Mail ballots are already going out in some states, and now the Supreme Court is keeping the existing systems in place — blocking the Trump administration’s new restrictions ahead of the midterms.
Plus, Mitch McConnell is back on Capitol Hill after three months away, casting his first Senate vote since a fall sent him to the hospital.
And the U.S. burned through $22.3 billion in the Iran war’s first four months, and a new Pentagon watchdog report warns of trouble replenishing them.
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Supreme Court blocks Trump mail voting rules ahead of midterm elections
The Supreme Court has blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to restrict mail-in voting.
On Monday, the justices rejected an emergency request to lift a lower court order blocking the new postal service rules. The vote was 7 to 2, with Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissenting.
That means states can continue sending mail ballots under their existing systems. In some states, ballots are already going out.
The administration wanted the Postal Service to require states to submit voter information through a federal portal and obtain approval for their mail-ballot envelopes. Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the administration’s push in a CBS News interview on Monday, arguing that mail voting poses a greater risk of fraud.
“By definition, if you’re using mail-in voting, the potential for fraud is greater than in-person voting with ID,” Blanche said.
When the CBS reporter asked where there’s proof of that, Blanche replied, “Well, it’s common sense.”
He continued, saying, “Different states have different rules on when mail-in voting is allowed. So, every state, every auditor in every single state has uncovered evidence of mail-in voting where there was potential fraud, okay? And so, what President Trump is doing, and what the executive order that President Trump signed wants to do is make sure that we’re eliminating fraud in our elections.”
The Supreme Court majority said the administration is unlikely to ultimately win its case. Alito disagreed, arguing that USPS “has broad authority to regulate the mail” and likely has the power to impose the new requirements.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh agreed the rules should not take effect this close to the midterms, but left open the possibility that the administration could prevail if the issue returns to the court after the election.
Mitch McConnell returns to Senate, casts first vote since June hospitalization
After three months out of public view, Mitch McConnell has returned to the U.S. Capitol. The 84-year-old Kentucky senator returned in a wheelchair Monday.
He cast his first Senate vote since a fall at his Washington home sent him to the hospital in June. McConnell voted to advance Matthew Byrne’s nomination as a federal judge in Ohio. The vote was 47 to 46.
McConnell made his first public appearance since his hospitalization. He spent weeks in rehab before returning home in August. His long absence had fueled questions about whether he would return before his final Senate term ends in January.
McConnell said his recovery has been “long and often frustrating” and acknowledged he’s “not quite back to 100%.” However, he said he’d try to be there for tough votes, with the farm bill at the top of his list.
McConnell also said he plans to spend his final months in office supporting NATO and Ukraine in their fight against Russia.
Trump dismisses AI safety warnings, calling fears of AI takeover a ‘hoax’
In a series of posts Monday, Trump dismissed fears of AI “taking over the world” and “destroying humanity” as a “hoax.” He said the only guardrail AI needs is a “strong and smart” president.
Trump also claimed there’s a “sick conspiracy” against AI and data centers, arguing that slowing development would give China an advantage. As he put it, “Whoever wins AI, wins.”
The comments come as some of the biggest names in AI have sounded the alarm.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has called for the industry to slow development, warning that safety measures aren’t keeping pace with what the technology can do. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also called for a more deliberate pace and said the government will need to help with international coordination.
Vice President JD Vance said the administration has concerns but warned against overregulation.
“You know, it’s something that we’re concerned by,” Vance told a reporter. “But we want to make sure that we actually regulate smartly and we’re thoughtful about the risk here.”
Congress has wrestled with the same question. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said any AI rules should have a “light touch.” House Speaker Mike Johnson said he expects Trump to meet with AI company leaders to discuss safety and the government’s role.
Iran war exposes US munitions shortfalls, watchdog finds
The U.S. has burned through billions of dollars in munitions in the war with Iran. Now, the Pentagon’s own watchdog has said it’s left America with strategic shortfalls and bottlenecks in replacing them.
In its first mandatory report on Operation Epic Fury, the Pentagon inspector general put the war’s total cost at more than $33 billion through the end of June. More than $22 billion of that was spent on munitions alone.
The report said heavy use has “resulted in strategic inventory shortfalls” and exposed bottlenecks in the U.S. defense industry’s ability to replenish them. The report also detailed losses of American military equipment, including four F-15s and as many as 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones destroyed, along with damage to an F-35 and seven KC-135 tankers.
The Trump administration has pushed back on concerns about America’s weapons stockpiles. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has also previously called reports of a shortage a “manufactured story.”
On Monday, Trump posted on Truth Social that he had “just received a report” that the U.S. is producing “more exquisite and elite weapons than at any time in our history.”
Trump Jr.’s wife confirms Russian oligarch hosted part of wedding celebration
Donald Trump Jr. and his new wife have responded to a report that a Russian oligarch with close ties to Vladimir Putin helped pay for their wedding celebration.
Bettina Trump confirmed on Instagram that Umar Kremlev hosted two nights of celebrations after the couple married in the Bahamas in May.
The admission comes after ProPublica reported Monday that Kremlev spent hundreds of thousands of dollars, including renting one of two private islands used for the three-day party and staging a fireworks show. Trump Jr.’s spokesperson did not dispute the payments but said Kremlev is a personal friend, not a business associate.
The couple said their actual wedding was a separate, private ceremony with family, and they had already planned the weekend with friends.
Kremlev heads the International Boxing Association. Last month, Putin awarded him Russia’s Order of Friendship. Days before the wedding, Kremlev was also in China, accompanying a delegation led by Putin.
In her post, Bettina Trump wrote: “Our dear friend Umar very generously hosted two incredible nights of celebrations for us after our wedding. It was an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend.”
She called it an “extraordinarily generous wedding gift” and said they remain incredibly grateful.
Fashion icon Bob Mackie dies after six decades of shaping showbiz style
You may not know his face, but you definitely know what Bob Mackie put on some of the world’s most famous faces. The legendary designer died Monday at 87.
For more than six decades, Mackie dressed Hollywood, and no collaboration was quite like his with Cher. The two met in the early seventies. From television to concert tours and red carpets, many of Cher’s most famous looks were his.
US singer and actress Cher (L) and US fashion designer Bob Mackie (R) (VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images) 
Costumes designed for Cher by Bob Mackie (ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images) 
(Robin Platzer/Getty Images) 
Cher and Bob Mackie (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images) 
Bob Mackie (Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) 
(PL Gould/Images/Getty Images) 
(Harry Langdon/Getty Images)
He also spent 11 years designing costumes for “The Carol Burnett Show,” including the famous Scarlett O’Hara curtain dress.
Burnett wrote on Instagram on Monday: “Sadness doesn’t come close to how I feel. I loved him very much. There are fashion designers who don’t do costumes, and there are costume designers who don’t do fashion. Bob did it all.”
In a 2018 interview, Mackie said there’s a big reason he never retired.
“I just like to do what I do. I’ve done this my whole adult life and I’ve never really retired, although I’m certainly, you know, eligible. I just like doing what I do because I think if you do something people consider you do it well, then I think it’s a good idea to just keep doing it and enjoy yourself. And, you know, just don’t sit on the front porch in your rocking chair.”
Bob Mackie
Here’s an interesting fact you might not know: Marilyn Monroe wore a sheer, beaded gown while singing “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy in 1962. Bob Mackie designed the original gown.
Mackie went on to win nine Emmys and a Tony and earn three Oscar nominations.
More from Straight Arrow:
Will the ‘California effect’ ban endless scroll for all US teens?
The nationwide debate over social media’s impact on our nation’s youth continues at every level. It’s gone from the smallest of homes to the highest courts and could boomerang all the way back.
A new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in California looks to regulate how kids interact with social media apps and vice versa. AB 1709 will put strict limits on what’s seen as one of the most addictive social media features for kids.
The ‘reel’ question then becomes whether these social media giants will shut off the feature for kids nationwide or if endless scroll is so valuable that they’ll spend millions determining whether a teen is in California and only block it for them. So far, the companies are tight-lipped.
