www.theguardian.com
Democratic states sue to block postal service from carrying out Trump’s mail-in voting order
Two dozen states and the District of Columbia filed a fresh lawsuit on Wednesday to block Donald Trump’s executive order restricting mail voting in this year’s midterm elections.
The challenge comes days after the supreme court’s conservative majority lifted one injunction from a federal judge blocking parts of the president’s order.
In their new filing against the US Postal Service (USPS), the states point to concrete steps the administration has taken to carry out Trump’s directive – including a final USPS rule on ballot delivery posted Friday night.
The states said that the USPS policy is part of “a broader effort” by the Trump administration “to rewrite federal election law and usurp the authority of the states and Congress”.
And a reminder, that the constitution confers control over elections to states and Congress, not the executive.
On Monday, the supreme court did not rule on the legality of Trump’s order, but said that the states’ litigation was premature, effectively making room for further legal challenges.
A reminder that there is also a second nationwide injunction that still prevents the postal service from enforcing the order, though the justice department has argued that block should now be lifted in light of the supreme court’s ruling.
Key events
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, criticized the appointments of three pro-Israel House Democrats to the foreign affairs committee.
As we reported earlier, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a representative from Florida, and the Missouri representative Wesley Bell will join the committee, while Jared Moskowitz, also from Florida, becomes the Democrats’ ranking member on the subcommittee for the Middle East and north Africa.
“We are deeply concerned by the appointment of three of the Israeli government’s most committed and consistent enablers,” said Edward Ahmed Mitchell, Cair’s deputy director, in a statement. “Members of Congress who want to continue giving the Netanyahu government American taxpayer money knowing it will be used to oppress and kill Palestinian men, women and children are, by definition, anti-Palestinian and out-of-step with the American people.”
Several progressives who have been critical of Benjamin Netanyhu’s leadership and the influence of the pro-Israel lobby on recent elections have won their races in recent months – most notably Abdul El-Sayed in the Democratic primary in Michigan.
Four of the nation’s leading livestock and agricultural organizations have also joined together to urge Donald Trump to reverse the proposed plan to temporarily pause higher tariffs on foreign beef imports, in an attempt to reduce grocery costs for Americans ahead of the midterm elections.
“Flooding the market with discounted foreign beef is not the way to rebuild the American cattle herd, strengthen food security, or lower grocery bills in a lasting way,” the groups write in a letter. “This announcement will discourage investment in the US cow herd and undo the progress producers have made.”
They add: “We are deeply concerned that this import strategy sacrifices long-term food security for a short-term solution. Americans deserve safe and wholesome beef free from any market distorting actions.”
This week, I’ve been reporting on the growing backlash to policy, including from several Republicans in states with sizable cattle industries who have issued rare rebukes of the president’s decision.
Federal judge lifts injunction on Trump’s mail-in voting executive, paving way for further legal challenges
The federal judge who issued the injunction blocking parts of Donald Trump’s executive order curbing mail-in voting has lifted her block, after the supreme court said on Monday that the challenge from mainly Democratic-led states was premature, saying they lacked standing.
However, Judge Indira Talwani said that she would consider further challenges now that the US Postal Service had published its rule outlining how it will refuse to deliver mail-in ballots in states that refuse to give the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies access to lists of voters.
As I reported earlier, a coalition of states filed a fresh lawsuit on Wednesday to challenge the USPS policy.
And a reminder that the constitution confers control over elections to states and Congress, not the executive.
“Congress has not afforded USPS any authority whatsoever to set rules for federal elections or mail voting, even though Americans have cast ballots by mail for generations,” the states argue in the new lawsuit.
They also said although the deadline to submit mail voter lists to USPS “is still several weeks away”, the new rule “is already causing acute harm”.
“Plaintiff states or their subdivisions must immediately redesign their ballot envelopes and seek USPS review at significant costs to states,” they added.
On Truth Social, Donald Trump said that Ralph Norman, the South Carolina representative who lost the Republican primary for Senate to Darline Graham on Tuesday, had “the look” of a good congressman, but “ruined his career when he endorsed Nikki Haley”.
Trump backed Graham, after her brother, the late senator Lindsey Graham, died last month. Norman was shunned by the president as the only member of Congress to endorse Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, over Trump in the 2024 election.
The race to replace Lindsey Graham on the ballot became a stress test of the president’s support, and how effectively his endorsement can carry a candidate in deep-red pockets of the country to victory.
Edward Helmore
A federal judge has, for a second time, struck down a Texas state law banning drag performances in settings where children may be present.
In a ruling issued on Tuesday, the US district judge David Hittner said Texas cannot enforce its drag show ban. He said that the measure improperly restricts speech and violates the first amendment of the US constitution.
The Texas ban, known as Senate Bill 12, was passed in March 2023 and bans drag performers from dancing suggestively or wearing certain prosthetics on public property or in front of children, or “sexually oriented performance” presented on the premises in the presence of an individual younger than 18 years of age.
Advocacy groups sued the state after the bill’s passage, arguing the ban on “sexually oriented performance” infringed on constitutional rights. Texas’s move was just one across several states in 2023, driven by a rightwing backlash to increasing queer and transgender rights and equality. Hittner initially declared the ban unconstitutional in September 2023, but it was unblocked by the fifth US circuit court of appeals in 2025, which returned the case to the judge.
That allowed Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, who is locked in a race for a US Senate seat against Democrat James Talarico, to resume enforcing the law earlier this year.
The new ruling prevents Paxton from enforcing the law. Paxton said he would appeal the decision. “This is a profoundly flawed decision that endangers our children and is an affront to Texas values,” Paxton on X.
In his ruling, Hittner advised anyone “who find[s] such activities as described in this case offensive” to “just don’t go”.
Here’s a recap of the day so far
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Trump insists that CIA director John Ratcliffe’s surprise visit to Russia is ‘semi-routine’, despite mounting speculation. The purpose of the visit is not yet clear, but Trump sought to temper concerns in an interview with conservative commentator Glen Beck on Wednesday. The last time a CIA director visited Moscow was in November 2021, when William Burns – Ratcliffe’s predecessor – traveled to Russia to warn against an invasion of Ukraine, which ultimately took place months later.
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Democratic states sue to block postal service from carrying out Trump’s mail-in voting order. Two dozen Democratic‑led states on Wednesday filed a fresh lawsuit to block Donald Trump’s executive order restricting mail voting in this year’s midterm elections. The challenge comes days after the supreme court’s conservative majority lifted one injunction from a federal judge blocking parts of the president’s order.
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New data shows a record number of arrests and deportations of immigrants in the US. The Trump administration arrested and deported a record number of immigrants in July, according to newly released government data – apprehending an average of 1,500 people and removing 1,100 people daily. Despite the administration’s insistence that it is targeting criminals, a record number of people caught in the surge of arrests in July had no prior criminal history. This confirms attorney and immigrant advocate concerns that that Trump administration is quietly ramping up its operations.
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Trump touted his involvement in primary runoffs after his endorsed Republicans won elections in South Carolina and Oklahoma. The president took a moment to congratulate himself and the two candidates he backed on Tuesday – Darline Graham and Mike Mazzei. “I supported and ENDORSED two so-called ‘underdogs’ yesterday, one from South Carolina, and the other from Oklahoma, and they BOTH WON. Two great people!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
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US designates Palestinian Action group a terrorist organization. The US treasury department has designated Palestine Action as a global terrorist group and imposed expanding US financial sanctions against the British-based organization. “Far-left extremists, their fronts and their enablers should be on notice: we will bring the full weight of our economic tools to bear,” said Scott Bessent, the US treasury secretary.
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Three pro-Israel Democrats will hold key roles on House foreign affairs panel. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a representative from Florida, and Wesley Bell, from Missouri, will join the committee, while Jared Moskowitz, also from Florida, becomes the Democrats’ ranking member on the subcommittee for the Middle East and north Africa (Mena). These appointments to the House foreign affairs committee follow a succession of wins in party primaries for progressive candidates who put criticism of Israel and its actions in Gaza at the core of their campaign messages.
ICE has quietly enacted new rules to keep officers involved in deadly-force cases off the streets and on desk duty until an investigation is fully completed and they are formally cleared, the Atlantic reported last night, citing two senior ICE officials.
Previously, officers involved in such incidents – which involve firing a gun or using a chokehold, for example – could return to their regular work in the field within three days.
Per the Atlantic’s report: “The change, which has not been publicly announced, means that officers who fire their guns, choke someone, or use some other form of deadly force – even if no one is killed – will potentially be limited to performing administrative duties for much longer periods. Acting ICE Director David Venturella and other senior ICE leaders ordered the change late last month, the two senior officials said.”
Since Trump took office last year, ICE has opened fire on at least 30 people, according to Trace, a US outlet tracking such shootings. Four of these incidents were fatal.
Three pro-Israel Democrats gain key roles on House foreign affairs panel
Keely Aouga
Three pro-Israel Democrats gained key roles on the House foreign affairs committee today, with one joining as a leading Democrat in a subcommittee that oversees US-Middle East policy.
Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a representative from Florida, and Wesley Bell, from Missouri, will join the committee, while Jared Moskowitz, also from Florida, becomes the Democrats’ ranking member on the subcommittee for the Middle East and north Africa (Mena).
These appointments to the US House of Representatives foreign affairs committee follow a succession of wins in party primaries for progressive candidates who put criticism of Israel and its actions in Gaza at the core of their campaign messages.
All three recently defeated primary challengers who targeted them for their pro-Israel positions, shining a light on a potential split among establishment Democrats and new Democrats as the party works towards redefining itself.
My colleague Robert Tait has the story:
Days before he was removed by Pete Hegseth as army chief of staff without explanation, Gen Randy George was advised by another general – who is now vying to replace him as the army’s top officer – to halt the military’s investigation into an unauthorized helicopter flyby of Kid Rock’s Tennessee estate, the Washington Post (paywall) reports, citing three people familiar with the matter.
According to the Post’s report, George “felt it was important to follow typical protocol and determine whether any safety regulations had been violated during the March 28 flyby”.
Per the report, “General Chris LaNeve, the Army’s No 2 officer, told George that Hegseth didn’t want the investigation to proceed, one person told the paper. The two others said George later confided in colleagues that he seemed troubled by the encounter with LaNeve, who suggested it would be best if the review was scuttled.”
The defence secretary reportedly requested in April that George retire immediately. Since assuming leadership at the Pentagon, he has dismissed more than a dozen high-ranking officers.
Earlier that week, Hegseth had also announced that the army personnel who piloted the two AH-64 Apache helicopters near Kid Rock’s home in Nashville would not be suspended, and he closed the investigation into the incident. Rock – real name Robert Ritchie – is a vocal Trump supporter.
In a statement to the Post, Hegseth didn’t directly address the report and instead focused on LaNeve, describing him as “precisely the kind of leader the US Army needs right now”, interested in strengthening the Army, and “not interested in playing politics in Washington”.
“He is a back-to-basics, no politics, no-nonsense General – exactly what President Trump expects,” Hegseth said. “The critics coming after him are the same out-of-touch so-called insiders who’ve spent years undermining our military with woke policies and endless wars. They hold deep grudges against any commander willing to put America and our troops first, but their days of influence are over.”
Defense department spokesperson Sean Parnell said the report amounted to a “regurgitating” of a “tired, old story simply to manufacture drama”.
Democratic states sue to block postal service from carrying out Trump’s mail-in voting order
Two dozen states and the District of Columbia filed a fresh lawsuit on Wednesday to block Donald Trump’s executive order restricting mail voting in this year’s midterm elections.
The challenge comes days after the supreme court’s conservative majority lifted one injunction from a federal judge blocking parts of the president’s order.
In their new filing against the US Postal Service (USPS), the states point to concrete steps the administration has taken to carry out Trump’s directive – including a final USPS rule on ballot delivery posted Friday night.
The states said that the USPS policy is part of “a broader effort” by the Trump administration “to rewrite federal election law and usurp the authority of the states and Congress”.
And a reminder, that the constitution confers control over elections to states and Congress, not the executive.
On Monday, the supreme court did not rule on the legality of Trump’s order, but said that the states’ litigation was premature, effectively making room for further legal challenges.
A reminder that there is also a second nationwide injunction that still prevents the postal service from enforcing the order, though the justice department has argued that block should now be lifted in light of the supreme court’s ruling.
Democratic nominee for Iowa governor shuns campaign support from Joe Biden and Kamala Harris
Rob Sand, the Democratic nominee for Iowa governor, has dismissed any possible support from former president Joe Biden and vice-president Kamala Harris, as he vies to become flip the governor’s mansion blue in November.
Latest polling forecasts a tight race between Sand, a state auditor, and his Republican rival, businesman Zach Lahn. If Sand is victorious, he’d be the first Democratic governor elected in twenty years – since Chet Culver.
In an interview with Politico, Sand eschewed campaign bolstering from Biden and Harris, who unsuccessfully ran for president in 2024.
“No thanks. Let’s move on. We need some new leadership,” Sand said.
The Democratic nominee also said that he doesn’t think that Harris should mount a presidential bid in 2028.
“I think that we have a fundamentally broken two-choice political system. I don’t think that either the Democratic or the Republican parties to solve enough problems deserve special legal privileges in order to force us to pick between the lesser of two evils,” he said. “My inclination is I want it to be shaken up.”
