2026Talks

Protests continued over the weekend over police killing of George Floyd, with law enforcement in some cities using force against demonstrators. Former VP Joe Biden urged against violence.

Republican Voters Against Trump just launched and plans to spend 10 dollars on the 2020 campaign. And President Trump signed an executive order making social media companies liable for content their users post.

Former VP Joe Biden condemned the recent police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, yet another deadly encounter between police and an unarmed Black man. He did so before a virtual talk with PA Gov. Tom Wolf, ahead of next Tuesday's eight primaries.  

Republican Governors in Georgia and Florida are offering their home states as alternatives for North Carolina, after President Trump expressed impatience about talks of a more limited Republican National Convention because of the pandemic.  

Yesterday was Memorial Day. More than 100,000 people in the five major U.S. territories are military veterans, but can't vote for commander-in-chief. Plus, Puerto Rico has a statehood referendum this November.

Overseas service members and people with physical disabilities will be able to vote online this year in West Virginia, Delaware and New Jersey. Election security experts have some concerns.

Today's the deadline for Hawaii's party-run Democratic presidential primary. President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden are both turning their attention towards swing states. And, over 1,000 Justice Department alumni filed an amicus brief demanding an independent review of Attorney General Bill Barr's request to drop charges against Michael Flynn.

More back and forth court rulings in Texas, one of five states without no-excuse absentee voting this year. And a Montana court struck down so-called ballot harvesting law, which limited options to vote for Native Americans.

100 million people didn't vote in 2016, and the Knight Foundation commissioned a report to find out why. Plus, Biden's veepstakes are ramping up, and new names are being floated in the meantime.

Today's the last day of Oregon's primaries -- and they've been holding them by mail for over 20 years. And despite the Trump campaign's push to prevent expansions of mail-in elections, studies show they are in fact secure.

The Biden campaign is targeting 16 swing states, including newly competitive Arizona, Georgia, and Texas. Plus, President Trump fired another inspector general last Friday.

South Carolina is the latest state to allow residents to vote absentee without an excuse for its next set of elections. There are six states remaining where COVID-19 is not a valid reason to request a mail ballot.  

Four faithless electors took their cases to the U.S. Supreme Court yesterday. And even after the largest voting rights expansion in a long time, many returning citizens aren't sure whether they're eligible, though a federal judge is likely to rule in their favor.

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments for three subpoenas of President Trump's tax returns. And there were two special elections, in CA-25 and WI-07, plus statewide primaries in Nebraska yesterday.

Today there are special elections in the 25th District of California, and the 7th District of Wisconsin. Plus, primaries in Nebraska.  

California's 25th District has a special election tomorrow, to replace former Democratic Rep. Katie Hill. Plus, Oklahoma's legislature reinstated a notary requirement for absentee ballots, after the State Supreme Court temporarily removed it for the pandemic.

It's the last day of National Teachers Appreciation Week, but the National Education Association says teachers should be more involved in the process of reopening the economy. Advocates are concerned about Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos's new guidelines on Title IX.

Foreign interference is still a huge concern for election security experts, in addition to the safety concerns of the coronavirus in primaries, special elections, and the general in November.

Dr. Rick Bright, former head of the Health and Human Services division developing a coronavirus vaccine, filed an official whistleblower complaint yesterday. And the R Institute, a generally conservative policy group, was involved in a report about how much funds are needed to secure this year's elections.  

The Census Bureau is launching a phased restart of operations in 13 states, but the 2020 Census is behind, and has implications for the next decade of redistricting.  

Former VP Joe Biden won the Kansas Democratic primary this weekend. Biden also addressed a sexual assault allegation against him by a former Senate aide, Tara Reade. Also, a Kentucky District Judge from the Federalist Society is up for appointment to the DC Circuit Court, a common stepping stone to the Supreme Court.

Tomorrow's the Kansas Democratic primary, and the Guam Democratic caucuses. And Justin Amash, Republican-turned-Independent Congressman from Michigan, will likely launch a Libertarian bid for president. Former VP Joe Biden launched his vice presidential vetting committee, and plans to address sexual assault allegations against him on MSNBC today.

There have been some stay-at-home order protests in recent weeks, some in battleground states and funded by groups connected to the Council for National Policy, an umbrella organization for conservative activists.  

Ohio had its primaries yesterday, and Maryland's 7th district had its special election to replace the late Rep. Elijah Cummings. And Delaware is allowing electronic voting for voters with disabilities in next month's primaries, following West Virginia's example.

Ohio has its primaries today, after a last-minute mid-March delay. Also today is a special election in Maryland's 7th District, to replace the late Rep. Elijah Cummings -- a test for all-mail primaries on June 2.