Trump campaigns for Sen. Darline Graham in South Carolina
This version of Trump South Carolina Rally Senate Debate 2026 Midterm Live Updates Rcna604651 - Politics and Government | NBC News Clone was adapted by NBC News Clone to help readers digest key facts more efficiently.
The candidates for the Senate in Michigan and Kansas and the nominees for governor in Wisconsin faced off in debates tonight.
What to know today
- TRUMP RALLY: President Donald Trump held a rally in South Carolina tonight at Clemson University to boost appointed Sen. Darline Graham, the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, who is running for a full term against Democrat Annie Andrews.
- CANDIDATE DEBATES: The candidates for the Senate in Michigan and Kansas and the nominees for governor in Wisconsin faced off in debates tonight. The races are considered competitive, with the Senate contests crucial battlegrounds in the fight for control of the chamber.
- TRANSGENDER INMATE TREATMENT: The Supreme Court rejected an attempt by the Trump administration to restrict treatment for transgender inmates in federal prison. The administration had filed an emergency application after an injunction by a lower court blocked the policy.
- AMERICAN RELEASED: Russia has released retired American teacher Stephen Hubbard, 74, the latest sign of warmer ties between the two countries as Washington pressures Kyiv to agree to a deal to end Moscow’s war.
Abdul El-Sayed and Mike Rogers’ final debate clash sets up final sprint in Michigan
The second Michigan Senate debate tonight featured several heated clashes between Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed and Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers, though it was far tamer than an explosive first meeting this month.
The debate took place in Detroit less than two weeks before Election Day in the bitterly contested battle for an open Senate seat. Polls show a neck-and-neck contest to replace retiring Sen. Gary Peters, a Democrat.
El-Sayed sought to tie Rogers to Trump at every turn while painting his opponent as a corporate sellout. Asked about addressing cost-of-living concerns, El-Sayed said rising gas and grocery prices are products of the war with Iran.
Wisconsin governor candidates tangle over the economy, Trump and the 2020 election in tense debate
Democrat David Crowley and Republican Tom Tiffany sparred tonight during their sole debate in Wisconsin’s race for governor, sniping at each other on affordability, President Donald Trump, abortion and the 2020 election.
Crowley, the Milwaukee County executive, and Tiffany, a member of Congress representing a northern Wisconsin district, are in a close race to succeed retiring Democratic Gov. Tony Evers — the first open governor's race in the state since 2010.
The debate most prominently focused on economic issues, with each candidate taking aim at the other over whose policies would best bring down prices. Tiffany vowed to undo various tax increases and return surplus dollars to residents, while Crowley advocated for a “a fair tax system” that would fund education, infrastructure and transportation.
Throughout the hourlong debate, Crowley frequently linked Tiffany to Trump and his policies — including the “big, beautiful bill,” tariffs and the war with Iran — that he said have raised prices in the state and nationally. Crowley also accused Tiffany of “doing the bidding” of “the billionaire class,” pointing to the donations he has received from Republican megadonors.
Roger Marshall and Adam Hamilton face off in fiery final Kansas Senate debate
Republican Sen. Roger Marshall and Democrat Adam Hamilton went head to head in a contentious debate tonight as polls show a toss-up in ruby-red Kansas with less than two weeks until Election Day.
Marshall and Hamilton traded criticism and attacks over the Iran war, immigration enforcement, healthcare and tariff policy, as well as other controversies that have popped up during their unexpected battleground campaign.
Hamilton, a megachurch pastor and first-time candidate, presented himself as an “independent-minded Democrat.”
“I’m not somebody who favors the Socialist Party,” he said. “I’m somebody who stands in the middle. I’m going to try to work for all Kansans, Republicans, independents and Democrats.”
Construction on Trump's arch could begin in as soon as 2 weeks
Construction on Trump’s triumphal arch could begin as soon as Nov. 5, according to a new court filing tonight.
The Trump administration tonight alerted U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington that they expect the Interior Department to issue a final decision authorizing construction of the arch in advance of a National Capital Planning Commission meeting Nov. 5. The arch is expected to receive final approval at the meeting.
If all goes as planned, the administration expects construction could begin as early as the same day.
The filing complies with an order from Chutkan, who had required the Trump administration to provide at least 14 days' notice before any construction was to begin.
Top Democrats on congressional intelligence panels say there's no evidence of foreign interference ahead of midterms
Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut and Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia — the top Democrats on the House and Senate intelligence committees — warned at a news briefing today that Russia is trying to influence the midterm elections as it has done since 2016 but that the effort is made easier this time around by the proliferation of AI and its ease of use.
“Many of the protections around our system were put in place by Trump’s first administration,” Warner said. “The good news about that is our system is safe; it is secure. The bad news is much of that institutional protection has been systemically dismantled in Trump Number 2.”
Himes said, “The Russians are also particularly focused in a bipartisan way on people and things that have been aggressive on Ukraine.”
But there has been no evidence that Russia — or any other foreign actor — has interfered in the election. The distinction between influence and interference is profound, they said.
“We are not seeing either the capacity or the intent to interfere,” Himes said. But he described the influence campaign by Russia as a “carnival.”
“The Russians are kind of throwing everything out there. Chaos, you know. Don’t trust your institutions, voting machines. They’re throwing everything out there to generate a sense of chaos and anarchy,” he said.
They said they believed China also was continuing a targeted influence effort.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington fired back at Himes and Warner.
"This is a false allegation and serious smear that has long been proved to be unfounded," the spokesperson said in a statement. "China adheres to non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs. We never interfere in U.S. elections and have zero interest in that."
The Russian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Himes said Iran already has a way to seek to influence the election: the price of oil, through strikes on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz or with Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.
“The Iranian regime is a pretty savvy regime,” Himes said. “Hideous though they are, they understand that they have a massive lever right now to influence the election, and they’re using it. And that, of course, is the price of oil.”
The two lawmakers said that they’d received a recent classified briefing on meddling efforts but that they were never given a declassified intelligence report on the 2024 election or the statutorily mandated intelligence reports on elections due 120, 60 and 30 days before Nov. 3.
Still, Himes and Warner said they feel more confident with the current head of intelligence, Jay Clayton, than they did with his predecessors. They said they have assurances that officials with National Intelligence Director's Office will at least pick up the phone on Election Day and beyond. They said Democrats have worked through possible scenarios in which Trump could say there was foreign interference in elections or seek to seize ballots and they’d need to have quick access to intelligence community officials.
In a speech this summer, Trump described mail-in ballots as “inherently corrupt” and said China had wrongly acquired “220 million U.S. voter files,” or voter registration records, which he called potentially “the largest compromise of election data in history.”
Trump himself has repeatedly voted by mail.
Ahead of Trump’s summertime speech, the White House released some declassified documents, one of which was an August 2020 intelligence assessment that foreign actors might try to “compromise our election infrastructure for a range of possible purposes, such as interfering with the voting process, stealing sensitive data, or calling into question the validity of the election results.”
Himes said the documents the White House made public over the summer were “not manufactured,” but he said that they provided a confusing and scattershot picture of the election reality and that there was no evidence that China was interfering.
The two lawmakers said the executive branch has no constitutional right to seize ballot boxes without a Fourth Amendment warrant.
They said Democrats are prepared to counter any messaging they believe is false or misleading.
Trump wraps up campaign speech
Trump has finished his remarks in South Carolina after more than an hour and a half, dancing onstage to the tune of "Y.M.C.A." as he walks away from the podium.
Trump discusses prisoner released from Russia today
Trump mentioned Stephen Hubbard, the retired American teacher imprisoned by Russia who was released today.
Trump claimed he should have been freed during the Biden administration. Trump claimed he “called up Vladimir Putin.”
“And I said: ‘You got to do me a favor. You got to give me back Stephen Hubbard,’” Trump said he told Putin, adding that the moment came after he saw Hubbard’s son on TV.
“And Vladimir Putin said, ‘Yep, you can have him.’ And we just got him about 10 hours ago. He’s either landed or flying over water,” Trump said.
Mike Rogers voices opposition to China building cars in the U.S. after Trump said he'd be OK with it
Republican Mike Rogers said at the Michigan Senate debate tonight that he does not support allowing China to build cars in the U.S., breaking with Trump's stance on the issue.
Asked what was the most important federal policy to pursue to protect Michigan auto jobs, Rogers said, "The very first thing we have to do is ban the ability for the Chinese to build cars in the United States."
"That is the single No. 1 existential threat to our automobile industry here. Remember, China doesn't come here to make profits; they come here to steal market share," he said. "We need to make sure that it is very clear in the law that those Chinese cars can't be built right here in the United States."
Trump, whose endorsement has been critical for Rogers' campaign, said last month that he would not oppose allowing Chinese automakers to manufacture in the U.S.
Rogers' opponent, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, pointed that out, saying, "It's funny, because the person who's inviting them to come and build the United States is his favorite president, the guy he's campaigning with on Sunday."
"Donald Trump's going to help him get into the United States Senate, and he's going to turn around and stand up to Trump because, you know, we've got a real history of Republican senators standing up to Donald Trump right now," El-Sayed said. "I don't see it happening."
Trump says Colombian-born Ohio senator might take issue with his changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico
Trump implied that the Colombian-born Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio, who frequently advises him on Latin American policy, took issue with his changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico.
Trump was musing about changing the name of the Strait of Hormuz to the “Trump Strait,” asking the crowd how it thought “the Arabs would like me calling it that.”
“I mean, we changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico. Why can’t we change the name?” Trump said. “Bernie Moreno might not like it, I’m not sure. But no, we did. We changed it.”
Moreno, a junior Republican senator, has shaped Trump’s policy in South American countries, including Colombia, even sitting in on his meeting with Colombian President Gustavo Petro before he left office.
Abdul El-Sayed condemns Mike Rogers' repeated attempts to link him to the Muslim Brotherhood
Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed pushed back tonight on repeated allegations during a Michigan Senate debate by his opponent, Mike Rogers, that he had ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Rogers, who has claimed on several occasions that El-Sayed and his family had connections to the Islamist organization, said El-Sayed asked the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt "to defund the police there, too. I mean, it’s unbelievable."
El-Sayed denied the accusation, saying, "He keeps raising this question about this association with an organization I’ve never been a part of, because of my mom, who’s a nurse in Missouri."
In their last debate, Rogers questioned El-Sayed's mother, Fatten Elkomy, over her work at a charity that the U.S. government later as a supporter of terrorist groups, leading to its closure. Elkomy was never accused of wrongdoing.
El-Sayed has repeatedly denied any connections to the Muslim Brotherhood, telling NBC News last week, "I have no ties, we have no ties," when he was asked about the accusations.
"It doesn’t make any sense, and it’s actually really quite beneath you, Mike. It’s really quite beneath you," El-Sayed said tonight. "To call it a question, my loyalty to the Constitution."
Rogers interrupted El-Sayed, who told him: "I’m talking. I am talking. I’m talking. Excuse me."
"To bring into question my commitment to the Constitution is really beneath you. I am proud of America. I’m proud to be an American," El-Sayed said. "I’m proud of our Constitution that guarantees all of us the right to pray as we choose to pray, and the question that you would ask that, I think, is actually really quite shameful."
Rogers responded that El-Sayed "could pray any way you want, and I know you want to make this about you being a victim," adding, "This is about an ideology."
Trump compares rallygoer who threw punch in the crowd to boxer Evander Holyfield, who is at event
At least one rallygoer at Trump’s South Carolina event threw a punch toward a protester as Trump has been interrupted multiple times campaigning for Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C.
Law enforcement removed multiple people from the arena.
Trump commented on the scuffle from the stage, asking whether everyone in the crowd was OK.
“That was incredible,” Trump said. “Who threw that punch?”
Trump compared the person who threw the punch to Evander Holyfield, a former professional boxer who is at the rally supporting Trump and Graham.
“The guy stood up, and he just let that little — and he got whacked, man.”
Trump has said slurs at campaign events twice this week
Trump has used slurs twice this week while he has stumped for his endorsed candidates on the campaign trail.
Trump today referred to South Carolina Democratic Senate candidate Annie Andrews with an anti-trans slur, calling her “tranny Annie” to disparage her support for gender-affirming care. Andrews is not transgender.
Trump also used an antisemitic slur Monday while he was defending Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., who is not Jewish. Trump was defending him over an article that said he sued hundreds of patients for unpaid debts while he was practicing as an obstetrician-gynecologist, which Marshall has denied. He said Marshall had been made out to be a “shylock-type guy,” a word recognized as offensive toward Jewish people.
In a post that did not mention Trump by name, the Anti-Defamation League yesterday condemned the use of the word, saying that “regardless of intent, its use can reinforce harmful tropes about Jews and normalize language that has long been used to target the Jewish community.”
Trump has used both slurs in the past. He called Andrews by the same derogatory moniker earlier this month and used the antisemitic term to describe exploitative bankers last year. Asked about it at the time, Trump said he was not aware of its connotations.
Trump again calls Annie Andrews, Democratic Senate candidate in South Carolina, by anti-trans slur
Trump again referred to Democrat Annie Andrews, who is running against Sen. Darline Graham in the South Carolina Senate race, with an anti-trans slur.
Trump called her “tranny Annie Andrews,” deriding her support for gender-affirming care. Andrews is a physician by training, and she has said she does not support gender-affirming surgery for minors or transgender athletes' participating in women’s sports.
Trump has called Andrews by the slur before. He was criticized for doing so, even by fellow Republicans. Andrews, who is not transgender, responded by largely ignoring the insult at the time.
“If you care more about your bills than the politics in Washington, this campaign is for you,” she told NBC News in a statement this month.
Trump interrupted at least 4 times during South Carolina rally
Trump was met with several protests right off the bat at his rally in South Carolina.
He was interrupted at least four times.
Trump alleged the protesters were paid — a frequent claim he has made as he has been interrupted constantly at campaign stops in the lead-up to the midterms.
Sen. Darline Graham positions herself as 'tougher' on immigration than her late brother
Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., sought to distance herself from her late brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, at a rally in Pendleton tonight when it came to immigration enforcement.
"I'm a little bit tougher" in comparison to her brother, Graham said. "If you’re here illegally, you’ve got to go.”
It is interesting to hear Graham depart from her late brother on the issue that has always caused conservative misgivings about him. In January 2025, Lindsey Graham expressed skepticism about one of Trump's key campaign promises: mass deportations.
It isn't the first time Darline Graham has tried to separate her platform from her brother's. In a Fox News interview over the summer, she emphasized that she would not focus on foreign policy the way her brother did. Instead, she said she wanted to aim her policies on what affected "the average person."
AIPAC shifts fundraising tactics as it grapples with mounting voter frustration with Israel
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee announced today it would stop endorsing and earmarking contributions to political candidates, a tactical shift as support for Israel tumbles in polls and as progressives use AIPAC support as a cudgel in competitive Democratic primaries.
The change may not have dramatic financial implications. The pro-Israel group’s direct giving to candidates amounts to a rounding error in the 10-figure world of campaign finance in 2026. AIPAC members will still give directly to candidates, and the group’s super PAC will almost certainly remain an active, multimillion-dollar spender supporting pro-Israel candidates of both parties.
The Trump administration is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to secure the president's construction projects
The Trump administration is spending nearly $350,000 to lease mobile camera trailers in an effort to monitor the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Memorial Circle and the Arts of War and Arts of Peace statutes on Arlington Memorial Bridge, which were repainted this year.
The cameras from LiveView Technologies were installed around the Reflecting Pool this summer after Trump alleged — without evidence, and later disputed by his own Justice Department — that vandals damaged the pool’s lining.
The monitoring appears temporary, with a “potential end date” of the contract set for Feb. 28, according to federal records.
“Due to an increase in vandalism by leftist activists surrounding the Reflecting Pool earlier this year, cameras were set up to ensure that no more damage is done to this historic site,” an Interior Department spokesperson wrote in a statement.
The Department of Homeland Security previously awarded LiveView Technologies nearly $3 million for mobile security trailer units at Homeland Security Investigations and ICE locations around the country.
Trump expected to announce more 'goodies' in final stretch of midterm blitz
Trump is expected to roll out more announcements at midterm rallies in the homestretch, some of which are contingent on Republicans' keeping control of Congress and some of which are not, according to two senior administration officials.
Trump has been dangling what he refers to as “goodies” at several events in recent days, tailored to individual states. That strategy will continue over the next two weeks, the officials said, supplemented by executive action that does not rely on GOP victories.
For instance, Trump plans to sign an executive order related to housing policy and making homeownership more affordable, one of the officials said. The exact timing has not been nailed down.
Trump has been telling voters this week that “if we lose, you get nothing” on everything from making biofuel waivers permanent to directing the Justice Department to finalize settlements for Camp Lejeune veterans who filed claims over contaminated water.
He also announced that Sibelco will build a silicon manufacturing plant in North Carolina and that the Defense Department will invest $1.5 billion to produce semiconductor chips in the state, both of which will proceed independent of the midterm election results.
At the GOP midterm convention in September, Trump said he would send $5,000 payments to all U.S. adults if Republicans win the House and the Senate. It’s unclear whether that would be possible, given it would require congressional approval, but even some of Trump’s most ardent supporters are skeptical of some of the promises. And others think they are just unnecessary.
As a voter in Greenville, North Carolina, told NBC News yesterday, “They don’t have to pay me to vote this way.”
“Great, you want to send me $5,000? I’m all for it, but I don’t need it. I don’t,” Jim Cox said. “They couldn’t pay me to vote the other way.”
GOP Senate hopeful Ashley Hinson balances standing by Trump and standing up to him in Iowa
As Trump heads to Iowa this week, GOP Rep. Ashley Hinson told “NBC Nightly News” that she is willing to stand up to Trump but is also standing by him as she runs for the Senate.
“No,” Hinson said when “NBC Nightly News” anchor Tom Llamas asked whether she was disappointed in Trump.
“I work alongside the president. When he’s right for Iowa, I’m going to tell him. When he’s wrong for Iowa, I’m going to tell him,” she said in the interview, which will air this evening. “But that’s not a change for me in how I’ve operated. I’ve always worked with both sides to get things done for Iowa.”
Hinson, a three-term congresswoman, is locked in a competitive race against Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek to replace retiring GOP Sen. Joni Ernst. Turek, a former Paralympian, said Hinson has not put her state first.
Bogus trans youth brochure rattles Texas voters
Phony leaflets and text messages impersonating a trans rights group sent to households across Texas in recent days have ignited anger and confusion across the state at the start of early voting in the midterm elections, an apparent bid to stoke anti-trans sentiment in a heated political battleground.
Who or what is behind the campaign is unclear. Efforts to identify their origins led to a Wyoming company created last month and a digital trail that appears to have been made with care to hide the people involved.
Secret Service study explores how to prevent workplace violence
The Secret Service, best known for protecting presidents and dignitaries, is leveraging its vast intelligence gathering, research capabilities and other tools to help prevent workplace violence.
A new report seen by NBC News from the Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center analyzed 50 cases of workplace violence over the past decade to seek common motivations, tactics and warning signs, including the shooting at the Capital Gazette in 2018 in Annapolis, Maryland, in which a gunman killed five employees.
In the incidents under review, 119 were killed and 128 were injured. The report was born of the center’s examination of mass attacks, which found most of the targeted locations were businesses.
Justice Department IG refuses to investigate botched Reflecting Pool case after Trump’s false vandalism claims
The Justice Department’s inspector general is refusing to investigate what went wrong with the botched criminal case against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn over damage at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, including whether there was any criminality on prosecutors’ parts, Hearn’s legal team said.
Hearn's attorneys asked Inspector General Don R. Berthiaume's office in a letter today to reconsider its decision because of evidence of “numerous potential criminal violations — possible crimes committed solely by DOJ personnel, as well as crimes committed jointly by DOJ” employees and personnel from the Interior Department.
California’s billionaire tax faces a mountain of opposition — and not just from the rich
Raising taxes on billionaires has emerged as a top priority for progressives. But even in deep-blue California, that has proven easier said than done.
Less than two weeks before Election Day, opponents of a ballot measure that would impose a one-time tax on the wealthiest Californians have a staggering 250-to-1 ad spending advantage over supporters. Public polls show the “yes” side with a narrow advantage but short of majority support. A pair of dueling initiatives on the ballot threaten to effectively invalidate the wealth tax, even if it passes.
JB Pritzker's wife pledges $500k to Amy Acton's gubernatorial campaign following Ramaswamy ad
MK Pritzker, the first lady of Illinois, said she is investing $500,000 to support Ohio gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton in the wake of the controversial ad GOP opponent Vivek Ramaswamy launched against her.
"Bad men gain power when we refuse to stand up and fight," Pritzker wrote in a statement. "Vivek Ramaswamy represents everything that is wrong with our politics today: arrogance, cruelty, dishonesty, and the belief that it's acceptable to say and do anything for power."
She added: "I refuse to sit quietly while men like Vivek Ramaswamy exploit a highly qualified woman's pain for political gain."
Her husband, Gov. JB Pritzker, reposted the statement on X and wrote, "I’m proud that my wife, MK, is supporting Dr. Amy Acton today."
The ad, which first surfaced Monday night, featured Acton's estranged mother, who urged voters to back Ramaswamy over her daughter. Acton has previously alleged that her mother's husband sexually abused her when she was a child and said she has not seen or spoken to her mother in more than 40 years.
Ramaswamy's campaign took responsibility for the ad yesterday, standing behind it despite widespread backlash from both Democrats and Republicans.
Maryland anti-redistricting group vows to keep running ads despite cease-and-desist warning from Gov. Wes Moore
The Truth for Maryland super PAC said today that, despite a cease-and-desist request from the governor, it will keep running streaming ads urging voters to re-elect Democratic Gov. Wes Moore but reject a ballot question that would allow Maryland legislative leaders to redraw congressional district lines.
"We remain steadfast in our support of our great governor and our commitment to end extreme partisan gerrymandering. We will neither cease nor desist — we will persist," Andrew Brightwell, Truth for Maryland's chairman, said in a statement.
Truth for Maryland began running ads yesterday urging voters, "Vote yes for Wes and against Question 3."
Attorneys for Moore insisted today that the ad was misleading because Moore actually supports Question 3, which would amend the state constitution to allow Democratic state leaders to redraw congressional districts that don't have to abide by natural barriers, like the Chesapeake Bay.
If voters approve the question on Nov. 3, it would revive Moore's push for legislative leaders to redraw congressional districts in a way that would give Democrats an advantage in all eight of the state's districts, rather than just in the seven they hold now. GOP Rep. Andy Harris, the state's lone Republican in Congress, represents the state's Eastern Shore, east of the Chesapeake.
"The website and advertisement are simply a cynical political ploy to try to trick Marylanders into misinterpreting the Governor’s position on Question 3, which he unequivocally supports. There is a substantial likelihood of confusion between your communications and the Governor’s campaign, which appears to be the point. A lay person watching the advertisement or going to the website would assume Governor Moore was involved with the committee," David Mitrani, an attorney representing Moore, wrote in his cease-and-desist letter.
Mitrani added that the Truth for Maryland website branding and color scheme are too similar to those used by Moore's re-election campaign.
"You do not have permission to use the Governor’s name, likeness, photos, and other information for any purpose whatsoever. You do not have permission to use the Campaign’s branding and designs. You must cease doing so immediately," Mitrani added.
House Judiciary Committee Republicans subpoena New Jersey for information on noncitizens erroneously registered to vote
Republican leaders of the House Judiciary Committee said today they subpoenaed New Jersey over the state's erroneous registration of more than 6,000 noncitizens to vote.
The committee said it had requested documents from New Jersey’s secretary of state. It called the secretary’s response “inadequate.”
Gov. Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, criticized the committee in a statement, saying, "Washington Republicans are choosing to play political games just thirteen days before the midterm elections."
"I promised that when we discover a problem, we communicate the facts and fix it — and I meant it. From the moment we discovered the MVC registration issue from 2023, we took action immediately, went above and beyond in making agency-wide reforms, and have been transparent every step of the way," Sherrill said.
The issue is a 2023 error that New Jersey disclosed to citizens: The state Motor Vehicle Commission erroneously registered people to vote even after they indicated they were not U.S. citizens. The state attributes the mistake, which it says lasted from June 2023 to June 2024, to an "error in a vendor's software."
Sherrill disclosed the error at a news conference in July, saying roughly 400 people had cast ballots.
Vance says Republicans should ‘stop whining’ about Vivek Ramaswamy’s attack ad if they want to win
Vice President JD Vance told Republicans to “stop whining” about Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s controversial ad featuring his Democratic opponent Amy Acton’s estranged mother.
“Politics is a tough business, and my message to my fellow elected Republicans is if you actually believe in the things you say you believe in, stop whining about an advertisement and go win the race in 13 days,” Vance told reporters today in Cincinnati.
Musk says he'll go after Democrats who 'pick fights' with him
Tech billionaire Elon Musk warned Democrats that they would face consequences if they used potential congressional majorities next year to launch investigations of him.
"Live by the sword, die by the sword," Musk posted on X, reacting to a Politico story about potential oversight.
"Those who pick fights with me should understand that I will find out who is really pulling the strings and come for them, not just their puppets," he wrote.
Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, is the top Republican donor for the second consecutive election cycle. He has given more than $300 million this cycle to GOP-aligned committees and his main political group, America PAC, counting only publicly reported contributions.
He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump keeps promising ‘goodies’ on the campaign trail — but only if Republicans win
Five-thousand-dollar payments for American adults. A Defense Department investment in a local manufacturing facility. And “more goodies” on the way.
Such promises have become a staple of Trump’s campaign trail blitz. And he’ll make good on all of them, he says — but only if voters keep Republicans in charge of Congress in next month’s midterm elections.
Vance says Ramaswamy ad featuring Amy Acton's estranged mother 'calls it out like it is'
Vice President JD Vance rejected criticism of the ad Vivek Ramaswamy has taken credit for that features the estranged mother of his Democratic challenger, Amy Acton, urging voters not to support her.
"Now the media and the Democrats in the state of Ohio are obsessed because guess what? Vivek Ramaswamy had the audacity to run a TV commercial which calls it out like it is and calls Amy Acton a liar," Vance said at a campaign rally in Sharonville, Ohio, this afternoon.
“When she goes out there and pretends to be a reasonable moderate, or when she tries to make the campaign about TV commercials instead of about the people of Ohio, you remind Amy Acton that Ohio is about common sense, not far-left radicals like Amy Acton,” Vance added.
Vance in North Carolina on Monday. Kenny Holston / Pool via Getty
Ramaswamy, who's running for Ohio governor, took responsibility for the ad last night after it first surfaced Monday night. His campaign confirmed to NBC News that the ad will air statewide beginning tomorrow as part of a $4 million advertising push.
The ad featured Acton's mother denouncing her and calling her a “liar.”
Acton has publicly shared accusations that her mother’s husband sexually abused her when she was a child. She has also said she has not seen or spoken with her mother in more than 40 years.
Supreme Court rejects Trump over policy restricting treatment for transgender prison inmates
The Supreme Court said today the Trump administration cannot enforce a new policy that restricts treatment for transgender inmates in federal prison.
The justices in a brief order rejected an emergency application filed by the administration that sought to block a lower court injunction against the proposal. There are about 1,000 transgender inmates in federal custody.
GOP Sen. Thom Tillis rips Trump envoy Witkoff for calling Putin a 'humanitarian'
Retiring Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., tore into Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff this morning for hailing Russian President Vladimir Putin as a "humanitarian."
"WTF, Steve? Look up the definition of 'humanitarian,'" Tillis wrote in a post on X, with a screenshot showing the definition of the word.
"What an embarrassing and outrageous thing to say," he continued. "You should go back to Ukraine and ask the families of the children Putin has kidnapped and murdered whether they agree your friend Putin is a 'humanitarian.'"
Sen. Thom Tillis. Frank Thorp V / NBC News
Witkoff made the comment during talks in St. Petersburg today after Russia released retired American teacher Stephen Hubbard.
“You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian. You are a humanitarian also, sir,” Witkoff said to Putin.
GOP Sen. Susan Collins says Trump should reverse his decision to waive Russian sanctions
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who's locked in a tight race for re-election, said today that Trump should reverse his decision last week to waive Russian sanctions.
While campaigning with former Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., in Maine this morning, NBC News asked whether the president should reverse the move. "Yes," she said.
"The law is very clear that we wanted additional sanctions to be imposed on Russia," she said. "He’s not going to increase the supply to the U.S. in any measurable way, but what he’s going to do is to give more funding for Russia to use to attack Ukraine.”
“I do not support his decision,” she added.
The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Collins has been trying to distance herself from Trump as she faces a toss-up race against Democratic Senate nominee Troy Jackson.
Trump waived sweeping new sanctions against Russia in an executive order Friday, saying it was “in the national interests of the United States.”
Macron blasts ‘stupid’ claims by Trump and others blaming Muslim migrants for French riots
French President Emmanuel Macron today blamed “foreign leaders,” including those “on the other side of the Atlantic,” for trying to exploit France’s tense social climate for their own political agenda.
Protests over soaring living costs have led to widespread rioting and looting. Trump has used the violence to rally his political supporters, making unsubstantiated claims that Muslim migrants are responsible for the unrest.
Protesters march through central Paris on Saturday. Firas Abdullah / Anadolu via Getty
Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign confirms it made the viral attack ad rattling Ohio’s race for governor
Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign for governor of Ohio claimed responsibility late last night for a video attacking Democratic rival Amy Acton that has ratcheted up the tension in an already hostile race.
The minute-long video — which surfaced Monday night and featured Acton’s estranged mother denouncing her and calling her a “liar” — will air statewide beginning tomorrow as part of a $4 million advertising push, the campaign confirmed to NBC News.
Republican Neil Bush, President George W. Bush's brother, says he voted for Talarico in Texas Senate race
Republican businessman Neil Bush said in a lengthy post on Facebook that he voted for Democrat James Talarico in the Texas Senate race.
"My vote was motivated by two things: deep concern about Ken Paxton’s record and genuine admiration for the character and principles I see in James Talarico," he wrote.
Bush, the brother of former President George W. Bush and son of the late President George H.W. Bush, said he has been "deeply troubled" by Paxton's conduct as state attorney general. Those concerns included Paxton's "decision to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election in other states in an effort to help Donald Trump remain in power."
Neil Bush at the Points of Light Awards in 2023. Tasos Katopodis / Getty for Points of Light
Bush said he believes "Trump and those who have enabled him have done enormous damage to the Republican Party." But he added that his vote was more than just opposition to Paxton.
"I’ve never met James Talarico, but I have been enormously impressed by the way he approaches complicated and controversial issues," he said. "He speaks with respect, seeks common ground, and seems genuinely interested in bringing people together rather than driving them apart. My impression is that he is a principled, pragmatic leader who understands that public office is a responsibility to serve, not an entitlement to power."
Trump to hold a roundtable on combating cybercrime
Trump will host a roundtable at the White House today on combating cybercrime, according to a White House official.
The official said that the president is "unleashing every available tool to stop foreign-based organized criminal organizations that exploit Americans in cyberspace," calling it a more than $50 billion threat to American families and businesses.
The Trump administration, the official added, is targeting transnational groups behind fraud schemes and scam centers by freezing funds that are stolen and returning the money to victims.
Justice Elena Kagan accuses Supreme Court’s conservative majority of undermining democracy
Liberal Justice Elena Kagan sharply criticized the Supreme Court’s conservative majority yesterday, saying it undermined democracy in a series of rulings, including several that have prompted a new wave of legislative map-drawing that has increasingly eliminated competitive districts.
Kagan, who has dissented in those cases, also took aim at the majority for striking down campaign finance restrictions and, as she put it, the “evisceration” of the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act that was enacted to protect minority voters.
Justice Elena Kagan. Aaron Schwartz / Bloomberg via Getty
Russia frees retired American teacher as Trump envoy meets with Putin
Russia has released retired American teacher Stephen Hubbard, 74, the latest sign of warmer ties between the two countries as Washington pressures Kyiv to agree to a deal to end Moscow’s war.
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff lauded President Vladimir Putin for the release of Hubbard as he held peace talks with the Russian leader earlier today in St. Petersburg. “You talk so much about my president, President Trump, being a humanitarian. You are a humanitarian also, sir,” Witkoff said.
Trump to rally for Darline Graham in South Carolina
Trump will travel to South Carolina today for a rally at Clemson University in an effort to boost appointed Sen. Darline Graham, the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, who is running for a full term.
The Senate race is not considered a battleground, and the state went to Trump in 2024 by nearly 18 percentage points. Graham is facing off against Democrat Annie Andrews.
Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C. Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call via Getty
The president endorsed Darline Graham for a full term to succeed Lindsey Graham, and she assumed the remainder of her brother's term after his death. She became the Republican nominee for Senate after winning a primary runoff against Rep. Ralph Norman by about 5 percentage points.
Trump's South Carolina trip is the latest in a string of midterm campaign visits to states across the country. Yesterday, the president traveled to North Carolina, and he'll travel to Iowa, Florida, Georgia, Michigan and Texas over the next few days.
Candidates in Michigan, Kansas and Wisconsin to debate tonight
Candidates in major battleground races will take the debate stage again tonight.
In the Michigan Senate race, Democrat Abdul El-Sayed will face off against Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers. Republicans are aiming to flip the Senate seat, and the race is considered a top battleground. Tonight's debate is the final scheduled one for the open seat.
In Kansas, Republican Sen. Roger Marshall will debate Democrat Adam Hamilton in their second debate. Although the state is deep red, the Senate race has become competitive. Trump visited the state earlier this week.
In Wisconsin, Democratic Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley will debate Republican Rep. Tom Tiffany in the governor's race. Tonight marks their only scheduled debate. Wisconsin is a major swing state.
