The Supreme Court will review whether Mississippi can count mail-in ballots arriving after Election Day, a decision that could disrupt voting procedures across approximately 30 states and Washington, DC, ahead of the 2026 elections. Mississippi permits absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day to be tallied if they reach officials within five business days, but the Republican National Committee contends this practice violates federal statutes establishing a single voting deadline.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals previously invalidated the grace period, determining that ballots must reach authorities on Election Day itself. Mississippi warned that eliminating such provisions nationwide would trigger widespread litigation and...
The Supreme Court declined on Monday to revisit its 2015 ruling establishing nationwide marriage equality after former Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis petitioned justices to reconsider the precedent. Davis, who spent five days incarcerated for contempt after refusing to authorize same-sex marriages, citing religious convictions, sought a reversal of a judgment ordering her to compensate a couple more than $300,000 in damages and legal expenses.
The justices rejected her appeal without explanation, requiring at least four votes to advance such a challenge. Legal observers noted the current conservative majority appears reluctant to disturb established protections despite earlier concerns following the abortion rights reversal, with...
Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont has backed Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan in Minnesota's Democratic primary to succeed retiring Senator Tina Smith, marking his third competitive Senate endorsement. The 84-year-old independent praised Flanagan for her willingness to challenge billionaires and corporate interests on behalf of working Americans.
Flanagan, twice elected alongside Governor Tim Walz, supports Medicare for all and has characterized opponent Representative Angie Craig as a corporate Democrat. Craig won a battleground House seat in 2018 and emphasizes her legislative achievements, including efforts to cap insulin prices at $35 for Medicare recipients.
The contest reflects broader party divisions following a compromise...
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth disclosed that American forces conducted two additional strikes on vessels in the eastern Pacific on Sunday, resulting in six deaths and bringing the campaign total to 76 fatalities across 19 operations since early September. The attacks targeted boats traveling through recognized drug trafficking corridors in international waters, with Hegseth sharing video footage showing one stationary craft with visible occupants and another moving at high velocity, though no evidence substantiated narcotics presence aboard either vessel.
Legal experts have challenged the legitimacy of these operations, arguing that international law prohibits deliberately killing civilians who present no immediate violent threat...
The Trump administration petitioned the Supreme Court on Monday to suspend complete federal financing for food stamps despite nearing congressional agreement to end the government shutdown. Solicitor General D. John Sauer challenged lower court rulings requiring full funding for approximately one in eight Americans receiving monthly grocery assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, while President Trump declined to release available reserve funds even as billions were redirected toward deportation operations.
A federal judge in Massachusetts temporarily prevented the administration from forcing states to reverse benefits already distributed to recipients. New York Attorney General Letitia James and New Jersey...
Eight Democratic senators joined Republicans in a 60-to-40 vote on Sunday to advance spending legislation that could end the record government shutdown, though the measure still requires full Senate approval, House passage, and presidential signature. The compromise secured a December vote on extending expiring health insurance subsidies but not their guaranteed passage, prompting criticism from colleagues who wanted firm protections against premium increases for millions of Americans.
The senators breaking ranks included Angus King of Maine and Tim Kaine of Virginia, along with retiring members Dick Durbin of Illinois and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Maggie Hassan and Shaheen from New Hampshire...
President Trump issued federal pardons on Monday to former attorney Rudolph Giuliani and numerous allies who attempted to reverse the 2020 election outcome, including lawyers John Eastman and Sidney Powell, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, and presidential adviser Boris Epshteyn. The Justice Department pardon attorney released the proclamation describing the action as addressing a grave national injustice.
The clemency grants carry limited practical impact since recipients face no current federal charges and remain vulnerable to ongoing state prosecutions. Arizona authorities continue pursuing election interference cases against Giuliani, Epshteyn, Meadows, and Eastman for allegedly scheming to falsely declare Trump...
President Trump faced mounting criticism following Democratic electoral victories that centered on reducing living expenses, prompting the administration to defend its economic record amid persistent inflation concerns. After Democrats won races emphasizing cost-of-living issues, Trump alternately dismissed affordability as a fraudulent concept and insisted his policies had lowered prices, citing a Walmart Thanksgiving meal comparison that analysts noted contained fewer items than the previous year.
Recent polling indicated most Americans report increased spending on groceries and utilities compared to 12 months earlier, with only 30 percent believing Trump met expectations on inflation management. The president pointed to gasoline...
Supporters of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. openly identified as anti-vaccine activists during a weekend gathering in Austin, Texas, where approximately 1,000 attendees celebrated their movement's growing influence. The conference, organized by Children's Health Defense, featured speakers who rejected the term's negative connotations and called for bolder opposition to immunization programs, despite Kennedy's public claims that he supports vaccine safety rather than opposing inoculations entirely.
Del Bigtree, who previously directed communications for Kennedy's presidential campaign, told attendees that divine opposition to vaccines required their advocacy. Mark Gorton of the MAHA Institute similarly urged more aggressive...
