Democrats have an early lead in next year’s battle for control of Congress amid an ongoing government shutdown, as more voters say President Donald Trump has not lived up to their expectations on several major issues that propelled him back to the White House in 2024, according to a new national NBC News poll.
Around two-thirds of registered voters say the Trump administration has fallen short on the economy and the cost of living, and a majority say he’s fallen short on changing business as usual in Washington. At the same time, the Democratic Party continues to suffer from low ratings from voters as it seeks to offer an alternative.
Meanwhile, protecting democracy and constitutional rights is a top issue to voters, alongside costs, as Trump continues an expansive agenda of executive actions on immigration and other key policy areas. And a majority of voters believe he’s done more to undermine the Constitution than defend it.
Democrats’ lead on the congressional ballot is among the larger advantages they have enjoyed in any public polling in 2025. This poll was conducted Oct. 24-28, with a majority of respondents (52%) blaming Trump and congressional Republicans for the shutdown — but historically high numbers blame congressional Democrats, too (42%).
Meanwhile, the share of registered voters with positive views of capitalism has dropped under 50% for the first time in seven years of NBC News polling on the issue — a shift that comes as some democratic socialists, like New York mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani, gain prominence in the Democratic Party.
Overall, 44% of registered voters say they have a positive view of capitalism, while 28% view it negatively. That’s a dip from how the economic system had been viewed in previous polls, which showed slim majorities viewing capitalism positively.
Trump administration faces Monday deadline to respond to judge's SNAP order
The Trump administration is staring down a noon deadline on Monday to update a federal judge who ruled late last week that the Agriculture Department must disburse Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funds.
The deadline comes as tens of millions of Americans continue to go without their November SNAP benefits due to the shutdown.
Across the country, the shutdown’s impact was visible in long lines at food banks. This weekend in Texas and California, stadium parking lots were converted into mass distribution sites where families picked up boxes of produce, frozen meat and other household staples.
If congressional lawmakers don’t find a way to reopen the government by Wednesday — the 36th day of the government’s closure — the ongoing shutdown will set a record for being the longest in U.S. history. It would surpass the shutdown that began on Dec. 22, 2018, during Trump’s first term, and lasted 35 days.
'Meet the Press'
In a wide-ranging interview, Gov. Gavin Newsom slammed President Donald Trump’s push for mid-decade redistricting efforts in Republican states across the country, accusing the president of “rigging” next year’s congressional election and warning that Trump “is not screwing around.”
“He’s changing the rules. He’s rigging the game because he knows he’ll lose if all things are equal,” Newsom told moderator Kristen Welker. “He did not expect California to fight fire with fire.”
Asked if there was still room for Democrats to consider former first lady Michelle Obama’s “When they go low, we go high” philosophy, Newsom said, “I would love to go back to that, but politics has changed. The world has changed. The rules of the game have changed.”
“We want to go back to some semblance of normalcy, but you have to deal with the crisis at hand,” the governor said. “It has been just 10 to 11 months of this presidency. We have three more years’ time to batten down the hatches, and it’s time for us to change if we want things to change. And that’s why our communication strategy has shifted.”
Politics in brief
- Truth Social threat: Trump said he has instructed the Defense Department to “prepare for possible action” in Nigeria over the country’s alleged killing of Christians.
- More boat strikes: U.S. forces carried out a strike on another suspected drug boat in international waters, killing all three on board, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said.
- A royal affair: Democrats investigating Jeffrey Epstein have intensified their calls for Britain’s former Prince Andrew to answer questions about his links to the disgraced financier.
- ‘MySafeSpace’: The White House launched a webpage designed to spoof a MySpace profile for Democratic congressional leaders, mocking them and blaming them for the shutdown.
This tight-knit community was recovering from a cultlike leader. Then measles got in.
By and large, the people who live in Hildale, Utah, as well as in neighboring Colorado City, just across the border in Arizona, are fiercely private. High walls surround many of the homes to avoid the prying eyes of strangers.
Measles got in anyway.
As of Friday, 161 cases had been confirmed in Utah and Arizona, the bulk concentrated right along the border in the twin towns collectively known as Short Creek. It’s now become the site of the second largest measles outbreak in the U.S. this year.
But the Short Creek community is also grappling with its recent past — one of polygamy, child removal and a cultlike leader now imprisoned for the sexual assault of minors.
“We had so much trauma,” said Donia Jessop, the mayor of Hildale and a former Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints member. “Getting kids vaccinated or a booster was not the first thing on our mind.”
Dodgers win back-to-back World Series titles
The Los Angeles Dodgers are champions once again.
Los Angeles trailed the Toronto Blue Jays for most of Game 7 — including in the ninth inning — but a solo home run by Miguel Rojas pushed it to extras before Will Smith’s 11th-inning solo shot gave the Dodgers a 5-4 lead they would not relinquish.
They became the first team to win consecutive World Series titles since the New York Yankees won three straight from 1998 to 2000.
More sports news:
- A marathon record: More than 50,000 people participated in the New York City Marathon as the sport continues to gain popularity. Hellen Obiri set a women’s course record to win in 2:19.51, while fellow Kenyan Benson Kipruto won the men’s race in 2:08.09 by edging out Alexander Mutiso by less than a second.
- Seahawks vs. Commanders: Seattle dominated Washington, claiming a 38-14 victory on “Sunday Night Football.” Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels was injured during the game after an awkward fall.
Notable quote
I’d drive by them and flip them off and curse them. It was like we were building our own prisons, and we were paying for it.
Sandy Boyce, a Sedona, Arizona, resident on her town’s automatic license plate readers
More than 5,000 law enforcement departments across the U.S. use interconnected Flock Safety cameras to track billions of license plates per month. Here’s how communities are pushing back.
In case you missed it
- A fire and explosion at a convenience store in northwestern Mexico killed at least 23 people, including children, and injured 12 others, state authorities said.
- A knife attack on a train that left 11 people injured was not a terrorist incident, police said.
- Blood from bodies piled up in Sudan is visible from space, part of unprecedented slaughter at the hands of paramilitary fighters.
- Before former NBA player Damon Jones was accused of feeding inside information to sports gamblers, he was hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt — and listed his championship ring as collateral for a personal loan.
- Maryland farmers are fighting back against a 67-mile transmission line that will cut through their land to feed energy-hungry data centers in Virginia.
