Trump plans midterm tele-rally blitz from Mar-a-Lago after security upgrade with anti-missile defenses: Live updates

Seven days before the midterm elections, President Donald Trump plans to spend the weekend at Mar-a-Lago, working the phones for 19 telerallies on behalf of Republican candidates who are struggling. Federal officials say the Secret Service asked for surface-to-air missile systems to be placed near his Florida property and at the local airport that now carries his name. Officials have not explained why. Trump had briefly dropped rallies in Kansas and Iowa, which confused Republican allies and prompted accusations that he was avoiding the campaign trail; both events are now set for Sunday. On Thursday he told a Reuters reporter, "I feel perfect.", according to The Independent.

Elsewhere, U.S. District Judge Trina Thompson ruled that federal agencies must stop threatening state and local election officials with criminal prosecution as part of their push against alleged noncitizen voting. She wrote that the actions would likely interfere with election administration and disenfranchise lawful voters. A federal appeals court in California also refused to let the administration separate 20,000 ballots, a dispute that could reach the Supreme Court. Nearly 50 million Americans have already cast ballots, ahead of the pace set in the 2022 midterms.

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Independent’s reporting. Read the full story at The Independent →