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DHS Asks DOJ to Investigate ERIC Data Transfers to Zuckerberg-Tied Nonprofit
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin asked Attorney General Todd Blanche to investigate whether the Electronic Registration Information Center violated the Driver’s Privacy Protection Act by collecting Social Security and driver’s license numbers from state motor vehicle records and sharing them with outside groups. Mullin’s letter, released Friday by the White House, said ERIC required member states to disclose data on people who were not registered to vote and later provided that information to the Center for Election Innovation and Research. CEIR received more than $70 million from the Chan Zuckerberg Foundation ahead of the 2020 election and issued grants to states that agreed to turn over the data. DHS officials said at least nine states authorized transfers covering more than 48 million registered voters, and Mullin wrote that emails from Georgia showed CEIR had coordinated outreach to people identified in motor vehicle files.
Editor’s Note: Blue states will share your information with Meta for profit, but not with the federal government to ensure fair and accurate elections.
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Missouri Supreme Court Bars GOP House Map From Midterms Pending Referendum
The Missouri Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously blocked a Republican-drawn congressional map from being used in the November midterms and said the 2022 districts remain in effect unless voters first approve the new lines. The court found that a referendum petition with more than 300,000 signatures was legal and timely, and that Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins wrongly refused to certify it. The 2025 map, signed by Gov. Mike Kehoe after a special session, was used in last month’s primaries and was designed to stretch US Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s (D-MO) Kansas City district into rural Republican territory for a possible 7-1 GOP House edge. Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said she will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court and called the timing after a primary a constitutional crisis. President Trump labeled the ruling ridiculous and unconstitutional. Five of the seven justices were appointed by Republican governors.
Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Restore USPS Mail Ballot Rules
The Trump administration on Thursday asked the Supreme Court to let the U.S. Postal Service enforce a new mail-in ballot rule after a Boston federal judge blocked it ahead of the November midterms. Solicitor General D. John Sauer called the rule a modest envelope-design and addressee requirements and said it regulates the mail, not state election control. The rule would require states to provide USPS with lists of mail-ballot recipients and unique barcodes on outbound and return envelopes, with noncompliant ballots possibly being refused. A whistleblower report cited problems building the matching portal and a zero-failure standard that could reject ballots without appeal. Officials recently said they were unsure whether the system was even operational. North Carolina is set to start mailing ballots Friday. States and voting groups warn the late change could scramble delivery as ballots enter the mailstream.
Nevada Active Rolls Fall 50,130 as Democrat Lead Shrinks to 672
Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar reported that active registration dropped by 50,130 in August to 2,062,136 voters after routine list maintenance before the National Voter Registration Act’s 90-day quiet period. Democrats now have 569,337 active voters and Republicans 568,665, a gap of 672. Nonpartisans remain the largest group at 796,805, or 38.64 percent. Inactive registrations total 426,577. Those voters can still cast a ballot, but no longer get mail ballots automatically. Aguilar’s office earlier said counties in 2025 canceled 176,928 registrations and moved 138,367 to inactive status. The secretary called the work ordinary roll-keeping so only eligible Nevadans vote.
Musk PAC Opens Midterm Checkbook With $800,000 for GOP Races
Elon Musk’s America PAC disclosed more than $800,000 in independent expenditures from August, according to Federal Election Commission filings made public this week. The largest share, $247,595, backed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) in a tightening Senate contest against Democrat James Talarico. The PAC also spent to support Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), Sen. Jon Husted (R-OH), Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK), and other Republicans in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Michigan, as well as House candidates in Virginia, New York, Florida, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Wisconsin. The outlays, mostly listed as printing for direct mail, follow Musk’s meeting with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and mark the start of an expected $100 million to $200 million midterm effort while President Trump’s MAGA Inc. super PAC sits on more than $400 million.
FCC Seeks Court Dismissal of Disney Suit on Early ABC License Reviews
Federal Communications Commission lawyers asked a U.S. district judge on Thursday to dismiss a lawsuit by Disney and ABC that seeks to halt the agency’s early review of licenses for eight ABC-owned broadcast stations. The FCC argued the suit is premature because no enforcement decision has been made and stations may keep operating during the process. Agency lawyers said an injunction would hinder review of a voluminous record and allegations of unlawful discrimination in employment practices. Chairman Brendan Carr ordered the renewals in April, years before the 2028 schedule, citing an ongoing investigation. Disney and ABC filed suit in August, claiming First Amendment retaliation over programming decisions. The FCC rejected that account, saying the review is unrelated to The View or Jimmy Kimmel. Judge Loren AliKhan scheduled a hearing for Oct. 6.
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Second Circuit Says Schools May Bar Pride Flags on Classroom Walls
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals this week held that Connetquot Central School District on Long Island did not violate the First Amendment when it ordered three high school teachers to take down pride flags and door stickers. Judges Alison Nathan, Michael Park, and Maria Araújo Kahn said classroom wall decorations are speech that exists because of a teacher’s job and therefore count as government speech under Garcetti v. Ceballos. Math teacher Sarah Ecke had hung two pride flags after students complained. Officials offered a “safe space” sign and let an older pride flag stay. Teachers Christopher Dolce and Shinaide McAleavey-Polley were told to remove stickers from their doors. The panel rejected claims that sports banners and a French classroom flag proved viewpoint bias. The court said a pin on a blazer or a family photo would be different.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert to Exit After Clark Abuse Flap and Transgender Fight
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert will retire at the end of 2026 after more than seven years as the league’s first commissioner, the WNBA said Friday. The announcement follows a season of protest and criticism over the league’s handling of Indiana Fever stars Caitlin Clark and Sophie Cunningham. Clark was punched in the throat and slammed to the floor this season, drawing a letter from Republican lawmakers demanding accountability for repeated attacks the league was accused of failing to police. Cunningham’s comments on protecting girls in women’s sports triggered a transgender eligibility fight, arena protests, a Minnesota Lynx coach in a “Trans kids belong” shirt, and security telling fans to cover supporting T-shirts, an incident the league later said should not have happened. Engelbert said the exit was her choice after expansion, a media-rights deal, and a new CBA that created million-dollar salaries. She had faced mounting calls to quit amid those crises.
Mamdani City Hall Feeds Talking Points to 200 Influencers on Signal
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office runs an encrypted Signal group called “NYC Creators Announcements” that feeds talking points and video clips to about 200 social media influencers, the Columbia Journalism Review reported. The list grew out of Creators4Zohran’s 2025 campaign and is run by Emilia Rowland, the mayor’s director of new media. Influencers are not paid by the city for routine posts. Some get $5,000 to $20,000 per campaign through marketing firms that hold city contracts. Procurement notices do not name the creators. Signal can auto-delete messages, raising city records law questions. Mamdani said his administration will strive to comply with preservation rules. The Department of Social Services spent more than $100,000 this year on a social media campaign. The City Council plans a hearing on the practice.
Minnesota AG’s Office Training Told Staff to Act Fast on ‘Intolerant’ Colleagues
Democrat Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office held a May 2025 “Transgender 101 for Legal Professionals” webinar taught by lawyer Ellen Krug, according to records obtained by Alpha News through a public-records request by the Center for American Liberty. Slides told lawyers to “be alert to colleagues who are intolerant” and “deal with that person immediately before you have a major HR problem.” The materials said not to let such staff mentor or supervise a transgender or nonbinary person or represent transgender clients. On religious objections, the course said to “recite how state or local law (hopefully) requires accommodating transitioning team members.” It also told lawyers to “push back” against “anti-trans agendas” and said child transitions are “not” just “a phase.” Mark Trammell of the Center for American Liberty said parts of the training conflict with religious liberty and parental rights.
Editor’s Note: That’s all you need to know about Democrats in blue states: DEI is more important than hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars being given to fraudsters.
California Taxpayers Face Billions in New Levies After Session Closes
New and increased California taxes approved in the 2026 legislative session will extract billions more from residents already carrying some of the nation’s heaviest state tax loads. The state’s gas tax rose 2.2 cents on July 1 to 63.4 cents a gallon, with Senate Republican Caucus figures putting 2026 collections at $327 million, while statewide pump prices sat at $5.43 the day before the hike against a $3.85 national average. Beginning Jan. 1, 2027, the existing sales and use tax will apply to digital software and is projected to raise $450 million in fiscal 2026-27 and $900 million in the year after that. Senate Bill 125 imposes an $8.85 monthly tax per enrollee on managed care organizations to backfill Medi-Cal after federal funding cuts, with the Legislative Analyst’s Office estimating $575 million in 2026-27, $2.3 billion in 2027-28 and $1.7 billion in 2028-29. The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association notes that California already has the highest state sales tax and income tax rates, with even more tax measures headed to the November ballot.
ON THIS DAY IN 1882:
Thomas Edison flipped the switch at his Pearl Street power station in Manhattan, launching the nation's first central commercial electric power plant and laying the groundwork for the modern power grid.
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Spanish Police Review Acid Buys in Ceuta as Protesters Face Tear Gas in Madrid
Spanish National Police have been looking into bulk supermarket purchases of hydrochloric acid and aluminum foil in Ceuta after staff reported a large group of migrants, described as mostly Moroccan, buying the two items together. Spanish outlets citing police sources named activists from the NGO No Name Kitchen as accompanying the buyers. Investigators have sought to determine whether the materials were meant for homemade acid-and-foil bottles that spray gas and corrosive liquid, devices Spanish media say have been thrown at soldiers and at residents marching in Villajovita. No Name Kitchen denies any role in weapons and says foil is for meals. Interior officials told RTVE they are not investigating any NGO for supplying explosives. Tens of thousands protested the Ceuta migrant surge on Wednesday, including about 20,000 in the enclave. In Madrid, riot police later used tear gas and rubber projectiles near Congress. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez told lawmakers Thursday that more than 90 percent of arrivals were returned within 72 hours and that Ceuta will remain Spanish.
Cuba Loosens Hiring and Tourism Rules After Decades of State Control
Cuba published 34 pages of new regulations in the official Gaceta on Thursday to attract foreign investment, trade, and tourism as the island contends with U.S. sanctions, blackouts, and a deepening economic crisis. The rules let private firms hire and fire without state employment agencies, allow joint ventures and domestic investors in foreign commerce to open overseas bank accounts by notification rather than prior approval, and permit private travel agencies and self-employed tour guides in a sector long run by the government. Foreign Commerce Minister Oscar Pérez-Oliva Fraga said the changes cut red tape and respond to investor demands. The measures follow a June package of 176 reforms billed as the largest shift in Cuba’s socialist model since 1959. Officials insist the opening is not capitalism, even as talks with the Trump administration have stalled.
Milei Threatens Falklands Oil Sanctions After Casting Britain as a Country in Decline
Argentine President Javier Milei said Argentina would prevail in its claim to the Falkland Islands and announced sanctions targeting companies preparing to develop the Sea Lion oilfield about 140 miles north of the British overseas territory. In a televised address Thursday, Milei called the project by Israel’s Navitas Petroleum and Britain’s Rockhopper Exploration a clear and present danger to resources Argentina says belong to it. He pledged a decree to speed existing penalties, a sovereignty bill extending sanctions to shareholders and suppliers, and more money for a naval base in Tierra del Fuego. Britain replied that islanders chose to remain British in a 2013 vote of 99.8 percent and that their right of self-determination includes the right to develop their own resources. The oil firms said the threat would have no material effect on plans for first production in 2028 from a field estimated at 1.7 billion barrels.
Israeli Defense Minister Warns Iran of Stone Age Strikes as IDF Clears Hezbollah Ridge
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Thursday that an Iranian attack would free Israel from existing limits on strikes and that Israel would hit Iran’s national, military, civilian and energy infrastructure and send it “deep into the Stone Age and darkness.” Katz spoke at a Rosh Hashanah toast with Defense Ministry staff and said economic pressure and fear of an uprising could push Tehran to desperate steps. He said Israel had already struck Iran hard, destroyed its nuclear program, killed former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and damaged strategic capabilities, and that the IDF is ready defensively and offensively. The same day, the IDF said the 36th Division seized Ali al-Taher Ridge in southern Lebanon and neutralized an Iran-funded Hezbollah underground network with command posts, weapons stores, and living quarters built for long stays. Some terrorists were killed, and others fled. The military said work to clear the tunnels continues and that it remains committed to the Lebanon ceasefire.
Chinese Rare-Earth Firms Stop Some U.S. Shipments Ahead of Xi Visit
Some Chinese rare-earth suppliers have refused to ship to U.S. buyers for fear of punishment from Beijing, three sources told Reuters on Friday. A handful of firms have declined orders since early August, when China sanctioned the U.S.-based Responsible Business Alliance, a supply-chain monitor tied to the Responsible Minerals Initiative. Traders said companies feared penalties for following that due-diligence system. Other Chinese producers had already cut U.S. shipments in recent months to stay out of the geopolitical fight, including four cases in which firms worried material could be resold to banned users. U.S. officials have pressed China to honor Busan and Beijing pledges on export licenses. The dispute is on the planning list before President Xi Jinping’s Sept. 24 Washington visit. Rare earths remain tight for defense, semiconductors, aerospace, and energy.
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