Trump's political groups spend nearly $277 million in late midterm blitz on behalf of GOP candidates

By: Jill Colvin, Associated Press · Thomas Beaumont, Associated Press

21 October 2026 at 22:29

President Donald Trump's political groups have spent more than one-quarter of a billion dollars to bolster Republicans in the final stretch of this year's midterm elections, an unprecedented amount for a sitting president that underscores the stakes on Nov. 3.

How the Kansas Senate race became surprisingly competitive

PBS NewsHour - The Latest

By: William Brangham · Leila Jackson

20 October 2026 at 23:40

At a rally in Kansas on Monday, President Trump looked to boost Republican Sen. Roger Marshall in his reelection bid. Marshall faces a surprisingly close race with his Democratic challenger, Pastor Adam Hamilton. William Brangham discusses the Senate race with Jared Cerullo of PBS Kansas, the host of the weekly current affairs show, "Kansas Week."

Republicans push back on Donald Trump’s wavering support for Ukraine

The Guardian - Europe

By: Ariana Baio in New York

20 October 2026 at 18:32

GOP lawmakers threaten to pull support for president’s agenda after Russia diesel deal and sanctions pause

US politics live – latest updates

A handful of Republicans have spoken out against Donald Trump’s softening stance on Russia, threatening to pull financial support for his agenda over his “embarrassing” handling of the Ukraine war.

Don Bacon, an outgoing congressman in Nebraska, condemned Trump’s actions – which include a stunning agreement to buy Russian diesel and the pausing of sanctions on Moscow – as “absolutely disgraceful” and accused the US president of cozying up to a “war criminal” in Vladimir Putin, his Russian counterpart.

The Guardian view on Trump and Putin: Ukraine’s future is not theirs to bargain away | Editorial

The Guardian - Europe

By: Editorial

19 October 2026 at 18:25

Russia wants America and China to decide Ukraine’s future without Kyiv. Europe must challenge this dangerous return to diplomacy of the strong for the strong

Does Vladimir Putin know exactly how to play Donald Trump? The history of chummy phone calls, high-profile meetings and attempts to bring Russia in from the cold certainly suggests that Moscow’s thuggish ruler has a hold on this American president. If Mr Trump agrees to negotiate Ukraine’s future with Mr Putin and China’s Xi Jinping without Ukraine at the table, he will have handed the Russian leader a victory before talks begin. The message will be that strongmen are ruling the world and determining the fate of weaker nations.

Ukraine has the right to determine its future. That right cannot be waved away by a self-serving Russian proposal, however much it indulges Mr Trump’s belief that world affairs should be settled by powerful men. The scales are falling from European eyes. Trumpian America is raising doubts about whether it will help deter aggression or even honour its Nato commitments. If Washington now rewards Moscow and pressures Ukraine to accept a raw deal, it would be a betrayal. European governments would wonder where America might be in the future when their own security is threatened.

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