Rep. Ashley Hinson's quick announcement that she's running for the Senate in Iowa will likely put a Trump loyalist at the top of the ticket, giving the GOP hope they can turn out Iowa's MAGA base when President Trump isn't on the ballot.
Why it matters: Republicans will be defending two purple House seats in a state where they got clobbered in Trump's first midterm election in 2018, losing three of Iowa's four seats.
Why it matters: With a Republican majority in the House, the resolution could pass — adding to McIver's woes as she faces prosecution by the Trump administration on charges of assaulting an ICE officer.
North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, arrived in Beijing via his armored train on Tuesday to attend China's largest-ever military parade with his Chinese and Russian counterparts.
Why it matters: Chinese leader Xi Jinping is putting on a show of force with Wednesday's event commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and also with his recent Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Tianjin, China — during which he took thinly veiled swipes at President Trump's tariffs.
Speculation that President Trump was sick — or dead — took on a life of its own over Labor Day weekend, lighting up liberal feeds with conspiracy chatter that spread far beyond the fringe.
Why it matters: Baseless rumors about the 79-year-old president's health metastasized at warp speed, spawning millions of memes, TikToks, Google searches and "clues" about a supposed White House cover-up.
The House Oversight Committee released over 33,000 documents on Tuesday related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that the Justice Department shared with the panel in August.
Why it matters: The release delivers on months of pressure to make the Epstein files public. It could sap momentum from GOP rebels pushing their own discharge petition to release the files.
The Justice Department sued Illinois and Gov. JB Pritzker on Tuesday in a bid to force the state to end a policy that allows undocumented students to pay in-state tuition at public colleges.
Why it matters: The lawsuit escalates the long-running feud between Pritzker and Trump, which has gotten worse in recent weeks as the president continuously threatens to deploy federal troops to the state to combat crime and expand immigration raids.
Why it matters: After sending the National Guard to Washington, D.C., last month, Trump has continued to say he will deploy guards to Chicago to help with what he has called out-of-control violent crime.
The first strike of President Trump's militarized drug war took place on Tuesday with what the Pentagon called a "precision strike against a drug vessel operated by a designated narco-terrorist organization."
Trump said 11 members of the Tren de Aragua cartel had been killed while transporting drugs. He shared what appeared to be video of an aerial attack on a speedboat.
Why it matters: Trump has ordered a flotilla of ships off Venezuela's shores, ostensibly to stop drugs but also in hopes of sparking regime change, as Axios reported last week.
U.S. Space Command is relocating to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, from Colorado, President Trump announced Tuesday.
Why it matters: Redstone Arsenal is already home to a significant military presence and is expected to play a "key role"in Trump's desire for a Golden Dome missile defense program.
President Trump on Tuesday said a court's ruling blocking most of his tariffs "was an emergency," and that the administration would seek an immediate hearing from the Supreme Court.
Why it matters: The centerpiece of Trump's economic agenda is hanging in the balance.
The 2026 U.S. midterm elections are expected to be the most expensive on record, thanks to a competitive battle for control of Congress and a surge in streaming video advertising, according to a new projection from ad analytics platform AdImpact.
Why it matters: The bullish projections are based in part on unprecedented early spending this year, fueled by competitive gubernatorial primaries, tight House and Senate races, and contentious down-ballot issues.
Nearly 19,000 state and local government offices could lose access to vital cyber threat intelligence and affordable security tools by the end of the month.
Why it matters: Adversarial hackers have increasingly targeted local governments, law enforcement, utilities and schools in recent years.
The Trump administration illegally instructed the National Guard to perform law enforcement activities during anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.
The big picture: Meanwhile, leaders in Chicago are bracing for the possibility of a federal crackdown despite their vehement opposition, a situation that parallels Trump's mobilization of the California National Guard over Gov. Gavin Newsom's objections.
Almost 70% of U.S. adults said the American dream, or the idea that hard work pays off, doesn't hold true anymore or never did, according to a new WSJ-NORC poll.
That's the highest percentage in almost 15 years of surveys, up almost 3% from 2024.
Why it matters: Traditional economic indicators such as inflation and unemployment aren't high by historic standards, but there is a persistent disconnect between the economy and consumer sentiment that has shifted Americans' belief in their prospect of upward mobility.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro faces a potentially lengthy sentence over his alleged involvement in a scheme to overturn his 2022 election loss, an accusation he denies.
The big picture: Brazil's Federal Supreme Court begins the latest phase of the trial beneath the shadow of President Trump's threats to impose sweeping tariffs on Brazilian goods unless the country drops the criminal charges against his ally.
Dozens of climate scientists on Tuesday released a detailed rebuttal of the Energy Department's contrarian climate report, alleging "pervasive problems" with the work.
Why it matters: DOE's July report informs EPA's planned repeal of the "endangerment finding" — the legal underpinning of federal emissions regulations.
After roiling the leadership of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is poised to make more moves this month that will test how much free rein he has within the administration.
Why it matters: Republicans are counting on Kennedy and his MAHA base to deliver in the midterm elections. But more bulldozing of evidence-based public health policy could fray his support within the White House and Congress.
Republican operatives and lawmakers are increasingly anxious about how inflation could affect the GOP in the 2026 midterms, and want President Trump to take more aggressive steps to address rising prices.
Why it matters: GOP insiders and lawmakers believe the cost of drugs and consumer items — and how the White House deals with Trump's tariffs potentially turbocharging prices and creating shortages — will be key to whether the GOP keeps control of Congress next year.
President Trump said Monday he'll award Rudy Giuliani a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor.
The big picture: The announcement comes two days after the former Trump lawyer and New York City mayor was involved in a car crash that left him hospitalized with injuries including a fractured vertebra.
Over 1,000 Labor Day "Workers Over Billionaires" protests were held across the U.S. on Monday, taking aim at President Trump and other wealthy Americans, and his administration's policies.
The big picture: Several leading Democrats joined the rallies, driven by the largest federation of labor unions in the U.S. — including Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, who led the crowd in chants of "No troops in Chicago!" in protest at Trump's threats to deploy the National Guard to the city.
Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), 78-year-old dean of New York's congressional delegation, said he plans to retire rather than seek reelection in 2026.
Why it matters: It's a major announcement by one of Congress' longest serving members at a time when the Democratic base is growing restless about ousting lawmakers in their 70s and 80s.
