Trump administration escalates midterm election interference

The Justice Department has sued states to block certification and sequester ballots in the days before the 2026 US midterm elections.

• Trump said he ordered the Justice Department's lawsuit seeking to block Senate certification in Alaska if the Republican candidate loses.
• A federal judge rejected the department's demand that California sequester 20,000 ballots cast by alleged noncitizens, and the government is appealing.
• The department demanded Washington state investigate 400 alleged noncitizen voters, a list its secretary of state called inaccurate.
• FBI Director Kash Patel refused to rule out FBI agents at polling places, saying agents will staff field offices on Election Day.