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US Midterms
Indian-Americans are seeking not just a share in power in the US by getting elected as lawmakers but are also supporting others sympathetic to their cause in the November 3 midterm elections. The outgoing US House of Representatives have six members of Indian origin, but the number is likely to shrink to four with Raja Krishnamoorthi from Illinois and Shri Thanedar from Michigan failing to clear the primaries. Indian-American Congresspersons Ro Khanna (California-17), Pramila Jayapal (Washington-7), Ami Bera (California-3) and Suhas Subramanyam (Virginia-10) are up for re-election. The US midterm elections are held halfway through a president's four-year term to elect all 435 members of the House of Representatives, the lower house of Congress, and about one-third of the 100-member Senate, the upper house. The polls also include elections for several state governors and legislatures, as well as some mayors and other local officials. The results determine which party controls Congre
The US National Security Agency and other military intelligence and cybersecurity forces will guard election systems during the November midterms, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday. Military cybersecurity experts have routinely helped monitor systems and deter potential hackers since election equipment was designated " critical infrastructure " in 2017. But Hegseth's announcement comes after President Donald Trump gutted the civilian agency specifically created to safeguard election infrastructure, a division of the Department of Homeland Security called the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. That agency last week released an election infrastructure security plan that lays out potential threats to election systems and lists services it would offer to election officials to protect the vote. Both announcements come just weeks before Election Day on November 3 and with early voting already underway. The short timeline "suggests this is just theater," said Dav
President Donald Trump on Tuesday went after the Supreme Court after it rejected his push to restrict mail-in voting in this year's midterms, saying justices who opposed him were "not the people I interviewed." His social media missive was just the latest in a long history of Trump assailing justices, particularly those he had nominated, who ruled against him on his administration's most prominent initiatives. The president has been publicly furious with the Supreme Court over its decisions against restricting birthright citizenship and his ability to issue tariffs unilaterally. On mail-in voting, the Trump administration had made a last-minute push to have the US Postal Service play a central role in deciding who would be able to receive a ballot. But state election officials argued there was not enough time to make the changes for the Nov. 3 midterm elections - and said their systems were already secure and accurate. The court ruled late Monday in an emergency order that the ...
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected President Donald Trump's mail ballot restrictions for now, capping a flurry of last-minute legal action with voting in the midterm elections already underway. The decision allows states to continue sending out mail ballots under the same processes they have used for years. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented from the brief order. Justice Brett Kavanaugh agreed that the restrictions should not go into effect for the midterms but indicated he might rule in favour of the Trump administration later. The Trump administration had asked the court, once again at the centre of a roiling political controversy, to clear the way for restrictions before the pivotal November contests for control of Congress. The case has major implications because nearly one-third of the country votes by mail. Election officials have said there was simply no way to carry out a complete overhaul in the weeks before the midterms. Indeed, Alabama, North Carolina
US Vice President J D Vance took the stage on Thursday on the second and final night of the Republicans' midterm convention in Dallas, the party knowing that history is not on its side this election season but counting on President Donald Trump to propel voters to protect their House and Senate majorities. With Vance taking the primetime speaking slot just ahead of the president, the convention is also teeing up a potential post-Trump future. Vance has not said whether he will run for the White House, and Trump has yet to name an heir apparent, but the crowd roared "JD! JD!" when he stepped to the microphone. "It is pretty cool to hear a crowd that is this fired up chant your name, so go ahead and do it again," Vance said, and the audience obliged. Republicans are rallying their voters in the midterms while some are also thinking about the next presidential election two years away. "We've got a deep bench," said Bruce Johnston, 62, who drove 29 hours with his son from Delaware to
The Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration Monday in a case over President Donald Trump's executive order restricting mail-in voting, though it remains unclear how much can be implemented before the fast-approaching midterm elections. The decision leaves room for additional court challenges that could further slow Trump's order, and other similar cases have already been filed. The US Postal Service laid out how it would implement the order last week, but time is running short to impose major changes with some states beginning to send mail ballots to voters in just a few weeks. The court's conservative majority didn't decide the legality of Trump's order, instead ruling that the states did not have the legal right to challenge it. "The Court's disposition of this application does not mean that any measure taken by the Government to implement the Order will necessarily be lawful. On that score, time will tell," the majority wrote in an unsigned order. The Supreme Court's .
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Monday to clear the way for an executive order from President Donald Trump that could dramatically change mail-in voting. The emergency appeal comes after an appeals court upheld a ruling blocking the president's order in nearly half the country ahead of November's midterm elections. The Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to allow the proposed changes to move ahead while lawsuits play out. Trump ordered the government in March to create a "state citizenship list" of eligible voters and deliver mail ballots only to people on that list. Democratic officials in 23 states and the District of Columbia sued, saying the Constitution gives states and Congress the authority to set election rules, not the president. Their attorneys have said Trump's proposed changes are ripe for abuse and could cause chaos. A judge in Massachusetts blocked the order for the plaintiff states, and a 1st US Circuit Court of Appeals panel upheld that .
Democrats kept control of the Senate on Saturday, repelling Republican efforts to retake the chamber and making it harder for them to thwart President Joe Biden's agenda. The fate of the House was still uncertain as the GOP struggled to pull together a slim majority there. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto's victory in Nevada gave Democrats the 50 seats they needed to keep the Senate. Her win reflects the surprising strength of Democrats across the US this election year. Seeking reelection in an economically challenged state that has some of the highest gas prices in the nation, Cortez Masto was considered the Senate's most vulnerable member, adding to the frustration of Republicans who were confident she could be defeated. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer claimed victory on Saturday night, tweeting, Your Senate Democratic Majority! With the results in Nevada now decided, Georgia is the only state where both parties are still competing for a Senate seat. Democratic incumbent Sen
If Republicans win the House, where does that leave Ukraine? It's a question that is top of mind in Washington as the GOP draws closer to winning the majority in the US House. Some fear the end of Democratic control in Congress and the empowerment of America First conservatives could ultimately result in the curtailment of American assistance as Ukraine battles Russia's invasion. Recent comments from Kevin McCarthy, who is in line for speaker if Republicans win the House, exacerbated those fears. He warned that Republicans wouldn't support writing a blank check for Ukraine if they captured the majority. But the hard-line rhetoric isn't the end of the story. While Republican control of the House is likely to make sending tranches of military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine more difficult, support for the country runs deep in both parties. Here is a look at the factors at play: ___ WHAT THE US HAS GIVEN SO FAR Since the Russian invasion began in February, Congress has approved