anything,” postmaster general David Steiner told The Associated Press in an interview.
Steiner, a one-time chief executive of Waste Management, has spent most of the past year atop the postal service navigating political and financial challenges. He’s pressing Congress for changes that would help him resolve what he's called a “liquidity crisis.”
And Trump’s efforts to largely eradicate mail voting turned the postal service into an unlikely arbiter of who's eligible to vote just months before this year’s critical midterm elections, a role Steiner seemingly had little interest in playing. Unlike Trump, who was sharply critical of the Supreme Court decision and ridiculed some of the justices, Steiner offered no assessment of the court’s action.
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