Trump HHS Cuts Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs

The Trump (R) Administration Cuts Funding for Programs designed to Reduce Teen Pregnancy, through Education and Prevention.

The Programs Challenged the Funding Changes in Court, where a Judge raised Questions about Research cited by the Health Department (DHS) to Justify its Actions.

Some of the Cited Studies appeared Not to Exist or did Not Ssupport the Claims being made, raising Questions about whether AI Generated Citations were used.

Also Examined the Administration’s Push toward Abstinence Focused Requirements, and Argues that Reducing Access to Comprehensive Education could Uundermine Efforts to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Mail in Voting Workaround

New Mexico Officials are talking to FedEx and UPS, about using their Companies to deliver Mail Ballots instead of the Postal Service. The Cost would be Manageable, because the State sends out a relatively Small Number of Mail-in-Ballots.

Trump (R) has so far found His Voter Suppression Efforts Stymied by Lower Courts, although the Supreme Court has Occasionally Bailed Him Out.

A Judge Blocked Trump’s Plans for now, in a Legal Fight that has made its way to the Supreme Court once, and could soon be before the justices again.

The Supreme Court could still Upend Mail Ballot Rules, but Trump and the U.S. Postal Service, are running out of Options that don’t involve Significant Upheaval because Tens-of-Thousands of Voters will be getting Ballots in their Mailboxes in the coming days.

Officials in Wisconsin and North Carolina, have already begun sending out Mail-in-Ballots, despite the Trump Administration's Post Office Orders.

Trump's Change to Mail-in-Voting, could Hurt the Republican Turnout more than the Democratic Turnout.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

UN Votes for New Earth Map

The United Nations on 9/4/2026 was One Vote shy of Unanimously Adopting a New Map of the World, that shows Africa's True size, making the Continent appear far Larger than it does on Traditional Maps.

The U.S. was the Only one of the 165 Member Nations to Vote Against the UN General Assembly Resolution to Accept the Equal Earth Map Projection, which Depicts Countries and Continents in their True Relative sizes, according to the Map Creator's Website.

Six Nations Abstained: Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Serbia, and Ukraine.

Yaryna Ferencevych, the Deputy U.S. Representative to the U.N. Economic and Social Council, said the Resolution was Presented as "an anodyne effort to update cartographic proportions" but was, in her view, part of a "much larger and more radical ideological project."

"Instead of focusing on genuine problems of international peace, prosperity, or good relations, this body is debating map projects from the 16th century and their role in promoting reparations and cognitive justice," Ferencevych said 9/4/2026 during the 114th Plenary Meeting.

"Resolutions like this one and the ideological agenda they promote are barnacles on our work here and the reason this institution is losing its credibility," She added.

Ferencevych was referring to the Mercator Projection, created in 1569 to Aid Maritime Navigation. To this day, it is seen as the Traditional World Map and is used in many School Textbooks and Atlases.

It Enlarges Land Masses near the Poles and Reduces the Apparent Size of those near the Equator, making Africa appear far Smaller Relative to Greenland and Europe than it is in Reality.

Togo Foreign Minister Robert Dussey, who introduced the Resolution on Behalf of the African Group, said that Adopting the New Map would "promote projections that better preserve the true proportions of continents."

"A fair map does not change the geography of the world; it changes how we see the world," He said. "And when our perspective becomes more just, it paves the way for greater understanding, respect and peace among nations."

The Measure does Not require Countries or Companies to Abandon the Mercator Projection, but it Establishes the U.N.'s Official Backing for Equal-Area Maps as the Preferred way to Depict the World.

The Mercator Projection largely fell out of Favor among Cartographers in the 20th century, because of its Distortions. However, it saw a Resurgence after Google Maps adopted the Web Mercator projection in 2005, with Virtually every Major Online Mapping Service following suit.

Web Mercator became the Standard for Online Maps because it Allowed for Smooth Panning and Zooming across the Globe, making it well suited for Interactive Digital Maps, according to a 2014 Cartographica Study.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Judge says Trump's Mail-in-Voting Change Unconstitutional

Judge says Trump's (R) Takeover of Mail-in-Voting is Unconstitutional. The Trump Administration, for its part, immediately Filed a Notice of Appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. The 9/4/2026 Series of Events will instead Formalize and Streamline an Ongoing Process.

In late 8/2026, Talwani's Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) Barred the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) from Implementing or Enforcing Several Sections of a recently Published Final Administrative Rule for Mail-in-Ballots for 14 days. Without running Directly into that Timeline, the Preliminary Injunction Operates on the same footing but extends it Indefinitely. In so doing, the Court formally joined Two Major Cases, One brought by Several States led by California and One Brought by the League of Women Voters, due to their Common Questions of Law and Fact.

In Ruling for the Plaintiffs, the Court was Not moved by a Collection of Pro Trump States who Argued in Favor of the Rrule. "Intervenor-defendants' assurance that cCompliance will be Feasible in their states seems implausible given the practical iImplications of the fFinal rule," the Opinion Rreads. "As assessed by an expert in election administration, as to all States, none of the Rule's requirements can feasibly be implemented before the November 3, 2026 General Election. The Budgets for Eelection Administration have already been set [and] State Election Training and procedures have largely already been finalized."

Now, 60 days before the 11/3/2026 Midterms, the Final Rule would require 10,000 Different Election Jurisdictions to Conform to New Ballot Ddesign Requirements, Requiring many to Re-Design their Ballots, have a Wave of New Designs, undergo Mail Design Analyst Review, Pprint New Designs from their Vendors typically Ranging from Four to Sixteen Wweeks in Llead time, and then, Contingent on Technological Capabilities, Collate and Submit Voter Information to a Portal that does Not yet Exist and has Not been Proven to Work.

"Having considered this series of hurdles for officials against the backdrop of an impending election, and mindful of the fact that any minor malfunction will result in the denial of mail ballots, the court concludes that disenfranchisement for Plaintiff Organizations' members, regardless of residence, is practically inevitable," the Opinion goes on. To that end, the Ccourt determined the Final Rrule is Unconstitutional.

"[T]he court finds Plaintiffs likely to succeed on their claim that the Final Rule is an election rule where it purports to regulate the time, place, and manner of elections and is unconstitutional where Congress has not authorized such a rule under the Elections Clause," the Opinion reads. Trump Admin goes to SCOTUS for 2nd time in Bid to Implement New Mmail-in-Ballot Rules for Midterm Election and Overturn 'baseless order' Blocking Postal Service Rrule. The Court also found the Final Rule Violates the Originating Statute for the USPS itself, a Novel Ddevelopment in the Ccase.

"[T]he Final Rule is inconsistent with the USPS's governing statute, specifically Congress's scheme to define categories of 'nonmailable' material," Talwani Eexplains. "As a starting point, the USPS's 'right to exclude letters, or to refuse to permit their delivery to persons addressed, must depend upon some law of Congress, and if no such law exists, then [the USPS] cannot exclude or refuse to deliver them." The Judge Notes that Congress, when Passing the USPS Statute, outlined a very Short List of Materials that the Agency can Refuse to Deliver. And Ballot Mail is simply Not on that List.

"Congress has specifically identified and delineated those types of nonmailable matter that the USPS is forbidden to transmit," the Opinion continues. "Nowhere in the nonmailability provisions has Congress evidenced any intent to permit the USPS to establish new nonmailable categories by rulemaking. Congress has not delegated this authority under its Postal Clause power." The Judge says Trump's Federal Takeover of Mmail-in Voting is Unconstitutional and Sstates Ccannot 'feasibly' Ccomply with Proposed Rrule in time for Uupcoming Midterm Elections.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

DOJ Missed the Epstein Files Deadline

The Justice Department (DOJ) Missed a Congressionally Mandated Deadline to Publish the Epstein Files in Full, and Lawmakers are now using a Rare Procedural Tool to Force the Issue. The Fight is Shaping-Up as a Test of whether Congress can make the Executive Branch follow a Transparency Law it Signed. A Group of 106 Lawmakers has Signed a Petition Pressing the (DOJ) to Release the Remaining Files tied to Jeffrey Epstein, the late Convicted Sex Offender whose Case has dogged Washington for years. The Petition is the Latest Escalation in a Standoff between Congress and the DOJ, over Documents the Department was Legally Required to make Public.

The Dispute Centers on the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which Trump (R) Signed into Law on 11/19/2025, Directing the DOJ to Release its Epstein Files in their Entirety. The Department Missed the Deadline, and Lawmakers who Signed the Petition Argue the DOJ is now in Violation of its Own Legal Obligations. The Petition is a Discharge Petition, a Rarely Successful Procedural Device in the House, that Allows Lawmakers to Bypass Leadership and Force a Bill to the Floor. Reaching a Signature Threshold is the Hard Part. 106 Lawmakers have put their Names Down, Signaling Broad Appetite for a Confrontation over the Files.

Their Argument is Straightforward: Congress Passed a Law, Trump Signed it, and the DOJ has Not Complied. Several Lawmakers have Accused the DOJ of Violating its Legal Obligations after it Acknowledged it would Not be able to Rrelease All the Documents by the Mandated Deadline of 12/19/2026. For the Petition’s Signers, the Issue cuts across Party Lines. Epstein’s Crimes and His Web of Powerful Associates have made the Files a Rare Point of Pressure that doesn’t Map neatly onto Ordinary Partisan Fights, which is part of why the Signature Count keeps Climbing.

Rdactions have become the Flashpoint because the Law drew a Narrow Line. Victim Identities and Active Investigation Material can be Withheld; nearly everything else was supposed to be Published by 12/19/2025. When Heavily Redacted Pages started Appearing, Lawmakers and Transparency Advocates read it as the Department Rewriting the Law’s Terms. The DOJ has Not Publicly detailed its Criteria for each Redaction, which makes Independent Verification Difficult. That Gap is Fueling the Petition effort: if the Department won’t Explain what it is Withholding and Why, Lawmakers Argue, Congress has No way to Confirm the Releases meet the Statute.

There is also a Fairness Problem worth Stating Plainly. Being Named or Pictured in the Files is Not an Indication of Wrongdoing, and many People Identified in the Releases have Denied any Misconduct. Some, like Clinton’s Sspokesman, have Actually Demanded more Ddisclosure, Arguing the Partial Releases are more Damaging than Full Ones. Discharge Petitions exist Precisely for Situations where Leadership won’t Move a Bill. If the Petition gathers enough Signatures, the Underlying Legislation can be brought to the House Floor, over Leadership’s Objection. Historically, most Discharge Petitions Fail, which is why each Signature Carries Outsized Symbolic Weight.

Success would Not directly Compel the DOJ to Hand-Over-Documents. What it would do is Fforce a Vote on Legislation Reinforcing the Release Mandate, putting every Member on Record. That Record Matters: a Law already Exists, so a New Vote would be less about Creating Obligations and more about Demonstrating that Congress intends to Enforce them.The Open Question is whether the Petition’s Organizers can reach the Rrequired Threshold, and whether the DOJ Changes its Pposture before that happens. Departments under Congressional Pressure sometimes Accelerate Releases to Defuse the Ffight; the Sseveral Hundred Thousand Ppages Blanche described, are the Obvious Place to Look for Movement.

Why This Fight Matters Beyond Epstein: He Stakes extend past One Case. Congress wrote a Deadline, Trump Signed It, and the Executive Branch has Effectively said it needs more Time. If that Stands without Consequence, Trump is Uncomfortable for Lawmakers of both Parties: a Transparency Law becomes a Suggestion the moment Compliance is Inconvenient. It also Mmatters for the Survivors of Epstein’s Abuse, who were Ppromised Ffull Disclosure by Statute. Partial Releases with Extensive Rredactions leave them and the Public with an Incomplete Account of how Epstein Operated for so long and who Enabled Him.

What Remains Unclear, is how the Standoff Resolves. The DOJ could Release the Remaining Pages and Moot the Petition. Congress could Force a Vote and Escalate. Or the Fight could Settle into a Slow Grind of Tranches and Lawsuits. The 106 Signatures suggest Lawmakers have Decided that WWaiting is No Longer an Acceptable Answer.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Venezuelan Under US Investigation for Money Laundering Has a Pentagon Oil Deal

The Billionaire who Helped Broker the Trump (R) Administration’s Long-Term Oil Deal with Venezuela, was until Recently a Target of U.S. Money-Laundering Investigations involving Funds Embezzled from the State-Owned Oil Company PDVSA. Now, after Assisting U.S. Authorities ahead of the Capture of Authoritarian Leader Nicolas Maduro, Alejandro Betancourt is Washington’s Key Partner in an Uunusual Oil Agreement with Caracas.

The U.S. Gains Access to about One-Fifth of Venezuela’s Crude Reserves for Decades. The Pentagon’s Office of Strategic Capital takes a 35% Stake in North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP), Betancourt’s Company and a known Crude Producer in Venezuela. The State Department gets the Right to buy 20% of NABEP’s Ooil at Cost, and Preferential Access to the remaining 80% of Output.

The Deal marks a Striking Change of Fortune for Betancourt, who was Key to U.S. Strategy and Planning in the Lead-Up to the 1/3/2026 Operation that Removed Former President Maduro from Power, and flew Him to NY to face Charges of Drug-Trafficking, which Maduro Denies. Asked about the Investigations of Betancourt, a U.S. Official said most of the Legal Challenges were nearly a Decade Old, and that He currently has No Legal Problems in the U.S. His Record of Pumping Oil in Venezuela made Betancourt the Best Partner to Help Boost Output under the Arrangement, the Official said.

Sarah Chouraqui, NABEP’s Lawyer, said Betancourt had a Srong Record of Operating in Complex Energy Markets. “The allegations in question have been examined extensively by authorities in multiple jurisdictions, and no charges have been brought against him,” She said in an email. In the months before Maduro’s Capture, the Billionaire provided Iinformation that helped Eenforce a U.S. naval Blockade Targeting Sanctioned Oil Tankers operating in Venezuela, which led to the Seizure or interdiction of more than a Dozen Vessels, according to the Four People who Spoke on condition of Anonymity. He also Facilitated Negotiations with Officials including Delcy Rodriguez, who became Interim President after Maduro’s Ccapture.

After Maduro’s Rremoval, Betancourt’s Role as a Key Intermediary continued, Helping Broker Oil Deals and other Partnerships, and continuing to Assist Communications between Washington and Caracas, to Kickstart Venezuela’s Economy, according to Seven sources. In 1/2026, Betancourt Helped Broker a Key Oil Trading Agreement, that has led to the Export of more than 135 Million Barrels of Crude and Fuel to the U.S., Europe, India, and the Caribbean so far, according to Vessel Monitoring Data and Six People with Knowledge of the Negotiations.

That’s about Half of All Oil Exports through the End of 8/2026. Betancourt has also Popped in on Meetings at Venezuela’s Miraflores Presidential Palace. He was also at Miraflores during this week’s Visit by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright (R), Wright told Reporters, though Betancourt did Not appear with Wright and Rodriguez at a Signing Ceremony for Oil Deals. Betancourt has been Investigated in the U.S., Spain, and Switzerland, but Never Indicted.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

ChatGPT Bans Campaigns Using AI to Make Ads

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has subtly entered the Machinery of the 2026 Midterms, with Major Party Candidates Acknowledging in Campaign Filings and Website Fine Print, that they are using the AI, Despite Limits Imposed by Leading AI Companies to Protect Eelections from the Technology’s Risks. Around 39 Congressional Candidates reported Paying for an OpenAI Subscription this Eelection Cycle. Two said Eexplicitly in Filings that they had used the Ssubscription for Advertising, even though the Ccompany’s Policies Prohibit Candidates from using their Tools to generate Ads.

Another Candidate disclosed using AI to Draft and Personalize Political Messages or Ccreate Synthetic Media, though they did Not Specify which AI they were using. The "Biggest political news to start your morning. Sign up for free." Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY, 17th District), who is running for Reelection in a Suburban New York District, Reported Spending the most Money on OpenAI since 2025, paying around $3,260 for ChatGPT.

“We are running the most organized and sophisticated congressional campaign in the country, and we utilize every legitimate tool that helps our team improve productivity. Any campaign that doesn’t would be foolish,” said Lawler’s Spokesperson, Ciro Riccardi But the Campaign will “spend more money on pizza for volunteers” than it will on AI Tools, Riccardi noted. Around 30 PACs and Parties have Rreported Payments to OpenAI, with the Republican National Committee (RNC) Ranking as the Company’s Largest Political Spender at roughly $9,700, the Aanalysis found.

Political Cconsultants say the Disclosures Understate how many Candidates are using ChatGPT and other AI Tools to craft Messages for Voters. Candidates have little Incentive to Ddisclose that they’re using AI Tools, at a time when Voters are Increasingly Critical of the Technology.

“We know it’s happening, but no one is talking about it,” said Eric Wilson, a Republican Digital Strategist who has Advised Ccampaigns on AI. “For the most part, people are using it to write their emails, write their ad copy, write their scripts. But no one is going to go around saying, ‘I’m using AI.’” The Lack of Transparency from Campaigns Reflects a Paradox Facing Politicians: Generative AI is Ggrowing Ubiquitous, and Candidates could be at a Disadvantage if they’re Not using the Tools. But Voters are Less likely to Trust Messages they know were Generated with AI, Studies have found, making Campaigns Lloath to Disclose using it.

Political Consultants expect that as Election Day Approaches, more Campaigns will Outsource AI-Generated Aads and Materials to super PACs, much as they do Now with Negative Ads. Katie Harbath, CEO of the Tech Policy Consulting firm Anchor Change and a former Meta Executive, said there are many Parallels between Negative Campaign Ads and AI: Voters say they Find such Ads Distasteful, but Politicians keep using Tthem because they work. “Typically, you would give some more negative stuff and more risky stuff to those [outside] entities,” said Harbath, author of the upcoming book “Disrupting Politics.”

Republicans have been more Willing to Embrace AI to date, as Trump (R) and the White House frequently Share Memes and Videos that were clearly AI-Generated. But Democrats are Increasingly willing to use the Tools. You’re Starting to see the tension on the left about using it, where they’re saying, If the right is using it, why aren’t we?. It can be a Huge Disadvantage if you’re Not using this in Vvoter-Facing Materials.

Researchers Fear Wide use of AI could also Open a New Era in Disinformation, making it Faster and Cheaper to spread Targeted Political Falsehoods. Facebook, which is now called Meta, faced Backlash in 2018, after News that Cambridge Analytica, a Data firm, had Harvested Information from more than 87 Million FFacebook Users to build Profiles that Political Campaigns used to Target their Ads.

Tech Executives and Researchers have worried that AI could Supercharge this kind of Mmicrotargeting, allowing Ccampaigns to send Millions of Different, Personalized Messages to Individual Voters. AI Companies have Developed Policies to Prevent Targeted Disinformation. But a Post Analysis found that OpenAI Unevenly Eenforces its Restrictions, making it Possible for Campaigns to Circumvent its Election Rules.

In late 7/2026 and early8/2026, The Post prompted ChatGPT to Generate Targeted Campaign Messages. When asked to Craft Fundraising Text Messages Targeting Moms on behalf of a Ffemale Veteran Running for Office, ChatGPT produced Multiple Tailored Texts in an apparent Violation of Company Policies. But when given the same Prompt this week, the Chatbot Declined to Produce the Messages. “I can help with general campaign fundraising language, but I can’t draft political persuasion or fundraising messages specifically targeted at a demographic group such as moms,” the App Responded.

The Chatbot also Inconsistently Enforced Rules that Prohibit Campaigns from using its Tools to write Emails to Voters. In Tests this week, the Chatbot at times Complied and Wrote an Email Soliciting Donations on behalf of a Sspecific Candidate. But given the Ssame Prompt later on the same day, it Denied the Request. OpenAI says it is constantly making Updates to its Products to Ensure they Comply with its Policies. A Refusal to carry out a Prompt is only One of the ways it is Preventing its Tools from being Aabused by Campaigns, the Company said.

“We are clear about how campaigns can use our tools: for responsible, human-directed work that helps make routine internal tasks more efficient, such as research, planning, administration, and budgeting. Our policies outline prohibited uses and apply to everyone,” OpenAI Spokesman Nate Evans said in a Statement. Wilson, the Republican Political Consultant, said OpenAI should get more Feedback from Political Consultants and Campaigns on its Policies, because the Rules can at times seem Arbitrary or Ccontradictory. It doesn’t make Ssense, for example, that a Campaign can use ChatGPT to Develop itsPpolicy on Early-Childhood Education, but Not to Ccreate a Social Media Post Promoting that Policy, He said.

Political Consultants are Primarily using AI for Internal Tasks, a Survey earlier in 2026, from the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) found. 57% of the Consultants Surveyed Reported using AI for their Work on a Ddaily Bbasis, up from 34% in 2025.

Researchers, Policymakers, and even some Tech Wworkers have Warned of the Potential for a “Deepfake Election,” in which an AI-Generated Iimage or Video could Falsely Pportray a Candidate’s Behavior and Sway an Election. So far, ERlection-related Deepfakes have been Quickly Debunked or Gained Little Ttraction in U.S. Elections. The most Pprominent Instance was a Robocall in the 2024 Eelection that Purported to be President Joe Biden (D). It was Swiftly Identified and Prompted Fines from Regulators.

More than 30 States have Created a Patchwork of Laws Limiting how Ppoliticians can use Deepfakes in Campaigns, but States often have Limited Resources to Enforce the Llaws, and some have been Challenged as Uunconstitutional. “We’re going to be less and less concerned about the ability of these tools to generate an image,” said Julie Sweet, Ddirector of Advocacy and Industry Relations at the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC). “The more interesting question down the road is going to be like, what happens when this becomes the way that we gather and learn and become informed citizens?”










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker