Live updates: Supreme Court hears mail-in ballot case
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The Senate will vote this evening on Sen. Markwayne Mullin's nomination for homeland security secretary.
What to know today
- SUPREME COURT ELECTION CASE: The Supreme Court is hearing arguments this morning on the issue of mail-in voting, weighing whether states can count ballots that are mailed on time but arrive after Election Day.
- MULLIN CONFIRMATION VOTE: The Senate is expected to vote this evening on Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s nomination for homeland security secretary. President Donald Trump picked Mullin, R-Okla., to replace Kristi Noem as head of the Department of Homeland Security amid mounting criticism of her leadership.
- ICE AIRPORT DEPLOYMENT: White House border czar Tom Homan said Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will deploy to airports across the country today to assist the Transportation Security Administration with security at airport entrances and exits where lines have been particularly long in recent weeks.
- LEWANDOWSKI INQUIRY: Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have launched a new inquiry into outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s top aide, Corey Lewandowski, who allegedly sought personal payments from contractors, as was outlined in an NBC News investigation last week.
Democrats launch new inquiry into Corey Lewandowski
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have launched a new inquiry into outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s top aide, Corey Lewandowski, who allegedly sought personal payments from contractors, as was outlined in an NBC News investigation last week.
Today, House Oversight Democrats sent a letter to the private prison company GEO Group asking it to disclose details of meetings and conversations Lewandowski had with the firm both before the transition period after President Donald Trump was elected in 2024 and during 2025.
Supreme Court rejects citizen journalist’s case against Texas officials who arrested her for reporting
The Supreme Court today rejected an attempt by a citizen journalist to revive her civil rights claim after she was arrested for soliciting information from a police officer.
At issue in the case brought by reporter Priscilla Villarreal was whether the officials in Laredo, Texas, could claim the legal defense of “qualified immunity,” which would protect them from being sued. The court’s refusal to hear the case means her claim that the officials had violated the Constitution’s First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech, cannot go forward.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticizes the SAVE America Act in a new op-ed
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., criticized the SAVE America Act in an op-ed in The New York Times, saying the proposed law would include "a system for purging eligible voters from the electorate — voters who are disproportionately likely to vote against Republicans."
His op-ed comes as senators are debating the bill, which proposes an overhaul of election law, including requiring photo identification to vote and proof of citizenship in order to register to vote. The bill, which is a top priority for Trump, doesn't appear to have enough support to pass the 60-vote filibuster threshold.
Schumer wrote that the alleged purge "would involve running the voter rolls through an algorithm that would ostensibly root out noncitizens — a program overhauled by Elon Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which has already proved dangerously unreliable." He said that in a trial run in Boone County, Missouri, "more than half of the voters flagged as ineligible were, in fact, eligible American citizens."
Schumer wrote that the bill would not require that voters are notified if they are taken off voter rolls, and he said that millions of Americans do not have the required documentation to prove citizenship under the SAVE America Act.
In order to register to vote, the SAVE Act would require proof of citizenship, such as a U.S. passport or a driver's license paired with proof of citizenship, like a birth certificate.
"They would instead have to produce a passport (which only about half of Americans have) or a birth certificate (which many cannot easily access)," Schumer said. "For a married woman who changed her surname, and whose married name doesn’t match her birth certificate, even a birth certificate may not be enough."
AI-generated ads are trickling into political campaigns, sparking big worries
At least 15 campaign ads featuring AI-generated content have run since November, stoking concerns that the now-ubiquitous technology could cause confusion or even mislead voters ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
In state, local and federal elections across the country, AI has been everywhere from school board campaigns to governor’s races, used to enhance speech, turn politicians into cartoons or, in one notable case in Massachusetts, mimic a rival politician’s voice.
Trump says he doesn’t want ICE agents at airports to wear masks
Trump said in a Truth Social post that he does not want Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to wear masks when they work at airports.
The president said that he is “a BIG proponent of ICE wearing masks as they search for, and are forced to deal with, hardened criminals.”
“I would greatly appreciate, however, NO MASKS, when helping our Country out of the Democrat caused MESS at the airports, etc,” he wrote.
The president's post comes after he said over the weekend that he would deploy ICE agents to airports to address long lines as the Department of Homeland Security shutdown continues and TSA workers go without pay. Yesterday, border czar Tom Homan said he believed the deployments would start at large airports seeing the longest wait times.
Democrats have been pushing for ICE agents to not wear masks during immigration enforcement activities as well.
Trump administration places Christopher Columbus statue near White House
A statue of Christopher Columbus has been placed on the grounds of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House, the latest effort by Trump’s administration to recognize the controversial explorer.
The statue is a replica of one that was tossed into Baltimore’s harbor in 2020 during Trump’s first term at a time of nationwide protests against institutional racism.
Cast a ballot and wait for the plane. In Alaska, a grace period for ballots is seen as a necessity.
The tiny Alaska Native village of Beaver is about 40 minutes — by plane — from the nearest city. Its roughly 50 residents rely on weekday flights for mail and many of their basic supplies, from groceries to Amazon deliveries of everyday household items.
Air service plays an outsize role in the nation’s most expansive state, where most communities rely on flights for year-round access. Planes also play a critical role in elections, getting voting materials and ballots to and from rural precincts such as Beaver and in delivering ballots for thousands of Alaskans who vote by mail — some in places where in-person voting is not available.
The vast distances and relative isolation of so many communities make Alaska unique and are why its residents have a significant interest in arguments taking place today before the Supreme Court.
Many here worry that a case from Mississippi challenging whether ballots received after Election Day can be counted in federal elections could end Alaska’s practice of accepting late-arriving ballots. Alaska counts ballots if they are postmarked by Election Day and received within 10 days, or 15 days for overseas voters in general elections.
Tom Homan says ICE agents will assist at crowded airport security points amid TSA staffing shortages
White House border czar Tom Homan said Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will deploy to airports across the country today to assist Transportation Security Administration officers with security at airport entrances and exits where lines have been particularly long in recent weeks.
Homan told CNN’s “State of the Union” he was currently working on a plan for the deployment with the leaders of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the TSA. He said he believed it would begin at large airports that have seen longest wait times and that agents would cover security points but wouldn’t provide help with baggage screenings.
Supreme Court tackles dispute over mail-in ballots ahead of November elections
The Supreme Court delves into the issue of mail-in voting this morning, weighing whether states can count ballots that are mailed on time but arrive after Election Day.
The justices will hear arguments as Trump has ramped up his opposition to mail-in voting and urged Congress to ban it in most cases.
The court is considering a Mississippi law, similar to measures in 13 other states, that allow for mail-in ballots to be counted as long as they are postmarked by Election Day. The case could have implications for the midterm elections this November, when voters will decide which party controls the House and Senate.
Senate to vote on Sen. Markwayne Mullin's nomination for DHS secretary
The Senate is expected to vote this evening on Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s nomination for homeland security secretary.
Trump picked Mullin, R-Okla., to replace Kristi Noem as head of the Department of Homeland Security amid mounting criticism of her leadership, including her handling of immigration enforcement and a controversial, $220 million DHS ad campaign.
Mullin is expected to be confirmed after two Democrats, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, voted yesterday to advance his nomination.
