New York Post

Democrat Adam Hamilton has defeated Republican Sen. Roger Marshall in Kansas, ending 94 years without a Democratic Senate win in the state since 1932. Hamilton, a Kansas City-area megachurch pastor and former Republican, won roughly 52% to 45%, built on large margins in Johnson and Sedgwick counties, and campaigned on tariffs, health care, Medicaid, and ending U.S. involvement in the Iran conflict. Trump and Vance campaigned against Hamilton, calling him "radical left," while Marshall faced scrutiny over suing hundreds of former patients. Marshall conceded by phone. Hamilton, who says he opposes Chuck Schumer remaining Senate leader, plans to keep preaching part-time while serving. The race was part of a broader Democratic wave flipping at least seven Senate and 27 House seats.

An investigation by the California Post found that nearly $369 million in federal disaster aid, originally designated for survivors of California's deadly 2018 wildfire season, was instead funneled to low-income housing developers. None of the developers were required to house wildfire survivors as a condition of the funding. The money stemmed from more than $1 billion in federal relief provided by the Department of Housing and Urban Development after the Camp and Woolsey fires, which killed 103 people and destroyed or damaged over 24,000 structures. The fires occurred under Governor Jerry Brown, with Gavin Newsom serving as lieutenant governor at the time; Newsom has since led the state through nearly two terms as governor.

Kansas Democratic Senate candidate Adam Hamilton, longtime pastor at Church of the Resurrection, acknowledged in a CNN interview that he did not call police after learning a volunteer, Scott Moore, was accused of molesting teenage boys at church camp retreats in 2005. Hamilton said reporting such cases to law enforcement was not standard practice at the time, though he said in hindsight police should have been called immediately. Republican incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall has highlighted the episode in a statewide ad campaign, claiming Hamilton allowed Moore to return as a camp counselor in 2006, when he allegedly molested another child. The controversy has become a flashpoint in the closely watched Senate race.

A UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll shows Democratic gubernatorial nominee Xavier Becerra leading Republican Steve Hilton 58% to 33% among likely California voters, up from a 55%-37% edge in May. A separate September Public Policy Institute of California survey similarly put Becerra ahead 60% to 38%. Cost of living, including housing and fuel prices, ranked as voters' top concern. Hilton has downplayed the gap, arguing Californians want change after 16 years of one-party rule and citing campaign momentum.

The consistency of two double-digit leads is notable, but recent election history urges caution about treating September polling as a final verdict ahead of the November 3 vote. Analyses of the last three presidential elections found polls systematically underestimated Republican support relative to Democrats, and 2022 Wisconsin Senate polling swung sharply in the campaign's final weeks. Turnout modeling and late-deciding voters remain wildcards. For now, available data shows Becerra with a substantial advantage, though the race's final outcome is not yet determined.

Albany County Young Democrats, a group representing party members ages 16 to 35, is facing pushback from Democratic Party leaders after a Sept. 3 statement accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government of committing "a genocide and gross violations of international law" against Palestinians in Gaza. The statement also condemned the occupation of the West Bank and denial of civil and political rights in occupied territories, and criticized the national Democratic Party for downplaying the issue's importance to Americans.

New York State Democratic Committee Chair Jay Jacobs rejected the "genocide" characterization as inaccurate, though he said Israel has not done enough to protect civilians. He also faulted the statement for omitting the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack that killed roughly 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, which triggered the war; Gaza's Health Ministry has reported more than 73,000 Palestinian deaths since. Albany County Democratic Committee Chair Jake Crawford separately distanced his organization from the Young Democrats, saying they are unaffiliated. The Young Democrats defended their position as consistent with their national parent organization's platform, underscoring a broader Democratic rift over Israel policy heading into upcoming elections.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul drew criticism after appearing without shoes and wearing a hijab while addressing worshippers, mostly men, during a Friday Jummah prayer service at the Islamic Cultural Center of New York in Queens. She thanked Kuwait's UN representative, Tareq Albanai, for welcoming her to "be part of the family." The appearance, days before the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, prompted mockery on social media, with critics sarcastically calling her a "feminist icon."

Hochul previously wore a hijab in 2025 at the funeral of NYPD Detective Didarul Islam, a Muslim officer killed in a mass shooting. Critics also noted her endorsement of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who took his oath of office on a Quran and has faced scrutiny over past associations with controversial religious figures. The incident has fueled ongoing political debate over religious symbolism and public officials' outreach to Muslim communities.

A California Post article on Gov. Gavin Newsom and wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom listing their $7.5 million Sacramento-area home originally claimed Newsom "didn't even know" about a 5,000-bottle wine cellar in the house. In fact, at a press conference Newsom said he was unaware only of the cellar's specific 5,000-bottle capacity, not the cellar's existence, and said he had filled it largely with books. The story and headline were quietly edited days later to reflect that distinction, with no correction notice explaining the change.

Newsom communications director Izzy Gardon publicized an email from reporter Titus Wu acknowledging that an editor had "fudged" the story to imply Newsom was unaware of the cellar itself. Gardon called the piece "FALSE" and demanded the New York Post and California Post delete related social media posts, which by publication had not been removed. Conservative commentators had circulated the original framing as evidence of Newsom being "out of touch."