Politics

By Andrew Chung

Aug 17 (Reuters) – Rebuffing President Donald Trump for a second time, the U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear his appeal of a $5 million verdict in favor of E. Jean Carroll after a jury found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming the former magazine columnist.

The justices rejected Trump’s request to reconsider their previous decision in June denying his appeal of the 2023 jury verdict stemming from allegations that he raped her in the 1990s in a Manhattan department store’s dressing room. Trump’s lawyers contend that the trial was unfair.

The court’s order was unsigned and came with no explanation. The Supreme Court rarely grants requests for reconsideration.

The justices also are weighing the Republican president’s appeal of a separate $83.3 million jury verdict for defaming Carroll in 2019 during his first term as president, when he denied the claims and asserted that she lied about the accusations. Trump’s lawyers in that appeal argue that presidential immunity shields him from Carroll’s claims and that lower courts wrongly decided that he had forfeited that defense.

Trump has been battling Carroll, a former advice columnist for Elle magazine, ever since she published an excerpt from her memoir in 2019 in which she alleged that ​Trump had raped her around 1996 in a Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in Manhattan.

Trump denied Carroll’s claims and asserted that she lied both in 2019 and again in 2022, while he was out of office. 

The case that ​led to the $5 million verdict concerned ⁠Trump’s statements in 2022 when he called Carroll’s claim a “hoax” and a “con job” in a post on social media. Jurors in that case decided in 2023 that Trump had sexually abused Carroll and defamed her, but did not find that Trump raped Carroll, as ​she had claimed.

“We are pleased that the United States Supreme Court has declined again to hear this case,” Carroll’s attorney, Roberta Kaplan, said in a statement.

“As a result, the jury’s unanimous verdict that Donald Trump sexually assaulted and then defamed E. Jean Carroll is now final and cannot be challenged in any court,” Kaplan said.

Following the Supreme Court’s denial in June of Trump’s appeal in the case, Carroll collected nearly $5.63 million from Trump. The payout represented the original $5 million civil verdict, plus interest.

In Trump’s request for rehearing, his lawyers said that the issue of presidential immunity in the case that led to the $83.3 million verdict that a jury reached in 2024 — which the justices still could decide to take up — could impact the 2023 verdict as well. 

The Supreme Court in a landmark 2024 decision ruled that former presidents have full immunity ​from criminal prosecution for actions taken in office that were within their core constitutional powers as president. The Carroll cases are civil lawsuits.

(Reporting by Andrew Chung in New York; Editing by Will Dunham)

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(AP) – President Trump is directing the Pentagon to significantly reduce upcoming joint military exercises with South Korea, arguing the costly operations burden American taxpayers while sending the wrong message to North Korea.

In a post on Truth Social Sunday, the president announced he has instructed Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to “substantially reduce” the exercises, even though he acknowledged it is too late to cancel them outright.

Mr. Trump said the annual drills, which have long been conducted to maintain military readiness and strengthen the alliance between Washington and Seoul, are expensive and largely financed by the United States.

The president argued that the exercises also create unnecessary friction with North Korea at a time when he says relations with Pyongyang have remained stable during his administration.

Mr. Trump wrote that the drills “send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile” toward North Korea, adding that the country has been “unthreatening and respectful” while he has been in office.

The president pointed to his personal relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a reason for pursuing a different approach. Trump has frequently highlighted his diplomatic contacts with Kim and has argued that direct engagement can reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula more effectively than military demonstrations.

Mr. Trump also tied his decision to what he described as a lack of cooperation from South Korea on another major foreign policy priority.

According to the president, he recently asked South Korean President Lee Jae-myung whether Seoul would participate in efforts aimed at the denuclearization of Iran. Trump said the South Korean leader declined the request.

In his Truth Social post, Mr. Trump quoted the response as, “No thanks!”

The president suggested that South Korea’s refusal to assist with efforts against Iran raised broader questions about the alliance and America’s longstanding commitment of resources to defend the prosperous Asian nation.

Trump supporters have long argued that wealthy allies should shoulder a greater share of their own defense costs rather than relying heavily on American taxpayers and U.S. military power.

They say reducing the exercises reflects an America First approach that prioritizes fiscal responsibility while seeking diplomatic solutions to international disputes.

Critics, however, contend that scaling back the drills could weaken military readiness and send the wrong signal to adversaries in the region.

For now, the exercises are expected to proceed, but at a reduced level under Trump’s new directive to the Pentagon.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Florida voters will select nominees Tuesday to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and to complete the remainder of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s unexpired U.S. Senate term. The state also will hold its first congressional primaries since adopting a redrawn district map designed to boost Republican candidates in November.

The primary for governor could set the direction for both parties in the state. A longstanding rivalry between DeSantis and President Donald Trump broadly shapes the Republican contest, while moderate and progressive candidates compete to guide beleaguered state Democrats out of their electoral doldrums.

Eleven candidates are competing for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, including Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, former investment firm CEO James Fishback and former state House Speaker Paul Renner.

Donalds has Trump’s endorsement and enjoys an overwhelming financial advantage over the rest of the field. He backed Trump over DeSantis in the 2024 presidential primaries and was considered as a possible Trump running mate that year.

Collins is a close DeSantis ally who says he is running to “protect the DeSantis legacy.” He was tapped by DeSantis to serve as lieutenant governor in August 2025. In his announcement, DeSantis said Collins, an Army Special Forces veteran who lost a leg to combat injuries, was “the Chuck Norris of Florida politics.” Nonetheless, DeSantis has not endorsed a candidate in the primary.

Six Democrats are running to succeed DeSantis, including former Republican U.S. Rep. David Jolly, state Rep. Dotie Joseph and former high school math teacher Dayna Marie Foster, who is backed by the state’s Democratic Progressive Caucus.

Jolly took an unlikely path to running for governor as a Democrat, joining the party in 2025 after leaving the GOP in 2018. He has a commanding fundraising lead over the rest of the field in spite of his past political affiliation. He has tapped former Democratic U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham as his running mate, and her name will appear alongside his on the ballot. Graham is the daughter of the late Bob Graham, the longtime Democratic U.S. Senator and governor.

Florida Democrats have faced a drought in statewide elections, particularly for governor. A Democrat last won the governorship more than 30 years ago. DeSantis was reelected in 2022 with a 19-point margin over former Gov. Charlie Crist, another former Republican-turned independent-turned Democrat.

In the U.S. Senate race, Republican U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody faces minimal opposition for the party’s nomination. Moody was state attorney general in January 2025 when DeSantis appointed her to fill Rubio’s vacant U.S. Senate seat. She is now running to complete the final two years of Rubio’s term.

Her Democratic opponent in November will be either state Rep. Angie Nixon or retired Army Lt. Col. Alex Vindman. Vindman, a former National Security Council staff member, was a key witness in Trump’s first impeachment in 2019. His brother, Eugene, was elected to Congress from Virginia’s 7th District in 2024.

Nixon, along with Joseph in the race for governor, was among a group of Black state lawmakers who led unsuccessful Democratic efforts to block Republican redistricting plans in 2022 and 2026.

The new congressional boundaries Republicans enacted in May essentially eliminate four congressional districts currently or most recently represented by Democrats. Democratic U.S. Reps. Kathy Castor in the 14th District around Tampa and Darren Soto in the 9th District near Orlando are both running for reelection in their new Republican-friendly districts and will face the winners of crowded GOP primaries.

In South Florida along the Gold Coast, Republicans redrew the area with the hope of reducing the number of Democratic districts from five to three. Like Castor and Soto, U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz is running for reelection in a new Republican-friendly district, but he must first clear a primary challenge from union organizer and democratic socialist Oliver Larkin.

In another South Florida district, former U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is mounting a comeback bid after resigning from the 20th District in April. She’ll face U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz in the Democratic primary in the new 20th, which is no longer a majority-Black district.

Republican U.S. Reps. Randy Fine and Cory Mills face competitive primary challenges in the 6th and 7th Districts, respectively, while a crowded Republican primary to replace Donalds in the 19th District has attracted a lot of out-of-state interest. Former U.S. Reps. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina and Chris Collins of New York, as well as a former Illinois state senator, all seek the Republican nomination.

Here are some of the key facts about the election and data points the AP Decision Team will monitor as the votes are tallied:

Polls close at 7 p.m. local time, which is 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. ET. Most of the state is in Eastern time, and polls there close at 7 p.m. ET. A few counties are in Central time, and polls there close at 8 p.m. ET.

The Associated Press will provide vote results and declare winners in contested primaries for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor, chief financial officer, agriculture commissioner, state Senate and state House.

Only voters registered with a political party may participate in that party’s primary. Democrats may not vote in the Republican primary or vice versa. Independent or unaffiliated voters may not participate in either primary.

As of July 20, there were about 13.5 million registered voters in Florida. Of those, about 5.6 million, or about 42% were Republicans; about 4.1 million, or 30%, were Democrats and about 3.3 million, or about 25%, were not registered with any party. The rest were registered with other parties.

About 1.5 million Republican primary voters and about 1.1 million Democratic primary voters participated in the 2024 U.S. Senate primaries.

About 63% of the Republican primary vote and about 77% of the Democratic primary vote in the 2024 U.S. Senate primaries was cast early in-person or by mail.

As of Friday, about 663,000 Republican ballots and about 610,000 Democratic ballots had already been cast in Tuesday’s election.

Florida counties release all or almost all of their results from early in-person and mail voting in their first vote updates of the night, usually before releasing any results from in-person Election Day voting. Less than a third of counties release any in-person Election Day results in their first vote update.

In the 2024 state primary, the AP first reported results at 8 p.m. ET, just as the final polls closed in the state. The last vote update of the night was at 11:47 p.m. ET with about 99.9% of total votes counted.

The AP does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow a trailing candidate to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.

Florida requires a machine recount in races where the vote margin is 0.5% or less of the total votes cast. A manual recount of overvotes and undervotes is then required if the machine recount results in a vote margin of 0.25% or less of the total votes cast. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.

As of Tuesday, there will be 77 days until the 2026 midterm elections.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2026 election at https://apnews.com/projects/elections-2026/

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A Russian court on Monday convicted a prominent opposition politician for speaking out against the war in Ukraine and sentenced him to 11 years and one month in prison in the latest crackdown leading up to next month’s parliamentary election.

The verdict against Lev Shlosberg, a senior member of the Yabloko party, was another step by the Kremlin to stifle dissent since Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022. Yabloko is the only official political party overtly opposing the war.

In a separate ruling Monday, Russia’s Supreme Court upheld its earlier decision to bar Yabloko from the ballot in the Sept. 18-20 parliamentary vote, denying an appeal by the party.

The moves against Shlosberg and Yabloko highlight the Kremlin’s intolerance toward any criticism of the war, now in its fifth year.

Shlosberg, 63, is Yabloko’s deputy chairman and served in the regional legislature of Pskov from 2016-21. He stood trial in the city of Pskov, some 600 kilometers (370 miles) northwest of Moscow, on charges of “discrediting” and spreading “false information” about the Russian military.

The charges stemmed from a debate in which he called for ending the war and from posting on his Telegram channel a British tabloid front page featuring an image of a bloodied woman next to one of Russian President Vladimir Putin, with the headline: “Her blood … his hands.” Shlosberg has rejected the charges as unfounded.

It was the second trial for Shlosberg in the last two years. He has also been designated a “foreign agent,” a label that carries strong pejorative connotations in Russia and brings additional government scrutiny. He was convicted of violating the foreign agent regulations.

In December 2025, he was placed in pretrial detention on the new charges and has been behind bars ever since. He is one of several prominent Yabloko members in recent years to be jailed or designated a “foreign agent” as Kremlin pressure on the party has mounted.

In his final statement to the court Friday, Shlosberg said that for 30 years, Russia has traveled “a path from hopes for freedom to the almost complete destruction of human and civil rights and freedoms.”

He said the war in Ukraine has “changed the lives of every Russian citizen without exception,” and predicted that once its true death toll becomes known, “the entire country will shudder.”

Yabloko said Shlosberg received a “barbaric sentence” for “love of the Motherland and calls for a ceasefire.” In a statement on Telegram, the party said Shlosberg will appeal.

Amnesty International denounced the verdict against Shlosberg.

“His arbitrary prosecution and sentencing are blatant reprisals for exercising his right to freedom of expression to call for peace,” said Marie Struthers, the group’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia director.

“The Russian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release Lev Shlosberg and quash his conviction,” her statement added. “They must repeal legislation criminalizing peaceful anti-war expression, end the persecution of Yabloko members and supporters, and respect the rights to freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly and political participation for all Russians.”

In Moscow, the Supreme Court upheld its ruling of a week ago to remove Yabloko from the ballot in the election for the State Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament, denying an appeal by the party.

The Central Election Commission in July had allowed Yabloko on the ballot along with 10 other parties. Young social media users and many Russian opposition figures in exile have since come out in support of Yabloko, urging voters to back the party, once a leading liberal voice in parliament that later lost its bloc of seats as the Kremlin tightened its grip on politics.

In recent years, Yabloko was the only registered opposition party that opposed Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Its campaign slogans for this year’s election included, “For a ceasefire agreement, diplomacy and peace!” “Our goal is to prevent nuclear war!” and “For a Russia free from fear and political repression!”

Several Kremlin parties publicly assailed Yabloko for its anti-war stance after it got a slot on the ballot. The Motherland Party filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Court, demanding its removal from the ballot, accusing Yabloko of copyright infringement and exceeding campaign spending limits. The party also viewed Yabloko’s stance on Ukraine as unlawful and tantamount to calling for the violation of Russia’s territorial integrity.

Yabloko rejected these accusations, but the Supreme Court sided with the Motherland Party.

As the court met Monday on Yabloko’s appeal, the party’s supporters gathered outside the courthouse and Russian media reported that several dozen people were detained.

Liberal politician Grigory Yavlinsky, who co-founded Yabloko in the 1990s and chairs its political committee, deplored the court’s ruling in an online statement. It marked “a serious, deepening crisis in the Russian political system and a lack of understanding of a desired future,” he said.

“People begin to feel this more acutely, regardless of their political views and positions,” he said, adding that Yabloko’s campaign “for peace and freedom” hit this particular “sore point.”

Yabloko chairman Nikolai Rybakov told reporters after the ruling that the party will continue its fight by lodging a complaint to the Presidium of the Supreme Court and possibly going to the Constitutional Court.

“We achieved the main thing: The whole world knows how many people in Russia want peace, want to live normally and to raise children under a peaceful sky in their country,” Rybakov said.

Regarding the prison term handed to Shlosberg, Rybakov said that “our feelings are with Lev and other political prisoners who have fought and are fighting for peace, for people to not die.”

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Alaska voters will narrow down a long list of contenders Tuesday for a competitive U.S. Senate seat that’s expected to play a pivotal role in determining which party will hold a majority in the chamber next year. Crowded fields of candidates for governor, U.S. House and the state Legislature will also compete for spots on the general election ballot.

Although the state has long been safe Republican territory in federal elections, this year marks the third consecutive election cycle in which Alaska finds itself among a handful of states at the center of the fight for control of Congress.

At the top of the ballot, Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan faces a strong challenge from Democratic former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola in his bid for a third term. They are the most notable contenders among 16 candidates in the state’s all-party primary, in which the top four vote-getters will advance to the general election regardless of party affiliation. The winner in November will be determined by ranked choice voting, as is the case for all Alaska general elections following a new law approved by voters in 2020.

Sullivan was first elected in 2014 after defeating Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, 48% to 46%. He won his 2020 reelection with 54% of the vote and a 13-percentage-point lead over his Democratic opponent.

Peltola was first elected in a 2022 special election to replace longtime Republican congressman Don Young, who died after almost 50 years in office. She defeated Republicans Sarah Palin and Nick Begich in Alaska’s first statewide ranked choice voting election. She was elected to a full term later that year but lost her 2024 reelection bid to Begich, who is the nephew of the former U.S. senator.

Peltola has raised about $18.5 million for her campaign, compared with about $11.7 million for Sullivan. As of July 29, Sullivan had about $7.3 million in his campaign account, compared with about $4.6 million for Peltola.

The only other U.S. Senate candidate who reported raising any money was another Dan Sullivan, a former teacher who shares the same first and last name as the Republican incumbent. Republicans tried unsuccessfully to block the other Dan Sullivan from appearing on the ballot, accusing him of colluding with Democrats to help elect Peltola by confusing voters, which he and the Peltola campaign have denied. An Alaska court overturned efforts to boot the challenger from the ballot.

Sen. Sullivan will appear on the ballot as “Dan S. Sullivan” alongside the labels of “Registered Republican” and “Incumbent.” Challenger Sullivan will be listed as “Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.” without any party affiliation listed, although he filed for office as a Republican.

Nick Begich also faces a crowded field in his bid for a second term in the state’s lone congressional seat, but only commercial fisherman and former Bristol Bay Borough School Superintendent Bill Hill has emerged as a credible challenger. Hill is running as an independent, but he has the backing of several local union organizations as well as that of Anchorage pastor Matt Schultz, the top Democrat in the race before he suspended his campaign and endorsed Hill.

Begich raised about $5.5 million for the campaign, compared with about $1.3 million for Hill, and the incumbent sits atop a far larger campaign war chest.

Seventeen candidates are running to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy. Among them is former Gov. Bill Walker, who is running as an independent.

Republican candidates include former state Sens. Click Bishop, Shelley Hughes and Lesil McGuire, former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson, former state revenue Commissioner Adam Crum, Matanuska-Susitna Borough Mayor Edna DeVries, former state Attorney General Treg Taylor and business owner and conservative activist Bernadette Wilson.

Former state Sen. Tom Begich and former state Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins are the two Democrats in the race. Begich is the brother of Mark Begich and the uncle of Nick Begich.

Voters will also decide a statewide ballot measure that would impose contribution limits on state and local political campaigns. A 2021 federal court ruling lifted limits on what an individual could give a candidate.

Half of Alaska’s 20 state Senate seats and all 40 state House seats are up for election in 2026. Republican lawmakers outnumber Democratic lawmakers, but both chambers are organized by multiparty coalitions rather than along strict party lines.

Here are some of the key facts about the election and data points the AP Decision Team will monitor as the votes are tallied:

Polls close at 8 p.m. local time, which is midnight and 1 a.m. ET. Almost all polls in the state close at midnight ET, but one polling location in the Aleutian Islands closes at 1 a.m. ET.

The Associated Press will provide vote results and declare winners in contested primaries for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor, state Senate and state House, as well as a statewide ballot measure.

Any voter registered in Alaska may participate in the state’s all-party, top-four primary system.

As of Aug. 3, there were about 602,000 registered voters in Alaska. About 380,000 voters, roughly 63%, were either undeclared or nonpartisan voters; about 142,000, or 24%, were Republicans; and about 70,000, or 12%, were Democrats.

Roughly 190,000 voters participated in the 2022 U.S. Senate and gubernatorial primaries. About 108,000 voters participated in the 2024 U.S. House primary.

About 23% of the U.S. Senate primary vote and about 28% of the U.S. House primary vote in the 2022 state primary was cast early in person or by mail.

As of Thursday, about 18,000 ballots had already been cast in Tuesday’s election.

A mix of vote results from in-person Election Day and early in-person voting are released in the first vote update of the night. Typically, nearly all in-person Election Day results and in-person early voting results are released by the last update of the night, with the bulk of mail voting results released in the days following election night.

In the 2024 state primary, the AP first reported results at 1:03 a.m. ET, or three minutes after final polls closed. The election night tabulation ended at 4:58 a.m. ET, with about 89% of total votes counted. The count reached 100% on Sept. 1 at 6:57 p.m. ET, 12 days after the election.

The AP does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow a trailing candidate to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.

Recounts in Alaska are automatic in the event of a tie vote. Candidates may also request and pay for a recount. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.

As of Tuesday, there will be 77 days until the 2026 midterm elections.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2026 election at https://apnews.com/projects/elections-2026/.

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By Robin Respaut

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 16 (Reuters) – U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Sunday that he backs top Washington, D.C., prosecutor Jeanine Pirro, who was criticized by President Donald Trump for the way she handled a case of alleged vandalism at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. 

“I absolutely support U.S. Attorney Pirro, as does President Trump,” Blanche said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” program.

The Trump administration fast-tracked a renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool ahead of the nation’s Fourth of July celebrations, at a cost of about $14.7 million. Within weeks an algae bloom developed and material at the bottom of the pool started peeling off. Federal authorities subsequently charged former U.S. Olympian David Hearn and others with vandalism.

In a court filing asking for the case against Hearn to be dismissed, Pirro blamed the Reflecting Pool’s peeling issues on “flawed” work by a contractor and accused the Interior Department of providing incomplete information at first. Trump subsequently posted that Pirro ​should revisit her “hastily made decision” to drop the case.

Blanche said he does not fault Trump for being frustrated over the matter, adding that a witness said they observed vandalism.

“That’s different than whether ultimately we have the proof… I think judging her on a single case because of the evidence that we had is not fair,” he said.

The White House has asked the Justice ​Department to examine potential new charges related to the alleged vandalism at the newly renovated pool.

“U.S. Attorney Pirro is doing a phenomenal job enforcing that, going after anybody who’s doing it,” Blanche said. 

Blanche was narrowly confirmed to be Trump’s attorney general earlier this month by U.S. Senate Republicans after bipartisan concerns over Blanche’s independence. During his interview on Sunday, he refused to say that the Justice Department would operate independently of the White House.

“No, I’m not going to pledge that,” Blanche told NBC, but said he would act with integrity and “prosecute without fear or any sort of favor.”

(Reporting by Robin Respaut; Editing by Sergio Non and Nia Williams)

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WASHINGTON, Aug 14 (Reuters) – A South Florida site backed out of hosting a rally with Democratic U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib, a vocal critic of Israel’s government, after complaints by a Democratic state lawmaker in the party’s latest flashpoint over its stance on Israel.

Tlaib, the first Palestinian American member of Congress, was scheduled to appear on Friday at a rally for three candidates in Florida’s upcoming Democratic Party primary.

However, The Venue Fort Lauderdale, which was scheduled to host the event, suddenly canceled it after State Representative Michael Gottlieb, chairman of the Florida Legislative Jewish Caucus, posted a statement on Thursday calling the planned rally an “anti-Jew” gathering.

Tlaib has condemned antisemitism and says criticism of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and its attacks in Gaza and Lebanon is not antisemitic.

The Venue in a statement cited “increased security concerns” for its decision and said it is Jewish-owned and “our values and commitment to the Jewish community are deeply important to us.”

Prominent progressive Democrats, including Tlaib and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, have opposed U.S. support for Israel over Israeli attacks in Gaza and Lebanon, the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s close ties to Republicans, leading to an erosion of Democratic backing for Washington’s ally.

The rally was organized by groups such as “Florida Youth Justice Coalition,” “Gen-Z For Change” and a local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America.

It was meant to support State Representative Angie Nixon, who is running for the U.S. Senate; and Elijah Manley and Oliver Larkin, who are seeking seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

After The Venue withdrew its support, the event was expected to proceed Friday night at a Fort Lauderdale wine bar, an organizer told The New York Times.

The Florida Democratic Progressive Caucus said the cancellation of the rally was rooted in anti-Muslim sentiment. Florida’s primary elections are scheduled for August 18.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Sergio Non and Jacqueline Wong)

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By Leah Douglas

WASHINGTON, Aug 16 (Reuters) – Anti-hunger advocate Liz Wills-O’Gilvie, 63, said she has not eaten for 15 days in a bid to push Governor Maura Healey to raise funding for Massachusetts’ shrinking food stamp program.

By consuming only water, electrolytes and glucose pills, Wills-O’Gilvie, whom Healey last year appointed to an anti-hunger task force, aims to draw attention to rising food insecurity due to cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. 

“I know what (hunger) looks and feels like,” said Wills-O’Gilvie, who directs the Springfield Food Policy Council and the food justice organization Gardening the Community. 

More than 5.3 million people across the U.S. have lost SNAP benefits since President Donald Trump made sweeping changes to the program in his 2025 tax and spending law, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.

Rising food insecurity coupled with higher grocery bills have strained low-income households across the U.S. ahead of the November midterm elections.

U.S. states have raced to implement the changes and some have tightened the SNAP application process to avoid new federal penalties associated with incorrect benefit calculations.

Massachusetts’ Department of Transitional Assistance, which administers SNAP, said enrollment is down by nearly 182,000 people, including nearly 65,000 children. 

DTA staff are overwhelmed and people are losing benefits because they cannot reach caseworkers, said Wills-O’Gilvie, whom Healey appointed to a state Anti-Hunger Task Force created last July after Trump’s law passed. Wills-O’Gilvie said she spoke last week with Healey, who told her she was working on the issue.

According to DTA data, the agency has seen a 9% rise in daily calls since last year, with about 47% unable to connect, up from about 37%.

A DTA spokesperson said the agency has hired 118 new caseworkers since the start of the year among other efforts to help people stay on SNAP.

“We will continue doing everything we can to make sure families, seniors, veterans and people with disabilities have access to the food assistance they need,” the spokesperson said.

Now unable to drive due to her fasting, Wills-O’Gilvie, who suffers from lupus and hypoglycemia, said she has also met with state legislators in her home.

“I can’t let people down,” said Wills-O’Gilvie, adding that she intends to forgo food indefinitely.  

(Reporting by Leah Douglas in Washington; editing by Timothy Gardner, Alexander Smith and Chizu Nomiyama)

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By Leah Douglas

WASHINGTON, Aug 15 (Reuters) – The Democratic National Committee on Saturday officially selected South Carolina as the first state to vote in the party’s 2028 primaries. 

The vote at the DNC’s summer meeting in Austin, Texas, codified a July vote by the organization’s Rules & Bylaws Committee. Following South Carolina will be Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan and Virginia, the DNC said in a news release.

The ​first state to vote in a presidential nominating contest often helps to shape the field of candidates, drawing campaign spending and media ​attention. 

The calendar adopted on Saturday will allow Democrats “to battle-test candidates while maintaining an open, affordable field,” the committee said.

“The DNC has delivered a 2028 nominating calendar that truly represents our party and our values, and will help us retake the White House in 2028,” DNC Chair Ken Martin said in a statement.

Some Democrats often mentioned as potential presidential contenders have visited South Carolina over the past several months, including Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, U.S. Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, and California Governor Gavin Newsom.  

South Carolina and Nevada had tussled in July over which state should claim the top spot in a competition that became a proxy battle between the party’s Black and Latino bases.

In 2022, former President Joe Biden persuaded Democrats ​to overhaul their 2024 nominating calendar to put South Carolina first. New Hampshire, which traditionally had been the first state to vote in the primaries, defied the national party that year and stuck to its usual January spot on the calendar, although the DNC did not seat any of the New Hampshire delegates elected in that gathering. 

​

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(Reporting by Leah Douglas in Washington; Editing by Sergio Non and Matthew Lewis)

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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Democrats seeking the party’s presidential nomination in 2028 will need to prove themselves early on in states where Black and Latino voters and union members are key supporters, under an election-year calendar approved Saturday.

The primary lineup pushes Iowa from the traditional top spot and makes South Carolina the leadoff state, voting on Jan. 22, 2028, followed by Nevada on Feb. 1. New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan and Virginia round out the early states, throughout February, according to the plan endorsed by the Democratic National Committee at its meeting in Texas.

DNC Chairman Ken Martin said that to win the general election, “You have to be battle-tested in a way that you already have campaigned in front of and for the support of various communities throughout the country.” That is why the calendar designed by the party matters, he said in an interview.

Some potential candidates in what is expected to be a large field have visited early-voting states such as South Carolina. Party leaders have said the order give candidates the best shot at winning back the White House after Republican President Donald Trump’s second term.

“They have to show that they can go to the South and talk to Black voters and rural voters, as well as out west, talking ranching and mining issues, to a border state, to union members,” said party strategist Karen Finney, who has worked on multiple presidential campaigns. “Whoever survives will be battle-tested.”

Former presidential candidate Howard Dean, a onetime Vermont governor, recalled his tenure as national party chairman, when Democrats solidified Nevada and South Carolina as early states behind Iowa and New Hampshire. The latest change is even better, he said.

“These states look more like the country,” as a whole, he said, “whereas Iowa and New Hampshire don’t.”

Rita Hart, chair of the Iowa Democratic Party, said bypassing her state in the early going would sideline important voter voices and give a political edge to Republicans, who are expected to keep Iowa atop their calendar.

As the first-in-the-South primary, South Carolina was more decisive than Iowa and New Hampshire for nominees Barack Obama in 2008, Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020. All three dominated among South Carolina’s large Black population, which can yield more than half the state’s Democratic primary electorate.

With Nevada and New Mexico following, that will require candidates to court more Latino voters early in the process.

Shifting from Iowa and New Hampshire does not mean little-known candidates cannot catch fire, as Pete Buttigieg did in Iowa and New Hampshire in 2020, when he was a 37-year-old former mayor. They just will not be able to do it with an almost entirely white audience.

“If you can’t go to every part of this country and make your case, you should not be running for president,” Finney said.

There is disagreement over how Democrats’ split between progressives and mainstream liberals may or may not surface in the nominating calendar.

“I think our primary voters up north are probably a little different than primary voters in South Carolina,” said Boyd Brown, a former DNC member from South Carolina. “It’s not the woke ideologies that we just can’t get away from” in other places.

Nina Smith, a former Buttigieg adviser who now works closely with progressive causes, disagreed. Smith said Black South Carolinians, especially, have gravitated to more moderate candidates – twice rejecting Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in favor of Clinton and Biden.

But, she said, “Southern Black voters are more progressive than they’re given credit for” on policy but also “realists” about what is possible.

“Living through Jim Crow and other oppressive structures will force you to be take that approach,” she said.

Smith said that with South Carolina leading off and many Southern states following on Super Tuesday soon after the early lineup concludes, progressives will have to take the time to listen and then tailor their messages.

“A lot of Black voters don’t necessarily see themselves in the ideas and arguments that progressives put forward,” she said.

Nevada has the service industry unions because of Las Vegas; Michigan has the auto industry and associated manufacturing support industries; Virginia is home to more federal workers than any other state.

“Labor is still so important,” Dean said.

Beyond seeking the backing of organized labor, the campaigns and the party will look to unions for help in spreading Democrats’ message to voters and getting people to the polls.

Campaigns struggle to balance many demands such as meeting voters in person, raising money and the logistics of travel. As a result, places such as Nevada have gotten short shrift in the past because candidates, most from the eastern part of the country, have concluded the investment of time is not worth it.

An expanded calendar offers more clustering opportunities.

A swing to the West could hit two early states — Nevada and New Mexico — and include a fundraising stop in California, full of Democratic donors. A South Carolina trip could mean fundraisers and public appearances in Atlanta, Charlotte and Raleigh, both in North Carolina. Virginia offers proximity to donors and national TV studios in Washington; the same options are available by adding a New York City stop on the way to New Hampshire.

Bre Maxwell is a DNC member from South Carolina who said the state’s smaller size and lower media costs are a financial equalizer, allowing not only the best-funded candidates to have an impact.

“They can campaign from the top to the bottom in a day,” Maxwell said.

Of the six early states, all but South Carolina have been competitive in general elections.

That means that even before Super Tuesday, the Democratic candidates will have spent significant time and resources in states worth a combined 43 Electoral College votes. That is not insignificant on the way to the 270 needed to win.

Television ads and news coverage can spill over, as well. Markets targeting parts of South Carolina also reach portions of North Carolina and Georgia.

After all, Brown said, the point is to put a Democrat in the White House.

“This is not a social or a debate club. It is a political party,” he said.

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Barrow reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writer Meg Kinnard in Columbia, S.C., contributed to this report.

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