With days to go until the midterms, President Donald Trump is traveling the country on a red-state blitz to stave off a potential blue wave, including in Iowa, where an open U.S. Senate seat is up for grabs.

Democrats are pinning their hopes on state Rep. Josh Turek, a two-time Paralympic gold medalist, to flip the seat for the first time since 2008. He's running as a centrist on what he calls a "common-sense prairie populist" platform against Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson.

Iowa Republicans hold the governorship, majorities in the statehouse and represent the state's entire congressional delegation. But in a midterm environment broadly seen as unfavorable to Republicans, Democrats see a competitive opportunity to flip control of Congress amid growing economic discontent over rising gas and fertilizer costs in the agriculture-heavy state.

Trump, who is backing Hinson, handily won the state in the last three presidential elections, but Hinson is walking a political tightrope. Though she praised Trump at his Sioux City rally last week for "preserving our country for generations to come," she has criticized the president's recent deal with Russia he said would lower diesel fuel costs. And in September, she reversed her position on Iran, calling for an end to the war.

When asked by ABC News about the Pentagon's timeline for a new offensive after the midterms, Hinson deferred to the commander-in-chief.

"I trust the president and the U.S. military to get this done on the time frame that works right to make sure we can actually achieve the result of making sure Iran does not get a nuclear weapon," Hinson told ABC News' Jon Karl.

On Ukraine, Hinson disagreed with the president's waiving of sanctions against Russia President Vladimir Putin.

"I don't think we should be making any deals with Russia," Hinson said, later adding, "I want to bring all of these conflicts abroad to an end as quickly as possible. I don't think anybody likes forever wars, but certainly we cannot be empowering dictators to win wars."

The congresswoman also took issue with the U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff calling Putin a "humanitarian" last week when Russia released formerly detained American Stephen Hubbard.

"He's a murderer. I don't think we should be making deals with murderers and dictators, and that's why I stood up for Ukraine," Hinson said.

Former President Barack Obama, who twice carried the Hawkeye State, endorsed Turek in July and reminded voters, "I know a little something about winning Iowa."

Will endorsements make a difference?

"Probably not," Turek told ABC News. "One thing I do believe is that we're not a red state. We're a common-sense state that's masqueraded more red than what we actually are."

Turek has leaned into his personal story. The state lawmaker was born with spina bifida due to his father's exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. "I am an example of the generational consequences of these forever wars," he has said.

On Thursday, Turek visited a local manufacturer in Shell Rock, home to some 1,260 people in Butler County, Iowa, which Trump carried by 45 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election. He said too many Democrats have overlooked small communities like this one – areas where some Iowans say they're reeling from the economic fallout of Trump's seesaw tariff policies and the Iran war.

A recent CNN poll found that majorities of likely Iowa voters say Trump's policies have increased their cost of living, that gas prices have caused them hardship and that tariffs are bad for the state.

Hinson told ABC News she is unafraid "to tell [Trump] when I think he's wrong on something."

"I think that's how Iowans expect you to do your job. They don't like empty rhetoric," she added. "They like results here in Iowa, and that's exactly what I've done."

Turek has slammed Hinson for her votes in Congress to continue the war with Iran. But the Democrat has also touted his bipartisan bona fides in ads, promising voters he would work across the aisle, including with Trump, on issues like immigration.

"He's done a better job on the border than Biden," Turek said. "I agree with him that we need to drive private equity out of housing. I would also like to see us drive private equity out of housing, healthcare, and nursing homes. And I agree with him that we should have no tax on tips, overtime, and Social Security."

Turek, who hails from the deep-red city of Council Bluffs, also recently launched a coalition of Republicans backing him, including members of his own family. He told ABC News his father is a two-time Obama voter and three-time Trump voter. His sister, he added, is a registered Republican and he's unsure whether his mother "has ever voted for a Democrat besides me."

Democrats like Turek have also slammed the GOP for voting to pass Trump's signature tax legislation, the "One Big Beautiful Bill," arguing it has threatened rural hospitals and reduced healthcare access, even as the state faces rising cancer rates.

The bill slashed Medicaid funding by $1 trillion over the next 10 years, in part through new work and eligibility requirements. Republicans said their goal is reducing "waste, fraud and abuse" in these programs.

Hinson, pitching herself as a "minivan-driving mom," told ABC News that she knows Iowans are economically struggling and defended the "One Big Beautiful Bill" for delivering tax relief to families. The congresswoman pledged to take more action to lower healthcare premiums and gas prices.

At 43, Hinson could become the youngest elected Republican woman in the U.S. Senate. And like Turek, she's pitching herself as a bipartisan lawmaker, despite her initial campaign promise to be Trump's "strongest ally" if elected.

"I found common ground with President Biden. He and I didn't agree on much, but we were able to get some things done for Iowa, even when I was in the minority," Hinson said. "I'm going to operate that same way, no matter who's in the White House.

In Shell Rock, Turek said that Iowans are telling him they're tired of the "political theater" and "tribalism."

"'I'm struggling to keep food on the table, a roof above my head, pay my electric bill, and keep gas in my tank,'" Turek said voters are telling him. "Can you please go up there and solve problems through policy in a bipartisan way?'"

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A rare Sunday federal appeals court hearing for the Justice Department's voting lawsuit against California closed without a ruling.

The department requested that the court issue one by Tuesday prior to the scheduled 1 p.m. PDT hearing before the district court. 

The arguments followed a surprise appeal by the Trump administration, which claims a district judge did not act quickly enough to address the administration's allegations of roughly 20,000 potential noncitizen voters on the state's voter rolls. 

A three-judge panel that includes two appointees of President Donald Trump and one appointee of former President Joe Biden heard arguments on DOJ's efforts to segregate ballots from the alleged noncitizens. 

California officials have countered that the list is unverified and includes the names of lawful voters, despite recent charges announced by DOJ of roughly 28 individuals from the list accused of voting and immigration-related crimes.

Earlier the DOJ sent letters last week to every county in California asking local elections officials to help identify potential voters who may be in the U.S. illegally, according to a letter described to ABC News. 

"Within 48 hours, we ask that you commit to working with DOJ and DHS to identify who on the accompanying list is a citizen and who is not," according to a letter sent by Justice Department officials to every county in California and described to ABC News. "The Department strongly urges you and your agency to work with the Department of Justice to ensure the integrity of California's federal elections before taking actions that risk significant federal scrutiny and legal exposure."

Earlier this month, the DOJ filed suit against California accusing the state of failing to review a list of alleged noncitizens that the Trump administration claimed were sent mail-in ballots for next month's midterm election. 

In court papers filed earlier this week, Los Angeles officials said a preliminary analysis of 200 of the names on the 20,000-person list, included a "high percentage" of individuals who say they were born in the U.S. and many more who have no voting history at all. 

Of those 200 individuals, officials said, nearly 40% "indicate that they were born in the United States, which is strong evidence of citizenship; and 71.2% of the records have no voting history," according to a filing.

The Justice Department's rushed efforts to have an appeals court quickly rule on its lawsuit faced considerable skepticism from the three-judge panel in Sunday's emergency hearing. 

Circuit Judge Mark Bennett, a Trump appointee, repeatedly questioned whether the appeals court had jurisdiction to step in at this stage in the litigation, and expressed considerable constitutional concerns over the lawsuit itself. 

"I don't see how we have jurisdiction," Bennett said to DOJ attorney Matthew Donnelly after pressing him over the timeline of the government's decision to seeking emergency appeal when a hearing before the district judge is already set for this Tuesday. 

Donnelly claimed that the DOJ's decision to seek relief from the appeals court came after disclosures by the state of the numbers of mail-in ballots already being processed in advance of the election -- which number in the hundreds of thousands. 

But Bennett's most significant concerns appeared to be the nature of the lawsuit and it appearing to directly contradict the Constitution's Elections Clause -- which mandates that states have jurisdictions over the manner their elections are run. 

"How can it preempt something that is expressly authorized by a provision of the Constitution?" Bennett asked. "How can the legislature making laws with regard to the manner of holding elections be preempted by a criminal statute passed by the Congress, especially when both the Congress and the California Legislature have made it illegal for non-citizens to vote?" 

Donnelly repeatedly pointed to DOJ's position that the way California is administering its elections -- and not acting on the hard drive of potential 20,000 likely non-citizens -- infringes on the federal government's ability to enforce the federal statute barring voting by illegal immigrants.

That explanation didn't appear to sit well with Bennett, however, who pointed out that the Constitution specifically tasks Congress with jurisdiction over how states administer their elections and not the Judiciary. 

"How can we, a federal court, do what is reserved to Congress, which Congress, in my view, hasn't done?" Bennett asked. 

"Your Honor, I would just simply -- unfortunately -- disagree with you that 18 USC 611 is not an election law that fits in the power of Congress," Donnelly replied. 

The judges also appeared to express concern about last-minute intervention to force California to segregate certain mail-in ballots given the state has provided a declaration saying if such an order was implemented it could have a "catastrophic" impact on tabulating the upcoming election. 

Circuit Judge Patrick Bumatay, a Trump appointee, repeatedly pressed California's attorney Samuel Siegel over why an injunction wouldn't be appropriate to ensure non-citizens votes are being actively cast in the ongoing election. 

"Without an injunction, you will never know, correct?" Bumatay asked. "Because if -- if the ballots are cast and separated, then they're going to be tabulated, and there's no way of knowing." 

"Your Honor, we would respectfully disagree with that because of the number of steps that people have to take to attest to their citizenship, to declare consistent with what is required by both federal and state law that they are citizens when they register to vote," Siegel responded. 

Even as Bumatay's questioning suggested he had more sympathy to granting the government some kind of relief, both Bennett and Circuit Judge Gabriel Sanchez, a Biden appointee, appeared unified that the extraordinary relief being sought by DOJ was not appropriate at this juncture. 

"That's why I have a problem with the relief that's being sought here because I just don't see -- Congress and the California legislature have said non-citizens can't vote, and this lawsuit is about 'we don't like the way you're sorting citizens from non-citizens, and I just don't see 611 as telling California how to do the sorting," Bennett said. 

"That's absolutely right, Your Honor, and to reiterate my earlier point, if the federal government, if the Executive Branch wants that authority in the first instance, they need to go ask Congress for it, they haven't done that," Siegel said. "They ask this court to short circuit the democratic process and issue an order, not just on the eve of an election, but as an election is underway." 

In closing remarks, Bennett said the panel "will try to decide this case as quickly as possible."

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Gov. Wes Moore (D-Md.) said Sunday that he believes several statewide races in the historically red U.S. South are “in play” for Democrats this cycle, adding that the party has “made mistakes in not investing earlier” in the region.

“We've seen some movement, especially in the South -- talk of Florida potentially being in play, Mississippi, South Carolina. Do you think those places are really in play?” asked “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl Sunday, adding, "And if so, did Democrats make a mistake by not investing earlier?”

“They are,” Moore said. “They are in play, and we have made mistakes in not investing earlier. And I don't even think just earlier in this cycle -- I think earlier in this generation.”

Moore said the Democratic Party had largely written off the region, which he said has led to fewer history-making candidates being elected.

“I am the third African American ever elected governor in the history of the United States of America. That's not because I'm the third African American ever qualified. That's because oftentimes there's been chronic underinvestment,” Moore said.

Democrats are increasingly bullish about their midterm prospects. Polls for top-of-the-ticket races in Texas, Iowa, Kansas and Alaska have shown the Democratic candidates tied with, or even leading against, Republican contenders. More recent polling suggests that statewide races in places considered to be even more in the GOP’s grip -- like Florida, South Carolina and Mississippi -- are closer than expected.

Moore noted his campaign “personally invested” in Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gina Hinojosa’s campaign.

“The wonderful thing that I feel about Gina or Keisha [Lance Bottoms in Georgia] or, or Jermaine Johnson in South Carolina is that they would be history-making candidates, but making history is not the assignment. The assignment is to win,” Moore said. “The assignment is to do things like making sure that we can provide health care for people. The assignment is to make sure that we can end child poverty. The assignment is to make sure that we can raise wages."

"If you can do that, then I think you have really good candidates who don't have a chance to win, but really good chance, have a chance to make life better for the people in their states,” Moore declared.

Moore predicted that Democrats would have the successful election they’re hoping for.

“I think it's not just that the base is, is energized. I think right now the base is [enlarged], and that is, that is important,” he said. “I’m seeing it all over the state of Maryland, where we’re campaigning for re-election. … But I'm also seeing it when I'm out campaigning for other common-sense leaders around the country.”

“People are excited right now because they're looking for leadership that's not just going to push back against this corruption from [President] Donald Trump, but push forward for a new direction,” he added.

While the 2026 midterm election is now nine days away, jockeying for the 2028 presidential election is already underway. Karl pressed Moore on whether he’d be one of the Democrats expected to make a run for the White House.

“You’ve been pretty clear over the past year that you’re not running for president, but you seem to be a little less clear now,” Karl said. “Have you changed your mind on this?”

“You know, no, because I’m very focused on--,” Moore began.

“You haven’t changed your mind? So you’re committed to fulfilling a full term [as governor]?” Karl interjected.

“Yeah, I wouldn't be running for re-election if I was thinking about anything else, to be clear,” Moore said. “My entire focus right now is on the people of Maryland.”

Karl also asked Moore to share a few words that came to mind about other potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidates.

On Sen. Mark Kelly: “Remarkable veteran.”

On former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg: “Remarkably competent.”

On Gov. Josh Shapiro: “Really solid advocate.”

On former Vice President Kamala Harris: “Really decent person and great vice president.”

On Gov. Gavin Newsom: “Strong leader.”

On Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: “Passionate advocate.”

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Why are major Democrats and Republicans flocking to Mississippi in recent weeks?

In a climate where polls show President Donald Trump's approval ratings cratering, Democrats are unusually optimistic about Scott Colom's chances of flipping the Senate seat held by incumbent Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith -- even in deep-red Mississippi.

"We got to have a senator that looks out for Mississippi, that puts Mississippi farmers first, Mississippi small businesses first, represent our values by not allowing corruption to ruin our country and actually delivers on the commitments to put America first," Colom told ABC News in an interview earlier this week.

The incumbent's campaign dismisses the Democratic push as the last-ditch effort of a campaign that will fall short.

Colom is a district attorney for four counties along the Mississippi-Alabama border and a former nominee to become a U.S. district judge. He would be Mississippi's first Black U.S. senator since Reconstruction.

Democrats have argued that Colom's prominent credentials, as well as voter pushback against Republican incumbents and motivation among Democratic-leaning Black voters, could help boost him. Mississippi's population is around 36% Black, according to U.S. Census data.

Colom faces an uphill battle, as Mississippi has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate since 1982 and voted for Donald Trump in 2024 by around 20 points. ABC News rates the race solid Republican.

But he has gotten the attention of national Democrats; major party figures such as former former Vice President Kamala Harris and Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock have campaigned with him. Former President Barack Obama also recorded an ad for him released earlier this month.

Harris, during a rally with Colom on Thursday, told attendees, "I've been in those rooms where there's no cameras, it's senators talking to each other... When you have a voice like his in that room, just think about the impact that's going to have on the decisions coming out of that room. Think about that. This is no ordinary time, and this is no ordinary man."

Colom also went viral online last week after a social video he posted showed Hyde-Smith, during a local news interview from February, saying "You have so many proteins to choose from" while discussing how to deal with higher prices on meat and other goods. In the interview, Hyde-Smith also spoke about working on regulations that would help energy production, and tax incentives to help development.

But it was the proteins part that Colom's campaign seized on, with a punchy video that featured voters mocking the senator's words, with one saying, "Pick another protein ... I'd rather pick another Senator instead." (The campaign has confirmed to ABC News that the video has been turned into a campaign ad.)

One concrete sign of confidence among Democrats over Colom's chances came on Tuesday, when the Senate Majority PAC, an outside group aligned with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, announced it would spend $1.2 million on an ad campaign across broadcast TV and digital for ads for Colom.

Asked what signs the group sees in Mississippi that makes it worth investing in, spokesperson Lauren French wrote, "Cindy Hyde-Smith has spent a decade in Washington without passing a single piece of legislation, and Mississippians have noticed."

Hyde-Smith has cosponsored legislation that has passed into law but legislation she initially sponsored or reintroduced has not become law, according to congressional records. Asked to respond to Senate Majority PAC, Hyde-Smith's campaign pointed to how bills from lawmakers "are often passed as part of larger legislative packages," and that has been true for some of Hyde-Smith's bills, including the first one she introduced. The campaign also pointed out that she is running for only her second full term.

French said Colom is running a "disciplined campaign" with messages resonating with voters.

Colom and Hyde-Smith have some history, as she blocked his nomination for federal judge in 2023. She cited his support for transgender rights and having previously been boosted by a George Soros-linked PAC, according to the Mississippi Free Press.

He insists his bid for Senate is not motivated by a desire to get back at her.

"It has nothing to do with the run for me ... as a Christian, I forgive her. It's about the people in Mississippi," Colom told ABC News.

Hyde-Smith dismissed Colom's chances.

"We are confident that Mississippians will once again send Cindy Hyde-Smith back to the U.S. Senate on November 3rd. This is simply Washington insiders making a last ditch effort to give life to Scott Colom's failing campaign," campaign manager Jake Monssen told ABC News in a statement.

Hyde-Smith's supporters may be more motivated after a boost from President Donald Trump, who's set to hold a rally in Mississippi on Monday as part of a swing of campaign rallies mostly in red states.

The Republican National Committee announced the rally around a week after Colom's social video went viral, although Trump and the group have not indicated why they are doing the rally there and Trump has expressed confidence in Hyde-Smith.

"Cindy Hyde-Smith's very popular ... So if I need to get her over the top, I would go there [to Mississippi]. She's great. Cindy Hyde-Smith is great," Trump told reporters when asked Thursday about the Senate election.

Hyde-Smith will be attending the rally, according to her campaign.

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Ohio Democratic gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton told ABC News in an interview Saturday that she hopes President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance will "look at the facts" of the abuse she says she endured as a child after they defended an attack ad made by GOP nominee Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign.

Bipartisan backlash has hit Ramaswamy's campaign, after the release of the ad featuring Acton's estranged mother who Acton says stood by the man who was criminally charged with sexually abusing her as a child. Acton said she hasn't seen her mother since she was 12 years old.

In the ad, Acton's mother, Donna Arthur, said Acton has lied about her past, though it doesn't mention the allegations of sexual abuse.

In response to Trump and Vance who have doubled down on and defended the ad, Acton told ABC News, "My job is to work with anyone on any side of the aisle to solve problems instead of making them, and I would say I do hope they would look at the facts."

Acton spoke to ABC News after a rally in Cleveland with former President Barack Obama.

Acton has alleged her mother's second husband molested her between the ages of 9 and 12. Charges were filed against her stepfather, and Acton testified against him. He pleaded not guilty, but fled the state before trial and never appeared before a judge. He died in 2004.

Acton said she and her brother endured "extreme child abuse and neglect" in their childhood.

"We were frequent flyers in children's services ... There are facts in this case: a grand jury indictment, fugitive out against bail, and that behavior went on and on," Acton said.

Speaking to reporters this week about the ad, Trump dismissed questions about the allegations of Acton's sexual abuse, asserting at multiple points that the ad has "nothing to do" with Acton's stepfather.

Similarly, Vance told rally attendees in Ohio earlier this week that he is "a little bit disgusted when I see Republicans across the country who are whining more about that advertisement than they are about what the congressional Democrats and other Democrats want to do to the United States of America."

GOP Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who on Thursday told reporters in Columbus, Ohio, that the ad is "deeply, deeply troubling" and that the Ramaswamy campaign "needs to take it down," but he did not withdraw his endorsement of Ramaswamy.

Asked whether she was disappointed that DeWine didn't withdraw his endorsement, Acton said it was "an honor and a privilege" to work with him during COVID-19 pandemic as the director of the Ohio Department of Health.

"I really do appreciate him calling out the facts of the case," Acton said. "That this was an indictment he knows better than others. He's a prosecutor. He started his career prosecuting cases like this, and he knew more than anyone. He knows who I am and knows my story."

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Ramaswamy said the ad had nothing to do with childhood abuse.

"We ran an ad about lying," he said. "Amy Acton is lying. She has been lying this entire campaign about me, about her record, about her history in this state."

In a statement to ABC News, Connie Luck, a spokesperson for Ramaswamy said: "Ohioans can't afford a liberal governor who shows up for Obama but never shows up for them."

Ramaswamy and Acton have never met in person. Asked what she would say to him, Acton said: "I really have no words for Mr. Ramaswamy. I think there is no low that he wouldn't sink to."

Speaking to survivors of abuse, Acton said: "For those out there going through it now, hold on, please. If there's someone you feel safe with, say something about it."

Obama blasts Trump, says Ramaswamy 'thirsty' for attention

Acton campaigned Saturday alongside former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, who's running to win back his seat, and Obama, who was the last Democratic presidential candidate to win the state of Ohio in a presidential election in 2012.

Democrats are eyeing the Senate and gubernatorial races as key pickup opportunities given the headwinds facing Republicans.

In his remarks, Obama delivered a scathing rebuke of the Trump administration on a variety of issues — from the economy to immigration to the war in Iran.

Regarding the GOP candidate for governor, Obama called Ramaswamy "thirsty" for attention.

"Vivek's own supporters know it's all about what's in it for him," Obama said. "We all know that guy, you know, who ... just wants to get attention no matter what, willing to do anything. And in recent days, we've seen there is no line he will not cross, no low he will not sink to."

Obama emphasized what he called a "moral component" to this election and said that "basic decency" is missing from the current public discourse.

ABC News' Diana Paulsen contributed to this report.

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First lady Melania Trump announced on Friday that she had secured a localized "temporary" ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the Ukrainian city of Oleshky, which will begin Oct. 29.

A statement from the first lady’s office said that the temporary ceasefire in the Russian-occupied city was agreed to by both countries to "allow for humanitarian aid to enter and to prepare a civilian evacuation through a designated safe passageway."

"The situation in Oleshky is dire. Oleshky is a front-line war city on the brink of disaster. Oleshky's remaining population is comprised primarily of elderly residents who urgently need medical attention, medicine, food, and clean water,” the first lady said in a statement, adding that without her intervention, "the possibility to bring humanitarian aid into the city and to evacuate the elderly would be impossible."

Asked about the ceasefire and whether his wife would be part of trilateral peace talks, President Donald Trump said "it's not the worst idea I've ever heard."

"What she wants to do is save children, and that's her focus. And both sides are cooperating with her, so she's doing a very good job," Trump said Friday morning as he departed the White House.

It's unclear exactly how long the ceasefire is set to last in the town where about 1,700-2,000 residents remain of an estimated 24,000 before the war, according to the first lady's office.

The Russian military is currently coordinating the timing of a ceasefire in the Oleshky area, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday. Peskov also confirmed that Melania Trump played a coordinating role in reaching a ceasefire agreement in Oleshky.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a social media post on Friday that it will carry out the ceasefire orders.

A temporary ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine also happened in May 2025 during the 80th anniversary commemoration of V Day, which celebrates the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany in 1945.

This ceasefire comes amid the Trump administration's larger efforts to engage peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, who have been at war since February 2022.

In recent weeks, the president waived a raft of sanctions on Moscow and again blamed Kyiv for the lack of progress in U.S.-sponsored peace talks, even suggesting that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy should be replaced as the nation's leader.

Earlier this week, President Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that the U.S. had received "nothing" for its support of Ukraine.

Melania Trump said in a statement that residents who want to evacuate "to their preferred destination" will receive support from civilian, non-military leaders in both countries. 

"I anticipate some will want to go to Russia, and some to Ukraine," she said.

Melania Trump added that she had also gotten assurances that an unnamed "impartial American media organization" will be able to accompany Russian and Ukrainian teams on the ground amid the ceasefire. ABC News has reached out to the White House for additional details. 

The first lady’s office said that she became involved in brokering the agreement during a private discussion at her Fostering the Future event at the U.N. General Assembly last month.

Melania Trump has worked to bring awareness to the children impacted by the Russian-Ukraine war as the yearslong conflict drags on. Last year, she said she has an "open channel of communication" Russian President Vladimir Putin on the matter.

The first lady said she had written a letter to Putin stating it was time to protect the children impacted by the war, which was Trump hand-delivered to Putin. The Russian president responded, "signaling a willingness to engage with me directly and outlining details regarding the Ukrainian children residing in Russia," Melania Trump said last year.

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Pete Buttigieg, the former Transportation Secretary and popular Democratic Party surrogate who has confirmed considering a 2028 presidential bid, is endorsing independent Montana U.S. Senate candidate Seth Bodnar, according to an announcement shared first with ABC News.

"The best leaders I've served with, in uniform and in government, care more about getting the job done than about who gets the credit, and Seth is one of them. Seth and I don't agree on everything, but he has spent his adult life serving this country and the next generation ... and he'll bring that same character to the Senate on behalf of all Montanans," Buttigieg wrote in a statement shared first with ABC News.

It's a notable step by a major Democrat to endorse an independent, but some Democrats feel Bodnar, a former University of Montana president and Green Beret, stands a better chance against Republican Kurt Alme than Democratic candidate Alani Bankhead.

Montana is among a few states this year along with Nebraska, South Dakota, and Idaho where many Democrats are backing independents for Senate.

However, Air Force veteran Bankhead, who won the primary in June has rebuffed pressure to withdraw from the race to clear a path for Bodnar. Bankhead has alleged that people within the Democratic Party tried to get her to drop her bid, a claim the party denies, according to ABC affiliate KWYB.

The matchup has created an additional challenge for those who want to wrest the seat from Republican control, given that the vote among Democrats or those disaffected with Republicans may get split among Bodnar and Bankhead.

"Montana deserves a senator who will fight corruption in Washington, defend reproductive freedom, and work across the aisle to lower costs and actually get things done. Seth Bodnar will be that Senator," Buttigieg, who is a veteran like Bodnar and Bankhead, wrote. He did not mention Bankhead in his statement.

Bodnar, in his own statement, said he was honored to have Buttigieg's support "and proud that people across the political spectrum are joining this campaign."

"Montanans have always voted for the person, not the party, and they want a senator who will put their families, jobs, and public lands ahead of partisan games in Washington. I'll answer to Montana, and I'll work with anyone who's willing to do the same," he said.

The seat is opening up as Republican Sen. Steve Daines is retiring, with Alme, a former U.S. Attorney for Montana, aiming to succeed him. Both parties are paying increased attention to congressional races in Montana, with President Donald Trump having joined Alme and other Republicans for a rally there last week and Vice President JD Vance set to rally in Montana next week.

"I'm ready to step up again to make our lives more affordable, make our communities safer, and protect our Montana way of life," Alme said at the rally last week. "And unlike my liberal opponents, I have the experience to get it done."

Buttigieg, who rose to prominence during his 2020 presidential run, has spent the past two years traveling around the country to stump for Democratic candidates and has endorsed in races up and down the ballot.

While he has confirmed he would consider running for president in 2028, he said he is more focused on the midterms and electing Democrats in 2026.

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President Donald Trump attacked Philadelphia 76ers forward LeBron James on Thursday over a video appearing to show the NBA star stretching during the national anthem ahead of his Sixers debut against the New York Knicks on Tuesday. 

"While listening to our National Anthem, LeBron James disrespects our Country!" Trump wrote in a social media post alongside a video of James that included overlaid text claiming that James was "working on his golf swing." 

"I said right from the beginning that he's no good, a TOTAL DISGRACE. LeBron James should apologize to all of those Great American Warriors and Heroes who died for the American Flag, and all that our Country stands for!" Trump added. 

In the video, LeBron can be seen performing arm stretches before moving on to mimic a basketball shooting motion.

Trump has a long history of attacking James going back to his first administration, when the president disparaged the four-time NBA champion's intelligence over an interview he did with CNN.

More recently, Trump speculated in July that James was a "racist" after he signed with the Sixers. 

"I think LeBron is, maybe he's a racist, but maybe he doesn't like Trump, I don't know," Trump said in response to a question about if James or Michael Jordan was a better player. "I only like people who like me, so I would say Michael Jordan all the way."

James has yet to comment on Trump's latest remarks. Representatives for James did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment on Thursday.

The NBA star has publicly criticized Trump in the past. After Trump rescinded a White House invitation to the Golden State Warriors in 2017, James told reporters: "He doesn't understand how many kids, no matter the race, look up to the president of the United States for guidance, for leadership, for words of encouragement. He doesn't understand that, and that's what makes me more sick than anything."

James later told reporters, "This is a beautiful country and we're never going to let one person dictate how beautiful and how powerful we are."

James scored 14 points for the 76ers in their 106-100 victory over the Knicks, the defending NBA champions, in the opener Tuesday at Madison Square Garden.

The four-time NBA champion will make his home debut for Philadelphia against his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers, on Thursday night.

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With the Trump administration signaling that work on the triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery could begin two weeks from Thursday, opponents of the project urged a federal judge to issue an order blocking the construction unless it is authorized by lawmakers.

The request for a preliminary injunction comes a day after the Justice Department filed notice with a federal judge indicating that construction on the arch could begin on Nov. 5, immediately after the National Capital Planning Commission is set to grant its final approval of the project.

Judge Tanya Chutkan had previously ordered that the government must give at least 14 days' notice before starting work on the arch. Wednesday's notice would keep with that timeframe.

The Vietnam-era veterans who have brought a lawsuit against the arch asked Chutkan to step in so that the administration can't "render the arch a fait accompli before this Court has made a final determination whether Defendants' project is unlawful."

The veterans' filing accuses the administration of having "barreled ahead, doing site testing, drawing architectural plans, and seeking approvals from commissions populated by friends of the administration."  

All the while, the filing says, the Trump administration has "failed to obtain (or even to seek) approval from the one body that, by law, must authorize the project: Congress."

The administration argues that the bill signed by President Calvin Coolidge in 1925 providing for the construction of Memorial Bridge also authorizes the arch, because the initial plan called for columns at the end of the bridge.

Opponents describe the administration's argument as "entirely untethered" from the text of that 1925 law.

Trump's proposal would put the 250-foot arch in a traffic circle across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial at the foot of the national cemetery. It currently faces legal challenges by the veterans and preservationists.

The administration acknowledged in September that the arch would cause "adverse effects" on the setting and views along the rive, but those impacts "cannot be fully avoided" because the arch's location is "central to the undertaking."

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Iowa Republican Senate candidate Rep. Ashley Hinson on Thursday strongly condemned Republican Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy for his controversial campaign ad featuring the estranged mother of Democratic opponent Amy Acton.

Hours before he was to appear at a rally with Hinson on Thursday, President Donald Trump defended the ad, in which Acton's mother, Donna Arthur, says her daughter has lied about her past and her struggles growing up.

Acton has spoken openly about her tumultuous relationship with her mother, whom she says she has not spoken to since she was 12 years old. Acton alleged her mother's second husband molested her between the ages of 9 and 12.

In an exclusive interview with ABC News' Jonathan Karl for ABC News' "This Week" to air Sunday, Hinson blasted the decision to release the ad.

"It's terrible. I think about it as a mom and you think about your kids surviving childhood sexual abuse and having to relive that trauma on TV again. I think it's absolutely terrible, and I think they should take the ad down," Hinson told Karl during an interview on Thursday from Iowa. 

Hinson also had harsh words for Vice President JD Vance, who defended Ramaswamy on Wednesday and said he was "disgusted" seeing Republicans across the country "whining" about the ad. 

"It's ridiculous. It's absolutely the wrong tone," Hinson told Karl about Vance's comments. "It sends absolutely the wrong message."

"Iowans want -- and probably Ohioans want -- someone who's going to be an empathetic leader, and I think it sends absolutely the wrong message," Hinson said.

"And I would bet that Amy Acton and I probably don't agree on anything, either. But like the last thing I would want as someone who's running against is to force them to relive the childhood trauma. So, I think, again, I think it's wrong, and it should come down," Hinson added. 

Hinson is one of the most high-profile Republican women running for office this year. Hinson, who is 43, would become the youngest female Republican senator in the U.S. Senate if she wins in November. 

Trump, who endorsed Hinson before Iowa's GOP primary, defended Ramaswamy's ad in a post on his social media platform earlier Thursday and said Ramaswamy "should keep it up." 

"Who wouldn't use such an Ad? I would, it's called, 'hitting paydirt,'" Trump posted. "Frankly, anybody whose mother spoke about a daughter in that way would normally lead to the daughter being precluded from serving in Office, let alone the Office of Governor."

Hinson is set to appear alongside Trump during a campaign rally in Sioux City, Iowa, on Thursday evening, the first of two final midterm rallies he is holding in the Hawkeye State. The president is visiting the red state to boost GOP candidates down the ballot. 

Leaving the White House for Iowa Thursday afternoon, Trump was asked about Hinson's comments in the interview with Karl.

"That's her opinion," Trump said, adding, "This is a mother saying very bad things about her daughter, and I don't know why that should be shielded. The only problem is the press has decided to unify and act like it's a horrible thing. It's horrible for her."

Trump also criticized Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine in his post, who had called the ad "deeply, deeply troubling" and called for Ramaswamy to take it down.

Trump, in his post, said DeWine "probably wants a Dumocrat to win, and certainly doesn't want someone who will do a much better job than he is capable of doing."

The ad, which circulated on social media late Monday, shows Acton's long-estranged mother, Donna Arthur, saying that she loves her daughter but that "Amy has a serious problem" and has lied about her past and her struggles growing up. The ad came two weeks out from the high-stakes midterm elections, where Ohio will not only elect a new governor but also vote in Senate and House races that could determine the balance of power in the next Congress.

At a campaign event on Wednesday, Acton called the ad "horrible and hideous."

Acton has been public about her experience with abuse and has spoken about her tumultuous relationship with her mother, whom she says she has not spoken to since she was 12 years old. Acton alleged her mother's second husband molested her between the ages of 9 and 12. Charges were filed against her stepfather and Acton testified against him.

Trump won Iowa's last three presidential elections, but his approval ratings have sunk as voters grow weary over rising grocery and fuel prices.

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Justice Department prosecutors are investigating the Department of Homeland Security's contracting activities in the first year of the second Trump administration and scrutinizing Corey Lewandowski, a longtime Trump ally who served as ousted DHS Secretary Kristi Noem's top aide, two sources familiar with the matter confirmed to ABC News. 

The investigation is in its early stages, sources said, and followed a referral to the department regarding Lewandowski's conduct from DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari. 

"Mr. Lewandowski has not been contacted by the Justice Department regarding any investigation, and he denies any wrongdoing when he was proudly serving his country in a voluntary capacity," said Adam Trigg, an attorney for Lewandowski in a statement provided to ABC News.

A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment. 

The probe marks a rare instance of Trump's Justice Department examining conduct of an ally of the president.

When asked by reporters Thursday about the probe into Lewandowski, President Donald Trump said he did not know about the specifics of the investigation.  

"All I know is I want my people to be honest," Trump said. "And if they're not gonna be honest they have to be prosecuted. I don't know about specifically, but -- because I view if people are not honest they're stealing from me." 

Lewandowski served as a special government employee during Noem's tenure effectively acting as her chief of staff as the department came under scrutiny for its controversial spending practices through costly government contracts.

Noem and Lewandowski were ousted in March following a congressional hearing where Noem claimed President Trump knew of her decision to launch a $220 million digital ad campaign for the department with videos that featured her prominently. 

Both have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the DOJ's probe of Lewandowski.

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The Israeli Defense Forces and the United States military have drawn up plans to renew joint strikes on Iran in the coming weeks, according to two Israeli sources familiar with the plans.

The Israeli sources said the strikes would almost certainly take place after the U.S. midterm elections, citing President Donald Trump’s reluctance to further destabilize oil markets in the final days of the campaign.

The White House said Thursday that the U.S. will not resume attacks on Iran before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

“The United States will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the midterm elections,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement to ABC News.

"Hunting season is open as soon as the elections end and it's obvious that they're not going to wait long," one Israeli source said.

The New York Times was first to report on the planning.

Asked about the Times' reporting, a White House official said the administration does not comment on "sensitive military plans that may or may not exist."

The official added that Trump "keeps all options on the table" to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

The Pentagon declined to comment.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is firmly in favor of renewed action against Iran, but both sources said the decision for joint strikes to resume is "only for Trump to decide."

One Israeli source did not rule out Israel striking unilaterally should the U.S. choose not to participate, but added Israel would still require U.S. consent.

Trump has repeatedly said that he would restart the war after the midterm elections and has threatened to "end" it after the midterms.

He gave a somewhat conflicting answer on the status of negotiations with Iran when asked Wednesday night, initially saying talks are ongoing "a little bit," but moments later saying "I think we're not negotiating." 

"A little bit, but we'll see what happens," Trump said, when asked for an update on negotiations.

Asked if he is "over" negotiating with Iran, Trump responded, "No, I think we're not negotiating with -- We are going to have something one way or the other that'll happen fairly soon." 

"Most people seem to think it's after the election, and we're going to see what happens," he added. 

The plans to renew joint strikes were discussed during Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's unannounced visit to Israel earlier this week, according to one Israeli source, who added that new intelligence was shared between both sides.

New strikes would aim to further erode Iran's economy and build on the ongoing U.S. blockade, with targets to include petrochemical facilities crucial to Iran's oil industry, one of the sources said.

The source added that striking Iranian nuclear facilities, such as those at Pickaxe Mountain, is also part of the new plans, but added there are no plans to strike civilian infrastructure like power plants.

The source emphasized that regime change in Iran, and not a negotiated deal, is the Israeli government's top goal.

"The only question is the timing," they said.

The U.S. military has been repositioning personnel at U.S. military bases in the Middle East, a source familiar with the matter told ABC News.

The repositioning of forces is similar to what occurred quietly prior to the start of the war with Iran in February, according to the source.

Asked for comment on an NBC report about the reduction of military and diplomatic personnel in the region, CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins said in a statement: "We regularly move U.S. service members and assets to optimize mission readiness. We do not discuss related movements for operational security reasons. U.S. forces remain vigilant and ready to protect American personnel and interests across the region."

Earlier Wednesday, the State Department ordered the departure of non-essential personnel and family members in Saudi Arabia -- a decision officials say is a direct response to the risk posed by Iranian-backed Houthi militants, who have attacked Saudi oil infrastructure and airports on Saudi Arabia from Yemen.

There have been much smaller posture adjustments at several other embassies in the Middle East -- changes officials say are also linked to the Houthi threat and other matters not connected to any plan to resume combat against Iran.

ABC News' Nick Kerr and Emily Chang contributed to this report.

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Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Thursday condemned a controversial ad from GOP gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy featuring his Democratic opponent Amy Acton's estranged mother calling her daughter a "liar."

DeWine told reporters in Columbus, Ohio, that the ad is "deeply, deeply troubling" and that the Ramaswamy campaign "needs to take it down," according to audio provided by Cleveland ABC affiliate WEWS.

"It's wrong to run this ad," DeWine said, adding that even though the midterms are fast approaching, he "would urge Ramaswamy's campaign to take this down."

The ad, which circulated on social media late Monday, shows Acton's long-estranged mother, Donna Arthur, saying that her daughter has lied about her past and her struggles growing up.

Acton has been public about her experience with abuse and openly spoken about her tumultuous relationship with her mother, whom she says she has not spoken to since she was 12 years old. Acton alleged her mother's second husband molested her between the ages of 9 and 12. Charges were filed against her stepfather, and Acton testified against him. He pleaded not guilty, but fled the state before trial and never appeared before a judge. He died in 2004. 

Ramaswamy, on Tuesday, confirmed his campaign had made the ad, which has drawn bipartisan backlash for bringing up his opponent's childhood trauma.

Acton has criticized the ad, calling it "horrible and hideous" during a campaign event on Wednesday, adding that the ad is "despicable" and "an exploitative thing to do."

DeWine invoked his own past as a prosecutor of several rape cases, saying "I think we all have an obligation to speak out for the victims."

"It's one of the reasons I'm doing this today. We need to speak out. We need to send the message to children that we are here to protect them and that there are people who will in fact protect them, and we just have to make sure we always try to do that," DeWine said.

The ad came nearly two weeks out from the high-stakes midterm elections where Ohio is home to not only a gubernatorial race, but also key Senate and House races that could determine the balance of power in Congress.

DeWine had endorsed Ramaswamy for governor -- and indicated he would still back Ramaswamy and the whole Republican ticket in the state, according to WEWS.

"Today is about the ad. But ... I'm not changing my endorsement," DeWine responded to a question about his support for Ramaswamy.

DeWine joins several other Republicans in the state who have recently spoken out against the controversial ad.

Former Ohio Rep. Jim Renacci -- who also ran for Senate in 2018 and governor in 2022 -- on Thursday called on Ramaswamy to "pivot quickly" away from the attack ad.

Ohio Sen. Jon Husted, who is running for reelection for the seat, said on Wednesday, "I would not have run that ad."

Ohio Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose told ABC Affiliate WSYX earlier this week that his office is reviewing complaints about the Ramaswamy ad to see if it violated any state laws after he said he has received "complaints from various people." He later added, "I will say that, you know, candidates will answer for their own ads, that, you know, I probably wouldn't run an ad like that, but every candidate gets to make their own decision."

Vice President JD Vance defended Ramaswamy's use of the ad during a campaign event in Ohio on Wednesday.

"Vivek Ramaswamy had the audacity to run a TV commercial which calls it out like it is and calls Amy Acton a liar," Vance said.

DeWine, who was Acton's boss when she was head of the Ohio Department of Health, said he knew her to be truthful.

"My experience with her and working closely with her every single day was she certainly told the truth," he said.

ABC News' Benjamin Siegel contributed to this report.

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A coalition of Democrats is suing to prevent the Trump administration from allegedly imposing itself on state-run elections and threatening to prosecute local election officials, setting up yet another legal showdown less than two weeks before Election Day. 

The Democratic National Committee, its congressional and Senate campaign arms, a handful of high-profile lawmakers and others filed the suit late Tuesday in Washington, D.C., federal court. 

Their complaint asks a federal judge to block the Trump administration’s alleged attempts to force states to remove voters from registration lists, segregate certain ballots and "threaten state and local election officials for doing nothing more than their lawful duties.” 

ABC News has reached out to the White House for comment.

The Justice Department has repeatedly defended its actions as part of an effort to ensure the integrity of the election system.

The Trump administration has tangled with officials in California, Nevada and other states over allegations of noncitizen voting in recent weeks. The Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security have accused several states of knowingly harboring noncitizens on their voter rolls and refusing to collaborate to remove them. 

In court papers filed Tuesday, two officials in the Los Angeles County registrar's office delivered the results of their "preliminary analysis" of 200 individuals from the DOJ's list of some 20,000 accused of being ineligible to vote.

Of those 200 individuals, officials said, nearly 40% "indicate that they were born in the United States, which is strong evidence of citizenship; and 71.2% of the records have no voting history."

In a statement to ABC News on Tuesday, DOJ spokesperson Kiersten Pels accused California of "willful blindness." 

"California cannot facilitate the violation of federal law," Pels said. "We notified California that noncitizens are likely registered to vote, and we asked the state to independently verify the citizenship of any ballots cast by people on a list that we provided. It refused to do so. Federal law doesn't permit this willful blindness." 

States claim the administration's steps -- taken just weeks before the midterms -- reflect federal overreach and are meant to sow distrust in the outcome of the election. 

The Democrats' suit slams the administration for pressuring states to purge their voter registration lists of illegal voters using "shoddily compiled lists of supposed noncitizens—target lists that have crumbled upon the barest inspection.”  

“For over a decade now, President Donald J. Trump has bombarded the American people with lies and misinformation about American elections and voter fraud,” the suit says. “While these lies have been debunked at every turn, that has never deterred the President from employing them as a pretext to seize control over elections, even as courts overwhelmingly reject that effort.”

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Vice President JD Vance, during a rally in Cincinnati on Wednesday, praised Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy for having the "audacity" to cut a controversial ad featuring his Democratic opponent Amy Acton's estranged mother calling her daughter a "liar" -- a move that has sparked bipartisan backlash.

"Vivek Ramaswamy had the audacity to run a TV commercial which calls it out like it is and calls Amy Acton a liar," Vance said.

The ad, which circulated on social media late Monday, shows Acton's long-estranged mother, Donna Arthur, saying that she loves her daughter but that "Amy has a serious problem" and has lied about her past and her struggles growing up. The ad came nearly two weeks out from the high-stakes midterm elections where Ohio is home to not only a gubernatorial race, but also key Senate and House races that could determine the balance of power in Congress.

At a campaign event in Wyandot County on Wednesday, Acton called the ad "horrible and hideous."

“I think it was a horrible and hideous thing to do, a sad thing, and I feel like it was an exploitative thing to do," she said. "I think it's despicable, but it's exactly like he has been this entire campaign."

Ramaswamy, on Tuesday, confirmed his campaign had made the ad and said he wanted the race to be about "substantive issues," but that Acton had ducked accountability, debates and what he claimed were her own lies about him. Acton and other Democrats, as well as some Republicans, have excoriated Ramaswamy for the ad and for bringing up his opponent's childhood trauma.

Acton has been public about her experience with abuse and openly spoken about her tumultuous relationship with her mother, whom she says she has not spoken to since she was 12 years old. Acton alleged her mother's second husband molested her between the ages of 9 and 12. Charges were filed against her stepfather, and Acton testified against him.

Acton's campaign responded to the ad with one of its own in which her brother, Philip Stearns, criticized Ramaswamy for the ad and noted she had been the victim of abuse.

"Shame on Vivek,” Stearns said in the ad, adding, "It's the contempt he has for Amy. It's the contempt he has for Ohio. He's not fit to lead."

Acton's campaign released a statement on Tuesday from Stearns as well saying Ramaswamy "has stooped to such a despicable low as to attempt to turn the sexual abuse Amy endured at twelve years old from our birth mother's husband into a political talking point."

ABC News White House Correspondent Karen Travers asked President Donald Trump about the ad on Wednesday. The president said he knew "nothing about it," later adding that "it's a very unusual situation to have a mother hate a daughter that much, but I don't think that has anything to do with Vivek."

The vice president said he "wasn't even supposed to talk about" the ad -- which he called the "biggest controversy" -- but couldn't "help myself."

Vance said Wednesday that voters should "focus on the substance" rather than the controversy, turning to attack Acton over her role as Ohio’s health director during COVID. 

"And my message, ladies and gentlemen, is very simple: Whether -- whatever you think about any of the TV advertisements, focus on the substance and focus on the facts. And the fact is that Amy Acton was the woman who tried to mask your children."

Vance later said Acton "could never" be governor because she is "worried about whether somebody says something mean about" her.

"I think that a person who is more worried about whether somebody says something mean about them, that person -- that person could never serve in the governor's mansion of the great state of Ohio," Vance said.

ABC News has reached out to Acton's campaign for comment on Vance's comments.

Speaking ahead of Vance on Wednesday, Ramaswamy made no reference to the controversial ad. During his remarks, Ramaswamy did not mention Acton's name or even reference his opponent at all -- a contrast from how he often mentions her on the trail.

Sen. Jon Husted, who is in a toss-up race for reelection in the state, told the Associated Press after Wednesday's rally, " I would not have run that ad."

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A Florida mayor was arrested Wednesday on theft and fraud charges alleging that she illegally enriched herself and family members through a COVID-19 small business relief program launched under her administration, according to the state's attorney general.

Kissimmee Mayor Jackie Espinosa is being charged with grand theft, a second-degree felony, and organized scheme to defraud, a first-degree felony, according to Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.

Espinosa is accused of improperly appropriating $50,000 in funds through the city's Business Boost 2.0 program, according to the arrest warrant.

"This is the local government equivalent of insider congressional stock trading," Florida's chief financial officer, Blaise Ingoglia, said during a press briefing on Wednesday.

An audit of COVID-19-related grant programs by Ingoglia's office found that three businesses owned or controlled by Espinosa or members of her immediate family allegedly received $50,000 in grant funds through Kissimmee's Business Boost 2.0 program, according to the warrant. The businesses include a dance production studio, a diner and a real estate company, according to the warrant. She and her family members allegedly applied for the grants on the day applications opened in September 2025, according to the state attorney general's office.

"The evidence makes very clear that there was intent to engage in this conflict of interest that ultimately abused her office to enrich herself," Uthmeier said. "Mayor Espinosa demonstrated an intent to create, streamline and simplify, reduce oversight of and more easily enable a process whereby herself and immediate family could apply for and receive city funds to which she was not entitled."

Espinosa's attorney said the mayor "maintains her innocence" and that they plan to challenge the allegations "vigorously in court."

"This case involves a publicly approved grant program administered by City staff, not a secret scheme to steal taxpayer money," her attorney, Migdalia Perez, said in a statement to ABC News.

"The prosecution must establish that the mayor acted with criminal intent. We firmly maintain that she did not," Perez said. "There is a fundamental difference between an alleged ethics violation and a criminal offense. The State cannot transform one into the other without proving every element of a crime beyond a reasonable doubt."

Espinosa, 58, was booked Wednesday morning into the Osceola County Jail under her full name, Eva Jacqulyn Espinosa, online jail records show.

She faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted as charged, officials said.

Espinosa has served as the mayor of Kissimmee since November 2024. Her term ends in 2028.

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A majority of Americans say artificial intelligence is a bad thing for society and about two-thirds oppose the construction of new data centers in the U.S., with opposition even higher to building data centers in people's own communities, according to an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll conducted using Ipsos’ KnowledgePanel.

The poll finds that a 57% majority of Americans say AI is bad for society while 42% say it is good for society. Just 2% say it is "extremely" good for society while 17% say it is extremely bad for society.

Tech leaders have issued warnings about the threat of AI and called for steps to slow it down before it outsmarts humans. Following those warnings, lawmakers have weighed what -- if any -- action should be taken. President Donald Trump, who has called warnings about AI a "hoax," met with several tech leaders at the White House last month, saying they signed a "constitution" to police themselves.

Younger Americans are more likely to say AI is bad for society than older Americans: 65% of Americans under 30 say AI is bad for society along with 59% of those 30 to 39. A slimmer majority of Americans 40 and older say AI is bad for society (53%).

Majorities of Democrats (63%) and independents (58%) say AI is bad for society, while Republicans are more evenly split with 51% saying AI is good for society and 47% saying it is bad for society.

Still, Americans are more likely to say AI is good for them personally: 50% say AI is good for them and 49% say it is bad for them. Again, intensity lies with the pessimists. Five times as many people say it is extremely bad for them (15%) compared to extremely good (3%).

A majority of Republicans (57%) say AI is personally good for them while a similar majority of Democrats say it’s personally bad for them (55%). Independents are split on whether AI is good (50%) or bad (49%) for them personally.

Risks and benefits of AI

When Americans were asked about various potential risks with the growth of AI, majorities say that most of the possible consequences are a "high risk."

Nearly three-quarters of Americans, 73%, say there is a high risk of AI hacking secure computer systems, including majorities across partisan groups and age groups.

About two-thirds of Americans, 65%, say there is a high risk of the growth of AI leading to the elimination of many jobs, including majorities across age, partisan and income groups.

About 6 in 10 Americans, 62%, say there is a high risk of people losing the ability to make their own decisions without AI, including a larger majority of Americans under the age of 50 (67%). Majorities across partisan groups say there’s a high risk of people losing the ability to make their own decisions without AI: 68% of Democrats, 63% of independents and 55% of Republicans.

More than half of Americans, 54%, say there is a high risk of increasing economic inequality due to the growth of AI, including most Democrats (66%) and independents (57%) and just over a third of Republicans (36%). Similar majorities across income levels say there’s a high risk of increased economic inequality with the growth of AI.

One-third of Americans, 33%, say there is a high risk of human extinction due to the growth of AI -- a smaller share than the other risks, but for the most dire of consequences. Democrats are more likely to say that the growth of AI will lead to a high risk of human extinction (40%) than Republicans (24%), with independents falling in between (34%).

When it comes to the potential benefits of AI, smaller shares of Americans say there's a big chance of each happening -- although roughly the same share say there's a big chance of AI making everyday tasks easier as say that there is a high risk of human extinction due to AI.

About one-third of Americans, 34%, say that the growth of AI has a big chance of making everyday tasks easier. That includes a larger share of Republicans (42%) than independents (33%) or Democrats (29%).

Three in 10 Americans (30%) say that the growth of AI has a big chance of leading to U.S. dominance in AI technology, including more Republicans (41%) than independents (27%) or Democrats (25%).

Just 2 in 10 Americans (20%) say that the growth of AI has a big chance of making people more productive, including relatively small minorities across demographic groups; nearly twice as many say there is "little or no chance" of AI making people more productive (38%).

And even fewer, 13% of Americans, say that the growth of AI has a big chance of creating many new jobs -- just over half, 52%, say it has little or no chance of creating many new jobs. More Republicans (17%) than Democrats (9%) say that AI has a big chance of creating many new jobs, but even the share of Republicans saying this is quite small. Most Democrats (60%) and independents (54%) along with 42% of Republicans say AI has little or no chance of creating many new jobs.

Regulation and the administration

Two-thirds of Americans say the federal government is not doing enough to regulate the growth and development of AI technology, including majorities of Democrats (80%), independents (66%) and Republicans (54%).

Just 22% of Americans say the government is doing "about the right amount" to regulate AI.

Two-thirds of Americans disapprove of how Trump is handling AI; just 30% approve. Approval peaks among MAGA Republicans -- who make up about 6 in 10 Republicans -- 80% of whom approve. But approval falls to 49% among non-MAGA Republicans, 50% of whom disapprove. Wide majorities of Democrats (92%) and independents (75%) disapprove of how Trump is handling AI.

Americans trust Democrats over Republicans to handle AI, 26% to 19%, but about half say they don’t trust either party to handle AI (49%). In April, Americans were roughly split over trusting Democrats or Republicans more, with still about half saying they didn’t trust either party.

Building data centers

Two-thirds of Americans (66%) oppose the construction of new data centers in the U.S., growing to 72% when asked about building a new data center in their community.

Data centers are a key issue ahead of high-stakes midterm elections. Trump has stressed his strong support for them, saying they can help enrich communities and assist in the United States’ effort to defeat China in the global AI race.

Majorities across partisan groups and virtually all other major demographic groups oppose a new data center in their community. That includes 81% of Democrats, 76% of independents and 58% of Republicans, along with 80% of adults under 30 and 69% of those 65 or older.

Opposition is slightly higher in rural communities (78%), but 72% of suburbanites agree, along with 69% of urbanites, who are much less likely to face data center construction in their own backyards.

All in all, there’s also not much support for building more data centers nationally: Just 30% support them, peaking at 53% support among MAGA Republicans.

See PDF for full results and detailed methodology.

Methodology: This ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll was conducted via the probability-based Ipsos KnowledgePanel Oct. 9-13, 2026, among 2,545 U.S. adults with an error margin of +/- 2 points overall. Several questions were asked of a half sample of 1,271-1,274 adults with an error margin of +/- 2.8 points. Other subgroups also have larger error margins.

ABC News’ Liz Schreier contributed to this report.

Email ABCNEWS.Polls@abc.com to be added to ABC News’ polling distribution list.

More ABC News polls can be found at abcnews.com. Media contacts: Jeannie Kedas and Van Scott.

Previous releases:

About 6 in 10 Americans are confident the election will be conducted fairly and accurately: ABC/Post/Ipsos poll

Democrats lead Republicans in House vote choice as Trump’s approval rating hits record low: ABC/Post/Ipsos poll

Wide majority of Americans oppose livestreaming Nidal Hasan’s execution: ABC/Post/Ipsos poll

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In 2017, a man opened fire on his estranged wife, a special needs teacher at an elementary school in San Bernardino, California, killing her and a student before taking his own life.

The man who carried out the attack had a history of domestic violence, according to the U.S. Secret Service, which in a first-of-its-kind report is detailing common "behaviors of concern" it says are often exhibited before attackers carry out violence.

Nearly three-quarters of those who carried out workplace attacks exhibited such behaviors of concern, according to the report released on Wednesday.

In addition to its protection and financial crime duties, the U.S. Secret Service also houses the National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC), which examines targeted violence and publishes research papers on the topic.

Lina Alathari, who has a Ph. D. in cognitive neuropsychology and leads the center, told ABC News in an interview the report studied incidents from 2016 to 2020. It's also based on interviews with workplaces that practice the training the Secret Service recommends. 

"One of the main findings from our report examining mass attacks was that over 40% of the attackers had a history of domestic violence, and when you parse out these 50 subset of workplace attackers, that number goes up to 53%," Alathari said adding that the incidents continue to happen on a "monthly or weekly basis."

Alathari told ABC News the warning signs of the attacks fell on a "continuum."

According to the report: "Some attackers engaged in violence directed at romantic partners or relatives, prompting victims to seek protective orders or restraining orders against the attackers."

About two-thirds of attackers had prior criminal charges, according to the report.

"Other behaviors that elicited concern included attackers making disturbing or threatening statements, exhibiting strange or unusual behaviors, and stalking and harassing others," the report stated.

The incidents the Secret Service studied found that perpetrators were familiar with the workplace -- whether they were a former or current employee, a romantic partner who worked at the site or a customer, according to the report. 

The report lays out a series of warning behaviors and signs that are typical for those who might carry out targeted workplace violence, like a 22-year-old service member who "experienced multiple stressors, including chronic pain resulting from a motorcycle accident, the ailing health of a loved one, harassment from peers, and numerous reprimands and citations at work due to poor performance and tardiness," before carrying out an attack that killed two on base and injured a third person. 

In nearly all of the 50 attacks the Secret Service examined the attacker experienced some kind of stressor, according to the report. Of the attacks studied, retail locations were the most targeted, followed by restaurants, and manufacturing or distribution centers.

The Secret Service found that nearly all of the attacks were carried out by males who acted alone.

According to the report, half of the employees that carried out workplace violence had disciplinary records, such as a man who shot and killed four co-workers in an HR meeting after being given notice that he was being terminated.

The Secret Service said that workplace violence can be prevented by implementing proactive steps -- such as securing the support of senior executives at the company to create a team that is aware of threatening or concerning behaviors.  

"The Secret Service wanted to make sure that an organization of any size, small, medium, or large, can take this framework, and it's a scalable blueprint for them to start establishing these programs or refine existing programs," Alathari said, adding the Secret Service uses the threat assessment model to protect the president and others every day.

"What we're telling organizations is you have to have resources and trainings for employees to recognize the warning signs, but also the avenues to report this behavior so that someone in the organization has the responsibility for taking action to make sure that preventing a future attack," she said. 

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There has never been a worse month for pending home sales than September 2026.

Data released Tuesday shows the housing market weakening sharply, squeezed by rising mortgage rates and elevated home prices.

Pending home sales fell 7.3% in September from the previous month, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). It was the lowest reading in the history of the Pending Home Sales Index, which began in 2001.

Mortgage rates have also moved higher. Mortgage News Daily put the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate at 7.43% on Monday, up from 7.37% on Friday.

The spike in mortgage rates over the past eight weeks -- and the even bigger increase since the start of the Iran war -- has priced out millions of aspiring homebuyers.

When rates increase from 6% to 7%, nearly 6 million fewer Americans can afford the monthly payment on the median-priced home in the U.S. with a 10% down payment, according to data provided to ABC News by NAR. The median single-family home was around $435,000 as of September 2026.

A separate estimate out Wednesday from Pantheon Macroeconomics found the typical monthly payment on the median-priced home will climb to 40% of average after-tax income this month, up from 35% at the start of the year.

In other words: to buy a typical single-family home in the U.S. right now, at around a $435,000 list price, your monthly mortgage will cost you 40% of your take-home pay.

"Affordability is too stretched, despite the near-stagnation in home prices for the last three years, for the rise in mortgage rates to leave no mark," said Pantheon Chief U.S. Economist Samuel Tombs in a research note.

Economists say many families -- especially first-time buyers -- are waiting on the sidelines to buy, while other families who locked in low mortgage rates are reluctant to move. The latest ABC News-Washington Post-Ipsos poll found half of adults say their mortgage or rent is unaffordable.

The West posted the largest drop in pending home sales, followed by the South, Midwest and Northeast. NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun attributed the decline to rapidly rising mortgage rates and said higher energy prices are adding to uncertainty.

A separate report released this morning by the Commerce Department's Census Bureau showed homebuilding also slowing sharply. Housing starts -- a measure of how many new homes builders begin constructing -- fell 5.2% in September from August and 7.4% from a year earlier, to an annualized rate of 1.221 million units.

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Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers said he's been successful reaching out to traditional Democratic constituencies wary of his progressive opponent Abdul El-Sayed and tried to distance himself from President Donald Trump over tariffs and the economy in an interview with ABC News Live that airs Tuesday. 

Rogers is locked in a critical race for Michigan's open Senate seat that could determine control of the Senate in the next Congress.

A Fox News poll conducted in late September found the race essentially tied among likely voters, with El-Sayed at 50% and Rogers at 49%, well within the poll's margin of error.

Reaching out for crossover votes

Amidst concerns about turnout for El-Sayed among traditional Democratic constituencies like Black and Jewish voters, Rogers sees an opening for crossover votes.

He told ABC News Live anchor Linsey Davis that there's "an opportunity ... with Jewish Democrat voters, African Americans in Detroit and Pontiac and Brooklyn."

"We are going into what would normally be traditional Democrat coalitions, and we're getting such a great response. I think that's why we're going to win, and that's what's different," he said.

There is no polling to determine if Rogers is making gains in those coalitions.

Former President Barack Obama is headed to Detroit on Saturday to campaign with El-Sayed and former Vice President Kamala Harris appeared with him earlier in the campaign. 

Convincing Trump on new policy

When asked whether he agreed with the president's self assessment that he had done an "A++" job on the economy, Rogers did not directly answer the question, saying, "I am really worried. People are so frustrated. They're frustrated about prices. They're frustrated about inflation."

He argued that he would be able to effectively influence the president on economic policy.

"I'm going to be able to go in, sit down, talk to him about the things that work for Michigan."

Defending off-duty police officers as poll-watchers

Earlier this year, Rogers said "Let's put retired or off-duty police officers as our poll-watchers in Detroit. Go ahead, try to intimidate them."

He defended his statement to ABC News, saying, "I don't know how having a poll-watcher, which we've had for decades in the state, would discourage anyone from voting. I certainly would not encourage them to be discouraged in voting. I want it easy to vote, hard to cheat. That's it."

Rogers has previously called into doubt the results of his 2024 loss to Democratic Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin despite there being no evidence of wrongdoing or fraud in that race. 

Canadian tariffs are 'problematic'

In the closing weeks of the race, Rogers has made efforts to distance himself from Trump by breaking with a couple of his policies, including the Iran war and tariffs on goods from Canada, which shares a border with Michigan.

"This new round of Canadian tariffs are problematic for us here in the state," Rogers said, citing the two countries' "integrated" auto industries. 

"The Jeep Cherokee will go across the bridge between Canada and the United States about a dozen times before it's been built," Rogers told Davis.

"Let's get the Canadian deal done, or settled, or postponed, or let's negotiate, but don't put the tariffs on right now with all the other things, all the struggles that we have going on," he added.

According to a study by the National Taxpayers Union Foundation, Michigan households are seeing an average additional cost of $5,600 due to tariffs since January 2025, the most of any state.

Defends connecting El-Sayed to terrorism

Rogers told CBS News last week to "look at the data -- it's pretty clear" when asked if he believed that El-Sayed was a terrorist.

Asked about that exchange and whether he believes El-Sayed is a terrorist, Rogers dodged the question, telling Davis, "It's not about how you pray, it is not about any of that. It is about how you think, it's about what your ideology is."

El-Sayed has denied any ties to terrorism and called those characterizations Islamophobic.

'Misconception' that he's a Washington insider

When asked what's the biggest misconception about him, Rogers said that it was that he was a "Washington insider," adding, "I've been out of Congress for 10 years in the private sector, working in the cybersecurity sector. I think that's the biggest misperception."

Rogers represented Michigan in the House for seven terms, including as chair of the House Intelligence Committee. 

Fair criticism 

When asked what the fairest criticism was of him, Rogers replied "I love my wife too much." 

His wife Kristi, joining the interview, said that when Rogers "says he's going to do something, he does it."

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