Trump says he will have spent $400m to support Republicans in midterms – US politics live

We’re wrapping up our live coverage of US politics. Here are some of the day’s key developments:

“,”elementId”:”2b3abfc0-1395-4f44-bd28-3fb22ab39e6c”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

n
• n

  Donald Trump rallied in North Carolina as part of a week-long tour to stump for Republicans ahead of the midterms. He mostly stuck to a familiar script, repeating conspiracy theories about paid protesters, lies about Roy Cooper’s tenure as governor and complimenting men’s bodies.

  n

n

• n

  Trump said that there will be “no money” to settle claims related to water contamination at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune if Republicans are not victorious in the upcoming midterm elections.

  n

n

• n

  Trump loyalist and rightwing influencer Laura Loomer tore into the Department of Justice on Tuesday, saying the agency was belittling veterans, who were exposed to contaminated drinking water at the Marine Corps base decades ago, with “lowball” settlement offers.

  n

n

• n

  Howard Lutnick, the commerce secretary, announced new investment to support semi-conductor production in North Carolina, telling Trump supporters at a rally in the state that Sibelco would build silicon manufacturing.

  n

n

• n

  Donald Trump said that he will have spent $400m supporting Republican candidates in midterm races by the time election day rolls around on 3 November. The staggering amount will have been spent through his political operation and aligned Super Pac, Maga Inc. Meanwhile, former New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg is donating $80m to Democrats ahead of the upcoming elections.

  n

n

“,”elementId”:”d0736dac-2133-4c8d-8ca2-bbbb8d5bb9ea”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:false,”summary”:true},”blockCreatedOn”:1792547454000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”21.50 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1792548128000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”22.02 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1792548129000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”22.02 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”22.02″,”title”:”Summary”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 20 Oct 2026 22.02 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 20 Oct 2026 08.10 EDT”},{“id”:”6ad817108f08ed9449649d00″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Donald Trump said that there will be “no money” to settle claims related to water contamination at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune if Republicans are not victorious in the upcoming midterm elections.

“,”elementId”:”f5fb551f-436b-4360-bd9f-016c7f7e19b1″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“If we win the House and the Senate, I am directing the Department of Justice to settle all remaining legitimate claims as soon as possible, and get it off the books and get it finished,” he told supporters during a rally in North Carolina. “If we don’t win, there’s no money. If we do win, you’re getting it and it’s gonna be finally over with, that nightmare that’s been going on for so many years.”

“,”elementId”:”304b740b-9ebc-47ae-b353-5a47fbcb5138″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Camp Lejeune was built in the early 1940s, and from the early 1950s to the late 80s, its drinking water was contaminated with industrial solvents. Trump said his administration has so far delivered $1bn in settlements to impacted veterans and their families.

“,”elementId”:”87de70bc-7b8d-4768-8b1b-946959ee481a”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

His remarks were only the latest instance of the president suggesting he would punish Americans if they fail to vote the way he wants them to. While in Kansas on Monday, the US president also said he will not allow year-round sales of gasoline containing higher volumes of ethanol if the state’s voters elect a Democrat over Republican senator Roger Marshall.

“,”elementId”:”987ca73a-9b6f-4333-a69f-b907e8bea0e6″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1792546576000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”21.36 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1792547956000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”21.59 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1792547451000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”21.50 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”21.50″,”title”:”Trump says he will pay settlement money to veterans affected by contaminated water at marine base only if Republicans retain control of Congress”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 20 Oct 2026 22.02 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 20 Oct 2026 08.10 EDT”},{“id”:”6ad7eeea8f08ed9449649c1d”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The Trump administration wants states to shoulder more of the financial responsibility for disasters, Politico reports.

“,”elementId”:”83385808-20cb-48b5-b4eb-d7b91977f691″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“Federal dollars should be building greater capability, not creating greater dependency,” Federal emergency management agency (FEMA) administrator Cameron Hamilton told state officials at an Arkansas conference, in a recording exclusively obtained by the Politico. He said each state should have the “appropriate financial reserves.”

“,”elementId”:”23c14d27-0c08-462e-ac8b-fcd2d6bd7b1e”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“A future that I hope we would shoot for is one where we wouldn’t require as many disasters because the capability of states is so high and so substantial,” Hamilton also said, noting that changes could begin in the next six months.

“,”elementId”:”6d266a05-10c3-4341-8f2c-4178b07dc7e0″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Under Trump’s second administration, FEMA has seen deep cuts in funding and the exodus of over 2,400 personnel. Former employees and emergency response experts have voiced concern over its capability to respond to future natural disasters.

“,”elementId”:”0c1fe46d-4bb8-4437-980b-af65ad367218″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1792536298000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”18.44 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1792537949000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”19.12 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1792537950000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”19.12 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”19.12″,”title”:”FEMA to states: Prepare to handle your own disasters, Politico reports”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 20 Oct 2026 22.02 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 20 Oct 2026 08.10 EDT”},{“id”:”6ad7e7418f08e4aec9158fb8″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Trump loyalist and rightwing influencer Laura Loomer tore into the Department of Justice on Tuesday, saying the agency was belittling veterans, who were exposed to contaminated drinking water at a Marine Corps base decades ago, with “lowball” settlement offers.

“,”elementId”:”68f32e36-d5f9-47ca-91ee-96b85aaee8ef”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“This is a political disaster waiting to happen. Let’s be clear: Democrats are 100% going to weaponize this against President Trump and try to hurt him with veterans heading into the midterms in two weeks,” Loomer wrote in a X post, blaming associate attorney general Stanley Woodward Jr.

“,”elementId”:”3c19c88e-0b05-41f6-ba95-864a0d34792c”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

In a thinly-veiled rebuff, attorney general Todd Blanche appeared to suggest Loomer’s diatribe was financially-motivated.

“,”elementId”:”524ee3ab-ee53-4d5c-b2d6-83ece03c0c13″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“You should be transparent with your followers, and you are dead wrong about Stanley,” he responded on X.

“,”elementId”:”d4f5d304-12f1-45d1-9189-f9b29a4a4d25″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“We love our veterans and we want to get these cases right. Find a different obsession other than going after one of DOJ’s best fighters.”

“,”elementId”:”db481916-e251-49c7-aa21-4ac31ace99dd”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Loomer shot back, saying Trump wanted to fire Woodward, but took pity on him “because his lefty wife is divorcing him,” she claimed.

“,”elementId”:”56b8327d-b569-45f2-be4a-45f554ad8f93″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Some outlets, including Bloomberg, reported earlier this year that Harmeet Dhillon, an assistant attorney general in the DOJ’s civil rights division, would be promoted to Woodward’s post. She was not.

“,”elementId”:”096840c2-88e1-422b-8ac3-97c9629084c9″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1792534337000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”18.12 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1792536000000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”18.40 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1792536000000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”18.40 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”18.40″,”title”:”Laura Loomer and DOJ squabble over Camp Lejuene”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 20 Oct 2026 22.02 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 20 Oct 2026 08.10 EDT”},{“id”:”6ad7c8038f08eaf64355886a”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The Anti-Defamation League, which calls itself the world’s “leading anti-hate organization”, founded in 1913 “to protect the Jewish people”, denounced the use of the term “shylock” as antisemitic on Tuesday, without explaining that the slur had been used one day earlier by Donald Trump in a speech in Kansas.

“,”elementId”:”149addba-bd29-4b1d-8b3b-47c9577a8682″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The ADL’s brief social-media post made no mention of Trump at all and offered no explanation as to why the group found it necessary to explain, today, that anyone equating an avaricious person to Shylock, the villainous Jewish moneylender in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, is using an antisemitic trope.

“,”elementId”:”b640d12a-0e50-4d60-b0c9-8901edc32b69″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“The term ‘Shylock’ is rooted in a longstanding antisemitic stereotype,” the ADL posted on X but not its other social media accounts. “Regardless of intent, its use can reinforce harmful tropes about Jews and normalize language that has long been used to target the Jewish community.”

“,”elementId”:”1a84b39b-335f-4f64-9c3f-878538c7de71″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Critics who accuse the ADL of using accusations of antisemitism selectively, to attack people who are critical of Israel, suggested that the Jewish-American civil rights group was going easy on Trump because of his support for Israel.

“,”elementId”:”819216c3-2b01-4f30-a349-b4d750540fb2″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Matt Duss, a former foreign police adviser to senator Bernie Sanders, the most prominent Jewish American politician, responded to the ADL’s failure to mention Trump by suggesting its president would have been more direct had someone else used the slur. “If a Democrat said it Jonathan Greenblatt would be knocking people over to get in front of a camera to condemn them by name, but it was Trump so it’s just a general public service announcement,” Duss wrote.

“,”elementId”:”2fb686eb-3fc1-4798-9d0b-78c5d84a2954″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

In 2014, after then vice-president Joe Biden described people who take financial advantage of American service members as “shylocks”, the Anti-Defamation League’s national director accepted his apology and called the remarks “a teachable moment”.

“,”elementId”:”1d479e25-525e-432a-94d3-e7272bcfb65b”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Trump’s use of the slur, at a rally in Kansas on Monday night, came just one day after he had endorsed Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Monday, ahead of Israel’s elections.

“,”elementId”:”97fbf2bf-ba87-4a4a-92fb-a62c4bae3a69″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Trump invoked the antisemitic stereotype as part of his defense of the Republican senator, Roger Marshall, a doctor who has been criticized for filing lawsuits against more than 700 patients with outstanding bills, leading to 18 of them being arrested.

“,”elementId”:”1d68c81b-269c-4e50-9295-ce5191e5275e”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The president began by claiming, falsely, that Marshall had been required by law to take legal action over unpaid bills, even one for just $101.

“,”elementId”:”26e563a9-4185-4528-8b31-f65ff36bb416″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Marshall, Trump told supporters at a rally outside Wichita on Monday, “was given a bum rap because he was mandated by law to request strongly, money owed from patients. You’re not allowed not to do it. You have to, by law, go after those people.” There is, in fact, no such law.

“,”elementId”:”58d60860-05cb-483a-acd2-20832e1f33fc”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Turning to Marshall’s critics, including his Democratic rival, Adam Hamilton, who featured some of Marshall’s patients in a campaign ad, Trump said: “they made it like, oh, he was some kind of a Shylock-type guy.”

“,”elementId”:”e69a4acc-daea-4e32-a4dd-4d9ee04e7238″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.VideoYoutubeBlockElement”,”source”:”YouTube”,”originalUrl”:”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9e6hNErMDY”,”caption”:”Donald Trump used an antisemitic slur during remarks at a campaign rally in Kansas on Monday.”,”elementId”:”f35f7b0c-1e33-43f2-8d47-c8cc934f38bb”,”width”:854,”embedUrl”:”https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/G9e6hNErMDY?wmode=opaque&feature=oembed”,”role”:”inline”,”url”:”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9e6hNErMDY”,”height”:480,”sourceDomain”:”youtube-nocookie.com”,”title”:”Trump on controversy over Sen. Roger Marshall pursuing former patients for unpaid medical debt”,”isThirdPartyTracking”:false},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“If he didn’t make these requests, he would be breaking the law,” Trump said again, repeating the falsehood he based his defense on. “He would have been breaking a very strong criminal law, and he would be subject to criminal arrest and liability,” the president claimed, falsely.

“,”elementId”:”ed01869d-3eb6-40fa-ae12-a9efeb809944″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Trump’s use of the antisemitic slur came 15 months after he was made aware of its meaning when he used it at a rally in Iowa. Speaking on 3 July 2025, Trump Trump told supporters that eliminating the taxes on inherited family farms would save farmers from “going to the banks and borrowing from, in some cases a fine banker, and in some cases shylocks and bad people”.

“,”elementId”:”437a28c8-ce5e-467f-a2f3-88a2d9f4b3d2″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.VideoYoutubeBlockElement”,”source”:”YouTube”,”originalUrl”:”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YJBV_Jub58″,”caption”:”Donald Trump used an antisemitic slur to describe bankers in a 3 July 2025 speech in Iowa.”,”elementId”:”cbba5f57-6a40-411f-a4e3-e42ce58f048f”,”width”:854,”embedUrl”:”https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/2YJBV_Jub58?wmode=opaque&feature=oembed”,”role”:”inline”,”url”:”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YJBV_Jub58″,”height”:480,”sourceDomain”:”youtube-nocookie.com”,”title”:”President Donald Trump used an antisemitic term in his speech in Des Moines on Thursday evening.”,”isThirdPartyTracking”:false},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The day after that Iowa rally, the ADL called the president’s use of the term “very troubling and irresponsible”, but Trump claimed ignorance when he was asked by a reporter if he had intended to use the word “shylocks” to refer to Jews.

“,”elementId”:”ea9b56bd-cf72-4ed9-9f8a-188200ccf7f1″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“No, I’ve never heard it that way,” Trump replied then. “To me, a shylock is somebody that’s a, uh, a moneylender at high rates. I’ve never heard it that way. You view it differently than me. I’ve never heard that.”

“,”elementId”:”824bf601-8e9b-4d2b-9c71-17c69b68c0c0″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1792526339000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”15.58 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1792532899000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”17.48 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1792530458000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”17.07 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”17.07″,”title”:”Trump’s use of an antisemitic slur for a second time draws belated, indirect criticism from ADL”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 20 Oct 2026 22.02 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 20 Oct 2026 08.10 EDT”},{“id”:”6ad7c7268f08e4aec9158e9f”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

n
• n

  Donald Trump said that he will have spent$400m supporting Republican candidates in midterm races by the time election day rolls around on 3 November. The staggering amount will have been spent through his political operation and aligned Super Pac, Maga Inc. The president will continue his campaign blitz with a rally in Greenville, North Carolina on Tuesday.

  n

n

• n

  Beyond Washington, Trump’s special envoys – Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner – wrapped up a meeting with Nordic leaders and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Oslo. The Ukrainian president said that the talks covered security guarantees, among others, and he hopes to hear Russia’s response tomorrow. Witkoff is set to head to St Petersburg on Wednesday to relay to the new peace proposals discussed with Ukraine to Moscow.

  n

n

• n

  Zelenskyy also said that US intelligence sharing with Ukraine is working again, after sustained disruptions. Earlier, the Ukrainian president said he had a “substantive conversation” with US secretary of state Marco Rubio.

  n

n

• n

  Meanwhile, Rubio told reporters in India today that “there has not been some deliberate political directive to go out and harm Ukraine”. He called the assertion that people in Ukraine are dying because the US is denying them information “scandalous” and “outrageous”. However, in an interview with CNN, representative Eugene Vindman, the Democratic congressman from Virginia, slammed the secretary of state’s comments. “He [Rubio] is lying and so is the president when they say that they are not restricting intelligence in violation of the law,” Vindman said.

  n

n

• n

  And Trump continued to blame the riots in France on mass migration, without providing any evidence. “It’s an immigration problem. You have people that poured into France, and they were also unchecked, unvetted, like with Biden when he was doing. We don’t do that,” Trump said. Even though French authorities have not tied the upheaval to immigrants, that hasn’t deterred the president from insisting that similar chaos would be the US’ fate if Democrats win control of Congress in the upcoming midterms.

  n

n

“,”elementId”:”5c59088d-a8f4-4e0e-a755-d3820f9f42aa”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1792526118000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”15.55 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1792527008000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”16.10 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1792527009000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”16.10 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”16.10″,”title”:”Here’s a recap of the day so far”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 20 Oct 2026 22.02 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 20 Oct 2026 08.10 EDT”},{“id”:”6ad7aff28f08e4aec9158dc2″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

In the Oval Office, Trump announced an incentive program for people to report fraud, in honor of conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley – who, you may remember, posted a video last year alleging fraud by daycare centers servicing Minneapolis’s Somali American community.

“,”elementId”:”6562d58c-d88b-43df-b208-de15e235ef5d”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The video, initially posted in December, resulted in a deluge of anti-immigrant and anti-Somali content across social media, including in Truth Social posts by Donald Trump.

“,”elementId”:”9123df50-e1d1-41a2-ac69-1e4ae6585b6f”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

More than 90 people in Minnesota have been charged since 2022 in a $250m Covid-19 relief fraud scheme involving a non-profit that falsely claimed to provide meals to children, and a federal prosecutor estimated that $9bn or more in federal funds across 14 state programs may have been stolen since 2018.

“,”elementId”:”3c8828f1-6091-4754-a0c5-2b90779bbc3d”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

In July, Fahima Egeh Mahamud, the CEO of the daycare center that appeared in Shirley’s video, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy to defraud the US.

“,”elementId”:”a41e3448-1a1c-49e4-bcc0-7771272db2df”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Under the administration’s proposed program, people who submit information through that results in a fraud conviction could receive up to $30,000.

“,”elementId”:”1bab277c-0498-4f45-96f2-66bae50fadba”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

In the Oval Office today, Trump presented Shirley, 24, with a check for $10,000 for his work.

“,”elementId”:”6ab0beb6-2b43-4406-9632-d92be72b1686″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1792520178000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”14.16 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1792526870000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”16.07 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1792521183000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”14.33 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”14.33″,”title”:”Donald Trump announces incentive program for people to report fraud, after conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley’s allegations”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 20 Oct 2026 22.02 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 20 Oct 2026 08.10 EDT”},{“id”:”6ad7a99f8f08e4aec9158d93″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Donald Trump said that he will have spent $400m supporting Republican candidates in midterm races by the time election day rolls around on 3 November.

“,”elementId”:”75dd324a-7d35-4e2d-b41d-3cafeaac2f52″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The staggering amount will be spent through his political operation and aligned Super Pac, Maga Inc.

“,”elementId”:”fea08db1-1aea-4505-9c7f-fee123adf1ff”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“More than 300 Million Dollars has already been spent on Advertising, Direct and Indirect Voter Contact, Rallies, Rally Arenas, Telerallies, Get Out the Vote Programs, Election Integrity, and more. It is my Great Honor to do so on behalf of the Republican Party, which has done so much to bring our Country back from the Edge of Oblivion,” he wrote on Truth Social.

“,”elementId”:”6cc2fe1b-4ed9-4b24-8358-3a79d629f447″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

He cited his belief in the Republican party, but also the riots that have swept through France, as his reasons behind the spend. A reminder, Trump has repeated baseless claims that the demonstrations, which have descended into chaos and seen thousands arrested, are the result of mass migration.

“,”elementId”:”b10acbd2-638d-4765-a822-0e827b3891c0″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:true,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1792518559000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”13.49 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1792519142000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”13.59 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1792519114000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”13.58 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”13.58″,”title”:”Trump says he will have spent $400m to support Republican candidates in midterms”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 20 Oct 2026 22.02 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 20 Oct 2026 08.10 EDT”},{“id”:”6ad780a68f08e4aec9158b2b”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Representative Eugene Vindman, the Democratic congressman from Virginia, has slammed Marco Rubio’s recent comments that the US is not witholding intelligence from Ukraine.

“,”elementId”:”04772bb6-f003-465f-b7f6-40535847feaf”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“He [Rubio] is lying and so is the president when they say that they are not restricting intelligence in violation of the law,” Vindman said in an interview with CNN. “There was a law that was passed in 2024 – the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) – that said that intelligence sharing must continue, or Congress needs to be notified. They’re both lying. It’s costing lives. This is gaslighting.”

“,”elementId”:”61961478-d934-47ef-a6f3-3a80b1eb5389″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Vindman, a former US army officer whose brother – Alexander – provided key testimony that led to Donald Trump’s first impeachment, added: “It’s desperate attempt to change a narrative two weeks before an election because the president knows that it was his policies – these terrible tariffs and this war in the Middle East that have caused gas prices to spike”.

“,”elementId”:”df0ae8e5-2fa9-451e-aac7-b626eaad0e3a”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

When asked how he’s certain the administration is lying, Vindman confirmed that there have been investigations into Zelenskyy’s accusations that intelligence has been disrupted.

“,”elementId”:”18606db3-93da-493b-b870-6938f50dc56a”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“They’ve conducted tests and studies that clearly demonstrate that,” he told CNN. “They state very clearly that they’re not getting the early warning on ballistic missile attacks in country. It’s coming intermittent. Sometimes they get warnings, sometimes they don’t. That was not the case prior to a few days ago.”

“,”elementId”:”5f887884-af63-4b0f-beb8-7baa1a50beec”}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1792508070000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”10.54 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1792509877000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”11.24 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1792508968000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”11.09 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”11.09″,”title”:”House armed services Democrat accuses Rubio and Trump of ‘lying’ about not restricting intelligence with Ukraine”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 20 Oct 2026 22.02 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 20 Oct 2026 08.10 EDT”},{“id”:”6ad773178f08e4aec9158a99″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he had a “substantive conversation” with US secretary of state Marco Rubio.

“,”elementId”:”a6ab12f8-4146-469f-8f1b-f24d945950f4″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“I am grateful for his readiness to help and his clear position,” the Ukrainian president said in a statement. “First, ballistic missile interceptors, which are needed to protect lives. Second, early warning of Russian ballistic missile attacks, which is vital. Third, the situation with Starlink/Starshield, which needs to be restored.”

“,”elementId”:”ee0f8c02-c7d5-4fd7-8915-1515c1843daa”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

This comes as Zelenskyy’s feud with Trump was reignited following the US president’s decision to waive sweeping sanctions and tariffs on Russia for 60 days. Both Zelenksyy and several allies have criticized the move as a boon, ultimately, for Moscow. Trump has also chided Zelenskyy for the continued attacks on Russian refineries – calling it the primary cause of the global energy crisis that actually reached fever pitch after the Iran war started in February.

“,”elementId”:”0b8c3bed-15f7-4043-a1c4-9686f2362af3″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Recently, Kyiv has also said that US intelligence has been disrupted, which officials say has affected Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against Russian attacks.

“,”elementId”:”6402cdaf-5d59-48b2-9a61-236454d08846″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Rubio told reporters in India today that “there has not been some deliberate political directive to go out and harm Ukraine”.

“,”elementId”:”1ab1d454-2666-4b20-a1e6-c9339c2aac07″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“I saw somebody associated with the Ukrainian government say that people in Ukraine are dying because the U.S. is denying them information. That’s scandalous. That’s outrageous,” he added.

“,”elementId”:”981b1d45-99fc-4ef1-97ed-383824bbaee6″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The secretary of state said there appeared to have been undetected airstrikes against Ukraine on 13 and 18 October. The US is reviewing those incidents, he said, but believes that, to the “extent that happened”, they were the result of a “technical matter”.

“,”elementId”:”de1c896e-549d-45cc-8d6c-056ec0abb854″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

“It was not the result of any sort of U.S. directive not to provide advance warning of a strike, and we are providing the same warnings to them now that we always have,” Rubio said.

“,”elementId”:”fba616f1-b788-4d37-9295-1e0d38679e22″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1792504599000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”09.56 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1792505790000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”10.16 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1792505791000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”10.16 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”10.16″,”title”:”Zelenskyy says he had ‘substantive’ and ‘constructive’ conversation with Marco Rubio, as feud with Trump continues over Russia sanctions”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 20 Oct 2026 22.02 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 20 Oct 2026 08.10 EDT”},{“id”:”6ad756608f08e4aec91589a2″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Donald Trump has announced $8bn worth of economic aid for farmers hit by soaring diesel prices, as polling shows Republicans on course for a midterms drubbing.

“,”elementId”:”57205d30-57c8-4e27-970a-558c9771e19f”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

The president’s announcement came 15 days before a midterm election dominated by anger over rising fuel costs caused by the US war on Iran.

“,”elementId”:”4dba6ce8-1f7a-48a1-8fad-e0798f21f8c1″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Farmers in Kansas, a heavily agricultural state, have been hit hard by the consequences of the Iran war. A gallon of diesel costs nearly $6, nearly double from this time a year ago.

“,”elementId”:”8efd2fd8-6a14-404e-82f8-d7bcb4249415″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

In August, the president upset cattle ranchers with a plan to reduce import tariffs to lower the price of beef and with aggressive immigration raids that prompted some agricultural workers to stay at home.

“,”elementId”:”0ad6b6ca-4553-4ca6-82f9-c19a0c43e924″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Trump’s announcement came during a rally in Kansas on Monday night as Republicans faced mounting anger over the cost of living and the ongoing war in Iran. As my colleague David Smith wrote last night: “The fact that Donald Trump was here at all said more about a looming electoral disaster facing his Republican party next month than anything contained in his dark and discursive 98-minute stump speech.”

“,”elementId”:”ca0090b0-26d7-48da-b497-8e1d7a56d76e”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Trump seemed to acknowledge there was a risk Democrats could win in the state, where no Democrat has won a US Senate seat since 1932. As he stumped for first-term senator Roger Marshall, the president told the crowd: “You’re really sort of – I hate to say it – you’re sort of tending toward the purple,” the president told about 5,000 supporters in a multipurpose arena outside Wichita, acknowledging that Kansas already has a Democratic governor in Laura Kelly. “That’s why I have to be sure that we get this guy.”

“,”elementId”:”476beed8-8f51-47ab-8220-01304aa5f9b8″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1792498205000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”08.10 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1792498853000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”08.20 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1792498854000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”08.20 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”08.20″,”title”:”Trump announces relief for farmers impacted by soaring diesel prices, as Iran war continues and midterms loom”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 20 Oct 2026 22.02 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 20 Oct 2026 08.10 EDT”},{“id”:”6ad74e7d8f08ed944964957b”,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

Welcome to the US politics live blog! I’m Shrai Popat and I’ll be bringing you the latest lines from Washington and beyond.

“,”elementId”:”aa07cfe0-5dd7-4676-a37c-baff77ae373b”},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

We start today with Donald Trump’s upcoming to trip to Greenville, North Carolina – where he’ll stump for Michael Whatley, the Republican nominee for US Senate, facing an uphill battle against Roy Cooper, the state’s former Democratic governor who has consistently led Whatley in the polls for the open seat.

“,”elementId”:”366f61b1-98aa-4bba-9999-64ce34604c06″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

North Carolina is the president’s second stop in a seven-day campaign blitz across a number of states that he won in 2024. It’s all to drum up support for Republican candidates on the ballot ahead of the midterms – now just two weeks away.

“,”elementId”:”deedebe7-4334-4633-bd5a-335bf7d689f5″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

However, earlier this month, the Senate’s top GOP Super Pac announced it pulled a $71m ad spend in North Carolina, in order to funnel more money into the Kansas race – a sign that Republicans’ hopes to hold on to the Tar Heel state might be dwindling.

“,”elementId”:”983ae5bd-583e-4c0b-ae16-0ea2beb0ac51″},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

On Monday, Trump rallied in Kansas – as the Senate competition there becomes increasingly tight.

“,”elementId”:”b54bece7-f58e-4989-a3b9-ac51b1d9d190″}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1792498205000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”08.10 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1792498486000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”08.14 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1792498205000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”08.10 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”08.10″,”title”:”Trump continues midterm campaign blitz in North Carolina”,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tue 20 Oct 2026 22.02 EDT”,”secondaryDateLine”:”First published on Tue 20 Oct 2026 08.10 EDT”}],”id”:”key-events-carousel-mobile”,”renderingTarget”:”Web”,”serverTime”:1792606190269}”>

Key events

Summary

We’re wrapping up our live coverage of US politics. Here are some of the day’s key developments:

• Donald Trump rallied in North Carolina as part of a week-long tour to stump for Republicans ahead of the midterms. He mostly stuck to a familiar script, repeating conspiracy theories about paid protesters, lies about Roy Cooper’s tenure as governor and complimenting men’s bodies.

• Trump said that there will be “no money” to settle claims related to water contamination at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune if Republicans are not victorious in the upcoming midterm elections.

• Trump loyalist and rightwing influencer Laura Loomer tore into the Department of Justice on Tuesday, saying the agency was belittling veterans, who were exposed to contaminated drinking water at the Marine Corps base decades ago, with “lowball” settlement offers.

• Howard Lutnick, the commerce secretary, announced new investment to support semi-conductor production in North Carolina, telling Trump supporters at a rally in the state that Sibelco would build silicon manufacturing.

• Donald Trump said that he will have spent $400m supporting Republican candidates in midterm races by the time election day rolls around on 3 November. The staggering amount will have been spent through his political operation and aligned Super Pac, Maga Inc. Meanwhile, former New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg is donating $80m to Democrats ahead of the upcoming elections.

Trump says he will pay settlement money to veterans affected by contaminated water at marine base only if Republicans retain control of Congress

Donald Trump said that there will be “no money” to settle claims related to water contamination at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune if Republicans are not victorious in the upcoming midterm elections.

“If we win the House and the Senate, I am directing the Department of Justice to settle all remaining legitimate claims as soon as possible, and get it off the books and get it finished,” he told supporters during a rally in North Carolina. “If we don’t win, there’s no money. If we do win, you’re getting it and it’s gonna be finally over with, that nightmare that’s been going on for so many years.”

Camp Lejeune was built in the early 1940s, and from the early 1950s to the late 80s, its drinking water was contaminated with industrial solvents. Trump said his administration has so far delivered $1bn in settlements to impacted veterans and their families.

His remarks were only the latest instance of the president suggesting he would punish Americans if they fail to vote the way he wants them to. While in Kansas on Monday, the US president also said he will not allow year-round sales of gasoline containing higher volumes of ethanol if the state’s voters elect a Democrat over Republican senator Roger Marshall.

During his rally in North Carolina, Donald Trump has mostly stuck to a familiar script, repeating conspiracy theories about paid protesters, lies about Roy Cooper’s tenure as governor and complimenting men’s bodies.

Several demonstrators were removed from the event, including one who protested high gas prices. Trump called them “losers” and claimed that their parents were likely his supporters and would physically punish them for the disruptions.

He also erroneously suggested crime in North Carolina rose under Roy Cooper, the Democratic Senate candidate, because some 3,500 inmates were released during the pandemic while he was governor. His administration agreed to the release as part of a settlement with civil rights groups.

Trump spoke at length about Ohio Senator Jon Husted who he described as a “football stud.”

“I’m studying his body. I’ve never studied the body of a man before, it’s not my thing,” he said. “But I looked at his ass and then I looked at his legs and I said, ‘His ass — it’s like a pile of muscle.’ Then I looked at his legs and I said, ‘Man, his feet are big.’”

Howard Lutnick, the commerce secretary, briefly came on stage during Trump’s North Carolina rally to announce new investment to support semi-conductor production in the state.

“We’re ‌announcing Sibelco is ‌going to build silicon manufacturing. It’s quartz manufacturing. It is basically ‌the foundation of semiconductors,” he said ​during the event.

He said the ​investment would amount to “hundreds ​of ‌millions ​of ​dollars”.

Donald Trump has taken the stage at a rally in North Carolina as part of a seven-day tour to stump for Republicans ahead of the US midterms.

He’s in North Carolina to support Michael Whatley, the Republican nominee for US Senate, who is polling behind candidate Roy Cooper, the state’s former Democratic governor.

We’ll keep you updated on anything notable from the president’s remarks.

FEMA to states: Prepare to handle your own disasters, Politico reports

The Trump administration wants states to shoulder more of the financial responsibility for disasters, Politico reports.

“Federal dollars should be building greater capability, not creating greater dependency,” Federal emergency management agency (FEMA) administrator Cameron Hamilton told state officials at an Arkansas conference, in a recording exclusively obtained by the Politico. He said each state should have the “appropriate financial reserves.”

“A future that I hope we would shoot for is one where we wouldn’t require as many disasters because the capability of states is so high and so substantial,” Hamilton also said, noting that changes could begin in the next six months.

Under Trump’s second administration, FEMA has seen deep cuts in funding and the exodus of over 2,400 personnel. Former employees and emergency response experts have voiced concern over its capability to respond to future natural disasters.

Laura Loomer and DOJ squabble over Camp Lejuene

Trump loyalist and rightwing influencer Laura Loomer tore into the Department of Justice on Tuesday, saying the agency was belittling veterans, who were exposed to contaminated drinking water at a Marine Corps base decades ago, with “lowball” settlement offers.

“This is a political disaster waiting to happen. Let’s be clear: Democrats are 100% going to weaponize this against President Trump and try to hurt him with veterans heading into the midterms in two weeks,” Loomer wrote in a X post, blaming associate attorney general Stanley Woodward Jr.

In a thinly-veiled rebuff, attorney general Todd Blanche appeared to suggest Loomer’s diatribe was financially-motivated.

“You should be transparent with your followers, and you are dead wrong about Stanley,” he responded on X.

“We love our veterans and we want to get these cases right. Find a different obsession other than going after one of DOJ’s best fighters.”

Loomer shot back, saying Trump wanted to fire Woodward, but took pity on him “because his lefty wife is divorcing him,” she claimed.

Some outlets, including Bloomberg, reported earlier this year that Harmeet Dhillon, an assistant attorney general in the DOJ’s civil rights division, would be promoted to Woodward’s post. She was not.

Trump’s use of an antisemitic slur for a second time draws belated, indirect criticism from ADL

The Anti-Defamation League, which calls itself the world’s “leading anti-hate organization”, founded in 1913 “to protect the Jewish people”, denounced the use of the term “shylock” as antisemitic on Tuesday, without explaining that the slur had been used one day earlier by Donald Trump in a speech in Kansas.

The ADL’s brief social-media post made no mention of Trump at all and offered no explanation as to why the group found it necessary to explain, today, that anyone equating an avaricious person to Shylock, the villainous Jewish moneylender in Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, is using an antisemitic trope.

“The term ‘Shylock’ is rooted in a longstanding antisemitic stereotype,” the ADL posted on X but not its other social media accounts. “Regardless of intent, its use can reinforce harmful tropes about Jews and normalize language that has long been used to target the Jewish community.”

Critics who accuse the ADL of using accusations of antisemitism selectively, to attack people who are critical of Israel, suggested that the Jewish-American civil rights group was going easy on Trump because of his support for Israel.

Matt Duss, a former foreign police adviser to senator Bernie Sanders, the most prominent Jewish American politician, responded to the ADL’s failure to mention Trump by suggesting its president would have been more direct had someone else used the slur. “If a Democrat said it Jonathan Greenblatt would be knocking people over to get in front of a camera to condemn them by name, but it was Trump so it’s just a general public service announcement,” Duss wrote.

In 2014, after then vice-president Joe Biden described people who take financial advantage of American service members as “shylocks”, the Anti-Defamation League’s national director accepted his apology and called the remarks “a teachable moment”.

Trump’s use of the slur, at a rally in Kansas on Monday night, came just one day after he had endorsed Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Monday, ahead of Israel’s elections.

Trump invoked the antisemitic stereotype as part of his defense of the Republican senator, Roger Marshall, a doctor who has been criticized for filing lawsuits against more than 700 patients with outstanding bills, leading to 18 of them being arrested.

The president began by claiming, falsely, that Marshall had been required by law to take legal action over unpaid bills, even one for just $101.

Marshall, Trump told supporters at a rally outside Wichita on Monday, “was given a bum rap because he was mandated by law to request strongly, money owed from patients. You’re not allowed not to do it. You have to, by law, go after those people.” There is, in fact, no such law.

Turning to Marshall’s critics, including his Democratic rival, Adam Hamilton, who featured some of Marshall’s patients in a campaign ad, Trump said: “they made it like, oh, he was some kind of a Shylock-type guy.”

“If he didn’t make these requests, he would be breaking the law,” Trump said again, repeating the falsehood he based his defense on. “He would have been breaking a very strong criminal law, and he would be subject to criminal arrest and liability,” the president claimed, falsely.

Trump’s use of the antisemitic slur came 15 months after he was made aware of its meaning when he used it at a rally in Iowa. Speaking on 3 July 2025, Trump Trump told supporters that eliminating the taxes on inherited family farms would save farmers from “going to the banks and borrowing from, in some cases a fine banker, and in some cases shylocks and bad people”.

The day after that Iowa rally, the ADL called the president’s use of the term “very troubling and irresponsible”, but Trump claimed ignorance when he was asked by a reporter if he had intended to use the word “shylocks” to refer to Jews.

“No, I’ve never heard it that way,” Trump replied then. “To me, a shylock is somebody that’s a, uh, a moneylender at high rates. I’ve never heard it that way. You view it differently than me. I’ve never heard that.”

Here’s a recap of the day so far

• Donald Trump said that he will have spent$400m supporting Republican candidates in midterm races by the time election day rolls around on 3 November. The staggering amount will have been spent through his political operation and aligned Super Pac, Maga Inc. The president will continue his campaign blitz with a rally in Greenville, North Carolina on Tuesday.

• Beyond Washington, Trump’s special envoys – Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner – wrapped up a meeting with Nordic leaders and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Oslo. The Ukrainian president said that the talks covered security guarantees, among others, and he hopes to hear Russia’s response tomorrow. Witkoff is set to head to St Petersburg on Wednesday to relay to the new peace proposals discussed with Ukraine to Moscow.

• Zelenskyy also said that US intelligence sharing with Ukraine is working again, after sustained disruptions. Earlier, the Ukrainian president said he had a “substantive conversation” with US secretary of state Marco Rubio.

• Meanwhile, Rubio told reporters in India today that “there has not been some deliberate political directive to go out and harm Ukraine”. He called the assertion that people in Ukraine are dying because the US is denying them information “scandalous” and “outrageous”. However, in an interview with CNN, representative Eugene Vindman, the Democratic congressman from Virginia, slammed the secretary of state’s comments. “He [Rubio] is lying and so is the president when they say that they are not restricting intelligence in violation of the law,” Vindman said.

• And Trump continued to blame the riots in France on mass migration, without providing any evidence. “It’s an immigration problem. You have people that poured into France, and they were also unchecked, unvetted, like with Biden when he was doing. We don’t do that,” Trump said. Even though French authorities have not tied the upheaval to immigrants, that hasn’t deterred the president from insisting that similar chaos would be the US’ fate if Democrats win control of Congress in the upcoming midterms.

Also in the Oval Office today, Mehmet Oz – the director of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced that the health department would be deferring $1.2bn more to California.

This comes after the Trump administration already paused almost $1bn in Medicaid funding to the Golden state in July.

“They just got the note, and we’re doing that because the growth of personal care services in California,” Oz told reporters on Tuesday. “That one little area where you’re paying someone to carry groceries upstairs for your mom, which many of you would carry groceries upstairs for your mom for free, I would think. But in California, they’ll pay you a lot of money for it, and it’s actually run by the counties. But California has been growing that program 24% in the last three years.”

Once again, Trump launched into a racist attack against Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar, and the Somali-American community.

This comes after the justice department launched a raid on the Minnesota representative’s Washington DC home. Reports citing sources familar with the probe said the search earlier this month was related to a criminal fraud investigation concerning Omar’s immigration paperwork. Omar’s father filled out that paperwork when she was a child. The raid has been met with widespread condemnation, particularly so close to the midterm elections.

However, Trump today doubled down.

“I think she’s a sick, a very dishonest person, but who hates our country. And she comes from a country that is essentially not even a country, Somalia. It’s a real shit house,” he said.

“Somalians vote for her … Most of them shouldn’t be here. You know, they have like a 98 % unemployment rate. They don’t work,” the president added, an incredible statistic given the fact that the census doesn’t actually track the unemployment rate for Somali-Americans specifically.

Donald Trump was not optimistic about whether peace talks appear to be back on the table ahead of Steve Witkoff’s meeting in St Petersburg, Russia tomorrow (following his summit with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Nordic leaders in Oslo).

“Russia is a big machine. They just keep grinding forward, and that’s what they’ve done. They’ve taken a very large piece of land, and you know you can say that Ukraine is doing well or poorly, but the land gets bigger and bigger all the time, week by week,” Trump said, before repeating his insistence for Zelenskyy to cut a deal.

“We have given tremendous amounts to Ukraine. We’ve got nothing back, other than high diesel,” Trump said, without acknowledging that the price of diesel and gasoline jumped at the beginning of the Iran war in February. “We want Zelenskyy to make a deal. He can make a deal … In my opinion, it’s just really just going to get worse.”

On France, the president once again said – without providing any evidence – that the riots are due to mass migration.

“It’s an immigration problem. You have people that poured into France, and they were also unchecked, unvetted, like with Biden when he was doing. We don’t do that,” Trump said.

However, the French authorities have not tied the upheaval to immigrants, but that hasn’t deterred the president for insisting that the chaos would be a fate the US is destined for if Democrats win control of Congress in the upcoming midterms.

Donald Trump announces incentive program for people to report fraud, after conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley’s allegations

In the Oval Office, Trump announced an incentive program for people to report fraud, in honor of conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley – who, you may remember, posted a video last year alleging fraud by daycare centers servicing Minneapolis’s Somali American community.

The video, initially posted in December, resulted in a deluge of anti-immigrant and anti-Somali content across social media, including in Truth Social posts by Donald Trump.

More than 90 people in Minnesota have been charged since 2022 in a $250m Covid-19 relief fraud scheme involving a non-profit that falsely claimed to provide meals to children, and a federal prosecutor estimated that $9bn or more in federal funds across 14 state programs may have been stolen since 2018.

In July, Fahima Egeh Mahamud, the CEO of the daycare center that appeared in Shirley’s video, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy to defraud the US.

Under the administration’s proposed program, people who submit information through that results in a fraud conviction could receive up to $30,000.

In the Oval Office today, Trump presented Shirley, 24, with a check for $10,000 for his work.

Meanwhile, in Oslo, Trump’s special envoys – Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner – wrapped up a meeting with Nordic leaders and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The Ukrainian president said that the talks covered security guarantees, among others, and he hopes to hear Russia’s response tomorrow.

Witkoff is set to head to St Petersburg on Wednesday to relay to the new peace proposals discussed with Ukraine to Moscow.

Zelenskyy also said that intelligence sharing with Ukraine is working again, after sustained disruptions.

Trump says he will have spent $400m to support Republican candidates in midterms

Donald Trump said that he will have spent $400m supporting Republican candidates in midterm races by the time election day rolls around on 3 November.

The staggering amount will be spent through his political operation and aligned Super Pac, Maga Inc.

“More than 300 Million Dollars has already been spent on Advertising, Direct and Indirect Voter Contact, Rallies, Rally Arenas, Telerallies, Get Out the Vote Programs, Election Integrity, and more. It is my Great Honor to do so on behalf of the Republican Party, which has done so much to bring our Country back from the Edge of Oblivion,” he wrote on Truth Social.

He cited his belief in the Republican party, but also the riots that have swept through France, as his reasons behind the spend. A reminder, Trump has repeated baseless claims that the demonstrations, which have descended into chaos and seen thousands arrested, are the result of mass migration.

Rachel Leingang

Reporting from Topeka

Kansas has not sent a Democrat to the Senate since 1932 – does Adam Hamilton have the courage, brain and heart to cause an extraordinary upset?

Just two years after Donald Trump won Kansas by 16 points in his fight to regain the White House, Republicans in the state are scrambling to retain their dominance. The battle for one of its two seats in the US Senate is too close to call, setting the stage for a potentially extraordinary upset.

Some recent polls even put Democrat Adam Hamilton on course for a historic victory. Kansans have not sent a representative of the party to the US Senate since 1932.

On the campaign trail, Hamilton regularly points to one of his state’s most famous residents: Dorothy from Wizard of Oz. Recalling a visit he made to Liberal, Kansas, and its Oz museum, he asks the audience to recall what Dorothy’s companions on her journey need. The lion needed courage, the scarecrow a brain and the tin man a heart.

Washington needs more of all three, he says, and he can deliver it. He decided to run for office after seeing the Trump administration act in ways that were “not good or kind or compassionate or humble”, Hamilton – in the energetic cadence of the pastor he is – told a crowd of business leaders in Topeka on Friday. He was waiting for Roger Marshall, the state’s Republican incumbent senator, to stand up for his state and its people.

“I would have arguments with Roger Marshall in the shower. He was not in the shower with me,” Hamilton joked. “And I would just say, Roger, please stand up for your people. You were not hired to be a spokesperson for the White House. You were hired to fight for your people.”

Hamilton’s role as senior pastor of the country’s largest United Methodist congregation comes with name recognition and speaking skills. But Marshall’s liabilities as his opponent – namely, the fact he sued hundreds of his patients for unpaid bills, resulting in the arrests of dozens of them – have contributed greatly to Hamilton’s prospects of flipping the seat.

Electorally, he’s trying to win over independents and Republicans, calling himself an independent-minded Democrat. It would be valuable, he told the business leaders last week, for Kansas to have a Democrat like him and a Republican in Jerry Moran representing them in the US Senate – working both sides of the aisle.

Read the full dispatch here:

Mike Bloomberg is donating $80m to Democrats ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.

Speaking to the New York Times on Tuesday, Bloomberg’s advisor Howard Wolfson said: “He believes in participation in our democracy. And obviously the scale of his participation, given his resources and his means, is greater than other people’s financially. But other people are participating in different ways.”

“He is of the view that resources matter in campaigns,” Wolfson said, adding that Bloomberg “expects a result.”

The outlet reports that the former New York City major, now 84-years old, is focused on securing a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives, with at least $50m of his doantion to be spent on House races.

In response to Bloomberg’s donation, House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries said: “Mayor Bloomberg played an incredibly instrumental role in the decisive midterm election in 2018. The extraordinary support from Mayor Bloomberg will once again help Democrats flip the House,” the outlet reports.