President Donald Trump drew criticism from California leaders after suggesting at a Nebraska midterm rally that Iran could take out Los Angeles or San Diego, and that the cost would be a small price to pay for the war. Governor Gavin Newsom called him deranged and dangerous, while San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said his city is not collateral damage and is never a small price to pay. The White House said the United States is fighting to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. The comment landed as early voting began in California, where fuel prices tied to the Iran war are already a liability for Republicans in close races.
The US Supreme Court opened its new term on Monday with a case that asks whether oil and gas companies can be sued in state courts over damage caused by climate change. Suncor Energy and ExxonMobil are trying to throw out a lawsuit filed by Boulder County, Colorado. The county wants the companies to pay for costs linked to wildfires and floods. The companies argue that only the federal government can set rules on greenhouse gas emissions. Justice Samuel Alito did not take part in the argument. The term also includes cases on immigration detention and guns.
President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton will serve as the new White House AI czar. Clayton will also lead a new federal task force on artificial intelligence, according to the White House. Other members include Federal Trade Commission chairman Andrew Ferguson, Pentagon chief technology officer Emil Michael, and Office of Personnel Management director Scott Kupor. The group reports to Trump and chief of staff Susie Wiles. Clayton was confirmed as director of national intelligence in July by a 51-47 Senate vote, and he was previously chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
President Donald Trump said he would support a ban on US diesel exports after Republican lawmakers pressed him to curb shipments abroad. Diesel prices have reached record highs in the United States, and trucking and farm groups say fuel costs are squeezing their margins. A ban would keep more supply at home but could unsettle global fuel markets and anger allies. The White House has not set out a timeline or a final decision, and analysts say the measure would face legal and diplomatic hurdles.
With a month to go before the November 3 midterm elections, Republicans are searching for a message that answers voter anger over the cost of living. President Donald Trump announced that Mesabi Metallics will build a $15 billion steel plant in Iowa, appearing with vulnerable lawmakers in a battleground state. An AP-NORC poll found most Americans blame Trump for high prices, and his economic approval has hit a new low. Republican strategists privately concede the Senate map has shifted toward Democrats, and Congress left Washington after a series of votes that some members described as doomed from the start.
The US Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for the Trump administration to keep deporting immigrants to countries where they have no ties, while a legal challenge moves forward. The justices granted an emergency request from the government and set aside an appeals court ruling that called the process unlawful. The court's three liberal justices dissented. It is the second time the court has removed obstacles to the policy. More than 25,000 migrants have already been sent to 29 countries under it. Full arguments are set for December, and removal flights can continue until then. Immigrant advocates say the practice puts people at risk.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced six new programmes in a speech at Marine Corps Base Quantico, telling mid-ranking officers and NCOs to carry them out at ground level. The centrepiece is the Autonomous Warfare Command, which the department says will become a four-star functional combatant command by 1 October 2027. Project Agincourt will lead work on uncrewed systems. Other initiatives include FORTRESS America, a readiness and supply programme aimed at cutting reliance on foreign rare earths and microchips, America's Corps of Cadets at five partner universities, the Next Great American Base project, an Office of Religious Affairs and Project Meridian.
The White House released a third taxpayer-funded advertisement promoting President Donald Trump and his agenda ahead of November's midterm elections. Spending on the three spots is nearing at least $1.5 million in public money. The administration calls them public service announcements and says they are not campaign ads because Trump is not on the ballot and there is no call to action. Ethics experts point to decades-old appropriations language banning federal funds for publicity or propaganda within the United States, and one former White House ethics lawyer says the spending could be an impeachable offence.
NBC, Fox News, CBS and ABC agreed to resume shared pool coverage of President Donald Trump on Sunday, even as the White House kept CNN out of the rotating group that travels with the president. The White House barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from covering the president earlier this month. The three outlets sued, calling the ban a blatant violation of the First Amendment, and a federal judge appointed by Trump ordered the administration to reinstate them for two weeks. The administration has continued to exclude them from pool rotations. The dispute matters because most news organisations depend on pool reports to cover the president, so exclusions shrink what the public sees.
With midterm elections weeks away, some Republicans who backed the war with Iran for months are changing their tune as gasoline and diesel prices climb. The New York Times reported that the party's November picture has darkened, while MarketWatch said rising fuel costs are lifting Democrats' chances of winning the House and Senate. President Donald Trump has endorsed a ban on diesel exports, with a decision expected soon. At the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, President Beth Hammack warned that persistent inflation could condition Americans to accept high prices as normal. A POLITICO poll found cost-of-living concerns are driving a wedge inside the Republican coalition.