After years of keeping his distance, Gov. Greg Abbott is set to address Texas Republicans’ activist-led convention as hard-line conservatives gain influence within the party.

© Antranik Tavitian for The New York Times

Exclusive: Economists say falling house prices are largely in the more expensive parts of Sydney and Melbourne’s markets and are less likely to affect first-time property owners

Fears that first-time buyers with tiny deposits will find their mortgages are worth more than their homes may be assuaged by new data showing falling prices are concentrated in the top end of the Sydney and Melbourne property markets.

Climbing inflation, interest rates and worries about the economic fallout from the Middle East conflict have helped depress housing values in the country’s two biggest cities.

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© Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

© Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

© Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

Our chief political analyst, Nate Cohn, who writes The Tilt newsletter, looks at the Republicans’ advantage in the House of Representatives after partisan redistricting. To win the House, how much of the popular vote would Democrats need to win?

Rick Jackson, a billionaire, wants to be Georgia’s next governor. But the I.R.S. has questioned how his low-budget movies turned into tax windfalls.

© Dustin Chambers for The New York Times

Groups tied to OpenAI, Anthropic and other industry players have spent $16 million trying to pick the next member of Congress from Manhattan.

Several closely watched races are taking place in New York City and beyond. Nine days of early voting will precede Primary Day on June 23.

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In his first extensive interview since his defeat by a Trump-backed challenger, the Texas Republican said the Senate was in for a “bumpy ride” as he and others flex new political freedom.

© Pete Marovich for The New York Times

The department once tried to stay out of state elections, urging caution. It is now pressing forward with claims of fraud as President Trump revives his unfounded assertions that elections cannot be trusted.

© Philip Cheung for The New York Times

Labor and its trade union allies have shifted the focus of their rhetorical attacks, targeting Pauline Hanson as if she is the real opposition leader

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It was mid-January when Anthony Albanese publicly admitted his “worry” about the rise of One Nation.

The prime minister’s concern was not the political risk to himself or to Labor but rather the threat Pauline Hanson posed to the stability of Australia’s two-party system.

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© Photograph: AAP

© Photograph: AAP

© Photograph: AAP

The solution is to stop drawing districts altogether — or at least, draw as few districts as possible.

The solution is to stop drawing districts altogether — or at least, draw as few districts as possible.

One-third of Americans shoulder health care debt. Insurers are being asked to consider lending money to Obamacare consumers who can’t afford higher deductibles.

© Cig Harvey for The New York Times

Republicans continued their dominance in the annual Congressional Baseball Game for Charity on Wednesday night at Nationals Park, topping the Democrats 11-2 and extending the club’s winning streak to six consecutive seasons. See the gallery below.

Republicans continued their dominance in the annual Congressional Baseball Game for Charity on Wednesday night at Nationals Park, topping the Democrats 11-2 and extending the club’s winning streak to six consecutive seasons. See the gallery below.

As the midterm elections approach, many leading Democrats are rethinking their approach to climate change.

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Is there nothing voters won’t forgive?

© Mark Peterson for The New York Times

South Australian Liberal Tony Pasin says parties should ‘work hand-in-glove’ to defeat Labor at the next election

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Splits are appearing inside the Liberal party about how to deal with Pauline Hanson, after one opposition MP at risk of losing his seat to One Nation said the two conservative parties should cooperate and not run against each other – a plan rejected by Angus Taylor and other senior colleagues.

With One Nation leading the Coalition and Labor in published opinion polls, Hanson’s threat to target government-held seats has recharged debate about whether the surge will see rightwing politicians cooperate or cannibalise each other’s votes.

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© Photograph: Jay Kogler/AAP

© Photograph: Jay Kogler/AAP

© Photograph: Jay Kogler/AAP

Former Labor foreign affairs minister says belief US would defend Australia in event of an existential attack is a ‘ludicrous delusion’

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Aukus will prove to be one of the worst defence and foreign policy decisions ever made by an Australian government and is only being permitted by Donald Trump in order to destroy Chinese nuclear threats to the US mainland, former foreign affairs minister Gareth Evans has said.

In evidence to an independent public inquiry into the $368bn nuclear agreement with the US and UK on Thursday, Evans, a cabinet minister in the Hawke and Keating governments, warned the transfer and construction of submarines to Australia from the early 2030s was effectively only an extension of the American military fleet.

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© Photograph: Australian Defence Force/Getty Images

© Photograph: Australian Defence Force/Getty Images

© Photograph: Australian Defence Force/Getty Images

The party is trying desperately to win back some voters in the key swing group.

© Adriana Zehbrauskas for The New York Times

With Graham Platner now the Democratic nominee against Senator Susan Collins, signs of how hostile the race will be have quickly emerged.

© Sophie Park for The New York Times, Michael A. McCoy for The New York Times