Republicans

Key Facts President Trump’s approval rating has hit a new low for his term, according to polls released on October 18 by the Washington Post, NBC News and Axios, with multiple independent surveys pointing in the same direction. Negative sentiment is rising simultaneously across three tracks — economic anxiety, foreign-policy disagreement and dissatisfaction with government operations — handing Democrats a clear edge in the midterms. Open discussion of the polling outlook has begun inside the Republican Party, and several congressional campaigns are being forced to shift resources from an expansionary footing to a more defensive mobilisation strategy. ...

The Washington Post reports that Senate Republicans are mounting a final legislative sprint ahead of the US midterm elections, packing multiple items onto the Senate floor as the chamber abandons an early exit from Washington. The fast pace reflects Republican leadership’s reading of the political stakes of the midterms.

Tennessee Republicans Propose Gerrymandered House Map Tennessee Republicans unveiled a new U.S. House map that carves up the state’s majority-Black district, drawing criticism and expected legal challenges, Axios reported.

Trump has indicated he will reduce the number of US troops in Germany ‘a lot further,’ beyond the previously planned withdrawal of 5,000 troops, raising concerns among Republican lawmakers and European allies.

The US Supreme Court rules Louisiana’s congressional map unconstitutional, sharply limiting the consideration of race in redistricting. The decision is seen as a major weakening of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, with multiple Republican-led states facing redraw pressure.