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Democrats See Expanding Senate Map in Alaska, North Carolina Amid Trump Approval Slide

With 2026 primaries mostly wrapped up, Democrats are eyeing several paths to retake the Senate majority beyond their original four-state plan targeting Alaska, North Carolina, Ohio and Maine. Strategists point to President Trump's approval rating dropping below 40 percent—and even near 30 percent in one poll—amid an unpopular Iran conflict and rising gas and grocery costs. In Alaska, former Rep. Mary Peltola leads incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan by over 5 points, while a same-named candidate, Dan J. Sullivan, also made the general-election ballot, potentially confusing voters.

wired.com · 2026-08-26

DOJ seizes botnet domains linked to Chinese hacking group QTFY

The Justice Department announced it has seized domains used by a Chinese state-linked botnet known as QTFY, run by Nanjing Xinjiuwei Network Tech, disrupting its command-and-control infrastructure. The botnet reportedly enabled hackers tied to China's Ministry of State Security to infiltrate U.S. government and private-sector networks, including NASA, the Federal Reserve, several federal departments, and, as recently as this year, the Senate. Lumen, a network provider that assisted the FBI, said it had tracked the group profiling government, defense, and aerospace targets for roughly a year before the takedown.

techcrunch.com · 2026-08-26