A proposed billionaire tax authored by a powerful healthcare workers union could go to the voters in California if the sponsors can collect the requisite number of signatures to qualify for the ballot. Even before it has, powerful politicians and tech billionaires are divided, some supporting it, others organizing against it and willing to spend millions to do so.
On February 2, 2026 President Donald Trump stated in a podcast interview that Republicans in a number of states should take over elections in their states in order to protect the political party. He then added that elections in the United States should be “nationalized” and run by the Federal Government rather than the current setup where elections are run by individual states.
A year ago, at the beginning of Donald Trump’s second term as President, he signed Executive Order 14199, requesting a “government‑wide review” of all international intergovernmental organizations, conventions, and treaties that the United States formally supports. That review resulted in a signed a memorandum on January 6th of this year that specifies that the U.S. formally withdraw from 66 “organizations, conventions, and treaties.” Included in the 66 are the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and other important climate treaties. In all, the U.S. withdrew from 31 UN bodies.
Kansas has one Democratic member of the house up for re-election Sharice Davids of the 3rd Congressional District.
In 2026, Iowa will see one Senate race & four House races in its congressional elections. The Hawkeye state has been a Republican stronghold since Trump came on the scene in 2016, but the Cook Political Report currently has two of Iowa’s House seats as toss-ups. In a year where Democrats should be expected to overperform, we could see Hawkeye voters change the distribution of the state’s legislative power in Washington. Currently, all 6 of Iowa’s congressional seats are held by Republicans, but 2026 could see one, if not more, of these change. Voters will be able to cast their ballots in the primary on June 2, 2026 & in the general election on November 3, 2026.
In the early hours of Jan. 3, 2026 the United States carried out an attack in Venezuela that saw the removal and capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The incursion followed months of military operations in the Caribbean Sea, targeting small boats and oil tankers along the Venezuelan coast. The operation dubbed, Operation Absolute Resolve, saw US forces enter Venezuelan territory, carry out strikes on military sites around the country and in the capital Caracas. Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken by US forces from Fuerte Tiuna, the country’s largest military complex. Maduro was first flown to a US military base and then transported aboard the USS Iwo Jima, which brought Maduro and his wife to a detention centre in New York, where he is being held and indicted on charges of narcoterrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States.
The concept of a free and fair election in the United States has always been more of an aspiration than a reality, but as we approach the 2026 midterms, the gap between that ideal and the ground truth is widening at an alarming rate. By definition, a “free and fair” election in the U.S. context requires three non-negotiable pillars: universal access for all eligible citizens without coercion, a transparent and secret balloting process, and an impartial tabulation and certification that reflects the genuine will of the people
The Aloha state will feature two House races but will be absent a headlining Senate race. Senior Senator Brian Schatz will be back up for re-election in 2028 & the Junior Senator Mazie Hirono will be back up in 2030. Overall, the state is solidly Democratic, with all four members of Congress under the Democratic banner. Further, at the state level, of the 51 state house members, only 9 are Republicans. That means the remaining 42 are Democrats since no Independent has a seat in the Hawaii State House. In the Hawaiian Senate, the breakdown is 3 Republicans to 22 Dems. Hawaii is a solidly blue state, & the real campaign or battle will be in the Democratic primaries.
European troops have begun arriving in Greenland last week in a show of support to Denmark, as leaders attempt to respond to President Donald Trump’s threats to annex Greenland.
Earlier this month, the state of Minnesota made national and international headlines when Minneapolis resident and U.S. citizen, Renee Nicole Good, was fatally shot by an ICE officer while attempting to leave an area she was overseeing as a legal observer.