Ohio ad dispute divides DeWine and Trump
DeWine described the ad as "deeply, deeply troubling" on Oct. 22, 2026, but maintained his endorsement of Ramaswamy, the Republican running to succeed him as Ohio governor. Trump subsequently criticized DeWine on Truth Social and urged Ramaswamy to continue airing it.
Ramaswamy's campaign bought $4 million in statewide airtime for the one-minute spot. It features Donna Arthur, Acton's estranged mother, calling her daughter a "liar" and asking Ohioans not to vote for her.
Acton says she has had no contact with her mother in nearly 50 years. Her brother, Philip Stearns, has corroborated Acton's account of childhood sexual abuse.
Zacharia leaves White House press job after five days
Sources told NBC News that Katie Zacharia's tenure as White House press secretary ended Oct. 16, 2026, just five days after it began. Her departure came after widespread criticism of her first briefing and disclosures that she had called herself a lawyer despite not passing the bar exam.
Earlier that Friday, Trump had said the decision to stay was hers, suggesting that the media had treated her harshly during her first week. A senior administration official later said she was moving into another role that would be announced at a later date. Two sources familiar with Trump's thinking told NBC News he was highly unlikely to appoint another press secretary anytime soon.
Zacharia had replaced Karoline Leavitt, who left at the end of August 2026. Her five days in the post were fewer than the 11 days Anthony Scaramucci served as White House communications director in 2017.
A senior administration official confirmed on Oct. 15 that Zacharia had not passed the California bar exam, following reporting by The Wall Street Journal. Campaign for Accountability, a nonpartisan watchdog group, asked the State Bar of California to investigate whether her description of herself as a lawyer while unlicensed violated the law.
Powder-filled letters reach more officials' offices
A federal investigation into suspicious mail sent to congressional and state election offices expanded by Oct. 16, 2026. Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Rounds of South Dakota confirmed that they were among those targeted.
Initial reporting identified more than a dozen state election offices that had received suspicious materials. The number of identified targets later grew to at least 26 state election offices, along with at least 22 offices of congressional Democrats.
Authorities were examining "dozens and dozens" of letters containing an unidentified white powder, a source familiar with the investigation told NBC News. Field tests initially indicated that the powder was not hazardous, but laboratory testing was still underway.
Hasan execution will not be livestreamed
Trump announced Oct. 15, 2026, that the government would not broadcast the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan online, reversing a plan announced by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Immediate family members of the victims would be allowed to attend, Trump said.
Opponents of the Pentagon's proposed livestream had compared it to practices under totalitarian regimes and to America's history of lynchings and public hangings.
A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll released Oct. 15 found that 80% of Americans opposed livestreaming the execution and 18% supported it, CNBC reported. About 53% supported executing Hasan by firing squad. The survey included 2,545 U.S. adults and had a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points.
Hasan, who is paralyzed from the waist down, is scheduled to face an Army firing squad at Fort Hood in Killeen, Texas, on Dec. 3, 2026, at 1 p.m. Central Time. According to CNBC, he would be the first U.S. military member executed by firing squad since World War II. It would also be the military's first execution since Army Pvt. John Bennett was hanged in 1961 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
