Elections

Reform UK has received the largest political donation in British history, MPs have voted down assisted dying legislation, and the ground is shifting ahead of both a Westminster by-election and the American midterms. This hub follows the mechanics and drama of electoral politics on both sides of the Atlantic: who funds campaigns, who gets selected to fight for a vacant seat, and how governments quietly time contentious decisions to avoid handing opponents ammunition before voters go to the polls.

Elections shape who holds power and how that power is exercised, which is why the manoeuvring around them, donor influence, candidate selection rows, delayed rulings, party infighting, often reveals as much as the vote itself. In Britain, attention is turning to a closely watched contest for a former Labour leader's seat, with rival parties jostling for position and local issues such as North Sea drilling becoming entangled in the timing of national announcements. In the United States, both major parties are already framing the narrative around the midterms, trading accusations of foul play and reading the runes for who stands to lose ground.

Expect ongoing coverage of campaign finance, candidate controversies, parliamentary votes with electoral consequences, and the wider jostling between parties as they position themselves for the next test at the ballot box.

  • Sen Chuck Schumer unveils anti-corruption agency aimed at Trump and future presidents

    Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has announced legislation to create a federal Anti-Corruption Bureau that would investigate alleged corruption involving President Donald Trump’s administration and future presidents. The proposal matters because it would establish a dedicated mechanism for scrutinising potential abuses of presidential power, though the article text provided does not describe its powers, structure…

  • Norman, Graham lead South Carolina GOP Senate primary: Poll

    The article text is unavailable because access to the page was denied. Based on the headline, it appears to report polling in South Carolina’s Republican Senate primary showing Graham and Norman as leading figures. No poll figures, methodology, dates, candidate positions or further context are provided in the accessible text, so a fuller neutral summary…

  • Amy Winehouse’s Father Must Pay $1M to Her Friends After ‘Baseless’ Failed Lawsuit Over Auction

    A London judge has ordered Mitch Winehouse, Amy Winehouse’s father, to pay more than £963,000 ($1.3 million) to two of the singer’s friends after rejecting his claim to proceeds from auctions of her belongings. The ruling matters because the judge found that he had pursued an unfounded case despite knowing the items had been legitimately…

  • Americans give all-day school phone bans a ringing endorsement

    Support among US adults for banning smartphones throughout the entire school day has exceeded opposition for the first time, according to a Pew Research Center survey. The shift matters because it strengthens public backing for increasingly common state and school policies intended to limit classroom distraction and social-media use. The survey of 9,750 adults found…

  • 2 in 3 MAGA voters say they’d support GOP candidate accused of sexual assault: Poll

    The article text was unavailable, so its claims cannot be independently summarised or verified. Based on the headline alone, it reports a poll suggesting that two-thirds of MAGA voters would support a Republican candidate accused of sexual assault. The headline does not identify the pollster, sample size, wording, fieldwork dates, margin of error or broader…

  • Senate HELP Committee advances Trump’s CDC, ASPR, Labor secretary nominees

    The Senate HELP Committee advanced President Trump’s nominees to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, and the Department of Labor. The move sends Erica Schwartz, Sean Kaufman and Keith Sonderling to the full Senate, where confirmation would place them in influential roles covering public health, emergency…

  • More than half of Americans believe Iran war will go on for year or more

    A survey has found that more than half of Americans expect the war involving Iran to last at least a year. The finding matters because it suggests public expectations of a prolonged conflict, potentially affecting views on military involvement, diplomacy and the wider economic impact. The available text does not identify the survey’s organiser, sample…

  • Can Fauci hide behind the Fifth? Game-changing Biden pardon may not provide complete cover, experts say

    Dr Anthony Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment more than 100 times during a contentious Senate hearing, despite having received a broad presidential pardon from Joe Biden. The move has prompted debate over whether a federal pardon removes a witness’s right to avoid self-incrimination, and could lead to contempt proceedings sought by Senator Rand Paul. Legal…

  • Chaos for Trump as vote to confirm his attorney general is DELAYED after spurned Senator’s concerns

    A Senate vote to confirm Donald Trump’s attorney general nominee has reportedly been delayed after concerns were raised by a senator who felt overlooked. The postponement creates an early procedural setback for Trump and could complicate efforts to fill a key senior law-enforcement role quickly. The article describes the delay as stemming from the senator’s…

  • Vote For The Song Of The Summer 2026

    Stereogum has opened its annual readers’ poll to choose the Song of the Summer 2026. Readers may nominate any track that best represents their summer, regardless of popularity, genre or critical reception, making the poll a measure of personal and community musical taste rather than commercial success. The site notes that Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas”…