Politics

Axios reports: Brazil’s top judge lifted restrictions on the bank accounts of Elon Musk’s Starlink and X on Friday after more than $3 million dollars in fines were transferred, multiple outlets reported. It’s the latest in the standoff over misinformation vs. freedom of speech between Musk and Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who the billionaire has accused of acting as a …

Yahoo News reports: A strong performance in Tuesday’s debate has boosted Vice President Kamala Harris to her biggest lead yet over former President Donald Trump, according to a new Yahoo News/YouGov poll. In previous Yahoo News/YouGov polls — one following last month’s Democratic National Convention and one released immediately after the vice president entered the race on July 21 — …

The Associated Press reports: Pope Francis on Friday slammed both U.S. presidential candidates for what he called anti-life policies on abortion and migration, and he advised American Catholics to choose who they think is the “lesser evil” in the upcoming U.S. elections. “Both are against life, be it the one who kicks out migrants, or be it the one who …

Roll Call reports: The Senate is expected to take another vote on legislation next week that would expand access to and coverage of in vitro fertilization as Democrats look to pressure Republicans to take a stand on IVF policies former President Donald Trump has called for on the campaign trail. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., announced Thursday that …

NBC News reports: The two American astronauts stranded on the International Space Station through February said Friday they plan to vote in the November election from space. “I sent down my request for a ballot today,” one of the astronauts, Butch Wilmore, said on a call with reporters on Friday afternoon. “It’s a very important role that we play as …

Politico reports: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna is the lone Republican member of the Florida House delegation who won’t say how she’ll vote on the state’s abortion ballot referendum — even when pressed about it by POLITICO. “I think it’s a state’s rights issue,” she said in a brief interview on Capitol Hill in Washington on Thursday. Pressed again, she said, …

The Daily Beast reports: When Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz asked a rally crowd in Michigan if they had expected former President Donald Trump to burn part of Tuesday’s night’s presidential debate on false claims about pet-eating Haitian migrants in Ohio, the crowd responded by breaking out into chants of “we’re not eating cats.” The rebuke, recorded by journalists in attendance, …

The Associated Press reports: People began betting Thursday on which political party would win control of Congress in the November elections after a judge’s ruling allowing the wagers — the only ones to be legally approved by a U.S. jurisdiction. New York startup company Kalshi began taking what amounts to bets on the outcome of the November congressional elections after …

ABC News reports: New York City Police Commissioner Edward Caban is stepping down, multiple sources told ABC News. Word of the resignation came in a letter from Caban’s attorney to City Hall. The resignation is effective Friday. His resignation comes amid a federal investigation into possible corruption in New York City government that last week saw authorities seize cellphones belonging …

CBS News reports: Former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on Thursday endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president, writing in an op-ed of the “serious threat” Donald Trump poses to the rule of law. “As the United States approaches a critical election, I can’t sit quietly as Donald Trump — perhaps the most serious threat to the rule of law in …

Axios reports: Fraudulent petition signatures cited by the DeSantis administration as justification for its probe of Florida’s abortion rights referendum had already been rejected, according to a local elections supervisor. That means those signatures never counted toward the total required to put the measure before voters, Palm Beach County supervisor of elections Wendy Link, a Gov. Ron DeSantis appointee, tells …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: The first (and possibly only) presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump drew a substantially larger audience than a June debate between Trump and President Joe Biden. Early Nielsen ratings figures for Tuesday’s telecast, produced by ABC News but simulcast on multiple broadcast and cable networks, show the debate drawing about …

The Bipartisan Report reports: Taylor Swift, the popular singer, endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris — and her running mate, Tim Walz — this week. And in a message posted online, Swift included a link to a voter registration website, which according to new information, subsequently got some serious traffic. Swift is known for a particularly loyal, impassioned fanbase. Harris, …

The Associated Press reports: State and local election officials from across the country on Wednesday warned that problems with the nation’s mail delivery system threaten to disenfranchise voters in the upcoming presidential election, telling the head of the USPS that it hasn’t fixed persistent deficiencies. In an alarming letter, the officials said that over the past year, mailed ballots that …

The New York Times reports: Representative Joe Wilson, Republican of South Carolina, was taken to a hospital on Tuesday, according to a social media post. A post on Mr. Wilson’s official social media account confirmed that he experienced a medical emergency. “Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) was taken ill and is being evaluated at a local hospital in Washington, DC.,” the …

The Hill reports: A centrist House Democrat said Tuesday that he will back the Republicans’ short-term government funding bill if it hits the floor Wednesday, as scheduled, becoming the first Democrat to announce support for the controversial spending package. Rep. Jared Golden, a moderate Maine Democrat, noted that he’s already voted in favor of one of the most controversial pieces …

St. Louis’s ABC affiliate reports: The Missouri Supreme Court has overturned a lower court decision that would have removed a question on legalizing abortion from the November ballot. The court heard arguments Tuesday morning and Chief Justice Mary Russell issued a decision a little after 2 p.m. Tuesday. The judges voted by majority to reverse Cole County Circuit Judge Christopher …

The Associated Press reports: New Jersey has a new U.S. senator after the August resignation of Democrat Bob Menendez. Sen. George Helmy, a Democrat and former chief of staff to New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, was sworn in on Monday and will serve in office for about two months until the November election. Democratic Rep. Andy Kim and Republican hotelier …

The New York Times reports: An eccentric German princess who evolved from a 1980s punk style icon to a conservative Catholic known for hobnobbing with far-right figures said on Monday that she hosted Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. and his wife at her castle during a July 2023 music festival. Princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis also told The New …

The Tampa Bay Times reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis defended the use of his election police to question people who signed petitions for an amendment that would overturn the state’s six-week abortion ban, saying it’s part of an investigation that has already uncovered fraud. “They’re doing what they’re supposed to do,” DeSantis said when asked during a news conference in Miami …