President Donald Trump is taking his Republican midterm rescue mission to Nebraska on Monday, campaigning alongside GOP Sen. Pete Ricketts, who is running against an independent candidate backed by national Democrats.
It's part of what the Republican president says is a 32-day blitz of rallies ahead of Nov. 3 that so far has taken him to ruby-red territory such as Oklahoma and Alabama. His upcoming stop, Grand Island, is located in Nebraska's solidly conservative south-central region.
Across the country, voters are frustrated with Trump's handling of the economy, including persistently high costs for fuel and groceries. It's a major issue for rural voters who have backed the president and his party in recent elections. But so far on the campaign trail, Trump has dismissed those economic concerns.
The administration's plan to allow more imports of foreign beef has particularly roiled the agriculture-rich state of Nebraska. Trump wants to lower beef prices for consumers, but ranchers have rebelled against the import proposal, arguing it would undercut them.
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Vances take baby son on campaign trip to Alaska
The vice president and second lady Usha Vance were traveling to Alaska with their two youngest children, daughter Mirabel and baby Alec, who was born in July.
Vance joked with reporters that the trip would be their first long flight with the baby and he may look haggard upon arrival because of it.
AI industry insiders voice alarms to NYC council as local governments take up safety concerns
AI experts testified about the dangers of the emerging technology in a lengthy New York City Council hearing, calling Monday for greater oversight as local governments move to respond to mounting concerns that the systems could endanger humanity, despite the Trump administration's hands-off approach.
Recently departed employees of Anthropic, OpenAI and Google DeepMind described a reckless culture at the firms, saying the biggest tech companies are racing to create technology they do not understand how to control.
"The companies run on a startup mindset: Move fast, break things, fix them later. That works for a photo sharing app. It does not work for building the most powerful technology ever built," said Jacob Coxon, a former engineer at Anthropic. "On the current path, I think it is more likely than not that humanity loses control to these AIs and it could end in human extinction."
Trump has dismissed AI fears as a "hoax" and signed a "superintelligence" agreement that largely allows the AI companies to self-police.
AP-NORC Poll: Democrats are divided on their party’s path forward
Slightly fewer than half of Democratic voters in the AP-NORC poll say their party is "too moderate," while a similar share say it is "about right." That is a sharp contrast with Republican voters, who mostly say their party is "about right."
Voters such as Meagan Ludwig of Milwaukee illustrate the party discontent that has emerged in Wisconsin and other closely contested states this year. Ludwig voted for democratic socialist Francesca Hong in the Democratic primary for governor in August.
“We need to seize the opportunity to boldly enact policies that will improve the lives of Americans,” said Ludwig, who is married and has an elementary school-age child. “I’m tired of us pursuing incremental change.”
Trump suggests his pre-midterm election travels might include hitting Maine
“I don’t know about Maine, I think we’re going to Maine, too,” the president told reporters while leaving the White House to fly to Nebraska. “But I’m going to Michigan in about a week and a half.”
Competitive Senate races in both Michigan and Maine have captured national attention.
Trump also said of the 30-plus trips he’s pledged to visit prior to Election Day on Nov. 3: “We’re sort of scheduled to be someplace almost every night.”
Trump says there was a threat to US bombers in UK
The president said he didn’t want to tempt “the enemy” by having Air Force bombers at base in England, prompting the airplanes to be brought home to the U.S.
The bombers had been used to strike Iran and Trump said, “We had a threat” connected to Iran. The return followed an investigation into a planned terror attack at the RAF Fairford base.
“So we moved them around a little bit, not very far,” Trump said.
Trump says US is monitoring situation at Russian plague institute
"We're looking at it very strongly. We just heard about it," Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday when asked about a Siberian plague research institute where authorities say an employee died of pneumonia from an "unknown" case.
“We’ll help,” Trump added. “Anybody that has that kind of a problem, we’re always willing to help.”
Trump says he’ll help farmers who dealing with high diesel prices
Asked if he plans to aid farmers dealing by easing limits on red dye diesel, the president said, “Yeah, I’ll be helping them with diesel.”
Diesel fuel prices have spiked in the aftermath of the Iran war, but dyed diesel fuel is cheaper because it’s exempt from federal and state excise taxes. Temporarily removing the limits would reduce cost pressures on the businesses that rely on diesel.
“We are doing a lot for the farmers,” Trump said. “We’ve given them a lot and we help them a lot. And the farmers are with me all the way.”
Trump administration loans up to $4.2B to modernize nuclear plants
The Department of Energy is loaning up to $4.2 billion to help modernize nuclear plants in Pennsylvania and Ohio.
The department announced a conditional loan commitment Monday for Vistra’s nuclear fleet to help meet the region’s growing electricity demand.
President Donald Trump set a goal of quadrupling domestic production of nuclear power within 25 years.
Vistra’s planned investments at Beaver Valley Power Station in Pennsylvania and Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station and Perry Nuclear Power Plant in Ohio will produce more electricity from the nuclear plants and extend the life of the reactors.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said this is a way to deliver more affordable, reliable, around-the-clock energy.
Vance defends Trump administration’s taxpayer funded television ads
The vice president was asked about the administration’s plans to use $20 million in taxpayer money to pay for campaign-style television ads that glorify Trump and have drawn bipartisan criticism.
Vance defended the ads and said, “I don’t think there’s anything unusual or unorthodox about it. I’m sure that some people probably don’t like it, but if you look at the message of those advertisements, they’re not partisan.”
He added that, “It’s not like we’re advocating for a particular candidate.”
But the ads are openly extoling the president and one is nearly identical to an ad that his 2024 campaign aired.
Trump is expected to campaign in some politically competitive states in coming weeks
There are tentative plans for for Trump to travel in the weeks leading up to Election Day to Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, Ohio, Kansas, Montana, Pennsylvania, Alaska, Nevada, Arizona, and Texas, according to a person familiar with the plans who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. But the person cautioned that the plans could shift.
Trump is headed back to Ohio
After stumping in the critical Senate battleground on Saturday, the president is returning to Ohio next week.
This time, he’ll be in Youngstown, which is in the northeastern part of the state. The rally is scheduled for Monday evening. Trump campaigned in Vandalia, just outside Dayton in southwestern Ohio, over the weekend.
Appointed GOP Sen. Jon Husted is running for election against former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in one of the most closely watched Senate races this year.
Ohio Democrats’ path to the governor’s office runs through rural areas that had turned against them
Democrats say their nominee for governor in Ohio, Dr. Amy Acton, represents the party’s best chance in years to win that office.
To do so, she will have to win over independents, some Republicans upset with the direction of their party and Democrats who have drifted away from the party in recent years.
She is campaigning throughout the state, with a focus on rural areas that have swung heavily Republican since President Donald Trump emerged on the political stage. Focusing on the needs of rural Ohio also is a strategy pursued by Acton’s Republican opponent, Vivek Ramaswamy, a wealthy biotech entrepreneur and 2024 presidential contender.
Vance says details still need to be worked out on $54B natural gas project in Alaska
Trump last week announced plans for South Korea to invest in the project, but while the president described it as a done deal, South Korean officials said they needed to assess the project’s commercial viability before committing to the investment.
Vance said Monday that “I think it’s something that’s going to happen. Obviously, you still got to work out some of the details” and said that South Korean had “spoken to that.”
“I think we’re going to be able to get it done,” he added.
Troy Jackson is scrambling to defeat Maine Sen. Susan Collins. Time is not on his side
From the start, he had barely more than 100 days to mount a campaign against New England’s last Republican senator. Jackson is a logger, union activist and former president of the Maine Senate who is trying to flip a seat that’s key to Democrats’ effort to win control of the Senate.
Jackson has deficits in the race in terms of money, recognition around the state and, perhaps most of all, time. Jackson became the party’s nominee in late July after the campaign of Democratic primary winner Graham Platner fell apart.
Top crypto group to pour millions into bipartisan slate of House races after key legislation stalls
A major cryptocurrency spending group is backing 32 House candidates from both parties ahead of the November midterms.
Fairshake will spend $1 million each to support six candidates, including several in competitive races. All 32 backed a major crypto bill that stalled in the Senate this year.
Fairshake is emphasizing its bipartisan approach, but its largest general election investment is nearly $30 million against Democratic Senate candidate Sherrod Brown in Ohio.
The group also spent heavily against Brown in 2024. Fairshake and its affiliates still have about $120 million available, raising questions about where they will spend next.
AP-NORC Poll: Democrats have gained on key issues
Voters give Democrats the advantage when it comes to which party would be better to handle the cost of living, according to a new AP-NORC poll.
The survey finds 38% of registered voters say the Democrats would be better for costs, compared with 27% who pick the Republicans. The issue was about evenly split among U.S. adults in February, with about 3 in 10 saying each party would be better.
Democrats have also gained ground on the economy. About 4 in 10 registered voters say the Democrats are better on this issue, compared with 26% of U.S. adults in February.
These shifts are good news for Democratic candidates who are hammering an increasingly unpopular president — and by extension, his party. But the survey also points to a bigger problem for both parties: Few registered voters think either party is able to solve important problems or help Americans like them.
Obama is to appear with El-Sayed in Detroit as the ex-president gets more involved in the midterms
The former president plans to appear with Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed at an Oct. 24 rally.
Other Michigan Democrats on the ballot also will be there, including Jocelyn Benson, the nominee for governor.
Obama is upping involvement in the midterm election. He taped two dozen ads last week for Democratic candidates for governor and Senate that will be released in the coming days and weeks. He’ll also announce additional campaign stops.
The rally for El-Sayed aims to help him shore up support in Detroit, where he was outperformed in the primary by Rep. Haley Stevens.
Trump administration issues final transparency in healthcare coverage rule
A new rule was finalized that requires healthcare providers to disclose more accessible public pricing disclosures.
The rule requires providers to post machine-readable files monthly for each plan or coverage they offer, and mandates that insurers cut out “ghost rates”-- or negotiated rates between insurers and medical providers for services never performed.
The rule builds on standards crafted in 2020, by addressing issues with oversized files and difficult data navigation.
At a press conference, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the new rule provides a “clear view of what healthcare actually costs.”
FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson issued a formal warning to major for-profit hospital groups regarding their legal obligation to provide truthful pricing.
Constitution doesn’t prohibit cities from holding polluters responsible, attorney says
Kevin K. Russell made the argument on behalf of the city of Boulder which is asking the Supreme Court to allow it to move forward with a lawsuit against energy companies holding them responsible for the local costs of climate change.
The case involves complex questions about whether the high court can limit certain types of lawsuits from states. Justice Elena Kagan suggested the case is similar to state lawsuits against tobacco companies or opioid manufacturers.
But Chief Justice John Roberts told Russell that, if he won, he could envision numerous cities filing similar lawsuits the next day.
Russell acknowledged “there could be a lot of litigation,” but said “nothing in the constitution” prohibits that.
Democrats plan to protest when Trump visits Nebraska to rally Republican support for Sen. Ricketts
Nebraska Democrats are planning a protest Monday afternoon ahead of President Donald Trump’s speech at the home of the State Fair in Grand Island.
Trump is visiting the state on the day early voting begins to rally Republican support for incumbent Sen. Pete Ricketts and Gov. Jim Pillen, who are both running for reelection.
“Republicans are in trouble, even in Nebraska,” state Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb said. “Nebraskans are angry at the con job, the fake outrage and the broken promises.”
Ricketts and his independent challenger Dan Osborn have flooded the airwaves with ads attacking each other leading up to the election. The Democrats are supporting Osborn’s campaign and won’t have a candidate on the November ballot.
Trump won more than two-thirds of the vote in Hall County in 2024, so many are excited he is coming to Grand Island.
Rocke Jruzenski, who told KETV that he plans to attend the rally, said he is looking forward to the visit.
“I can’t believe the people that have negativity about this. This is one of the most amazing things that will ever happen to Grand Island,” Jruzenski said.
Vance says Air Force removed bombers from British base ‘out of an abundance of caution’
The vice president told reporters on Monday before preparing to fly to Alaska for a campaign event that the decision to bring home the bombers stationed at a U.S.-run military air base in England was because the U.S. was trying to be careful in the wake of an investigation into a planned terror attack at the RAF Fairford base.
“What you saw there is, the Secretary of War, out of an abundance of caution, trying to protect our guys,” Vance said. “We do feel with some confidence that the Iranians are, you know, they’re trying to do what the Iranian state has done for 49 years, which is engage in acts of terrorism against the United States and against a lot of other people as well. So, we are being extremely cautious.”
AP-KFF poll: Most rural voters see the economic importance of immigrants
The vast majority of rural voters see immigrants in the country legally as an important part of their local economies, according to the AP-KFF survey.
Immigrants often play key roles in sustaining local industries, including by filling jobs in manufacturing, healthcare and agriculture.
The poll found about 7 in 10 rural voters see immigrants who are in the country legally as “very” or “somewhat” important to their local economies, and a similar share say the same about temporary or seasonal agriculture workers.
Rural voters are much less likely to say immigrants who are in the country illegally are beneficial, but 45% say they are at least “somewhat” important to local economies.
Dennis Hastert, longtime Republican House speaker who went to prison, has died
Dennis Hastert, whose congressional legacy as the longest-serving Republican House speaker was later fouled by allegations that he had molested high school athletes during his prior career as a teacher and wrestling coach, has died, a coroner said Monday. He was 84.
Hastert, who was speaker from 1999 until 2007 and spent more than a year in prison later in life, died Saturday of natural causes at his home while receiving hospice care, according to Kendall County Coroner Jacquie Purcell.
When he was sentenced in 2016 to more than a year behind bars, the former history teacher became one of the highest-ranking American politicians ever ordered to prison.
Soldiers seriously wounded in Iranian drone strike tell AP the US military failed them
As the war with Iran enters its eighth month, U.S. soldiers wounded in its deadliest strike yet on American troops are raising concerns publicly, many for the first time, about whether commanders underestimated the threat. Some of those wounded also said the military medical system failed them.
The Pentagon has released few details about the Iranian drone strike on Port Shuaiba in Kuwait that killed six soldiers on March 1, the day after the United States and Israel started the war against Iran.
The Associated Press spoke with 13 soldiers, primarily officers, serving in key positions of responsibility there or familiar with high-level briefings. Many said the Pentagon did not take Iranian threats seriously enough as it launched Operation Epic Fury. Some of the wounded soldiers said they've faced inadequate medical care and bureaucratic barriers since then.
Several soldiers spoke on the record — rare for troops still in the Army — others on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.
Trump campaigning in Nebraska, where ranchers are rebelling over fuel prices and beef imports
President Donald Trump is taking his Republican midterm rescue mission to Nebraska. He'll campaign Monday alongside GOP Sen. Pete Ricketts, who's being challenged by an independent candidate backed by national Democrats.
The race between the former Nebraska governor and independent Dan Osborn initially was not expected to be competitive, but voters across the country are frustrated with Trump's handling of the economy, including persistently high costs for fuel and groceries. Rural voters in particular are hurting, and ranchers have rebelled against Trump's efforts to increase imports of foreign beef.
“The plan to import low-quality foreign beef is not helping Nebraska ranchers,” Ricketts told the AP. “I would advise the White House to change that policy and look for longer-term things that will help us build the size of the herd and ultimately bring the price of beef down for consumers.”
Energy attorney: Colorado can’t ‘regulate global conduct’
Kannon Shanmugam told the Supreme Court that it should block a lawsuit seeking hold oil and gas companies liable for effects of climate change on Boulder, Colorado.
Suncor and Exxon Mobile argue that states can’t “regulate global conduct” like emissions that cause climate change.
“None of the conduct here is directed at Colorado,” Shanmugam said. Shanmugam was hit with skeptical questioning from several justices.
The case, kicking off the high court’s fall term, has significant implications for dozens of other lawsuits from municipalities around the country, with damages potentially totaling billions of dollars.
The Supreme Court’s new term is beginning Monday with a major case on climate change
The lawsuit from Boulder, Colorado, is seeking damages from two oil and gas companies to help pay for the local effects on climate change. Dozens of similar cases have been filed across the country, with billions of dollars potentially at stake.
Suncor and ExxonMobil are asking the Supreme Court to block the lawsuits, with backing from the Trump administration. They argue that the cases amount to a backdoor way to regulate emissions under state law, an unconstitutional overreach.
The high court will also be considering cases on guns, religious rights and Trump’s crackdown on immigration during their upcoming nine-month term.
Sen. Raphael Warnock launching midterm blitz that includes 2028 early primary states
The Georgia Democrat plans to campaign with Democratic candidates for Senate, governor and possibly other offices across eight states beginning Tuesday in New Hampshire, which falls third in Democrats’ 2028 presidential primary calendar.
Nevada is second on Warnock’s itinerary and for Democrats in 2028. The senator has two separate stops planned in South Carolina, Democrats’ first presidential primary state. Also on the list is the early primary state of Michigan, along with Mississippi, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Ohio.
Spokeswoman Elena Radding said Warnock will be “calling out Trump’s corruption” and “leaving voters hopeful for the next generation of Democratic leadership.”
Warnock, who is also the senior minister at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King Jr. served, has not ruled out a presidential bid. He’s already spent recent months traveling the country on a book tour — another common move for potential national candidates.
US is monitoring Russian health scare tied to plague institute
Rubio, who doubles as Trump's National Security Advisor, says he doesn’t think there is cause for alarm after Russian officials quarantined a hospital and confirmed they are monitoring contacts of an employee at a plague research institute in Siberia who contracted pneumonia of an “unknown” cause.
But Rubio said the U.S. is closely watching the case, aware that “it could spread quickly” despite the quarantine and other public health protocols.
“There’s very limited travel between the U.S. and Russia, obviously,” Rubio said. “But like anything else, something like that gets out.”
Marco Rubio says the Saudis and Yemeni government ‘have a right to defend themselves’
The secretary of state said it was expected that the Saudi-backed government in Yemen would hit back at the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels to try to reclaim territory.
Asked if the Saudi-led coalition coordinated the action with the U.S., Rubio told reporters that Saudi Arabia and the U.S. have a defense agreement but wouldn’t offer more details.
He says the Yemeni government was ousted from some of its territory by a Houthi campaign and the Saudis have come under attack, and “they have a right to defend themselves.”
He says the coalition’s offensive is a counter to that, and the U.S. “expected that would happen, and that’s what happened.”
The escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis has revived Yemen’s civil war after a four-year ceasefire.
Marco Rubio downplays US moving bombers from UK base
The U.S. secretary of state told reporters Monday that that Pentagon “is constantly reallocating resources” as he downplayed the significance of removing American bombers from a U.S-run base in England that has been used to attack Iran.
The move came after an investigation into a suspected terror plot on the base.
“I wouldn’t just directly tie that to the move that was made,” Rubio said as he prepared to depart for a multi-stop diplomatic mission that begins in Iceland.
“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, birds are changing all the time.”
AP-KFF poll: Rural MAGA voters support Trump’s immigration policies
Rural Republicans who consider themselves MAGA supporters are about twice as likely as rural, non-MAGA Republicans to see a benefit to Trump's immigration policies, the AP-KFF survey found.
About two-thirds of rural MAGA Republicans say Trump’s immigration policies have had a positive impact where they live. Roughly half say the Trump administration has “not gone far enough” on deporting immigrants in the country illegally, while about half say the actions have been “about right.”
Katherine Reed, a 27-year-old Republican who supports the MAGA movement, believes the administration’s policies have had a positive impact by reducing violent crime nationwide, saying, “It’s made life for people a lot safer.”
She believes if someone comes to America, they should “respect the law of the land” and do it legally. “I want really amazing people to become Americans,” Reed said. “That’s the whole point of America.”
Soldiers seriously wounded in Iranian drone strike tell AP the US military failed them
As the war with Iran enters its eighth month, U.S. soldiers wounded in its deadliest strike yet on American troops are raising concerns publicly, many for the first time, about whether commanders underestimated the threat. Some of those wounded also said the military medical system failed them. The Pentagon has released few details about the Iranian drone strike on Port Shuaiba in Kuwait that killed six soldiers on March 1, the day after the United States and Israel started the war against Iran.
The Associated Press spoke with 13 soldiers, primarily officers, serving in key positions of responsibility there or familiar with high-level briefings. Many said the Pentagon did not take Iranian threats seriously enough as it launched Operation Epic Fury. Some of the wounded soldiers said they've faced inadequate medical care and bureaucratic barriers since then. Several soldiers spoke on the record — rare for troops still in the Army — others on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.
[ Read more ]
By Julie Watson, Jack Brook, Konstantin Toropin and Russ Bynum
An Army investigation was done in June and remains unreleased
The Army declined to comment on the AP's reporting on the Port Shuaiba strike, saying it had not yet briefed the families of those killed on the outcome of its investigation into the attack. The Pentagon also declined to comment.
“Out of respect for the primary next of kin who will be scheduled for briefs on the official findings of the completed investigation, we will not comment on specific details, individual accounts, or leaked portions of the report at this time,” the Army said in a statement.
The Army completed its investigation of the attack in June, but has yet to release a report due to the need to redact sensitive information, said an official familiar with the Army’s investigation who spoke on condition of anonymity because the report has not been released.
“We have the right to know what really happened,” said Tina Marzan, whose husband, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, was killed in the strike.
By Julie Watson, Jack Brook, Konstantin Toropin and Russ Bynum
Families of killed soldiers demand answers, wounded still struggle for medical care
Nine U.S. service members wounded in a March 1 drone strike on a U.S. military site in Kuwait that killed six troops spoke to The Associated Press about what they describe as a medical system that left them fighting to get treatment on their own. The soldiers’ criticism comes against the backdrop of years of disinvestment and drawdowns in the Middle East driven by multiple administrations and political leaders who sought to end U.S. involvement in the region.
The Pentagon has said all soldiers were treated appropriately and evaluated by physicians who followed the health industry’s standards.
Chief Warrant Officer 4 Rodney Bearman, who had shrapnel embedded from his face to his legs, said they waited 10 days for treatment in Germany only to learn they wouldn't be hospitalized because they weren't documented as wounded in combat, and so were told to get outpatient care.
“Never did I think that if I was wounded that these things would happen,” said Bearman, who has served for over three decades, including in Afghanistan. “Some sacred trust that I thought would never be broken was broken.”
By Julie Watson, Jack Brook, Konstantin Toropin and Russ Bynum
Sen. Raphael Warnock launching midterm blitz that includes 2028 early primary states
The Georgia Democrat plans to campaign with Democratic candidates for Senate, governor and possibly other offices across eight states beginning Tuesday in New Hampshire, which falls third in Democrats’ 2028 presidential primary calendar.
Nevada is second on Warnock’s itinerary and for Democrats in 2028. The senator has two separate stops planned in South Carolina, Democrats’ first presidential primary state. Also on the list is the early primary state of Michigan, along with Mississippi, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Ohio.
Spokeswoman Elena Radding said Warnock will be “calling out Trump’s corruption” and “leaving voters hopeful for the next generation of Democratic leadership.”
Warnock, who is also the senior minister at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Martin Luther King Jr. served, has not ruled out a presidential bid. He’s already spent recent months traveling the country on a book tour — another common move for potential national candidates.
AP-KFF poll: Trump’s immigration crackdown divides rural voters
Voters in rural parts of the country are divided on whether Trump's immigration policies have benefited or harmed their communities, according to a newly released AP-KFF survey of more than 2,000 rural voters.
About one-third of rural voters said the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement had been positive for their community and about a third said it had been negative. The remaining 3 in 10, roughly, said it had no impact.
Laura Leigh Taylor, a 37-year-old farmer who voted for Trump in 2024, said she disapproves of the wide-ranging scope of Trump’s immigration crackdown, which resulted in a friend’s hardworking father being deported.
“I understand getting rid of the rapists and the murderers,” she said. “But all the people that fell in between that really weren’t doing nothing but taking care of their family.”
Trump campaigning in Nebraska, where ranchers are rebelling over fuel prices and beef imports
President Donald Trump is taking his Republican midterm rescue mission to Nebraska. He'll campaign Monday alongside GOP Sen. Pete Ricketts, who's being challenged by an independent candidate backed by national Democrats.
The race between the former Nebraska governor and independent Dan Osborn initially was not expected to be competitive, but voters across the country are frustrated with Trump's handling of the economy, including persistently high costs for fuel and groceries. Rural voters in particular are hurting, and ranchers have rebelled against Trump's efforts to increase imports of foreign beef.
“The plan to import low-quality foreign beef is not helping Nebraska ranchers,” Ricketts told the AP. “I would advise the White House to change that policy and look for longer-term things that will help us build the size of the herd and ultimately bring the price of beef down for consumers.”