Donald Trump has ignited controversy by suggesting that Republican state officials should 'take over' and 'nationalize' elections in 15 states to prevent noncitizen voting, a claim that has been widely debunked. The remarks were made on a conservative podcast released on Monday, where the former president argued that undocumented immigrants are voting illegally in numbers that could affect election outcomes. However, there is no evidence to support such claims.
Trump's comments come amid heightened tensions over election integrity, just days after FBI agents executed a criminal search warrant in Fulton County, Georgia, seizing nearly 700 boxes of ballots and other election materials. The county has been a frequent target of Trump's baseless allegations of election fraud. Additionally, the Guardian exclusively reported on Tuesday that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is conducting her own review of the 2020 election with Trump's approval, separate from a Justice Department investigation.
Democrats have strongly condemned Trump's proposal. Senator Mark Warner of Virginia described it as a threat to democracy, stating, 'That statement alone makes clear that this threat to our election security is forward-looking, to 2026, to 2028. This is about whether these same tactics will be used to disrupt free and fair elections.'
Meanwhile, Trump signed legislation on Tuesday to end a government shutdown that began after midnight last Friday. The $1.2 trillion appropriations measure, approved by the Republican-controlled House by a narrow 217-214 vote, funds most of the federal government through September but provides only two weeks of short-term funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Top Democrats have warned they will block further DHS funding unless their demands are met, including requirements for federal agents to wear body cameras, cease wearing masks, follow a code of conduct, and obtain arrest warrants for individuals in the country illegally.
In other developments, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the creation of a team of legal observers to monitor and record on-duty immigration enforcement officers. UK police have launched a criminal investigation into allegations that Peter Mandelson, a former business secretary and ambassador to the US, leaked emails and market-sensitive information to Jeffrey Epstein following the release of the Epstein files. Spain has proposed a ban on social media use for under-16s, prompting criticism from Elon Musk, who called the prime minister a 'tyrant' and 'traitor'. The US military reported shooting down an Iranian drone that 'aggressively' approached an aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea, as diplomats work to arrange Iran-US nuclear talks.
