Democratic-controlled states have filed a new challenge to Trump’s executive order seeking to limit mail voting in this year’s midterm elections. The 25 states are suing the U.S. Postal Service, which Trump has tasked with deciding who can and cannot vote by mail. A majority of the Supreme Court justices ruled against the states in a related case two days ago but did not say Trump’s order was legal, and it remains barred from taking effect.
Canada is striking back at the United States with retaliatory tariffs on about $20 billion worth of American goods, including steel, dairy products, appliances and farm equipment, as the trade war between the once-friendly neighbors escalates. And Justice Department lawyers told a court that if Trump’s name does not appear somewhere on the Kennedy Center, then the cultural center may be “required to be taken down.”
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Marines receive medals for heroic acts during Afghan airport bombing
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth hung medals on three Marines on Wednesday for heroism during a 2021 attack in Afghanistan that killed 13 American troops and 170 Afghan civilians.
Suicide bombers and gunmen had attacked crowds flocking to Kabul’s airport during the U.S.’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Marines sprang into action despite their own wounds, helping with evacuations and securing the area.
Gunnery Sgt. Jonathan Eby and Lance Cpl. Jordan Houston received Bronze Stars with valor, while Lt. Cpl. Michael Gretzon received the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with valor.
“They stood in the direct blast zone with minimal cover, fully aware of an imminent suicide threat,” Hegseth said. “Yet they stayed on that line because they knew their brothers in arms and thousands of innocents depended on them.”
US temporarily suspends issuance of immigrant visas
The Trump administration has temporarily paused the processing of immigrant visas to fully instruct consular officers at U.S. embassies and consulates abroad how to handle them in light of new restrictions designed to prevent foreigners who might take advantage of public benefits from coming to the United States.
The State Department said the pause will likely end in mid-September and will reschedule immigrant visa applicants whose interviews were cancelled or postponed.
Most applicants affected by the pause had had interviews scheduled for August. Those will now take place in September, October, and November.
Army announces plans to build nuclear microreactors at 5 US military bases for grid backup
The Army says the small reactors, to be installed at bases from New York to Texas, will serve as a reliable source of energy independent of the commercial electric grid.
The announcement comes as the Trump administration pushes to develop the next generation of nuclear power, including billions in loans for large nuclear reactors to meet skyrocketing demand from data centers and a pilot program to boost advanced reactor designs.
The companies selected by the Army will be awarded up to $2.2 billion in total over five years to own, construct and operate the microreactors. The Army expects that more than 20 nuclear microreactors will be built and operated.
Army and industry officials say microreactors offer a resilient power source for critical infrastructure at military installations in case the grid fails.
Judge denies M
innesota bid to extradite ICE officer from Texas, paving way for his release
A federal judge has refused to order Texas to extradite an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer who is charged with shooting and wounding a man in Minneapolis.
Christian Castro is charged in Minnesota with assault and falsely reporting a crime in the Jan. 14 shooting of 24-year-old Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis. Castro is in custody in Brownsville on the border with Mexico.
Under Texas law, Castro must be released from jail Thursday. Minnesota officials believe Castro could flee to Mexico.
Castro is accused of shooting Sosa-Celis in the leg and of falsely accusing him and another man of attacking an ICE officer.
Trump claims that he’s in no hurry to get back to talks with Iran
The president in a telephone call with Al Jazeera on Wednesday reasserted his belief that the U.S. is defeating Iran as the conflict nears the six-month mark.
The Republican administration announced earlier this week it was expanding economic sanctions against Iran and warned countries that are still doing business with Tehran to cut ties or potentially face U.S. economic sanctions.
Trump, however, told the Qatar-based broadcaster that he is “not in a hurry” to return to talks with Iran.
“We are winning very big,” Trump said, according to Al Jazeera. “They’ve got massive inflation, their economy is falling apart, they’re treating their people very badly, they are killing many, many protesters. I have no time schedule; whatever it takes.”
Republican nominee for Maine governor says he wants ICE agents at polling places in the state
Bobby Charles, the Republican nominee for governor in Maine, has told supporters that he plans to ask a top Homeland Security official to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and U.S. Marshals to polling places in Maine before the midterm elections.
The Associated Press obtained audio of Charles making these comments during an address before the state’s Young Republicans chapter.
The Maine Democratic Party criticized the idea as likely illegal and an attempt to intimidate voters.
Homeland Security has stated it does not plan to send ICE agents to polling places, and the White House dismissed concerns about federal agents interfering with elections.
Federal judge removes major legal obstacle to Trump mail voting order, with more challenges likely
A federal judge is lifting a major legal obstacle that had prevented the government from implementing President Donald Trump’s executive order limiting mail voting.
The decision came shortly after about two dozen Democratically controlled states filed a fresh lawsuit against the directive.
It’s unclear whether the order will be in effect for November’s midterm elections, but it’s already creating uncertainty just a week before the first mail ballots are sent out.
The order directs the U.S. Postal Service to send mail ballots only to those on a list of eligible voters and requires a uniform envelope format.
US hits allegedly left-wing Italy-based group with terrorism sanctions
The Trump administration has imposed sanctions on an Italy-based group it accuses of fomenting left-wing terrorism online in Europe and elsewhere.
The Treasury and the State departments announced Wednesday that Autistici/Inventati, also known as the A/I Collective, had been added to their list of specially designated terrorist entities. The administration said the group was well known for supporting the infrastructure of radical left-wing groups.
The State Department said in a statement that the group’s “spectrum of digital services are specifically built to provide far-left terrorist groups with the means to organize, recruit, communicate, and carry out violent attacks – all while remaining beyond the reach of the law.”
The sanctions freeze any assets the group may have in the United States or that touch U.S. jurisdictions and bar American citizens from any financial transactions with it.
Maryland court rules Democratic-backed redistricting amendment cannot go on November ballot
A Maryland court has ruled against a proposed constitutional amendment that could have paved the way for Democrats to redraw the state’s congressional districts ahead of the 2028 elections.
Democratic state lawmakers had approved a proposed constitutional amendment earlier this month. If passed by voters, it could pave the way to redraw congressional districts before the 2028 election.
The ruling Wednesday by a judge in the state’s capital city marks another setback in Democrats’ national attempts to counter a Republican redistricting movement pushed by President Donald Trump ahead of this year’s elections
The judge ruled that lawmakers missed a July deadline they had set to prepare summaries of ballot measures. The judge paused the effect of his ruling to allow for an appeal.
Democrats already hold seven of the state’s eight U.S. House districts. They hope that redistricting could help them win all eight.
Wave energy testing site opens off Oregon, a green energy milestone in the Trump administration
The first large site for testing wave energy technologies in the continental U.S. has opened after securing a key green-energy approval from the Trump administration.
Trump has created massive hurdles for clean energy, particularly offshore wind. His government has implemented policies that slow energy permitting and development, canceled billions in grants for hundreds of clean energy projects, and spent nearly $4 billion to buy back leases to stop offshore wind projects. But they see promise in harnessing the power of the ocean’s waves.
The Energy Department signed off on the PacWave South testing facility, so it could open off the Oregon coast. Companies can now bring wave energy technologies to see how they perform in the ocean and send electricity back to the local grid.
Oregon State University developed the facility, though it hasn’t yet generated any electricity because developers of the wave energy devices are facing delays in federal funding.
Trump’s executive order remains barred from taking effect
The Trump administration is arguing that a separate injunction needs to be immediately rescinded in light of the high court’s ruling in the previous Democratic state lawsuit. It also had succeeded in a third case filed in May in the District of Columbia, convincing a judge that it was too early to prevent its implementation of the executive order.
All previous challenges were filed before the administration published its mail ballot rule Friday night. The rule says that if states want their mail ballots delivered, they will need federal approval of the design of their envelopes and must give the Postal Service a list of voters eligible to receive them.
What 25 attorneys general say about Trump’s order on voting by mail
“Across the country, states are already deep into preparations for the 2026 elections. Now, at the last moment, the federal government is attempting to meddle in those preparations and potentially threaten countless Americans’ right to vote,” New York Attorney General Letitia James, one of 25 Democratic attorneys general filing the lawsuit, said in a statement. “USPS has no authority to decide who can and cannot vote by mail.”
Democratic states file new challenge to Trump’s mail ballot directive
The action, filed by about two dozen states against the U.S. Postal Service, marked a new phase in the high-stakes litigation just two days after the Supreme Court ruled against them in a separate case.
The justices did not rule on the legality of Trump’s executive order seeking to limit mail voting in this year’s midterm elections — instead, a majority found the Democratic lawsuit premature.
But that was before the Republican administration issued a rule governing U.S. Postal Service delivery of mail ballots. Election officials warn it will be impossible to implement in the days before the first wave of mail ballots are sent out next week.
Here’s some of what Meta agreed to apply to its platforms under the settlement
Instagram’s leader had taken the stand, but not Mark Zuckerberg
The trial kicked off last week in Oakland, California, where a jury was to determine whether Meta contributed to the youth mental health crisis by deliberately designing features that addict children to its platforms and hiding them from the public. The states also argued that Meta violated federal laws by routinely collecting data on children under 13 without their parents’ consent.
Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, defended Meta’s record and progress on child safety and privacy as he began his testimony late Tuesday. Meta then settled before CEO Mark Zuckerberg was to testify.
Here’s what Meta is saying about its $17 billion settlement
Meta said in a blog post that it was “building on our longstanding efforts to empower parents and support teens.”
“Ensuring teens have a safe and productive experience on our platforms is an absolute imperative for Meta,” the company said. “We want to get this right for parents and teens, and that’s why we partnered with state attorneys general to set a new industry standard.”
The company urged its rivals to adopt similar safety measures.
Meta’s social addiction settlement is a boon to state revenues
The agreement is worth $353 million in Virginia alone and is one of the biggest in state consumer protection history, Attorney General Jay Jones said in a statement.
“For years, Meta intentionally deceived the public about the addictive and harmful design features that have wreaked havoc on youth mental health,” Jones said. The settlement “will put an end to these dangerous practices and deliver meaningful relief that will protect children from online harm.”
Trump says he believes Ayatollah Motjaba Khamenei is still alive
The president during his interview with Glenn Beck was asked about recent reporting in The Atlantic and elsewhere questioning whether the Iranian supreme leader is still alive.
Motjaba Khamenei was anointed supreme leader after his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in the opening moments of the U.S.-Israel bombardment of Iran on Feb. 28.
The younger Khamenei was also badly injured in the opening strikes and has remained out of public view since his elevation nearly six months ago.
“He was very seriously wounded. But I don’t think he’s dead,” Trump said. “And if he is, they’re putting on a pretty good show,” Trump added, noting that Iranian officials reference “going back to talk to him all the time, you know, to get a final blessing on things.”
Trump says he’ll do something about the US beef processing ‘monopoly’
The president and Glenn Beck, a rancher as well as a conservative pundit, were having a freewheeling discussion on beef processing when Beck complained that a handful of companies control the U.S. industry and inflate prices.
“Is that just a question of regulation, do you think?” the president asked. He also asked Beck which agency is “controlling those regulations — the Department of Agriculture?”
Trump, who has been under intense pressure to reduce beef prices and recently angered U.S. suppliers by relaxing tariffs on beef imports, called the industry a “monopoly” as Beck claimed inspection standards prevent more processors from entering the market.
“I’m surprised the ranchers and the farmers haven’t done it, because they’re smart as hell,” Trump said. “That’s been going on a long time … before I got here.”
“This is a very big thing you just told, because you just gave me a very good idea,” Trump said, without elaborating.
Trump describes CIA director’s visit to Moscow as routine
The president said on Glenn Beck’s radio show that John Ratcliffe’s unannounced trip to Russia was “sort of semi-routine.”
Trump repeated that he wants to see the Russia-Ukraine war to end, and he indicated that he’s followed the rampant speculation about who Ratcliffe has been meeting with and why. But the president downplayed the significance of Ratcliffe going to Moscow.
“I hate to disappoint people,” he said.
Meta reaches $17 billion settlement with states over teen social media addiction
Meta has agreed to pay $17 billion and add child-safety measures to its Facebook and Instagram platforms to end a landmark trial over teen social media addiction and settle claims filed by 47 states, their attorneys general announced Wednesday.
California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey were among 29 states that sued the tech giant in 2023. This deal cuts short a federal trial that was expected to put CEO Mark Zuckerberg take the stand before a jury.
The agreement is worth $353 million in Virginia alone, but the total is just a fraction of the company’s 2025 revenue of $201 billion.
Trump continues to needle Canada in trade war
The president kept up his complaints about Canada, which is now embroiled in a full-scale trade war with the U.S.
Speaking on Glenn Beck’s radio show on Wednesday, Trump repeated his claim that Canada was one of the worst countries to deal with and that it had taken advantage of the U.S. when it comes to trade and tariffs. “I just said, we’re taking them on,” Trump said.
Trump orders flags lowered to honor Dolly Parton
“She was a nice person,” Trump said Wednesday during a live radio interview with conservative personality Glenn Beck.
Trump also said Parton, who died Tuesday of cancer at age 80, was ‘amazing’ and not “a very political person.”
He said his decision to order U.S. flags on federal property to fly at half-staff for a week in Parton’s honor was a “natural thing” to do.
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