Midterm elections; Iran war plans; Veteran Affairs : NPR

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Today’s top stories

It is the final stretch before Election Day on Tuesday and candidates are making final campaign stops and delivering closing arguments. President Trump has been campaigning for at-risk Republicans, but he has abruptly switched to virtual rallies.

• 🎧 Trump’s tour to boost voter turnout has focused largely on competitive Republican-leaning states, NPR’s Saige Miller tells Up First. He’s hosting 19 telerallies alongside in-person events. The shift in strategy, plus polling data, suggests that Republicans may face challenges, at least in the House, Miller says. Trump knows he’s a key motivator for his party, but his strategy could also backfire by energizing Democrats.
• 🎧 Alaska’s governor has ordered an investigation following a New York Times report on the state’s toss-up U.S. Senate race. The article revealed that Democratic campaign operatives were attempting to recruit a candidate, whom Republicans claim could confuse voters and siphon support from GOP incumbent Dan Sullivan. The candidate also shares the name Dan Sullivan. Democrat Mary Peltola, a former congresswoman, aims to flip the seat. Alaska Public Media’s Liz Ruskin spoke with election law experts, who found no applicable laws but noted that the conduct described crosses moral and ethical lines.
• ➡️ The Department of Justice subpoenaed election workers in Los Angeles amid rising tensions with California officials over the Trump administration’s efforts to identify noncitizens on voter rolls.
• ➡️ At the start of this election cycle, Democrats appeared unlikely to gain Senate seats because many races were in red states. But the ongoing war in Iran has changed the landscape. Here are the key Senate races to watch.
• ➡️ NPR member stations are compiling essential info for voters, from guides to local races. Discover resources in your community here.
• ➡️ 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.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has dismissed Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, who oversaw planning at the Pentagon. Sylvia was also part of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His removal comes as the U.S. and Israel prepare for a new potential round of attacks against Iran. Although Sylvia held a senior position in strategy, planning and policy, he was not directly involved in day-to-day operations regarding the Iran conflict.

• 🎧 The Pentagon is investigating a leak but has not provided details, NPR’s Greg Myre says. Hegseth has dismissed several generals and admirals, often without explanation. These firings have disrupted senior military operations, Myre says. The U.S. currently has two aircraft carriers in the Arabian Sea, with a third, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, en route. According to Myre, it is unusual for the U.S. to have multiple carriers in one region. The last time it stationed three in the Middle East was during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Thousands of military veterans with VA-backed mortgages have faced higher interest rates and monthly payments since last year, after the Trump administration shut down a key part of the VA’s home loan program. Before it was shut down, the Veterans Affairs Servicing Purchase (VASP) program, created under the Biden administration, helped tens of thousands of veterans who had fallen behind on their payments by rolling missed payments into a new, low-interest mortgage. The mortgage industry and housing groups warned the administration not to kill the program without first creating a viable replacement. Without one, vets had to modify loans at higher interest rates. An NPR investigation found that more than 15,000 veterans experienced monthly payment increases of at least $150 after their loans were modified due to financial hardship. More than 700 veterans saw their payments rise by $1,000 or more.