Jonathan Shorman

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.”

Kansas Court of Appeals rules CoreCivic can’t house ICE detainees without Leavenworth permit • Kansas Reflector CoreCivic can’t house immigration detainees before reaching an agreement with the city of Leavenworth on reopening its private prison

Kansas Court of Appeals rules CoreCivic can’t house ICE detainees without Leavenworth permit | via @crazeywriter.bsky.social #ksleg

Oregon Secretary of State Read 'deeply concerned' about election conspiracies after FBI call • Oregon Capital Chronicle A call with federal officials and state election officers ahead of the 2026 election was full of bluster and mostly free of facts, according to Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read.

A call with federal officials and state election officers ahead of the 2026 election was full of bluster and mostly free of facts, according to Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read.

Warner Bros. Discovery deems Paramount's takeover bid superior to Netflix deal Warner Bros. Discovery has determined that Paramount’s latest takeover offer constitues a superior deal to the streaming and studio agreement it struck with Netflix, marking a stark shift in momentum in the fight for the storied Hollywood giant.

Netflix declines to raise offer for Warner Bros., says the deal is "no longer financially attractive."

DOJ sues 5 more states for access to voter rolls

Tennessee, ACLU reach deal in lawsuit over law criminalizing officials voting for sanctuary policies • Tennessee Lookout The state of Tennessee won't enforce a 2025 law creating a felony for public officials to vote in favor of sanctuary policies for immigrants.

Tennessee, ACLU reach deal in lawsuit over law criminalizing officials voting for sanctuary policies tennesseelookout.com/briefs/tenne...

Thune declares ‘talking filibuster’ dead Senate Majority Leader John Thune is facing relentless pressure from all directions as he navigates a politically perilous fight over the SAVE America Act.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune declared publicly for the first time that there’s no way for Senate Republicans to maintain the procedural unity required in order to pass the SAVE America Act via a “talking filibuster.”

Via @punchbowlnews.bsky.social

punchbowl.news/article/sena...

In their clearest denial to date, DHS flatly promised election officials yesterday they would not send ICE to polling places this year: www.votebeat.org/2026/02/26/i...

Kentucky SOS Adams says the same

Notable: Heather Honey said on the call that ICE will not be at polling places, per Fontes

Arizona SOS readout on the FBI election security call today

You can't watch the Missouri Senate online. Some senators like it that way. No cost estimates are available for the addition of video streaming of the Missouri Senate

No cost estimates are available for the addition of video streaming of the Missouri Senate

After marathon meeting, CoreCivic moves closer to reopening Leavenworth prison • Kansas Reflector Leavenworth city officials moved CoreCivic closer to reopening their private prison after a 4-1 vote in favor of a special use permit.

CoreCivic is closer to reopening its Leavenworth prison facility to house ICE detainees. Commissioner Holly Pittman is concerned the city would violate property rights if they don't approve the company's special use permit. Still one more step before it's final. kansasreflector.com/2026/02/25/a...

Oregon Senate passes bill to regulate ICE in hospitals • Oregon Capital Chronicle Senate Bill 1570 aims to help hospital staff respond when federal law enforcement arrives on site and protect sensitive information.

Federal agents in Oregon have detained and shot immigrants in hospital parking lots, accessed confidential emergency medical service logs from behind nurses’ desks and interfered with nurses while they care for patients — some with shackled ankles as agents stood guard in exam rooms. buff.ly/InvyecL

No Callais decision today from SCOTUS.