Trump administration files urgent appeal with Supreme Court over USPS mail-in ballot rules
Envelope for mailing Official Vote by Mail ballot. (Getty Images stock photo)
(WASHINGTON) — The Trump administration on Thursday filed an urgent appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking permission to immediately implement new U.S. Postal Service rules for mail ballots that critics say impede on states’ authority to run elections.
A temporary restraining order against the USPS rules, which were prompted by President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at tightening access to mail ballots, is set to expire on Sept. 10 but could be extended indefinitely. A federal district court judge is set to rule imminently.
The new rules, published by USPS last month, require states to report basic voter information, such as a voter’s name and home address, attached to a unique barcode on every mail-in ballot distributed. Postal workers would then only deliver ballots addressed to voters who appear on the state-provided list.
Following the publication of the regulations last month, dozens of Democratic state attorneys general sued the Trump administration after an earlier lawsuit was blocked by the Supreme Court, which said the challenge was premature since the regulations hadn’t been finalized.
In its latest appeal to the justices,the Trump administration insisted the rules impose only “modest” ballot design and review requirements on states and that a requirement to submit name, address, and barcode information of intended recipients is not onerous or intrusive.
“The rule thus plainly does not seize control of states’ administration of elections — it simply imposes reasonable preparation requirements for certain election-related mail,” Solicitor General John Sauer wrote in the court filing.
“The rule’s regulation of the U.S. mail — not federal elections — is plainly constitutional,” he argued.
Sauer told the justices that the longer they wait to grant the administration’s request the more likely it is that some states may not be able to comply with the new rules before having their mail ballots printed for the fall election and, in turn, might deprive some voters of being able to receive a ballot delivered by USPS.
The states challenging the USPS rule have until Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 10 a.m. to formally respond before the court makes a decision.
The states and voter advocacy groups have argued that the new USPS regulations are an attempt by the Trump administration to federalize elections, which are historically and constitutionally managed by each state, and make it harder to vote by mail for everyday citizens.
(WASHINGTON) — The Justice Department is investigating embattled Republican Florida Rep. Cory Mills, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation.
The investigation is in part about his finances, according to sources. Mills’ office did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
MS NOW first reported the investigation.
Further details about the investigation were not immediately clear.
Mills was elected to the House to represent Florida’s 7th District in 2022 and reelected in 2024. He serves on the House Armed Services and Intelligence committees.
Last November, the House Ethics Committee voted to establish an investigative subcommittee to examine allegations that Mills violated campaign finance laws and engaged in sexual misconduct and dating violence.
Regarding allegations of sexual misconduct, Mills issued a statement last year, before the ethics committee probe was lauched, stating in part: “These claims are false and misrepresent the nature of my interactions,” and he accused a former Florida primary opponent of “weaponizing the legal system to launch a political attack against the man who beat him.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Republican gubernatorial candidate, U.S. Rep Randy Feenstra speaks to guests during a campaign event at the Silo City farm on May 30, 2026, near Sioux Rapids, Iowa. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — The results of House, governor and mayoral primary elections in six states on Tuesday night show some promising signs for incumbents and the Democratic establishment and the potential limits of an endorsement from President Donald Trump.
They also show what a key toss-up race jolted by a congressman’s absence will look like in the November midterms.
Here are some takeaways from the June 2 primaries.
Karen Bass is first LA mayor in more than 20 years to face runoff
In Los Angeles’ closely watched nonpartisan mayoral primary race, embattled incumbent Mayor Karen Bass has reason for enthusiasm after months of uncertainty, while reality star Spencer Pratt still has to play the waiting game, although he appears to have put up a strong showing. ABC News projected on Tuesday that Bass will advance to a runoff in November, meaning she will have a shot to keep her seat.
Bass, the first woman and second African American elected to lead the city, is the first Los Angeles mayor to face a runoff in more than two decades.
Bass dedicated her reelection campaign to emphasizing her past experience and achievements in the role, but faced scrutiny over her record and battled criticism for her handling of last year’s Los Angeles wildfires. Bass, who was away from the city on a planned diplomatic trip to Ghana when the Palisades Fire first erupted, has pushed back on criticism over her management of the fire, saying earlier this year that her focus “is on the lives and on the homes.”
Criticism of Bass gave an opening to Spencer Pratt, the former star of “The Hills,” who ran a campaign focused on calling out Bass’ handling of the fires and saying that he’d fix a city he felt had become broken.
It’s still unclear if Pratt will advance to the next round with Bass, or whether progressive city councilmember Nithya Raman will end up in the runoff. As of Wednesday morning, Pratt is in second place and leads Raman by around 8 percentage points, but there is still around an estimated 40% of the vote left to be counted.
Pratt’s current second-place position, which could shift, might be read by some as a limit on the allure of celebrity candidates. However, it could also be seen as a sign of the strength of Pratt running a campaign with a clear message and going beyond relying just on name recognition.
In the state’s marquee race for governor, meanwhile, it’s still too early to tell which candidates will advance in the top-two primary — with many mail ballots still to be counted.
As of Wednesday morning, Trump-endorsed Republican Steve Hilton and former Health Secretary Xavier Becerra, a Democrat, have the most votes, with billionaire businessman Tom Steyer — a Democratic candidate who spent tens of millions in the race — running behind them.
In Iowa, a loss for Trump-supported candidate in gubernatorial primary and potential win for the Democratic establishment
Trump’s key endorsements during the 2026 election cycle have usually resulted in wins for his preferred candidates, including in Kentucky’s recent 4th Congressional District primaries where a Trump-backed challenger unseated the maverick GOP Rep. Thomas Massie.
But one major Trump-backed candidate in Iowa conceded in his primary.
Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra, who currently represents Iowa’s 4th Congressional District and was mounting a statewide bid for governor, conceded late Tuesday to GOP opponent and “Make America Healthy Again” movement supporter, Zach Lahn, in the gubernatorial primary in Iowa.
As of Wednesday morning, he trailed Lahn by around 1 percentage point.
Lahn will face Iowa state auditor Rob Sand, who was unopposed in the Democratic primary, in November. Democrats have feted Sand as a candidate who can flip the governorship by appealing to voters across the aisle, although he’ll still face an uphill battle in a state that voted for Trump by 13 points in 2024.
Meanwhile, Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek’s projected win by over 20 percentage points in the Iowa Democratic primary for Senate could be seen as a win for establishment Democrats, in a year when progressive challengers have been making waves in primaries across the country and occasionally unseating incumbents.
Turek himself is not an average politician. He has a unique background, as a four-time Paralympian born with spina bifida after his father was exposed to Agent Orange while serving in Vietnam. But he was also, to an extent, seen as the Democratic establishment’s choice, given that he received support from Democratic groups that are aligned with Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who did not formally endorse Turek, and took on positions that tacked to the center.
Turek will face Trump-backed Rep. Ashley Hinson, the projected winner of the Republican primary, in what is set to become one of the most closely watched Senate races of 2026. The seat is opening up as Republican incumbent Sen. Joni Ernst is retiring.
Key New Jersey matchup gets set amid Kean’s absence
ABC News has projected that Rebecca Bennett, a former Navy helicopter pilot, will be the Democratic nominee for Congress in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, in what is set to be a closely watched matchup between incumbent GOP Rep. Tom Kean and Bennett this November — especially given Kean’s unusual absence from Congress for months. Trump has backed Kean regardless of his absence.
New Jersey’s 7th District was already a top target for Democrats this year even before Kean’s disappearance occurred. The district is rated as a toss up-by the Cook Political Report, and Trump just barely carried it in 2024.
Kean flipped the seat in 2022 for Republicans, just a few years after Democrat Tom Malinowski flipped the seat when he won it in 2018. But Kean has been absent from Congress for months, and has not voted since March 5. For weeks, Kean’s office has defended the congressman’s hiatus — telling reporters that he is addressing an unspecific medical issue.
Kean said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon, “I am optimistic about the road ahead, and ready to earn the support of voters in every corner of this district.” A spokesperson for Kean also told ABC News that the congressman voted by mail last week.
ABC News’ Emily Chang, Clarissa Gonzalez, Juhi Doshi, Gaby Vinick, Lauren Peller, John Parkinson and Jay O’Brien contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump speaks during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters, Sept. 22, 2026, in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump said during his speech to global leaders at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Tuesday that he has a “big decision” to make: to strike a deal with Iran to end the war or to “annihilate the Islamic Republic” and “drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness.”
“I have a big decision to make. Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before, maybe one of the greatest in the Middle East or even the world? Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again?” Trump said.
“Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?” Trump added.
The president’s message comes as a core Iranian delegation traveled to New York for the gathering of world leaders.
Since the war began nearly seven months ago the president has made repeated threats to launch devastating attacks on Iran, only to pull back in hopes of a deal. He has backed off large threats on at least eight occasions.
The president has claimed that he is not on any timeline and told reporters that the upcoming midterm elections do not impact his strategy. On Tuesday, Trump said in his speech that he doesn’t believe there will be an agreement before the midterm elections.
“I believe we’ll make a deal right after the election, because it doesn’t make sense for them not to. They’re waiting to see how I do in the midterm election,” Trump said.
But later, Trump claimed that he will “get it done” fast when it comes to Iran.
“In addition, the United States and Iran will definitely get it done. We will get it done, one way or the other. It’s going to be done. It’s got to be done fast,” Trump added.
The president also pushed back on assertions that the U.S. is low on munitions despite a Pentagon report acknowledging the war with Iran created a shortage.
“The cowards and traitors would love to say the United States is low and munitions, but that’s not true. We have more munitions than we could ever possibly even think of using, and we’re building them at levels that we have never done before. We are adding to our stockpiles faster than we have ever been able to do before,” Trump said.
The president seemed to make his case for the war as the impacts reverberate across the globe, once again pointing to the history of terrorism and oppression by the Iranian regime.
“As president of the most extraordinary nation in history, I have no interest in leaving dangers to grow for another day,” the president said.
“I do not believe in letting problems fester. They only become harder to solve. So while others have talked, I have acted. While others have spoken of peace, I have made peace. While others have ignored threats, I have confronted them,” Trump added.
The president also thanked the UN for its support for a resolution to say that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon. He also made the case to European allies that his decision to go to war with Iran would also protect them, saying he hoped those nations “realized that.”
The president, after making the case for the war, then urged global leaders to show unity — and promised that crushing oil prices will fall as soon as the war ends.
“If we stand united, we will soon see a world free of the last 51-year menace of Iranian terror, and oil prices will come plummeting down even lower than they were at the start of the conflict. And they were very low in the United States. They were really low. With courage and resolve, anything is possible,” Trump said.
The average gallon of regular is $4.46 a gallon — around $1.52 more since the start of the war; diesel is at $6.51 a gallon, according to GasBuddy.
Trump asserts U.S. dominance over Western Hemisphere
Trump threatened other countries during his speech, asserting American dominance over the Western Hemisphere.
The president took aim at the United States’ neighbors to the south, including Cuba, saying that his administration is “seeking a fundamental change in the situation in Cuba.”
“Marco Rubio is handling a negotiation. He’s deep into negotiations with Cuba. Let’s see what happens. We’ll not allow a haven for foreign adversaries to threaten America on our own doorstep,” the president said, as the Cuban delegation rose from their seats to exit the assembly hall.
Trump touted his administration’s collaboration with the regime of Venezuelan interim president Delcy Rodriguez, who rose to power after the U.S.-led ouster of Nicolas Maduro. The two are set to meet Tuesday evening.
Trump highlighted that the U.S. signed an oil deal with the Rodriguez regime in August, which he has claimed will drive down gas prices around the world.
The president also promoted the United States’ unilateral strikes against alleged drug traffickers in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, comparing drug cartels to “the ISIS of the Western Hemisphere.”
“Upon taking office, I designated the drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and unleashed the United States Armed forces to eliminate them,” Trump said.
Trump also noted that he struck a new agreement with Greenland, which he said would give the U.S. greater control over the island.
“We will have the complete ability to do what is necessary to defend the American continent, and also Europe and other places,” Trump said of the agreement.
Trump signed the security deal with the prime ministers of Greenland and Denmark later Tuesday.
Trump said he won’t ‘rein in’ artificial intelligence development
As lawmakers and tech leaders express concerns about artificial intelligence and its rapid growth, Trump said that the U.S. will “encourage” AI development, instead of “rein it in.”
“Other law enforcement bodies that will rein things in if we have to do that, but we will only encourage super-intelligence. We’re going to encourage it, not rein it in. We’re going to watch it closely through the Department of Justice,” Trump said.
Trump, who said he would rebrand “artificial intelligence” as “super-intelligence,” repeated his message that the U.S. leads China on AI development — and that “whoever wins super-intelligence wins.”
“I’m not going to stifle growth of something that will be bigger than the Industrial Revolution, many say bigger than the Industrial Revolution or the internet itself,” Trump said.
