Missouri’s redistricting mess created an election problem Supreme Court has days to untangle

2026-09-24 1:02pm EDT / Fox News

The Eighth Circuit paused its order until Sept. 28, opening a narrow window for Supreme Court intervention

By Elaine Mallon Fox News

Published September 24, 2026 1:02pm EDT | Updated September 24, 2026 1:24pm EDT

Legal ping-pong over Missouri election maps races toward another Supreme Court showdown

Former DOJ official Abhishek Kambli weighs in after a federal appeals court ordered Missouri to use its new congressional map, setting up a potential return trip to the Supreme Court.

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Missouri’s congressional map fight is hurtling toward another potential Supreme Court showdown, with courts at odds over which districts should govern the November election after more than 1.2 million Missourians voted in the August primary under a different map.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ruled Monday that Missouri must use its 2025 congressional map in November, finding that switching to the state’s 2022 districts after the primary would violate the U.S. Constitution. But the appeals court paused its order until Sept. 28, 2026, opening a narrow window for another visit to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Abhishek Kambli, a partner at Holtzman Vogel and former deputy associate attorney general at the Justice Department, told Fox News Digital the Supreme Court’s previous intervention does not necessarily signal how the justices will handle the latest ruling.

“It’s unpredictable how they’ll rule, mostly because we didn’t get their reasoning in the last order,” Kambli said. “So, we don’t know the precise reason why they decided to stay at that time.”

ELECTION CHAOS IN THIS RED STATE JUST GOT EVEN STRANGER FOR REPUBLICANS AFTER SUPREME COURT RULING

Missouri’s high court blocked the new redistricting map and ordered a statewide vote in November on whether to keep it.(AP Photo/David A. Lieb)

The Supreme Court previously stayed a federal district court’s temporary restraining order requiring Missouri to use the 2025 map. The Eighth Circuit has now directed the lower court to enter a permanent injunction requiring the newer districts, putting the dispute in a different procedural posture.

“So unless the Supreme Court steps in again, the state will be required to use the seven-one map for this election,” Kambli said.

Missouri held its Aug. 4, 2026, primary under the 2025 map. Roughly a month later, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that voters could challenge the map through a referendum, leaving the 2022 districts in place for the November election.

Kambli said switching congressional maps between the primary and general election raises serious constitutional concerns.

“You would have had a large number of Missourians who would have been disenfranchised because they voted for one set of candidates in the primary and will be voting for another set in the general,” Kambli said.

MISSOURI AG FILES PETITION ASKING SUPREME COURT TO REVIVE TRUMP-BACKED REDISTRICTING MAP

The maps show how Missouri’s congressional districts changed between 2022 and 2025, including the expansion of the Kansas City-area 5th District into more Republican-leaning rural parts of the state.(Missouri Office of Administration/Amanda Macias/Fox News Digital)

“And what’s even more concerning is sometimes those candidates are unopposed so that they miss their only chance to vote as a result of what the Missouri Supreme Court did here,” Kambli continued. “So that’s what’s really at issue — is whether everyone gets an equal voice in a situation where the primary election is integral to the electoral system of the state.”

But Yale law professor Akhil Amar and University of California, Davis, law professor Vikram Amar have argued the opposite. After the Supreme Court’s earlier stay, Vikram wrote on SCOTUSblog that using the 2025 map in November would not protect anyone’s right to vote if those lines were never legally in effect. Akhil agreed with his analysis.

“HB1’s district lines lack the force of law, full stop,” Vikram wrote. “These lines cannot be used wrongly in November just because they were previously used wrongly in the primary. Two wrongs do not make (or vindicate) a right (to vote).”

Meanwhile, Kambli placed much of the blame for the eleventh-hour legal scramble over which map to use on the Missouri Supreme Court, arguing the turmoil was “entirely preventable.”

VIRGINIA GOP, DEMS BATTLE IT OUT OVER REDISTRICTING BEFORE STATE SUPREME COURT

Kambli argued that the Missouri Supreme Court could have resolved the map dispute earlier, noting that the issue remained unsettled even after the candidate filing deadline passed.

Alicia Bannon, senior director of the Judiciary Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, pointed instead to delays by Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins as a key reason the dispute dragged on.

Opponents of the 2025 map submitted more than 300,000 signatures in December 2025, but Hoskins did not formally reject the referendum petition until Aug. 4, the day of the primary.

“Time passed. And passed further,” Bannon wrote for State Court Report. “As early as December 2025, Hoskins asserted in separate federal litigation that a referendum on redistricting was not authorized by the state constitution. But he held off on issuing a certificate on that basis — which would have triggered judicial review — instead going through a lengthy process of verifying petition signatures.”

Bannon wrote that the Missouri Supreme Court’s criticism of Hoskins’ delays stood out, particularly the court’s rejection of his argument that it had waited too long to intervene.

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Republican Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins is facing(Nick Wagner/The Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

The Missouri Supreme Court ultimately ruled that the referendum could proceed and faulted Hoskins for the delay, saying he had “created the confusion, expense, and practical difficulties of which he complains.”

Kambli argued the Purcell principle, under which federal courts generally avoid changing election rules close to Election Day because of the potential for disruption, weighs in favor of keeping the 2025 map because Missouri already used it for the primary.

“The Eighth Circuit said that the Purcell principles support the injunction, not go against it,” Kambli said.

Bannon also warned that courts being too cautious can create its own problems.

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“It’s an approach that’s understandable in some circumstances but can also incentivize shenanigans to evade judicial review while harming voters’ rights,” Bannon wrote.

Bannon suggested earlier court action in Missouri could have helped avoid the last-minute dispute, including by moving the primary or setting a firm deadline for the referendum petition.

But regardless of whether the Supreme Court decides to weigh in, the referendum will still be on the ballot.

“If the Supreme Court does not stay the Eighth Circuit injunction, there’s no doubt that the 7-1 map is what will be in effect for this election. There’s still going to be a referendum on the ballot deciding that issue for future elections, but for this one, that’s how it’ll be decided,” Kambli said.

Elaine Mallon is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business covering national politics.

Iran war powers measure falls short in Senate, despite new GOP support

September 24, 2026 2:45 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — The Senate rejected a resolution aimed at limiting President Trump’s war powers in Iran on Thursday, though the Democrat-led effort picked up one new GOP supporter.

In a 49 to 50 vote,four Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Thom Tillis of North Carolina — joined Democrats in voting to advance the measure. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the sole Democrat to oppose.

The concurrent resolution would have directed the president to “remove the use of United States Armed Forces from hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran or any part of its government or military, including potential ground forces in a combat role or used for occupation, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force against Iran.”

The House adopted it by a vote of 214 to 208 in July. As a concurrent resolution, it wouldn’t have been presented to the president for his signature and couldn’t have been vetoed. The War Powers Resolution of 1973 allows Congress to direct the president to remove troops through a concurrent resolution, but administrations of both parties have argued for decades that the process is unconstitutional and cannot bind the president.

Tillis, who’s leaving the Senate early next year, joined the other three Republicans in support of advancing the measure for the first time. He told reporters that he planned to vote in favor because 60 days had passed since the administration notified Congress in July that “military action” against Iran had restarted. The War Powers Resolution dictates that the president must notify Congress within 48 hours of the start of military hostilities, and caps any unauthorized engagement at 60 days, with an extra 30-day grace period if the president determines more time is necessary to safely withdraw U.S. forces.

The vote marked what’s expected to be the final chance to weigh in on the war powers ahead of the midterm elections. It comes as the war has surpassed the six-month mark, without an end in sight, and gas and diesel prices continue to surge.

Democrats have forced more than a dozen votes on efforts to rein in the president’s war powers in Iran since it began in late February. Most have fallen short, but the Senate advanced a measure, led by Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, with the support of four Republicans amid a handful of GOP absences in May.

Then in June, the same four Republicans joined Democrats to adopt a separate, House-passed resolution, which marked a symbolic rebuke of the president. As a concurrent resolution, it didn’t require the president’s signature. But a day later, after a contentious meeting with Mr. Trump, key Republicans shifted their votes, and an effort to further advance Kaine’s resolution fell short.

Democrats have remained bullish on the issue, pledging to continue their efforts to put pressure on Senate Republicans with the votes. Thursday’s vote marked the first time the Senate has weighed in since July.

Some Republicans running for reelection in competitive races have broken with the president on the war in recent days. Earlier this week, GOP candidates in key Senate races in Michigan and Iowa chimed in to call for a swift end to the war.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, told reporters earlier this week that there’s “voter fatigue” with high gas and diesel prices. He said he has encouraged Senate candidates to run their own campaigns, even if they disagree with the president on some issues.

“It’s an economic frustration,” Thune said. “That’s why again I hope that the administration is laser-focused on trying to get the strait open, get the shipping lanes opened up, and help out with that global energy supply.”

By Sunlen Serfaty

Updated 1 hr 46 min ago

Updated Sep 24, 2026, 2:16 PM ET

PUBLISHED Sep 24, 2026, 12:26 PM ET

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A model of President Donald Trump’s proposed triumphal arch to commemorate the country’s 250th anniversary is displayed at a public meeting of the Commission of Fine Arts at the National Building Museum on April 16 in Washington, DC.

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

The Trump administration has said it will end a key part of a review assessing the impact of the president’s proposed triumphal arch, effectively evading the federal historical preservation law that has been in place since 1966.

The analysis, known as a Section 106 review, usually requires independent groups that have an interest or expertise in historical preservation matters related to a project to sign off.

However, on Thursday, the Advisory Council on Historical Preservation, the federal agency charged with overseeing the review, said it would terminate the consulting process, essentially giving up on reaching an agreement.

In a letter to the Interior department announcing the move, it said it would instead invite the consulting parties to “participate in a meeting with the ACHP to verbally provide their comment” before asking the Interior secretary for “a final decision on the undertaking.”

The change allows President Donald Trump’s arch to bypass a significant hurdle in the approval process for getting built, but is almost certain to launch lawsuits over the legality of ending the review.

It also lays bare the administration’s desire to fast track the project, blowing past objections from experts, legal questions and criticism from the public. The ACHP’s move creates a glidepath to position the arch for final approval in early November.

The letter drew immediate criticism from multiple consulting parties, who told CNN they had not been given sufficient time to evaluate and give input.

“This truly is boundary busting, said Charles Birnbaum of the Cultural Landscape Foundation, a DC-based nonprofit which is among the parties. The administration’s position that “somehow there has been a process is an outright lie,” he said.

The consulting parties – a group of experts, state preservation officers and municipal authorities – were only given two meetings for the Section 106 review, a process that typically plays out over many months for projects of the size and scope of the arch. The most recent meeting, in early September, ended without an agreement as the parties said they needed more information.

Moreover, Trump’s announcement this week that he intends for the arch to double as a “military complex,” represents a significant change in the overall plan for the arch and necessitates more review, Birnbaum added.

Greg Werkheiser, attorney with Cultural Heritage Partners, PLLC, which has been involved in other lawsuits concerning proposed Trump projects, agreed.

“If we believe the president that he is turning his memorial arch into a military installation that stores ammunition and explosives, the Secretary of Interior will be permitting an entirely different project than the one the agencies and the public have been reviewing,” he said. “That’s a clear legal vulnerability.”

Questions over compliance with Section 106 of the National Historical Preservation Act have been at the heart of legal challenges concerning numerous projects Trump has sought to push through, including his proposed construction of a “triumphal arch,” putting his name on the Kennedy Center, the renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and his proposal to take over the public golf course at East Potomac Park.

The administration has tried to reshape the process by seeking to rewrite its requirements and stacking the ACHP with Trump-aligned members, CNN previously reported.

CNN has asked ACHP and the National Parks Service, to which the letter was addressed, for comment.

The next step now rests with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, who is expected to receive a request for his approval from the ACHP by October 7. And with his anticipated greenlight, the arch would be up for a final approval before the National Capital Planning Commission, the last step before breaking ground.

This story has been updated with additional information.

US Senate rejects resolution curbing Trump’s Iran war powers

2026-09-24T18:48:27.362Z / Reuters

blob:https://www.reuters.com/3c51fa3e-934b-41c8-8c61-274724999fcc

A person maintains the grounds in front of the U.S. Capitol building, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 3, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper

WASHINGTON, Sept 24 (Reuters) – The US Senate ​on Thursday narrowly ‌rejected a Democratic-led resolution aiming to ​stop the ​Iran war until hostilities ⁠are authorized ​by Congress.

The Senate ​voted 50 to 49 to reject the resolution, ​which had ​passed the House of ‌Representatives ⁠in July. The vote was largely along party ​lines, ​with ⁠most of President Donald ​Trump’s Republicans rejecting ​the ⁠measure and almost every Democrat ⁠voting ​for ​it.

The Misinformation Monitor newsletter rounds up international misinformation narratives, with a “Real or Fake?” quiz in every edition. Sign up here.

Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing ​by Chris Reese

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Canadian PM Carney says he was prepared for Trump ordering invasion

September 24, 2026 1:57pm EDT / Fox News

The Canadian prime minister told The New York Times he weighed the possibility after Trump called Canada the 51st state

By Anders Hagstrom Fox News

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says he prepared for the “extreme tail risk” that the U.S. would invade Canada amid recent trade tensions.

Carney made the statement in an interview with The New York Times published Wednesday, saying he weighed the possibility after President Donald Trump began referring to Canada as the 51st state.

“I think you have a responsibility in these roles to look at extreme tail risk. That’s just risk management. That’s not a base case,” Carney told the Times, arguing that “it would be irresponsible not to.”

CANADIAN PM TELLS TRUMP TO ‘STOP TRYING TO BE TOUGH’ IN TRADE FIGHT

Mark Carney, Canada’s prime minister, speaks during a news conference in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, March 27, 2025.(David Kawai/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Trade tensions between the U.S. and Canada have continued to escalate over the past year, with Trump levying increased tariffs and Canada responding in kind.

Carney admitted in a video statement earlier this month that Canada had come to overly rely on its economic relationship with the U.S. in recent decades.

FORMER BIDEN AMBASSADOR BLAMES TRUMP FOR CANADA PLAYING ‘FOOTSIE’ WITH CHINA

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is greeted by President Donald Trump as he arrives at the West Wing of the White House May 6, 2025, in Washington.(AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

“The past 40 years has been a period of deeper economic integration with the United States. Truth is, it was easy business, but it meant we relied too much on one economic partner. It’s clear that time is over,” Carney said.

“This is why our plan, since I came into office, has been development and diversification, not denial, waiting to go back to some good old days and not continued dependence.”

FEARS OF A CANADIAN TRADE WAR ARE OVERBLOWN; SO FAR, IT’S MORE OF A SKIRMISH

Trump last week dismissed reports that Canada may be joining the European Union as an associate member, saying the U.S. could impose heavy tariffs on Europe if he believed such a “laughable” move was made with “bad intention.”

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney delivers a speech at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting held in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 20, 2026.(Harun Ozalp/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“I think it’s laughable,” Trump responded. “If they do that, if I think it’s at all a hostile act, I will put very serious tariffs or stop trading with Europe on many things.

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“If Europe does that with a bad intention — if it’s a good intention, that’s fine — if it’s a bad intention, we’ll put very heavy tariffs on Europe.”

Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events.

‘I want to stop and take in this extraordinary moment.’ Dana Bash on media ban during visit by Chinese President Xi

2:23 PM EDT, Thu September 24, 2026 / By Dana Bash, CNN

‘I want to stop and take in this extraordinary moment.’ Dana Bash on media ban during visit by Chinese President Xi

Inside Politics

Brian Stelter joins Dana Bash on Inside Politics to discuss the big picture of President Trump’s days-long ban on CNN and two other media outlets, as he is welcoming Chinese President Xi Jinping to the White House.

Why the bond market is freaking out, and what it means for your money

September 24, 2026 / 3:08 PM EDT / CBS News

The bond market is flashing red. The yield on the 30-year Treasury note reached 5.44% on Wednesday, its highest level since 2004, before slipping slightly on Thursday morning. The 10-year Treasury, which influences mortgage rates, briefly neared 5.15% on Thursday morning, a level it last reached in 2001.

Yields had already risen amid concerns about inflation and growing U.S. debt. They jumped further on Wednesday after stronger-than-expected economic data led investors to price in additional interest-rate hikes as the Federal Reserve battles inflation. Several members of the central bank’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), which sets rates, also signaled this week that they favor further increases.

“Four burners, all on high”

Wall Street analysts said investors are increasingly concerned about a protracted conflict in the Middle East, with the U.S. and Iran exchanging fresh threats at this week’s United Nations General Assembly in New York. Prolonged tensions could keep oil prices elevated, stoking inflation and increasing pressure on the Fed to raise its benchmark interest rate, economists said.

On top of that, weak demand for a 5-year Treasury note auction on Wednesday forced the U.S. government to dangle higher yields to attract buyers. Bond yields and prices move in opposite directions, with rising yields signaling that investors are seeking higher returns as investments grow increasingly risky.

“When the world’s largest borrower has to raise its price to find buyers, you MUST pay attention,” said Mark Malek, the chief investment officer at Siebert Financial, in an email. “Yields don’t only rise because the Fed says so. They rise when lenders demand more to lend — and every mortgage, corporate bond and small-business loan in America is ultimately priced off that same benchmark.”

He added, “Growth, oil, a hawkish Fed and reluctant buyers. Four burners, all on high, all at once.”

Investors are bracing for higher inflation after diesel prices in the U.S. hit a record high of $6.53 a gallon on Tuesday. Diesel is widely used in agriculture, trucking and construction, and economists warn that surging prices could seep into other parts of the economy, such as food and retail goods that must be shipped to stores across the country.

The Federal Reserve earlier this month raised interest rates for the first time since 2023, as Chairman Kevin Warsh underlined the central bank’s goal of nudging inflation closer to its 2% annual target. Inflation, which had been approaching 2% at the start of the year, reignited after the Iran war drove up global oil prices. The Consumer Price Index stood at 3.4% on an annual basis in August.

Returning consumer prices to the Fed’s preferred 2% pace could take years, with FOMC members earlier this month predicting that inflation may not dip to that level until 2029. Inflation could also continue to rise by year-end, reaching 3.7% in the fourth quarter, according to their median projections.

The jump in bond yields this week “is driven by inflation and the belief that it’s going to take a lot more Fed rate hikes to curb it,” Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, said in an email.

Traders of interest rate futures see a 70% chance of a quarter-point rate hike at the Fed’s October meeting, followed by a 56% likelihood of another increase at its December meeting, according to CME FedWatch. (The FOMC doesn’t have a rate-setting meeting in November.)

Those two additional hikes would bring the Fed’s benchmark to between 4.25% and 4.5%, or about 0.75 percentage points higher than where it stood at the start of September. Some analysts also expect the Fed to further lift rates in 2027.

Economy heating up

The bond market got a major jolt on Wednesday after purchasing managers’ data showed that U.S. business activity is growing at its fastest pace in years, while costs for corporate America are also rising quickly.

On Thursday, a government report showed that fewer U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week, further strengthening expectations for the economy. A hotter economy could add to inflationary pressures, while a solid job market gives the Fed more leeway to raise borrowing costs.

Typically, the Fed turns to interest rate hikes to temper inflation and cool the economy. That’s because higher borrowing costs tend to reduce consumer spending and business investment, slowing economic growth.

When unemployment is high, however, the Fed may cut interest rates to drive spending and make it cheaper for businesses to borrow and hire workers. The recent data showing a strengthening economy, combined with steady job growth, could open the door to more rate hikes, experts said.

“The biggest market risk right now may not be weak growth but excessive heat,” Malek noted. “Strong economic activity is welcome, but it makes the Fed’s inflation problem considerably harder.”

What does it mean for your money?

Higher borrowing costs make it more expensive to buy a home or car, use credit cards or tap other forms of debt. This week, the average rate for the 30-year mortgage surpassed 7%, its highest level in almost two years.

“On Main Street, this is yet another part of the affordability crunch,” Long said.

Savers may modestly benefit if the Fed further boosts rates. Banks typically increase rates on savings accounts and CDs when the Fed raises its benchmark rate, though the increases vary by bank. Some savings accounts now offer annual percentage yields above 4%.

Higher yields also make newly issued bonds and short-term Treasuries more attractive to investors, while putting pressure on stocks, experts noted. But that can put pressure on the equity market if investors shift money away from stocks.

“Cash and short-term Treasuries have become legitimate portfolio competitors again,” Malek said. “When investors can earn close to 5% without taking equity risk, every risky asset must clear a much higher hurdle.”

Edited by Alain Sherter

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/mortgage-rates-surpass-7-for-first-time-in-2-years/

Mortgage rates surpass 7% for first time in 2 years amid inflation, Iran war

(02:51)

Foreign leader on Putin’s doorstep sounds alarm over Iran fueling Moscow’s war machine

2026-09-24T15:00:36-04:00 / Fox News

President Edgars Rinkēvičs confirmed parliament approved deploying explosive ordnance disposal divers to the coalition

By Efrat Lachter Fox News

Published September 24, 2026 3:00pm EDT | Updated September 24, 2026 2:30pm EDT

Latvia’s president warns of Russia-Iran military cooperation, backs US effort in Strait of Hormuz

President Edgars Rinkēvičs tells Fox News Digital Latvia has made a political decision to support a U.S.-led coalition in the Middle East, while warning that Russia’s hybrid attacks against Europe are intensifying.

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UNITED NATIONS— Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs warned Wednesday that military cooperation between Russia and Iran poses a growing security concern, telling Fox News Digital in an on-camera interview that Iranian drone technology has helped Moscow wage war in Ukraine as Latvia prepares to contribute to a U.S.-led effort in the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, Rinkēvičs said Latvia, a country of approximately 1.84 million and still a core member of NATO’s eastern flank, has already made the political decision to send military specialists to support international operations in the Middle East in response to President Donald Trump’s request for European assistance.

“Yes, I am concerned. Actually, we have already seen Iran helping Russia a lot, especially at the very beginning of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine,” Rinkēvičs said when asked about the growing cooperation between Moscow and Tehran.

PUTIN AND IRAN ‘NEED EACH OTHER DESPERATELY,’ EXPERT SAYS, AS RUSSIA VOICES SUPPORT FOR REGIME

Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs speaks with reporters during U.N. General Assembly High-Level Week in New York City.(Brooke Curto/Fox News Digital)

“The first drones Iranian made, or Iranian-designed drones, were used by Russia. Now Russians are actually modernizing them, making completely new technologies. But, actually, the design is still Iranian.”

Earlier this week, Fox News Digital revealed documents obtained from the Russian Foreign Ministry detailing a roadmap between Russia and Iran for cooperation between 2024-2026 in multiple fields, including nuclear, finance and aviation, as well as infrastructure.

Asked whether Europe should take a more active role in countering Iran’s military activities and respond to Trump’s call for support, Rinkēvičs confirmed that Latvia has already taken steps toward joining an international effort in the Strait of Hormuz.

BATTLE-TESTED ZELENSKYY SOUNDS CHILLING ALARM ON WHERE PUTIN’S WAR COULD HEAD NEXT

Soldiers walk along a road near a training range in Pabradė, north of the capital Vilnius, Lithuania, March 27, 2025.(AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)

“From our side, we have already made a parliamentary decision. That our EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) diver specialists could be sent to the Strait of Hormuz or to the Middle East to help out the United States, the coalition that is being formed,” he said.

Rinkēvičs said Latvia hopes military activities will give way to a political solution and the restoration of global energy supplies, while expressing skepticism about the prospects for negotiations with Tehran and Moscow.

“It’s very, very difficult to have diplomacy with Iran. It’s very difficult with Russia,” he said.

Turning to the security situation in Europe, Rinkēvičs said Latvia does not see evidence of an imminent Russian military invasion despite growing concerns about Moscow’s intentions toward NATO’s eastern flank.

“If Russia were able to attack us … that would have happened already,” he said. “The Russian military is not the same as it used to be back in 2022. Remember they tried to take Kyiv in three days. They are still trying to take some certain small pieces of Ukrainian territory 4½ years after the full-fledged.”

IRAN’S DRONE HUNT ESCALATES AS TEHRAN TARGETS US SPY TECH TO EXPOSE BATTLEFIELD SECRETS

Iran conducts joint military exercises with Russia in the Strait of Hormuz after the U.S. deployed surveillance drones.(Iranian Army/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Explaining the immediate threat to Latvia comes instead from sabotage, cyberattacks and information campaigns, which he described as intensifying, adding that European leaders face the difficult task of preparing their populations for potential threats without creating unnecessary panic.

Rinkēvičs also warned that NATO must accelerate its adaptation to the rapidly changing nature of warfare, particularly the growing role of drones and missile technology.

While traditional military equipment, including tanks and armored personnel carriers, remains essential, the president said the war in Ukraine has demonstrated how quickly new technologies are transforming the battlefield.

The president welcomed increased NATO defense spending, crediting Trump’s push for greater investment, but cautioned that additional funding alone would not resolve the alliance’s military readiness challenges.

“You have money, but not always you can buy the stuff immediately, or at least you can order things. And they are delivered soon enough,” he said.

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U.S. Army soldiers march during a military parade on Armed Forces Day in Vilnius. Armed Forces Day honors the restoration of the Lithuania armed forces on Nov. 23, 1918.(Yauhen Yerchak/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Rinkēvičs said he plans to meet with U.S. defense companies during his visit to the U.S., saying, “When it comes to the U.S. support, let me just say that the United States does an amazing job already. We do have U.S. troops, not big numbers, but I think sufficient numbers are now stationed in our airbase in Lielvārde.

“U.S. presence in the Baltics is very important, and we are working with our U.S. partners about further rotations.”

Efrat (Effie) Lachter is a reporter for Fox News Digital with more than 15 years of experience covering conflict, global affairs, human rights and political accountability.She has directed and produced more than 200 documentary segments across more than 40 countries, documenting conflicts, humanitarian crises, corruption, human trafficking, gender-based violence and the human stories behind major world events.

Lachter’s reporting has taken her into conflict zones and crisis areas across the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Africa. Her work has included uncovering human trafficking networks, revealing an ISIS underground torture prison in Syria, documenting the war in Ukraine and interviewing senior political figures and world leaders. She was also among the Western journalists who entered Russia after the war began to bring testimonies from Putin’s opposition. Lachter is the recipient of the 2022 Peres Center for Peace Award and was a 2023–2024 Knight-Wallace Journalism Fellow at the University of Michigan. She also won two Rockower Awards for Excellence in Reporting. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication and a master’s degree in political science.

Republicans in tough races are suddenly concerned about ICE, too

2026-09-24T17:13:10.201Z / https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/24/politics/republicans-suddenly-concerned-about-ice

One of the surest signs that Republicans are quite concerned about the 2026 midterm elections is the sudden onslaught of them distancing themselves from President Donald Trump and his unpopular policies. They’ve called for an end to the Iran war, criticized his tariffs and removed Trump references from their website.

And now we can add another one to the list: They’re suddenly taking issue with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

And that includes some of the agency’s strongest allies.

An ICE enforcement operation in Kansas drew some concerned statements from both of the state’s GOP senators on Wednesday. And in Maine, congressional candidate Paul LePage is crying foul over what he said was the wrongful deportation of a family member.

The situation is Kansas is still fluid, but ICE appears to be targeting cities in the southwestern portion of the state with large populations working in the meatpacking industry. The enforcement actions drew statements urging care from both Sens. Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall – the latter of whom is perhaps the most surprisingly vulnerable GOP senator right now.

After local officials cried foul over the lack of coordination, and both businesses and schools struggled to deal with the upheaval, Moran and Marshall each issued statements urging ICE to coordinate better.

“When ICE operates in Kansas, it needs to coordinate with our local law enforcement,” Marshall posted on X. “Our sheriffs and police know these communities better than anyone, and working together keeps officers and residents safe.”

He added that he was “closely following what’s happening in SW Kansas” and has been in touch with Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin.

Marshall’s comments are particularly notable given his past commentary about ICE.

While Moran raised concerns about the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis in January, Marshall went in a very different direction.

A week after Good was killed, Marshall told CNN’s Jake Tapper that “sometimes there’s collateral damage” and that “we could be just as easily talking about the death of ICE agents.”

Two days later, he told Fox Business Network that “we’re grateful for all the ICE officers in there risking their lives.”

He continued praising ICE in the months that followed and, in March, authored an op-ed defending how ICE carries out apprehensions.

The story is similar with LePage in Maine.

The former governor has a long history of strident immigration views, including criticizing asylum-seekers in his state as liabilities who bring disease and drain public resources.

And after an ICE agent shot and killed a man in Biddeford, Maine, in July, LePage cautioned that law enforcement are “often in situations where they have to make split-second decisions.” He also accused the other side of trying “to politicize this incident to try and perpetuate illegal immigration.”

But this week, LePage held a press conference where he accused ICE of wrongfully moving to deport his son’s father-in-law, despite his having a work permit.

LePage said the man is “being deported because he came from a country that’s not liked by certain people in Washington.”

“That’s not right,” LePage said.

He also called for ICE to focus more on “people in the gangs and criminals.”

The comments from Marshall and LePage come after some Republicans from heavily Hispanic congressional districts recently distanced themselves from Trump’s deportation policies.

That made sense for Reps. Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida and Monica De La Cruz of Texas, given polls showing Hispanics have swung hard against Trump over the past two years.

But it’s perhaps more telling to see this dynamic stretch into Kansas, which Trump won by 16 points in 2024, and Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, which Trump won by nine points. And that’s especially given the prior rhetoric of some of the GOP lawmakers who are suddenly expressing concern.

Of course, as with the long-unpopular Iran war, the writing has been on the wall when it comes to Americans’ concerns about ICE and Trump’s deportations for a while now.

A July CNN poll showed three-quarters of Americans said ICE uses force inappropriately at least “sometimes,” including 54% who said it happens “often.” A Quinnipiac University poll at the time showed registered voters disapproved of ICE 60%-37%.

But elections have a tendency to make people suddenly notice problems from which they might have previously averted their gaze.

Netanyahu says “shame on you” to Mamdani, claims “Jews no longer feel safe in New York”

2026-09-24T15:52:09-0400 / CBS News

By Caitlin Yilek Politics Reporter
Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at CBSNews.com, based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.

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Washington — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu berated New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Thursday in a contentious address to the United Nations General Assembly that saw many delegates walk out before it even began.

Netanyahu accused Mamdani, a longtime critic of Israel and supporter of Palestinian independence, of being antisemitic. The mayor has insisted in the past that he opposes “hate or bigotry of any kind.”

“Mr. Mamdani, since you were elected mayor of the city, many Jews no longer feel safe in New York,” Netanyahu said in his U.N. address. “They talk to me. They tell me, ‘This is not the city we remember.’”

“Shame on you,” Netanyahu said. “Shame on you for distorting the facts, shame on you for inverting victim and aggressor, shame on you for spitting in the face of truth.”

During his mayoral campaign, Mamdani vowed to carry out an international arrest warrant against the Israeli leader on his next visit to the city, declaring him a war criminal in response to Israel’s actions in Gaza. But Mamdani conceded in July that New York officials did not have the legal authority to arrest Netanyahu.

Netanyahu’s address to the U.N. marks the first time he has visited New York since Mamdani took office in January.

Netanyahu, who denies accusations of genocide in Gaza, also addressed Mamdani’s criticism of his government.

“You falsely, repeatedly accuse Israel of genocide,” Netanyahu said. “You try to stop me from coming here. You try to silence me. Well, you can’t silence me. You can’t silence the truth. Here’s a simple truth: Israel didn’t commit genocide. Israel prevented genocide.”

In a statement after the address, Mamdani said: “As he has done time and again, Prime Minister Netanyahu used his speech to repeat baseless lies meant to sanitize his genocide of Palestinians. Yet no lie can change the fact that he remains the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant alleging war crimes and crimes against humanity.”

Shortly before Netanyahu took the stage, Mamdani shared a https://x.com/NYCMayor/status/2103179404234924328?s=20 about planting an olive tree at Gracie Mansion with Palestinian families from Gaza.

“May peace be our future,” he said.