Wednesday, 9 September 2026

Trump administration proposes sweeping changes to the 2030 U.S. Census that would exclude undocumented immigrants and non-citizens with temporary status, and potentially remove race and ethnicity questions. The proposal would reshape congressional representation and federal funding allocation.

Trump held the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, an unprecedented event. The two-day gathering featured Trump as the centerpiece, with other GOP officials and candidates forced to calculate their distance from an unpopular president facing economic headwinds including the Iran war and tariff disputes.

Trump said the Iran war will end immediately after the midterm elections on November 3, addressing concerns about the seven-month conflict's economic impact. Oil prices surged above $100 per barrel for the first time in months, driven by escalating US-Iran military tensions.

The Trump administration escalated trade war with Canada, imposing sweeping new import bans on dairy, alcohol, and motorcycles (effective September 29) and additional 50% tariffs (September 15), following Canada's retaliatory tariffs on US goods.

Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania made a surprise video appearance at the GOP midterm convention praising President Trump and Sen. Dave McCormick for efforts to support the U.S. Steel industry, signaling further alienation from his own party.

Trump administration fired a federal prosecutor assigned to a case against a politically-linked Indian billionaire that the administration dropped, continuing a pattern of weaponizing the DOJ against perceived enemies.

Trump gave $45,000 in cash gifts to executive assistant Natalie Harp and two other White House aides, according to financial disclosures. Experts say the gifts are unprecedented and may violate federal law regarding compensation limits.

ICE's enforcement operations in Chicago area cost local businesses over $1.2 billion in the past year, according to a University of Illinois Chicago study, highlighting the economic toll of mass deportation efforts.

The Trump administration plans to send $500 rebate checks to as many as 1 million people in 30 states who were allegedly overcharged for Obamacare coverage, with payments timed before the November midterm elections.

U.S. reading scores hit a near-25-year low among 15-year-olds in the latest global assessment, with a 14-point drop from 2022, as the Trump administration pushes for school choice policies.