Virginia state Sen. L. Louise Lucas, who long advocated for the legalization of marijuana, indicted on drug and money laundering charges. cnn.it/4dVdmcN

Democrats have a 10-point advantage over Republicans nationwide in voters' choice in their own congressional district, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS. President Donald Trump's approval rating sits at 33% among US adults, the CNN Poll of Polls average shows, and cost-of-living concerns, including the economic fallout from the war with Iran, weigh heavily on many voters' minds. But the red makeup of this year's Senate map should not be underestimated. cnn.it/4dTgsOn

The Trump administration told a judge that construction on the president's controversial 250-foot triumphal arch could begin in just two weeks, days after the midterm elections. cnn.it/4eb0gID

A federal judge has ordered the Department of Homeland Security to stop certain investigative actions in its hunt for noncitizen voters, writing that the department's efforts rely on faulty data that includes US citizens legally allowed to vote. cnn.it/4z4Vrcb

Michigan and Kansas held some of the final major Senate debates of the 2026 midterm elections on Wednesday night. And they were a study in contrasts. Takeaways from the two crucial debates: cnn.it/4izjKJi

The State Department publicly warns Americans about violence in parts of Latin America. Privately, it tells officers reviewing asylum claims a different story, according to internal documents reviewed by CNN. cnn.it/487HldZ

Supreme Court blocks President Trump from suspending hormone therapy and other treatments for transgender inmates in federal prisons. cnn.it/4k9ywaQ

For Democrat Scott Colom, his quest to win a US Senate seat in Mississippi is a long shot but not a lost cause. The 43-year-old local district attorney is hoping to topple Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in a deep-red state that hasn't sent a Democrat to the chamber in nearly four decades or elected a Black candidate in a statewide race since the Reconstruction era. President Donald Trump won the state two years ago by 23 points. cnn.it/4ByoKWe

The Democratic Party, riding a tide of anti-Donald Trump sentiment, enters the final stretch of the midterm campaign with a 10-point advantage over Republicans nationwide in voters' choice in their own congressional district, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS. cnn.it/485O0p0

Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire former mayor of New York City, is spending about $80 million between September and Election Day to support Democrats in the midterms, his team said, providing a significant boost to the party in the closing stretch of the campaign season. cnn.it/3UIq6Nn

With a narrowing window for harsh political winds to shift, Trump and Republicans have seized on the violence as they make their final arguments to American voters. This could happen here, Trump warned his crowd at his rally in Kansas this week, if Democrats win in November's midterms. cnn.it/4846syn

Several Trump administration officials, advisers and close allies describe a toxic mix of jockeying for power and preemptive finger-pointing ahead of the midterms. "It's more brutal than any other situation in modern times in the White House," said one Trump ally. "You can't trust anybody here." cnn.it/4i4HtzC

Some political leaders wonder whether Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has garnered sufficient enthusiasm among Black voters at this stage in the race. “In a close race, even a sliver of doubt about Abdul could lead to defeat,” one prominent Black leader told CNN, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss concerns frankly. “And this race feels far closer than it should.” cnn.it/4ixBGE0

The Ohio governor's race is being roiled by a new video in which the estranged mother of the Democratic nominee, Amy Acton, urges people not to vote for her. cnn.it/4jrJB6V

The Federal Emergency Management Agency sought to acquire two executive jets upgraded with military technology for agency leaders even as the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, has struggled to put multiple planes it has purchased to use. cnn.it/4irVYil

Investigators have interviewed Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar's sister, Sahra Noor, according to a law enforcement source familiar with the matter. It comes as the Justice Department is investigating the Democratic congresswoman, focusing on immigration fraud related to suspected false statements made on government paperwork and a potential conspiracy, CNN previously reported. CNN has reached out to lawyers for Omar and attempted to reach Noor for comment. cnn.it/3VXzXzb

Vice President JD Vance declined to say whether he endorses Benjamin Netanyahu for reelection, after President Donald Trump recently threw his support behind the Israeli prime minister. cnn.it/4iuHJcv

The Muslim Brotherhood has become a flashpoint in Michigan’s Senate race, with Republicans trying to cast Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed as sympathetic to interests connected to Islamic terror and El-Sayed arguing that he is being unfairly accused of the same “dual loyalties” that former Presidents John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama once were. cnn.it/4k4xwES