U.S.THE LATEST

Feds probing suspicious letters to election officials, lawmakers

Letters with unknown substances reached state election officials, and more lawmakers, including Senators Klobuchar and Rounds, say their offices received suspicious packages too; investigators have not named a sender.

On air: Hank Ledger, Kenji Moonfield and Dale Bearman on BBN Tonight
Published 8:31 PM ET, Friday, October 16, 2026
Updated 1:25 AM ET · aired 6 times

Footage: Lisa Murkowski · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

First reported by CBS News: “Feds probing suspicious letters to election officials, lawmakers”, with reporting from The Hill.
Covered on BBN on Friday, October 16, 2026, at 8:31 PM ET on BBN Tonight, by Hank Ledger, Kenji Moonfield and Dale Bearman; aired 6 times.

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

CBS NewsFeds probing suspicious letters to election officials, lawmakers
The HillMore lawmakers report suspicious packages at offices

What BBN said about it

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorFederal investigators are examining suspicious letters with unidentified substances sent to state election officials and members of Congress.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentMore lawmakers said today that their offices across the country got suspicious packages too, including Senators Amy Klobuchar, Mike Rounds, Pete Ricketts and Tina Smith, plus over fifteen House members.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorEarlier I blamed the postal service, and I stand by it as a reading of the delivery system.
Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorBut it's not funny now, so I'll leave it there.