Final weeks before midterms bring political stars to the campaign trail as early voting ramps up

October 18, 2026; 1 pm: 16 days away from midterms, nine million early votes have been cast across the U.S. and early voting begins in 14 new states this week. A new poll shows two out of three voters believe the president is using his office to enrich himself. Elon Musk pours hundreds of millions of dollars into Ken Paxton’s Senate campaign in Texas, through a Republican super PAC. President Trump faces backlash from his own party after blocking Russian sanctions that Congress passed last month. Vice President JD Vance is confronted about an American’s death in the Iran war. Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reacts to the five-day tenure of Katie Zacharia. ICE data shows detainee deaths tripled since the administration’s immigration crackdown began. A violent attack by Israeli settlers in the West Bank severely injures an American photojournalist. 

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