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Obama defends Omar; Texas Senate race a toss-up

Federal agents searched Omar's Washington home Monday and seized her phone, and investigators are seeking evidence she was a year older than records show.

On air: Hank Ledger, Vera Bullock and Dale Bearman on Weekend Edition
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What BBN said about it

  1. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorFormer President Barack Obama issued a forceful statement defending Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar as the Trump administration pursues an investigation into how she obtained her citizenship.

  2. Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorObama said the Justice Department's investigation amounts to political retaliation against an elected official for voicing dissent.

  3. Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorTrump has denied directing the case and says it is up to the Justice Department.

  4. Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorFour hundred words, posted on X. He's not holding back.

  5. Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorIn other news, early voting starts Monday in Texas, and a Fox News poll has Democrat James Talarico at fifty-one percent and Republican Ken Paxton at forty-nine among likely voters.

  6. Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorThat sits inside the three-point margin of error.

  7. Dale Bearman · Chief Skeptic & ContributorA coin toss with a campaign budget. Texans will be sick of both of them by Tuesday.

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The story so far

  1. Press secretary exits after five days; Omar seeks seized items back · Al Jazeera
  2. Trump praises men's bodies on trail; Omar raid report; Humboldt farm… · The New York Times
  3. Paxton's Texas Senate bid, a GOP ad and a Musk poster · The Guardian
  4. The looming Social Security cliff and a tight Texas Senate race · Washington Examiner
  5. Cruz works to push Paxton over the line in Texas · The Washington Post
  6. Obama backs Omar; Tesla's flying Roadster; election officials push… · Fox News
  7. Obama defends Omar; Texas Senate race a toss-up (this story)

From the archive: everything BBN aired on Sunday, October 18, 2026 · the U.S. archive · all months

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Photo: Aaron F. Stone · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 2.0
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