The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit to block certification of the Senate race in Alaska if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses while another candidate with the same name is on the ballot. That's sparking fears of a lengthy battle between the U.S. government and states over certifying an election where President Donald Trump's party is struggling.
In Ohio, the backlash over a campaign advertisement attacking Amy Acton, the Democratic nominee for governor, has spread beyond the state's borders. The ad features Acton's estranged mother calling her "a liar."
Trump posted on social media Thursday that Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy's ad was "hitting pay dirt" and that Acton was "fair game."
Trump’s aggressive defense of Ramaswamy practically guarantees that more of his party’s candidates will face questions about the issue. Acton's mother lost custody of her children after her husband was indicted for raping Acton.
Here’s the latest:
Trump says Musk should not be blamed for Starshield disruption in Ukraine
Trump brushed off questions about the role Elon Musk played in disruptions to service between the satellite system he owns and the drones Ukraine uses to fight Russia.
“Elon will never do anything wrong,” Trump told reporters outside the White House. “I know him very well. He’s a fair person.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that service remained slow from Starshield, SpaceX’s military-grade version of the Starlink satellite internet service. The disruption produced speed restrictions on Ukrainian drones, which have been unable to intercept Russia’s jet-powered drones.
Trump said he hadn’t heard that there are still problems with the service, and declined to comment on who ordered the restrictions to Starshield, telling a reporter, “I wouldn’t tell you if I did know.”
Trump suggests NFL should postpone this weekend’s Paris game because of unrest
“The NFL could have probably postponed that match if you want to know,” Trump told reporters. “France is really in trouble, that’s what happens when you go left.”
Sunday's game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints is scheduled to go ahead despite recent civil unrest in Paris and other cities in France. More demonstrations are planned for this weekend.
The protests in France were originally sparked by high school and university students demanding better school funding, smaller class sizes, and other reforms to the country’s education system, but have morphed into a broader outlet for public anger about rising costs and the government’s effort to tighten its budget.
While tens of millions have taken to the streets, some rioters have used the demonstrations as cover for looting and destroying government property.
Vivek Ramaswamy defends ad accusing Amy Acton of lying
Republican Vivek Ramaswamy accused his opponent in the Ohio governor’s race, Democrat Amy Acton, of lying about the ad he’s running, which features her mother calling her “a liar.”
“The irony is they’re lying about an ad that is about lying,” Ramaswamy said.
Speaking at a campaign stop in Strongsville, Ohio, he added that the ad had “nothing to do” with childhood abuse. Acton’s mother lost custody of her children after her husband was indicted for raping Acton.
“They’re changing the subject,” Ramaswamy said, “because they don’t want to answer for their own failures.”
The advertisement also includes Acton’s mother insinuating her daughter has mental health issues. Acton is Ohio’s former public health director and has made no secret of facing homelessness and abuse as a child.
Acton has condemned Ramaswamy for the ad.
“I won’t normalize somebody who has said that my childhood is just something I’m complaining about,” she told Spectrum News, a cable news outlet in Ohio.
Judge allows Trump’s tree cutting at a historic DC golf course to resume
The historic public golf course at East Potomac Park is one of several Trump projects in D.C. that are embroiled in lawsuits challenging the president’s remake of the city. Trump wants to turn it into a professional-level course.
On Thursday evening, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes denied a request to extend her temporary order that had stopped the National Park Service from cutting more trees at the park.
Reyes ordered the halt on Oct. 13, after a holiday weekend when the government, with little notice, cut down more than 400 trees with plans to cut hundreds more. The actions led to eight hours of court hearings.
Plaintiffs in a lawsuit trying to block Trump’s renovation had sought to extend the stoppage. The order lapses Oct. 26, and Trump has said work would begin “immediately” on the course.
Trump doubles down on support for Ramaswamy on ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother
Leaving the White House Friday, Trump said "no" when asked if he had reconsidered his support for the Ohio campaign advertisement attacking Democratic gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton, following criticism from other Republicans.
The president engaged in a heated exchange with a reporter asking if the president knew about the backstory behind the ad from Republican Vivek Ramaswamy. The spot features Acton’s mother, who lost custody of her children decades ago after her husband was indicted for raping Acton as a child.
“You don’t know that,” Trump said, of the abuse allegations, adding that Acton’s mother had an “obligation” to tell voters “that her daughter is a liar.”
Zelenskyy urges trilateral talks with Trump and Putin
The Ukrainian president said he spoke with Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner just before appearing remotely for an address at the Hudson Institute, a Washington think tank.
Witkoff and Zelenskyy met earlier this week in Oslo, Norway, about ways to end Russia’s war in Ukraine before Witkoff went on to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg.
Putin says he agreed to trilateral talks next month with Trump and Zelenskyy, who on Friday said “we need these meetings, and we need diplomacy to move forward.”
Zelenskyy says we “cannot have these meetings without America” and that Ukraine was counting on the U.S. to “give this priority at every level.”
He said reaching a “ceasefire is point number one” and then after that would be sorting out security guarantees. Russian officials have resisted a ceasefire and said they want to broker a comprehensive settlement to end the war.
Trump says Republicans aren’t losing in Mississippi
The president has a rather eyebrow-raising addition to his midterm travel schedule: a stop Monday in deep-red Mississippi, where GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith is up for reelection.
Asked about the visit Friday, Trump said he won the state by 32 points and “they’ve asked me to go,” without specifying who “they” were.
“I look forward to it. And Cindy Hyde-Smith, you know, Cindy Hyde is fantastic,” Trump said. “She’s very popular. She’s up in the polls. She’s not losing.”
Trump to vote this weekend in Florida
The president is an early voter.
“I think we’re voting tomorrow in Florida,” Trump told reporters as he was preparing to depart for a rally in Fort Myers and a weekend in Palm Beach, where his club is located.
Early voting in Palm Beach County began Monday and runs through Nov. 1.
At another point in the gaggle with journalists, Trump was asked about this year’s early voting figures and which party that benefited.
“Nobody knows,” he responded.
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This post has been corrected to show that early voting in Trump’s home county runs from Oct. 19 through Nov. 1, not Oct. 24 through Oct. 31.
Trump administration sues to block possible Democratic win in Alaska Senate race
The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit to block certification of the U.S. Senate race in Alaska if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses. Another candidate with the same name is on the ballot.
This move has sparked concerns about a lengthy battle between the U.S. government and states over election certification. The Department of Justice filed the lawsuit Thursday, demanding Alaska be blocked from certifying a win for Democrat Mary Peltola if the other Sullivan remains on the ballot.
The Alaska Supreme Court previously rejected efforts to remove the other Sullivan.
Mamdani to campaign with Gov. Hochul in Brooklyn
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is hitting the campaign trail with Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday, bringing a bit of progressive shine to her reelection run.
The democratic socialist mayor will join the more moderate governor at McCarren Park in Brooklyn — a liberal hotspot — to chat with voters and hand out campaign flyers, Hochul’s campaign said.
Hochul is hoping for heavy support from Democrats in the Big Apple in her race against Republican Bruce Blakeman, a local official from Long Island who's aligned with President Donald Trump.
The pair of Democrats, who have struck up a political alliance despite some ideological differences, will also hold a canvassing event in Brooklyn on Sunday. Mamdani endorsed Hochul earlier this year and has been revving up his public support for her as the election nears.
Zelenskyy says Starshield is still facing restrictions in Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine is still experiencing Starlink and Starshield speed throttling, and missile interceptor shipments are still being withheld.
In a remote address to the Washington think tank Hudson Institute, Zelenskyy said Friday that the limits on “Starlink and Starshield are still there and this has not been restored.”
And he says his country is still awaiting the delivery of Patriot “interceptors to protect us against Russian ballistic missiles” and hopes the U.S. administration will provide those weapons.
His comments come as the Trump administration has given mixed messages as to who is responsible for the slowdown in the Elon Musk-built satellite internet system.
Melania Trump helps forge a ceasefire deal in Russian-occupied Oleshky, the White House says
First lady Melania Trump has brokered an upcoming ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the war-ravaged city of Oleshky to allow for humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians, the White House announced on Friday.
The localized ceasefire is set to begin Oct. 29.
The White House said that the first lady had initiated the discussions and that she and a representative worked directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership to define the terms of the ceasefire. There was no immediate comment from the Ukrainian or the Russian governments.
The first lady has made helping children in conflict one of her signature issues, hosting a U.N. Security Council meeting on the issue earlier this year. She also has personally written to Russian President Vladimir Putin to work to reunite children displaced by the war with their families.
GOP Rep. Ralph Norman’s son is endorsing a Democrat in the South Carolina Senate race
In an op-ed Friday, Warren Norman wrote that he is supporting the Republican gubernatorial nominee but not Republican Sen. Darline Graham, the sister of the late Lindsey Graham.
Norman’s father lost the special GOP Senate primary to Graham earlier this year. The developer and lifelong Republican writes “there is no true conservative to vote for in this election,” adding that backing Annie Andrews “will be the first time in my life I’ve voted for a Democrat in a partisan election.”
Norman adds there hasn't been enough said in the race to replace the late senator about what "Graham will actually do for South Carolina, or whether she'll stand up to the people funding her campaign when it counts."
Some of Rep. Ralph Norman’s supporters have mounted a write-in campaign, and the congressman has said he wouldn’t campaign with Graham.
Pennsylvania Gov. Shapiro does 2 new ads for Democratic candidates in key races for the state legislature
Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro is appearing in two new ads for state Senate candidates in Pennsylvania, where he’s running for reelection and pushing for his party to win control of the Legislature.
The ads are part of an overall $10 million campaign as Shapiro tries to flip control of the state Senate from Republicans for the first time in over three decades.
Speaking directly to the camera, Shapiro says he needs Democrats to help him pass a higher minimum wage and control data center development. The ads are for candidates in the Philadelphia suburbs and northeastern Pennsylvania.
Shapiro is running for reelection against Republican Stacy Garrity this year and is considered a potential 2028 presidential candidate.
In addition to legislative candidates, he’s been campaigning around the state for swing seat House candidates challenging Republican incumbents.
Susan Collins uses Troy Jackson’s ‘shut up’ debate line in new ad
Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins is out with a new ad capitalizing on her opponent Troy Jackson's debate comment telling her to "shut up."
“Troy has something to say to Maine women. Shut up,” the ad’s narrator says.
The ad references a comment Jackson made during a debate Oct. 15, when Collins said a person disrupting the event was "obviously one of Troy's supporters."
Jackson responded: “Oh, shut up. I don’t even know that kid.”
He added later that he didn't regret the statement and that he had no idea who the person interrupting the debate was.
Jackson campaign spokesperson Maggie Amjad called the new ad part of a series of personal attacks. “Maine women know which candidate is fighting for them, and it’s Troy Jackson,” Amjad said in an emailed statement.
Collins, the only Republican running this year in a state Kamala Harris carried in 2024, is seeking a 6th term. Jackson, a Democrat, is a former state Senate president and lumberjack.
US Treasury proposes a rule to crack down on high-tech investments in China, other adversaries
The U.S. Treasury Department proposed a rule Thursday to crack down on American high-tech investments such as supercomputing and artificial intelligence in China, Russia, North Korea and other “countries of concern.”
The U.S. government has been working for years to deny China and other adversaries investments that could help them boost their military power.
That program began in 2023 when then-President Joe Biden signed an executive order putting restrictions on outbound U.S. investments in sectors such as semiconductors, quantum computing and artificial intelligence going into China. Treasury later established the Outbound Investment Security Program.
In December 2025, Congress passed a law that codified and expanded the program to target more technologies and more foreign countries, including Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Russia.
The inclusion of Russia in the proposed rule has come days after Trump waived sanctions on Russia following a diesel deal with President Vladimir Putin.
Supreme Court allows New Hampshire to fully ban student IDs for voting in midterms
The Supreme Court cleared the way Thursday for New Hampshire to fully ban the use of student IDs for voting during the midterm elections.
The justices granted a Republican-backed emergency appeal and blocked the use of student IDs as a backup method of identification. The Supreme Court cited a longstanding legal principle that judges shouldn’t change voting rules too close to Election Day.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the only justice to publicly dissent.
New Hampshire passed a law this year that said student IDs would no longer be an expressly accepted form of identification for obtaining a ballot. The secretary of state then issued guidance barring them as a backup way to prove a voter’s identity.
A judge left the law in place but blocked the guidance in early October, prompting the appeal to the Supreme Court. The Republican National Committee weighed in to support the state.
Judge orders Trump to sit for a deposition in his defamation lawsuit against the BBC by Dec. 11
A federal judge on Thursday ordered Trump to sit for a deposition in his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC by Dec. 11.
The order from U.S. Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett came as lawyers for the British broadcaster complained that Trump had delayed his appearance in his own lawsuit. Charles Tobin, attorney for the BBC, said that with two months left in the discovery period, "we still haven't been able to depose the plaintiff."
Meanwhile, it remained uncertain whether former special counsel Jack Smith would be allowed to sit for a deposition. Federal rules require current and former employees to receive permission from agency heads before testifying in court cases. Smith has requested permission but has not received an answer, and the judge ruled that the department must respond to him by Nov. 2.
Trump says he ‘heard something about’ Justice Department probe into longtime ally Corey Lewandowski
Trump told reporters that he had “heard something about” the Department of Justice investigating allegations that Corey Lewandowski profited off his past role as an adviser at the Department of Homeland Security, after media reports of an investigation surfaced Thursday.
Lewandowski, who worked at the agency as a special government employee during Kristi Noem's tenure as Homeland Security secretary, was a longtime ally of Trump. The details of the allegations against Lewandowski aren't yet clear, though the president said Thursday after a report in The Wall Street Journal that he had heard of the probe.
The president notably didn’t defend Lewandowski, who was his first campaign manager in 2016.
“I don’t know exactly what it is,” Trump told reporters. “All I know is, I want my people to be honest. And if they’re not going to be honest, they have to be prosecuted.” He added, “I’ll have my DOJ go and do whatever they have to do.”
Trump backs Ramaswamy on ad featuring Amy Acton’s estranged mother
The backlash over an Ohio campaign advertisement attacking Amy Acton, the Democratic nominee for governor, spread beyond the state's borders Thursday, causing fresh headaches for Republicans with less than two weeks until the midterm elections.
The latest episode began when Gov. Mike DeWine criticized Vivek Ramaswamy, a fellow Republican that he endorsed as his successor, for running an ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother criticizing her. Acton’s mother lost custody of her children decades ago after her husband was indicted for raping Acton as a child.
But Trump took the opposite approach hours later, posting on social media that Ramaswamy’s ad was “hitting pay dirt” and questioning DeWine’s loyalty to the party.
Trump’s stance only hardened throughout the day. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said, “Amy Acton’s mother said horrible things about Amy Acton” and “she’s fair game.”
Trump's aggressive defense of Ramaswamy practically guarantees that more of his party's candidates will face questions about the issue at a moment when they already risk being dragged down by the president's low popularity.