Judge orders reveal of architects of $1.8B anti-weaponization fund
A federal magistrate judge on Friday ordered the Trump administration to reveal who designed the controversial $1.776 billion anti-weaponization fund that was dropped last month.b
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/judge-orders-reveal-architects-1-201038683.html
Maryland’s top court allows Democratic-backed congressional redistricting measure on November ballot
Maryland voters will get to decide in November on a congressional redistricting amendment being pushed by Democrats as part of a nationwide battle for control of the U.S. House in future elections.
The Maryland Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the proposed constitutional amendment must be placed on the November ballot, reversing two lower court rulings that had blocked it from going to voters.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2026-election/marylands-top-court-allows-democratic-backed-congressional-redistricti-rcna596024
South Florida teens are using pizza and technology to fight hunger in America
8th grader Aashrita Kaza, 13, and her brother, Anish, are behind Pizza for a Purpose. Started in 2024, the community-driven app connects pizzerias, grocery stores, and individual donors directly with nearby charities and nonprofits.
They’ve now helped donate more than 25,000 slices.
https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/miami-proud-pizza-for-a-purpose-ashrita-anish-kaza/
Pardoned Capitol rioter pleads guilty to weapons charge
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Williamsville man who previously pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer on Jan. 6, 2021 at the Capitol riots, and was pardoned by President Donald Trump, pleaded guilty to two charges in connection to a domestic incident in June, the Erie County District Attorney’s Office said Wednesday.
https://www.wivb.com/news/crime/pardoned-capitol-rioter-pleads-guilty-to-weapons-charge/
New Jersey can block ICE from entering state property, a federal judge ruled
PHILADELPHIA — An executive order signed by New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill blocking federal immigration agents from using nonpublic state property does not violate the constitution, a federal judge ruled Friday.
https://www.union-bulletin.com/news/national/new-jersey-can-block-ice-from-entering-state-property-a-federal-judge-ruled/article_1296b78b-c756-57c0-a559-3302032566ce.html
Nearly 70% Oppose Data Centers, Poll Finds—As Trump Blasts Communities That Don’t Want Them
Data centers have grown widely unpopular among Americans across the political spectrum, a new poll found as President Donald Trump tries to convince voters they would benefit their communities, even as some Republican candidates have reversed course on supporting them.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2026/09/07/nearly-70-oppose-data-centers-poll-finds-as-trump-blasts-communities-that-dont-want-them/
Fake Republican Convention Website Redirects Visitors to DOJ’s Epstein Library Before RNC Event
A look-alike Republican convention website redirected visitors to the US Department of Justice’s Epstein Library days before the Republican Party’s first national midterm convention, scheduled for 9 and 10 September in Dallas, Texas.
The domain, gopdallas2026.com, was designed to resemble the official convention website and appeared prominently in Google searches before being taken offline.
https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/fake-gop-convention-website-epstein-library-1818264
Republicans blast out ‘free tickets’ offer to save Trump from Dallas convention embarrassment
Two days before Donald Trump’s midterm convention opens in Dallas, Texas, the party that promised the largest such gathering in a decade has been running a public lottery for free tickets, dangling front-row seats and VIP treatment to whoever enters.
The RNC has found itself in a tricky spot after building the event around Trump, whose approval rating is the lowest of his political career.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/republicans-blast-free-tickets-offer-200528908.html
Postal Service Internal Watchdog Opens Inquiry After Whistle-Blower’s Complaint
The U.S. Postal Service’s internal watchdog is opening an investigation into concerns raised in a whistle-blower report about the agency’s hasty effort to build a complex online system with voter data ahead of the midterm elections.
https://dnyuz.com/2026/09/04/postal-service-internal-watchdog-opens-inquiry-after-whistle-blowers-complaint/
MAGA Melts Down Over Bakery’s Trumpalooza Cookies
President Donald Trump’s supporters, who frequently proclaim that they do not support so-called cancel culture, are canceling a bakery in Texas for making anti-Trump cookies.
Hive Bakery, a Dallas-area bakery, announced that it would be offering special anti-Trump cookies this week during the Republican Midterm Convention.
https://www.newsbreak.com/thedailybeast-513346/4873439764398-maga-melts-down-over-bakery-s-trumpalooza-cookies
Kavanaugh won’t revive Missouri’s GOP-friendly congressional map for midterms
Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on Tuesday refused to restore Missouri’s new congressional map, which was poised to give Republicans a pickup opportunity this November, but the map’s fate remains unclear after a ruling in a separate lawsuit.
https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/6077470-supreme-court-missouri-congressional-maps
IRS Scathed as Immigrant Tax Info Sharing Injunction Is Upheld
The D.C. Circuit upheld an injunction stopping the IRS from further disclosing taxpayer information related to government immigration actions, finding that its procedures likely broke the law.
“The IRS is now on notice twice over regarding the legal inadequacies of its summer 2025 disclosures,” the circuit court said in its September 8 decision in Center for Taxpayer Rights v. IRS. “The government and its personnel face steep civil and criminal consequences for willful disclosure of information in violation of section 6103.”
https://www.taxnotes.com/featured-news/irs-scathed-immigrant-tax-info-sharing-injunction-upheld/2026/09/08/7wnh9
Texas Senate race: Why Republicans are suddenly fighting to hold a ‘safe’ seat
A Senate seat that Republicans have held comfortably for decades has become a toss-up between Ken Paxton and James Talarico.
https://www.financialexpress.com/world-news/us-news/texas-senate-race-why-republicans-are-suddenly-fighting-to-hold-a-safe-seat/4336162/
Trump’s Empty-Seat ‘Trumpapalooza’ Speech Draws Mockery
Donald Trump’s keynote speech at the Republican National Committee’s first-ever midterm convention was meant to showcase Republican enthusiasm ahead of November’s elections. Instead, much of the online conversation centred on videos and photographs showing visible empty seats inside Dallas’ American Airlines Center, creating a stark contrast with Trump’s repeated claim that the venue was ‘packed’.
https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/trump-empty-seat-trumpapalooza-speech-packed-claim-dallas-maga-backlash-1818939
MapQuest reaps rewards for not changing Lake Ontario to Lake America
A pioneer in online mapping for travelers is seeing a sudden climb in popularity for refusing to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America.
MapQuest, based in Denver’s LoDo, climbed to be the top downloaded navigation app for iOS in late August. As of late on Sept. 10 it sat second, still far above where it sat two weeks ago.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/mapquest-reaps-rewards-not-changing-230516968.html
Lawsuit challenges intimidation of DHS observers across the country
The new lawsuit follows a handful of other cases brought by observers arguing First Amendment violations, but it is the most sweeping to date, as it includes incidents from multiple states and seeks national relief. It is asking a judge in Washington, D.C. to bar federal agencies from intimidating or retaliating against observers.
https://www.npr.org/2026/09/10/nx-s1-5961220/dhs-ice-observers-surveillance-lawsuit
Federal court rules against Trump order keeping Michigan coal plant running
A federal appeals court on Friday struck down an order from the Trump administration keeping a Michigan coal plant open past its planned retirement.
https://apple.news/ADaR7C5DKTJS9X8_UKgfkEw
Jimmy Kimmel Didn’t Air Talarico Interview Over Fear of FCC ‘Equal Time’ Threats. He Aired it on YouTube Instead.
For the second time this year, James Talarico, the Texas Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, appeared on a late-night talk show only to get bumped from the nightly broadcast.
Kimmel’s interview with Talarico hit the show’s YouTube channel Thursday night. On a typical night, Kimmel’s broadcast averages around 1.5 million viewers, while the YouTube video racked up more than 3.6 million views in its first 16 hours.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/jimmy-kimmel-didnt-air-talarico-200953889.html
Jeffrey Epstein an unwelcome presence as Trump critics protest GOP midterm convention
Democrats, protestors and other critics used the Republican midterm convention as an opportunity to once again raise the specter of Jeffrey Epstein, gathering with survivors, opening a “reading room” that features thousands of bound volumes of Epstein-related records, and a mobile billboard trying to tie Republicans to the now-deceased convicted sex offender.
https://www.keranews.org/news/2026-09-11/gop-trump-jeffrey-epstein-dallas-midterm-convention-gina-hinojosa