August 2026 - POLITICAL NEWS

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When Gov. Mikie Sherrill on Tuesday announced that several thousand non-citizens were accidentally added to New Jersey’s voter rolls three years ago, she laid much of the blame on her predecessor and fellow Democrat, former Gov. Phil Murphy.

Sherrill said she was “appalled” by the last administration’s “reckless failures” and a lack of transparency that she’d only learned of the mishap last week.

Michigan Republicans haven’t had a better shot to win the governorship in over a decade. Deciding who should take it is turning into an ugly, hyper-online brawl. With widespread name recognition and an endorsement from President Donald Trump, Rep. John James appears poised to be the GOP nominee ahead of Michigan’s primary Tuesday.

Iran said Monday there are currently no direct talks with the United States, after President Donald Trump said negotiations would resume. Speaking at his weekly news conference, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran’s current negotiations are limited to Oman and focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz. “Our negotiations are with Oman. We are focused on an understanding on a route that will ensure the safe passage of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Baghaei said at a news conference, according to Iran’s state news agency IRNA. He added that “the focus of the negotiations with Oman will be on this issue,” while “the issues related to Iran and the United States should be examined in the next stages to see where the situation will go.”

Israel has shared “serious security concerns” with the White House regarding the proposed disarmament deal with Hamas, an Israeli official said as Israeli strikes overnight and into Sunday evening killed at least 17 people, including children, in Gaza.

The remarks by Doron Spielman, spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, were some of the first public comments since U.S. President Donald Trump announced the agreement.

Kay Granger, the first Republican woman from Texas to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and who served for nearly three decades, died Sunday at the age of 83, her son J.D. Granger said. House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a post on X that throughout her career, Granger “broke barriers for women in public service.” He added that she “was a dear friend who will be greatly missed.”

 The California Democratic Party on Sunday endorsed a November ballot measure to tax billionaires’ wealth, bucking Gov. Gavin Newsom and the influential labor unions that oppose it. The party’s executive board narrowly voted to back the measure after earlier votes to endorse it and remain neutral failed. Rep. Maxine Waters attended the board meeting in San Diego, encouraging key yes votes to get Proposition 40 over the finish line, according to three people with knowledge of her efforts granted anonymity to discuss the politically fraught issue. The measure had previously garnered few endorsements from high-ranking elected officials in the party, including just one member of California’s congressional delegation, Rep. Ro Khanna.

Senate appropriators released text Sunday of a stopgap funding bill to avert a shutdown come Oct. 1 and punt broader government funding negotiations until after the midterms.

Under the bipartisan plan, federal agencies would be funded through Dec. 11 at current levels, with some exceptions. Senate leaders have set an initial procedural vote for Monday night and want to pass the bill by the end of the week — just before senators are scheduled to leave town for a five-week recess.

Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) is being treated for non-life threatening injuries after a hit and run crash on Sunday, her office said. Kaptur was on her way to a church service when the car she was a passenger in was struck, her office said. When police responded to the scene at the intersection of Detroit and Central Avenues in Toledo at approximately 10:48 a.m., Kaptur and one other were transported to a nearby hospital, according to the Toledo Police Department. The second person transported to the hospital was Kegan Zimmermann, Kaptur’s campaign manager, and both are in stable condition, the police department added in a Sunday evening update.

He’s eating barbecue. He’s winning over Joe Rogan. He’s challenging his opponent to mano-a-mano televised faceoffs. James Talarico is determined not to let his GOP challenger Ken Paxton’s and Republicans’ attacks on his masculinity define him in what has emerged as one of the party’s loudest tactics in the crucial Senate race.

 Florida’s recent GOP stars have thrived on brash confrontations, political stunts, big personalities and a relentless media presence. And then there’s Sen. Ashley Moody’s quieter path to power. The Florida Republican poised to be at the top of the ticket in November has transformed herself into a reliable partisan warrior on policy. But unlike the GOP’s biggest Sunshine State names — including Gov. Ron DeSantis or her successor, state Attorney General James Uthmeier — Moody built her career without the pugnacious, ever-present persona that’s become synonymous with the state party. And that approach is worrying some Republicans.

The fight over data centers has suddenly become a defining battle in the race to run Kansas — on both sides of the aisle. Gubernatorial hopefuls are trying to leverage the issue to weaken their rivals in the final stretch before Tuesday’s primaries, with attack ads, dark money and accusations of flip-flopping roiling the race. Democratic state Sen. Cindy Holscher and GOP state Sen. Ty Masterson, two of the top contenders in their respective fields, are bearing the brunt of the criticism.

Gov. JB Pritzker emerged as the kingmaker in deep-blue Illinois after pouring millions of dollars and staking his political reputation to deliver his hand-picked Senate candidate a primary victory on Tuesday.

The result strengthens Pritzker’s standing within his party at a critical moment, as he prepares for a November gubernatorial campaign for his third term and looks ahead to a potential presidential run in 2028.