Politico reportedly barred from traveling with Trump amid administration’s crackdown on White House coverage – live

Speaking to reporters ahead of leaving for his rally in Nebraska, Donald Trump slammed the recent news that election officials in Maricopa County – Arizona’s largest – accidentally sent out more than 3,000 ballots five days ahead of the 7 October mailing date.

“Maricopa is a very, very dishonest county,” Trump said, despite the fact that the area’s recorder – Justin Heap – is a former Republican lawmaker who has repeatedly undermined the integrity of the voting system in Arizona. He defeated Stephen Richer, the GOP incumbent in 2024, who defended his county’s process and routinely pushed back on claims of rampant voter fraud.

In response to the latest news, Heap said that the ballots that were issued early remain valid and do not need to be voided or reissued as the error affected only the timing of the mailing. “The correct ballots were mailed to the correct voters,” Heap said in a statement.

Trump, who has routintely and baselessly undermined mail-in voting – and even signed an executive order to try to curb it last year – still defended his decision to tell Americans to cast their ballot via mail. A reminder that the president has voted by mail on several occasions.

“I’d rather have a vote in person, but they can vote by mail if they want, because we seem to have no choice,” he said, before claiming – again without evidence – that there is “a lot of cheating in vote by mail”.

• Politico has been barred from traveling on Air Force One for Donald Trump’s trip to Nebraska, according to a report by CNN. This comes after the administration previously stopped CNN from similarly traveling with the president, despite a federal judge putting a temporary block on Trump’s overall ban on Politico, CNN and MS Now from the White House. According to CNN, Politico was set to serve as the out-of-town print pool today – the newsroom tasked with covering the president’s movements that feeds to the wider US/global press. However, a Politico spokesperson confirmed to CNN that the outlet had been excluded from traveling with Trump.

• Karoline Leavitt, who stepped down as White House press secretary in August, is joining Fox News as an on-air contributor, according to an announcement from the network. Leavitt, 29, the youngest press secretary in White House history, left the administration after the birth of her second child earlier this year. Suzanne Scott, Fox News’s CEO, said in a statement that Leavitt’s “firsthand experience in the White House and on the presidential campaign trail gives her a distinct understanding of today’s political landscape”. Scott said Leavitt would begin providing on-air analysis on 1 November, ahead of the midterm elections.

• Earlier today, the supreme court heard the first arguments of its 2026-27 term, in a case that focuses on whether states can sue oil companies for the impact of climate change on their communities. The lawsuit was filed by local officials in Boulder, Colorado, against Suncor Energy and ExxonMobil. The energy companies argue that only federal law can be used to address this issue. Boulder is one of dozens of local governments that have filed lawsuits against energy companies that demands compensation for past and future harms to the environment. Notably, only eight of the court’s nine justices will hear today’s arguments, after Samuel Alito recused himself from the case after facing calls to step aside due to stock holdings in oil companies.

• Secretary of state Marco Rubio said there was no direct link between the sudden removal of US bombers from a UK airbase and a suspected Iranian plot at ⁠the site last week. “I wouldn’t just directly tie that to ⁠the move that was made,” Rubio told reporters, when asked about the B1 bombers. “The Department of War is constantly reallocating resources where they need to be,“ Rubio added, noting that the US has confidence in the security of all its bases.

Ahead of traveling to Nebraska to rally today, Donald Trump took aim at the New York Times’ reporting which highlighted that the president’s recent rally on Saturday was not full, and certain sections of Butler high school gymnasium in Vandalia, Ohio, were “completely empty”.

Trump – who has routinely blasted the press for commenting on the size of crowds at his events – claimed that in Ohio “thousands of people were unable to get in”.

“I never have empty seats – Never have, and never will! Because of their dishonesty, I have cinematographers shooting the various Arenas where I speak,” he wrote on Truth Social. “The Rallies are “HOTTER” than ever. They are all “happenings,” and they never happened before, and will never be duplicated again. The Networks refuse, however, under any circumstances, to show the Crowds, but you can hear the thunderous applause, and know that it represents thousands and thousands of people.”

Shifting back to the supreme court, and the case before the eight justices (after Samuel Alito’s recusal) which focuses on whether states can hold energy companies liable for their role in climate change.

The justices focused their questions today primarily on the merits of the case rather than concentrating on whether the court had jurisdiction to hear it, suggesting they will make a decision on the question of whether federal law pre-empts Boulder’s state climate case.

Dennis Fan, the founder and director of the Appellate Litigation Clinic at Columbia Law School who wrote an amicus brief in the case, said it was too close to call, but he was concerned for the future of the climate cases. “They focused more on the merits,” he said. “That had me much more worried for Boulder.”

Kannon Shanmugam, a lawyer for the fossil fuel companies, told the justices that climate change was a pressing issue, but state cases – such as the one filed by Boulder – were the wrong way to resolve it, and the issue should be left to lawmakers. He argued that if the cases were heard in state courts, it would allow a high number of lawsuits to be filed. “The breadth of Boulder’s argument is astonishing,” he said.

“The hope of the industry side is that this is going to be the death blow,” said Fan. “The industry is going for the home run, they’re going for the grand slam. They’re thinking, ‘If we win this argument, there will never, ever be climate change litigation again.’”

Politico has been barred from traveling on Air Force One for Donald Trump’s trip to Nebraska, according to a report by CNN.

This comes after the administration previously stopped CNN from similarly traveling with the president, despite a federal judge putting a temporary block on Trump’s overall ban on Politico, CNN and MS Now from the White House. That injunction is in effect until 8 October, but the newsrooms have sought for it to be extended until the matter is resolved in court. A hearing has been set for Thursday in the lawsuit filed by the three newsrooms against the administration’s ban.

The White House has previously argued that the judge’s ruling does not apply to Air Force One, the jet used to transport the president, cabinet members and the media to official events.

According to CNN, Politico was set to serve as the out-of-town print pool today – the newsroom tasked with covering the president’s movements that feeds to the wider US/global press. However, a Politico spokesperson confirmed to CNN that the outlet had been excluded from traveling with Trump.

News from the campaign trail in Michigan today. Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for Senate, announced that he’ll rally this weekend with former president Barack Obama in Detroit. They’ll be joined by Michigan’s Democratic nominee for governor, Jocelyn Benson, the secretary of state.

A reminder that Obama won Michigan twice in 2008 and 2012, before Donald Trump flipped the state in 2016. The former president is also going to headline a Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) fundraiser this week in Washington DC, according to NBC News.

Dozens of protesters stood outside the supreme court this morning as the court hears a bid from officials in Boulder, Colorado, seeking monetary damages for harms caused by climate change.

Protesters held signs that read “The People v Big Oil” and “Stand With Communities, Not Big Oil”.

Former Washington governor Jay Inslee rallied with environmental activists outside and took the stage alongside more than a dozen speakers.

The event was organized by two climate activist groups, Fossil Free Media and the Center for Climate Integrity.

A quick reminder that we’ll be hosting a live midterm election Q&A on Tuesday 6 October 2026 at 12pm EDT on the Guardian US site, with a panel of our politics and foreign policy reporters to help readers understand the costs of the war and political consequences for Trump and candidates running in November.

If you have a question about how the war with Iran could shape midterm election results, we’d like to hear from you – and be sure to tune in to our live conversation on 6 October, as reporters may have an answer to your question.

Trump said Ukraine strikes on Russia are driving up oil prices, rather than the Iran war, in social media post.

“What’s driving up Gasoline is no longer the Strait of Hormuz, because Record Numbers of Barrels are coming out now on an almost daily basis, but the word, ‘Refineries,’ where Russia’s are being blown up by Ukraine, and where ours are being closed up, in Blue States, like California, by the Dumocrats.”

Trump’s post comes as the price of oil rose above $100 a barrel, last month, for the first time since July as the escalating conflict in the Middle East threatens further disruption to global supplies.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there was no direct link between the sudden removal of US bombers from a UK airbase and a suspected Iranian plot at ⁠the site last week.

“I wouldn’t just directly tie that to ⁠the move that was made,” Rubio told reporters, when asked about the B1 bombers.

“The Department of War is constantly reallocating resources where they need to be,“ Rubio added.

Rubio said on Monday that the US has confidence in the security of all its bases.

“It’s not unusual to see rotations happen and moving into the different parts of the world based on exercises, redeployment, changing out and new people coming in, in planes coming in, old planes going out,” Rubio said. “So, rules are changing all the time.”

Ahead of taking off for his trip to Alaska today, vice-president JD Vance spoke briefly to supporters where he stressed how competitive the state was ahead of the midterm elections.

He urged voters in the Last Frontier to not judge Mary Peltola, the moderate Democrat running to unseat the Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan – by “what she’s saying in the final six weeks of the Senate campaign”.

“You’ve got to judge her by what she actually did. And the reality is that she did support a lot of radical Democrat policies,” Vance said, referring to Peltola’s time as the state’s sole congresswoman.

When pressed by a reporter about whether the Trump administration’s so-called “public service announcements” – that have aired in recent weeks – are a good use of taxpayer dollars, Vance defended the advertising spots.

“If you look historically, you go back to the Obama administration with the Affordable Care Act. You have the people’s government using tax dollars to advertise about what the government is doing,” the vice-president said. “It’s part of actually living in a constitutional republic. You have to be honest with the American people about what you’re doing, about what’s going on, and part of that is getting out there and telling the message … They’re not partisan. It’s not like we’re advocating for a particular candidate.”

New polling from the New York Times/Siena college shows four key Democratic gubernatorial candidates leading in their respective races against Republicans in key red states that have become more competitive in recent weeks.

While we’ve been covering dozens of races that will shape the make-up of Congress, there are a number of races for governor across the country that will be vital – particularly when it comes to the ensuing redistricting battles we expect in the lead up to 2028.

According to the Times/Siena survey, Gina Hinojosa – the Democratic state lawmaker challenging sitting governor Greg Abbott – is leading the Republican incumbent by three points. Meanwhile in Iowa, which has become a source of hope for national Democrats, sees Rob Sand – a moderate who serves as the state auditor – ahead of GOP nominee Zach Lahn by 11 points. Staying in the midwest, in Ohio the closely watched competition between Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat Amy Acton sees the latter with an edge over the billionaire and former presidential candidate. In Alaska, where a Democrat hasn’t won the governor’s mansion in almost 30 years, Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins is up by four points over Bernadette Wilson, the Republican nominee.

Below is some of the Guardian’s reporting on these key races as we head into the final month of campaigning before election day on 3 November.

Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general chosen by Donald Trump to run as the Republican candidate for a Senate seat, admitted in private that his campaign was being controlled by outside forces in DC.

“I’ve never been in a race where I felt less control over the campaign and, like, what issues are going to matter because it’s all coming – you know – from DC,” Paxton told people at a fundraising event in September, according to an audio recording obtained by Politico.

“I don’t control message or what we’re doing,” Paxton added.

Paxton has been locked in a competitive race with progressive Democrat James Talarico.

An unnamed attender told Politico that Paxton never explicitly said he was referring to Trump’s team controlling his campaign messaging, but that Paxton’s comments arose during a conversation about the national political environment.

The Guardian has asked Paxton’s campaign for comment.

Paxton’s campaign adviser Nick Maddux told Politico that, “Campaigns don’t coordinate with Super Pacs, and that’s obviously what AG Paxton was referring to.”

“AG Paxton is thankful for the support and knows how important Texas is to keeping the majority which is why he’s on the ground every day talking to Texas, raising money, and taking his message directly to the people including with his statewide television buy that started over this past weekend,” Maddux said.