A union representing nearly 12,000 railroad workers on Monday voted down the tentative contract agreement between freight railroad companies and all 12 of their unions brokered by the White House last month.
Why it matters: The rejection, by the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division of the Teamsters (BMWED), raises the prospect once again of a nationwide rail strike. That would be devastating for the economy and possibly arrive during peak holiday season — a political headache for the Biden administration.
A new project is building a massive website uncovering the enslavement of Native Americans.
Why it matters: The death of George Floyd two years ago drew attention to systemic racism and the legacy of slavery, but the general public knows very little of Indigenous enslavement in the U.S. and Latin America.
Nearly four out of 10 Republicans and one in four Democrats say they'll blame election fraud if their party doesn't win control of Congress in November, in the latest wave of the Axios-Ipsos Two Americas Index.
Why it matters: A month out from the 2022 midterms, 2020's Big Lie is alive and morphing into a broader distrust of institutions and elections that threatens to become entrenched.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has personally overseen Pyongyang's recent spate of missile launches that were "tactical nuclear" drills that represented an "obvious warning" to the U.S. and South Korea, state media reported Monday.
The big picture: The statement, released on the 77th anniversary of the foundation of Pyongyang's ruling Workers' Party, claimed the North Korean drills staged "the simulation of an actual war" while also responding to U.S.-South Korean exercises in recent weeks, according to the state-run KCNA news agency.
Protests in Iran over the death in Tehran police custody of Mahsa Amini entered a fourth week, amid reports security forces were arresting children inside schools in attempts to quell anti-government unrest Sunday.
The big picture: "At least 185 people, including at least 19 children, have been killed in the nationwide protests across Iran," per a statement from the Norway-based nonprofit Iran Human Rights, which says it has members inside and outside of Iran.
Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.), the New York Republican gubernatorial candidate, said two people were shot outside his Long Island home on Sunday.
Why it matters: While the Suffolk County Police Department told CNN the shooting had "no connection to the Zeldin family," the Trump ally has made crime a key policy as he seeks to become New York's first Republican governor in some 15 years. He was attacked at a rally last July.
Three Los Angeles City Council members and a top county labor official made racist remarks about their colleagues during a conversation last fall, according to leaked audio obtained by the Los Angeles Times.
Driving the news: Council President Nury Martinez during the meeting referred to a white councilman's child, who is Black, as “ese changuito,” or that little monkey, per the Los Angeles Times.
Driving the news: "Walker won his Senate primary not because of his political chops or policy proposals," Duncan wrote in an editorial published on CNN last week.
With 30 days until the midterms, party leaders are making ruthless calculations to cut funding for underachieving candidates in a push to sharpen their top targets. In other cases, party committees and super PACs aren't spending at all on potentially winnable races because of flawed candidates.
Driving the news: The National Republican Senatorial Committee announced Friday it would be cutting back on its advertising against Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) in New Hampshire, opting to focus on other, closer Senate battlegrounds in which Republicans are being outspent.
Some election offices across the country are bolstering their security efforts in anticipation of the midterm elections.
Why it matters: From security guards to bulletproof glass at election offices, the enhanced measures come in response to the increase in threats to election workers during and in the aftermath of the 2020 election.
The Democratic Party needs "new leadership, new blood," but if the sitting president decides to run, "we are going to support him," Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press."
Why it matters: Biden has said several times that he plans to run for president again in 2024 if he's in good health, but like Slotkin, the majority of Democrats say they would prefer a new candidate.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) pledged his continued support to embattled U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker during an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, saying "we all make mistakes."
Driving the news: A number of prominent Republicans — including former President Trump and Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) — have doubled down on their support for Walker after a detailed report this week alleged Walker paid for a then-girlfriend to have an abortion in 2009.
Driving the news: "I think it's going to be a two for two," said Richardson, who added that he has met with senior Russian officials; "individuals close to President Vladimir Putin."
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' (R) bid to transport migrants last month may have gone beyond the extent of an original program designed by the state, the Washington Post reports from new state records.
Driving the news: The state program, launched in July, was intended to “relocate out of the state of Florida foreign nationals who are not lawfully present in the United States," the Post reports.
President Biden's warning last week that Russia's war in Ukraine marks the highest risk nuclear "Armageddon" since the Cuban missile crisis was a reflection of the war's high stakes and not new intelligence the U.S. has received, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Sunday on ABC's "This Week."
President Biden's marijuana pardons are a small policy change to entice young voters, but they've immediately become a political lightning rod in at least one battleground state.
Why it matters: It’s the latest in a steady stream of small policy gifts to persuade the Democratic base that Biden has kept the promises on the 2020 campaign trail.
