Trump rallies for Republican candidates in Ohio
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U.S. immigration agents searched the Washington, D.C., home of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., this morning. The DOJ said a search warrant was executed as part of a criminal probe.
What to know today
- OHIO RALLY: President Donald Trump held a midterm rally tonight in Ohio, where Sen. Jon Husted is locked in a tight re-election race against Democratic former Sen. Sherrod Brown and gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is facing off against Democrat Amy Acton. It's Trump's second campaign visit to the state in 10 days.
- OMAR'S HOME SEARCHED: Federal agents searched the Washington, D.C., home of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., this morning, two people familiar with the investigation said. Homeland Security Investigations, part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, executed a search warrant as part of an “ongoing federal criminal investigation,” the Justice Department said.
- NEW PRESS SECRETARY: Trump's new White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia, is starting her job today and will hold her first briefing tomorrow morning, Trump said on Truth Social. Zacharia replaces Karoline Leavitt, who left the White House at the end of August.
Rep. Max Miller gets shoutout from Trump at Ohio rally
Embattled Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, who is up for re-election, is at Trump’s rally tonight in Youngstown.
Miller got a shoutout from Trump while he was onstage.
“Thank you, Max, for coming,” Trump said.
Miller faces allegations of domestic abuse, which he denies, from his ex-wife, Emily Moreno. Miller made headlines this year when he got into a war of words with his former father-in-law, Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, who called on him to step down.
Miller faces a close race in his district, where he is running against Democrat Brian Poindexter. NBC News characterizes the race as a toss-up, which could help shape who controls the House next year.
Moreno also got a thank-you from Trump for his appearance and multiple shoutouts throughout Trump's speech.
At Ohio rally, Trump repeatedly brings up Minnesota
Trump continues to bring up Minnesota tonight, even though he is speaking at a rally aimed at boosting Ohio Republicans in the midterm elections.
Trump has brought up Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., whose house in Washington was searched today by federal agents; he has brought up Minnesota’s Somali community and allegations of fraud; he has insisted that he won Minnesota three times, despite having never won it in a presidential election; and he called Minnesota “one of those places” where he claimed children were kidnapped to undergo gender-affirming surgery — an unfounded claim.
Trump urged voters to back Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, and gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to “stop Ohio from being plundered, ransacked and destroyed like Minnesota.”
Ohio rallygoers chant 'deport' multiple times
The crowd at Trump’s Youngstown, Ohio, rally have chanted “deport” three times so far during his remarks, often while he was talking about migrants.
“I like those people back there,” Trump said about the rallygoers behind the stage who were chanting.
Protesters interrupt Trump rally
Protesters in the crowd have interrupted Trump’s rally, prompting angry remarks from Trump and jeers from the crowd.
Trump insulted the first protester, claiming the person had been “paid” and then calling the protester a “fat guy.”
The crowd booed a second protester, and Trump asked the crowd what kind of flag the protester had been holding.
Trump slams Rep. Ilhan Omar, Somali immigrants at rally, as crowd chants 'deport'
Trump spoke about Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., during his rally in Ohio, whose Washington, D.C. home was searched by federal agents today.
“I don’t know what they’re doing with it, but I can tell you this: she’s a disaster,” Trump said about the congresswoman.
Earlier today, Trump derided Omar while saying he had “nothing to do” with the search and that things were “up to the DOJ.”
Trump tonight went on to say Omar, who was born in Somalia, comes from “one of the worst countries anywhere on the planet.” He then disparaged Somali immigrants.
The crowd began to chant “deport,” after Trump’s remarks about Somalis.
A massive fraud scheme in Minnesota, which resulted in charges against some members of the state’s Somali community, has been at the heart of much of Trump’s rhetoric against the country. But the alleged mastermind of the operation, who was convicted, is Aimee Bock, a white woman.
Trump urges Ohio voters to vote for Republicans to keep Columbus Day as a holiday
Trump wished rallygoers in Ohio a happy Columbus Day and argued Democrats had taken the name of Christopher Columbus “away from our country.”
“They took it away from — really away from Italian Americans, and we said we’re not going to let that stand,” Trump said at a rally where he’s stumping for GOP candidates.
Trump told voters they had to keep Democrats from winning, because “they’ll do it again.”
More than a dozen states formally honor Native Americans on the same day as Columbus Day.
Trump has spoken out in support of holidays and monuments honoring Columbus after several cities removed statues of him in recent years. He installed a statue of the explorer on the White House grounds this year.
Trump administration aired pro-Trump ads after judge ordered them to be pulled off air, plaintiffs in lawsuit claim
The Trump administration may have violated a court order yesterday that ordered it to stop airing pro-Trump “public safety announcements” paid for by the U.S. government, plaintiffs in the lawsuit said in a court filing today.
Watchdog group Common Cause told a federal judge that it appears the administration did not immediately comply with the order, and it asked for court intervention.
Common Cause cited data from the political ad tracking firm AdImpact, which found the pro-Trump ads ran overnight across the country, including on CBS’ "60 Minutes," ABC's "World News Tonight" and “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” in the hours after U.S. District Judge Jennifer Rochon barred the spots from getting further airtime.
NBC News independently confirmed with an AdImpact representative that several ads with the “Paid for by the U.S. Government” disclaimer have aired since Rochon issued the order. But an AdImpact representative told NBC News that there has been a dramatic downtick in the frequency of the ad airings, to the point where it appears ad airings are slowing to a stop.
Halting an ad buy of such scale isn’t typically something that can be done by flipping a switch, and it can take substantial time and effort to pull down ads once an outlet is asked to do so.
“Plaintiffs do not presently seek contempt sanctions,” attorney Bradley Girard wrote in the notice to the court. “But given that the ads have continued to run on October 12—the day after Defendants insisted the ad-buy was no longer effective—Plaintiffs request a status conference to determine Defendants’ compliance.”
Justice Department attorney Jeffrey Oestericher said in a status update filed tonight that while his office was made aware of the judge’s order about an hour after it was issued, Department of Homeland Security counsel “did not become aware of Government counsel’s email until this morning.”
“The undersigned apologizes to the Court and the plaintiffs,” Oestericher wrote, adding that the administration was in compliance with the judge's temporary restraining order halting the ads.
The administration had said in an earlier filing, before Rochon's ruling, that it had planned to stop ad purchases yesterday.
Colombia's president endorses GOP Rep. María Elvira Salazar for re-election
Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella today endorsed Rep. María Elvira Salazar, R-Fla., as she seeks re-election in a heavily Latino district.
De la Espriella, a dual Colombian-American citizen, called Salazar “Colombia’s best friend in U.S. Congress” in a video she posted on X. The far-right leader had received Salazar’s backing during his election campaign this year.
De la Espriella and his wife, who used to live in Salazar’s district, have previously donated nearly $90,000 to her. De la Espriella is a staunch pro-Trump ally who ran with Trump's backing. Asked about him this afternoon, Trump called de la Espriella, who dubs himself "the Tiger," his "friend."
Trump's endorsement comes days after Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado backed Salazar and weeks after Salazar released an ad pushing back on Trump’s immigration policies.
The endorsements and Salazar's break with some of Trump’s immigration's policies could make a difference in the congressional race in Florida, where more than 74% of the district’s population is Latino, according to U.S. census data. Salazar is fending off a challenge from Democrat Eliott Rodriguez, a former local news anchor.
Cook Political Report shifted the race toward Democrats, moving it from “Likely Republican” to “Lean Republican” in late September. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, meanwhile, said last week that it was sending additional resources to the district in hope of flipping the seat, adding it to its “Red to Blue” program.
Salazar has represented the district since 2020. It has swung dramatically from Democratic to Republican in recent elections. Trump most recently won the district, which voted for Democrat Hillary Clinton by 20 percentage points in 2016, by 15 points in 2024.
According to an NBC News poll, Latino voters nationwide are souring on Trump, dissatisfied over high prices and his approach to immigration enforcement.
Trump indicates he's considering firing Kimberly Guilfoyle
Trump told reporters today he is "looking at" firing U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle, saying his administration is “not happy” about her alleged conduct.
Guilfoyle is being investigated by the State Department’s Office of the Inspector General, two people familiar with the decision told NBC News last week.
Longtime Trump supporter and donor Eric Deters recently accused Guilfoyle of asking for $100,000 to pay off her American Express bill right before her confirmation hearing last year. He alleged she offered him access to senior administration officials in exchange for the money. Attorneys for Guilfoyle told The Associated Press that Deters had owed her the money for speaking engagements, which he denies.
Trump says he has 'nothing to do' with federal search of Ilhan Omar's house, while calling her 'crooked' and 'terrible'
Trump made disparaging comments about Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., today, calling her “crooked” and a “terrible person,” while saying that he had “nothing to do” with federal the search of her home in Washington, D.C., by federal agents this morning.
“I’ve always found her to be totally crooked personally, but that has nothing to do with me. I think she’s a terrible person, just a complainer,” Trump told reporters. “I think she’s a terrible person, but that’s really up to the DOJ. I have nothing to do with it.”
The Justice Department today did not provide further information about the nature of the investigation or mention Omar in a statement that said Homeland Security Investigations executed a search warrant “as part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation.”
Trump has frequently berated Omar, a progressive member of Congress. She said on X today that the search was “an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement.”
“For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation,” she wrote.
Energy prices rise after Trump’s ‘energy ceasefire’ fails to move Russia or Ukraine
Oil and gas prices rose today after an “energy ceasefire” Trump announced yesterday failed to gain any traction.
U.S. diesel fuel futures rose slightly in late afternoon trading, while Brent crude oil jumped 2%, to almost $108 per barrel, and U.S. crude oil rose more than 2%, to about $94.
GOP ad buyer mixes up Portlands, spends money meant to help Maine Sen. Susan Collins in Oregon
A Republican political group accidentally spent nearly $25,000 running ads to help Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, in Portland.
Portland, Oregon, that is. Not Portland, Maine.
Judge tears into Trump administration for felling trees on D.C. golf course the president wants to remake
A federal judge ripped the Trump administration today for “inexcusable” gamesmanship after it removed hundreds of trees from a public golf course that Trump said he wants to turn into “one of the greatest golf courses anywhere in the world” — a renovation plan being challenged in court.
Felled trees on the East Potomac Golf Links in Washington over the weekend. Aaron Schwartz / Getty
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes said lawyers for the government had assured her it would give her ample warning if it planned any “irreversible” actions at the East Potomac Golf Links, only to chop down over 400 trees on the course over the holiday weekend without proper notice.
“I’m furious,” Reyes told attorneys from the Justice Department.
Across both parties, Black candidates look to make history in governor’s races
Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore is the only Black governor — and just one of three who have ever been elected to the job in the country’s history.
“It’s not a title I take pride in,” Moore said in an interview.
It’s also a title that he may not have for much longer.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. Valerie Plesch / Bloomberg / Getty
White House marks Columbus Day with AI-generated website
The White House is marking Columbus Day with an interactive, AI-generated website focused on Christopher Columbus, seemingly pushing back on the movement to rename the holiday Indigenous People’s Day, which is recognized in many states.
“Columbus Day is back,” the White House account posted on X, after it separately posted, “In this Administration, Christopher Columbus is a hero!”
The website features AI-generated video and photos, as well as an interactive map and timeline that features Columbus’ statue being torn down by protesters in Baltimore in 2020 and then rededicated at the White House last year.
‘Trump never cared about us’: Ukraine smarts at U.S. pressure and deal with Putin
Ukraine is no stranger to sudden and negative shifts from Trump. But his flurry of weekend activity left many here, and across Europe, increasingly uncertain about whether the United States was still on Kyiv’s side against its Russian invader.
A deal to buy diesel from the Kremlin that reversed years of American sanctions. Demands to halt attacks on Russian fuel sites. A call for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to be replaced. And then, most head-scratching of all, Trump’s announcement of an “energy ceasefire” that neither warring side appears to have heard about before his Truth Social post yesterday.
Abdul El-Sayed says Democrats must ‘win by massive numbers’ to fend off GOP election denial
Michigan’s Democratic Senate nominee, Abdul El-Sayed, said his fellow Democrats need to “win by massive numbers” in the upcoming midterm elections so the result “is unquestionable.”
“Donald Trump has already threatened to do what he did in 2020, which is deny the outcomes of an election,” El-Sayed told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” in an interview that aired yesterday.
Asked by NBC News on Saturday whether he would accept the results of the midterm elections no matter who wins, Trump said: “Of course I will. But we don’t want cheating.”
Lawmakers push back on Trump’s fuel deal with Russia
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” yesterday that Trump’s decision to ease sanctions on Russia to allow it to release diesel fuel to the global market may be breaking the law.
“I do believe there’s a legitimate case for saying the president’s not following the law,” Tillis said.
Trump announced Friday on Truth Social that Russia would “immediately supply” hundreds of thousands of tons of diesel fuel to the global marketplace, with more than 1 million additional tons soon on the way. The move drew sharp condemnation from Ukraine and critics of the Trump administration.
‘I just had the flu’: James Talarico shoots down conservative speculation about his absence from the trail
Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico addressed his recent absence from the campaign trail yesterday, saying it was due to nothing but a “nasty case of the flu.”
“I was in bed, drinking lots of liquids. Unfortunately, the campaign made me work from home, so I didn’t even get full days off. But I didn’t want to be out on the trail, and I didn’t want to get anyone else sick. It’s important, I think, for leaders to be responsible in these moments. And I’m glad to be back. I’m feeling much better,” he told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth in an interview.
Rep. Ilhan Omar’s home searched by federal agents in ongoing criminal probe
Federal agents searched Rep. Ilhan Omar’s home in Washington, D.C., this morning, according to two people familiar with the investigation.
Homeland Security Investigations, a part of the Department of Homeland Security that conducts criminal investigations, “executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the Department of Justice,” a Justice Department spokesperson said in a statement. “This enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal criminal investigation.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn. Tom Williams / CQ Roll Call via Getty
Federal judge orders pro-Trump TV ads funded by taxpayers off air immediately
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration yesterday to stop airing ads funded by the U.S. government that portray Trump in a favorable light, effective immediately.
The lawsuit was brought by the watchdog group Common Cause; Robert Hunter, a Democratic candidate for a seat in the Alabama state House; and a labor union in New York and its political action committee. The suit was one of several similar complaints — including one by the Democratic National Committee — that were filed to get the ads off the air.
Bad blood spills over in the Texas Senate race — and it’s tearing Republicans apart
It’s been a brutal stretch for Republican Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton.
Damaging leaks of his private conversations. Public details of his past romantic affairs. Regular jabs at his physical appearance.
The curious part about it all? At least some of his allies are convinced the sabotage is coming from within his own party.
Justin Sullivan / Getty
Everytown announces spending to back anti-gun violence group volunteers in state legislature races
Everytown for Gun Safety announced it will funnel $3 million to help elect former volunteers for Moms Demand Action, an anti-gun violence advocacy group, to state legislatures.
In a news release shared first with NBC News, Everytown said it was targeting battleground state legislative districts in Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
For example, in Arizona, Everytown will run an ad targeting Republican state legislators Lisa Fink and Tony Rivero, painting them as “MAGA extremists” who are “backed by the gun lobby.”
In another ad for Alex Hawkins, a Democrat running for a state House seat in Michigan, the narrator says that “MAGA extremists” want to “roll back commonsense gun laws.”
Hawkins wants “more cops on our streets with more tools to fight crime,” the ad says.
The ad buy push comes as Democrats aim to flip and hold key legislative chambers across major battleground states.
“So much of the progress we’ve made on gun safety started in state legislatures, and with the Trump administration shredding federal gun laws, they’ve never mattered more,” Everytown President John Feinblatt said in a statement.
Everytown launched a program in 2021 to train volunteers and gun violence survivors for political campaigns, and the program has helped elect more than 600 volunteers, the news release said.
South Carolina Senate rivals spar over Iran war, AI and Trump in fiery debate
Republican Sen. Darline Graham of South Carolina and Democratic challenger Annie Andrews clashed last night in their first and perhaps only debate of the general election, tangling over Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” the high costs of gas and goods, the Iran war, and AI data centers.
South Carolina is a ruby red state where Trump remains popular among Republican voters. But the race has tightened in the closing stretch of the campaign, and Democrats believe they have a shot at knocking off Graham, who was appointed to fill her brother Lindsey Graham’s Senate seat after his sudden death in July. The top Senate Republican super PAC has pledged to spend $5 million to shore up Graham’s campaign.
Andrews, left, and Graham. Getty; Bloomberg via Getty
Katie Zacharia starts as White House press secretary
Trump said in a Truth Social post yesterday that Katie Zacharia will start as press secretary today and hold an "introductory" news conference tomorrow morning.
"Katie has been with me, in spirit, from the very beginning, and will do a fantastic job!" he said in the post.
Trump confirmed Friday that Zacharia would serve as the next press secretary, succeeding Karoline Leavitt. Zacharia previously served as a senior communications adviser for Trump Media & Technology Group, which runs Truth Social.
In a separate Truth Social post yesterday, the president praised Leavitt's performance as press secretary.
"I just want to pay my respect and thanks to Karoline Leavitt for the fantastic job she has done as White House Press Secretary — Could not have been better!" he said in the post.
Leavitt left the White House role in August.
Katie Zacharia. Terry Wyatt / Getty for 2521 Ent. and Angel Studios
Abortion rights group launches campaign tour ahead of key midterm races
Reproductive Freedom for All, an abortion rights advocacy organization, is launching a campaign blitz today ahead of the midterm elections as it warns that the Trump administration will seek to amp up its anti-abortion agenda if Republicans retain power in Congress.
Mini Timmaraju, president and CEO of the organization, will travel to Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, California, Nevada, New Hampshire, Maine and Michigan to stump with candidates, Reproductive Freedom for All told NBC News.
The tour begins today in Pennsylvania, where the group will campaign with Bob Brooks, a centrist Democrat looking to unseat Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, who won the seat narrowly in 2024 in one of the country’s most competitive districts.
“Abortion is top of mind for voters — and Republicans know their anti-abortion extremism will haunt them at the polls. Our campaign will be on the ground across battleground states talking directly with voters about what’s at stake for the future of reproductive freedom,” Timmaraju said in a statement.
Timmaraju will also appear at events with Gov. Katie Hobbs in Arizona and with Randy Villegas, who’s hoping to defeat Rep. David Valadao in California’s 22nd Congressional District. Valadao, a Republican, first won the seat in 2013, holding onto it until he lost his re-election bid in 2018. He won back the seat in 2021, and it's now a target for Democrats.
Timmaraju will also make a stop in Nevada to advocate for Question 6, a ballot measure that would add protections for abortion rights to the state’s constitution.
The group argued that Trump’s appointment of Katie Zacharia to be White House press secretary last week emphasized the risks to abortion rights under the Trump administration. It denounced a social media post Zacharia made in 2025 claiming links between the abortion-inducing drug mifepristone and Nazi Germany and called her “the latest anti-abortion extremist Trump has installed in his administration.”
The campaign sprint comes after the organization announced last month that it was pouring $1 million into voter outreach efforts in Arizona, Michigan and Nevada to support candidates backing abortion rights.
Trump to rally for GOP candidates in Ohio today
Trump will travel to Youngstown, Ohio, today for another midterm rally, his second campaign visit to the state in 10 days.
Democrats are seeking to flip the Senate seat held by Republican Jon Husted, who is locked in a tight race with Democratic former Sen. Sherrod Brown. In the governor's race, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy is in a close contest against Democrat Amy Acton.
Trump won Ohio in all three of his presidential campaigns. This year, Democrats are hoping that frustration over issues like the cost of living will give them a chance to put Ohio in play.
Later this week, Trump will travel to Alaska, Arizona and Montana for rallies. Alaska is another state with a close Senate race.
Over the weekend, the president rallied in Tennessee, the seventh state he has visited in October so far.
