United States Department of Defense

A Democratic-backed super PAC has poured $2 million into ads attacking Florida Sen. Ashley Moody over her record on releasing Jeffrey Epstein's files, featuring survivor Marina Lacerda questioning Moody's priorities. The ad notes Moody joined other Republicans in blocking a September 2025 measure tied to the defense budget, but omits that the Senate later approved a standalone release bill by unanimous consent. The National Republican Senatorial Committee called the ads false and misleading, saying Moody ultimately supported transparency legislation. Epstein-related ads have run in 63 congressional races nationally, totaling $76 million.

With Election Day days away, Moody faces Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon, a democratic socialist who accuses Moody of refusing to debate and of involvement in misappropriating $10 million in Medicaid funds, which Moody denies. Moody has campaigned with gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds, branding Nixon a communist, a label Nixon rejects.

Maui-based Alpha Inc. has been selected as contractor for a major restoration of East Hawaii Veterans Cemetery No. 2 in Hilo. The project will raise and realign nearly 4,500 grave markers, add burial section markers and watering stations, and carry out grading and soil and turf rehabilitation across 5.5 acres on Laimana Street.

The work is funded by a federal grant of up to roughly $6.1 million awarded in late September by the Department of Veterans Affairs' National Cemetery Administration, with the state Department of Defense's Engineering Office overseeing construction. Work is slated to begin in early January and take about three and a half years to complete. The county Parks and Recreation Department, which handles day-to-day upkeep, welcomed the collaboration.

The restoration follows a 2021 VA Inspector General audit that found longstanding deficiencies at the cemetery, including improperly installed flat markers and grave sites left unmarked for years due to the county lacking funding and staffing to meet federal standards.

Palm Beach County Republican Party Chair Carl Cascio addressed the controversy surrounding Mike Caruso, who served about a year as Palm Beach County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller after being appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in August 2025, before being suspended amid child sex charges. Caruso's continued appearance on a voter guide following his arrest drew scrutiny, which Cascio discussed on WFLA's Battleground Florida podcast alongside broader Republican prospects in Florida's midterms.

The podcast also featured Rep. Darren Soto, who is seeking reelection in Florida's 9th Congressional District against Republican Dan Green, a Trump administration Department of Defense appointee whose campaign did not respond to requests for comment. Soto's district, redrawn mid-decade under DeSantis and the Republican legislature, now has more registered Republicans than Democrats. Also featured was Branden Scrivener, a No Party Affiliated, self-described progressive candidate challenging Rep. Gus Bilirakis and Democrat Kimberly Overman in District 12, as independent candidates seek traction in competitive races ahead of November.

Ohio, which backed Donald Trump in 2016, 2020, and 2024, is showing early signs of a Democratic resurgence ahead of the midterms. According to Ohio Secretary of State data cited by CNN, Republicans' lead in pre-election voter affiliation in the state's most pro-Trump counties has shrunk from 30 points in 2024 to just five points this cycle, with Democrats showing stronger relative turnout even in heavily Republican areas. The data covers only early voting and should be treated cautiously, but the shift carries high stakes: Republicans are defending a U.S. Senate seat held by Jon Husted, the governor's office, and two competitive House seats.

Voter frustration over inflation and manufacturing-job losses appears to be driving disaffection among working-class voters who backed Trump in past cycles. Trump rallied for Husted in the Mahoning Valley this week, touting a new Defense Department facility in Cleveland and the continued operation of a Youngstown heat provider as evidence of his economic commitment to the region.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) says the Pentagon blocked him from visiting Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar during a Congressional trip to the Middle East, calling it part of a "coordinated, deliberate campaign" by the Department of Defense to hide the true costs of the Iran War. Murphy, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he had never previously been denied access to a military facility despite more than a dozen trips to the region. The Pentagon countered that Murphy's office was told in advance that he would not receive support to access the base, citing travel restrictions on the region ordered by the secretary of war in March 2026.

Murphy, the first Senate Democrat to visit the region since the war began in late February, met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Qatar's emir during the trip. He said he plans to draft legislation requiring the Pentagon to grant Congress access to overseas bases, warning the dispute reflects a broader clash between the administration and Congress over oversight of the war's consequences.

The Rockland County Republican Committee received a $138,000 contribution from businessman Jack Goldenberg this year, the largest single donation in the committee's records over two decades, according to state campaign finance filings. The donation lands in a pivotal election cycle, as Rockland County anchors one of the nation's most closely watched House races between Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, who also chairs the county GOP, and Democratic challenger Cait Conley.

Goldenberg has limited political giving history but previously donated six figures to national Republican committees. His business dealings have drawn legal scrutiny, including a 2020 wrongful-termination ruling against his company and a Portuguese investigation into alleged market manipulation tied to his pharmaceutical firm, Chartwell Pharmaceuticals. A local Democratic candidate has also tied Goldenberg to a contested warehouse development, which he denies involvement in.

The flap underscores escalating money battles in the Lawler-Conley contest, where Conley reported raising $5 million last quarter and outside groups have already spent more than $20 million on advertising, with Republicans currently holding the spending edge.

Texas's 10th Congressional District, a safely Republican seat stretching from Austin to Houston's suburbs, has become a proxy fight over Elon Musk's expanding footprint in the state. Republican candidate Chris Gober, a longtime GOP attorney who led Musk's America PAC in 2024 and has deep ties to the tech and defense industries, faces backlash from residents opposed to a SpaceX chip plant and a wave of data centers straining local power and water resources. Grimes County recently approved a tax abatement for the SpaceX "Terrafab" facility, prompting large public turnout in opposition and a write-in candidacy for county judge centered on blocking the project.

Gober has tried to balance support for "AI dominance" with pledges to protect rural residents, backing legislation requiring developers to fund infrastructure upgrades. Democratic opponent Caitlin Rourk, a former Dell employee and Army veteran, is casting the race as a referendum on tech industry influence, calling Gober "Elon Musk's lackey." Despite the controversy, the district remains rated solidly Republican following Rep. Michael McCaul's retirement.

The Department of Defense has confirmed the non-hostile death of a U.S. Army officer supporting operations tied to the ongoing war with Iran. A defense official told Task & Purpose the female soldier, over 35, died after a medical incident aboard a military flight bound for Saudi Arabia; the Pentagon logged the death as "undetermined" in its casualty system without releasing her identity.

The war, which began in late February, has disrupted energy markets and pushed up U.S. oil prices, with no resolution in sight. President Trump told the UN General Assembly this week he faces a choice between a peace deal or further military escalation against Iran, while defending the conflict and pressing allies for economic isolation of Tehran; Iran's delegation walked out during his remarks. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump remains open to meeting Iran's president.

The Pentagon puts total U.S. military deaths in the conflict at 19, with over 800 wounded, though the Washington Post has reported at least 22 fatalities, a figure the Pentagon disputes.