US Deploys 4,000 Troops to Latin America in Anti-Cartel Push
The official, who asked not to be identified discussing details that haven't been made public, said the expeditionary force was headed to the US Southern Command area of operations but declined to identify the exact destination. The deployment involves the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, which include three amphibious vessels.
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Yahoo
12 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump vows to end mail-in ballots with executive order
Former President Donald Trump said Monday that he plans to sign an executive order aimed at ending mail-in voting and eliminating voting machines, a proposal that election experts note he cannot carry out on his own. Trump has long criticized mail-in ballots, calling them fraudulent. On his Truth Social account, Trump wrote: 'THE MAIL-IN BALLOT HOAX, USING VOTING MACHINES THAT ARE A COMPLETE AND TOTAL DISASTER, MUST END, NOW!!!' He also said his order would 'help bring HONESTY to the 2026 Midterm Elections.' According to the New York Times, the Constitution gives states the authority to set the 'times, places and manner' of elections, with Congress able to override state rules. That means Trump could not unilaterally end mail-in voting or require states to stop using voting machines, even if he returns to office. KIRO 7 News has reached out to the office of Gov. Ferguson for comment. California Governor Gavin Newsom responded to Trump, saying on X, 'His plan to rig new Congressional seats is going to backfire — thanks to he's clamoring for other ways to cook the results." Trump claimed in his post that states serve as 'merely an agent' for the federal government in counting ballots and that they must follow the president's instructions. Legal scholars say this interpretation is at odds with constitutional law and decades of precedent. He also repeated an inaccurate assertion that the United States is the 'only Country in the World that uses Mail-In Voting.' In reality, many democracies, including Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom, allow citizens to vote by mail under certain conditions. Trump's position comes despite evidence that Republicans made gains in mail-in voting during the 2024 elections after the party encouraged supporters to use it. In past elections, skepticism toward the practice had sometimes disadvantaged GOP candidates, as Democrats more often embraced early and absentee ballots. In his Truth Social post, Trump argued that Democrats are 'virtually Unelectable' without mail-in voting. He also said that electronic voting machines are inaccurate and expensive. His remarks followed a recent summit with Russian President Vladimir V. Putin in Alaska. Trump told Fox News that Putin agreed with him that the 2020 election was 'rigged' because of mail-in ballots, quoting Putin as saying, 'Your election was rigged because you have mail-in voting.' It remains unclear what language Trump's proposed executive order would contain or how he would attempt to enforce it, given that election administration is largely managed at the state level.
The Hill
13 minutes ago
- The Hill
Congress must correct an injustice facing combat-injured veterans
This month marks the fourth anniversary of a dreadful event — the attack at Abbey Gate in Afghanistan where 13 service members were killed and 45 wounded in our disastrous withdrawal from that country. The event also serves as a reminder of an injustice that effects our injured combat veterans — an injustice that Congress must correct now. Under current policy, 54,000 combat-injured veterans who are forced to medically retire with less than 20 years of service lose a dollar of earned Defense Department retirement pay for every dollar they receive in Veterans Affairs disability pay — an unjust offset that essentially serves as a ' wounded veterans tax.' Reducing the retirement pay of a combat-disabled veteran to save money in the Defense Department personnel account is simply wrong. Saving money on the backs of our service members is not how a nation should treat those who volunteer to represent their country and risk life and limb. This injustice can be remedied by passing the Major Richard Star Act. The bill is named in honor of Major Richard Star, a U.S. Army veteran who died after being diagnosed with lung cancer linked to toxic burn pit exposure. Military retirement pay is earned through years of service. Disability pay is compensation intended to help make up income veterans might lose in the future due to service-related injuries or health conditions. Reducing one because a combat-injured veteran receives another is not in line with the purpose of either earned benefit. Many detractors of the Major Richard Star Act say the bill is too expensive at an estimated $8 billion over 10 years. This represents 0.1 percent of the current Defense Department budget — a small price to pay for compensating veterans. 'Let me say this to the 'cost cutters' of the world,' said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a strong supporter of the act. 'We're coming together on a bipartisan basis. You can 'slash and trash' elsewhere, but not on the backs of our heroes.' Despite the Major Richard Star Act's widespread bipartisan support each year in both the House and Senate, the legislation has yet to be included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This year the proposed legislation currently has 76 Senate co-sponsors and 298 House co-sponsors. It remains one of the most co-sponsored bills in either chamber. Last year the proposed legislation had 74 co-sponsors in the Senate and 326 in the House. It's time for Congress to put these sentiments into action and move forward with this long-sought fix on behalf of tens of thousands of combat-injured military retirees. A few weeks ago, Blumenthal, along with Sens. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), announced they are filing The Richard Star Act as an amendment to the annual must-pass National Defense Authorization Act. Blumenthal said passage of the legislation would correct one of the ' deepest injustices in our present veterans' disability system.' He said veterans 'are being penalized for being wounded….it's about simple justice and fairness.' How does a piece of legislation that will correct a clear injustice that has garnered so much support in both the Senate and House fall apart each year? There is an apparent 'say-do gap' for many lawmakers — lawmakers who 'say' they support the bill when it is proposed but who fail to raise their hand and vote yes and 'do.' Political leaders such as Blumenthal, Crapo and Warren are telling their colleagues to 'do' what they 'say' about supporting a piece of legislation. Hopefully, partisanship is not a consideration on this issue. Partisanship has absolutely no place in deciding how to properly compensate veterans who were injured in a war, doing what their country asked them to do. A perfect example is Army veteran Dan Nevins who was forced to retire after losing both his legs in combat in Iraq. After 36 surgeries and an 18-month stay at Walter Reed National Medical Center, and a painful and lengthy recovery process, Nevins soon discovered that he was prohibited from receiving both his full retirement pay and disability compensation. Nevins says his message to Congress is simple: honor the country's commitment to veterans. 'We should keep our promises,' he says. Keeping the all-volunteer force strong requires meaningful support of the warfighter. Those in uniform must understand that our nation will keep its promises and not attempt to cut costs by unfairly limiting their service-earned benefits. Passing this legislation would serve as a message that those in Congress intend to keep this promise — not just for current veterans but for future generations as well. Tom Jurkowsky is a retired Navy rear admiral who served on active duty for 31 years and a board member of the Military Officers Association of America. He is the author of 'The Secret Sauce for Organizational Success: Communications and Leadership on the Same Page.' He has served as an adjunct instructor at Anne Arundel Community College in Annapolis, Md.
E&E News
13 minutes ago
- E&E News
Texas Dems return home, ending redistricting standoff
Texas Democrats who left the state to stymie Republicans over redistricting have returned to Austin, ending a two-week standoff over President Donald Trump's plan to carve out five new GOP congressional seats. Their return to the state means the Texas House now has the sufficient number of legislators needed to pass a new map benefiting the GOP. Democrats had used the gambit to stall legislative business and bring national attention to Republicans' decision to pursue off-cycle redistricting ahead of the midterms. In a statement, the Texas House Democratic Caucus said that members returned Monday morning 'to launch the next phase in their fight against the racist gerrymander that provoked a weeks-long standoff with Governor [Greg] Abbott [R] and President Trump.' Advertisement The drama in Texas set off a national redistricting battle, most prominently with California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) vowing to retaliate against Texas Republicans by extracting an equal number of Democratic-leaning districts from California's congressional map. Trump has also been pushing to take his redistricting plan to other Republican-led states, like Indiana and Missouri.
