The saga of former US president Donald Trump's tax returns has been going on since before he was first elected in 2016. With the legal battle to obtain his financial records hotting up, what do we know about them?

In the build-up to his victory, Trump broke a longstanding convention for US presidential candidates to publish them in full, so the voting public have a chance to scrutinise the finances of their would-be leaders.

But since then, leaks to US media have given a sense of what might be revealed if those documents are made public.

In 2020, the New York Times obtained decades of Trump's tax information (although he has denied their accuracy), revealing what the paper called "chronic losses and years of tax avoidance".

Other key revelations about his finances include:

• The president paid just $750 (£654) in federal income tax in both 2016 and 2017
• He paid no such taxes in 11 of 18 years of tax records examined by the newspaper
• Trump managed to lower his taxes through reporting hefty losses on his businesses
• Among his expenses he claimed tax deductions on include $70,000 of hair styling for television

Kayla Epstein
Reporting from New York

Image source, Reuters

Donald Trump is out of office, but he's still campaigning like a sitting US president.

He's issued dozens of endorsements in Republican primaries across the country, backing right-wing candidates who support his false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him.

Often, his candidates are successful, and that trend has pushed Republican nominees for the US Senate, state governor, and important election positions like secretary of state further to the right.

Trump has also held a series of rallies across the country for his chosen candidates, as he seeks to remain influential in Republican politics.

In September, he campaigned in Pennsylvania for Doug Mastriano, who is running for governor, and for Dr Mehmet Oz, the Republican nominee for Senate.

In the closing days of the midterm elections, Trump is expected to visit states like Florida and Iowa – both of which are vital in deciding presidential contests.

Should he decide to run for president again in 2024, Trump is seen as the Republican candidate to beat, and his continued visibility during the midterm elections helps bolster that impression.

If his candidates win, it will boost him further heading into the 2024 presidential election cycle.

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House Democrats were hoping they would finally get hold of former President Trump's tax returns, but Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts has just issued a temporary injunction blocking the release.

The House Ways and Means Committee were due to obtain six years of Trump's tax returns later this week, after first requesting them in 2019.

On Monday, Trump petitioned the court to stop the release.

Justice Roberts has asked the Democratic-led committee to respond to the latest move by noon next Thursday - after the midterms.

Last week, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal slammed Trump for trying "to delay the inevitable".

Natalie Sherman
New York business reporter

Joe Biden's call for a special tax on the profits of energy companies faces long odds in the US.

Republicans are fiercely opposed to the move – and among Biden's Democrats, who hold only a slim majority in Congress, there are sceptics as well.

With Democrats widely expected to lose seats in next week's midterms elections, the chance of a windfall tax becoming reality is likely to become even more remote.

But that's not to say such a plan is unusual.

Five countries in Europe, including the UK, have already implemented a special tax on energy profits, as they look for ways to raise money to shield households from skyrocketing fuel and electricity costs, according to the Tax Foundation.

Several others, including Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands are considering similar moves, while France has formally voted down such a proposal.

Even the US has experimented with such ideas before. In 1980, the country imposed a windfall tax on energy firms, responding to soaring inflation and an energy crunch. It raised less than hoped and discouraged domestic production – though analysts have said that is because it was poorly designed, focusing on oil prices rather than profits.

Debates about how to design such a tax remain alive and well.

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BBC reporters are deployed across the country, speaking to voters about what issues matter most during this midterm election cycle.

Chelsea Bailey and Mike Wendling are in the mountains of northern Montana, and our correspondent Anthony Zurcher is driving through Virginia.

Nada Tawfik will tell us more about Biden's upcoming trip to Florida, and Natalie Sherman will break down the president's latest tax threat to oil companies, and what the announcement means a week out from voting day.

Our reporters will be bringing you updates all day on Tuesday, as we close in on the last days of campaigning.

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Ahead of the midterms, the Republican Party outlined a legislative roadmap that identified a few key pillars they hope will appeal to voters.

Let’s take a look at what they’re focusing on:

• The economy: Republicans have pledged to fight inflation, lower the cost of living, make the US energy independent and reduce gas prices, among other things. This has been the primary talking point for most Republican candidates
• Safety: Their roadmap also pledges to reduce crime and strengthen public safety, as well as improve national security. Importantly, this part of the Republican plan also vows to “regain control” of the US-Mexico border and eliminate “incentives” to illegal immigration
• Individual freedoms: Republicans want to combat “big tech” by providing greater privacy and data security and focusing heavily on education by advancing a “Parent’s Bill of Rights” and expanding parental choice over education
• Government accountability: Republicans say they want to defend US constitutional rights, including the Second Amendment right to bear arms. The party says it would also increase accountability in the election process and “require the White House to answer for its incompetence”

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As well as vowing to advance their existing platform, Joe Biden and other Democrats have focused heavily on a few key areas in a bid to woo voters before they vote next week.

• Abortion rights: Biden has promised that if the Democrats retain control of Congress, he would back a bill that codifies abortion protection into law. Generally, abortion rights have become a major talking point of Democratic candidates across the US

• The economy: Democrats have focused heavily on job creation, as well as on manufacturing. Biden has also announced steps aimed at bringing down costs, particularly petrol prices

• Trump: Democrats have explicitly warned that the midterms are an opportunity to repudiate the policies and agenda of Donald Trump and his political allies. Earlier this year, Biden described the differences as a “continued battle for the soul of the nation” with “Maga Republicans” - referring to Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" agenda

As we mentioned earlier, Biden is heading to the Sunshine state to campaign for Florida's Democratic candidates for senator and governor, who are both currently trailing in polls. He is due to give a speech on pensions, healthcare and prescription drugs and will hit out at Trump-affiliated "Maga Republicans" running for office across the country, including many that deny his legitimacy as winner of the 2020 election.

Here is what else is happening on the campaign trail:

• The race is tightening for Arizona governor, where Republican Kari Lake, who denies that Joe Biden won the 2020 election, is facing off against Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs
• Races are also tight in Georgia and Nevada, where Republican candidates for governor hold narrow leads
• The man who attacked Paul Pelosi, the 82-year old husband of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, has been charged with multiple violent crimes which police say were motivated by politics. He is expected to formally enter a plea later on Tuesday
• The US Justice Department has said that ballot box monitoring in Arizona is probably illegal "voter intimidation". Republicans have been monitoring the boxes where voters drop off their early ballots in what they say is an effort to deter voter fraud
• Election officials in Kansas and New Jersey are warning that some voters received text messages with false information about how to submit their votes. It is not clear if the messages were a deliberate attempt to deceive or were sent in error by a political group

The 2022 midterm election campaign trail is well under way, with key figures out campaigning right into the final week. Here's a look at some key moments so far:

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Here's a refresher on the key terms you need to know as we approach next week's election.

Let’s start with midterms: these are elections held every two years that fall in the middle of a president’s four-year term in office. They decide the make up of Congress.

Congress is the legislative body that makes nationwide laws. It’s composed of two separate chambers, the House of Representatives - most often known as the House - and the Senate.

The House has 435 members, with each state given a number of seats based on population. It decides which laws are voted on. While all 435 seats are up for re-election, most are considered safely “held” by one party.

The Senate, on the other hand, has 100 members - two per state - and can block or approve laws, confirm appointments made by the president, and, more rarely, conduct investigations against the president.

You may also hear the term “early voting” - which means that voters were allowed to cast their ballot ahead of election day on 8 November. Absentee or mail-in voting mean that ballots can be mailed in, rather than cast at a polling centre.

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent

While President Joe Biden isn’t on the ballot, the upcoming midterms will decide who controls Congress as well as state legislatures and governors’ offices.

The outcome of these races can have a huge impact on the direction the US takes in the next few years, as well as on the fate of the president - and the party - in power.

Biden: If control of one of the two chambers of Congress goes to the Republicans, Biden will likely be thwarted in his attempts to get bills and laws passed. You can expect to see gridlock.

Abortion Rights: Both parties have proposed nationwide laws concerning abortion rights if they are in control of Congress after the midterms. At a state level, the results of governor and local races could mean further abortion restrictions in some states.

Investigations: Some Republicans have vowed to close the committee investigating the 6 January 2021 riot at the US Capitol, and launch hearings of their own into Joe Biden’s son Hunter and his business ties to China if they win control of the House of Representatives.

Read more about why the midterms matter here.

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Midterm elections are generally seen as referendums on the first two years of a president’s four-year term - and the party in power often takes a beating.

Joe Biden’s approval rating has been poor for more than a year, with many voters citing high inflation and economic concerns as the primary reasons. (It’s worth noting, however, that there’s little a president can do to fix high inflation in the short-term.)

In his first two years in office, Biden has pushed through a number of new laws on climate change, gun-control and infrastructure investment.

But, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on 18 October, about one in three Americans still point to the economy as the country’s biggest problem. Only 40% of respondents approved of Biden’s performance.

And things might get worse for his approval ratings - if control of one of the two chambers of Congress goes to the Republicans, they will have the power to stop Democratic bills from passing and prevent Biden from achieving many of his policy goals.

Nobody loves an election poll quite like US political watchers, so with that in mind - what's the state of play in terms of the numbers for next week?

According to the election-number gurus at FiveThirtyEight, the race for control of the House of Representatives, Republicans are favoured to seize back control from the Democrats, external.

Using their well-regarded statistical model (which simulates the election 40,000 times using polling data) Republicans secure a majority in the House 82 times out of 100.

In the Senate it's a more mixed picture, with FiveThirtyEight's model calling a dead heat between the two parties.

Describing the race as a "toss-up", the model says there is more or less a 50/50 split between the Republicans and the Democrats in 100 simulations of the race for control of Congress's upper house., external

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In one week's time, the 8 November midterm elections will decide who controls Congress for President Biden's final two years in office. On this page, we'll guide you through the build-up to the election and bring you the biggest news from the campaign trail.

Later today, President Biden will be visiting the key battleground state of Florida to campaign for the Democratic nominee for governor, Charlie Crist.

Crist, a Republican-turned-Democrat, is going up against Florida's Republican governor Ron DeSantis in an election battle that is being widely watched ahead of a potential DeSantis presidential campaign in 2024.

Some journalists and Republican observers have described DeSantis as “Trump with substance” or “Trump 2.0”. He’s become very popular among Republicans for his stance on Covid-19 restrictions, immigration and the so-called "culture wars".

Biden and DeSantis have previously clashed over pandemic policies, climate change, abortion and LGBT issues.

Florida's governor was also recently accused of "weaponising" the migration crisis for political gain, when he arranged for a group of mostly Venezuelan asylum seekers to be flown from Texas to Martha's Vineyard, a liberal enclave in Massachusetts.

Read more about DeSantis here.

We're launching our live US midterms coverage today but we know there's lots of you who might not understand just what these elections are all about. So, here's a brief explanation.

The US midterm elections decide the make up of Congress, which has two parts:

• the House of Representatives
• the Senate

Both of these chambers sit in Washington DC, in a building called the Capitol.

There are 100 senators - two for each state - who sit for six-year terms. The House of Representatives is much larger, with 435 members that represent smaller US districts. They sit for two-year terms.

All House seats and one-third of Senate seats are up for grabs on 8 November.

The elections are important because Congress has the power to pass or block laws in the US. President Joe Biden's Democrats want to retain control of both chambers but they are facing an uphill battle against the Republicans.

Here’s a useful breakdown of who controls which part of Congress now, and what’s at stake in this election.

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A man has been charged with attempting to kidnap senior US politician Nancy Pelosi and assaulting her husband in an attack that has raised fears of politically-motivated violence as the midterms approach.

David DePape, 42, is accused of breaking into the couple's San Francisco home early on Friday and assaulting Paul Pelosi, 82, with a hammer.

He had been searching for the top Democrat and reportedly shouted "where is Nancy?" while inside the property.

But Pelosi, who is second in line to the presidency, was on the other side of the country at the time.

The motive is being investigated but police say it was "not a random act".

The Department of Justice charged DePape with two violations of federal law on Monday. These included one count of assaulting a family member of a US official in retaliation for the performance of their duties, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years.

Pelosi is the Democratic speaker of the US House of Representatives. She would lose the position if Republicans gain control of the House in next Tuesday's elections.

Read more here.

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With just days until the crucial vote, President Joe Biden has threatened to seek a new windfall tax on major oil and gas companies unless they invest their record profits in lowering household costs and ramping up production.

A windfall tax is a one-off tax imposed by a government on a company. The idea is to target firms lucky enough to benefit from something they were not responsible for.

Biden said if oil companies did not lower prices at the pump, his administration would work with Congress to require them to pay higher taxes on their excess profits and face other restrictions.

“If they don’t, they’re going to pay a higher tax on their excess profits and face other restrictions,” he told reporters at the White House on Monday.

“My team will work with Congress to look at these options that are available to us and others. It’s time for these companies to stop war profiteering, meet their responsibilities to this country, give the American people a break and still do very well.”

While Biden’s words were welcomed by many Democrats, some Republicans have spoken out against a windfall tax on the energy industry.

“Haven’t American families suffered enough from President Biden’s damaging attack on American-made energy?” asked Representative Kevin Brady of Texas.

Jamie Henn, spokesperson for the group Stop the Oil Profiteering, said: “This is exactly the type of leadership we’ve been waiting for from President Biden.”

Good morning, it’s 6am in Washington DC and 10am in London.

With seven days to go until the US midterm elections, BBC News is launching daily live coverage that will be your guide to the twists and turns of the race.

The elections will see millions of Americans head to the polls next Tuesday to vote for members of the House of Representatives and the Senate. State and local elections will also happen on the same day.

Midterm elections are typically considered a referendum on the first two years of a presidential term - with the party in power often taking a beating.

But they are also important because they decide the balance of power in Congress – where US laws are made. Joe Biden's Democrats face an uphill battle to retain control of both chambers and Republican gains could make it very difficult for him to pursue his policy agenda in the second half of his term.

Abortion laws, the future of the investigation into the 6 January 2021 Capitol riot, government spending plans, whether Donald Trump decides to run for president again – there’s a lot that could hinge on the results of the votes on 8 November.

Stay with us for the latest news from the campaign trail, explanation of what it all means, and analysis from our experts across the United States.

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