September 28, 2026: All Newsclips

Lead Stories

Inside the Trump campaign strategy to reverse Republicans’ dwindling hopes of winning the midterms

The midterms mood among Donald Trump’s inner circle has soured as GOP candidates openly break with the president and his approval ratings hit an all-time low, prompting a largely unspoken but age-old question: How does an unpopular president best help his party keep control of Congress? Trump advisers have privately acknowledged that there’s little expectation he can win over large numbers of independents and swing voters, which was part of his path to victory in critical states in 2024. And while they’re more concerned about losing control of the House, Republicans’ previous confidence that they can hold onto the Senate is dwindling by the day. “It’s obviously going to be f***ing rough,” one Trump adviser told CNN, adding that they believe the best-case scenario is achieving what Democrats did in 2022, when under former President Joe Biden they narrowly lost control of the House but kept the Senate.

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Still, Trump’s team is planning an aggressive campaign schedule for Trump and Vice President JD Vance in October in both battleground and deep-red states alike, multiple officials told CNN — as advisers believe their only hope at holding ground is increasing turnout, and the president can help with that. “The system is built around what areas we need to goose turnout 2-3 points,” one operative told CNN. In recent weeks, Trump’s senior advisers, including chief of staff Susie Wiles, put together a calendar that has Trump on the campaign trail for most days in October, though two administration officials said that not all stops had been confirmed. He is planning trips to Alabama and Oklahoma next week, but a GOP official said those were “outliers” in the travel strategy, which would focus more on battleground districts. “He’ll be playing hard in Florida, Texas, Michigan and Ohio — he’ll be on the road just about every day in October campaigning. We’re leaving it all on the table,” the official added. However, even in more purple states, the plan is for Trump to go to more conservative areas, according to another official.

The moves that backfired on Trump and drove interest rates and inflation higher

In the early days of President Trump’s second term, his economic advisers laid out a simple theory: Show the bond market that Washington was serious about closing its gaping deficits, and long-term interest rates would fall on their own. Trump could leave the Federal Reserve alone. It hasn’t worked out that way. Inflation is rising, the Fed is raising rates and the 10-year Treasury yield is well above where it stood on Inauguration Day, when the new team blamed high rates on runaway Biden-era spending. Last week, that yield reached the highest level since 2007 as investors weighed a resilient economy, prolonged energy disruptions that threaten to aggravate price pressures and a central bank losing patience waiting for them to fade.

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The White House theory rested on fiscal restraint that never arrived and overlooked how much of Trump’s own agenda would feed the price pressures now pushing rates higher. Tariffs raised the cost of imported goods. The war with Iran sent oil and diesel prices soaring. Immigration restrictions shrank the labor force. “This was entirely predictable,” said Jessica Riedl, a former Republican Senate aide who is now a budget and tax fellow at the Brookings Institution. Add tax cuts, new spending and pressure on the Fed to lower interest rates, and “all six of those policies move inflation up, not down,” she said. The stakes are high. Rising long-term rates raise borrowing costs for home buyers, businesses and the government. Mortgage rates, which dipped to 6% in February, now sit above 7%, a difference that adds roughly $3,000 a year in payments on a new $400,000 loan. Workers’ pay hasn’t kept pace with inflation since March.

Camp Mystic proposes property sale, dissolution amid bankruptcy case

Camp Mystic has proposed selling its property and eventually dissolving as the camp faces ongoing legal and financial challenges more than three months after filing for bankruptcy. Under the proposal, families with wrongful death claims connected to the July 4, 2025, Hill Country floods would be allowed to resume pending lawsuits or file new ones. Those claims would be paid first through available insurance coverage. If insurance does not fully cover the claims, the families would share any remaining funds with other unsecured creditors. The plan must still be approved by the bankruptcy court.

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Texas cattle groups say ICE operations disrupting beef supply chain

Three major cattle industry organizations representing producers in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas say ongoing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations are disrupting the beef supply chain, delaying cattle shipments and creating economic uncertainty for agricultural businesses. In a joint statement, the Texas Cattle Feeders Association, Kansas Livestock Association and Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association said they are closely monitoring reported ICE activity affecting agricultural communities across the three states. The groups said they respect the responsibility of federal agencies to enforce immigration laws but warned that cattle producers, livestock markets, processors and other rural businesses depend on a stable workforce to maintain animal care, food safety and supply chain operations.

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“Sudden workforce disruptions can create immediate animal-welfare, operational, and economic consequences that extend well beyond an individual business,” the organizations said. The cattle groups said the disruptions come as the cattle and beef industries already face significant market and supply chain pressures. They described the effects of the enforcement activity as a costly burden on producers and said the consequences can continue for days or weeks after operations conclude. In response to concerns raised by the industry groups, ICE pointed to a statement from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who said the agency is not conducting worksite operations in Kansas. According to the statement, ICE enforcement actions have targeted people accused or convicted of serious crimes, as well as people with final orders of removal.

State Stories

Angie Chen Button, Zach Herbert clash in North Texas state House race

The Republican incumbent and Democratic challenger split over school vouchers, insurance costs, taxes and the role of state government during separate appearances Sunday on NBC5’s Lone Star Politics. Their differences are playing out in one of North Texas’ most competitive state legislative races. House District 112 includes parts of Richardson, Garland, Sachse, Sunnyvale and Rowlett. Long held by Republicans, the district has become increasingly competitive as Democrats try to flip the seat Button has represented since 2009. She is one of only two Republicans from Dallas County in the Texas House.

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In the joint interview with NBC5 and The Dallas Morning News, Button presented herself as an experienced leader who understands the district’s tech-focused economy as well as residents’ struggles with rising costs. She recalled growing up poor in Taiwan, then coming to the United States and working to achieve a slice of the American dream. “I want to give back to this great country and to this great community,” Button said. “The voter knows every time they send me back to Austin, I cut taxes and I work hard to reduce the everyday cost of living expenses.” Herbert, a Marine veteran and personal injury lawyer, accused Button of being out of touch and criticized her for not holding town hall meetings. “I have spent my whole career standing up for people,” he said. “And I've sat by and watched as our representative has failed us… we aren't being represented by somebody who passes laws that help the people that live in my district. And so I said I can do a better job.” The candidates’ sharpest disagreement centered on the state’s private school voucher program, a centerpiece of Gov. Greg Abbott’s 2025 legislative agenda. The program provides families with state-funded education savings accounts that can be used for private school tuition and other approved education expenses.

Texas City police sergeant, dispatcher misused Flock cameras

The Texas City Police Department suspended two employees, including one who was demoted from sergeant to officer, over alleged misuse of Flock cameras, the city revealed in a meeting last week. The Texas City Commission held a special meeting last week in which, among passing an increased tax rate, Assistant Police Chief James Patterson gave a presentation on how the department is using Flock cameras. Patterson said during his presentation that the department in August instituted a monthly audit process in which Flock logs for every employee of the Police Department. An audit spanning January to June and about 11,900 searches found 58 that were not for a law enforcement purposes, Patterson said.

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In one instance, a civilian dispatcher was found to have used Flock on multiple occasions to check on the status of her child who was driving her car. The employee made 42 searches, according to the presentation. She was suspended for multiple days. In the second instance, a sergeant was demoted to the rank of a police officer after the audit revealed he had used Flock 16 times for non-law enforcement purposes. The presentation didn’t disclose what the officer used the searches for. He was also suspended for multiple days. Flock's internal audit assistance tool helped the department identify both cases of alleged misuse, said Patterson, who didn't name the two employees. The Chronicle has reached out to the police department for comment. Both cases were presented to the Galveston County District Attorney’s Office’s Public Integrity Unit, according to the presentation. The district attorney’s office declined to file criminal charges against the employees. Both instances of misconduct were reported to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement.

Michael Hansen and Lora Bartlett: Banning H-1B teachers is a recipe for disaster

(Michael Hansen is a senior fellow in the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution. Lora Bartlett is the chairwoman of the education department at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and co-author of “Going the Distance: The Teaching Profession in a Post-COVID World.” ) Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) wants public schools in his state to employ “exactly zero” employees on H-1B visas. His campaign-trail proposal would completely bar schools from employing anyone on the specialized work permit, impacting new hires and current teachers. If passed, this would be a stark reversal for the state that, in 2025, received more K-12 education H-1B visa approvals than any other. Abbott’s rationale prioritizes protection against vague threats of “foreign influence” over the mundane?but tangible consequences of thousands of students losing access to qualified teachers. H-1B reliant Dallas Independent School District bluntly described the implications: If these teachers go, it will need more Texans in the pipeline.

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But the Texas pipeline of qualified teachers is running dry. We have each spent years studying teachers in America’s most challenged schools and the difficult decisions made in response to teacher shortages. Our findings demonstrate how educationally reckless the governor’s proposal is. Our research, looking at three decades of math and science teacher qualifications, surfaced a significant?finding: STEM teacher qualifications in the highest-need settings have been stable, even modestly improving. This is occurring despite the teaching profession being at a 50-year low, including coinciding enrollment drops in teacher preparation programs and relative declines in teachers’ pay.?? How is it, then, that STEM teacher quality has been sustained, even improved? High-need schools got creative. Recruiting foreign-trained teachers emerged as a critical stopgap. Foreign teachers’ share of the science, technology, engineering and mathematics workforce in high-need schools grew from 1 percent in 1993 to more than 6 percent by 2020. They are concentrated where teacher shortages are worst: math, science, special education and foreign languages in high-poverty urban and rural schools.?

Austin City Council candidate Misael Ramos details harrowing arrest for protesting ICE

Misael Ramos, a candidate for Austin City Council’s District 1, was released from the Travis County Jail just after 5pm on Saturday, Sept. 26. Ramos had been arrested this morning and held for close to eight hours on misdemeanor riot charges connected to his participation in a protest against ICE’s shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez in North Austin on Sunday, Sept. 20. Ramos’ release delighted a crowd of over 200 who had gathered outside the jail to hear comments from his attorney, campaign manager, and other supporters. He appeared suddenly at the side of the gathering to sustained cheers as the press conference neared an end, making his way through well wishers to the podium, where he was asked to describe his arrest by Department of Public Safety troopers earlier that morning.

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“I literally was walking my dog and this car pulled up beside me,” Ramos responded. “The man said, ‘Are you Misael Ramos, running for City Council?’ I said, ‘I don’t know you,’ so I kept going. And he jumped out of his car, and said that he had a warrant.” Ramos said his dog snapped at the man, who was apparently a law enforcement officer, and the man put his hand on his gun, telling Ramos he could kill the dog if it bit him. Ramos asked if he would be allowed to drop the dog off at his home before being taken into custody. Then four vans, one a DPS vehicle and the others unmarked, pulled up. “There had to be about six or seven guys who jumped out and surrounded me,” Ramos told the crowd. “Luckily, right next door was my neighbor, filming the whole thing, and she reassured me that she had caught everything and she was going to stay there until the end.” Ramos said that a man from a nearby convenience store offered to take his dog back to his home. “I said, ‘Thank you,’ gave him the leash, and then they proceeded to arrest me,” Ramos said. “That was my morning.”

Manchin: ‘If character means anything, you can’t vote for Ken Paxton’

Former Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) on Sunday took aim at Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican candidate in the Lone Star State’s Senate race, deriding his “character.” During an interview with NewsNation’s Chris Stirewalt on “The Hill Sunday,” Manchin was asked about Texas’s Democratic Senate candidate, state Rep. James Talarico. “I don’t know that young man, and things he’s said I’m discouraged about, but I can tell you, if character means anything, you can’t vote for Ken Paxton, if character means anything, because he has none,” Manchin said. “So, you have a situation there.”

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While Democrats usually face electoral struggles in the Lone Star State, Paxton comes with notable baggage. He previously faced impeachment in the Texas House on corruption charges before he was later acquitted by the state’s Senate three years ago. In a recent poll, Talarico had a slight lead over Paxton. The NBC 5 Dallas/Telemundo Station Group survey found that 46 percent of registered voters supported Talarico, while 43 percent backed Paxton. The national political environment has also been recently rough for the GOP, with President Trump’s approval rating recently slumping, the unpopular war in Iran nearing the seven-month mark, widespread concerns about the cost of living, and Republicans falling behind Democrats on key issues like immigration and healthcare in recent polling. According to a polling average from Decision Desk HQ, Trump’s approval rating on Sunday evening was sitting at 38.8 percent, with his disapproval rating at 59.6 percent. The nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report rates the Texas Senate race as a “toss-up.” The Hill has reached out to Paxton’s campaign for comment.

Does Joe Rogan care who wins the Texas Senate race?

It’s late June, more than two hours into the 2,518th episode of his mega-popular podcast, and Joe Rogan is critiquing part of James Talarico’s anatomy. With his guest, the conservative-leaning comedian Tim Dillon, Rogan was riffing on possible 2028 presidential contenders. Dillon offered up Jon Ossoff, the well-known senior U.S. Senator from Georgia, prompting a “Who’s that guy?” from Rogan. The show’s producer having pulled up a photo of Ossoff, Rogan began to assess. “That looks like a president. … His neck is medium. It’s not too thin; it’s not too thick,” he said. “Like Talarico’s neck is a little too small, you know what I mean?” “Yeah, that’s probably true,” replied Dillon. This bit of neck-related commentary wasn’t turned into viral social media clips or fodder for quick-turn news writeups. But, frequently, Rogan’s off-handed political claims made deep in the woods of his meandering “longform” conversations are indeed treated as newsworthy—part of a long, hard turnaround over the last five years or so.

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Gone are the days when presidential contender Bernie Sanders was ostracized for having appeared on the transphobic Rogan’s show and when liberals mounted a campaign for Spotify to deplatform the host over COVID-19 misinformation. Instead, presidential flameout Kamala Harris’ failure to appear on Rogan’s podcast was treated as a major hinge-point in her 2024 collapse. And, a little over a year ago, Talarico’s appearance on the show was among the biggest stepping stones in his rise from relatively obscure state rep to hot-shot U.S. Senate nominee. That July 2025 conversation began with Rogan not knowing which elected office Talarico held and ended, 133 minutes later, with the former telling the latter to run for president. “A Joe Rogan-Blessed Democrat? James Talarico Draws Eyes of a Party Desperate For New Leaders,” swiftly blared Time—and even this month GQ described Talarico as “a progressive, Christian state legislator who managed to hang with Joe Rogan.” The out-of-state money and support flowed like Black Rifle coffee during a Rogan podcast. A month and a half after that episode, Talarico officially declared for Senate. But, over the following year, it’s been unclear whether Rogan supports this bid by the man he told to run for the White House—or even to what extent the Austin-based host is aware of the race that’s unfolding around him.

Ex-‘We Buy Ugly Houses’ franchise owner in Dallas gets 15 years in prison for $39 million scheme

The former owner of a Dallas “We Buy Ugly Houses” franchise was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in federal prison for a wire fraud charge related to an alleged home investment scam. Charles Carrier, 67, pleaded guilty to the charge in October and has been ordered to pay more than $24 million in restitution to victims. Carrier also had to pay more than $3.2 million to victims across three lawsuits in Dallas County. “Financial fraud isn’t just numbers on a ledger — it’s a direct assault on hardworking Americans who trusted an alleged expert with their savings,” U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould said in a press release. “Through his lies and deceit, Carrier earned every month of his 15-year sentence.”

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Prosecutors allege Carrier got more than $39 million from more than 80 people from 2018 to 2024. Carrier’s business model was relatively simple: Convince investors to lend him money so he could purchase and renovate old houses that he would then rent out or sell for a profit — a practice known as house flipping. Investors in return would get interest payments on their loans and be assured the property legally secured the loan. So, even if Carrier couldn’t pay back the loan, the investor could get their money back by selling the property. But in some cases those properties were already sold off, or their loans were being used to pay off other investor’s interest payments as part of the scheme. First, Carrier in some cases never did the legal paperwork to ensure an investor had a legal right to sell the property and get their money back if the loan couldn’t be paid back. Second, even when Carrier did provide investors with the correct legal records, he had already entitled portions of the property to multiple other investors. Third, Carrier had already sold some properties that investors believed were backing their loans.

Wanna request Flock data records? You likely face an ‘uphill battle’ in North Texas

It takes only a few seconds for a Flock camera to capture a plate number, vehicle make, color or even scratches from a vehicle. For North Texans, getting information on the technology can take weeks or even months, with bills sometimes running into the tens of thousands. Flock cameras, most often used by police departments as automated license plate readers (ALPRs), have become the subject of considerable public controversy this year. Fanned by fears of abuse and government overreach, a nationwide DeFlock campaign is scrutinizing the cloud-based system at every turn; some local councils are canceling contracts, while others are sticking with it and residents are looking for answers.

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Flock faces a wide range of criticisms. Some point to the dozens of documented cases of law enforcement agents using the system to stalk romantic partners; some fear the technology will be used for immigration enforcement, and others are fundamentally concerned with the system’s ability to track a vehicle across hundreds of miles through its cloud-sharing system, as North Texas officers did in 2025 while using around 83,000 license plate readers to track a woman seeking an abortion. However, public officials and police leaders say the technology is invaluable, with Carrollton Police Chief Roberto Arredondo calling it the “best tool we have” last week before the council voted to re-approve and consolidate its Flock contracts. And they’ve responded to criticism, often by creating transparency portals packed with information, detailing procedural guardrails or sharing anecdotal evidence of the system’s effectiveness. In one 2026 case listed on Carrollton PD’s transparency page, police say Flock cameras were used to locate a driver who struck a child on a bicycle and fled the scene. Still, the Deflock movement is gaining momentum and spans a political spectrum ranging from fringe caucuses within the Democratic Socialists of America to the office of U.S. Rep. Keith Self, a Plano Republican who has quoted Reich Minister Joseph Goebbels on at least two occasions. And while some lobby from the U.S. Capitol or organize citizen town halls to raise awareness, other residents are going straight to the source with their concerns through open records requests. But, in some cases, getting information hasn’t been easy.

Houston Astros win AL West title on final day and return to postseason

They dug themselves a hole, deployed a flawed roster and dismissed their general manager in the middle of a playoff race. Being in first place and below .500 at the time distilled the essence of this bizarre season. It laid bare that the Houston Astros, with an aging core and suspect depth, are no longer the dominant force of years past. Their season resembled a six-month ordeal. Self-belief that bordered on obstinacy still proved sound, with American League dysfunction serving as a saving grace. The Astros are returning to the playoffs, a year after their streak of eight straight appearances ended, to attempt another run at October glory. It will mark their 10th postseason appearance in the last 12 years; only the Los Angeles Dodgers have more in Major League Baseball in that span.

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“The goal at the beginning of the year is to get to the postseason,” shortstop Jeremy Peña said, glasses shielding his eyes from bubbly spray in the visitors’ batting cage at Sutter Health Park. “For us, it came down to the last game of the season. It was a tough year — a lot of ups, a lot of downs, a lot of injuries. But we made it through. And that’s all that matters.” The Astros won the American League West on the season’s final day. A loss by the Rangers, with whom they entered Sunday tied atop the division, made it official while the Astros were finalizing a 9-0 rout of the A’s. A record of 81-81 produced their eighth AL West title in the past 10 seasons. “I mean, we got to our goal, right?” said ace Hunter Brown. “You want to make the postseason, you want a chance to win the World Series. And we got that.” Dubious history belongs to Houston. The Astros are MLB’s first division champion — and first postseason qualifier — to finish with a non-winning record in a full-length season. They logged their fewest wins in a full season since 2014, the final year of a rebuild, when they incurred 92 losses. They are, still, a playoff team. They will host an AL wild-card round series against the Chicago White Sox, with Game 1 on Tuesday at Daikin Park.

The blue tsunami sets its sights on the Texas governor’s race

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sounded like a new man in late August during an interview with ABC News. After spending years luring tech companies to Texas—following a deal with Google last year, he proclaimed Texas would be the “epicenter” of A.I. development—his state instead became the epicenter of a red-hot backlash as frustration with data centers peaked with the public. Their message had been received, at least for the remainder of election season: Abbott was pressing pause on data centers. “They basically dug their own grave,” Abbott said to ABC, blaming tech companies for moving too fast without consulting local stakeholders. “That’s why they got the backlash they deserve.” If Abbott sounds like a new man, it is because he finds himself in a new circumstance: a competitive election.

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Over the course of the three gubernatorial races, three attorney general races, and the single state Supreme Court election Abbott has run in, he’s never won by less than 11 points. Now, in his run for a fourth term against Austin Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, Abbott’s lead has been trimmed to a couple of points in polling average, while election analysts continue to move their ratings of the race in Democrats’ direction. What gives? Certainly the atrocious political environment for Republicans across the board this year serves as the foundation for a close race. But as the data center walk-back demonstrated, some of Abbott’s usual methods just aren’t landing in this more populist environment. Abbott, like Gov. Rick Perry before him, has hung his hat on corporate relocations, offering incentives for companies to move from stiflingly regulated states like California to Texas. No doubt, it has generated quite a bit of wealth and growth for Texas this century. But with voters furious over the state of the economy, Hinojosa has taken up a coherent message for these prime political conditions: What has all this done for me? “The exact thing that he brags about is now an indictment on him,” Hinojosa told me in an August interview. “People do not think corporations should be getting tax breaks to come here to hire people from outside the state.”

Inside the Texas factory racing to break China’s grip on EV magnets

Inside MP Materials' "Independence" factory in Fort Worth, Texas, items that look like gum strips, corn flakes, and crushed pepper are laid out on a table. A giant U.S. flag hangs from the ceiling, and employees wearing protective thermal suits work near equipment where temperatures surpass 1,000 degrees Celsius. Under bright white lights, a shiny red Cadillac Vistiq gleams with its electric motor ripped open on a table, revealing what's inside: rare earth magnets. The magnets are tiny, roughly equivalent to a miniature Hershey's candy. They feel robust and solid to hold, with smooth texture and sharp edges. Above all, their importance is hard to overstate. They're used in everything from military weapons and fighter jets to medical devices, iPhones, and electric vehicles. There’s just one big elephant in the room: China dominates the production of rare earth magnets.

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The country has the largest known rare earth reserves in the world, accounting for 49% of global supply, according to the International Energy Agency. Virtually all the rare earths used in the U.S. currently are sourced from overseas, giving Beijing incredibly strong leverage over its trading partners. After the Trump administration imposed sweeping tariffs on Chinese goods last year, China retaliated with export controls on rare earth magnets, sending U.S. companies that depend on them scrambling to secure supply. Ford even suspended production of the Explorer SUV for a week because a supplier ran out of magnets. The U.S. eventually caved to Chinese pressure by trimming the tariff percentages, although China’s reduced export controls are still in effect. Now American rare earths specialist MP Materials is attempting something that hasn’t been done in decades: resuscitate the rare earths supply chain in the U.S. It owns and operates Mountain Pass in Southern California’s Mojave Desert, the only rare earth mine and refining facility in the Western hemisphere and the largest of its kind outside China, according to the company. Its Independence factory in Fort Worth turns the raw material from that mine into automotive-grade magnets for electric motors. In a boost to that effort, General Motors is partnering with MP Materials to source EV magnets domestically and protect itself from policy swings and tariff chaos. It’s part of GM’s vision of localizing its EV supply chain, a mission that’s looking more urgent by the day.

National Stories

White House expands taxpayer-paid ad campaign boosting Trump

The White House has expanded a series of taxpayer-funded advertisements boosting President Donald Trump, including a new spot that repurposes imagery and political rhetoric Trump used while campaigning for president. The latest ad is the third in a series that the White House refers to as public service announcements, but which Democratic members of Congress and former ethics officials say are political ads and therefore a potential violation of federal law. The 30-second ad, titled “Final Battle,” features black-and-white footage of Trump staring straight into the camera as he strides through a hallway lined with portraits. The imagery and remarks echo a video Trump posted to Truth Social during the 2024 campaign. In a voice-over, Trump promises to expel “the warmongers,” “globalists” and “deep state” actors from government and drive his political enemies from power.

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“We will cast out the communists, Marxists, and fascists,” Trump says in the clip. “We will throw off the sick political class that hates our country. We will rout the fake news media, and we will liberate America from these villains once and for all.” The ad includes a disclosure: “Paid for by the U.S. Government.” The spot aired during “Saturday Night Live,” “Fox News Sunday,” and several college and NFL football games this weekend, according to AdImpact, an ad-tracking firm. More than $300,000 has been spent on the ad. It was not clear which government agency was responsible for making and paying for the ads. The earlier ads that began airing last week included one that featured campaign slogans and another featuring footage of Mount Rushmore. Federal law, enacted annually as part of appropriations bills since the 1950s, prohibits agencies from using taxpayer money for unauthorized “publicity or propaganda.” The Government Accountability Office, Congress’s investigative arm, has interpreted that to cover communications that are purely partisan, while acknowledging that administrations may use public money to explain and defend their policies.

Impeaching Trump a third time would be ‘setting a standard,’ Khanna says

While speaking with NBC News’s Kristen Welker on Meet the Press, Khanna rejected the idea that House Democrats should refrain from investigating and “potentially even impeaching” the president. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) “is warning Democrats against doing that,” Welker noted, as she said earlier in the week she’s not “interested in being in a confrontation with Donald Trump” and Democrats should simply “get back to work” if they retake the lower chamber. “Is impeaching President Trump a third time a mistake for Democrats?” Welker asked. “No, it’s not,” Khanna said. “Because it’s not about Donald Trump, he’s going to be a lame duck and, in my view, largely increasingly irrelevant. The point is to stand up for the Constitution.” Democrats have focused on the Trump family’s business dealings when discussing potential avenues for impeachment, an argument Khanna referenced as well.

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“Impeachment says that you can’t get into an illegal war in Iran without constitutional approval; impeachment says that you can’t just start firing federal employees in defiance of what Congress says; impeachment says you can’t do deals with foreign governments to allegedly enrich your own family,” he said. “It’s about setting a standard. And the Democrats can impeach to uphold constitutional values and at the same time have a first 100 days agenda that deals wth the cost of living.” Duckworth said she would “rather move the ball forward to the benefit of the American people,” at a Center for American Progress event on Tuesday. “And if we can do it in a way that allows [Trump] to save face and he doesn’t stop us, then that’s better for everybody all around.” Throughout Trump’s second term, Democrats have debated how to balance attacking the deeply unpopular president with promoting an alternative policy agenda, as they’ve prioritized anti-Trump messaging throughout previous campaigns in an attempt to win over voters. Trump is the only president to have been impeached twice. The House approved articles of impeachment against him in 2019 on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress before the Senate acquitted him in February 2020. Following the Jan. 6 riots, the Senate similarly acquitted Trump after the House approved one article of impeachment for incitement of insurrection.

Foiled terror plot at bomber base signals wider threat to US military installations: expert

Five men arrested near a key U.S. bomber base in the U.K. on Sunday may have planned a "complex," coordinated attack with potentially far-reaching security implications for American military installations globally, a former U.S. intelligence official warned. As counterterrorism police investigated after officers detained the suspects near RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, a former Pentagon official also said President Donald Trump would ultimately be the one to decide the consequences if indeed the "trail leads to Tehran." The men were initially held on suspicion of offenses under Britain’s Explosives Act before being arrested on terrorism charges in connection with the airfield, a key U.S. Air Force hub and the primary European base for American strategic bombers.

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On Sunday, Trump said U.S. authorities had been monitoring the suspects prior to their capture. "We had them under investigation," Trump told reporters in Chicago. "They were looking to do big damage to our fort." "It may have been Scotland Yard. I don't know. We worked with a lot of them. We had them under view for a long time, and we got them," Trump added. According to Sky News, counterterrorism police were investigating whether Iran is linked to the suspected bomb plot. Former Trump White House official Morgan Murphy told Fox News Digital that British authorities are leading the investigation alongside U.S. law enforcement and intelligence. "Every phone, bank record and rental receipt will be run through British and American intelligence, and if the trail leads to Tehran, it will be found," Murphy clarified. "But as American airmen and bombers seem to have been the target, Air Force investigators on the base, the FBI in London, and American intelligence will likely all work the case."

Iran insists on diplomatic solution after Trump rejects peace plan

Iran insisted on Sunday that only diplomacy can solve its conflict with the ?United States and Israel, after US President Donald Trump said he rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end fighting. "Our conditions are clear, and any move toward reopening ?the Strait of Hormuz is contingent on these conditions being met," Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi posted on social media. "Only a negotiated solution can get them out of this deadlock." Iran announced a peace proposal last week at the UN General Assembly in New York, saying it had been transmitted to the Americans via Qatari mediators. Trump said on Saturday he rejected the plan, and argued that desperation was driving the Iranians’ push for an agreement on the key waterway.

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"They want to make a deal to open the Hormuz Strait immediately because they're losing ?so badly," Trump told reporters at the White House. Keeping the door to diplomacy open, however, Trump told Axios in a phone interview on Sunday that he expected US negotiators to engage in more talks this ?week. Araqchi said mediators facilitating Tehran's talks with Washington had not officially relayed a US rejection of the plan. "We are waiting for the mediators to convey the definitive views ?to us, and we will make a decision based on them," Araqchi posted. The US has imposed an economic blockade on Iran to put pressure on Tehran to stop Iranian attacks on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, which ?have drastically reduced shipping through the area even as Trump repeatedly asserts that the US controls the waterway. The commander-in-chief of Iran's army, Amir Hatam, said the war was at a critical and decisive stage, adding that Tehran would not accept ?a situation in which it was unable to trade while foreign powers used the region's strategic waterways. "If Iran cannot trade, if Iran cannot live, no one will be able to trade or live," he said, in comments reported by state media.

Every household in this rural town receives $10,000 if a data center gets built

The letters started arriving in June, from a big developer who said he would give $10,000 to every family in town. They could spend it on anything. “Really whatever you want,” the developer wrote. To get the money, the township just needed to let NorthPoint Development build its data center, the first of 15 buildings the firm planned on 1,300 acres in the Pocono foothills. Then, $10,000 checks would go out to each of the 4,500 households there. It would be a $45 million payout, the developer wrote. For many in Hazle Township, which has a median household income of about $60,000, a payout of $10,000 would be a significant sum. Even after taxes, it could cover about six months of rent for a two-bedroom apartment or many more months of groceries or fuel.

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But regardless of income, job status or location, few of the people in Hazle Township interviewed by The Wall Street Journal indicated that they are eager to welcome the data center for the payout. They reject the developer’s project for a variety of reasons, from the accompanying noise to an aversion to the rapid spread of artificial intelligence. A common thread is a general distrust toward these projects or the people behind them. John Zola, a resident of nearby Sugarloaf who opposes construction of data-center transmission lines through his property, said small-town politicians across Pennsylvania are too easily wooed or overwhelmed by big developers. Then “the gates open, and then the municipalities provide 10-year tax abatements.” Data-center developers are increasingly offering towns and cities packages in the tens of millions of dollars, including funds for fire departments, emergency services and schools. In Hazle Township, locals have also spotted developer generosity at the local Italian festival: “Free Amusement Rides Sponsored By NorthPoint.” Direct cash payments to residents, however, would mark a new phase in the AI build-out.

What to know about the $810 million in spending canceled by President Trump

Each year, Congress passes laws which allocate money to the federal government's various programs and agencies. Trump, for the second year in a row, is refusing to send some of that money to the places that Congress says it has to go, setting off a fresh battle with lawmakers over who controls federal spending. Of the $810 million being withheld, $567 million comes from programs that "provided services to refugees, asylees, and other non-citizens," according to a memo from the White House. The move, called a pocket rescission, is illegal, according to the Government Accountability Office, an independent, non-partisan watchdog agency charged with providing federal agencies fact-based information. Article 1 of the Constitution gives Congress the power to levy taxes and decide how federal funds are spent — known as power of the purse. If the president disagrees, he or she can send a request to Congress to cancel the fund, but that is supposed to happen with 45 days notice in order to let Congress agree or disagree.

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A pocket rescission happens when the president decides to cancel funds without ample time for Congress to weigh in or reallocate the money. With the end of the fiscal year less than a week away, the announcement means the funds will go unspent and Congress can't respond. "This is the most recent attempt by this Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to undermine Congress's Constitutional power of the purse," Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who chairs the Senate Appropriations committee, wrote in a statement posted to X. "OMB is an agency of the executive branch. It does not get to decide which programs are worth funding." The canceled funds are fueling anger from Democrats who say OMB director Russell Vought is violating the separation of powers and undermining Congressional authority. "This is theft from the American people, plain and simple," wrote Washington Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee on X. "Every Republican who voted for these bills should be furious, because Vought is saying their votes don't count." "Donald Trump knows he can't get these cuts through Congress, so he is illegally making them through the back door," Rep. Brendan Boyle, the top Democrat on the House Budget committee, said in a statement. "Trump's actions are a blatant attack on Congress's constitutional power of the purse." The White House did not respond to a request for comment. The administration also says it withheld $15 million to a Justice Department team tasked with "preventing and resolving racial and ethnic tensions, incidents, and civil disorders, and in restoring racial stability and harmony," $70 million to "programs provide grants and fellowships to support institutions bringing foreign students and faculty to the United States to study or teach language," and tens of millions to various research and non-profit grant programs that target climate change or racial and gender minority work.

Nor’easter lingers over Northeast as high tides bring more coastal flooding

Residents of coastal communities in the Northeast slogged through floodwaters for a second day as a powerful nor’easter pummeled the shoreline Sunday, knocking out power to tens of thousands of homes. Tidal surges swamped low-lying neighborhoods in New Jersey while wind gusts toppled trees on New York’s Long Island, damaging homes and bringing down utility poles. In the New Jersey beach town of Sea Bright, each high tide brought a new round of flooding. “It’s not like a one-time occurrence,” said Caroline Virenius, whose garage filled with about a foot of water (30 centimeters). “It’s getting wet again and again.” The slow-moving storm, which killed a New York City Housing Authority worker when a tree fell Saturday, was expected to linger through Sunday with heavy rain, strong winds and dangerous surf all the way to New England.

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Extreme amounts of rain — more than 4 inches (10 centimeters) since Friday in some spots in New Jersey — combined with a surging ocean led to flooding amounts not seen for close to a decade in places used to dealing with high water, residents said. The National Weather Service predicted the storm will weaken over Sunday night with local heavy rain in parts of New England and the mid-Atlantic. But local officials in New Jersey and New York told residents that high tide late Monday could potentially bring more flooding. “There is another band of the storm, a weaker band, but still another band that could hit early this afternoon and later into the evening,” said New York’s Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman. The nor’easter triggered memories of Superstorm Sandy, which left behind over $60 billion in damage across the eastern U.S. in 2012. While this storm’s impact has been nowhere near that, it could be the first of several along the East Coast this fall because of an El Niño climate pattern that’s disrupting this year’s weather. Images of waves crashing into sea walls and onto beaches raised concerns about coastal erosion.

Copyright September 28, 2026, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved