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“The U.S. Secret Service is aware of the video and investigates anything that can be perceived as a threat toward our protectees,” Secret Service spokesman Nate Herring said in a statement. “Out of concern for operational security, we do not discuss matters of protective intelligence.”

Since the U.S. assassination of , Iranian media have on multiple occasions circulated content threatening the president and family members. The assassination came at the start of the that Trump launched alongside Israel.

CNN previously reported that the Secret Service had knowledge of the Barron Trump threat.

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Beijing is Iran’s biggest trading partner and its leading oil buyer. While the U.S. is trying to isolate the Islamic Republic from its remaining economic partners, President Donald Trump also is preparing to next month to maintain a fragile .

Absent from Bessent’s remarks this week were specifics about how the Trump administration would target China, casting doubts on how effective the new campaign would be when the U.S. must balance putting maximum pressure on Iran and with China that could be costly to the American economy.

“The announcement yesterday was very careful in my view to avoid specifics (against China), which could have led to a disruption in the summit,” Edgard Kagan, senior adviser and Freeman Chair in China studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Tuesday. “For Xi, a state visit to Washington is a big deal; and for Trump, hosting it is a big deal.”

That means both Washington and Beijing will have a dance to do, said Kagan, who served as U.S. ambassador to Malaysia from December 2023 until this February.

“I think the real question is, is there room to push (the Chinese) to reduce what they’re doing with Iran, to put more pressure on the Iranian regime in a way that doesn’t lead them to say, ‘This is unreasonable, and we’re not going to comply,’” he said.

China is likely to wait and see and do the minimum

In response to “Operation Economic Outcast,” which Bessent announced Monday, Beijing said its cooperation with Iran has always been “within the framework of international law.” China receives more than 80% of Iranian oil shipments but usually through indirect channels.

Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, said China-Iran cooperation “should not be disrupted or undermined.”

“China is closely monitoring relevant developments and will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its own rights and interests,” Lin said. He repeated China’s opposition to “illegal unilateral sanctions.”

Kagan described Beijing’s remarks as “a holding response” and said Beijing will try to do the least to comply without openly confronting the U.S.

“They’ve tended to be careful not crossing explicit red lines, but they haven’t addressed the spirit of what the U.S. has sought,” Kagan said, pointing to practices such as ship-to-ship oil transfers that obscure the origin of Iranian crude oil to evade American sanctions.

Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, a Washington think tank, said China will not go along with the new campaign if the U.S. goal is to destroy the Iranian economy and seek the government’s collapse.

But “if the goal is to exert enough pressure for Iran to make concessions on the and potentially ending the conflict, I think China can and will demonstrate its cooperation without having to completely sever ties with Iran,” Sun said. “China only needs to do enough to demonstrate it is cooperating, such as cut back on its oil import from Iran.”

With a planned summit between Trump and Xi weeks away, “neither side wishes to have a major escalation bilaterally at this point,” she said. “China needs to give U.S. something, and U.S. needs to understand and accept that it is not going to be everything U.S. asks for.”

US is not likely to act tough on China, analysts say

So far, the Trump administration has refrained from imposing sanctions on major Chinese businesses or banks connected to the U.S. financial system and thus vulnerable to American penalties.

The Treasury Department said Monday that it was penalizing nearly 60 Iran-linked entities, accusing them of involvement in Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, cyber activities and oil shipments.

It targeted a number of entities and individuals based in mainland China and Hong Kong for supporting Iran’s missile and nuclear programs. It sanctioned a China-owned crude oil tanker for transporting millions of barrels of Iranian oil to China this year as well as a Hong Kong-based business for its role in the shadow fleet that ships out Iranian oil.

With Xi’s visit coming up, Trump may not act tough on China now, said Ali Wyne, senior research and advocacy adviser on U.S.-China relations at the International Crisis Group.

“Given how keen Trump has been to maintain both a trade truce between the United States and China and his personal rapport with Xi, he seems unlikely to do a volte-face just a month before Xi’s state visit and adopt a highly confrontational posture,” he said.

Plus, Xi’s visit to the U.S. could pave the way for in November for the leaders summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation grouping.

In his second term, Trump has been less hawkish on China than in his first presidency and frequently touts his good relationship with Xi following a major trade war last year that featured back-and-forth . The U.S. business community also welcomes Xi’s visit, saying it’s a good sign if the two leaders meet in person, even when any substantial deals may be elusive.

“Beijing is betting that Washington will be reluctant to jeopardize the current leader-level dynamic by targeting major Chinese entities before the summit,” said Craig Singleton, senior director for China at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a hawkish Washington think tank.

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Amiri reported from New York. Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this report.

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The two-week runoff window after the two Republicans were the in an Aug. 11 primary was a slugfest. Darline Graham — a political newcomer serving as interim replacement for her late brother — struggled to define herself to voters who routinely backed Lindsey Graham in the heavily Republican state. Norman, who’s served the better part of two decades in state and federal elected office, stressed his experience to voters already aware of him from his years in Congress, plus an unsuccessful run for governor earlier this year.

In the background of all of this was President Donald Trump, the longtime Lindsey Graham ally who endorsed Darline Graham’s candidacy to replace her brother in the November general election before she even entered the race, stumped for her in the state days ahead of the runoff and held a runoff eve tele-rally with Graham.

On Monday, MAGA Inc., the super PAC that supports Trump and aligned Republicans — but that has spent little thus far on Trump’s picks in this year’s midterms — for voter calls and text message blasts.

Among the unknowns is whether Trump’s backing is enough to boost the novice candidate with the famous last name, but whose political positions were previously unknown, across the finish line to the nomination. Also yet to be determined is whether Norman’s hard-line conservatism has an appeal statewide two months after he finished third in the Republican governor’s primary.

Polls closed at 7 p.m. and supporters filed into results watch parties for each candidate, noshing on pimento fries in Norman’s Rock Hill ballroom, or picking at a Chick-fil-A chicken nugget tray at the Graham event in Columbia.

Will Trump’s backing be enough for Graham?

After losing a top Senate advocate when Lindsey Graham , Trump has angled to play a role in picking his successor.

Trump heralded the selection of to serve as her brother’s interim replacement as “a fabulous tribute.” He also in the special primary, endorsing her before she’d made her candidacy official.

On Friday in Myrtle Beach, Trump reiterated that sentiment to a crowd of several thousand, encouraging people to vote for Graham to preserve tax cuts, among other things.

“I want it to happen,” he said. “Good luck, Darline.”

In forging a relationship with her, Trump could be angling to develop another ally to help steer his agenda through the Senate.

Throughout her brief campaign, Graham did just that. She repeatedly stressed to voters her intent to support Trump’s policy positions and often referenced in particular her co-sponsorship of a voting bill that’s become a key priority for the president.

Casting his ballot for Graham at an early voting location near Trump’s rally site, Robert Tropiano said Friday that the president’s backing for the candidate was enough to win his support.

“Trump wants her, he’s doing a great job and I believe we should give him what he wants,” Tropiano said.

In the primary’s opening days, when she was largely absent from candidate events because of her obligations as a sitting senator, Graham reminded voters via video messages that she remained in Washington “working hard for you” and decried the notion of congressional recess breaks.

Norman promotes legislative know-how over Graham’s inexperience

Fresh off his unsuccessful primary run for governor, Norman entered the Senate contest as one of several politicians more familiar to South Carolina voters. He snapped up endorsements from the likes of Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Mike Lee of Utah, as well as former South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint and Turning Point Action, the conservative youth movement founded by the late Charlie Kirk.

During the sprint to the runoff, Norman — one of the most conservative U.S. House members — frequently touted his experience in Washington and willingness to take unpopular stances. That includes at times challenging Trump, whose policies Norman has routinely supported in Congress. But Norman campaigned against Trump in the early part of the 2024 presidential primary, siding instead with former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

A wealthy developer before he entered politics, Norman put some of his own fortune toward the campaign, including more than $1 million in the closing week.

He also received help from Haley and her allies. Haley’s own super PAC and other groups aligned with her put more than $700,000 toward Norman’s campaign, making direct contributions and transfers to other political action committees that supported him. Ads and text messages contrasted Norman’s record with Graham’s inexperience, including her foreign policy debate flub.

In the head-to-head with Graham, Norman has stressed what he characterized as the highly managed nature of Graham’s campaign. He portrayed her during as beholden to “Washington elite” special interests that, by way of funneling money to her campaign, were “dictating the terms and giving her the political answers.”

Will Graham’s debate flub come back to haunt her?

Graham and Norman met for a single runoff debate, and there was one moment from the hourlong face-off that lived on.

Graham about foreign policy — a signature issue of her late brother — when asked whether the U.S. has a national security interest in Taiwan and the South China Sea, a longstanding contention of both Democratic and Republican administrations.

She struggled to answer before admitting “national security is not my thing” and “I’m not that informed on national security.”

Graham avoided a direct response and instead mentioned her brother’s wealth of experience and her desire to focus on more domestic issues like affordability. Norman called Taiwan “a definite ally” when posed the same question, applauding Trump for “enabling Taiwan to defend themselves against China.” Afterward, he suggested Graham’s answer showed her lack of qualifications for the office.

Some of that argument landed with Rock Hill voter Mike Sellers, who said that he voted Tuesday for Norman in part because Graham’s experience level “wasn’t really cutting it for me.”

Sellers also said he wasn’t swayed by the notion of supporting Graham as a tribute to her late brother.

“Just because her brother was senator doesn’t give her an easy pass in,” Sellers said. “If she wants to come next time around — maybe challenge (Sen.) Tim Scott — we’ll look at it then.”

The Democratic nominee was chosen months ago

Annie Andrews, a Charleston physician, won her party’s primary outright in June. Having set up her entire campaign based around challenging Lindsey Graham, Andrews has been forced to pivot to a broader critique of the Republican contenders.

No Democrat has won a U.S. Senate seat in South Carolina in decades. When Graham last ran in 2020, he defeated his Democratic opponent by .

That contest was the most expensive in state history and among the country’s most expensive congressional races ever.

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Collins reported from Rock Hill, South Carolina.

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Kinnard can be reached at

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Trump and Vice President JD Vance are both set to headline respective nights, with Vance to speak on Wednesday night and Trump on Thursday.

The unusual gathering, aimed at promoting the party’s candidates and the Trump administration’s agenda, is being billed by the Republican National Convention as “a primetime showcase for President Trump’s success, candidates, and causes that have propelled the 2026 midterms to unprecedented focus.”

Throughout the event, Republicans, who are grappling with an unpopular president, , and , are expected to try to paint the opposing party as radically left by highlighting Democratic socialist candidates who have been surging this year.

Candidate showcases will be held each night from 6 to 7 p.m. to introduce candidates running in competitive races.

The first night will include segments focused on tax cuts, healthcare affordability, the border, trade and domestic manufacturing, with appearances by “workers and everyday Americans.”

The second will highlight families benefiting from policies like no taxes on tips, overtime, and Social Security, as well as overseas prisoners who have been released, border security, efforts to lower prescription drug costs, and a tribute to slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

It will also include a segment marking the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks with the families of first responders.

There was no mention in the advisory of any programming related to foreign policy nor the unpopular war in Iran.

The convention will also try to appeal to the “MAHA” — or Make America Healthy Again — wing of the party, with segments like one entitled, “Chronic Disease & Corporate Capture: Breaking the hold of corporate interests on public health agencies and empowering families to Make America Healthy Again.”

Several will promote — a measure Trump has backed, even as he has faced repeated accusations of .

“Over two action-packed days, we will take Americans through the defining issues of our Party’s agenda and what is at stake in November,” RNC Chairman Joe Gruters said in a statement announcing the plans.

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That came from a court filing late Monday on the over whether the president’s name can be added to the cultural institution and venue meant to honor John F. Kennedy after his assassination. The original attempt to add “Donald J. Trump” on the building’s facade by the court in May from Democratic Rep. Joyce Beatty, an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center.

The center’s Trump-aligned board of trustees then voted again this month to get the president’s name back on the cultural institution in a different way: by appending “Renovated and Restored By President Donald J. Trump” under the title on the building’s facade. Another phrase, “Endowed by the Trump Kennedy Center Fund” would be a possible addition, as well as renaming the plaza in front of the Kennedy Center to honor the president.

In response, Beatty again to block those stylings, arguing that they were “clear violations of the Kennedy Center statute” that from making the center into a memorial to anyone else. A federal judge will hear arguments on that request on Thursday.

Justice Department attorneys replied in Monday’s filing with a grim picture of the state of the Kennedy Center: “a financially insolvent facility, housed in a decrepit, dilapidated, crumbling building” that “continues to race toward physical and financial ruin.”

Renovations were required, they argued, but “an order blocking the Board from appropriately recognizing President Trump will cause donors to flee, financial contributions to dry up, and structural rehabilitation to stop. There will simply not be the expertise or funding necessary to rebuild and renovate this decimated structure.”

If allowed to deteriorate further, they continued, the Kennedy Center “will be required to be taken down, with a determination to follow on what to build on the site.”

That could be an outdoor amphitheater overlooking the Potomac River, they said, adding that it would “fail to adequately honor President John F. Kennedy” but would be easier to build and maintain.

This latest attempt to add Trump’s name on and around the center was met with some incredulity from Beatty’s attorneys, who said it “is a transparent attempt to effectuate the renaming in another guise.”

“It’s déjà vu all over again,” they wrote. “Plaintiff and the Court should not need to play Defendants’ game of whack-a-mole.” They requested a final ruling to stop the renaming attempts “and put an end to this childish gambit.”

It’s not the first time the board of trustees has used the argument that fundraising could be impeded without Trump’s name on the building. A panel of judges in July said that the claim came without the support of “ .”

The Kennedy Center has since Trump got more involved, with several artists canceling performances and

This is one of several attempts by the presidential administration to put Trump’s stamp on the U.S. capital, including a plan for a 250-foot (76-meter) triumphal arch, and, as Trump called it, a “military complex slash ” at the White House.

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“He can blow out his hole as much as he wants to, but it’s never going to happen, because Canadians are strong,” said Patricia Wiseman, an Ontario resident, as she walked along the waterfront of the Detroit River.

It may be more complicated than that. Trump over how the U.S. government recognizes geographic places and landmarks. But he cannot force Canada or individual citizens on either side of the border to follow his preferred naming conventions. And his latest branding idea — reminiscent of his move to rechristen the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” — highlights how much his rhetoric and trade policy have sundered the previously warm relationship between Washington and Ottawa.

“I believe the American people love us, and we love them,” Wiseman said. “They’re going through as much turmoil as we are. Hopefully, one day we can reunite.”

Trump introduced the idea of renaming the easternmost area of the Great Lakes hours before Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s scheduled announcement of reciprocal tariffs on U.S. imports into his country.

“The United States is giving serious consideration to changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America in that we don’t expect to doing much business with Ontario any longer,” Trump posted Monday on Truth Social.

The White House followed later in the day by posting on social media a toy Lego map of the U.S. labeling the Gulf of Mexico with Trump’s preferred name, Gulf of America.

Ontario is leading trade partner for many U.S. states

The U.S. and Canada, which share borders along multiple Great Lakes, including Lake Ontario, are locked in an extended trade dispute, with the Trump administration imposing on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods over the weekend after talks between the countries broke down. That ratcheted up lower tariffs that Trump imposed in 2025, shortly after his second presidency began.

Trump has also threatened on Canadian vehicles, auto parts and steel, while Carney said U.S. trade demands showed that Washington wanted to “destroy our major industries,” including , steel and aluminum.

The official U.S.-Canada border stretches across the water between Lake Ontario’s northern and southern shores. The body of water forms much of New York State’s coastline and separates Buffalo from Toronto, the capital of the province of Ontario. Toronto is Canada’s most populous city and Ontario its most populous province.

Ontario is also the single largest export destination for more than a dozen U.S. states.

“It’s disappointing,” Ontario resident Paul Butler said of Trump’s policy and rhetoric. “The more you hear it, it just gets downright infuriating.”

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who traded personal insults with Trump on Monday, dismissed the Lake Ontario threat as “a lot of rhetoric” and urged the two countries to resume negotiations. Ford acknowledged in a CNN interview that the dispute had “got a little personal” and agreed it was time to lower the temperature, saying the trade fight was hurting both countries and that Canada and the United States should “get back to the table” to negotiate.

Lake Ontario’s name predates either country

The lake’s name comes from the Huron Indigenous people’s word “oniatarĂ­:io,” which means “lake of shining waters,” and it predates European settlement in the region. The province, founded in 1867, took its name from the lake.

The International Hydrographic Organization — of which both the United States and Canada are members — works to ensure that the world’s seas, oceans and navigable waters are surveyed and charted uniformly, and also names some of them. But there is no single international body that determines names of international bodies of water.

“It’s been like that for so long, so, why do we need to change it?” said Nancy Minard, an Ontario resident. “It seems to work for Canada and I think probably works for the U.S., too.”

Trump has at least some support for his idea on Ontario’s south shoreline.

“I like it. Absolutely. Because I like America, and right now Canada’s not treating us very nicely,” said Jim Fetterhoff, a resident and fisherman in Port Ontario in upstate New York.

He cited Canadian tariffs on dairy and other products. Nothing against Canadians themselves, Fetterhoff added, “just the Canadian government. I love Canadians.”

Trump has been antagonizing U.S. neighbors

Canada and Mexico are the largest U.S. trading partners but have drawn Trump’s ire throughout his second presidency on trade, immigration and crime. He has called for Canada to become the 51st state, alternating between joking tones and seemingly serious assertions that Carney and other Canadians have rejected and mocked.

On the day of his second inauguration, Trump fulfilled one of his 2024 campaign promises with an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. The body of water forms a shared border between Mexico and the U.S.

Mexico does not recognize the change, nor do many other countries and international bodies.

In 2015, President Barack Obama changed the name of Alaska’s Mount McKinley, named for the 25th U.S. president, to Denali, its historical name given by Alaska Natives as well as the preference of many Alaska residents. Trump, the same day he ordered the Gulf of Mexico to be renamed, returned McKinley’s name to the Alaska mountain to honor “a great president.”

That back-and-forth in Alaska could be a preview for a certain ancient lake. Said Wiseman of Trump, “He’s not going to be in the presidency forever.”

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This story has been updated to correct where Ontario resident Patricia Wiseman was walking. It was the waterfront of the Detroit River, not Lake Erie.

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Barrow reported from Atlanta. Gillies reported from Toronto. Cara Anna contributed from Lowville, New York.

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The contest between Mazzei and Drummond for the GOP nomination to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt — — is the biggest one on the ballot in their deeply conservative state. Drummond finished first among the nine candidates of voting June 16, but only by about 1,100 ballots out of 403,000 cast, and both he and Mazzei received about 26% of the vote.

The winner will face Oklahoma House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson. A Democrat hasn’t won the governor’s race since 2006, and the GOP is heavily favored to keep the office in the November general election.

Mazzei, the 61-year-old founder of an investment management firm who served 12 years in the state Senate, received Trump’s endorsement in May. Trump has reaffirmed it several times on his Truth Social platform. last week, Trump called Drummond a “FAKE Republican.”

Trump criticized Drummond for saying in a 2024 congressional hearing that he had no opinion on Trump’s 2021 impeachment after the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters. Drummond, a 62-year-old northern Oklahoma rancher and former Air Force pilot, was elected attorney general in 2022.

“You can forget about this guy — everybody I know dislikes him,” Trump said during a Monday evening call for Oklahoma Republicans. “Gentner Drummond does not stand for the values of Oklahoma, and he’s a guy that would be, I think, a disaster.”

Trump carried Oklahoma with more than 65% of the vote in each of his three races for president without losing a single county. Drummond has suggested that Mazzei received Trump’s endorsement for hiring a consulting firm operated by longtime Trump friend and adviser Roger Stone, with Mazzei’s campaign paying it $67,500, according to campaign finance records.

Both Trump and Drummond have criticized Stitt, who endorsed Mazzei. The departing governor drew Trump’s ire earlier this year while leading the National Governors Association in a dispute over invitations to White House events, with Trump attacking Stitt as a “RINO,” or “Republican in Name Only.” Drummond said in an interview last month that under Stitt, the state had seen eight years of “mediocrity and flipping.”

“I respect the president,” Drummond said. “He’s a great leader.”

The 10-week runoff campaign has spawned more than $14 million in television and digital advertising, most of it from independent groups, according to the ad-track service AdImpact. That’s on top of the nearly $40 million spent in the governor’s race ahead of the runoff.

While Drummond has raised about $4.8 million more in cash contributions, Mazzei has funded his campaign largely through personal loans of at least $11.9 million. Drummond has loaned his campaign at least $3.5 million.

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Rather than saying that Trump’s order is legal, the high court said Monday it was too early for Democratic-run states to challenge it in June, when they to freeze the order for November’s election. That effectively restarts the legal fight over the order in an incredibly compressed timeline, with initial ballots scheduled to be sent to North Carolina’s overseas and military voters in just over a week, on Sept. 4.

A barring the U.S. Postal Service from making changes to comply with Trump’s directive remains in effect. Still, the administration late Monday filed a motion asking that the second hold be removed, and has from the Postal Service that would go into effect Tuesday if the legal pathway is fully cleared.

That new rule requires specific formatting for envelopes containing mail ballots — which may force some jurisdictions to completely revise theirs — and makes states use an electronic system to identify to the Postal Service who is voting by mail. If states don’t comply with the rule, their mail ballots won’t get sent. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani on Tuesday found that the administration violated her injunction against work on the Trump directive by formulating the rule, but declined to sanction it as she considered whether to lift her freeze entirely.

The prospect of such a potential sweeping overhaul in mere days boggled critics’ minds. In her dissent, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson warned that the decision “needlessly injects chaos and uncertainty into the upcoming midterm elections.”

David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, agreed, saying the majority “seemed to create complete chaos leading up to the midterm elections” and it’d be “impossible” for states to comply with the new rules at this late date.

Some ballots for the November election are set to go out within days

Jesse Salinas, the registrar of Yolo County in California and president of that state’s association of election officers, noted that ballots in his state start going out in 11 days and his county already printed its envelopes.

“You look at the timeline, and it’s a bit chaotic,” Salinas said, noting he doesn’t know precisely which envelope designs comply with the new rules.

He dismissed the idea of a last-minute revision in procedures. “The capacity to do that, I just don’t see it,” Salinas said.

Tammy Patrick, chief program officer at the Elections Center, an association of 2,500 election officers, warned that it’s impossible for any state to comply with the rule and that no one she talked to has tried.

“There isn’t a single state that does their elections in a way that this postal rule lays out,” Patrick said in an interview. “There has been this assumption that this is not going to happen because it could not happen the way it’s laid out, because no one does it this way.”

Cisco Aguilar, the Democratic Secretary of State in Nevada, where every registered voter gets a mail ballot, noted the post office had already misdelivered three dozen mail ballots from his state’s June primary.

“They’re going to come in within seven days and build a massive database that has 100% accuracy?” Aguilar said in disbelief. “It is impossible to implement this system in that time frame.”

Trump votes by mail, but has sought to curb it for others

Trump has long sought to make voting by mail largely impossible, though he himself has .

and spun up baroque conspiracy theories that he’s . Judges blocked him from , and he only issued his latest order after his bill to revamp voting procedures amidst Democratic opposition.

The Election Assistance Commission found that 29% of voters in 2024 cast their ballots through the mail. Democrats are more likely to use mail voting than Republicans, a reflection of how the process has become polarized since Trump began attacking it in 2020. Still, the president has to date been unable to make the sweeping changes he’s sought because the Constitution grants control of voting rules to states, and in federal elections, to Congress — not the president.

Legal experts stressed that’s why they view it as unlikely Trump’s order will actually be implemented. Not only did the majority in the Supreme Court’s unsigned order note that it hasn’t determined whether the measure is constitutional, but every victory the administration has won so far has only been because it’s argued that it’s premature to talk about its constitutionality.

Opponents are already weighing new lawsuits since the final rule was published Friday night. Democrats on Tuesday asked a Washington, D.C., court to reconsider their request to halt the order now that the rule is out; the court had turned down their request in June because it was premature.

More litigation is expected

Becker, a former Department of Justice lawyer who co-wrote a book debunking Trump’s 2020 election lies, added that he expects the next round of litigation to keep the order from being implemented in November. Rick Hasen, a UCLA law professor, said after the ruling: “This doesn’t necessarily mean anything in terms of November.”

Derek Muller, a Notre Dame law professor, said the Supreme Court still ensured a fraught court battle in the coming days.

“It puts courts in a terrible place, because whatever happens is super close to the election,” Muller said. “If it permits it, it creates super disruption for the states. If it suspends it, it visibly angers the administration.”

Hasen said it’s inconceivable that the regulation will impact voters in November.

“Both legal and practical reasons make this practically impossible to enforce,” he said of Trump’s mail voting order.

Elections are run by local officials in thousands of scattered offices, many of which don’t even have a full-time employee. Patrick said that those who work in the field have been left reeling.

“Election officials just feel like punching bags at this moment because they plan one way of conducting their elections, and have contingency plans if a fire breaks out, or one location loses power,” Patrick said. “But how do you plan for something that affects one-third, one half, or all of your voters?”

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