President Donald Trump has highlighted his record on crime and safety during a visit to New York, pivoting to one of his strongest issues as he looks to boost Republicans in battleground races ahead of the November midterms. Trump was visiting the Nassau County police academy on Friday in suburban Long Island. But despite the setting and an array of uniformed local police officers behind him on stage, the event was overwhelmingly a political one, with Trump lashing Democrats and promoting his record and his party’s candidates. The new FBI statistics released Friday showed the homicide rate in the United States dropped to the lowest it’s been in 75 years. The report on 2025 crime statistics also showed that overall violent crime dropped 9.3% last year.

A federal judge has agreed to halt President Donald Trump’s executive order that sought to have the U.S. Postal Service play a central role in deciding who can receive a mail ballot. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani on Tuesday sided with the League of Women Voters and other voting rights groups that challenged the Republican president’s order and granted a preliminary injunction. Her ruling bars the Postal Service from taking any action to implement the order ahead of this year's midterm elections. Separate plaintiffs had argued in two lawsuits that the order should be found unconstitutional because the states and Congress, not the president, have the power to set election rules.

Key senators have unveiled a short-term spending bill to avoid a government shutdown during the middle of campaign season. The bill unveiled Sunday would keep federal agencies funded past the midterm elections, through Dec. 11. The Senate is likely to vote on the measure before leaving Washington at the end of the week for its traditional August recess. Many lawmakers want to spend the coming weeks shoring up their reelection prospects rather than working in the nation’s capital. By extending government funding now, lawmakers can use the ensuing months to work out their differences on funding for the full year.

Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland says he's concerned that President Trump might use federal power to influence the fall elections. Moore is the new chair of the National Governors Association, and the Democrat is citing Trump's efforts to restrict voting by mail and possibly deploy federal troops to polling places. Moore's national profile is rising, and he's seen as a potential 2028 presidential contender. His focus is on drawing young people into the workforce through service-oriented work. Despite challenges, Moore emphasizes the importance of strong governors in the current political climate.

The U.S. Postal Service is emerging as a pivotal player as the midterm elections approach. President Donald Trump is seeking greater control over mail balloting while a change to how the agency processes mail is leading to criticism that it’s failing to deliver ballots on time. Democratic officials have raised concerns over the past week about how quickly the Postal Service will process ballots after tens of thousands of them in California and hundreds in Wisconsin arrived at local election offices too late to be counted in elections earlier this year. A legal fight over Trump's executive order on mail balloting is now before the U.S. Supreme Court.

The stage is in battleground Pennsylvania. The stakes are control of the House. And the main event Sunday will be political rallies to mark 100 days until the midterm elections. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries will unveil the party’s Fighting for an Affordable America agenda as he works to focus voter attention and build momentum ahead of November. In Pennsylvania’s 7th District, Jeffries and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, are rallying support for Bob Brooks. Down the road, Brooks’ rival, freshman GOP Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, is launching his own 100-day out event. It's the symbolic start of the campaigns that will determine control of Congress in November.

The House adopted a Republican-only $95 billion budget proposal, a long-shot effort to fund the Iran war and other White House priorities. Speaker Mike Johnson worked Wednesday to push it over objections from Democrats and some GOP holdouts as priority before the midterm elections. The package includes $73 billion for the Pentagon and other national security needs, $12 billion for farmers struggling under President Donald Trump’s tariffs and $10 billion for voting law changes that are a Trump priority. Democrats argued the money should be spent at home, particularly on efforts to lower costs for Americans.

As midterm campaigning heats up, both major political parties face unexpected challenges. Republicans planned to focus on border security and the economy, while Democrats aimed to rally voters against President Donald Trump. However, both sides are now dealing with internal conflicts and strategic missteps. Trump has led the country into a prolonged conflict with Iran, affecting global oil prices, and remains focused on past election grievances. Meanwhile, Democrats are divided between moderates and progressives, with some candidates faltering in key races. As the November elections approach, both parties are struggling to find a clear path to victory amid chaos and confusion.

President Donald Trump is expected to rally in Oakland County on Monday as early voting begins in Michigan’s Aug. 4 primary. That's according to a person familiar with the plans who wasn't authorized to discuss them publicly. The visit comes as voters prepare to choose party nominees for an open U.S. Senate seat, governor and other key races. Democrats are locked in a competitive Senate primary between U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens and progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed, while Republicans are contesting the open governor’s race. Trump carried Michigan in 2016 and 2024, making the battleground state a key focus ahead of the 2026 midterms.