Republicans

A new NBC News poll shows President Donald Trump's approval rating falling to 41% among registered voters, a second-term low, with 55% disapproving. More voters are also criticizing his handling of the economy, a shift that matters as the closely watched midterm elections approach and both parties gauge voter sentiment heading into the campaign season.

This week in U.S. politics, President Trump is confronting growing defections from within his own Republican Party, while preparing for a summit with China. A separate feud with the press is also drawing attention. Analysts are watching whether intra-party dissent will weaken Trump's position heading into high-stakes diplomacy with Beijing.

A group of Republicans has publicly called on President Trump to bring the conflict with Iran to an end, breaking with members of their party who back continued military action. The intervention highlights growing unease within the GOP over the war's costs and direction, and raises pressure on the White House to define an exit strategy.

Several Democratic candidates are making Christian faith a prominent part of their midterm campaign messaging, according to NPR. The party's politicians are leaning into religious language and values as they court voters, a notable shift in a political landscape where Republicans have often claimed the faith vote. The strategy is drawing attention to how Democrats approach religion ahead of the elections.

Republicans are reportedly pressuring Donald Trump to bring the US conflict with Iran to an end ahead of the November elections. According to Opera Mundi, members of the party want the war concluded before voters go to the polls, fearing a prolonged Middle East confrontation could hurt them electorally. The report comes amid the ongoing war involving the US, Israel and Iran.

Republican lawmakers and candidates are publicly distancing themselves from Donald Trump as polling shows weak numbers for the party heading into upcoming elections. Several figures have skipped campaign appearances with the former president or avoided mentioning him on the trail. Commentators see the moves as a sign of anxiety inside the party that Trump's standing could drag down Republican candidates down the ballot.

The Trump administration is pursuing changes to US election rules that critics say are designed to benefit the Republican Party ahead of the midterm elections. Le Monde reports the effort as an attempt to reshape voting procedures and districting to the administration's advantage. The moves are drawing scrutiny over their implications for the fairness of the 2026 contests.

President Trump has rejected a proposed deal with Iran following a week of high-stakes meetings, setting the tone for Sunday's political talk shows. Meanwhile, Republicans are working to keep control of Congress, with the party's legislative prospects in focus. The dual storylines of foreign policy and midterm maneuvering are expected to dominate weekend political discussion.

The US Supreme Court has for the third time declined to let Missouri put in place a new congressional map expected to help Republicans win more House seats. The order leaves the map on hold while litigation continues, and it marks repeated refusals by the justices to intervene on the state's behalf, keeping the redrawn districts out of use for now.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing pointed criticism from Democrats and resistance from some Republicans over the US conflict with Iran and his dismissals of senior Pentagon officials. The disputes center on the administration's Iran strategy and concerns about the removals of top defense leadership, making the Pentagon chief a focal point of congressional tension.

Several Democratic congressional candidates are openly campaigning on their Christian faith, arguing it can connect with religious voters who have leaned Republican in recent elections. The approach tests whether Democrats can narrow the GOP's advantage among churchgoing Americans in upcoming races, and observers are watching closely to see whether faith-forward messaging translates into electoral gains.

Republican Representative Turner said there are 'not a lot of options' for President Trump when it comes to Iran, a sober assessment of the US position amid escalating tensions. The remarks highlight concern within the president's own party about how to respond to Iran's nuclear programme and regional activity without triggering a wider conflict.

Donald Trump is publicly boosting criticism of a Republican lawmaker who split with him on immigration, underlining his continued grip on the party and his willingness to punish dissent within its ranks. The move signals that immigration remains a defining loyalty test for Republicans heading into the next election cycle.

A House Democrat has introduced 26 articles of impeachment against Donald Trump, alleging sweeping abuses of power during his second presidency. The move puts impeachment back on the political agenda even though the Republican-controlled Congress is unlikely to act on it. Supporters are hailing the effort as overdue accountability, while critics call it a symbolic gesture ahead of upcoming battles over the administration's policies.

The US Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Missouri's 2022 congressional redistricting map for the third time, rejecting another challenge to the state's district boundaries. The decision closes off the latest legal attempt to overturn the map, which was drawn by Missouri Republicans following the 2020 census and has repeatedly survived court challenges.

A Republican member of Congress says he believes Iran was involved in a terrorist plot against a US air base in the United Kingdom that was thwarted. The claim, reported by The Hill, ties Tehran to an alleged plan that was stopped before it could be carried out. Officials have not confirmed any Iranian role, and the assertion adds to ongoing tensions over Iran-linked security threats to American forces abroad.

The Supreme Court has rejected a Republican-drawn congressional map in Missouri, handing Democrats a win in the ongoing battle over redistricting. The ruling could force new district lines ahead of upcoming elections and affects the balance of a state where Republicans currently dominate the congressional delegation. Observers are weighing what the decision means for Democratic prospects in Missouri and for the broader national fight over gerrymandering.

A large-scale ICE enforcement operation has energised Republican efforts to permanently enshrine the Trump administration's immigration crackdown into federal law. GOP lawmakers are seeking to convert current enforcement policies into legislation so they survive beyond the present administration. The sweep has intensified the broader political debate over immigration enforcement in the United States.

Donald Trump has published a series of attacks on a Republican congresswoman after she criticized his handling of immigration, CNN reports. The clash highlights ongoing divisions within the GOP over immigration policy, with Trump publicly targeting a member of his own party rather than a political opponent.

A US Senate committee has voted to hold Anthony Fauci, the former top US infectious disease official, in contempt of Congress. The vote escalates a long-running standoff between Republican lawmakers and Fauci over documents and testimony connected to the federal response to Covid-19 and the origins of the pandemic. Fauci, who led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for decades before retiring in 2022, remains a frequent target of congressional scrutiny, and the move is likely to deepen partisan fights over pandemic-era decisions.

The US Supreme Court has blocked a Trump-backed Republican redraw of Missouri's congressional districts from being used in the upcoming midterm elections. The ruling stops the new map, which critics said was designed to entrench Republican advantage, from taking effect. The decision is a setback for Trump and Missouri Republicans who pushed the redistricting effort, and it keeps the existing district boundaries in place for the midterms.

Government-funded advertising featuring Trump is facing criticism from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers ahead of the midterm elections. Critics question the use of public money for political messaging, and the bipartisan nature of the backlash has made the issue notable. The ads' content and total cost were not detailed in the initial report.

Republicans are redirecting campaign funds into dozens of US House districts that had previously been considered safe seats, according to Reuters. The spending shift suggests party strategists see unexpected vulnerability ahead of the elections, and are moving resources to defend districts that were once assumed secure rather than focusing only on competitive races.

CNN reports on the House and Senate districts where Republicans are going on the attack ahead of the US midterm elections, rather than simply defending their current seats. The piece highlights the districts and states the party considers winnable, part of a broader campaign push as both parties compete for control of Congress and voters weigh the economy and other key issues.

President Trump is publicly predicting success for Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections, but members of his own party are increasingly worried about their prospects. According to the Wall Street Journal, GOP officials are panicking privately even as the president projects confidence, reflecting concern that campaign dynamics may not favor them this cycle.

The US Supreme Court has blocked the Trump-backed Republican redraw of Missouri's congressional map, halting new district boundaries that were set to reshape the state's US House delegation. The decision pauses the map while legal challenges proceed, a significant setback for Republicans who pushed the redrawing to gain an extra congressional seat.

A House Democrat has introduced 26 articles of impeachment against President Trump, alleging sweeping abuses of power during his second term. The measure is widely expected to fail given Republican control of the chamber, but supporters see it as forcing GOP members to go on record defending Trump at a time when some are trying to distance themselves from him.

Republicans are centering their political messaging on crime, immigration and transgender issues, but CNN reports that these topics rank low among voters' actual priorities. The gap suggests the party's campaign strategy may not match what Americans care most about, raising questions about whether the GOP's focus will resonate heading into the next election cycle.

The Supreme Court has refused for a third time to approve a Missouri congressional map backed by President Trump, leaving the state's district boundaries unchanged. The repeated rejections put the map's Republican sponsors back at square one and add a new chapter to the fight over redrawing congressional districts for partisan advantage ahead of future elections.

The US Supreme Court has blocked for the third time a Republican-drawn congressional map in Missouri, halting its use while litigation continues. The repeated interventions keep the state's district lines in flux heading into upcoming elections, and the ruling is drawing attention from voting-rights advocates and Republican lawmakers who spar over partisan gerrymandering and the court's role in election map disputes.