In the blockbuster Senate race in Texas, where the combustible GOP primary has been grabbing most of the headlines, it’s the Democratic showdown that’s now being swept up in a political firestorm. State Rep. James Talarico, one of the two major Democrats running for their party’s nomination in the red-leaning state, was accused over the weekend by an influencer of calling his former rival a “mediocre Black man.” ...

House Democrats are at a breaking point on whether to support a compromise funding package that would end the government shutdown — or leverage the moment to secure reforms for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). “If they’re not going to make any serious reforms, there’s just a sense in the House that we’re not co-signing on that,” Rep Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., said of the spending package passed out...

The top official at Immigration and Customs Enforcement made clear to federal agents in a new memo that they can make snap decisions to arrest suspected illegal immigrants without a warrant under certain conditions. The memo, which the government filed in federal court on Friday as part of a case in Minnesota, broadens ICE’s view of warrantless arrests. Acting Director Todd Lyons suggested that previously, the agency had...