Jonathan Shorman

There it is: Noem out, Mullin in

Paxton floats exiting Senate runoff if GOP passes voter ID President Donald Trump, who was neutral in the first round, said he would endorse “soon” in the runoff between Paxton and GOP incumbent John Cornyn and would expect the candidate he did not endorse to...

New: Attorney General Ken Paxton said Thursday he would consider dropping out of the U.S. Senate race if Senate GOP leaders agreed to abolish the filibuster and pass a bill that require people to provide proof of citizenship when they register to vote.

Breaking:

WASHINGTON (AP) - More than 20 states sue over new global tariffs Trump imposed after Supreme Court loss.

Federal law already prohibits armed federal personnel at polling places. Some Democratic state lawmakers, citing Trump's calls to "nationalize" elections and rhetoric by his allies, don't want to take any chances and are pushing state-level bans on immigration enforcement near the polls

Blue states push to ban ICE at the polls amid federal voter intimidation fears • Stateline Several Democratic states are moving to bar federal immigration agents from being near polling places and other election sites, amid persistent worries that President Donald Trump will use federal law enforcement or the military to disrupt the midterm elections. Measures to restrict federal agents from operating at or near election-related locations have been offered in […]

Several Democratic states are moving to bar federal immigration agents from being near polling places and other election sites, Jonathan Shorman reports.

https://stateline.org/2026/03/05/blue-states-push-to-ban-ice-at-the-polls-amid-federal-voter-intimidation-fears/

Federal funding for people in poverty heading to anti-abortion centers instead • Stateline The bulk of the money Missouri gives to its crisis pregnancy centers comes from federal funds meant to assist families experiencing poverty with basic necessities and child care, Republican Rep. Jason...

States are diverting federal TANF dollars meant for families in need to crisis pregnancy centers that discourage abortion care. Federal funding for housing and sex ed is heading to the centers, too, States Newsroom found:

stateline.org/2026/03/04/r...

Blue states push to ban ICE at the polls amid federal voter intimidation fears • Stateline Several Democratic states are moving to bar federal immigration agents from being near polling places and other election sites, amid persistent worries that President Donald Trump will use federal law...

NEW - Amid fears Trump could try to interfere in the midterms, several Democratic states are advancing bans on immigration enforcement near polling places

Federal law already prohibits armed federal personnel at the polls, but lawmakers want state-level limits, too

stateline.org/2026/03/05/b...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans vote down legislation to halt war against Iran in early show of support for Trump’s campaign.

Colorado officials urge Polis not to reduce sentence for former clerk Tina Peters | Colorado Newsline Officials in Colorado decried the prospect of Gov. Jared Polis granting clemency for imprisoned former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters.

Officials in Colorado decried the prospect of clemency for imprisoned former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters after Gov. Jared Polis suggested there was an unfair disparity between her sentence and that of a former state senator who was recently sentenced to probation.
By @lindseytoomer.bsky.social

NEW: Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser (D) says Gov Jared Polis (D) offering clemency to Tina Peters "would be a grave miscarriage of justice and dangerous for free and fair elections."

Trump Has Been Sued 198 Times for Withholding Funding. It Hasn’t Stopped Him. (Gift Article) Immigration demands for highway dollars, D.E.I. rules for homeless grants: how Trump has tried to wield spending to get his way.

We've been tracking nearly 200 lawsuits against the Trump administration over its attempts to leverage federal funding to impose the president's agenda.

The most startling pattern: The administration seems entirely undeterred when it loses in court.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

This is a key point... Each additional day the Supreme Court waits to release a decision anticipated to gut Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act likely further blunts the impact to the 2026 cycle. But it would set up high-stakes fights over redistricting during 2027 legislative sessions ahead of 2028.

Crisis Pregnancy Centers Series | News From The States Billion Dollar Baby Bump: A States Newsroom 50-state investigation examining the tax records of more than 1,600 crisis pregnancy center organizations nationwide and state and federal budgets found the...

States Newsroom conducted a 50-state investigation examining state and federal budgets, and the tax records of crisis pregnancy centers nationwide, finding that while the magnitude of public funding for them is growing, oversight is not.

NEW SERIES: www.newsfromthestates.com/tags/crisis-...

Proud to be part of this reporting series. The amount of taxpayer dollars being funneled to these centers is astounding. And many of them do good work within their scope. But this public largesse hasn’t been accompanied by robust oversight. Read more:

Roy Cooper (D) and Michael Whatley (R) win their primaries in the North Carolina Senate race, @nbcnews.com projects. This long-anticipated contest for the fall is official. Critical race for Democrats if they are to have any shot at the majority.

Another Republican Secretary of State refuses DOJ demand for unredacted voter data

Idaho secretary of state won’t give US Justice Department sensitive voter information • Idaho Capital Sun Idaho’s secretary of state said he will not give the Trump administration access to sensitive personal information about registered voters.

"Ultimately, my concern is for the privacy rights of Idahoans who have registered to vote, as secured under Idaho law,” Idaho Secretary of State Phil McGrane wrote to the Justice Department in a Feb. 26 letter. #idpol

Trump: ‘I might have forced Israel’s hand’ in launching Iran war WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Tuesday he “might have forced Israel’s hand” in launching the war on Iran that has already cost the lives of six American troops. Trump’s statement came less t...

NEW: “We were having negotiations with these lunatics, and it was my opinion that they were going to attack first,” Trump told reporters. “... and I didn't want that to happen. So if anything, I might have forced Israel's hand, but Israel was ready" www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trum...

Texas 2026 primary results Results from early voting should start rolling out after polls close at 7 p.m. It will be hours before all races are called.

Texas voters may see some unofficial results not long after polls close at 7 p.m. But the official outcome of the election will take longer. Here’s how the process unfolds: bit.ly/4cYLVir

As federal immigration enforcement expands, local police struggle with cooperation • Stateline When Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore signed emergency legislation last month prohibiting agreements between local law enforcement agencies and federal immigration authorities, he was pushing back against one of the fastest-growing pieces of President Donald Trump’s deportation strategy. The expansion of immigration enforcement hasn’t happened primarily through high-profile raids: It has unfolded through formal partnerships […]

President Trump's mass deportations depend heavily on cooperation from local law enforcement. But as the number of partnerships climb, statehouses are split, Amanda Watford reports.

https://stateline.org/2026/03/03/as-federal-immigration-enforcement-expands-local-police-struggle-with-cooperation/

US homeland chief Noem to face scrutiny on immigration crackdown at Senate hearing U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is expected to face tough questions ​over President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown during a Senate hearing on Tuesday, with funding for...

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is expected to face tough questions ​over Trump's immigration crackdown during a Senate hearing today, with funding for her department still stalled ‌due to Democratic objections to its aggressive tactics www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

Here’s when Texas voters can expect to see 2026 primary election results Republicans’ decision to count ballots by hand in two Texas counties could delay unofficial primary election results.

Republicans’ decision to count ballots by hand in two Texas counties could delay unofficial primary election results.

Supreme Court blocks law against schools outing transgender students to their parents in California The Supreme Court is clearing the way for California schools to tell parents if their children identify as transgender without getting the student’s approval, granting an emergency appeal from a conservative legal group.

The Supreme Court cleared the way for California schools to tell parents if their children identify as transgender without getting the student's approval, granting an emergency appeal from a conservative legal group.

WSJ: “.. U.S. officials and lawmakers with access to classified information say the Trump administration’s assertions about threats from Iran are incomplete, unsubstantiated, or flat-out wrong.”

@wsj.com
www.wsj.com/world/middle...

Missouri’s local news is under pressure — and still essential • Missouri Independent In rapid succession this year, the Washington Post laid off half its newsroom, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution cut 15% of its staff and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette announced it would close in May. Wh...

Journalism is the immune system of democracy. When it weakens, corruption lasts longer. Abuse of power goes unchecked. Public money disappears more easily. #moleg #mogov

25A914 Order

BREAKING: The U.S. Supreme Court has paused a New York state judge’s order for a new congressional map for this year’s midterm election, siding with Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, whose district was to be redrawn after the judge found it dilutes Black and Latino voters’ collective power

Greg Bovino, other federal agents investigated for Operation Metro Surge actions Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said her office is already investigating 17 incidents involving potential unlawful conduct by federal agents.

The DA in Minneapolis is investigating Bovino and others.

Death toll for US service members in Iran war at 4 as Hegseth refuses to specify timeline WASHINGTON — The U.S. war on Iran will continue unabated on President Donald Trump’s terms, with more troops on the way and more casualties expected, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told reporters e...

JUST IN from @ashleymurray.bsky.social

The U.S. war on Iran will continue unabated on President Donald Trump’s terms, with more troops on the way and more casualties expected, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told reporters early Monday.

www.newsfromthestates.com/article/deat...

30 more charged for protesting at Twin Cities church where pastor is ICE official • Minnesota Reformer Bondi's all-caps exhortation arrives even as thousands of churches committed to protecting immigrants have launched lawsuits against the federal government.

30 more charged for protesting at Twin Cities church where pastor is ICE official minnesotareformer.com/briefs/30-mo...

Q: "Are you considering a national emergency around the midterm elections?”

Trump: “Who told you that?”

Q: “There's been reporting that there's a proposed executive order about this. Are you looking at that?”

Trump: “No.”