Transcript: David Becker on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Nov. 1, 2026

Updated on: November 1, 2026 / 2:52 PM EST / CBS News

The following is the transcript of the interview with David Becker, CBS News election law contributor and the executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Nov. 1, 2026.

MARGARET BRENNAN: And we’re joined now by our CBS News election law contributor and the executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, David Becker. David, good to have you here. So each state- they have their own systems, their own timeline for poll closings–

CBS NEWS ELECTION LAW CONTRIBUTOR DAVID BECKER: Right.

MARGARET BRENNAN: –and for vote counting. Some places, early votes already in, but when will we know results?

: Well, we’re going to know results, not because of the factor of how fast states are counting- look, the election officials in every county in every state are going to be working all night long trying to get the ballots reported out. The biggest variable is how close the elections are, because when you talk to someone like Anthony Salvanto, who will tell you if it’s really close, they just need more ballots in before they can make a call to say for sure the person in second place can’t come in- can’t win the race. So, in a lot of states where we haven’t seen close elections before, we’re going to see close elections in all likelihood, and it might take days. A day like- a state like Alaska in particular, where they’re already well behind Eastern Time, they’ve got very remote voting all over the place. They’re going to bring ballots in from all over the place to count them. And if the election’s really close, it could be several days. That’s normal. And everything that’s going on in the election offices all over the country is under observation. There are Republican and Democratic observers at all times watching the ballots counted, watching the mail ballots being opened, et cetera. So people should know there’s nothing going on. This is just the normal process and elections might be close. It might take a few days.

MARGARET BRENNAN: And who are those monitors?

: Usually people who are appointed by the parties, either the Democratic or Republican Party, representing candidates in many times or campaigns. That’s very normal. That’s the way it was in 2020. Even during COVID, there were literally thousands upon thousands of monitors and observers all over the place. So the parties are well represented. They’re seeing everything that’s going on, and as soon as the results come in and we see them, they’re aware of them.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Let’s talk about Alaska. It is ranked choice voting. It’s a little different in that way. This morning on CNN, Republican Dan Sullivan, the incumbent senator, said he will accept the results of the election if he loses. As we discussed on this program last Sunday with Attorney General Todd Blanche, the Justice Department is seeking to stop certification of a possible Democratic win due to ballot confusion with what the New York Times has reported is this Democratic scheme to stack the ballot in accusing- in a confusing way to disadvantage the senator. Yesterday, just to update everyone, Alaska’s Republican-led state government urged a federal judge to dismiss–

: That’s right.

MARGARET BRENNAN: –the lawsuit that the DOJ filed. They said it was meritless.

: That’s right.

MARGARET BRENNAN: So, doesn’t this need to be settled by a federal judge before election day?

: It really does, and I mean, it’d be nice if a federal judge dismisses the DOJ’s lawsuit, as so many courts have across the country in these last-minute lawsuits that have been brought seemingly, mainly to create an impression of chaos. They’re failing, but in Alaska in particular, it would be nice if we got a federal court ruling. We might get one, but Alaska’s courts have ruled on this, including their Supreme Court.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Right.

: They ruled that both Dan Sullivans can be on the ballot. We’ve shown- seen the ballot. You’ve shown the ballot before. It’s pretty clear that the Alaska Division of Elections, run by the Lieutenant Governor- Governor, there, a Republican, has done a really good job of making it as- as unconfusing as it can be. And with that ranked choice voting, if- even if someone still wasn’t sure and they ranked both Dan Sullivan’s first and second, by the second round, all of those votes would go to the- to the- whatever candidate got the most, presumably the incumbent senator. I’m not surprised Senator Sullivan says he will accept the results. Of course, this is Alaska defending its state sovereignty and its right and authority over elections in the state of Alaska, as guaranteed by the United States Constitution. It’s good to see the Republican governor and Republican lieutenant governor there in Alaska defending their sovereignty as strongly as they are.

MARGARET BRENNAN: But even Democrats, as I’ve said before, have said this does look bad. This looks like dirty pool. Looks like they’re playing dirty.

: There’s dirty pool. Both parties do this. It shouldn’t happen. Right now, in Nevada, there are two candidates named Ford running for governor, we’re not sure what the circumstances of that are. One of them is the major Democratic candidate. We’ve seen Elon Musk bankroll Cornel West’s presidential campaign in 2024. These kinds of things shouldn’t happen, I don’t think there’s any question, but it’s pretty normal politics, unfortunately. And Alaska’s courts and Alaska state law has already ruled on this.

MARGARET BRENNAN: There are other states, California, Washington state, where we’re seeing federal scrutiny. What are you monitoring here?

: Well, what’s really remarkable is there’s so much last-minute litigation alleging- allegedly non- non-citizens on the voter lists, alleging problems with the process coming from the DOJ. This Department of Justice has been in power for nearly two years. They have had the full power of the federal government to investigate any claims. And as you heard from Governor Shapiro, when they’ve made political statements on this in the press, when they’ve been asked to show their work, they’ve hid the ball. They have not shared information with California, with Pennsylvania, with other states. And now they bring these last-minute lawsuits, and they are being rejected soundly by every court, including by Trump-appointed judges in most cases. I think this is a good sign. I think this is a good sign that the administration is running out of gas here on this effort to sow confusion in the election, and the courts are holding firm. And most importantly, the election officials are holding firm. As you and I are talking right now, the last time I checked, it was over 53 million ballots already cast all over this country.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Wow.

: We’re going to see- the record, by the way, in a midterm election is 118 million ballots cast. We are definitely going to get well over half that before the- before election day even comes. We might see a record turnout. It looks like that’s highly possible. We’re certainly seeing it in places like Texas, where 7.7 million ballots have already been cast as we’re sitting here talking.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Wow.

: And their record for a midterm election is 8.375 million total. So they’re about- they’re just over about 600,000 or so ballots away from their highest turnout ever, and we are days before the election. Election day hasn’t even happened yet. That’s remarkable.

MARGARET BRENNAN: That’s fascinating level of participation.

: Yeah.

MARGARET BRENNAN: David, thank you for breaking it down. And I know we’ll be talking to you in the days and weeks to come. We’ll be back in a moment.

November 1, 2026 / 1:13 PM EST / CBS News

The following is the transcript of the interview with Sen. Bernie Sanders, Independent of Vermont, that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Nov. 1, 2026.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Good morning, and welcome to Face the Nation. We are just hours away from voters in 50 states going to the polls for an election that could shift the balance of power here in Washington. We begin with someone who has been on the campaign trail quite a bit, although he is not up for reelection. That’s Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, who joins us from Burlington. Good morning to you, Senator.

SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): Good morning.

MARGARET BRENNAN: I’ve been told you’ve hosted telerallies, town halls for Maine and Michigan this weekend. Troy Jackson, Abdul El-Sayed. You’re focused as well on Florida and Minnesota. Why Florida, since it is likely GOP according to CBS numbers, and CBS also rates Minnesota as likely Dem. Why focus there?

SEN. SANDERS: Well, I don’t take anything for granted. I think Angie Nixon in Florida is running a great grassroots campaign. She pulled off a huge upset in the Democratic primary. I think she has a real chance to win the general election. She is mobilizing working-class people all over this country, and she’s talking about the right issues. And those issues are true in Minnesota. They’re true in Florida. They’re true in Vermont. People are disgusted and frustrated with an economy in which the billionaires have never ever had it so good. Elon Musk now owns more wealth alone than the bottom 53% of American households, while millions of people today are struggling to put food on the table, pay for, you know, pay to fill up their gas tanks, pay for rent. So what Angie is talking about, what Troy is talking about is an economy that works for all. That’s resonating.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, out in Michigan, there appears some inner Democratic Party squabbles that are ongoing here around the Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. There was a back and forth over the weekend with Congresswoman Haley Stevens. She lost the primary, but she continues to make public her deep misgivings about backing him now, citing concerns about his ads and his views on Israel. At this point, is the Democratic Party just too divided to pull off a win in Michigan? Is it getting in its own way?

SEN. SANDERS: No, I think- No, I think the over, you know, Haley Stevens lost a very, very close primary. I can understand being upset about that, but I think two days before the election, where people all over Michigan understand that this is the most important midterm election, perhaps in the history of the United States, because we are taking on the most dangerous president that we’ve ever had, somebody who’s an authoritarian, does not believe in the Constitution or the rule of law, who wants to give massive tax breaks to billionaires, throw 15 million people off their health care, that they had started an illegal, unconstitutional war in Iran. So, what the people in Michigan understand, sure, we have disagreements with Abdul on this or that issue, but from what I can see, all over the state people are standing up. They’re going to stand with Abdul, take on somebody who will be nothing more than a rubber stamp for the Trump administration. That’s Mike Rogers.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay, just want to clarify there Haley Stevens has been criticizing ads associated and endorsing Abdul Sayed [sic] that he has said are- are not his ads, but she’s still criticizing him for them.

SEN. SANDERS: Right. But, I–

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah go ahead.

SEN. SANDERS: Right, and he had nothing to do with those ads.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Right.

SEN. SANDERS: But Margaret, I was in Michigan last week–

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.

SEN. SANDERS: –and I got to tell you, if you want to look at ads in Michigan, I have never in my life seen such disgusting, racist, fearmongering ads as those that are taking place in Michigan right now. They are calling Abdul El-Sayed, who is a medical doctor, they’re calling him a terrorist, a jihadist, really disgusting things. And the- the fact that any Republican would stand behind those horrible ads is a disgrace.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, the rhetoric is extraordinary. El-Sayed would be America’s first sitting Muslim senator if he pulls off a win here. He has been accused, though, of ties to a Sunni Islamist group known as the mother- Muslim Brotherhood. He has distanced himself. He has disavowed it. But I want to play for our viewers something. Senator Cruz of Texas warned against El-Sayed being given any access to classified intelligence if he wins. Listen.

[BEGIN SOUND ON TAPE]

TED CRUZ: And if I am correct that he is a passionate supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, there is a very real risk that Americans will die as a result.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Michigan does not need a senator who’s on the side of the terrorists.

BERNIE MORENO: This character Abdul El-Sayed can be nowhere near Washington D.C. Do you think he understands that concept that our rights come from God Almighty? That Jesus came here for our salvation.

[END SOUND ON TAPE]

MARGARET BRENNAN: Senator, do you think that El-Sayed could actually govern if his colleagues in the Senate are this vitriolic?

SEN. SANDERS: I mean that- I just got to say, what Cruz and Trump and Vance and others are saying is disgusting. It really is. And again, I don’t care if you disagree with Abdul- he believes in Medicare for all, he believes in taxing billionaires. Fine, you disagree with him on that, that’s fine. But that level of racism, overt, absolute racism, is frankly disgusting and should appall every decent American. The fact of the matter is that Abdul is running an extraordinary campaign, and I think what you’re going to see is a good victory in Michigan for him. People will rebel against that type of ugliness.

MARGARET BRENNAN: I appreciate your clarity when it comes to racism. I do want to point out that some Americans hear any criticism of sending aid to Israel and the words that the candidate has used as anti-Jewish hate, and they believe that that’s scapegoating as well. How do you respond to that?

SEN. SANDERS: Well, you know, for me, it’s a little bit personal. I am Jewish. My father’s family was wiped out by Hitler. Anti-Semitism is an extraordinarily disgusting and dangerous ideology that has killed millions and millions of lives in the last century. We cannot tolerate anti-Semitism period. But the reality is that right now in Israel you have a right-wing extremist government led by Netanyahu, who, in my view, and the view of many experts, has in fact committed genocide against the Palestinian people. To be critical of a racist extremist government in Israel, and to say that American taxpayers should not spend a nickel supporting that government is not anti-Semitism, it is attacking a right-wing government, and I would say the same about any other government on earth. Does not reflect the nature of the religion of the people who are in that country.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Got it.

SEN. SANDERS: So I reject that. You can criticize Netanyahu, and you’re not anti-Semitic.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Got it. I want to ask you about the next Congress. Senator Dan Sullivan told CNN today that he will accept the results in the Alaska U.S. Senate race, the certification of which the Justice Department has said it may challenge. But we’re already hearing from Republican Senator Tim Sheehy of Montana, that there “was fraud perpetrated against the people of Alaska, and under no circumstances should Mary Peltola be seated if she wins in a fraudulent manner.” She argues, as you know, she has no knowledge of this Democratic effort to stack the ballot in Alaska from- and to hurt the incumbent, though an aide told the New York Times that the candidate did indeed know. Bottom line: What do you expect the Senate to do if she wins? And does all this mess really hurt the Democratic argument that they have a moral high ground on election integrity?

SEN. SANDERS: Yeah, frankly, what the Democrats did in Alaska seems to me to be pretty dumb, but it goes- this is- it’s not illegal. It’s what happens in every election. Right now in Ohio, there is a gentleman who is running, who is, as I understand it, don’t know him, claiming to be a socialist, fine. And Republican Super PAC is putting money into his election. So why in Ohio is a Republican, a right-wing super PAC, funding a socialist? The answer is obviously- obvious. They want to take votes away from Sherrod Brown. Is this a good thing to do? No, it is not a good thing to do. It’s a stupid thing to do–

MARGARET BRENNAN: Should there be an investigation–

SEN. SANDERS: –What’s going on in Alaska is–

MARGARET BRENNAN: –of Alaska?

SEN. SANDERS: No, that’s the decision- The federal government does not get involved in state elections. And you have a president who, in fact, denied that he lost the election in 2020 against Biden. For him to be deciding what is a fair election or not is a little bit absurd. People of Alaska can make that decision themselves.

MARGARET BRENNAN: All right, Senator Bernie Sanders, thank you very much for your time today.

Judge tosses DOJ lawsuit seeking to delay certification of Alaska Senate race

Updated on: November 1, 2026 / 2:04 PM EST / CBS News

A federal judge in Alaska has thrown out the Trump administration’s lawsuit seeking to block certification of the state’s Senate election results in this week’s midterm elections if the Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan loses.

U.S. District Judge Sharon L. Gleason wrote in a 20-page order Sunday that the Justice Department did not have proper legal standing to bring the suit last week. The suit asked Gleason to block the state’s election results from being certified because a teacher named Daniel J. Sullivan is also on the state’s ballot, alleging that his candidacy deliberately sought to confuse voters by running with the same ballot name and party affiliation as the state’s incumbent senator.

The Justice Department argued that Daniel J. Sullivan’s name on the ballot potentially diverted voters, and the Democrat running in the race, Mary Peltola, would benefit as a result.

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Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, hands out candy at a Halloween event outside the Big Lake Lions Club, on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in Big Lake, Alaska. AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson

Gleason said she could not grant the injunction that the Trump administration sought “because the United States has failed to establish the redressability prerequisite for Article III standing.”

“More fundamentally, the United States provides no workable plan as to how it proposes to segregate ballots cast for Daniel J. Sullivan on Election Day and then conduct a court-ordered unspecified ‘investigation’ of those ballots in a manner that would preserve voter secrecy,” Gleason wrote, adding that the Justice Department “failed to satisfy its burden to show that its alleged injury is redressable by a court order.”

A Justice Department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The suit, which argues Sullivan’s candidacy violates the National Voter Registration Act, was amended on Thursday to include recent reporting by The New York Times on alleged efforts by people associated with Peltola’s campaign to find candidates who could draw votes away from the Republican senator. It included a second claim for relief, arguing the court needs to intervene under the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause in order to allow the government to enforce the law and prevent a “conspiracy.”

Peltola’s campaign responded to the Times story by saying the campaign “has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign.””I am not interested in tricking voters,” Peltola said during a recent campaign event.

In addition to the civil lawsuit, the Justice Department is also criminally investigating an alleged plot to add Daniel J. Sullivan to the state’s ballot and has issued subpoenas targeting several Democratic officials believed to be tied to the effort to recruit him to appear on Alaska’s ballot. Nobody in the race has been charged with a crime.

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‘Squad’ rakes in record $2.35M while slamming the door on cop donations

The joint fundraising committee for Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, Pressley and Tlaib also blocks fossil fuel and corporate PAC money

By Amanda Macias / Fox News Published November 1, 2026 12:50pm EST

New report exposes wealthy donors bankrolling far-left progressive candidates

Panelists Meghan Hays and Tiffany Smiley discuss how Democratic socialist candidates receive millions in progressive political contributions on ‘America Reports.’

Hey cops, your money’s no good here.

A joint fundraising committee for four progressive House Democrats has raised a record $2.35 million so far this election cycle, while barring donations from the Fraternal Order of Police, according to federal filings and the committee’s disclosure.

The Squad Victory Fund is authorized by Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.; Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.; Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.; and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich. The fundraising gives the four lawmakers and their allied political groups a shared vehicle to collect and distribute campaign contributions.

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ILHAN OMAR’S WEALTH SCANDAL TAKES A TURN JUST ONE DAY AFTER RAID OF HER DC HOME

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“Squad” members of Congress Tlaib, Omar and Ocasio-Cortez.(AP Photo/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades, File; Photo by Scott Heins/Getty Images; AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

The fund’s donor rules also make clear which groups it says it will not accept money from, and one is the Fraternal Order of Police, the nation’s largest police organization. It also bars donations from corporations, federal lobbyists and fossil fuel interests. The disclosure does not explain the FOP exclusion.

SOCIALIST PRIMARY SWEEP SPARKS LAUNCH OF NEW RESOURCE LAYING OUT WHAT’S AT STAKE IN 2026

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The Squad Victory Fund says it will not accept contributions from the Fraternal Order of Police, the nation’s largest police organization.(Tom Brenner/The Washington Post/Getty Images)

The fund’s other participants include four allied PACs. Contributions are generally divided equally among the eight participants, with each slated to receive 12.5%, though donors may designate their contributions for a specific participant.

The fund has raised $2,351,388.02 in the 2025–2026 election cycle, its highest total to date, according to its FEC summary.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez departs following a vote at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., US, on July 22, 2026.(Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Through March 31, 2026, it had spent about $1.6 million and reported roughly $68,000 in cash on hand. The committee remains active, so those figures may change.

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Contributions are not tax-deductible, the disclosure notes.

Amanda Macias covers the intersection of business, economics and politics, with a focus on how policy decisions shape markets, businesses and American workers.

Rep. Stevens breaks with Dems to endorse Michigan GOP Senate nominee

By Christian Sierra, CNN

Published 1:24 PM EST, Sun November 1, 2026

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Democratic Congresswoman Haley Stevens appeared with MI Republican senate candidate Mike Rogers at a Detroit, MI church service and endorsed his candidacy.

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Democrat Haley Stevens endorses GOP Senate nominee Mike Rogers at Detroit church

The Michigan congresswoman attended the Perfecting Church service after Abdul El-Sayed’s campaign withdrew her invitation

By Amanda Macias / Fox News
Published November 1, 2026 12:04pm EST | Updated November 1, 2026 1:12pm EST

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WATCH LIVE: Dem Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed speaks after Rep. Haley Stevens endorses Mike Rogers

Dem Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed speaks after Rep. Haley Stevens endorses Mike Rogers

Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., endorsed Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers on Sunday amid Democratic infighting that has roiled the Michigan Senate race.

The endorsement came on the heels of Stevens’ appearance alongside Rogers at Detroit’s Perfecting Church, where Fox News confirmed she attended a service. Stevens lost in the primary to fellow Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, and has been critical of his unwillingness to condemn the overt antisemitism of some of his supporters.

“Hey Michigan, as you may have seen, our Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Abdul [El-Sayed] said that I was no longer welcome in his campaign and that I should stay away and he’s right. And that’s why I’m endorsing Mike Rogers for the United States Senate today,” Stevens said in a video posted on X.

Stevens said she remains “a very proud Democrat” who loves Michigan but could not support El-Sayed, citing his backing from political streamer Hasan Piker.

“I’m honored to have Haley Stevens support today. I’m honored to have earned that vote,” Rogers told reporters gathered outside the church. “This is more a statement about standing together against hate and the future of this state and this country than it is anything else,” he added.

The appearance came after Stevens was disinvited from a planned church event with El-Sayed, the man who narrowly defeated her in Michigan’s August Democratic primary.

The reversal left Stevens at the same church as Rogers, El-Sayed’s Republican opponent.

HALEY STEVENS RIPPED BY FELLOW DEMS FOR REFUSING TO EXPLICITLY BACK EL-SAYED: ‘STAY THE F— OFF TELEVISION’

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Democrat Rep. Haley Stevens appears alongside GOP rival Mike Rogers at a Detroit church on Nov. 1, 2026.(Courtesy of Rogers for Senate)

Stevens has pressed El-Sayed to condemn an outside group’s ad linking U.S. support for Israel to higher grocery prices, which she called antisemitic.

El-Sayed said the ad was not produced by his campaign and that he disagreed with its contents.

Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., who helped organize the planned appearance, said Stevens was asked to skip it after the dispute became a distraction and upset the church’s bishop.

FORMER RIVAL DODGES FULL-THROATED EL-SAYED ENDORSEMENT AFTER BITTER SENATE PRIMARY

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Rep. Haley Stevens of Michigan and Abdul El-Sayed faced off in the Aug. 4, 2026, Democratic Senate primary in the Great Lakes battleground state.(Evan Cobb for The Washington Post via Getty Images; Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

El-Sayed’s campaign also asked Stevens to stay away from its remaining events.

Stevens fiancé, Jason Turkish, has previously endorsed Rogers and appeared at a Rogers campaign event, saying he could not support El-Sayed because of his positions on Israel.

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Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has faced criticism over his stance on Israel, but some Jewish leaders think members of their community should put aside their differences and vote for him.(USA Today Network via Reuters Connect)

The dispute has put a spotlight on Democratic divisions in a close Senate race that could help determine control of the chamber.

Amanda Macias covers the intersection of business, economics and politics, with a focus on how policy decisions shape markets, businesses and American workers.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6407755270112

Judge throws out DOJ attempt to delay certification of Alaska Senate race

PUBLISHED Nov 1, 2026, 12:57 PM ET / Updated Nov 1, 2026, 2:50 PM ET / CNN

By https://news-multimedia-1393112320.cos.ap-guangzhou.myqcloud.com/160314165432-dan-berman-profile.jpg[Dan Berman], https://news-multimedia-1393112320.cos.ap-guangzhou.myqcloud.com/cnn-placeholder-image.jpeg[Tierney Sneed], https://news-multimedia-1393112320.cos.ap-guangzhou.myqcloud.com/170706100242-jeremy-herb.jpg[Jeremy Herb]

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Voters cast their ballots at a polling station at Midtown Mall on October 31 in Anchorage, Alaska.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

A federal judge on Sunday threw out the Justice Department’s lawsuit seeking to segregate ballots and delay certification of Alaska’s Senate race, the latest legal rebuke to a rash of Trump administration attempts to meddle in the 2026 midterms.

US District Judge Sharon Gleason said the federal government doesn’t have the standing to force Alaska to segregate ballots and that such a move would violate the right of voters to cast a secret ballot. Regardless, she added, it’s too late for the courts to force such a major change on the eve of an election.

The Trump administration in its suit argued the presence of a spoiler candidate with the same name as the GOP incumbent warranted a court-ordered investigation into the results if Sen. Dan S. Sullivan lost.

Gleason, a nominee of former President Barack Obama, wrote, “The United States provides no workable plan as to how it proposes to segregate ballots cast for Daniel J. Sullivan on Election Day and then conduct a court-ordered unspecified ‘investigation’ of those ballots in a manner that would preserve voter secrecy,”

The ruling is the latest legal setback for the Trump administration in its efforts to inject itself in to states’ voting processes in the final days of the midterm elections. A federal appeals court on Friday rejected a Justice Department demand that California election officials set aside ballots from 20,000 people the administration claims could be noncitizens.

A Justice Department spokesperson said Sunday that the Trump administration would appeal the Alaska ruling, while DOJ could appeal the California decision to the Supreme Court.

“Alaskan voters deserve a fair election, not to be misled in an attempt to rig outcomes,” the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, the courts have also imposed restrictions on the Trump administration’s efforts to hunt for alleged voter fraud and on the DOJ’s threats to local election officials that they could face criminal penalties over noncitizen voting. A federal judge late Friday imposed a sweeping emergency order restricting the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security from demanding that election officials in any state segregate ballots, purge voters from voter rolls, or halt ballot processing.

US District Judge Trina Thompson, an appointee of President Joe Biden, also ruled that the Trump administration cannot “threaten, intimidate or coerce” election officials to demand changes in ballot processing procedures on claims voters are ineligible. The Justice Department has appealed the ruling.

New allegations in Alaska Senate race

The Alaska Senate race, in which Democrat Mary Peltola is trying to unseat Sullivan, was roiled this week by a New York Times report with new details about Democratic involvement in getting Daniel J. Sullivan onto the ballot in a race that could determine which party controls the Senate.

While the civil case played out, the Justice Department also accelerated its criminal probe into the alleged Democratic efforts, and the state’s Republican governor ordered an investigation, while suggesting he could oppose certification depending on the results of the probe.

Alaska officials, Democratic groups and nonpartisan voter advocacy organizations that all opposed the DOJ lawsuit argued the administration had no legal right to drag a federal court into a dispute over Daniel J. Sullivan’s candidacy that had been settled with state court litigation several months ago.

They argued the DOJ put forward no evidence that voters were confused by his inclusion — particularly as election administrators included several identifiers on the ballot to distinguish him from Sen. Sullivan.

While the Justice Department argued in its lawsuit that the presence of two Sullivans could confuse voters, Gleason wrote in her decision Sunday that voters in fact would be confused if Alaska segregated Daniel J. Sullivan ballots as the Justice Department sought.

“Clearly, if this Court were to order that certain ballots will be segregated and subject to a future and as yet unspecified investigation by law enforcement, it would likely result in voter, ‘confusion and consequent incentive to remain away from the polls,’” Gleason wrote. “Such late-breaking changes to the election rules are strongly disfavored.”

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNN’s Hannah Rabinowitz contributed to this report.

US calls Turkey-Libya maritime deal ‘unhelpful and provocative’ amid regional backlash

November 1, 2026 11:49am EST / Fox News

Turkish FM reportedly says it’s ‘an entirely legitimate deal, both from a legal and a statutory perspective’

By Benjamin WeinthalFox News

The Trump State Department denounced the recent eastern Mediterranean maritime agreement between NATO member Turkey and the fractured Libyan state.

The Turkey-Libya dealhas also caused frustration and anger among many nations because they say it rewrote the established sea borders of the sensitive Mediterranean Sea region, where large deposits of gas might be located.

The Eastern Libyan parliament approved the maritime accord in mid-October. The region is ruled by military leader Khalifa Haftar, who has formed an alliance with Turkey — the maritime deal ignores Libya’s internationally recognized government in Tripoli in the northwestern part of the oil-rich country.

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A U.S. State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital: “The announcement of the ratification of the Turkish-Libyan delimitation memorandum of understanding has raised tensions in the region and is unhelpful and provocative — and our position on this matter has not changed.”

BILLION-DOLLAR POWER LINK CONNECTING ISRAEL TO EUROPE HITS ROADBLOCK IN BITTER REGIONAL FEUD

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Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a press conference at the NATO summit on June 25, 2025, in The Hague, Netherlands.(Pierre Crom/Getty Images)

The spokesperson added: “We encourage all countries, including partners in the Eastern Mediterranean, to resolve maritime disputes through good-faith negotiations and avoid any provocative behavior. Greece and Türkiye are both NATO allies. We encourage them to engage bilaterally to address any areas of disagreement.”

According to the spokesperson, “Peaceful resolution of such disputes opens the way for commercial investment and exploration that will benefit the entire region.”

According to the Turkish news agency Anadolu Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Wednesday said the maritime agreement between Turkey and Libya was “entirely legitimate” and not in violation of international law.

He added: “This is an entirely legitimate agreement, both from a legal and a political perspective. There is no need to debate it.”

Reuters reported Fidan also shot back at critics of the deal. “There are countries reacting to this. We know why they are reacting. Some are doing so because they need to, some really do have strategic problems with this issue. ​ However, this is an entirely legitimate deal, both from a legal and a statutory perspective. ​There is no need to argue this.”

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NETANYAHU WARNS TURKEY SHOULD NOT GET F-35S, CITING ERDOĞAN’S HOSTILITY TOWARD NATO ALLIES

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Libya’s military strongman Khalifa Haftar, center, attends a conference for the country’s development and reconstruction on Sept 2024.(Khaled Nasraoui/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)

Fox News Digital sought comment from both Turkey and Libya but did not get a response by time of publication.

Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs George Gerapetritis angrily wrote on his ministry’s website that, “The memorandum will not be implemented. And it will not be implemented for the simple reason that it produces no legal effects whatsoever, as it is entirely contrary to international law.” He added, “Türkiye had established a system of influence in Libya, essentially seeking to advance its own interests” and the Turkish media has ramped up its anti-Greece rhetoric. “There is a constant stream of reports pushing the Turkish government to become even more aggressive.”

Endy Zemenides, the executive director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council, told Fox News Digital that the Turkey-Libya agreement “absolutely” endangers the security of the U.S. and its allies.

He said: “This memorandum specifically infringes on U.S. companies and U.S. energy policy. It effectively denies maritime rights and zones of Crete. Crete is NATO’s southernmost base. And the U.S. has been increasingly relied upon because of wars in the Mideast.” He noted that the American companies Exxon and Chevron are present in Crete.

US-BACKED ISRAEL-MOROCCO DEAL DEEPENS ABRAHAM ACCORDS AMID GROWING REGIONAL THREATS

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A drilling platform is seen from Larnaca port, in the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus.(Petros Karadjias, File/AP)

Zemenides said the Turkey-Libya deal is a way of pushing the U.S. out of the region. The U.S. has not been able to rely on Turkey for a decade, said Zemenides. He continued that “allowing Turkey to challenge the pro-Western order” is not good for American interests.

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The European Union invoked unusually strong language targeting the deal, declaring it in violation of maritime law.

“The EU position regarding the MoU is firm and clear. As outlined in the European Council Conclusions of December 2019 and reiterated in June 2025, the Türkiye-Libya Memorandum of Understanding infringes upon the sovereign rights of third States and does not comply with the Law of the Sea. It is null and void and cannot produce any legal consequences for third States.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

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An oil and gas platform off the coast of Libya in the Mediterranean in the area of Bahr Essalam Gas Field and Bouri Oilfield, Feb. 25, 2022, Libya.(Europa Press via AP)

Israel also blasted Turkey and Libya. The Jewish state has developed a troika alliance with both Greece and Cyprus. Israel’s foreign ministry said on X it “strongly condemns the decision of the Libyan House of Representatives to ratify the Maritime Jurisdiction Memorandum between Turkey and Libya.”

Israel’s foreign ministry added on X, “This agreement infringes upon the sovereign rights of our close allies in the region. Regretfully, once again we see Turkey working to destabilize the east Mediterranean region.”

Reuters contributed to this report.

Benjamin Weinthal reports on Israel, Iran, Syria, Turkey and Europe. You can follow Benjamin on Twitter @BenWeinthal, and email him at benjamin.weinthal@fox.com

Democratic leaders enter the midterms ‘confident and paranoid’

2026-11-01T17:00:15.084Z / CNN

Virginia Beach, Virginia—

No part of a rolling, decadelong existential crisis is ever easy, even when things seem on the cusp of going well — and especially when Democrats have had their hopes raised and dashed so many times.

“It’s a little bit of deja vu,” said Elaine Luria, who in 2018 flipped Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District in the Democratic midterm wave during Donald Trump’s first term, held onto it in a squeaker in 2020 to help make up a slim majority, lost it in 2022 as part of Republicans winning their own small majority, and is now running to get it back.

“If you see how people are feeling today, the energy on the ground — the second time around living through this hell of the Trump administration … people want change,” Luria said. “They can’t take it anymore.”

The path to a Democratic majority runs through this district, Luria said onstage in the small theater of Batten University. Early voting data suggests Democrats are outperforming Republicans. The energy within the party is bubbling.

Internal polls described to CNN have Democratic leaders already smiling about how the midterms seem to be ending, even as they will bare-knuckle through the results as they come in Tuesday. They will enter the midterms with a 9-point advantage over Republicans in the generic congressional ballot, according to CNN’s Poll of Polls.

“Republicans are closing talking about ballrooms and backsides. That’s the disarray the Republicans are in,” said New York Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader who joined Luria on Saturday, taking a swipe at Trump’s remake of the White House and his reviews of Republican physiques.

After Jeffries spoke, the crowd filed out grabbing signs and other campaign material, heading out to knock a few more doors. Jeffries was heading to a plane to try to save the seat of Rep. Shomari Figures, whose Alabama district Republicans targeted after the Supreme Court’s decision hollowing out the Voting Rights Act this spring.

“There are going to be so many close races that you can’t predict — my guess is at least 20, the loser will get 49% — so it’s just going to be difficult to predict,” said Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia as he left the Luria rally, describing himself as upbeat but unsure.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen chaired the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm in 2018, when the party successfully defended several Senate seats it had been projected to lose while falling short of a majority. The Maryland senator said those elections were dominated by distraught Democrats talking about “the resistance.”

This year, as he’s been out campaigning from New Mexico to Georgia to New Hampshire, Van Hollen said, he’s been seeing a broader turn from those who backed Trump for a second term because they wanted the lower prices and end to foreign wars he promised.

“This time what’s different is on these promises that candidate Trump made that helped him win votes among his coalition, he’s done a 180,” Van Hollen told CNN.

Rahm Emanuel, the former Chicago mayor and congressman who helped oversee the campaigns that led to the midterms romp during George W. Bush’s second term, said the sense he’s getting from voters is different from 2006. He believes there is a backlash from Americans enraged by corruption, particularly among Black and Latino voters.

In 2006, “the emotion was disappointed, tired,” Emanuel said. “Here, it’s anger and bitterness. And that tells you something about the motivation.”

That doesn’t mean Emanuel is going into Tuesday fully confident that the polls aren’t missing the level of support for Trump and Republicans and that turnout won’t bring surprises as the precinct breakdowns come in.

“I keep checking to make sure we’re not all talking to each other. So I’m walking around looking for anything, ‘Please give me a negative,’” Emanuel said. To his fellow Democrats anxious that they’re about to be disappointed again, Emanuel added, “You might be right, but you may want to use that energy in a productive way rather than sitting around. Text, email, phone call, stand in the middle of the highway. I don’t care what you do, but just use it. There’s nothing productive getting done by being sitting there and being nervous.”

Operatives in both parties have been stunned at the cynicism coming across in focus groups, spanning every geographic, demographic, age and political category. Politics is, to many, seen as a game for the insiders in a world that looks more and more like a playground for the rich and powerful, with everyone else left behind while their costs go up and their lives get worse.

The candidates are hearing it all on the trail, in supermarket aisles, or when showing up to vote early themselves. Anger, disappointment, abandonment — that’s what’s coursing through American voters as they head to the polls.

“Confident and paranoid” is how Washington state Rep. Suzan DelBene, the chair of the House Democrats’ campaign arm, described her mindset going into Tuesday.

Netting the three seats that would put her party in the majority seems a given to DelBene — but then again, she went through the final days of the election two years ago, when the majority also felt in reach. The paranoia, she says, comes from the ways she can see Trump trying to interfere with the election results.

DelBene ticked through conversations she’s been having on the trail, from an early voting center in an Ohio district that Democrats believe they can hold to a Meals on Wheels location in an Arizona district they are hoping to flip. At every stop, she says, the economic pain is palpable. At every stop, she tries to get voters to believe that Democrats are ready to come in with some real solutions.

Voting early last week, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb said he talked to a woman who was lamenting how the price of her groceries and prescriptions have gone up. She brought her whole family with her to the polling place. To her, that seemed like the only thing to do. But Bibb said he’s worried Democrats gleeful about big wins are going to misunderstand why she and others bothered to give voting one more chance.

He understands the cynicism out in the country, Bibb said. He hopes other Democrats do too, and he’s already starting to organize with fellow mayors on how to press Washington, DC, to respond if and when the results come in as he’s hoping.

“We can’t miss this moment with just hearings and impeachment proceedings,” Bibb said. “People need to see their pocketbooks improve.”

Before anyone starts counting committee chairmanships, Van Hollen said, first they need to actually win. As he stumps around the country, the senator often ends by telling the story of the 2017 races for the Virginia House of Delegates. At the end, control was decided by one seat, and the election of that seat was a tie, leaving it decided under state law by a game of chance —in the case, drawing slips of paper out of a bowl. Republicans won.

“I would not rely on these polls,” Van Hollen said. “My plea is: Don’t take anything for granted, don’t let control come down to one campaign.”

That can be hard for the voters and candidates and leaders alike. DelBene says she’s been spending the final stretch of the campaign doing a lot of pep talks.

“It’s a very stressful time. Folks are tired. They’ve been working incredibly hard,” DelBene said. “I have a lot of conversations with folks just to say, ‘Keep going.’ The one thing about an election is: There is an end date.”