Mark Masterson

Mark Masterson has written more than 1,700 articles for Live News Chat since 2022 and files most days. His beat is the news the networks on this site are carrying live: US politics, world affairs, breaking news, and the courts, with regular work on technology, sport and entertainment. Because the site exists to point readers at live coverage, most of his reporting is written within hours of the broadcast it follows, and is sourced from primary material where one exists: the filing, the transcript, the agency release, the company statement. Originally from Canada, he has worked in online publishing for over a decade. Corrections and story tips go to security@livenewschat.eu, and the standards his work is held to are set out in the Live News Chat editorial policy.

67 Million Voter Records Checked: Inside the Trump Administration’s Controversial Midterm Eligibility Purge

Dimly lit federal data operations center: wall of monitors showing voter registration records with flagged entries, a holographic US map highlighting database queries, and a paper voter registration form on a desk.

The Trump administration has run 67 million voter registrations through DHS databases ahead of the 2026 midterms, flagging 24,000 as potential noncitizens and 350,000 as deceased. Six federal lawsuits have been filed. Critics call it the largest voter purge in American history. The administration calls it election integrity.

67 Million Voter Records Checked: Inside the Trump Administration’s Controversial Midterm Eligibility Purge Read More »

Iran Ceasefire Expires With No Deal in Sight as Gas Prices and 6% Inflation Squeeze American Households

Broadcast news studio scene with curved video wall showing a Brent crude candlestick chart climbing, a glowing amber map of the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, and a stacked data panel reading gasoline 3.58 per gallon and inflation 3.8 percent year over year. A ticker bar runs across the bottom of the wall and a dark anchor desk sits in the foreground

The Iran ceasefire expired Sunday with no deal in sight. Trump rejected Tehran’s latest proposal as “garbage.” Meanwhile, gas prices are up 45%, inflation hit 3.8% in April, and forecasters project 6% by Q2. The war that was supposed to be quick is now the primary driver of an economic crisis heading into midterm season.

Iran Ceasefire Expires With No Deal in Sight as Gas Prices and 6% Inflation Squeeze American Households Read More »