politics

Powder envelopes target over three dozen Congress offices ahead of midterms

• More than three dozen members of Congress have had their offices targeted with envelopes containing white powder less than three weeks before the 3 November midterm elections.
• The FBI, the US Capitol Police, and the US Postal Inspection Service are jointly investigating the letters, and law enforcement sources told ABC News that more than 100 letters thought to contain white powder are circulating in the US mail system.
• Targets span both parties and both chambers and have included senators Chuck Schumer, Alex Padilla, Chris Murphy, Mike Rounds, Pete Ricketts, and Ted Cruz, and representatives Hakeem Jeffries, Ritchie Torres, Tom Suozzi, Jimmy Panetta, and Seth Moulton.
• The FBI says recovered envelopes were processed through a north Texas mail processing center and carry a postmark or stamp reading "Thinking of You"; the vast majority were intercepted before delivery.
• Election offices in at least 15 states have also reported receiving or being targeted by suspicious mail, according to the Tampa Free Press, which cited federal authorities.