Postmaster General to Hold Mail Ballots in States that Won’t Share Voter Data

Postmaster General David Steiner (I) told Lawmakers 6/25/2026 that the U.S. Postal Service will No Longer Deliver Mail-in-Ballots in States that Refuse to provide Sensitive Voter Data to the Federal Government, in line with a Proposed Rule from the Trump (R) Administration.

Steiner Defended the Measure at a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Hearing, saying it was to Ensure that “the right ballots are going to the right people” after Senate Democrats Aired Concerns about the Proposal.

“If a state refuses to turn their absentee voter list over to the federal government, will the Postal Service still mail their ballots under this rule?” Sen. Gary Peters D-(MI), the Committee’s Top Democrat, asked Steiner. “Under our proposed regulation, no,” Steiner replied.

Trump issued an Executive Order (EO) in March Directing the Agency to Propose a Rule Requiring States to Provide a List to the Postal Service of Eligible Voters at Least 60 days before any Federal Elections, in line with Trump’s efforts to Crackdown on Suspected Mail-in-Voter Fraud.

Democrats have Argued that the Proposed Rule shows Trump is attempting to Federalize Elections and Questioned whether the Postal Service has the Authority to Enforce the Rule, as the Responsibility of Administrating Elections Falls on the States under the Constitution.

Steiner conceded that His Agency does Not have the Authority to Administer Elections but instead Characterized the Rule as a Procedural Precaution to Ensure Ballots are being Sent to Eligible Voters Only.

“I would think that states would want the information to ensure that the ballots that they think they’re sending out are the ballots that are actually getting sent out,” Steiner said.

He also Reiterated that the Postal Service would Comply with any Court Orders Governing Voting by Mail.

Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) Argued the Rule is an Attempt by Trump to Improperly Insert the Federal Government into Election Administration and Directly Appealed to Steiner to Stop it.

“Please push back on being a pawn in this authoritarian playbook,” She said to Steiner. “The Postal Service is one of the most important institutions in our country. Don’t taint it with the obsession of this one man.”

Trump’s EO directs the Postal Service to Issue a Final Rule by the End of July. The Proposal is Currently Undergoing a 30-day Public Comment Period that began Earlier this Month.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

World Court Judges Sue Trump Over Sanctions

Three International Criminal Court (ICC) Judges on 6/24/2026 Sued Trump (R) and His Administration, over Sanctions Imposed on them in 2025, Arguing the Measures were Uunlawful.

In the Lawsuit Filed in the Federal Court in Manhattan NYC, Judges Kimberly Prost of Canada, Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, and Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini-Gansou of Benin, said the Sanctions were Designed to Exert Extrajudicial Pressure, with the Objective of Punishing and Coercing the Judges.

The Trump Administration imposed Sanctions on Several Judges at the International Criminal Court in 2025, in an Unprecedented Retaliation over the War Tribunal's Issuance of an Arrest Warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and a Past Decision to Open a Case into Alleged War Crimes by U.S. Troops in Afghanistan.

Sanctions severely Hamper Individuals' Abilities to Carry Out even Routine Financial Transactions, as any Banks with Ties to the U.S., or that Conduct Transactions in Dollars, are Expected to have to Ccomply with the Restrictions.

The ICC, which was established in 2002, has International Jurisdiction to Prosecute Genocide, Crimes against Uumanity, and War Crimes in Member States or if a Situation is Referred by the U.N. Security Council.

Although the ICC has Jurisdiction over War Crimes, Crimes against Humanity, and Genocide in its 125 Member Countries, some Nations, including the U.S., China, Russia, and Israel, do Not Recognize its Authority.

The Trump Administration's Dislike of the Court, goes back to Trump's First Term. In 2020, Washington Imposed Sanctions on then Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, and One of Her Top Aides over the Court's Work on Afghanistan.

The Lawsuit Argues that the Sanctions were Against the Law, as they Exceeded the Scope of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), and were Not Based on a Genuine National Emergency or Extraordinary Threat.

"The Sanctions Regime ... is designed to exert extra-judicial pressure on these judges and their colleagues on the ICC bench by targeting their financial and other personal interests, with the objective of punishing them for prior judicial decisions and coercing them into prioritizing their private interests over deciding cases on the basis of the law and facts," the Lawsuit said.

"Being subjected to such sanctions under IEEPA is tantamount to the financial death penalty. Due to the sanctions, Judges Prost, Bossa, and Alapini-Gansou are no longer able, among other things, to use credit cards; access banking services; use common online platforms, such as Amazon and Google; book travel; and in some cases, obtain health insurance," it said.

The Judges also said that the Sanctions, Bar the Submission of Evidence and Argument, in any Pending or Future Proceeding before them.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

US Appeals Court Rejects Trump Bid to Force MI to Hand Over Voter Rolls

A U.S. Appeals Court on 6/24/2026 Upheld a Court Order Blocking the Justice Department (DOJ) from Obtaining Michigan's Voter Rolls, Dealing a Blow to the Trump (R) Administration's Push to Boost the Federal Government's Role in Elections.

The Decision from the Cincinnati Based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, comes as Trump's Republicans are Locked in a Tight Battle to Maintain Control of Both Houses of Congress in the 11/3/2026 Midterm Elections.

The U.S. Constitution Assigns Individual States the Responsibility of Administering Federal Elections, though the Federal Government has some Oversight Authority. Trump, who Maintains His False Claim that His 2020 Election Loss was due to Fraud, has long Asserted that States are Nnot doing Enough to Prevent Ineligible People from Casting Ballots. He has said Republicans should "Nationalize" and "Take Oover" Voting. After a New Recount of GA's Election, Trump Lost by a Bigger Margin.

The DOJ Sued 30 States and the District-of-Columbia, to try to Force them to Turn-Over their Polls, arguing it needs the Unredacted Lists to Determine whether the States are doing enough to Remove Ineligible Voters from their Rolls. The DOJ has so far Lost each Case that has been Decided at the Trial Court Level.

In the Michigan Case, U.S. District Judge Hala Jarbou (I), appointed by Trump, said the Voter Rolls were Not among the Documents that the Federal Government had the Right to Demand from States under the Civil Rights Act of 1960. The Law, Passed to Combat Racial Discrimination at a Time when Southern States were Destroying Black Americans' Voter Registration Records to Cover-Up Disenfranchisement, Requires States to Preserve such Records. In Appealing the Case, the DOJ called Jarbou's Reading of the Law "Novel and Incorrect."

Lawyers for Michigan said Jarbou Correctly Distinguished between Mmaterials Voters Submit to the State, which they said the Federal Government may Demand, and Records like Voter Rolls Created by the State itself, which they said were Not Covered by the Civil Rights Act.

Voting Rights Activists have Expressed Concern that the Trump Administration, is seeking to Compare States' Voter Rolls with other Sources of Data,to Purge People it believes are Not Citizens. They say that Risks Disenfranchising some Voters, because those Data Sources may Not have Up-to-Date Information on whether Previously Ineligible Immigrants have since become Naturalized Citizens.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Trump Billions in Loans for 10 New Nuclear Reactors

The Trump (R) Administration is providing $17.5 Billion to Speed the Development of 10 New Large Nuclear Reactors to Meet the Skyrocketing Power Demand from Massive Data Centers. Energy Secretary Chris Wright (R) cited “tremendous interest” among Developers of Data Centers that would Buy the Power, as well as Utilities and Energy Companies. The Nuclear Plants could begin Construction by 2030 and become Operational in the Mid-2030s, Wright and other Officials said 5/23/2026.

“This is the start,” Wright said on a call with reporters. “We’re going to move with the players that are ready to stand up and move quickly. Once that supply chain is up and running, do we think there will be dozens of these built going forward? I’d be very surprised if there were not.” Most U.S. nuclear power plants were built between 1970 and 1990. Only two new large reactors have been built from scratch in the United States in recent decades. Those two reactors, at Georgia Power Co.’s Plant Vogtle, were completed years late and billions of dollars over budget. The 10 new reactors will use the same design, Westinghouse’s AP1000.

Wright said the Plant Vogtle project struggled because of bad planning, supply chain problems and the COVID-19 pandemic. But, he said, the reactor design is “robust and sound.” “By building in volume and at multiple locations, we think we will create and stand up a large supply chain and build a lot of construction expertise,” Wright said. “We expect the timing and cost of these plants to well outperform what was done on Vogtle.”

Seven utilities and energy companies signed letters of intent that identified sites, the Energy Department said. The agency plans to pick five, which would host two reactors at each site. The federal financing would be used to purchase nuclear components with long lead times, and are not construction loans. The department declined to name the utilities involved or the states they are in, calling it premature until the selections are made. It did not give a timeline for making those selections.

President Donald Trump set a goal of quadrupling domestic production of nuclear power within the next 25 years, and he has signed executive orders to speed development. The administration is working to advance new nuclear technologies, such as small modular nuclear reactors. Dan Sumner, president and chief executive officer of Westinghouse, said industrialized nuclear power needs to be built at fleet scale, in order for the United States to lead in artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing and the industries that will define the next century.

Critics of building more nuclear reactors say they’re too expensive and riskier than other low-carbon energy sources. Several states restrict or ban new nuclear power plant construction. Travis Fisher, director of energy and environmental policy studies at the libertarian Cato Institute think tank, said the Energy Department has the authority to issue these loan guarantees, but he doesn't think the executive branch should be so heavily involved in the electricity sector.

If the past is any indication, the next administration will use similar authorities to favor a different set of energy resources, he added. "Remove the state barriers and the federal favoritism and let companies build the power plants that pass the market test,” Fisher wrote in an e-mail Tuesday. Data centers used 4% to 5% of the nation's total electricity in 2024, a share that could nearly triple by 2028, according to government estimates. Some analysts predict nationwide electricity use to rise as much as 20% in the next decade, with data centers a big reason.

The Energy Department said the loans could speed up the development of these 10 reactors by up to three years and lower construction costs. Its goal is for all 10 to be under construction by 2030, to start providing power in the mid-2030s. The utilities and Westinghouse will be expected to contribute up to $5 billion in equity in total across the five, two-reactors projects. Wright said his department provides up to $17.5 billion in loans, or $3.5 billion per project, in debt to pair with the equity. He said it's “very, very low risk to the American taxpayers.”










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Judge Bars Immigration Arrests at US Courthouses

A Judge on 6/23/2026 Barred the Federal Ggovernment from making Arrests at Immigration Courts, Ordering an End to a Practice that took hold shortly after Trump (R) took Office in 2025.

The Trump Administration's Reversal of long-standingPpolicy against Arrests at Immigration Court Resulted “not from merely unreasoned decision-making but a complete lack of decision-making,” wrote U.S. District Judge Casey Pitts of San Francisco. Authorities Failed to Address the “chilling effect” of Arrests on whether People attend Court Hearings.

“For 80 years, Congress has commanded federal agencies to think before they act,” wrote Pitts, Referring to the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), a 1946 Law that requires Federal Agencies to Justify its Actions. That Law, He wrote, "does not require an agency to make the choice that a reviewing court might deem preferable. But it demands that an agency at least provide sound reasons for following its chosen course."

The Ruling is the Second Setback for Courthouse Arrests since 5/2026, when a Federal Judge in New York Barred them at Immigration Courts. That Order applied only in New York, while the latest Decision Invalidated the Policy Nationwide.

James Percival (R), the U.S. Homeland Security Department's General Counsel, Criticized the Ruling as an Exercise in Judicial Overreach.

“When a judge sentences a defendant, the defendant is taken into custody. If an alien is ordered removed by an immigration judge, the same should happen. A district judge ordering otherwise is naked judicial activism in service of an anti-American, open borders agenda,” Percival wrote.

After Trump took Office, Hearings across the Country often Ended with Cases being Dismissed by the Government, Setting the Stage for Plainclothes Agents to make Arrests in Hallways in Coordination with Attorneys from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Pitts, who was Appointed by Biden (D), Faulted the Administration for carrying out the Arrests, and for Holding People in nearby Cells for Longer than a Prescribed 12-hour Limit.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

DC Now Has Open Primaries

The D.C. Council Voted to Fund and Implement the Semi-Open Primaries Portion of Initiative 83.

The Vote Honors the Will of 73% of the District’s Electorate, and Fully Fund Initiative 83, which along with Ranked-Choice-Voting (RCV), gives Thousends 0f Registered Independent Voters the Right to Participate in Taxpayer-Funded Primary Elections.

The Semi‑Open Primaries Portion of Initiative 83, giving roughly 85,000–86,000 Independent Voters, the Right to Choose between Democratic or Republican Primaries starting in 2028.

Semi-Open Primaries are a Type of Partisan Primary. Independent Voters can Chosr either the Republican or Democratic Primary. Voters Who are Registered with a Specific Party, can Only Vote in their Own Party's Primary.

This Approach Promotes Broader Participation than Closed Primaries, where Only Registered Party Members can Vote in Primary Elections.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Senate Votes to Halt Iran War

The Senate on 6/23/2026 Voted to Cut-Ooff the U.S. Military Campaign against Iran, Handing a Fresh Loss to Trump (R), D His Attempts to Convince Lawmakers, and the Public, that a Deal to End the War is at hand.

Four Republicans Broke Ranks to help Approve a Resolution to Block Further Military Action, Unless it is GreenLlit by Congress.

The War Powers Measure is Largely Symbolic, the Resolution Cleared 6/23/2026, Doesn’t go to Trump to Sign or Veto.

But the Bipartisan 50-48 Vote, is a Damaging Milestone for the Trump Administration: Both the Senate and House, have now weighed in Against the Middle East Conflict that’s Stretched on for more than 100 days. The Same Measure Passed the House in Early 3/2026 after Months of Close Calls.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker