According to an exclusive new poll for the Guardian, voting groups that are key to winning votes in the midterms \u2013 including independents, rural voters and even some Republicans \u2013 are increasingly disenchanted with the economy<\/a>. Three in four Americans are now concerned about the potential for a recession.<\/p>\n In another poll conducted by the Associated Press, about 8 in 10 voters overall say the economy or the cost of living is among their top issues for the upcoming election, while about two-thirds say this about healthcare and the war in Iran. Other issues that are stronger for Trump \u2013 like immigration or crime \u2013 are lower priorities.<\/p>\n graph of midterm issues<\/a>Share<\/a><\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n US officials considering ad campaign to urge South African Afrikaners to emigrate<\/p>\n Joseph Gedeon<\/p>\n The US government could spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a media campaign in South Africa to figure out why more white Afrikaners are not applying to become refugees to the US, as Donald Trump<\/a> had hoped.<\/p>\n State department officials, according to an August proposal seen by the Guardian, outlined a roughly $335,000 research and advertising effort after applications to the refugee program \u201ctrended lower than expected\u201d since Afrikaners were allowed to apply directly online in November 2025. The document, written by the US mission in South Africa<\/a> with a department research unit for the embassy in Pretoria, admits officials know little about why.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s currently little research about why Afrikaners are not applying to request referral into the US Refugee Admissions Program,\u201d the proposal reads.<\/p>\n The focus on Afrikaners flows from a February 2025 executive order<\/a> directing officials to put Afrikaner resettlement first while the broader refugee program stayed suspended. Administration officials had said Afrikaners face racial discrimination and \u201cwhite genocide\u201d. The South African government has rejected the genocide claims, and experts have widely dismissed<\/a> the idea that Afrikaners face targeted violence or genocide.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n While Trump is in DC today, vice-president JD Vance will be in Monroe, Michigan, for a rally in support of Mike Rogers, the former Republican congressman vying to flip the open Senate seat against progressive Democrat, Abdul El-Sayed.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n After back to back rallies in Arizona and Montana, Donald Trump\u2019s day in Washington will consist of closed-door meetings, a private Rose Garden lunch and two tele- rallies. None of his scheduled events today are open to the press, but we\u2019ll let you know if anything changes.<\/p>\n Tomorrow, the president will be back on the trail to campaign in Dalton, Georgia.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Key US voters say economy is getting worse ahead of midterms, new Harris poll finds The majority of those surveyed were pessimistic about the economy, with three quarters of Americans saying they are concerned about a recession while 61% wrongly believe that the US is already experiencing one. By its typical definition, the US is not currently experiencing a recession.<\/p>\n The poll shows growing weariness across the political spectrum over high prices.<\/p>\n graph about recession beliefs <\/a><\/p>\n Republicans, fighting to keep control of Congress, are losing support with independent voters, who are expected to be the deciding factor in key swing races. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of independents said the economy is worse, up from 48% who said the same in September 2024 in the heat of the 2024 presidential election.<\/p>\n Even within the Republican ranks, optimism has waned. In February 2025, just a few weeks after Trump was inaugurated, 39% of Republicans said the economy was getting better. By February 2026, just before the US launched attacks against Iran, that optimism was up to 49%. In the latest poll, just 28% of Republicans said the economy is getting better.<\/p>\n In the new poll, a vast majority of Americans agreed that there is an affordability crisis, including 96% of Republicans. But Americans still remain divided over who has a solution.<\/p>\n Democrats (71%) were more likely than Republicans (59%) to say that their own party had a solution.<\/p>\n Republicans were more likely (26%) to say neither party has a solution compared with Democrats (17%)<\/p>\n Half of independents said neither party has a solution, while 14% sided with Democrats and 10% with Republicans.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Trump returns to White House amid weak polls ahead of midterms<\/p>\n Donald Trump is returning from the campaign trail to Washington DC this morning amid weak polls that could point to trouble for the Republican Party in the midterm elections.<\/p>\n Trump, who campaigned for Republicans in Arizona and Montana on Wednesday, recently reached a record low approval rating of 32%<\/a> amid voter frustration about the continued the Iran war and rising US prices.<\/p>\n According to an exclusive new poll for the Guardian, voting groups that are key to winning votes in the midterms \u2013 including independents, rural voters and even some Republicans \u2013 are increasingly disenchanted with the economy<\/a>. Three in four Americans are now concerned about the potential for a recession.<\/p>\n In another poll conducted by the Associated Press, about 8 in 10 voters overall say the economy or the cost of living is among their top issues for the upcoming election, while about two-thirds say this about healthcare and the war in Iran. Other issues that are stronger for Trump \u2013 like immigration or crime \u2013 are lower priorities.<\/p>\n graph of midterm issues<\/a>Share<\/a>US voters overwhelmingly want change in Washington, new poll finds<\/p>\n A strong majority of voters believe president Donald Trump<\/a> is falling short at home and abroad, and they want significant change in the upcoming midterm elections, according to a new AP-NORC poll.<\/p>\n The survey, which was conducted less than four weeks before Election Day, finds that registered voters who identify as Democrats are more enthusiastic than Republican voters about casting a ballot.<\/p>\n More voters want Democrats to win control of Congress and have a more negative view of Republicans.<\/p>\n The poll\u2019s findings paint a difficult picture for Republicans, who are clinging to control of Congress under the weight of an unpopular war with Iran and surging prices in the US.<\/p>\n About 8 in 10 voters overall say the economy or the cost of living is among their top issues for the upcoming election, while about two-thirds say this about healthcare and the war in Iran. Other issues that are stronger for Trump \u2014 like immigration or crime \u2014 are lower priorities.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n By Ariana Baio and Uwa Ede-Osifo<\/p>\n James Talarico, the Texas<\/a> Democratic nominee for Senate, sat face to face with several undecided voters who grilled him on a slew of contentious issues including Israel\u2019s military campaign in Gaza, abortion and foreign aid, during a CNN town hall on Wednesday evening.<\/p>\n Jodi Hunt, a self-described single-issue voter, probed Talarico\u2019s pro-choice stance, asking: \u201cHow would you convince me as a Catholic voter that I can trust you would protect the most innocent among us?\u201d<\/p>\n Talarico described the Bible as being silent on abortion, to which Hunt countered quoting \u201cThou shalt not kill\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWe may have different, moral conclusions when it comes to this particular ethical question, but we actually have the same public policy goal,\u201d Talarico said, framing abortion as a public health issue that could be solved with a reduction in unplanned pregnancies.<\/p>\n During the night, Talarico cast himself as a moderate, who would put the needs of Texans over party allegiances. He railed against the ultra-wealthy, framing them as the common enemy.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Turning to James Talarico, the Democratic candidate fighting for a Texas US Senate seat might not have sparred with his Republican rival Ken Paxton last night but that doesn\u2019t mean he was spared from attacks.<\/p>\n At a rally in Texas on Wednesday, JD Vance responded to an audience member who shouted his praise by responding: \u201cI love you too sir.\u201d He then added: \u201cIn a totally platonic way, to be clear. I\u2019m the vice president, not James Talarico.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s part of the Republican strategy to cast doubt down on Talarico\u2019s Texan credentials and whether he\u2019s \u201cman enough,\u201d according to the New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n Recent polls have shown that the Democratic candidate is leading against his Republican counterpart.<\/p>\n Meanwhile Paxton, who declined an invitation to meet voters with Talarico last night, has focused his efforts in an ad blitz. Already more than $500m <\/a>has been spent on television ads for the Texas race, according to CNN.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a007.23 EDT<\/p>\n The White House\u2019s unilateral effort to negotiate an energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine has collapsed as Moscow sent a record swarm of drones overnight to attack infrastructure in central Ukraine and Kyiv appeared to resume strikes on Russian oil refineries \u2013 despite warnings from Donald Trump<\/a>.<\/p>\n Moscow accused Ukraine of launching its first strike against a Russian oil refinery in the Ryazan region since Trump abruptly declared an \u201cenergy ceasefire\u201d that neither Russia nor Ukraine said they had agreed to<\/a>. Trump has demanded that Volodymyr Zelenskyy stop attacking Russian oil refineries, claiming that it was the cause of a global rise in the price of diesel fuel.<\/p>\n Zelenskyy said on Wednesday that he would resume strikes on Russian oil refineries after halting those attacks to show that Ukraine<\/a> was ready for peace talks. \u201cThe block [on attacking refineries] is out. We\u2019re done,\u201d he told the Financial Times. He also attacked the gap in US intelligence sharing as \u201cdangerous\u201d.<\/p>\n Images from Ryazan showed flames at the refinery, which regional officials said had been targeted by 69 drones and four Flamingo cruise missiles. Debris from a drone struck by anti-aircraft fire had hit the refinery and sparked the fire, the ministry claimed.<\/p>\n In Ukraine, more than 360 Russian drones targeted Kirovohrad, a central region that has been hit less hard than others closer to Russia<\/a>, in attacks that killed three and injured six.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Donald Trump claims Iran war ‘will end very soon’<\/p>\n US president Donald Trump<\/a> claimed the Iran war \u201cwill end very soon,\u201d as voters consider their options ahead of midterm elections that are taking place amid economic uncertainty and ongoing global conflict.<\/p>\n Speaking to reporters on Wednesday evening, Trump said<\/a>: \u201cThe Iran war will end very soon. It\u2019s going to end very soon, as soon as I want it to end, it\u2019ll end.\u201d He added that Iran would \u201cnever have a nuclear weapon\u201d and that oil prices would \u201cdrop like a rock\u201d.<\/p>\n The US president has in recent weeks attempted to shift focus towards Ukraine, and has suggested that its attack on Russian refineries are responsible for rising fuel prices. His renewed messaging on Iran suggests that the price of daily goods \u2013 and gas at the tank \u2013 are having an impact at the polls.<\/p>\n Voting groups that are key to winning votes in the midterms are increasingly disenchanted with the economy<\/a>, according to an exclusive Harris poll for the Guardian. Three in four Americans are now concerned about the potential for a recession.<\/p>\n Elsewhere:<\/p>\n James Talarico, the Texas Democratic nominee for Senate, faced a grilling<\/a> from undecided voters on a range of issues from Gaza to his faith at a town hall. Something he emphasized was his aspiration to put residents above party allegiance.<\/p>\n Ukraine\u2019s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he felt \u2018betrayed\u2019 by the US after Ukraine\u2019s military access to Elon Musk\u2019s Starlink satellite was restricted. The US president has denied that the administration has cut intelligence sharing but Musk suggested on X that the US government was behind the restrictions<\/a>.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s new press secretary Katie Zacharia is facing scrutiny<\/a> over her claims that she\u2019s a lawyer. Zacharia has clarified some of the questions but the big one remains: has she ever passed the bar?<\/p>\n![\"Lauren](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Lauren_Aratani_Next_Gen.png\")
Lauren Aratani<\/p>\n![\"Andrew](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Andrew_Roth,_L.png\")
Andrew Roth<\/p>\n