Republican US senator facing re-election settles six-year bakery debt

Roger Marshall says he has ‘no idea how this happened’ and repaid bill double for 2020 election watch party treats

The Republican US senator Roger Marshall says he has finally paid off a bakery debt – after six years and repeated collection attempts reported by a Kansas business that had supplied a large order of treats for a 2020 election watch party.

“We have absolutely no idea how this happened”, the Kansas senator wrote in a social media post containing a screenshot of the payment on a $678.75 invoice from Holly’s Sweet Treats as well as his $1,300 payment. “And we have repaid the bill … double.” Continue reading...


https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/12/roger-marshall-republican-senator-pays-off-bakery-bill-six-years?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Abdul El-Sayed: Democrats must ‘win by massive numbers’ to fend off Trump election denial

Democratic Senate candidate’s remarks come as Trump has long baselessly claimed his 2020 election loss was stolen

Democrats must “win by massive numbers” during November’s federal midterm elections because Donald Trump and his Republican allies are bound to try to sow doubt about the integrity of the results, Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan said on Sunday.

El-Sayed’s comments on NBC’s Meet the Press came with the Democrats favored to win control of the House of Representatives during the 3 November midterms – and polls show that the party could also win Senate seats in states that traditionally elect Republicans and gain a majority there, too. Continue reading...


https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/11/abdul-el-sayed-democrats-must-win-by-massive-numbers?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

‘When you look at the numbers, we win’: the prophetic Texas pastor poised to take Jasmine Crockett’s House seat

Rev Dr Frederick Douglass Haynes III is reclaiming a faith-based politics to counter Trump-allied white evangelicals

It was that point in the evening: dinner plates were cleared; speeches had run long; people were chatting, milling or eyeing the exit. But then the Rev Dr Frederick Douglass Haynes III took the stage. Bald, bearded, bespectacled and dressed in black, he delivered a mix of fiery sermon and performance poetry. Soon the guests were back in their seats – rapt, listening, clapping and whooping.

Haynes’s rolling cadence was evocative of the pulpit but the political message was far from kumbaya. Aiming to succeed Democratic star Jasmine Crockett in Texas’s 30th congressional district, he danced like a butterfly with references to the boxer Muhammad Ali and rapper Tupac Shakur. But he also stung like a bee, branding Donald Trump as “President Pickpocket” and Republicans as the authors of racist gerrymandering and voter suppression. Continue reading...


https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/11/rev-dr-frederick-douglass-haynes-iii-texas-house?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Trump Urges Sen. John Fetterman To Switch Parties And Become A Republican

President Donald Trump is openly encouraging Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania to switch parties and become a Republican.


https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-fetterman_n_6acaff2ee4b07a91872131e3?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Stop talking about the US ‘Jewish vote’. It's not that simple | Judith Levine

Political parties vie for Jewish support based on false assumptions about a single issue: Israel

Everybody wants the Jewish vote. As if there were one. Jews are educated, generally liberal. Although they comprise only about 2% of the electorate, they vote in high numbers, overwhelmingly for Democrats. In 2024, 79% chose Kamala Harris. They are also assumed to be steadfast friends of Israel, no matter what it does. Republicans, waging a fake war on antisemitism while courting white supremacists, consider Jews increasingly up for grabs.

Nationally, Jewish Americans are concentrated in a few bright blue spots. A 2020 map from the Jewish Electorate Institute showed a third of Jews living in 20 congressional districts – out of 435 – most of them in New York, New Jersey, California and (purple) Florida. Of these, only one sent a Republican to Washington. Continue reading...


https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/oct/09/jewish-vote-israel?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Marcy Kaptur: longest-serving congresswoman’s bid for another House term roiled by anti-trans ad

Democrat in Congress since 1983 rebuked over ‘dangerous’ campaign ad – will it harm her chances in tight Ohio race?

Last month, Marcy Kaptur, the longest-serving woman in congressional history, released a video advertisement in which she looks directly at the camera and says exactly what she thinks about one of the most divisive issues facing Democrats today.

“Here’s the truth: I voted with Republicans to keep transgender ideology out of our schools because parents know what’s best for their kids,” Kaptur says, “and boys should not play in girls’ sports.” Continue reading...


https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/10/marcy-kaptur-ohio-trans-ad?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Trump Says U.S. To Get Diesel From Russia, Relaxing Pressure On Moscow To Ease Prices Before Midterms

Trump says the U.S. will obtain diesel from Russia, relaxing years of U.S. pressure on Moscow to combat prices ahead of midterms.


https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-putin-diesel_n_6ac95813e4b0942a61414e37?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Jon Ossoff Calls Out Mike Collins Over Social Media Posts, White Nationalist Ties

The Georgia senator pointedly confronted the Republican lawmaker in a heated debate on Thursday.


https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jon-ossoff-mike-collins-debate_n_6ac86675e4b0e825de140352?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Trump fumes over Nobel peace prize snub and criticizes Norway

President complains about not winning prize in year he started war with Iran and says: ‘We will not forget, Norway’

Donald Trump complained Friday about not winning the Nobel peace prize for 2026, a year in which he started a war with Iran.

At what was supposed to be a rally for other Republican candidates in Syracuse, New York, the US president devoted a long portion of his speech airing his grievances with the Nobel committee. Continue reading...


https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/09/trump-nobel-peace-prize?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

US midterms: key takeaways from Senate debates in Michigan, Georgia and Maine

Candidates traded personal attacks and clashed over a range of issues in closely watched US Senate debates on Thursday, with control of Congress at stake

With just weeks left in the contentious midterm election campaign, candidates in a trio of highly-competitive Senate races debated Thursday night, clashing over the economy, tariffs, the Iran war and abortion rights, with control of the upper chamber at stake.

In Georgia, incumbent Democratic senator Jon Ossoff faced GOP representative Mike Collins. In Michigan, Democrat Abdul Al-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers debated over the state’s open Senate seat. And in Maine, longtime senator Susan Collins met Democratic challenger Troy Jackson. Democrats need to flip four Republican-held Senate seats to win the majority. Continue reading...


https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/09/us-midterms-michigan-georgia-maine-senate-debate-key-takeaways?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Mike Rogers Pulls The ‘Your Mom’ Card On El-Sayed In Michigan Senate Debate

Attacks from Rogers fueled El-Sayed’s message that the Republican Senate candidate was more interested in him than in Michigan voters' concerns.


https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mike-rogers-pulls-the-your-mom-card-on-el-sayed-in-michigan-senate-debate_n_6ac7b573e4b09d2661d5b26c?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

GOP Rep. Brad Finstad Runs Attack Ad That Erases Critical Voter From Photo

“What a poor decision,” Beth Benike said of her congressman altering her photo with Democrat Jake Johnson to make a fake image of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.


https://www.huffpost.com/entry/gop-rep-brad-finstad-fake-campaign-ad-photo_n_6ac6737ee4b09d2661d31084?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Trump hosts awards party for tech billionaires, almost as if he doesn’t care about ordinary Americans

Amid a cost-of-living crisis, with US midterms a month away, the president held a ceremony to celebrate our tech overlords – again

He stands accused of being out of touch, enriching himself and his family, building a lavish White House ballroom and, with elections looming, neglecting the hardships of the voters who brought him to power.

Time for Donald Trump to show he still has the common touch? Nope. Continue reading...


https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/08/trump-awards-party-tech-billionaires?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Protesters removed after disrupting Trump rally in Texas – video

Donald Trump’s latest campaign rally in San Antonio, Texas, was rocked by repeated protests as the US president urged Texas voters to back the embattled Senate candidate Ken Paxton. At least half a dozen demonstrators interrupted the US president during his speech, with some led away by police. One was physically assaulted by a Trump supporter as he tried to leave the arena. The Republican campaign to maintain control of the Senate has become increasingly focused on Texas, where the Democrat James Talarico has emerged as a serious threat Continue reading...


https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2026/oct/08/protesters-removed-after-disrupting-trump-rally-in-texas-video?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Democrats sue to stop Trump from using taxpayer funds for self-promoting ads

Ads promoting the president have cost more than $12m and his Super Pac has refused to reimburse taxpayers


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The Democratic National Committee sued the Trump administration in federal court on Wednesday, asking a judge in Washington DC to stop the president from using taxpayer funds to air a series of ads promoting himself, arguing that the ads are illegal government-sponsored propaganda.

The ads promoting Donald Trump, including one recycled from his 2024 presidential campaign, have cost taxpayers more than $12m so far, according to the media tracking firm AdImpact. Continue reading...


https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/07/democrats-sue-trump-taxpayer-funds-ads?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Ken Paxton Names The 2 Things ‘Dragging’ His Campaign In Leaked Audio

The Republican Senate candidate flagged exactly how “people are feeling the pinch” in an audio clip shared by Axios.


https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ken-paxton-blames-iran-war-gas-prices-campaign-axios-leak_n_6ac621f6e4b00ba59dbff89c?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Trump announces $6.6bn defense shipyard owned by top Republican donor’s firm

Baltimore project to be partly funded by US government but owned by defense firm Anduril, founded by Palmer Luckey

Donald Trump on Tuesday announced the opening of a new $6.6bn shipbuilding factory in Baltimore, partly funded by the US government but owned by Anduril Industries, a politically connected defense company.

Trump’s appearance at a currently unused shipyard in Sparrows Point is a boost to Anduril, whose founder, Palmer Luckey, is a major GOP campaign fundraiser. Luckey has hosted campaign fundraisers for at least 20 Republican politicians, including Trump, the Guardian reported in August. He has given $5.9m to Republican causes since 2017. Continue reading...


https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/06/trump-shipyard-anduril-baltimore?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

Former GOP Gov. Slams Trump's 'Abhorrent' Anti-Trans Attack Against Dem

David Beasley, who served as U.N. food chief in the first Trump administration, urged Americans to “reject politics based on division and hate.”


https://www.huffpost.com/entry/south-carolina-david-beasley-trump-anti-trans-annie-andrews_n_6ac526f9e4b028b057cb1b93?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

‘Not exactly his favorite senator’: Susan Collins distances herself from Trump in Maine debate

Republican challenged by Democrat Troy Jackson in critical Senate race says she opposes Iran war and Canada tariffs

Susan Collins, the Republican senator for Maine, pointedly distanced herself from Donald Trump in a televised debate with Democratic challenger Troy Jackson on Tuesday, as she sought to present an image of independence in a state that has voted against Trump three times.

Proclaiming herself as not the US president’s “favorite senator”, Collins made the highly unusual boast for a Republican that she had voted with Joe Biden, a Democrat, more than 90% of the time when he was president. She also emphasized her differences with her fellow Republicans, saying she voted against her own party more than any other senator. Continue reading...


https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/06/susan-collins-maine-debate-senate?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger

I witnessed the Pinochet regime’s fall. It offers hope – and a warning – for the US | Ariel Dorfman

November’s midterms bring parallels with a moment in October 1988. But Pinochet’s exit wasn’t the end of his influence

A malignant, monomaniacal president, deeply unpopular, faces an election that could restrict his power and end his domination of his country.

It is true that, to influence the outcome, he counts on a supine supreme court and his ability to legislate through executive decrees, as well as an onslaught of fake news accusing his opponents of being unpatriotic communists, true that he has colossal financial support from an entrenched oligarchy that has thrived thanks to his rightwing neoliberal policies, true that he has gone out of his way to limit the freedom of those who vote and true that he has absolute command of the armed forces. Continue reading...


https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/oct/06/pinochet-chile-trump-midterms?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=blogger