Background check

Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids is seeking a fifth term representing Kansas's 3rd Congressional District, covering Johnson County and parts of Wyandotte and Miami counties. She faces Republican Eric Jenkins, a retired Army colonel and former Shawnee City Council president, and Libertarian Steve Hohe, an Air Force veteran and repeat congressional candidate. Davids, first elected in 2018 after unseating incumbent Kevin Yoder, has won at least 53% of the vote in each prior race and backs the Affordable Care Act, abortion rights and renewable energy investment. Jenkins favors extending Trump-era tax cuts, stricter immigration enforcement and expanded energy production, while Hohe proposes a flat tax and sharply reduced federal spending. Voters decide the race November 3.

Iowa Senate Democratic nominee Josh Turek, pressed by NBC News on whether illegal immigrants should face deportation, said there should not be immediate deportation and instead backed a pathway to legal status contingent on background checks. He inaccurately cited Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Randy Feenstra as supporters of the Dignity Act; neither cosponsors the bill. The exchange intensifies immigration as a flashpoint in Turek's race against Rep. Ashley Hinson, who has criticized his record on ICE cooperation, immigrant benefits, and a campaign ad featuring sheriffs who limited detainer compliance. Critics call the Dignity Act amnesty; sponsor Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar disputes that characterization, calling it enforcement-first reform.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy says he would allow Ohioans ages 18 to 20 to buy handguns if elected, arguing it's inconsistent that 18-year-olds can join the military but can't legally purchase a handgun. Federal and state law currently restrict handgun sales to those 21 and older, with exceptions for military and law enforcement; adults under 21 can already buy long guns. A recent Department of Justice opinion called the age restriction unconstitutional. Democratic rival Dr. Amy Acton, a former public health official, instead backs bipartisan measures like background checks and red flag laws, citing polling showing broad gun-owner support. Libertarian candidates back lowering the age but stress violence-prevention programs. Ohio has steadily loosened gun laws, including 2022's "constitutional carry" and restrictions on local gun ordinances.

A Pitchess motion dispute in Long Beach has revealed that former officer Erik Suarez pleaded guilty to misdemeanor aggravated battery in 2022 over a 2019 Waffle House beating in Cobb County, Georgia, a conviction that was not disclosed to defendant Lonnie Jacobs, whom Suarez arrested on a drug charge. Defense attorney Scott Sanders argues the Long Beach Police Department and district attorney's office had an obligation under Brady v. Maryland to disclose the conviction and is seeking Suarez's full personnel file, alleging a pattern of concealment. Records show Suarez also received department discipline in 2023 for unnecessary force after punching a handcuffed man, an incident the DA's office declined to prosecute without knowing of the Georgia conviction.

Suarez left the LBPD in June, shortly before a subpoena attempt, and was hired by the Burbank Police Department in July. Long Beach officials have resisted broader disclosure, calling Sanders' request overly broad. A judge continued the case to Nov. 12 to consider the renewed motion.

Ohio's 2026 governor's race has surfaced starkly different positions on gun policy among the three candidates. Democratic nominee Amy Acton says she would pursue expanded background checks and a "red-flag" law allowing authorities to seize firearms from people deemed dangerous, echoing a scaled-back version of outgoing Gov. Mike DeWine's "Strong Ohio" plan proposed after the 2019 Dayton mass shooting. Republican nominee Vivek Ramaswamy has pledged to be the most pro-gun-rights governor in state history and has explicitly ruled out a red-flag law, though he has offered few other specifics and did not respond to questions on the matter. Libertarian candidate Don Kissick opposes new restrictions but, through running mate James Mills, supports reintroducing firearm-safety education in schools along with expanded mental-health services.

The debate comes as Ohio's GOP-controlled legislature has loosened gun laws in recent years, including eliminating concealed-carry permit requirements, while gun homicides statewide rose 37% between 2014 and 2024, though below a 2021 pandemic-era peak.

New California Department of Justice data show a Turner's Outdoorsman location in Bakersfield linked to 83 crime guns traced by law enforcement from 2023 to 2025, the most among active dealers in any of the state's 10 largest cities. Combined with the prior tenant of that storefront, 183 guns sold there were later recovered as crime guns—more than the top five dealers combined in Los Angeles, Oakland, or San Diego. Statewide, the Turner's chain, California's largest gun retailer, was linked to more than 8,500 crime guns over the period, a share disproportionate to its roughly 22% of sales. Its guns also turned up at crime scenes faster after purchase than those from other dealers, a pattern regulators associate with trafficking.

Officials including L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn and Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty have called for scrutiny of the chain's practices, while gun-safety group Brady United has pressed for investigation. Turner's has defended its compliance record; state inspectors flagged a possible straw-purchase violation at its San Bernardino store, the state's most crime-gun-linked dealer.