Politics

Politico Europe reports: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is preparing to serve up a major policy gift for his best friend across the Atlantic, former United States President Donald Trump. He’s concocted a way to let Trump, if he successfully makes it to the White House for a second term come November, wriggle out of a $50 billion loan the …

The Daily Beast reports: Florida’s Democratic chairwoman posted footage alleging hurricane debris was deliberately being placed behind an area where the Florida governor was set to hold a press conference. DeSantis was visiting Treasure Island–a community that weathered both Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton–when Nikki Fried posted footage of what appeared to be workers piling debris from the aftermath directly …

Salon reports: In a last-minute effort to kill a proposed ballot amendment that would restore abortion rights in Florida, state officials are accusing a group that gathered signatures to get the amendment on this year’s ballot fraud. Florida Deputy Secretary of State Brad McVay claimed in a 348-page report released on Friday night that Floridians Protecting Freedom paid out-of-state petition …

The Los Angeles Times reports: SpaceX’s plans to launch more rockets from the California coast were rejected by a state commission this week, with some officials citing Elon Musk’s political posts on X and raising concerns about the billionaire’s labor record at his companies. The plan to increase the number of rocket blasts into space up to 50 a year …

The Daily Beast reports: Barack Obama hit the campaign trail on Thursday in support of his old friend Kamala Harris, calling out Donald Trump in a blistering speech while wondering aloud if he has ever changed a tire—or a diaper. “I remember changing diapers. Do you think Donald Trump ever changed a diaper?” he asked the crowd, which responded with …

Reuters reports: Gulf states are lobbying Washington to stop Israel from attacking Iran’s oil sites because they are concerned their own oil facilities could come under fire from Tehran’s proxies if the conflict escalates, three Gulf sources told Reuters. As part of their attempts to avoid being caught in the crossfire, Gulf states including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates …

The New York Times reports: With Mayor Eric Adams’s political future shrouded in uncertainty, the New York attorney general, Letitia James, is considering whether to run to replace him. Ms. James views her potential candidacy as a way of helping New York City recover from the crisis unfolding under Mr. Adams. Those urging Ms. James to run say the calculus …

Bloomberg News reports: Brazil’s Supreme Court authorized the return of X after Elon Musk complied with its demands, including taking down some user accounts and appointing a legal representative for the platform in the country. The company has met “all the requirements necessary for the immediate return of activities” in Brazil, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes wrote in an …

The Hill reports: Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) has a ten point lead over Republican Kari Lake in the Arizona Senate race according to a Napolitan News Service poll released Monday. Fifty-two percent of voters said they would vote for Gallego, compared to 42 percent of respondents who said they would support Lake. Five percent of participants were unsure of who …

Reuters reports: TikTok faces new lawsuits filed by 13 U.S. states and the District of Columbia on Tuesday, accusing the popular social media platform of harming and failing to protect young people. The lawsuits filed separately in New York, California, the District of Columbia and 11 other states, expand Chinese-owned TikTok’s legal fight with U.S. regulators, and seek new financial …

Florida Politics reports: Another hurricane brings another unambiguous assertion of Floridians’ right to self-defense from the state’s Governor. “If you think you’re going to go in and loot, you got another thing coming,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a briefing at the state’s Emergency Operations Center. “If you go into somebody’s house after the storm passes, think that you’re going …

Fox News reports: New Jersey Senate candidate Curtis Bashaw, a Republican, appeared to freeze on Sunday during his debate against Democrat Rep. Andy Kim. The GOP candidate stopped speaking mid-sentence during his comments about affordability and appeared to look off into space. Kim was the first to rush over and check on Bashaw after noticing something was wrong. The debate …

CBS News reports: The Supreme Court on Monday turned away a clash between a federal emergency care law and Texas’ near-total ban on abortion, declining to provide clarity over whether states with the most restrictive laws must provide abortion care in certain emergency circumstances. The court’s rejection of the Biden administration’s appeal leaves in place a lower court decision that …

“Currently, Milton is expected to make landfall as a major hurricane on Florida’s Gulf coast. Milton’s anticipated strong winds, torrential rains, and devastating storm surge are likely to wreak havoc across much of Florida. “Although our state is familiar with the dangers posed by hurricanes, this major hurricane approaches toward Florida’s Gulf coast that recently endured severe impacts from major …

The Daily Beast reports: Argentina’s right wing libertarian president Javier Milei plagiarized a chunk of his recent address to the United Nations from an episode of The West Wing, according to reports in his home country. La Nacion columnist Carlos Pagni was the first to flag the striking similarity between Milei’s remarks and those by the fictional U.S. President Josiah …

The Meidas Touch reports: Since the abortion ballot initiative was first announced (Amendment 4), Ron DeSantis has been on a crusade to put the thumb on the scale to defeat it. The problem is that he continues to use the power of the state to do it. Now, DeSantis has taking his fascistic leanings to the next level. The Florida …

USA Today reports: Election officials and lawmakers are worried that U.S Postal Service delays could prevent thousands of ballots from being counted this year, in what could be an extremely close presidential contest. Election officials, lawmakers and postal officials are urging voters to mail ballots at least seven days before Election Day to ensure they are delivered with enough time …

Politico reports: The Supreme Court has agreed to decide whether the government of Mexico can sue the leading gun manufacturers in the U.S. for allegedly fueling drug cartel violence south of the border. The justices announced Friday that they will hear the gunmakers’ challenge to an appeals court ruling that would allow the unusual, $10 billion lawsuit to proceed in …

The Hill reports: Democrats increasingly suspect Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to interfere in U.S. domestic politics by ignoring President Biden’s calls to negotiate a peace deal in Gaza and by confronting Hezbollah and Iran weeks before the U.S. election. The rapidly escalating confrontation between Israel, Hezbollah and Hezbollah’s ally, Iran, has undercut Biden’s efforts to achieve peace …

Florida Politics reports: Barack Obama, who carried Florida in 2008 and 2012’s general elections, is endorsing Debbie Mucarsel-Powell in the latest sign that national Democrats believe Florida may be in play this election cycle. Obama offers aspirational rhetoric in his testimonial for the Ecuadorian-American candidate, telling Sunshine State voters the election is “too important to sit out,” while noting thematic …