The 2026 U.S. midterm elections are experiencing many unusual tactics, such as fake candidates, secret political groups, and last-minute candidate changes. These actions aim to influence who wins Congress, especially in tight races for the House and Senate.
Key Facts
Democrats accuse a Green Party candidate in Pennsylvania of helping a Republican by splitting votes.
The Pennsylvania Green Party and some voters want that candidate off the ballot, claiming he is not a true Green Party member.
In Alaska, two candidates named Dan Sullivan are running, causing confusion; the court allowed both to stay on the ballot.
Some Democrats dropped out of Senate races to support independent candidates against Republicans.
Two lawmakers, Rep. Chuy García and Sen. Steve Daines, quit their reelection bids late to help chosen successors avoid competition.
Republicans created secret funding groups called super PACs to support certain Democratic primary candidates.
The pro-Israel group AIPAC used hidden super PACs to promote their favored candidates in Democratic primaries.
Playing in the opposing party’s primary elections to influence outcomes is becoming more common.
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A fire broke out in a Virginia middle school classroom where an 8-foot python named Nanner was kept. Local fire officials said the snake caused the fire by knocking over a heat fixture, but the teacher who owns Nanner says the fire started independently and the snake was trying to escape the heat.
Key Facts
The fire happened at Forest Middle School in Bedford County, Virginia, on August 13.
Firefighters found the python loose in the classroom when they arrived.
Officials said the snake knocked over a heat fixture, causing the fire that damaged several classrooms and killed a tortoise.
The teacher, Brittany Jacobs, said all heat fixtures were properly secured and could not have been knocked over.
Jacobs believes the fire started first, and that the snake escaped because it was trying to get away from the heat and flames.
Surveillance video showed the fire burning for 20 minutes before the snake left its enclosure.
Firefighters placed the python in a temporary holding area during the fire.
The school opened as scheduled after the fire.
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In Florida’s Democratic primaries, moderate candidates Alex Vindman and David Jolly are favored to win. They focus on traditional issues and appealing to a broad group of voters, rather than progressive liberal policies popular elsewhere in the country.
Key Facts
Florida has recently become a reliably Republican (red) state.
Alex Vindman, a retired army lieutenant colonel and impeachment witness against President Trump, is leading the Democratic Senate primary.
David Jolly, a former Republican congressman who switched to the Democratic Party last year, is leading the race for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.
Both Vindman and Jolly run moderate campaigns focused on economic issues, public safety, and avoiding strong progressive positions.
Florida uses closed primaries, meaning only registered party members can vote in their party’s primary.
Vindman supports a “Florida First” approach, focusing on the economy and social security.
Jolly opposes reversing Governor DeSantis’s ban on transgender athletes in girls’ sports, a stance different from more progressive Democrats in other states.
Republican candidates, including Byron Donalds, criticize Jolly as a “radical liberal,” but Jolly focuses on issues like rising living costs rather than culture wars.
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President Donald Trump has criticized U.S. allies for not supporting his Iran policy and is reducing military cooperation with some of them, including South Korea. His administration is also questioning NATO allies about their loyalty and may cut troop deployments based on their responses, signaling a shift toward demanding more reciprocal relationships.
Key Facts
President Trump ordered a big cut in the joint military exercises with South Korea, called Ulchi Freedom Shield, because South Korea declined to join the U.S. in efforts to denuclearize Iran.
These military exercises have helped deter North Korean aggression for about 50 years.
The Pentagon sent a survey to NATO countries asking how much they support Trump’s foreign policy and U.S. military activities.
The U.S. plans to reduce about 5,000 troops in Germany after criticism of Trump’s Iran strategy by German leaders.
Trump threatened to cut trade ties with Spain and considered suspending Spain from NATO after Spain refused U.S. base access for strikes on Iran.
Oman, a longtime U.S. partner, faces U.S. threats if it interferes with an Iran deal, despite helping broker negotiations.
The deadline for a peace deal with Iran passed without agreement, showing limits to U.S. military and economic pressure.
The U.S. Navy is temporarily pulling a carrier from Asia, which leaves the region without a carrier for a time.
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Alaska, long a Republican stronghold, is seeing tighter races this year. Senator Dan Sullivan, a Republican, is competing closely against Democrat Mary Peltola, who could become Alaska’s first Democratic senator since 2014. Meanwhile, Governor and other state races are unsettled, and President Trump’s support in Alaska has weakened.
Key Facts
President Trump won Alaska by large margins in 2016, 2020, and 2024.
Republicans have held Alaska’s Senate seats and the governor's office for most of the last 20 years.
Senator Dan Sullivan (R) faces a tough race against Democrat Mary Peltola for the Senate seat.
Mary Peltola is the only Democrat to win statewide in Alaska since 2008.
Recent polls show Peltola leading Sullivan by a small margin, with her support between 51% and 49%.
Republican groups have spent over $17 million trying to retain the Senate seat.
Alaska’s governor race has many candidates, splitting the Republican vote.
President Trump’s approval rating in Alaska has dropped compared to previous years, partly due to concerns over rising living costs.
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Zohran Mamdani won the 2025 New York City mayoral election on a democratic socialist platform, gaining strong support inside the city but facing much lower approval in nearby suburban areas. Polling shows that while city voters generally support Mamdani and the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), suburban voters are more skeptical, highlighting a divide in political views between urban and suburban communities.
Key Facts
Mamdani won about 51% of the vote in the 2025 New York City mayoral race.
He defeated Andrew Cuomo in both the Democratic primary and the general election.
In New York City, Mamdani’s favorability rating reached about 55-69% in various polls.
In nearby downstate suburbs, his favorability dropped to around 31-34%.
The Democratic Socialists of America are viewed favorably by 49% of NYC voters but only 16% of suburban voters.
The DSA aims to build a larger national movement based on democratic socialism.
Polls show a widening political gap between city voters who support Mamdani and suburban voters who remain skeptical.
Mamdani’s success shows democratic socialism’s strong appeal in NYC but also its limited reach in surrounding suburban areas.
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In August 2001, the FBI's Minneapolis office sent a memo about Zacarias Moussaoui, who was suspected of planning an attack involving an airplane. The FBI’s Radical Fundamentalist Unit at headquarters did not take immediate action, focusing instead on obtaining a surveillance warrant. The CIA considered Moussaoui a possible threat but did not see him as an immediate danger or connect him to other intelligence.
Key Facts
On August 18, 2001, the FBI Minneapolis office reported on Zacarias Moussaoui, who was under suspicion for planning an attack involving a plane.
Moussaoui was reluctant to be interviewed or let authorities search his belongings or electronics.
The Minneapolis office believed Moussaoui and his roommate were linked to a larger radical fundamentalist group planning violent actions.
FBI headquarters focused on securing a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant rather than a easier criminal search warrant.
The FBI reached out to the CIA, which had no prior information on Moussaoui.
The CIA labeled Moussaoui as a "suspect airline suicide attacker" but did not see him as an immediate or connected threat.
The FBI and CIA underestimated the urgency and seriousness of Moussaoui’s case before the 9/11 attacks.
Intelligence used coded language for targets like the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, which was revealed after this time.
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President Donald Trump called a CNN reporter a “fake reporter” after being asked if North Korea’s leader had asked him to reduce military exercises with South Korea. The exchange happened during a question about U.S. military drills in the region.
Key Facts
President Donald Trump was questioned by a CNN reporter about North Korea’s leader.
The question was whether North Korea requested the U.S. to scale back military drills with South Korea.
President Trump responded by calling the reporter a “fake reporter.”
The topic involved U.S.-South Korea military exercises.
The incident shows tension between President Trump and the media over coverage of North Korea.
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The UK government announced that disabled people in England will be able to use their bus passes to travel for free 24 hours a day starting next April. This change expands the current rules, which only allow free travel during certain hours on weekdays, and is funded by existing government budgets.
Key Facts
Disabled bus pass holders in England will have free bus travel all day and night from April next year.
Currently, free travel is limited to weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., unless extended by local authorities.
The government allocated £60 million to fund the change, taken from existing budgets in two departments.
Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, had earlier extended bus pass hours locally.
The prime minister supports the change as a way to help reduce living costs.
Some politicians praise the move as helpful for disabled people’s daily lives.
Critics question how the new policy will be fully paid for, despite funding coming from budget transfers.
Andy Burnham has introduced other policies aimed at reducing costs for households and businesses but faces questions about funding.
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Florida voters will take part in primary elections on Tuesday to choose party nominees for important state and federal races in the November elections. These are the first elections using new congressional districts designed by the Florida legislature, which favors Republican candidates. Key races include the Republican and Democratic contests for governor and several congressional seats.
Key Facts
Florida’s new congressional districts, created by a Republican-led legislature, will be used in the Tuesday primaries.
The redistricting aims to help Republicans keep control in the November midterm elections.
The Republican governor’s race includes Congressman Byron Donalds, who leads with President Trump’s endorsement.
If Byron Donalds wins the general election, he would be Florida’s first Black governor.
Current Governor Ron DeSantis is term-limited and has not endorsed a candidate to succeed him.
Florida has shifted from a swing state to a Republican-leaning state over the last decade.
Democrats struggle to win major statewide races but hope to improve their chances this November.
In one congressional race, Representative Randy Fine, known for anti-Muslim comments, faces challenger Daniel Bilzerian, who has posted anti-Jewish content.
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An arrest warrant has been issued for Green Party leader Dr. Jill Stein after she did not show up for a court hearing. The case relates to assault and trespass charges from a protest at Washington University in 2024.
Key Facts
Dr. Jill Stein was accused of assault and trespass during a protest at Washington University in April 2024.
The protest focused on the war in Gaza and resulted in over 100 arrests.
Only Jill Stein and one other person faced charges after the protest.
Stein was formally charged in March 2025.
A court hearing took place on a Monday, where Stein and her lawyer did not appear.
A judge in St. Louis issued a failure-to-appear arrest warrant for Stein.
Prosecutors attended the hearing despite Stein's absence.
Newsweek requested a comment from Stein but did not receive a response by publication time.
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Victoria’s premier, Ben Carroll, plans to change the legal definition of “corruption” before the upcoming state election. These changes will give the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (Ibac) more power to investigate government wrongdoing, including new powers to track how public money is spent.
Key Facts
The Victorian government will expand Ibac’s powers and change the corruption definition before November’s state election.
The new definition will allow Ibac to investigate a wider range of misconduct, not just crimes.
A royal commission into Victorian construction is expected to have its terms of reference released soon.
The government will create a special prosecutor role to work alongside the royal commission.
The current corruption law limits Ibac to look only at criminal offenses, missing some questionable behavior.
A parliamentary inquiry recommended broadening corruption definitions to include misconduct and breaches of public trust.
Former Ibac commissioner Robert Redlich supports the changes, saying they will close gaps where corruption is not currently punishable.
The changes will allow Ibac to follow the money spent by government contractors and subcontractors.
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Water service was fixed for about 7,400 homes in Kent after many had no water or low water pressure. The problem was caused by hot weather, high water use, broken pipes, and power problems. Some areas still have issues, and people are asked to use water only for important needs.
Key Facts
More than 8,000 homes in Kent experienced water supply problems.
Issues were from long hot weather, high demand for water, pipe breaks, and power outages.
Water was restored in towns like Herne Bay, Rough Common, and Blean.
Around 400 homes in Benenden, Cranbrook, and Rolvenden still have low or no water.
Some homes in Herne Bay may have on-and-off water supply.
A bottled water station reopened in Cranbrook, one of the worst-hit areas.
South East Water urged customers to use water only for essential needs due to low water storage levels.
Residents were warned it might take a few days to fully restore water supply.
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More than half of the U.S. states have joined a major lawsuit against Meta, the company behind Instagram and Facebook. They accuse Meta of creating addictive features that harm children and collecting data from kids under 13 without permission. The trial is held in federal court in California and could last six to eight weeks.
Key Facts
29 U.S. states have joined together to sue Meta over child social media addiction claims.
The lawsuit claims Meta designed addictive features that harm young users and lied about the risks.
The trial is taking place in Oakland, California, with top Meta executives expected to testify.
The states allege Meta collects data on children under 13 without parental consent, which breaks laws.
The lawsuit asks for up to $200 billion in damages and changes to make Meta’s products safer for children.
Meta denies all claims, calling the lawsuit unproven and financially unreasonable.
Features like infinite scrolling, constant notifications, and "likes" are said to push kids to spend too much time online.
A recent separate case against Meta led to a $567 million penalty in New Mexico.
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Fourteen people, including current and former Penn State students, were charged in a drug-trafficking case involving cocaine. Prosecutors said some fraternity pledges were forced to cut and package cocaine as part of their initiation.
Key Facts
Fourteen people were charged in a cocaine drug-trafficking operation linked to Penn State fraternities.
Thirteen charged individuals were current or former students; one was a father of a participant.
The fraternities involved were Sigma Chi and Delta Upsilon.
Most drug activities happened during 2023 and 2024.
Some pledges were made to cut and package cocaine as part of their fraternity initiation.
Two main suspects, Agostino Abbatiello and Thomas Robinson, traveled to New York and Philadelphia to get cocaine.
Cocaine was mainly prepared at fraternity houses and then sold mostly to Penn State students.
Penn State temporarily suspended Delta Upsilon; Sigma Chi is not officially recognized by the university.
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Human remains were found near Tucson, Arizona, about 15 miles from Nancy Guthrie’s home. Authorities said the remains are not connected to Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, and such findings are common in the area due to environmental factors and the presence of unidentified migrants.
Key Facts
Human remains were found near West Ajo Way and South La Cholla Boulevard in Pima County, Arizona.
The remains appear to have been there for a long time before Nancy Guthrie went missing.
Nancy Guthrie, 84, disappeared from her home outside Tucson on February 1 and is believed to have been taken against her will.
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said there is no current link between the remains and Nancy Guthrie’s case.
Pima County handles about 4,500 death investigations annually and keeps around 600 sets of skeletal remains.
The area has many unidentified remains, partly due to migrants dying in the desert’s hot and dry conditions.
High-profile missing persons cases like Guthrie’s often bring more attention to routine discoveries like this one.
No suspects have been arrested related to Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance.
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Australia’s major political parties agreed on new rules to restrict gambling ads and inducements, but some MPs from the Coalition party said the rules are too weak and crossed the floor to vote against them. The new law includes limits on advertising times, an opt-out register for gambling ads, and bans on some inducements, but it does not fully ban ads or inducements as earlier reports recommended.
Key Facts
The Australian government passed new restrictions on gambling advertising and inducements after a deal between Labor and Coalition parties.
Two Coalition MPs, Andrew Wallace and Pat Conaghan, opposed the deal and voted against the amendments.
The rules include a one-stop “opt-out register” that lets people choose not to receive gambling ads.
Inducement ads are banned for people identified as at risk of harm, for 14 days after signing up to a service, and for three months after leaving self-exclusion programs.
Ad blackout periods before live sports are extended from 5 to 15 minutes, and there are tighter limits on ads during children’s programs.
Some previously announced reforms were included, such as banning gambling ads on player jerseys, in stadiums, and bans on celebrities promoting gambling.
Some MPs and advocacy groups say the reforms are not strong enough and do not fully follow recommendations from a 2023 report on gambling harms.
Crossbench MPs complained they had little time to review the changes before voting.
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Andy Burnham is being urged to act over HMP Millsike, a privately run prison near York, which plans to hire custody officers on zero-hours contracts for escorting prisoners. The prison, managed by Mitie, has staff shortages and empty cells, raising concerns from the prison officers’ union about worker rights, security, and safety.
Key Facts
HMP Millsike is a category C prison near York, run by the company Mitie.
Mitie wants to hire prison custody officers on zero-hours contracts, meaning workers have no guaranteed hours.
The prison currently has about 350 empty cells due to a lack of staff.
The Prison Officers’ Association (POA) opposes zero-hours contracts, saying they harm worker rights and prison safety.
The prison officers on zero-hours would escort prisoners to courts, other prisons, and medical appointments.
The role offers flexible hours but involves handling prisoners, which differs from other support staff roles.
There have been serious safety concerns about violence at HMP Millsike, with watchdogs feeling unsafe alone.
Mitie receives about £33 million a year to manage the prison and has been criticized for its management so far.
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President Donald Trump has issued a new executive order aimed at limiting birthright citizenship, specifically targeting "birth tourism." Legal experts say this order will face strong legal challenges, especially since the Supreme Court already ruled against a previous attempt by President Trump to restrict birthright citizenship.
Key Facts
President Trump issued an executive order to limit birthright citizenship.
The order focuses on stopping "birth tourism," where people travel to the U.S. to have babies for citizenship purposes.
The Supreme Court has previously ruled against President Trump’s efforts to limit birthright citizenship.
Legal experts doubt the new order will succeed in court.
Birthright citizenship means anyone born in the U.S. automatically becomes a citizen.
This issue involves interpreting the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
President Trump’s new order is part of his broader immigration policy efforts.
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A Sydney court heard allegations that broadcaster Alan Jones groomed a junior staffer at 2GB over 10 years, involving unwanted sexual touching and explicit text messages. The complainant said he maintained contact with Jones due to the broadcaster’s powerful position in the industry. Jones denies the charges.
Key Facts
Alan Jones faces 20 charges of indecent assault and two counts of sexual touching involving six men.
The complainant, known as C, was a junior staffer and driver for Jones starting at age 18 in the mid-2000s.
C alleges Jones touched his penis and kissed him without consent during their working relationship.
The complainant sent explicit texts to Jones, which he says were influenced by being groomed for 10 years.
The defence argued C’s texts and behavior suggest he was not uncomfortable, but C said the texts reflected how he felt pressured to speak.
C kept contact with Jones after leaving the job, partly because Jones was highly influential in the industry.
Jones gave C a $2,000 wedding gift, and C invited Jones to his wedding despite claims of discomfort.
The trial is ongoing and being heard by Judge Glenn Walsh.
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