Politics

We are learning more this week after President Donald Trump praised the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party's electoral success in regional elections last weekend in a post on social media. "Wow! The Populist Party in Germany just had a really big night," Trump wrote in the post. AfD's parliamentary co-chair in Saxony-Anhalt, Ulrich Siegmund, credited his party's victory to Germany's unpopular Chancellor Friedrich Merz. LiveNOW’s Alexandra Goldberg is speaking with Ed Turner from Aston University as Europeans continue to react to the AfD’s continued rise in Germany. 

During his speech at the GOP midterm convention on Friday, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. criticized his former political party.  "Neither my father nor my uncle would recognize the Democratic party of today," he said. Kennedy said the Democratic party has abandoned it's traditional values, and criticized the Biden administration's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, among other issues.   He said the political fight in the United States is no longer between the right and the left, but rather "the sane and the insane" and "common sense and communism."  Kennedy also said that conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated one year ago Friday, had a major role in bringing him and President Trump together.  Kennedy also touted his "Make America Healthy Again" agenda, including reforming immunization schedules and food policies.

During his address at the inaugural RNC Midterm Convention in Dallas, Texas, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said the same hate that fueled the 9/11 terror attacks, the killing of political activist Charlie Kirk and the two assassination attempts against President Trump "just keeps getting worse and worse."

The political spotlight is on Dallas on Wednesday for Day 1 of the inaugural GOP midterm convention. President Donald Trump took to the stage to rally Republicans who gathered in Dallas ahead of what experts are seeing as a historic and critical Midterm election. Attorney General and Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton also spoke during the day’s events. LiveNOW has all of the latest from the first day of the convention and will continue with additional coverage as the second day begins on Thursday. 

We were watching this Wednesday as Texas Attorney General and Republican Senate candidate Ken Paxton took the stage in Dallas for the RNC midterm convention. Paxton shook hands with members of the National Border Council before his speech. "The press, the courts and the establishment all tried to take President Trump down, but he's won every single time," Paxton said. LiveNOW has all of the latest from the first day of the convention and will continue with additional coverage as the second day begins on Thursday. 

President Donald Trump scored a victory in New Hampshire on Tuesday night after his chosen candidate won the GOP primary in one of the state's two battleground House districts. LiveNOW is also learning that former Sen. John E. Sununu won the GOP Senate nomination in New Hampshire and will take on four-term Rep. Chris Pappas come November. LiveNOW’s Alexandra Goldberg is speaking with Dante Scala from the University of New Hampshire, to learn more about how critical this race is for the upcoming Midterm elections. 

The Trump administration is currently drafting a new policy that would allow married couples with a stay-at-home parent to collect federal child care subsidies. The plan, championed by Vice President JD Vance, would utilize a Health and Human Services Department fund originally created to help low-income working parents to afford child care for work or school. This would be the first federal subsidy to pay parents to stay home and raise their children, and eligible families could receive approximately $9,000 per child annually. The plan aligns with a broader conservative effort to promote traditional family structures, but critics warn that the shift could worsen the nation's child care crisis by redirecting funds away from the working parents and providers who currently rely on the program. Child and family policy expert Elliott Haspel joins LiveNOW's Andy Mac to discuss the proposal. 

An armed individual lunged at Dr. Amy Acton, the Democratic nominee for Ohio governor, during a campaign stop at the Canfield Fair, her campaign spokesperson said in a statement. Acton was not harmed, but the attacker knocked several people to the ground, causing minor injuries. The suspect, who was found to be carrying a handgun and other weapons, was apprehended by authorities.

Politico's Jason Beeferman joins LiveNOW's Austin Westfall to discuss how artificial intelligence and crypto groups have backed various candidates in midterm races across the country.