The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit to block certification of the Senate race in Alaska if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses the contest while another candidate with the same name is on the ballot, kicking off what many have feared could become a lengthy battle between the U.S. government and states over certifying an election where President Donald Trump's party is struggling.
The backlash over an Ohio campaign advertisement attacking Amy Acton, the Democratic nominee for governor, spread beyond the state's borders Thursday, when President Donald Trump posted on social media that Ramaswamy's ad was "hitting pay dirt" and that Acton was "fair game." Trump's aggressive defense of Ramaswamy practically guarantees that more of his party's candidates will face questions about the issue.
Here’s the latest:
Trump suggests NFL should postpone this weekend’s Paris game because of unrest
“The NFL could have probably postponed that match if you want to know,” Trump told reporters. “France is really in trouble, that’s what happens when you go left.”
Sunday's game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints is scheduled to go ahead despite recent civil unrest in Paris and other cities in France. More demonstrations are planned for this weekend.
The protests in France were originally sparked by high school and university students demanding better school funding, smaller class sizes, and other reforms to the country’s education system, but have morphed into a broader outlet for public anger about rising costs and the government’s effort to tighten its budget.
While tens of millions have taken to the streets, some rioters have used the demonstrations as cover for looting and destroying government property.
Vivek Ramaswamy defends ad accusing Amy Acton of lying
Republican Vivek Ramaswamy accused his opponent in the Ohio governor’s race, Democrat Amy Acton, of lying about the ad he’s running, which features her mother calling her “a liar.”
“The irony is they’re lying about an ad that is about lying,” Ramaswamy said.
Speaking at a campaign stop in Strongsville, Ohio, he added that the ad had “nothing to do” with childhood abuse. Acton’s mother lost custody of her children after her husband was indicted for raping Acton.
“They’re changing the subject,” Ramaswamy said, “because they don’t want to answer for their own failures.”
The advertisement also includes Acton’s mother insinuating her daughter has mental health issues. Acton is Ohio’s former public health director and has made no secret of facing homelessness and abuse as a child.
Acton has condemned Ramaswamy for the ad.
“I won’t normalize somebody who has said that my childhood is just something I’m complaining about,” she told Spectrum News, a cable news outlet in Ohio.
Judge allows Trump’s tree cutting at a historic DC golf course to resume
The historic public golf course at East Potomac Park is one of several Trump projects in D.C. that are embroiled in lawsuits challenging the president’s remake of the city. Trump wants to turn it into a professional-level course.
On Thursday evening, U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes denied a request to extend her temporary order that had stopped the National Park Service from cutting more trees at the park.
Reyes ordered the halt on Oct. 13, after a holiday weekend when the government, with little notice, cut down more than 400 trees with plans to cut hundreds more. The actions led to eight hours of court hearings.
Plaintiffs in a lawsuit trying to block Trump’s renovation had sought to extend the stoppage. The order lapses Oct. 26, and Trump has said work would begin “immediately” on the course.
Trump doubles down on support for Ramaswamy on ad featuring Acton’s estranged mother
Leaving the White House Friday, Trump said "no" when asked if he had reconsidered his support for the Ohio campaign advertisement attacking Democratic gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton, following criticism from other Republicans.
The president engaged in a heated exchange with a reporter asking if the president knew about the backstory behind the ad from Republican Vivek Ramaswamy. The spot features Acton’s mother, who lost custody of her children decades ago after her husband was indicted for raping Acton as a child.
“You don’t know that,” Trump said, of the abuse allegations, adding that Acton’s mother had an “obligation” to tell voters “that her daughter is a liar.”
Zelenskyy urges trilateral talks with Trump and Putin
The Ukrainian president said he spoke with Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner just before appearing remotely for an address at the Hudson Institute, a Washington think tank.
Witkoff and Zelenskyy met earlier this week in Oslo, Norway, about ways to end Russia’s war in Ukraine before Witkoff went on to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg.
Putin says he agreed to trilateral talks next month with Trump and Zelenskyy, who on Friday said “we need these meetings, and we need diplomacy to move forward.”
Zelenskyy says we “cannot have these meetings without America” and that Ukraine was counting on the U.S. to “give this priority at every level.”
He said reaching a “ceasefire is point number one” and then after that would be sorting out security guarantees. Russian officials have resisted a ceasefire and said they want to broker a comprehensive settlement to end the war.
Trump says Republicans aren’t losing in Mississippi
The president has a rather eyebrow-raising addition to his midterm travel schedule: a stop Monday in deep-red Mississippi, where GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith is up for reelection.
Asked about the visit Friday, Trump said he won the state by 32 points and “they’ve asked me to go,” without specifying who “they” were.
“I look forward to it. And Cindy Hyde-Smith, you know, Cindy Hyde is fantastic,” Trump said. “She’s very popular. She’s up in the polls. She’s not losing.”
Trump to vote this weekend in Florida
The president is an early voter.
“I think we’re voting tomorrow in Florida,” Trump told reporters as he was preparing to depart for a rally in Fort Myers and a weekend in Palm Beach, where his club is located.
Early voting in Palm Beach County began Monday and it runs through Nov. 1.
At another point in the gaggle with journalists, Trump was asked about this year’s early voting figures and which party that benefited.
“Nobody knows,” he responded.
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This post has been corrected to show that early voting in Trump’s home county runs from Oct. 19 through Nov. 1, not Oct. 24 through Oct. 31.
Trump administration sues to block possible Democratic win in Alaska Senate race
The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit to block certification of the U.S. Senate race in Alaska if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses. Another candidate with the same name is on the ballot.
This move has sparked concerns about a lengthy battle between the U.S. government and states over election certification. The Department of Justice filed the lawsuit Thursday, demanding Alaska be blocked from certifying a win for Democrat Mary Peltola if the other Sullivan remains on the ballot.
The Alaska Supreme Court previously rejected efforts to remove the other Sullivan.
Mamdani to campaign with Gov. Hochul in Brooklyn
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is hitting the campaign trail with Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday, bringing a bit of progressive shine to her reelection run.
The democratic socialist mayor will join the more moderate governor at McCarren Park in Brooklyn — a liberal hotspot — to chat with voters and hand out campaign flyers, Hochul’s campaign said.
Hochul is hoping for heavy support from Democrats in the Big Apple in her race against Republican Bruce Blakeman, a local official from Long Island who's aligned with President Donald Trump.
The pair of Democrats, who have struck up a political alliance despite some ideological differences, will also hold a canvassing event in Brooklyn on Sunday. Mamdani endorsed Hochul earlier this year and has been revvi