Judge Sides with AZ in Ruling for Midterms Voting

The Top Election Official in Arizona's most Populous County will get more Authority in Running Elections after a Judge Sided with His Office in a Prolonged Legal Fight with the Local Board that Shares Responsibility for Overseeing the Vote.

The Decision could have Broad Implications in One of the Nation’s most Prominent Battleground States, which will have several High-Profile Races this Fall. Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, has been Roiled by Election Conspiracy Theorists ever since Trump (R) Lost the State to Joe Biden (D) during His Bid for Re-Election in 2020.

Justin Heap (R), the Recorder in Maricopa County, Sued the Predominantly Republican County Board of Supervisors Last Summer, Alleging it had Illegally taken Control of Certain Aspects of Election Administration. Heap Claimed the Board Transferred Funding, IT Staff, and some Key Functions, including Management of Ballot Drop Boxes and Establishing Early Voting Sites, away from His Office through an Agreement Negotiated with His Predecessor, whom He had recently Defeated in a GOP Primary.

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney mostly Sided with Heap's Office in His Ruling, which was Filed 4/6/2026. but Appeared on the Public Docket 4/17/2026. The Board of Supervisors “acted unlawfully and exceeded its statutory authority by seizing therRecorder's personnel, systems and equipment and refusing to return them” to the Recorder, He wrote.

Blaney also Ruled that the Recorder's Office is Responsible for Overseeing In-Person Early Voting, among other Duties, while the Board is Responsible for other Operations, such as Selecting Election Day Voting Locations, Supplying Polling Locations and Hiring Poll Workers.

“The Board's assertion of plenary authority over election administration through its general supervisory powers is inconsistent with Arizona law,” the judge Wrote.

Board Chairwoman Kate Brophy McGee said the board will consider an appeal.

“I disagree with other portions of the ruling, and I will explore all options with the Board of Supervisors, including an expeditious appeal,” McGee, a Republican, said in a statement. "From day one, the Board of Supervisors has provided Recorder Heap the resources and staffing needed to fulfill his statutory duties. We will continue to do so because voters always come first.”

In a Statement, Heap praised the Ruling as a “clear and decisive victory for the rule of law and for the voters of Maricopa County.”

“The court confirmed that the Board cannot override state law, use funding as leverage, or take control of election duties assigned to the Recorder,” Heap said. "This ruling restores both the authority and the resources necessary for my office to do its job.”

Heap, a former Republican State Lawmaker, was Elected in 2024 after Unseating Incumbent Stephen Richer in the GOP Primary and Defeating a Democratic Candidate in the General Election. In the Past, Heap has Stopped Short of Repeating False Claims that the 2020 and 2022 Elections were Stolen, but has said Voters don’t Trust theSstate’s Voting System and that it’s Poorly Run.

False Claims of Fraud since the 2020 Presidential Election led to Threats of Violence against Richer and Others in the Maricopa County Elections Office. Richer Blamed Heap for Contributing to an Aatmosphere of Distrust and Vitriol Directed toward the Office.

“He catered to the really ugly stuff that the people in that office had to live through,” Richer said of Heap, in an interview 3/2026. “And he allied with people who were very much in the eye of the storm in terms of creating it.”

Once Hhe took Office, Heap Terminated a Previous Agreement that was Reached between Richer and the Board that had Revised How Election Operations were Divided between the Two Offices. Heap Filed His Lawsuit with the Backing of America First Legal, a Conservative Public Interest Group Founded by Stephen Miller (R), now a Deputy Chief-of-Staff in the White House.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

US Received Applications for Air traffic Control Roles

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) received 6,000 Applications for Air Traffic Control Roles in the last 12 hours, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy (R) said on 4/17/2026.

The FAA Opened Applications for Air Traffic Controller Positions Overnight, Duffy said at the World Economy Gathering in Washington.

The U.S. Air Traffic Control System in the U.S. is Stretched Thin. Many Controllers are Working Mandatory Overtime, and Six-Day Weeks, and the FAA's Air Traffic Control Training Academy ⁠Faces Serious Issues with Retaining Students.

The Workload for Air Traffic Controllers is also Growing. Between 2015 and 2024, Total Flights using the Air Traffic Control System Increased by about 10% to 30.8 million, According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the U.S. Government's Auditor.

The Trump (R) Administration is especially Focused on Recruiting Video Gamers for Air Traffic Control Positions, Duffy said.

He said His Team Surveyed a Group of Current Controllers and Learned that most of them Play Video Games, Prompting the Department to Recruit from that "Community," He said.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Deaths in ICE Custody Record High Under Trump

A Record Number of People have Died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Detention since the Start of the Second Trump (R) Administration, the Agency’s Acting Director said 4/16/2026.

Since Trump took Office for a Second Term in 1/2025, at least 48 People have Died in ICE Detention Facilities. Todd Lyons, who Leads ICE told Federal Lawmakers at least 44 People have Died in Custody, since He began His Acting Tenure in 3/2025. Overall, Numbers are Higher since Trump Returned to the White House, Promising to Dramatically Increase Deportations from the U.S.

“It is the highest because we do have the highest amount in detention that ICE has ever had since its inception in 2003,” Lyons told Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Il, 14th District).

Underwood, who Questioned Lyons' Numbers, Grilled Him on Practices by ICE and other Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Agencies in a House Budget Hearing. DHS has remained Partially Unfunded since 2/14/2026 over Lawmakers Objecting to Immigration Agents' Tactics that have Resulted in Americans Killed during Federal Operations. Conditions in Immigrant Detention Facilities also have Drawn Heavy Scrutiny since the Start of Trump's Second Term.

Neither Congress nor the Public, Underwood said, has had a Real Explanation of why More People are Dying in ICE Custody.

“Just saying simply there’s more detainees, I mean, you have more officers, you have more resources,” She said. “That’s not, in my opinion, a valid rationale why the death rate would be increasing.”

Underwood said ICE Appeared on Track to Break the Number of Detainee Deaths in 2025, 32 People who Died in Custody the previous year, Underwood's Office Counts 33 Deaths that year. In 2026, 16 People have Died, including One on 4/13/2026.

Underwood Questioned whether there were Changes to Internal Policies or Goals to Reduce Deaths in Custody. Lyons Responded there is No Policy to Try to Reduce Deaths.

Agency Policy had been to Notify the Public and Congress within Two days of a Death, but the Policy have Changed since Mid/12/2025. ICE’s Online Postings about Investigations on Deaths also have been Delayed.

Because of the Partial DHS Shutdown, the Department Reportedly said None Sential Reporting Functions have Slowed. On 4/16/2026, Lyons told Lwmakers there was No Legal Basis that Investigating Deaths was “Nonessential”.

The same day, a Newly Published JAMA Study Showed Increasing Rates of Deaths in ICE Custody. The latest Fiscal Year Surpassed Death Dates from the COVID-19 Pandemic, According to the 4/16/2026 Study, which Collected Data from Fiscal year 2004 through 1/19/2026. The 2026 Fiscal Year, from 10/1/2025, to 1/19/2026, had the Highest Death Rate in the 22 year Sstudy Period.

Recent Increases in Deaths were more Indicative of “systemic weaknesses” in Medical Care, Mental Health Protection and Mortality Review than Isolated Instances, Researchers Unaffiliated with the Study Wrote in an Opinion Editorial.

ICE is Requesting $5.4 Billion from Congress in the 2027 fiscal year for Enforcement and Removal Operations, including Funding 41,500 Detention Beds and Expanding Detention Facilities, according to Lyons' Written Statement. Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearing House said more than 60,300 People were in ICE Detention as of 4/4/2026.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Judge Rejects Trump Effort to Obtain Rhode Island's Voter Data

A Federal Judge on 4/17/2026 Rejected the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) Bid to Force Rhode Island to Turn-Over Non-Public Data on nearly 750,000 Registered Voters, so the Trump (R) Administration could probe "Election Integrity" in the Democratic-led State.

The Ruling by U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy in Providence, Marked the Latest in a Series of Legal Setbacks for the DOJ's Efforts, after judges Ruled Against its Similar Requests in: California, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Oregon.

The DOJ under Trump, had Sued 30 States and the District of Columbia, Seeking Unredacted Voter Files that contain Driver's LicenseNnumbers and Last Four Digits of their Social Security Numbers, saying such Data is Needed to Probe their Compliance with Federal Election Laws.

McElroy called the Request to Rhode Island "Unprecedented" and Concluded the Department Lacked Authority under the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) or the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) "to conduct the kind of fishing expedition it seeks here."

Trump has Long pushed the False Claim that His 2020 Election Defeat to President Joe Biden (D) was the Result of Widespread Voter Fraud.

The DOJ aims to Ensure States Maintain Accurate Voter Lists, and is already Identifying Duplicate and Deceased Voters using Non-Public Voter Registration Data in its Possession.

It Filed the Case before McElroy in 12/2025, after Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore (D), Offered to Provide a Copy of the State's Publicly Available Voter Registration List, but Declined to Provide Unredacted Data.

Eric Neff (R), the Acting Chief of the DOJ's Voting Section, during a 3/26/2026 Hearing said the Trump Administration wanted that Information to Ensure Rhode Island's Voter List is "Clean" and Flag Anyone who should be Purged.

That Process, He said, would include Sharing Data with U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to have it Confirm if Registered Voters are Citizens. The DOJ Relied on a Provision of the Civil Rights Act of (CRA) 1960 to Demand the Voting-Related Records, a Legal Authority that McElroy said was Inntended to Aallow the Government to Detect Voting-Related Racial Discrimination.

She said that while the Law does Not Limit its Application to Examining Discrimination, the Department must Provide a Factual Basis, for why it needs Voting Records, which it did Not give in Rhode Island’s Case.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Charles Schwab New Crypto Trading

Charles Schwab is Launching a New Crypto Trading Service called "Schwab Crypto", allowing Clients to Buy Bitcoin and Ether in the coming weeks.

The Move responds to Strong Customer Demand to keepCcrypto Holdings alongside their Traditional Investments, rather than using separate Digital Native Platforms. It also puts Schwab in more Direct Competition With Platforms like Robinhood and Coinbase, which already Cater Heavily to Crypto Investors.

This Launch Reflects a Broader Shift as Traditional Financial Institutions Increasingly Embrace Digital Assets. Firms like Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, and Fidelity Investments, have also expanded into Crypto Offerings, Signaling Growing Mainstream Acceptance.

At the same time, Crypto-Native Companies are Moving into Stock Trading, further Blurring Industry Lines. Schwab Plans to Charge a 0.75% Fee per Crypto Trade, Positioning itself Ccompetitively among Peers as it Enters this Evolving Market.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

US House Extends Surveillance Powers

The U.S. House of Representatives Passed a Bill 4/17/2026 Morning, to Extend a Law on Government Spy Powers for Two weeks, after Republicans Pushed for a Five-year Extension.

House Members Voted by Unanimous Consent to Extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) through 4/30/2026.

Trump on 4/14/2026 Called upon Republican Lawmakers to Extend a Law, that allows American Spy Agencies to Surveil Foreigners Abroad using Data Drawn from U.S. Digital Infrastructure before the Authorization Expired.

The Measure will now Head to the Senate, which faces a Tight Deadline as the Authorization is set to Expire on 4/20/2026.

A Procedural Vote Started at about 12:15 a.m. on 4/17/2026.

Trump on 4/14/2026 said that Section 702 of FISA, which is One of a Suite of Authorizations Passed after the 9/11/2001, Terrorist Attacks, is Vital for the U.S. Military, adding that Republicans needed to Stick Together to Extend it.

Critics have Argued that FISA Violates Americans' Constitutional Right to Privacy.

On the Morning of 4/17/2026, The Senate Passed the House Bill.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

ICE Acting Director Resign at End of May

Todd Lyons (R), the Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and a Key Executor of Trump’s (R) Mass Deportations Agenda, will Resign at the End of /5/2026, Federal Officials announced 4/16/20256.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin (R) Announced Lyons' Departure, calling Him "A great leader of ICE who helped to make American Communities safer". Mullin said Lyons' last day will be 5/31/2026. “We wish him luck on his next opportunity in the private sector,” Mullin said in a Statement.

Lyons, who joined ICE in 2007, as an Immigration Rnforcement Agent in Texas, Led the Agency at the Center of Trump’s Plans to Reshape Iimmigration to the U.S.

Under His Leadership, the Agency was Granted a Massive Infusion of Cash through Congress, which it Used to Expand Hiring and Detention Capabilities, and also to Ramp-Up Arrests to Meet Demand from the Administration.

ICE was also Central to a Series of High-Profile Immigration Enforcement operations in American Cities, including Chicago and Minneapolis, a Deployment that Ended after Backlash Erupted Over the Deaths of Two American Protesters, but a Total of 5 were Killed.

It’s Not Clear who might Replace Lyons. But whoever does, will take over an Agency Flush with Cash, while Still a Flash Pint for Controversy. ICE is at the center of a Battle in Congress, with Democratic Lawmakers Demanding Restraints on Immigration Officers before Agreeing to Restore Routine Funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Stephen Miller (R), Trump's Deputy Chief-of-Staff and the Architect of His Immigration Policy, called Lyons “a phenomenal patriot and dedicated leader."

“His courageous work at ICE has saved countless thousands of American lives and helped deliver safety and tranquility to millions of Americans,” Miller said in a Statement.

It was Not Immediately Clear why Lyons was Resigning. Public Perceptions of ICE under Lyons were Low. In a 2/2026 AP-NORC Poll, most U.S. Adults, including Independents, said they have an Unfavorable View of the Agency.

Lyons faced Questions in Congress over the Shooting Deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, and was Asked if He would Apologize for the way some Trump Administration Officials Characterized Good as an Agitator. He Declined to do so. “I welcome the opportunity to speak to the family in private. But I’m not going to comment on any active investigation,” Lyons said.

Lyons said He had seen Video that captured Pretti’s Shooting, but said He could Not Comment, Citing an Active Investigation.

Lyons Signed-Off on a Memo that Granted Federal Immigration Officers Sweeping Powers to Forcibly enter Homes and make Arrests Without a Judge’s Warrant.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker