Lauren Boebert, the Republican congresswoman, and retired Rear Adm Eileen Laubacher, a Democrat, engaged in a heated debate on Monday, October 12, 2026, at the KUSA-TV (9News) studios in Denver. The debate between Lauren Boebert and Eileen Laubacher was their only televised encounter before the November 3 election for Colorado's 4th Congressional District. According to The Colorado Sun/CPR, moderator Kyle Clark had to intervene several times as the candidates repeatedly interrupted each other.

Why it matters: According to The Center Square, a tight race is expected as Republicans and Democrats compete for control of the House of Representatives. The district is one of the most Republican-leaning in the state, according to Rocky Mountain Voice. Boebert won it in 2024 by about 11 points against Democrat Trisha Calvarese.

Boebert, from Windsor and a former restaurant owner, previously represented the 3rd District, which she entered in 2020 and was sworn into in 2021. She opened by accusing Laubacher of «betting on the actions of the military-industrial complex» and expecting to «benefit from all the military budgets approved.» Laubacher responded that she is running for office because of the «chaos» in Washington.

Laubacher served 34 years in the Navy, reached the rank of admiral in 2018, and retired in 2024. She was deployed to Afghanistan, served as a defense attaché in India, and worked on South Asia policy on the Biden administration's National Security Council, according to The Colorado Sun. She was a Republican and supported John McCain; later, she was an independent for less than a year before becoming a Democrat in 2024. Boebert presented herself as the voice of her district: «some say I'm loud, but when I'm loud, Lamar is heard, Burlington is heard, Holyoke is heard.»

Laubacher, who has called Boebert «a disgrace» and «an internal threat to the United States,» said during the debate: «I believe that on January 6, Mrs. Boebert posed a threat to the United States when she said the election was not valid.» Boebert spoke on the House floor during the certification of Biden's victory in 2021; afterward, she condemned the violence. During the debate, she said she stands by her speech that day and her comments about the 2020 election.

Boebert, in turn, questioned Laubacher's work after her retirement. She said Laubacher went to K2, a military consulting firm that received nearly $1 million in contracts, and then to WestExec, which she called a «registered foreign agent of Saudi Arabia» and linked to Teneo, Doug Band, and «Epstein's facilitators.» Laubacher explained that at K2, she briefly worked on plans to rebuild infrastructure after the 2023 Maui fires. She said that at WestExec, she billed about $1,500, attended three meetings, never signed a formal agreement, and left. She denied being a foreign agent and clarified that she worked on South Asia, not Gaza.

In the debate, Laubacher accused Lauren Boebert of voting «for things that keep driving up costs, like tariffs, which she voted for eight times, up to the war with Iran.» Boebert responded that tariffs «are being used as an effective tool.» Laubacher said they work only if used properly and argued that Colorado farmers and ranchers disagree with Boebert.

On Iran, Boebert voted in June against the War Powers Resolution, a symbolic and non-binding measure, although in March she had announced that she would not vote for supplemental funds for the conflict, according to The Center Square. In the debate, she stated: «I never wanted us to be at war with Iran,» but added: «I will also support the president as commander-in-chief.» She defended Trump's actions as necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Laubacher warned: «The Strait of Hormuz is closing, and there are unintended consequences.» She mentioned the unintentional US attack on a primary school in Minab, Iran, and said: «The fact that 150 girls died is serious,» citing the figure she provided.

According to The Center Square, on Friday, October 9, Trump signed an agreement with Vladimir Putin to supply Russian diesel to the US. Boebert supported it, and Laubacher did not.

Laubacher asked Boebert why she voted against four bills supporting veterans, including the PACT Act. Boebert highlighted her work to redirect Veterans Affairs funds to prosthetics and funeral services.

Boebert voted against the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, although the rest of Colorado's Republicans in Congress voted in favor. She said she supported the House version but not the Senate version because of a provision on central bank digital currency and privacy. She introduced a bill to make rent payments count toward credit history, and Laubacher said she would vote for bipartisan initiatives like that.

On healthcare, Laubacher rejected «Medicare for all» because, according to rural hospitals, it would force hospitals to close, and she called for changes to costs. Boebert voted in favor of the «One Big Beautiful Bill Act,» an 870-page bill that Democrats criticize for substantial Medicaid cuts, and said she supports its provisions.

Regarding Trump, Lauren Boebert stated that he has not violated his oath. Laubacher did not respond clearly and said she should spend less time trying to impeach a sitting president. She said she has been «extremely critical» of Democrats and criticized Biden's «open-border policy,» but did not provide names when the moderator asked her to identify extremist Democrats. Boebert acknowledged differences with Republican Congressman Jeff Hurd: «There are things we disagree on, and that's okay.»

According to the Colorado Secretary of State, mail-in ballots have already been sent and can be deposited in official drop boxes.

More information at coloradosos.gov.

Sources: The Center Square; The Colorado Sun/CPR; Rocky Mountain Voice; Colorado Secretary of State. Data consulted on October 13, 2026.

When you see an ad criticizing a candidate on immigration, security, or the economy, the group financing it may have a very different goal: influencing US foreign policy.

This is the case with AIPAC, an American organization that promotes political support for Israel and whose super PAC, United Democracy Project (UDP), has intervened in legislative elections.

The Difference: The criticism in an ad may refer to real facts, but it does not necessarily explain why an organization decided to invest millions in that election.

AIPAC is an American organization, not the Israeli government. There is no evidence presented here that Israel directly funded these ads.

Super PACs can make virtually unlimited independent electoral expenditures, subject to disclosure requirements and other legal restrictions.

Elected representatives make decisions on immigration, education, health, and budgets, but also on military aid and foreign policy.

Knowing who funds political ads and campaigns helps voters evaluate the interests involved in elections, even when the ads focus exclusively on local issues.

If an ad talks about immigration but is funded by an organization focused on foreign policy, do you have enough information to understand why it is intervening in your election?

The Dominican man shot by ICE in New York, Oscar Belgal, 28, remains detained in a federal jail in Brooklyn with a bullet lodged in his neck, according to his lawyers. A federal judge has prohibited his deportation while his appeal is pending, but his defense team says he is being held in isolation and does not know whether he will receive the surgery he needs.

Why it matters: The case of the Dominican man shot by ICE has become a showdown between the Trump administration and New York authorities over ICE operations in the city and is being closely followed by the Dominican community in Upper Manhattan and the Bronx.

In a statement on Saturday, the defense team said Belgal is being held in «deplorable» conditions. «While he is in isolation, a bullet remains lodged in his neck, the left side of his face is numb, and he can barely hear out of his left ear,» they stated, according to Newsweek. They added that doctors told him he needs urgent surgery, which could not be performed on Thursday because a specialized surgeon was unavailable, and that he also has a shoulder wound caused by broken glass. They also denounced a lack of access to food.

«You're not supposed to get shot in your car with your child sitting in the back. Period,» his lawyer Harold Solis said after a hearing on Friday, according to AP.

ICE official Marcos Charles said Oscar Belgal refused to get out of the vehicle, crashed into two government cars, and then «used his vehicle as a weapon» by accelerating toward other agents. His defense team rejects this version. Charles claimed that Belgal was linked to a motorcycle robbery gang, that he was sentenced to five years of probation last year for grand larceny, and that he evaded ICE in September. Belgal pleaded not guilty in a pending drug sales case, according to AP.

Authorities have spelled his last name in three different ways: Belgal (local police and courts), Bergal (his lawyers), and Bengal (the federal government).

Judge Oetken's order prevents Oscar Belgal's deportation while his habeas corpus petition is pending and prohibits his transfer outside the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York or New Jersey without court permission. It does not order his release or determine who was at fault in the shooting. MundoNow first reported on the judge's order that halted his deportation and on the operation in Marble Hill.

Sources: AP via NY1; Newsweek; El País; El Diario NY; amNY. Data consulted on October 12, 2026.

With three weeks to go before the November 3, 2026, elections, many Latino voters are wondering whether ICE can be at voting centers. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says it does not plan to conduct operations targeting these locations, although it has left open the possibility of arrests in specific cases. Federal law, meanwhile, sets clear limits on the presence of armed agents at places where voting takes place.

Why it matters: Fear of encountering immigration agents can deter people who have the right to vote, including U.S. citizens from mixed-status families. Knowing what the government and federal law say can help voters make informed decisions rather than rely on rumors.

In an email to The Center Square, the DHS spokesperson explained that «ICE conducts selective operations based on intelligence, and if an active threat to public safety were to endanger a voting center, that person could be arrested as a result of that action.»

The spokesperson added that DHS is fulfilling its obligation to protect electoral infrastructure under its legal authority «to ensure that our elections are fair, honest, and accurate.» They also said that, along with the Department of Justice, they are «focused on prosecuting and deporting foreigners who vote» and that «ONLY Americans should choose American leaders.»

According to the AP, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin accused Democrats in September of «sowing fear.» He said agents would not generally patrol or monitor voting centers but could appear for specific reasons, such as arresting someone under a judicial order or responding to a threat. A DHS official told state election administrators that agents would not be posted at voting centers.

President Donald Trump, when asked by Time whether he would send ICE agents, responded: «I haven't thought about it.» In May, he had said: «I would do whatever is necessary to ensure that we have honest elections.»

Article 18 U.S.C. § 592 punishes any federal government official who brings or maintains troops or «armed men» at a voting place, except to repel armed enemies of the United States. The penalty includes a fine, up to 5 years in prison, and disqualification from public office. According to election law experts cited by AP, this rule prevents the deployment of troops, agents, or armed officers at voting sites.

Another article, 18 U.S.C. § 594, punishes anyone who intimidates, threatens, or coerces someone in order to interfere with their right to vote in federal elections, with penalties of up to one year in prison.

Positions differ on how these laws would apply to a specific arrest. DHS argues that it could act in response to a concrete threat or with a judicial order. Critics point out that the mere presence of agents can be intimidating.

DaMareo Cooper, executive director of Popular Democracy, told The Center Square: «If you see ICE agents at voting centers, that's intimidation… It's not ICE's job to enforce an election.» According to Cooper, local police have protected elections for a hundred years.

Cooper also questioned the emphasis on non-citizen voting. According to his estimate, such cases represent «zero point zero three percent probably» of millions of registrations. This is his own figure, not an official statistic presented by DHS.

Additionally, The Center Square reported that the Help America Vote Act allocated $15 million to states in fiscal year 2025 through Election Assistance Commission grants, compared with $55 million in 2024 and $75 million in 2023 and 2022.

Sources: The Center Square; AP via ABC News; 18 U.S.C. § 592; 18 U.S.C. § 594; Election Protection; Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division. Data consulted on October 13, 2026.