https://www.scmp.com/rss/520117/feed America's politics, domestic or otherwise, are rarely less than contentious. From the tussles between the Republicans and Democrats to divisions over abortion, affirmative action and police violence, these are the latest developments. en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Han Li Han Li US House Republicans on Tuesday elected the congressman Jim Jordan as their new leader, turning to an outspoken conservative to steer the party after a crushing midterm defeat that handed Democrats control of the chamber. Jordan, 62, defeated outgoing House Majority Leader Steve Scalise in a contest that pitted calls for a fresh start against arguments for retaining experienced leadership. The vote was 106 to 73 at a closed-door party meeting, according to multiple media reports citing people... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3373998/jim-jordan-elected-house-republican-leader-after-crushing-midterm-defeat https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3373998/jim-jordan-elected-house-republican-leader-after-crushing-midterm-defeat Tue, 10 Nov 2026 20:21:24 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi The US House of Representatives on Tuesday voted to effectively shelve an impeachment resolution against Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, hours after the embattled Pentagon chief branded the measure a “farce” and mounted a fiery defence of the Iran war. Speaking at his first press conference in more than 180 days, Hegseth described Thomas Massie, a Republican lawmaker who introduced the impeachment resolution against him on Monday, as “one disgruntled and defeated congressman” who is attempting... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3373990/hegseth-calls-impeachment-bid-farce-he-defends-iran-war https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3373990/hegseth-calls-impeachment-bid-farce-he-defends-iran-war Tue, 10 Nov 2026 15:26:43 +0000 Han Li Han Li Republican Congressman Thomas Massie on Monday introduced eight articles of impeachment against US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, seeking to force a House floor vote as early as Wednesday over his handling of the US war with Iran and other military operations. Speaking on the House floor as he unveiled the articles, Massie said Hegseth’s conduct had demonstrated that he would “remain a threat to civilians, the lawful conduct of United States military operations, the integrity and credibility of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3373848/hegseth-calls-iran-war-necessary-and-waves-noise-expected-impeachment-push https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3373848/hegseth-calls-iran-war-necessary-and-waves-noise-expected-impeachment-push Mon, 09 Nov 2026 19:34:12 +0000 Han Li Han Li California Democratic Congressman Ted Lieu is seeking to become the next chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, one of the top leadership jobs in the US Congress, and potentially making history again as the highest-ranking Asian-American on Capitol Hill. He announced his caucus chair candidacy in a letter to fellow Democrats on Thursday. He’s currently the most high-profile Asian and Chinese-American in Congress, serving as vice-chairman of the caucus, the fourth-ranking position in the House... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/us-elections/article/3373620/ted-lieu-seeks-congress-leadership-post-aiming-break-another-glass-ceiling https://www.scmp.com/news/us/us-elections/article/3373620/ted-lieu-seeks-congress-leadership-post-aiming-break-another-glass-ceiling Fri, 06 Nov 2026 23:01:56 +0000 Teresa Elena Frontado Teresa Elena Frontado US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Stephen Miller would replace Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff, elevating a long-time loyalist and architect of his immigration crackdown days after Republicans lost control of Congress. Miller, currently a deputy chief of staff, will take over on Monday. Wiles will move to Trump’s political operation, the president said in a post on social media. The change puts one of Trump’s staunchest ideological allies in charge of the White House staff... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3373617/trump-names-stephen-miller-chief-staff-replacing-susie-wiles-after-midterm-losses https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3373617/trump-names-stephen-miller-chief-staff-replacing-susie-wiles-after-midterm-losses Fri, 06 Nov 2026 19:23:38 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Comedian Patton Oswalt once joked about the United States electing a KKK president after the progressive years of Barack Obama. The joke is worth retelling, not just because it’s funny but because it captures the swing between extremes in US politics. That’s worth keeping in mind in light of the so-called Democratic blue wave sweeping the country. It goes: “We will have a woman president, probably sooner than later … but just keep in mind that after she serves her term, the choices will very... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3373368/democrats-blue-wave-means-rough-waters-ahead-us-china-relations https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3373368/democrats-blue-wave-means-rough-waters-ahead-us-china-relations Fri, 06 Nov 2026 08:42:20 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan In the space of roughly 10 days, the two largest democracies in the Americas delivered setbacks to the populist right. In Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva staged a narrow but remarkable comeback, defeating Flavio Bolsonaro, the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, in a run-off election after trailing in the first round. This week, American voters handed control of both chambers of the US Congress to Democrats in a sharp rebuke of candidates riding on US President Donald Trump’s “Make America... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3373448/us-and-brazil-deliver-double-blow-populist-right-will-europe-feel-impact https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3373448/us-and-brazil-deliver-double-blow-populist-right-will-europe-feel-impact Fri, 06 Nov 2026 03:00:08 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said he will “not back down” against a “lame duck” US Congress, and that the calls for his impeachment will “not work” in his first reaction after the Democrats’ landslide victory in Tuesday’s midterm elections. In a video uploaded by the Pentagon on Thursday, Hegseth said that “a disgruntled, defeated congressman, along with all his Democrat allies”, have been submitting “sham” bills for his impeachment, resembling that of the similar attempt against US... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/us-elections/article/3373466/defiant-hegseth-tells-democrats-their-impeachment-push-wont-work https://www.scmp.com/news/us/us-elections/article/3373466/defiant-hegseth-tells-democrats-their-impeachment-push-wont-work Thu, 05 Nov 2026 21:31:34 +0000 Juan Fernando Herrera Ramos Juan Fernando Herrera Ramos The Democratic sweep of the US midterm elections has transformed the political balance in Washington, but it has not transferred control of foreign policy from the White House to Congress. When the new Congress convenes in January, Democrats will control both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Their victories reflected widespread frustration with the Iran war, rising living costs and US President Donald Trump’s leadership. Reuters reported that 70 per cent of voters wanted Congress to... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3373340/how-trumps-weakened-grip-congress-complicates-talks-china https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3373340/how-trumps-weakened-grip-congress-complicates-talks-china Thu, 05 Nov 2026 08:30:07 +0000 Nayan Seth,Lucy Quaggin Nayan Seth,Lucy Quaggin Strong voter backlash in the US midterm elections against AI infrastructure projects, including data centres, indicates that framing the domestic buildout as key to competing with China failed to convince Americans and underscores the need to address local concerns, according to analysts. “The argument that we need to build more data centres to win in AI against China no longer seems to have the kind of resonance it did before, if it ever did, frankly,” said Kyle Chan, a fellow at the Brookings... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/us-elections/article/3373322/costs-above-competition-why-us-voters-arent-buying-trumps-china-ai-pitch https://www.scmp.com/news/us/us-elections/article/3373322/costs-above-competition-why-us-voters-arent-buying-trumps-china-ai-pitch Wed, 04 Nov 2026 22:56:47 +0000 Han Li Han Li Democrats scored a sweeping victory in Tuesday’s midterm elections, with Asian-Americans and other voters of colour playing a key role, according to a new voter poll released on Wednesday. The 2026 Midterm Election Voter Poll surveyed 10,141 voters, including 2,130 Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) voters, between October 20 and November 3. It offers insights into voting trends across racial groups. Taeku Lee, a Harvard professor of government and a researcher for the poll, said... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/us-elections/article/3373319/asian-american-voters-younger-turnout-fuel-blue-wave-democrats-midterms https://www.scmp.com/news/us/us-elections/article/3373319/asian-american-voters-younger-turnout-fuel-blue-wave-democrats-midterms Wed, 04 Nov 2026 21:31:17 +0000 Teresa Elena Frontado Teresa Elena Frontado A Democratic victory that reached from Texas to Kansas changed the terms of Donald Trump’s final two years in office. When the new US Congress convenes in January, Democrats will control both chambers. They can block his legislation, challenge spending on the war in Iran and scrutinise the deals he strikes with Beijing. The day after his party lost control of Congress, Trump invited reporters to the construction site of his new White House ballroom to watch workers raise the final steel... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/us-elections/article/3373318/five-takeaways-us-midterms-democrats-sweep-congress-and-trump-faces-iran-reckoning https://www.scmp.com/news/us/us-elections/article/3373318/five-takeaways-us-midterms-democrats-sweep-congress-and-trump-faces-iran-reckoning Wed, 04 Nov 2026 21:24:00 +0000 Teresa Elena Frontado Teresa Elena Frontado Republican Senator Susan Collins won in China on Tuesday. So did the volunteer firefighters. Voters in several small American communities with China in their names cast ballots in Tuesday’s US midterm elections. Their local contests had little to do with Beijing and a great deal to do with fire engines, budgets and paving. In China, a lakeside town in northeastern Maine, Collins outpolled Democrat Troy Jackson by 1,333 votes to 871, according to the town’s general election return. Statewide,... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/us-elections/article/3373314/who-won-china-us-midterms-susan-collins-and-local-firefighters https://www.scmp.com/news/us/us-elections/article/3373314/who-won-china-us-midterms-susan-collins-and-local-firefighters Wed, 04 Nov 2026 18:59:58 +0000 Han Li Han Li The incoming US Congress is set to include a record six lawmakers of Chinese descent after Democrat Richard Pan won a California House race. Pan defeated incumbent Kevin Kiley in California’s 6th Congressional District by 15 percentage points, according to the latest results on Wednesday morning, adding another Chinese-American member to the House when the 120th Congress convenes in January. “I’m proud to be part of the growing Asian-American representation in Congress,” Pan said in a statement... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/us-elections/article/3373313/us-congress-welcomes-record-number-lawmakers-chinese-descent https://www.scmp.com/news/us/us-elections/article/3373313/us-congress-welcomes-record-number-lawmakers-chinese-descent Wed, 04 Nov 2026 16:01:13 +0000 Khushboo Razdan,Albee Zhang Khushboo Razdan,Albee Zhang In the weeks leading up to the midterm elections, US President Donald Trump displayed unwavering confidence in his star power, urging supporters to close their eyes and “pretend I’m on the ballot”. But Tuesday night’s disastrous results for the Republicans – the first time in 20 years both houses of Congress have changed hands at the same time – have punctured the aura of invincibility that once shielded Trump and allowed him to keep potential critics in line with the threat that opposing him... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3373299/republicans-face-prospect-civil-war-trumps-air-invincibility-starts-fade https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3373299/republicans-face-prospect-civil-war-trumps-air-invincibility-starts-fade Wed, 04 Nov 2026 14:00:14 +0000 Finbarr Bermingham Finbarr Bermingham Follow the SCMP’s live coverage here After almost two years in which the transatlantic alliance verged on collapse, a Democratic landslide in the US midterm elections was welcomed in Europe on Wednesday, even if few believed it would be a panacea for ailing ties. The Democratic Party swept both chambers of the US Congress in a crushing rebuke of US President Donald Trump’s two-year record. For Europe, that period has led to a shattering of the post-war order and deep schisms in the Western... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3373298/bad-worse-europes-relief-over-us-midterms-tempered-prospect-trump-backlash https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3373298/bad-worse-europes-relief-over-us-midterms-tempered-prospect-trump-backlash Wed, 04 Nov 2026 13:14:06 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim Follow the SCMP’s live coverage here Democrats won control of both chambers of the US Congress in Tuesday’s midterm elections, dealing a heavy blow to President Donald Trump as voters vented frustration over rising costs and the Iran war. With Democrats set to take over Congress in January, they will have the power to block Trump’s agenda and investigate his administration. Under these conditions, the president is expected to face a far more constrained final two years in office, with... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3373270/us-midterm-takeaways-trumps-blame-game-elons-space-lasers-and-rest-world https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3373270/us-midterm-takeaways-trumps-blame-game-elons-space-lasers-and-rest-world Wed, 04 Nov 2026 10:00:22 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier Americans and the rest of the world woke up on Wednesday to a seismic shift in the US political landscape as Democrats trounced Republicans, US President Donald Trump’s weapons of fear and intimidation suddenly appeared dull and possibly, just possibly, the US could start repairing its badly battered global image. While the final electoral count could take days, the trend was crystal clear. A blue tsunami had washed over the noisy, powerful land, with Democrats set to hold 55 or 56 Senate seats... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3373224/us-voters-unleash-blue-wave-handing-congress-democrats-and-rebuking-trump https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3373224/us-voters-unleash-blue-wave-handing-congress-democrats-and-rebuking-trump Wed, 04 Nov 2026 05:33:25 +0000 Teresa Elena Frontado,Han Li,Zhang Tong Teresa Elena Frontado,Han Li,Zhang Tong Polls began closing across the United States on Tuesday evening in midterm elections that will decide whether US President Donald Trump’s Republicans keep control of Congress, after a day of voting disrupted by floods and machine glitches but largely free of the problems many had feared. The first polls closed at 6pm Eastern Time (7am Hong Kong time), with most states following over the next several hours. The last state to close polls will be Alaska, at 1am Eastern Time (2pm Hong Kong time).... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/us-elections/article/3373191/us-midterms-what-happened-while-asia-slept-and-when-expect-results https://www.scmp.com/news/us/us-elections/article/3373191/us-midterms-what-happened-while-asia-slept-and-when-expect-results Tue, 03 Nov 2026 23:57:21 +0000 SCMP Reporters SCMP Reporters Democrats seized both chambers of Congress in the 2026 US midterm elections, flipping Senate seats in Republican strongholds and ending the control President Donald Trump had enjoyed since his return to the White House. The war in Iran loomed over the vote, and Trump acknowledged that higher petrol prices had hurt his party, but said he would make the same decision to go to war again. When the new Congress convenes in January 2027, the Democrats will be able to block Trump’s legislation,... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/us-elections/article/3373188/trumps-fate-balance-us-midterm-elections-put-house-senate-grabs https://www.scmp.com/news/us/us-elections/article/3373188/trumps-fate-balance-us-midterm-elections-put-house-senate-grabs Tue, 03 Nov 2026 23:00:59 +0000 Teresa Elena Frontado Teresa Elena Frontado Americans go to the polls on Tuesday, November 3, in midterm elections that could reshape the final two years of Donald Trump’s second term as president. Control of both chambers of Congress is in play, along with 36 governorships. Polls suggest Democrats go into the vote with an advantage, but the outcome will hinge on a few dozen closely fought races. More than 100 million people are expected to vote if turnout matches the 2022 midterms. By October 12, a record US$3.8 billion had been spent on... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3372793/us-midterm-elections-2026-all-you-need-know https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3372793/us-midterm-elections-2026-all-you-need-know Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:14 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump’s approval rating held near a career low as a broad swathe of the US electorate saw their vote in Tuesday’s congressional midterm elections as a way to oppose the Republican president, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on ‌Monday. The poll results underscore Republican vulnerabilities brought on by a surge in fuel prices since Trump launched a war on Iran in February. Voters in the nationwide poll said they preferred Democrats over Republicans - 46 per cent to... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3373049/trumps-approval-rating-near-career-low-ahead-elections-poll-finds https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3373049/trumps-approval-rating-near-career-low-ahead-elections-poll-finds Mon, 02 Nov 2026 23:11:13 +0000 Teresa Elena Frontado Teresa Elena Frontado US President Donald Trump ended the midterm campaign season on Monday by calling the Democratic Party’s candidates the “most extreme and dangerous” in American history, the day before voters decide which party controls Congress. Speaking at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, which reopened after a renovation by his administration, Trump called the elections “the most important midterm, I believe, in our lifetime”. “These are the most dangerous candidates ever put up,” he... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3373047/trump-closes-midterm-campaign-calling-democratic-candidates-most-dangerous-ever https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3373047/trump-closes-midterm-campaign-calling-democratic-candidates-most-dangerous-ever Mon, 02 Nov 2026 21:29:12 +0000 Reuters Reuters Acting on the eve of the ⁠US midterm elections, the Supreme Court quickly rejected on Monday a bid by President Donald Trump’s administration to temporarily block California from counting mail-in ballots from more than 20,000 registered voters who federal officials allege are likely non-US citizens. The justices denied the Justice Department’s emergency request just hours after it filed it, shutting down the administration’s claims over disputed ballots that could have affected thousands of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3373041/trump-administration-asks-supreme-court-set-aside-20000-disputed-california-ballots https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3373041/trump-administration-asks-supreme-court-set-aside-20000-disputed-california-ballots Mon, 02 Nov 2026 17:57:38 +0000 SCMP SCMP We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering US-China relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. The ‘Queen of the Chinese’ and a forgotten history on the US-Mexico border Interest in the history of the Chinese community in the Lone Star State is growing. “There’s a real resurrection in understanding the influence of the Chinese in Texas,” Linda Chew, a retired judge in the US state’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3372493/queen-chinese-drone-war-fears-cancer-drug-sale-7-us-china-relations-reads https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3372493/queen-chinese-drone-war-fears-cancer-drug-sale-7-us-china-relations-reads Mon, 02 Nov 2026 14:00:33 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier Tuesday’s US midterm election is both hugely consequential and not so consequential even as the world waits to see the American voters’ verdict on Donald Trump’s presidency – and the impact that verdict will have on his temperament, plans and possible petulant response, analysts and former government officials said. On the one hand, an expected strong showing by opposition Democrats could bring more Congressional scrutiny over some of the most unconventional, maximalist and disruptive policies... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/us-elections/article/3372795/will-losing-us-midterms-see-trump-double-down-or-signal-beginning-end https://www.scmp.com/news/us/us-elections/article/3372795/will-losing-us-midterms-see-trump-double-down-or-signal-beginning-end Mon, 02 Nov 2026 00:00:25 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A Democratic congresswoman in Michigan broke ranks with her party on Sunday to endorse the Republican candidate in her state’s key US Senate race against left-wing progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed. In a startling display of party infighting just two days before the November 3 midterm election, Haley Stevens, who lost a bruising primary to El-Sayed in August despite being backed by the Democratic establishment, said she was endorsing Republican Mike Rogers. “This is a very close election, we... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372911/democratic-divisions-shake-pivotal-michigan-senate-race-congresswoman-breaks-ranks https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372911/democratic-divisions-shake-pivotal-michigan-senate-race-congresswoman-breaks-ranks Sun, 01 Nov 2026 21:00:36 +0000 Han Li Han Li Top Democrats on the US congressional intelligence committees say they are preparing to check and respond to any claim by US President Donald Trump that foreign powers interfered in the November 3 midterm elections, even though they say they have seen no sign of any country interfering with voting or vote counting. The concern comes as Democrats lead by eight points among likely voters in the fight for control of Congress, according to an October 27 PBS News/NPR/Marist poll. It also follows a... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/us-elections/article/3372799/us-democrats-prepare-counter-any-trump-claim-foreign-meddling-midterms https://www.scmp.com/news/us/us-elections/article/3372799/us-democrats-prepare-counter-any-trump-claim-foreign-meddling-midterms Fri, 30 Oct 2026 21:53:50 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier On a recent warm Thursday evening, supporters drift into San Francisco’s United Irish Cultural Centre to hear Connie Chan, who is running for California’s 11th congressional district. Born in Hong Kong, Chan attended elementary school in Taiwan before immigrating to the United States at 13. Now a San Francisco supervisor, she hopes to succeed long-time Democratic powerhouse Nancy Pelosi, who announced her retirement and endorsed her. The 48-year-old politician would be the first Asian-American... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/us-elections/article/3372796/can-connie-chan-become-san-franciscos-first-asian-american-congress https://www.scmp.com/news/us/us-elections/article/3372796/can-connie-chan-become-san-franciscos-first-asian-american-congress Fri, 30 Oct 2026 19:57:48 +0000 Han Li,Lucy Quaggin Han Li,Lucy Quaggin A Democratic takeover of either chamber of the US Congress could bring tougher scrutiny of President Donald Trump’s dealings with Beijing, even as lawmakers are likely to maintain a broadly hawkish stance towards China, analysts said. A change in control could shift the emphasis of congressional oversight, with the Democratic Party seeking greater accountability for the administration’s China policy after Trump’s Republican Party largely gave him room to manoeuvre, said Sarah Trister, a former... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3372791/how-democratic-controlled-congress-could-reshape-us-policy-china https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3372791/how-democratic-controlled-congress-could-reshape-us-policy-china Fri, 30 Oct 2026 16:33:35 +0000 Cory Alpert Cory Alpert Amid attempts this year to impress each other with splendour, US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping appear to have decided that the relationship between their two countries should primarily run through their personal relationship. This has been a hallmark of the Trump years. The American executive branch has always held near-unilateral authority over foreign policy, but Trump has concentrated that in himself. Dozens of ambassadors and senior national security advisers have... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3372343/trumps-days-running-us-china-relations-personal-ties-are-numbered https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3372343/trumps-days-running-us-china-relations-personal-ties-are-numbered Fri, 30 Oct 2026 08:31:14 +0000 Teresa Elena Frontado Teresa Elena Frontado Two years ago, Mike Rogers stood before the Republican National Convention and warned that it was “impossible to build an EV without getting into bed with the Communist Party of China”. The former US House Intelligence Committee chairman made opposition to Chinese investment a prominent theme of his 2024 Senate bid in Michigan, which he narrowly lost to Democrat Elissa Slotkin. Now, as Rogers runs again, US President Donald Trump’s softer approach towards Beijing has given candidates more room... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/us-elections/article/3372640/michigan-senate-race-trumps-softer-china-tone-gives-candidates-room-look-elsewhere https://www.scmp.com/news/us/us-elections/article/3372640/michigan-senate-race-trumps-softer-china-tone-gives-candidates-room-look-elsewhere Thu, 29 Oct 2026 20:49:13 +0000 Zhang Tong Zhang Tong Alibaba has won a preliminary court order blocking a US restriction that drove away its Washington lobbyists, after a federal judge found the Chinese technology giant was likely to succeed in challenging the measure on free-speech grounds. US District Judge Eumi K. Lee ruled on Monday that the government had failed to provide sufficient evidence to justify the restriction, which effectively forces lobbying firms to choose between representing Alibaba and clients seeking Pentagon... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3372356/alibaba-wins-preliminary-injunction-against-pentagon-lobbying-rule https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3372356/alibaba-wins-preliminary-injunction-against-pentagon-lobbying-rule Tue, 27 Oct 2026 21:08:18 +0000 Han Li,Seong Hyeon Choi Han Li,Seong Hyeon Choi The 2027 US defence bill, covering more than US$1 trillion in proposed defence spending, will be one of the most closely watched pieces of legislation when Congress returns after the midterm elections, with efforts to counter China running through nearly every corner of the text. The US House of Representatives passed its version of the bill, known as the National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA), in July. The bill faces a tougher path in the US Senate, where a July procedural vote to begin... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3372355/5-things-watch-out-2027-us-defence-bill-aimed-countering-china https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3372355/5-things-watch-out-2027-us-defence-bill-aimed-countering-china Tue, 27 Oct 2026 20:58:44 +0000 Mark Magnier Mark Magnier Asian-Americans are laser-focused on the economy and healthcare costs and increasingly disenchanted with US President Donald Trump and his Republican Party leading into the highly consequential November 3 midterm elections, according to a survey released on Monday. While the general trend among Asian-American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) mirrors the broader US electorate, the minority community’s views are frequently more pronounced, seen in part because they have been the object of more raids,... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3371430/asian-americans-trust-trump-fading-economic-woes-increase-survey-finds https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3371430/asian-americans-trust-trump-fading-economic-woes-increase-survey-finds Mon, 19 Oct 2026 21:26:43 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US federal authorities charged more than two dozen foreign nationals Monday in California as part of a statewide sweep targeting people who officials say have illegally registered or voted in US elections. The arrests are part of a Trump administration effort to root out non-citizen voting ahead of next month’s midterm elections, even though data shows that the problem is incredibly rare, difficult to prove and has not been shown to change the outcome of races. The charges escalated a simmering... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3371427/us-arrests-over-2-dozen-california-sweep-targeting-alleged-non-citizen-voters https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3371427/us-arrests-over-2-dozen-california-sweep-targeting-alleged-non-citizen-voters Mon, 19 Oct 2026 19:53:06 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo Standing before the Acropolis in Athens earlier this month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the West’s story “the greatest story ever known to man”. But didn’t Hollywood tell us the greatest story ever told was that of Jesus of Nazareth? The decisions of the coming decade, Rubio said, “will determine whether the West maintains its place at the head of the world or resigns itself to a future of atrophy and servitude and decline”. Under US President Donald Trump, “we choose the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3371113/why-plato-nato-western-myth-being-resurrected https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3371113/why-plato-nato-western-myth-being-resurrected Sun, 18 Oct 2026 12:30:06 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi Senior US commanders have highlighted the importance of land-based troops and equipment stationed in the Asia-Pacific in any conflict with China, countering assumptions that such a war would be fought mainly at sea and in the air. General Ron Clark, commander of US Army Pacific, said the “tyranny of distance” made it difficult to rely on air and naval forces during a panel discussion at the Association of the United States Army’s annual meeting this week. The comments reflect mounting concerns... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3371267/how-land-power-could-help-us-forces-counter-china-indo-pacific https://www.scmp.com/news/us/article/3371267/how-land-power-could-help-us-forces-counter-china-indo-pacific Sun, 18 Oct 2026 01:00:10 +0000 Teresa Elena Frontado Teresa Elena Frontado White House press secretary Katie Zacharia has acknowledged that she never passed a bar exam, days after telling reporters she had passed one “when I moved to China”. In an interview with the conservative commentator Jack Posobiec on right-wing streaming channel Real America’s Voice on Thursday, Zacharia said she sat the California bar exam after graduating from Pepperdine University’s law school in 2011 but did not pass. She said the results were “somewhat inconsequential, because I knew I... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3371066/white-house-press-secretary-never-passed-bar-exam-wrongly-claims-china-has-none https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3371066/white-house-press-secretary-never-passed-bar-exam-wrongly-claims-china-has-none Thu, 15 Oct 2026 21:52:59 +0000 Seong Hyeon Choi Seong Hyeon Choi US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has called a nearly US$1.5 trillion defence budget request “absolutely critical”, warning that whoever falls behind in autonomy, robotics and AI will fall “even further behind” as Washington eyes China’s rapid military modernisation. Speaking at a panel discussion during the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting and Exposition on Wednesday, Hegseth said that Project Agincourt, the Pentagon’s initiative to accelerate drone and autonomous... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3370924/hegseth-calls-us15-trillion-defence-budget-critical-counter-china https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3370924/hegseth-calls-us15-trillion-defence-budget-critical-counter-china Wed, 14 Oct 2026 21:45:00 +0000 Teresa Elena Frontado Teresa Elena Frontado Katie Zacharia, US President Donald Trump’s newly appointed White House press secretary, faces questions about her legal credentials after telling reporters on Tuesday that she passed a bar exam “when I moved to China”, without identifying the jurisdiction. Zacharia, who has repeatedly described herself as a lawyer, made the remark after her first official White House press briefing. According to her LinkedIn profile, she worked as an associate at Zhong Lun Law Firm, one of China’s largest, in... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3370787/trumps-new-press-secretary-faces-questions-over-over-claim-she-passed-bar-exam-china https://www.scmp.com/news/us/politics/article/3370787/trumps-new-press-secretary-faces-questions-over-over-claim-she-passed-bar-exam-china Tue, 13 Oct 2026 20:43:06 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Elon Musk, the world’s only trillionaire, has quietly become the biggest known donor in this year’s midterm elections, doling out more than US$276 million since July to try to save Republican majorities in Congress. The numbers, first reported by The New York Times ahead of this week’s federal filing deadline, were confirmed by Andrew Romeo, a spokesman for Musk’s super PAC (Political Action Committee). The money includes US$158 million given to the Senate Leadership Fund, the main super PAC... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3370645/elon-musk-becomes-biggest-known-donor-midterm-elections-bid-save-republicans https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3370645/elon-musk-becomes-biggest-known-donor-midterm-elections-bid-save-republicans Mon, 12 Oct 2026 17:20:29 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Federal agents on Monday searched the home of Democratic US congresswoman Ilhan Omar, a startling escalation in a criminal investigation that brings renewed focus to the frequent target of Trump administration derision in the final weeks of her re-election bid. The search of the Minnesota congresswoman’s home so close to next month’s midterm contests that will determine control of the House and the Senate was swiftly condemned by top Democrats in Congress, who raised questions about the timing... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3370643/federal-agents-search-democrat-ilhan-omars-home-part-criminal-investigation https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3370643/federal-agents-search-democrat-ilhan-omars-home-part-criminal-investigation Mon, 12 Oct 2026 16:53:02 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A top Trump administration official said on Sunday that the planned live-stream execution of the perpetrator of a mass killing of US soldiers would not pose an additional security risk to the United States. “I don’t see an elevated risk at this point at all because of this,” US Homeland Security chief Markwayne Mullin told CBS News’ Face the Nation, when asked if it risked turning the perpetrator into a martyr for his cause. “I think people need to understand … if you attack America, we will... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3370516/us-homeland-security-chief-dismisses-security-threat-live-streaming-execution https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3370516/us-homeland-security-chief-dismisses-security-threat-live-streaming-execution Sun, 11 Oct 2026 20:10:32 +0000 Reuters Reuters Republican and Democratic US senators called on President Donald ⁠Trump on Sunday to “reverse course” on his diesel supply deal with Russia, saying it runs counter to US law barring imports of energy until Russia ends its aggression against Ukraine. “Congress explicitly banned Russian energy imports in 2022 to prevent American dollars from financing (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s brutal war against Ukraine,” the seven senators – four of Trump’s fellow Republicans and three Democrats – said... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3370512/trumps-russian-diesel-deal-may-be-illegal-says-prominent-republican-senator https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3370512/trumps-russian-diesel-deal-may-be-illegal-says-prominent-republican-senator Sun, 11 Oct 2026 17:15:37 +0000 Reuters Reuters The US will live-stream the US Army’s coming firing squad execution of a gunman who killed 13 people at the Fort Hood military base in 2009, the Pentagon said, in what would be an unprecedented broadcast of a US execution. Nidal Hasan, a former US Army psychiatrist, is set to become the first person to be executed by firing squad by the US military since 1945. The execution is scheduled for December 3 at the same sprawling Texas base where Hasan opened fire with a laser-sighted handgun in ‌a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3370245/us-live-stream-firing-squad-execution-military-base-shooter-nidal-hasan https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3370245/us-live-stream-firing-squad-execution-military-base-shooter-nidal-hasan Thu, 08 Oct 2026 22:05:41 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo “Morally bankrupt”? Was Michigan Republican John Moolenaar talking about himself? Last week, the chairman of the House Select Committee on China demanded that Starbucks “immediately reverse course and close its stores”. The coffee chain’s crime? It opened two stores in Urumqi – the capital of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region – in the city centre’s Grand Bazaar and its international airport. The way Moolenaar talked about it, you would think Starbucks was committing genocide and crimes against... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3369691/cant-uygurs-drink-starbucks-and-taste-american-freedom https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3369691/cant-uygurs-drink-starbucks-and-taste-american-freedom Tue, 06 Oct 2026 21:30:07 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump ⁠on Monday said taxpayers will no longer ⁠pay for television ads featuring him shortly before the November congressional elections after widespread criticism of the campaign-style spots. Ethics experts and lawmakers from both parties have criticised the three nationally broadcast ads, which celebrate a “golden age of America”, and called ‌for independent investigations. In a post on his Truth Social site on Monday, Trump said he considered the ads to be “a positive... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3369846/trump-says-will-pay-tv-ads-after-pushback-over-taxpayer-funding-close-election https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3369846/trump-says-will-pay-tv-ads-after-pushback-over-taxpayer-funding-close-election Mon, 05 Oct 2026 23:34:24 +0000 Reuters Reuters The US Energy Department will announce US$150 million in new funding for power lines in Alaska on Monday as Vice-President J.D. Vance visits the state, where Republicans are ‌fighting to hold a critical Senate seat in the November midterm elections. Vance is set to rally voters for Republican Senator Dan Sullivan, who is locked in a tight re-election battle with Democrat Mary Peltola. Flipping the seat is key to the Democratic Party’s strategy to take control of the US Senate and recent polls... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3369834/us-announce-us150-million-alaska-power-lines-vance-visits-battleground-state https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3369834/us-announce-us150-million-alaska-power-lines-vance-visits-battleground-state Mon, 05 Oct 2026 16:41:39 +0000 Chong Ming Lee Chong Ming Lee US President Donald Trump wants to retire one of the technology sector’s most recognisable acronyms, arguing that the term “artificial intelligence”, or AI, is no longer fit for purpose. On Tuesday, Trump signed an executive order directing US federal agencies to replace “artificial intelligence” and “AI” with “super intelligence” and “SI” in official communications and non-statutory documents. He also instructed the White House science adviser to draft a new federal definition. The move... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3369617/whats-name-why-trump-wants-rebrand-ai-super-intelligence https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3369617/whats-name-why-trump-wants-rebrand-ai-super-intelligence Fri, 02 Oct 2026 14:00:30 +0000