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Today’s top stories

The U.S. government continues to pay for ads promoting President Trump, even after he announced that his MAGA Inc. super PAC would take over funding. A federal judge ordered the ads to be taken down, yet they remained on air. An NPR analysis of data from AdImpact finds that nearly $22 million in taxpayer funds have been spent since the campaign began in late September. Almost $10 million of that was spent after Trump pledged on an Oct. 5 Truth Social post to fund the campaign privately. The White House has called the ads public service announcements, but a lawsuit by Common Cause and others argued they were funded without congressional approval, violating restrictions on taxpayer-funded publicity and propaganda.

Trump has ramped up his campaign travel ahead of the midterm elections. He rallied supporters in Youngstown, Ohio, last night and is heading to Alaska today. More events are planned for later this week. He has been trying to encourage his supporters to vote by telling them to pretend he is on the ballot.

• 🎧 Trump’s events resemble his presidential campaign rallies: He emphasizes his accomplishments while calling out superfans and insulting Democrats, NPR’s Danielle Kurtzleben tells Up First. Kurtzleben adds that Trump’s campaign trail emphasizes that the GOP is still his party, despite his declining approval. Candidates like Ohio GOP gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and GOP Sen. Jon Husted saw large, appreciative, but Kurtzleben says the benefits of appearing alongside Trump remain unclear.
• ➡️ With just weeks until Election Day, polls may start to flood the landscape. While they serve as a helpful tool, remember they can’t predict the future. Keep these tips in mind as polls pour in.
• ➡️ The NPR App has all of NPR’s election coverage in one place — from the biggest stories across the country, to the issues that matter close to home. Browse headlines, playlists, podcast episodes, videos and more, all on the 2026 Election tab.

Federal agents searched Rep. Ilhan Omar’s home in Washington, D.C., yesterday morning. Omar, D-Minn., says the search was politically motivated by the Trump administration. The Department of Justice told NPR in a statement that Homeland Security Investigations agents “executed a judicially authorized search warrant,” approved by the DOJ, as part of an ongoing federal investigation. Current and former federal officials with knowledge of the search who were not authorized to speak publicly confirmed the details, revealing that this multi-year probe includes whistleblower complaints and focuses on allegations of immigration fraud.