LetMyPeopleVote
LetMyPeopleVote's JournalDeadline Legal Blog-The Supreme Court's mail-in ballot decision could inject chaos into midterm elections
The justices are considering blocking states from accepting mail ballots that arrive after Election Day.
The Supreme Court’s mail-in ballot decision could inject chaos into midterm elections
— News Wire - World 🌎 Independent News Network Pro-Democracy (@democracyblue.bsky.social) 2026-03-24T14:13:13.965Z
The justices are considering blocking states from accepting mail ballots that arrive after Election Day. www.ms.now/deadline-whi...
https://www.ms.now/deadline-white-house/deadline-legal-blog/supreme-court-mail-in-ballot-mississippi-decision-midterms
Mississippi, which has a five-day grace period, is defending its law against the Republican National Committee and the Trump administration.
The state’s solicitor general, Scott Stewart, told the justices that accepting the GOP position would prompt chaos, upending the ballot-receipt laws of 30 states and calling into question modern voting practices generally. ....
Timing aside, it remains to be seen what the court will decide. There was an overall party-line split in the questioning at the hearing, though Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Amy Coney Barrett may hold pivotal votes in the relative center of the dispute.
As Kavanaugh’s question on timing indicated, the court is expected to rule by early July, though, in this case, perhaps not much longer before then.
This ruling could make a major impact on the upcoming elections
MS NOW-Trump housing chief seeks new DOJ probe of New York AG Letitia James
Federal housing director pushes for new inquiry after James’ mortgage fraud case tossed.
NEW: Trump housing chief seeks new DOJ probe of New York AG Letitia James www.ms.now/news/trump-h...
— Ana Cabrera (@anacabrera.bsky.social) 2026-03-25T22:41:34.530Z
https://www.ms.now/news/trump-housing-chief-doj-new-york-letitia-james-pulte
Pulte sent the two criminal referrals to two Trump-nominated U.S. attorneys — Jason Reding Quinones of the Southern District of Florida and Andrew Boutros of the Northern District of Illinois. The referrals claim James made misrepresentations in home insurance filings with Universal Property Insurance and Allstate Insurance Company — in Florida and Illinois, respectively — about how two properties associated with her would be used.
In both referrals, Pulte references public social media posts made by Mike Davis, an influential, hardline pro-Trump attorney.
Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, writes in the Illinois criminal referral, “It appears Ms. James made representations that the house would be occupied by a single adult, with no children. Instead, according to the post, she knew the house was actually occupied by four people – three children and her niece.”
In the Florida referral, Pulte writes that it “appears Ms. James made false representations that her property would be unoccupied five months out of the year.” He notes, however, that according to Davis, that assertion is “false.”
Trump housing chief seeks new DOJ probe of New York AG Letitia James
Source: MS NOW
After the Department of Justice failed to convict New York Attorney General Letitia James on charges of mortgage fraud last year, the Trump administration’s federal housing chief, Bill Pulte, has filed a new criminal referral to the Justice Department — this time, asking prosecutors to investigate James for insurance fraud, according to criminal referrals obtained by MS NOW.
Pulte sent the two criminal referrals to two Trump-nominated U.S. attorneys — Jason Reding Quinones of the Southern District of Florida and Andrew Boutros of the Northern District of Illinois. The referrals claim James made misrepresentations in home insurance filings with Universal Property Insurance and Allstate Insurance Company — in Florida and Illinois, respectively — about how two properties associated with her would be used.
In both referrals, Pulte references public social media posts made by Mike Davis, an influential, hardline pro-Trump attorney.
Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, writes in the Illinois criminal referral, “It appears Ms. James made representations that the house would be occupied by a single adult, with no children. Instead, according to the post, she knew the house was actually occupied by four people – three children and her niece.”
In the Florida referral, Pulte writes that it “appears Ms. James made false representations that her property would be unoccupied five months out of the year.” He notes, however, that according to Davis, that assertion is “false.”
Read more: https://www.ms.now/news/trump-housing-chief-doj-new-york-letitia-james-pulte
Here we do again
NEW: Trump housing chief seeks new DOJ probe of New York AG Letitia James www.ms.now/news/trump-h...
— Ana Cabrera (@anacabrera.bsky.social) 2026-03-25T22:41:34.530Z
MaddowBlog-More than three weeks later, Trump still can't decide whether his war is a war
When the question is “Is the U.S. currently at war?” and the answer from the White House is “It depends on who you ask and when,” there’s a problem.
More than three weeks later, Trump still can’t decide whether his war is a war - MS NOW apple.news/AnSthd2ILQVi...
— (@oc88.bsky.social) 2026-03-25T15:23:11.781Z
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/more-than-three-weeks-later-trump-still-cant-decide-whether-his-war-is-a-war
When Donald Trump initially announced the military offensive in the Middle East, his prerecorded video message included this line: “The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties. That often happens in war.” One day later, then-Sen. Markwayne Mullin (before the Oklahoma Republican became the Homeland Security secretary) appeared on Fox News and told viewers, “We are not at war with Iran.”....
Three weeks later, not only is the debate ongoing, but the president himself has positioned himself on both sides of the question.
At an event on Monday, for example, Trump said, in reference to Democrats, “They call it a war, we call it a military operation.” A day later, in the Oval Office, the Republican echoed the phrase, word for word.
Trump: "They call it a war. I call it a military operation."
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2026-03-24T18:43:27.360Z
Ten minutes later, at the same White House gathering, the president added, “People don’t like me using the word ‘war,’ so I won’t, but the Democrats call it a war.”
In between these two quotes, Trump also declared, “You know, I don’t like to say this, we’ve won this, this war has been won.”
Trump: "This war has been won. The only one that likes to keep it going is the fake news."
— The Bulwark (@thebulwark.com) 2026-03-24T19:40:45.444Z
It led MS NOW’s Catherine Rampell to summarize, “The war that is not a war has been won.”
Since the opening days of the conflict, Trump has referred to the war as a war. As the military offensive approaches its one-month mark, it seems the president has been advised to rewrite the narrative, but it’s clearly not going well, since he keeps using the very word he’s supposed to avoid.
As for the bigger picture, when the question is “Is the United States currently at war?” and the answer from the White House is “It depends on who you ask and when,” there’s a problem.
Maddowblog-Why the latest polls on Trump's approval rating are especially brutal for the White House
If the president expected to benefit politically from launching a war in Iran, he has reason to be disappointed.
Why the latest polls on Trump’s approval rating are especially brutal for the White House - MS NOW apple.news/AcIick5hjR8e...
— (@oc88.bsky.social) 2026-03-25T16:55:37.103Z
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/why-the-latest-polls-on-trumps-approval-rating-are-especially-brutal-for-the-white-house
But if Trump expected to benefit politically by launching an unnecessary war with Iran, he has reason to be disappointed. Reuters reported:
President Donald Trump’s approval rating fell in recent days to its lowest point since he returned to the White House, hit by a surge in fuel prices and widespread disapproval of the war he launched on Iran, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.
The four-day poll, completed on Monday, showed 36% of Americans approve of Trump’s job performance, down from 40% in a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted last week.
The same national survey showed the president’s disapproval rating reaching 62%, which is the worst he’s fared since returning to power.
Just as notably, the Reuters/Ipsos poll found just 29% of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the economy, which as the report noted, is “the lowest rating in either of Trump’s presidential administrations and lower than any economic approval rating of his predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden.”.....
This war is historically unpopular in ways that defy the usual pattern, and this president is historically unpopular in ways that also defy the usual pattern.
A few days before launching the war, Trump did something he rarely does: He acknowledged his poor public standing. At a White House event, Trump briefly conceded, “It just amazes me that there’s not more support out there.”
A month later, his support has gone from bad to worse. Republican officials and candidates who are concerned about their prospects in the 2026 midterm elections would be wise to take note.
'Hope no one needs an MRI': Trump gets warning he may have sparked unexpected disaster
trump did not think that Iran would block the Strait of Hormuz and expected Iran to surrender. One of the consequences of trump's stupidity is that we will be unable to do MRIs or build new superchips
'Hope no one needs an MRI': Trump gets warning he may have sparked unexpected disaster
— Raw Story (@rawstory.com) 2026-03-24T19:00:17Z
https://www.rawstory.com/stringr/iran-war-2676612322/?link_source=ta_bluesky_link&taid=69c2df3dcd93a90001ffb380
“I hope no one needs an MRI this year,” Johnson wrote in a social media post on X to their nearly 40,000 followers. “The world's largest producer of liquified helium is in Qatar and is shut off. We just got a notice that our supply for the year will be at least cut in half. No one could have predicted this (unless they thought about it).”
The U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, which President Donald Trump initiated late last month by authorizing Operation Epic Fury, has predictably caused an oil shortage, sending energy prices skyrocketing. However, the war has also sparked a major shortage of helium, which plays a critical role in the function of MRI scanners thanks to its “extremely low boiling point.” Beyond imaging, helium also plays a role in other medical applications, including surgery and research.
“We got a notification from our gas supplier that they would be able to fulfill less than 50% of our regular consumption, and a message from the University hospital saying that this is particularly problematic for MRIs,” Johnson wrote in a separate social media post. “The helium shortage is real and there will be consequences.”
https://x.com/ChrisMurphyCT/status/2036420092297146575
MaddowBlog-Trump's Justice Department agrees to financial settlement with Michael Flynn
The financial settlement with Ashli Babbitt’s family was indefensible. The payout to Trump’s former national security adviser is worse.
For Michael Flynn, the corrupt pardon he received wasn’t enough. He wanted a payout, too, claiming federal law enforcement subjected him to malicious prosecution when they charged him with crimes he’d twice pleaded guilty to.
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-03-25T19:54:38.318Z
Thanks to Trump’s DOJ, he’ll now get a taxpayer-financed check.
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trumps-justice-department-agrees-to-financial-settlement-with-michael-flynn
The Justice Department has reached a financial settlement with Michael Flynn, a conservative activist and former official in the first Trump administration who sought millions of dollars from the government for what he alleged was a wrongful prosecution effort.
Lawyers for the government and for Flynn notified a federal judge in Florida on Wednesday that they had reached an agreement and that it would involve the payment of “settlement funds,” but did not disclose the amount or any other terms.
The brief court filing alerting the court to the financial settlement was posted online Wednesday afternoon.
While we don’t yet know how much money Flynn will get, the fact that he’ll walk away with any amount of taxpayer money is outrageous.......
Late on a Wednesday afternoon, the day before Thanksgiving 2020, Trump quietly pardoned Flynn. It was among the most corrupt moves the president made during his first term.
The editorial board of The Washington Post (back when it was still the editorial board of The Washington Post) wrote soon after about Trump’s America: “Guilty is innocent; lies are truth; traitors are patriots. The question is not whether Mr. Trump has degraded the presidency. The question is how much long-term damage he has done. Will future presidents now feel free to use the pardon power — or the other vast powers of office — with such nakedly crooked motives? How many will calculate that they can make corruption appear to be patriotism as long as enough of the country wants to believe the lies they tell?”
The pardon, however, apparently wasn’t enough. Flynn wanted a payout, too, claiming federal law enforcement subjected him to malicious prosecution when they charged him with crimes he had twice pleaded guilty to.
Thanks to Trump’s DOJ, he’ll now get one.
Prosecutor admits government lacks evidence of misconduct by Fed chair
The admission during a closed-door hearing undercuts President Donald Trump’s claims of “criminality” in the central bank’s $2.5 billion office renovations.
https://x.com/washingtonpost/status/2036523505802494114
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/03/24/powell-fed-chair-subpoena-prosecutor
The prosecutor’s admission, which has not been previously reported, undercuts President Donald Trump’s claim that “there is criminality” in the $2.5 billion overhaul of the Fed’s headquarters overlooking the National Mall.
Attorneys for the Fed and the U.S. attorney’s office in D.C. battled over the legality of two grand jury subpoenas at the center of the investigation during a sealed hearing March 3. A transcript of the proceedings was later unsealed. Both subpoenas were quashed this month by a federal judge, who described them as an illegal effort by the Trump administration to pressure Fed Chair Jerome H. Powell to lower interest rates or resign from the independent central bank.....
Pressed by Boasberg, Massucco-LaTaif also said “we don’t know” what statements from Powell’s congressional testimony were false, adding that “there are certain areas that he addressed that caused concern,” according to the transcript....
Boasberg said in his ruling to quash the subpoenas that the U.S. attorney’s office had provided “essentially zero evidence” of a crime and had declined an offer to show him evidence in private, without attorneys for the Fed being present. “Indeed, most members of the Committee that Powell testified before — including a majority of each party’s members, as well as the Committee’s Chair — have said that they do not think he committed any crime,” the judge wrote.
Judge Boasberg was correct in dismissing this subpoena. This was a fishing expedition designed to harass Jerome Powell
Trump appeared to have business motive for keeping classified documents, Jack Smith finds
The special counsel’s office found that Donald Trump held on to documents so secret that only six people could legally review them — and the team believed his reason for doing so was financial gain.
Special counsel Jack Smith's office found that Donald Trump held on to documents so secret that only six people could legally review them — and the team believed his reason for doing so was financial gain, according to newly released case records.
— MS NOW (@ms.now) 2026-03-25T16:14:28.854Z
From Carol Leonnig and Jacqueline Alemany:
https://www.ms.now/news/trump-classified-documents-smith-investigation-business-motive
The special prosecutor also had evidence indicating that after leaving office Trump had shown a classified map to passengers on a private plane, including his future chief of staff, Susie Wiles, and took at least one document that was so secret that only six people had authority to review it, according to a memo reviewed by MS NOW and cited by the House Judiciary Committee’s ranking Democrat, Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland.
Trump’s reason for taking hundreds of pages of classified documents when he left office in January 2021 — and then concealing them when the Justice Department subpoenaed him for their return in May 2022 — has been one of the larger mysteries of the case. FBI agents conducting an unannounced search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in August 2022 discovered hundreds more pages of top secret records that Trump and his lawyers had failed to return to the government after claiming they had fully returned all classified materials.
In a January 2023 “progress memo” reviewed by MS NOW, Smith’s office discussed the possible motive after the FBI discovered that Trump held on to many documents related to his businesses.
“Trump possessed classified documents pertinent to his business interests — establishing a motive for retaining them,” according to the memo, which tracked progress in the documents and election-interference investigations. “We must have those documents.”...
These new revelations emerged after Trump’s Justice Department released a tranche of records on March 13 to the House Judiciary Committee. Most of them deal with the FBI’s “Arctic Frost” probe, which examined how Trump’s campaign and Republican allies sought to block the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory. But that tranche, Raskin said, included the January 2023 tracking memo from Smith’s office following both cases, which much of the Justice Department’s release focused on.
MaddowBlog-Special elections in Florida, including Mar-a-Lago's district, spell trouble for GOP
The more Democrats win closely watched races and flip seats from red to blue, the more Republicans should be concerned about the 2026 midterms.
The fact that Dems flipped the Mar-a-Lago district is amazing, the broader pattern is even more important:
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-03-25T12:45:12.698Z
The more Democrats win closely watched races, and flip seats from red to blue, the more Republicans should be terrified about the 2026 midterms.
www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...
https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/special-elections-in-florida-including-mar-a-lagos-district-spell-trouble-for-gop
And yet, the contest turned into the latest in a series of red-to-blue flips. MS NOW reported:
Democrats flipped a Republican-held seat in the Florida state House, with Emily Gregory winning a closely watched special election Tuesday night in a district that includes President Donald Trump’s home of Mar-a-Lago, according to The Associated Press.
Gregory beat Trump-endorsed Republican Jon Maples in the 87th District, which includes Palm Beach. With almost all votes counted, Gregory narrowly led by 2.4 percentage points, or 797 votes, according to the AP.
The president may try to downplay the results, but it was earlier this week when Trump not only voted for the Republican candidate but also described the contest as “a very important Special Election” while endorsing the GOP nominee.....
The Downballot noted in its latest analysis that if the vote tallies in the Tampa area hold, Democrats will have flipped 30 seats from red to blue in special elections since Trump returned to the White House. Over that same period, the number of seats flipped from blue to red remains zero.
Some will no doubt argue that it’s best not to read too much into a special election held in the winter, several months before November’s races. It’s a fair point. But what matters is how the results fit into the broader political landscape. Republicans are tied to an unpopular president, a growing number of their congressional members are retiring, key elements of the GOP agenda are facing an intensifying public backlash, and they keep losing special elections, including in contests they expected to win.
If party insiders aren’t concerned about their standing ahead of this year’s midterm elections, they’re not paying close enough attention.
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