Midterm Shock: Federal Poll Watchers, a Supreme Court ID Ruling and a Campaign Ad That Crossed a Line

The midterms are close, and the fight over the ballot box is getting louder.

The Justice Department's plans to monitor elections and the Department of Homeland Security's checks on voter eligibility are raising alarms. Critics warn the moves could cross into federal interference in a system that states traditionally run.

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Federal observers are nothing new. They have watched polling places for decades, mostly to protect voting access. The concern this time is how far the monitoring goes, and whether federal databases could wrongly flag eligible citizens, including naturalized Americans whose records may be out of date.

Supporters disagree. They say checking eligibility is simply good practice. One commenter said, "Only citizens should vote. Checking that isn't a scandal." Another argued, "Being asked to prove you belong a week before the election is intimidation, whatever you call it."

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has let New Hampshire stop accepting student IDs for voting in the midterms. College students who planned to show a campus card now need another document.

It's not necessarily a final ruling on the law itself. Courts often hesitate to change rules close to an election. For students in the state, though, the result is the same: bring different ID.

On the campaign trail, things got personal.

In Ohio, Democratic governor candidate Amy Acton called an attack ad featuring her estranged mother "despicable." The ad set off a debate about whether family members belong in politics. One viewer called it "fair background." Another said it was "using someone's private pain as a weapon."

In Iowa, Donald Trump held a rally for Republican Senate hopeful Ashley Hinson. A presidential visit usually means a party is taking a race seriously.

In Washington, Rep. Ilhan Omar says she will move out of her DC home after a federal search. Few details have been made public, and a search is not a charge.

The Pentagon had an awkward moment of its own. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's staff reportedly damaged a historic WWII-era globe linked to Dwight Eisenhower while moving it to his office. How badly it was damaged is still unclear.

On the security front, a SpaceX investor made headlines by saying Starlink is "not reliable for national security for anybody but Trump," an unusual criticism from inside the company's own circle.

In Texas, there was a relieved ending. Two Air Force pilots ejected safely near Seguin, Joint Base San Antonio says. The cause is under investigation.

A growing number of parents are also facing criminal charges after their children's electric motorcycle crashes. The fast, quiet bikes are easy to buy, and prosecutors say supervision is the parents' job. Critics say charges won't stop the next crash and that clearer rules would.

Finally, the end of an era. New York City will ban horse-drawn carriages starting in June 2028. Animal welfare advocates are celebrating. Drivers are worried about their jobs. And a Central Park tradition now has an end date.

The hosts of AVONEWS — Daily News go through all of it on today's podcast. Tune in.