In the US, the first voters are receiving their postal voting documents, although a legal dispute over Donald Trump's new rules for this continues.
All developments in the live blog
In addition to our own research, we use material from the news agencies dpa, Reuters, epd, KNA and Bloomberg for our live blog.
Important updates
Trump threatens to lower key interest rates or stop trade with countries
Trump appoints new Secretary of the Army
Trump appeals to the Supreme Court again in the dispute over postal voting
Rubio: Opposition leader Machado can return to Venezuela
“Lake America”: Apple also follows Trump’s renaming
Ulrike Putz
Postal voting begins in the USA – uncertainty due to legal dispute
Despite an ongoing legal dispute, the US state of North Carolina has started mail-in voting for the November midterm elections as planned. The committee responsible for elections announced on Friday on Platform X that it would send out the first documents. Other states are expected to follow suit in the coming days.
Meanwhile, a legal dispute over tightening rules ordered by President Donald Trump continues. The new regulation pushed forward by the Trump administration essentially stipulates that the US Postal Service (USPS) will play a central role in controlling postal voting. States should submit the design of their envelopes for postal voting to the post office for approval. In addition, the postal service should only deliver the documents to citizens who are listed on a voter register provided by the states.
A judge from Boston had previously issued another preliminary injunction against Trump's plans because, in her view, they had little chance of being successful in the main proceedings. She justified this, among other things, by saying that Trump was depriving the states of their constitutional authority to organize elections themselves.
Republicans defend the plans with the argument that they want to prevent alleged election fraud. So far, they have not provided any evidence to support the claim of widespread election fraud. Critics suspect that Trump's motive is that he wants to make voting by mail more difficult and thus disadvantage the Democratic Party, whose voters disproportionately vote by mail.
What will happen to votes already cast if courts approve Trump's rules is unclear. He made it clear during the primaries that a repeat election is not taboo for Trump. At that time, he wanted to implement the redrawing of electoral districts in states where voting had already begun. “If they have to vote twice, then so be it.”
On November 3rd, around a third of the Senate and the entire House of Representatives will be re-elected in the “midterms”. Because of the narrow majority of Republicans in both chambers of parliament, each individual mandate could decide who ultimately has power in Congress.
Trump on drone discovery in Leipzig: Putin is not planning any attacks on NATO
After the suspected Russian attempted attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport, US President Donald Trump still sees no danger of a Russian attack on NATO. "We talk to each other, I know him very well. Putin is not planning an attack on NATO territory," said Trump when asked whether the discovery of an explosive drone at Leipzig/Halle Airport constituted such an attack. The US President did not provide any further information.
Trump had already made similar comments at the end of August after CIA chief John Ratcliffe made a surprise visit to Moscow. The Wall Street Journal and Politico magazine previously reported that Ratcliffe had warned the Kremlin against attacking NATO allies. At this point, however, the federal government had not yet officially blamed Russia for the attempted attack.
Trump threatens to lower key interest rates or stop trade with countries
After surprisingly positive job data, US President Donald Trump has increased pressure on the independent central bank to lower interest rates. “High interest rates put the US at a very unfair disadvantage, and I won’t let that happen!” he wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform.
The United States should have the lowest interest rates in the world: "Lower the key interest rate or I will stop trading with countries with which we have a deficit," Trump posted, apparently addressed to the Federal Reserve. The US labor market returned in August with a strong increase in jobs and, from the perspective of the financial markets, made an imminent interest rate increase by the central bank more likely.
The US Federal Reserve is supposed to ensure full employment and stable prices. It recently left the key interest rate in the range of 3.50 to 3.75 percent. The financial markets are wondering whether the Fed can bring itself to raise interest rates in the middle of the month. Central Bank Chairman Kevin Warsh recently expressed concern about stubborn inflation and at the same time called the labor market "quite stable."
Warsh has only been in office since May and is the successor to Jerome Powell, whom Trump had repeatedly harshly criticized and called a "loser" because of his supposedly too tight monetary policy. On the other hand, he gave Warsh numerous advance praises. Trump had also stated that the new Fed chief would have to follow his ideas. If Warsh had declared that he wanted to raise interest rates, "he wouldn't have gotten the job," said the US President.
Lucia Geier
Musk PAC invests over $800,000 in Republican campaigns
In recent days, Space According to a report filed late Wednesday, Musk's political action committee (PAC), America PAC, primarily financed the printing of campaign materials such as direct mail. The focus was on election campaigns in Texas and other battleground states.
The largest sums went to Texas, where Musk's company Space-X is headquartered. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has received $247,595 from Musk's PAC for his Senate campaign since August 20. The second largest sum of $170,224 went to U.S. Sen. Susan Collins' campaign. She chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, which controls federal spending. The campaigns of Senators Jon Husted and Dan Sullivan, who also sit on committees important to Musk's company, also received support.
Musk's $50 million PAC is expected to play an important role in mobilizing Republican voters. The New York Times had reported that the financing goal was up to $120 million. A spokesman for America PAC declined to comment Thursday.
Lucia Geier
Trump appoints new Secretary of the Army
After the resignation of Secretary of the US Army Daniel Driscoll, President Donald Trump has found a new man for the post. Adam Telle, Undersecretary of State responsible for civilian tasks since August 2025, should take over the office on an interim basis, Trump announced on his Truth Social platform. “He is a great patriot and respected by everyone.”
At the beginning of the week, State Secretary Driscoll, who is responsible for the US Army, submitted his resignation. Driscoll, who is considered a close confidant of Vice President J. D. Vance, only held the office for a year and a half. In recent weeks there has been speculation about his impending departure. Several US media outlets reported ongoing tensions between Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Driscoll, who oversaw operations, modernization and resource allocation for nearly a million soldiers, National Guardsmen and reservists.
Since the start of the Iran war, several top officials have resigned, fueling speculation about internal differences in the ministry. In addition to the Chief of Staff of the Army, General Randy George, they also included Secretary of the Navy John Phelan and Christopher Donahue, commander of US land forces in Europe and Africa.
Lucia Geier
Court in Missouri overturns redistricting that was advantageous for Republicans
The Supreme Court of the US state of Missouri has overturned a new redistricting drafted by the Republicans for the November congressional elections. The ruling is a setback for the party in its struggle to maintain its slim majority in the US House of Representatives. The decision could allow longtime Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver to return to the House of Representatives. His constituency in Kansas City was dissolved as part of the redistricting.
The court found that the state's Republican secretary of state, Denny Hoskins, had unlawfully prevented a referendum on redistricting. Republican lawmakers pushed through the redistricting as part of a campaign supported by President Donald Trump to change the district boundaries in favor of their own candidates. Republicans secured a national advantage after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowed several conservative Southern states to carve up districts with high percentages of black voters.
Trump appeals to the Supreme Court again in the dispute over postal voting
In the legal dispute over stricter rules for postal voting, President Donald Trump's government has again appealed to the Supreme Court. She asked the court to suspend a lower court decision that has so far prevented her from implementing the new rules. Less than two months before the important midterm elections, the Trump administration is asking the US Supreme Court to make a quick decision with its urgent application. In the state of North Carolina, the first postal voting documents are to be sent out as early as this Friday. The Supreme Court had previously overturned another injunction against Trump's plans - albeit for procedural reasons. He did not decide on the legality of the project.
The new rules essentially stipulate that the US Postal Service (USPS) will play a central role in controlling postal voting. States should submit the design of their envelopes for postal voting to the post office for approval. In addition, the postal service should only deliver the documents to citizens who are listed on a voter register provided by the states. Republicans defend the plans with the argument that they want to prevent alleged election fraud. Critics suspect that Trump's motive is that he wants to make voting by mail more difficult and thus disadvantage Democratic voters.
A federal judge stopped Trump's plans last week with an injunction. The president's order is "a likely unconstitutional regulation that is virtually impossible to comply with in light of the 2026 midterm elections," she wrote. It is also unrealistic to implement it so shortly before the election.
Plane carrying US minister made emergency landing – engine failed
Due to a failed engine, a plane with US Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin on board had to make an emergency landing in the capital Washington. “The U.S. Coast Guard pilots made the single-engine landing seem like a routine affair,” Mullin wrote on Platform X. After landing, the pilots told Mullin that it was their first emergency landing. “We couldn’t have been in better hands.”
A total of 14 people were in the machine, according to a report from the local media DMV Live News, which Mullin shared on X. Accordingly, the right engine failed halfway, whereupon the plane was diverted to Washington. It initially remained unclear what the flight's destination was. “No panic, just pure professionalism,” Mullin praised the pilots.
Rubio: Opposition leader Machado can return to Venezuela
According to Foreign Minister Marco Rubio, the USA is not standing in the way of the return of Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado to her home country. She is a Venezuelan citizen and has “every right to travel to her country whenever she wants to return,” Rubio said in an interview in Spanish.
In December, the politician, who had been living underground until then, secretly left Venezuela to personally accept the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. Shortly thereafter, Washington carried out a military operation in Venezuela and captured President Nicolás Maduro. Washington is now working closely with Acting President Delcy Rodríguez. Machado is not taking part in talks between the government and the opposition, which are supported by Washington.
The politician has repeatedly declared her intention to return to her country. After the devastating earthquakes that shook the country in June, she said she would be in Venezuela soon. However, according to media reports, the US government at the time considered such a step to be inappropriate. So far, Machado has not returned.
“Lake America”: Apple also follows Trump’s renaming
Following Internet giant Google, Apple has now renamed Lake Ontario “Lake America” in its map app, adopting a requirement from US President Donald Trump. If you search for Lake Ontario on Apple Maps in the USA, you will be led to the lake on the border with Canada - but it now has the new name “Lake America”. The iPhone manufacturer thus followed the controversial renaming that Trump had ordered in the customs conflict with the neighboring country.
However, the change only affects Apple users in the USA, while the name Lake Ontario will continue to be displayed in Canada, as the Canadian broadcaster CBC reported. German users will see the name Lake Ontario. Google had also made a similar regulation for its popular Maps function, where the new name has been displayed for a few days - in Germany both names can be seen on Google Maps.
Trump wants acting Navy Secretary Cao as a permanent solution
After many personnel changes in the leadership of the US Department of Defense, President Donald Trump has made a proposal for permanent leadership of the Navy. Hung Cao, who has been running the business on an interim basis since April, will hold the position of Secretary of the Navy permanently, as Trump announced on his Truth Social platform. “I can't imagine anyone better
