With the midterm elections now less than a fortnight away, the Trump administration is sharpening its rhetoric on voter fraud and leaving open the possibility of federal intervention in states’ certification of results. The Justice Department on Friday dispatched letters to California election officials, instructing them to flag potential noncitizens on the state’s voter rolls or face “significant federal scrutiny,” according to reports.
The move follows a DOJ lawsuit filed last week against California after state and local authorities declined to cross-check 20,000 names on the voter rolls against a Department of Homeland Security list of individuals flagged over citizenship concerns. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, speaking at a campaign event in New Hampshire on Sunday, accused President Trump of “trying to quite literally rig the election.”
“He’s trying to get our voting rolls,” Newsom said. “You can’t make this stuff up.”
Attorney General Todd Blanche, asked Thursday whether the department would step into state certification processes, declined to rule it out, citing a potential “doomsday scenario.” He added that the DOJ has no intention “to improperly interfere with elections or the state confirmation process or certification process.”
A day later, the department sued to block Alaska from verifying its election results, arguing that two candidates in the state’s Senate race sharing the same name could taint the outcome. Democrats swiftly condemned the suit as an effort by the Trump administration to control the contest between incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan (R) and former Rep. Mary Peltola (D). The Alaska dispute has already drawn sharp reactions, with critics calling it a desperate GOP power grab.
Blanche is scheduled to appear on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” and CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, while Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) will join NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”
Decision Desk HQ, a nonpartisan election handicapper, as of Saturday gave Democrats an 80 percent chance of retaking the House in November, but predicted a tighter Senate fight, with the party holding a 56 percent likelihood of winning the upper chamber. Democrats are already preparing for an anticipated takeover and weighing how they would confront the Trump administration if they regain the majority.
Trump told reporters Friday he would “veto everything” if Democrats win control of Congress. “You veto, veto, veto, and then they come and they say, ‘How do we get it done?’ And you make a deal,” the president said.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who has indicated he would not step down from leading Republicans in the lower chamber if his party loses its majority, will appear on Fox News’ “Fox News Sunday.”
Several candidates in key battleground races are also expected on the Sunday shows. Iowa Senate candidates Rep. Ashley Hinson (R) and state Rep. Josh Turek (D) will both appear on ABC News’ “This Week.” GOP Michigan Senate nominee Mike Rogers will join “Meet the Press,” while Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate state Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D) will appear on “Face the Nation.”
Although Ohio’s gubernatorial candidates are not slated for any Sunday talk shows, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy’s controversial campaign ad featuring Democratic opponent Amy Acton’s mother may still surface as a topic. The commercial sparked a media firestorm throughout the week. DDHQ lists the Ramaswamy-Acton race as leaning Democratic by about four points, and the Ohio Senate race places former Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, roughly the same distance ahead of Republican incumbent Sen. Jon Husted.
Meanwhile, fuel shortages caused by the ongoing Iran war continue to strain global energy supplies and heighten pressure on the Trump administration to address rising pump prices ahead of the midterms. On Thursday, the president signed an executive order aimed at lowering mortgage payments amid climbing borrowing costs. The order directs Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte to create a pilot program to cancel insurance premiums for government-backed mortgages once borrowers meet certain conditions, and establishes a task force to reduce home construction costs. The White House also announced Friday it was lifting tariffs on certain Canadian goods after the economic policies drew bipartisan criticism ahead of Nov. 3.
The New York Times reported Wednesday that American and Israeli militaries had developed plans for strikes after the midterms. The two countries launched initial strikes in the conflict on Feb. 28. A Friday U.S. intelligence memo signaled that Iranian plots to attack and kill Americans abroad had reached “advanced stages.”
In other international news, Ukrainian officials announced Saturday that Starshield satellite services had returned to normal speeds in the country after a controversial slowdown—reportedly ordered by billionaire Elon Musk—impaired their defense systems against Russia. In a social media statement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked “all Americans” and partners such as Congress, the State Department and Trump. “The speeds are now where they need to be,” Zelensky said. “The restoration began overnight, and by this morning, speeds were a…”
