Trump is ‘damaged goods’, researcher says
No American president in recent memory has been as unpopular as Donald Trump is right now, Richard Johnson, a senior lecturer in US Politics at Queen Mary University of London, said, describing the American leader as “damaged goods” and a liability for the Republican party.
Watch the full interview here:
Iran-US deal still out of reach, senior Iranian official tells Reuters
Iran and the United States are far from reaching a deal to end the war, a senior Iranian official told Reuters on Tuesday, adding that Tehran would not accept Washington’s “excessive demands”.
The comments come at a time of heightened diplomatic efforts, with Qatar acting as a key intermediary, to prevent a potential return to active conflict after the midterms.
If Republicans lose Congress, Democrats aim to target Trump and his administration
If the Republicans lose control of Congress in the midterm elections, the rest of Donald Trump’s office is likely to be consumed by Democratic-led investigations into his administration and his business dealings, and possibly even another impeachment.
Senior Democrats, as they anticipate a majority in at least one chamber of Congress, have been telegraphing what their top investigative targets would be.
For instance, California Representative Robert Garcia has made it clear he plans to dig into the administration’s immigration and detention policies, making an unannounced visit to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center in southern California and holding a news conference outlining his agenda to “demand accountability” for ICE’s tactics.
Among his other priorities are the Trump family’s business dealings, the administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation and broader allegations of corporate corruption.
A potential House speaker, Hakeem Jeffries, would also be confronted with whether to pursue an unprecedented third impeachment against Trump, who was impeached twice in his first term in office but acquitted by the Senate both times. Democratic lawmakers have signaled that, instead, they may go after top Cabinet members, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, one of Trump’s most stridently loyal administration officials who has played a key role in the Iran war that Democrats have decried.
Since WWII, both House and Senate have only flipped three times
Since World War II, the House and Senate have flipped from one party to the other in the same midterm election just three times: 1946, 1994 and 2006.
The common thread when it does happen is an electorate clamouring for change or broad frustration with the sitting president.
Governor Newsom warns Trump against interfering in California elections
“Donald Trump is trying to throw out 20,000 California ballots and intimidate election workers,” California’s Governor Gavin Newsom said in a post on Instagram, warning the president against repercussion if any interference was detected in the state’s election.
The Trump administration tried and failed to block California from counting 20,000 ballots from people the federal government had identified as “likely” noncitizens.
“Let me be CLEAR: If you interfere with our elections, California WILL come for you. No presidential pardon will save you,” Newsom wrote.
Courts reject Trump’s demand to remove ballots from suspected non-citizens
A US judge ordered the Trump administration on Monday to stop demanding that California election officials segregate ballots cast by people on its lists of suspected noncitizens.
The ruling by US District Judge James Boasberg comes a day before the November 3 midterm elections, with President Donald Trump’s fellow Republicans battling to maintain majorities in both houses of congress.
Boasberg found that the lists the administration had compiled were flawed, and included many people who were wrongly listed as noncitizens.
Welcome to our live coverage of the US midterm elections as millions of Americans head to the polls in a vote seen as a referendum on US President Donald Trump’s second term. We’ll be following the voting and the results through to Wednesday.
This story originally appeared on France24
