Cost of employer-sponsored health insurance plans rises again, nonpartisan survey finds
KFF found workers paid 16% more for individual coverage in 2026, with deductibles doubling since 2011 even as IVF and GLP-1 coverage varies by company size.
National
Trump set to campaign in tight US Senate contests in Iowa, Texas, Ohio, Michigan
Trump's Chillicothe stop comes as polls show his approval at 32-36% and forecasters shift Senate races toward Democrats with early voting already topping 16 million.
The next act for the No Kings movement: Early voting in the midterms
More than 2,500 events in all 50 states will pair with efforts from Bishop William Barber and the ACLU, while the RNC accuses Democrats of manipulating maps.
With fewer public defenders, indigent defendants pay the price
Texas lost nearly a fourth of its indigent-defense attorneys in a decade, a crisis echoed in Oregon, Pennsylvania, Kansas and New Mexico, researchers find.
Urban, rural hospitals closing at similar rates, study finds
Harvard researchers found 432 hospitals closed since 2010, mostly for-profit or safety-net facilities serving high-poverty counties with limited transportation.
More National
Voters in midterm elections identify a culprit for rising cost of living: Trump’s tariffs
Polls show 74% of voters, including 66% of Republicans, blame Trump's tariffs for store price hikes, with Democrats from Ohio to Georgia campaigning to repeal them.
US Senate candidates in 9 key races quiet about Social Security benefits cliff
Most candidates, including Ohio's Brown and Husted, dodged or ignored questions about the 22% benefit cut set to hit automatically in 2032.
With election pressure mounting, states move to suspend fuel taxes
Ohio Democratic leader Nickie Antonio calls her own chamber's gas tax holiday a late scramble tied to falling GOP poll numbers before the election.
Voting rights advocates organize volunteers to track potential intimidation at the polls
Vote Safe volunteers will deploy in Ohio first, where Husted faces Brown and fears of ICE targeting Black and Haitian voters are running high.
Top Democratic US Senate PAC commits to 9 states, eyes more Republican targets
The group is watching Kansas, Florida, Mississippi and South Carolina as possible expansion states even as Republicans hold a massive cash advantage.
Americans’ water bills are growing faster than groceries, overall inflation
Food and Water Watch found West Virginia households paid $1,383 for water last year versus $286 in Idaho, with for-profit utilities charging more than public systems.
Democrats could win majority of governor’s offices for first time in 16 years
Even Texas and Florida governor races have moved toward Democrats, as analysts tie the shift to Trump's approval ratings and economic discontent.
Democrats more trusted on healthcare costs, survey shows
KFF poll finds 63% of Democrats feel more motivated to vote than in past elections, versus 38% of Republicans, ahead of November midterms.
Kratom, 7-OH laws diverge amid the spread of potent synthetic products
Poison center reports jumped nearly 1,200% since 2015, and 36 states introduced regulations this session after two Ole Miss students died with synthetic kratom nearby.
Trump drops longtime aversion to mail-in voting with GOP trailing in polls
Despite his reversal, the Supreme Court already blocked his order restricting mail ballots, and the League of Women Voters says it still plans to sue.
Prediction markets spend millions to influence state, federal governments
Kalshi hired lobbyists in 41 states and funded both parties' AG groups as a federal agency with four vacancies sues states trying to regulate the industry.
Hiring slows in September with job growth of 29K
Economist Kathryn Anne Edwards calls it a textbook weak report as wages trail inflation and August, July job gains were revised sharply downward.
Anxiety is growing Trump may try to disrupt the midterm elections. States are prepping.
Denver and voting rights groups have already sued over DHS claims ICE can serve warrants at polling sites, citing incidents in three states this year.
The signs offer quick cash for homes. But states want more oversight.
Ohio now requires wholesalers to disclose they may resell contracts below market value, joining 15 states cracking down on deals critics call predatory.
Doctors and hospitals to see lower Medicaid payments in three dozen states
A 2025 federal law forces 15 states, including Michigan, to cut Medicaid payments up to 25% by 2028, which researchers say could shrink patient access.
