Good morning, it’s Tuesday.
Arguably, there is nothing more fundamental to a functioning democracy that ensuring its citizens are able to exercise their right to vote. Voting is a privilege, something our forefathers and mothers fought – and in some cases died – for, and a right that others around the world lack.
Despite some encouraging surges in turnout in marquis races like the 2025 New York City mayoral contest, the overall voting picture in the U.S. remains fairly dismal.
On average, voter turnout across this country remains comparatively low – in part due to voter disenfranchisement and efforts to block key blocs from participating, but also because we simply haven’t prioritized, encouraged, and even incentivized voting the way that some other countries have.
According to the 2020 US Census, as many as 1 in 4 Americans are eligible to vote, but not registered to do so. In addition, millions might want to vote, and even show up on Election Day to try to do so, but then find their are unable to cast a ballot for a wide range of reasons – including showing up at the wrong polling site because they have moved and failed to update their registration.
Voting is far more complicated that it should be. There are rules, deadlines, identification challenges, and, most of all, the need to actually get your ballot in on time.
There is no federal law in the U.S. requiring that voters be given time off to cast their ballots. (Other countries hold their elections on a weekend, for example, or designate election day as a national holiday, and 22 countries make voting mandatory for adults – sometimes starting at age 18 – and potentially fine those who fail to comply).
Some states have elections conducted almost entirely by mail, which is, if you’re following the news these days, developing into a fairly significant problem, thanks to the ongoing efforts of the Trump administration. Also, again thanks to the president and his U.S. Supreme Court appointees, the Voting Rights Act, which aimed to protect against the dilution of minority voters’ political power, is now officially dead.
Just yesterday, the New York Times reported that a whistle-blower account provided to Democratic U.S. senators showed “investigators may have broken state laws under the direction of top Homeland Security leaders as part of an expansive effort to find noncitizens on the nation’s voter rolls.”
And late in the news cycle, Politico reported that the Supreme Court has rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to force states to take part in a new system to control the delivery of mail-in ballots in the looming midterm elections.
I’m betting we haven’t heard the last of this yet, even as the midterms loom ever closer.
So, the state of voting in the U.S. is not great. Whatever is one to do? Well, vote, of course. Though it may seem counterintuitive, the only way to successfully enact change in a small-d democracy is to participate in it. Full stop. The more people who make their voices heard, the better.
Today is National Voter Registration Day, which is, according to its official website, “a nonpartisan civic holiday dedicated to celebrating our democracy.” The day was established in 2012 and has since been endorsed by a wide array of partners dedicated to free and fair elections – the National Association of Secretaries of State, the US Election Assistance Commission, etc.
Another nice almost-early-fall day is on tap, with the forecast calling for mostly sunny skies and only a few passing clouds. Temperatures will again top out in the low 70s.
In the headlines…
The Supreme Court blocked a Trump administration plan to dramatically change how Americans vote by mail in the lead-up to the midterm elections, a major loss for President Trump, who has long claimed without evidence that fraud is rampant in mail voting.
The ruling was a resounding win for Democratic-led states and voting rights groups, which had argued that the plan was unconstitutional and an existential threat to the democratic process.
With fewer than 50 days until the midterms, Democrats have developed a clear advantage over Republicans as the president has lost the public’s trust on the economy, according to a new national poll from The New York Times and Siena University.
The interest rate on a key U.S. government bond reached a nearly two-decade high, oil prices continued their climb and stock markets fell today amid intensifying turmoil in global markets.
The Trump administration is accelerating efforts to make AI an integral part of medical care in the US, throwing the resources and support of the federal government into projects that deploy AI agents to diagnose and prescribe treatments to patients.
Trump called Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s chief executive, while he was onstage in Los Angeles and criticized calls to slow down and regulate A.I., insisting that “robots are not going to be taking over the world; that’s not going to happen.”
A Russian businessman with ties to the Kremlin reportedly paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to help finance Donald Trump Jr.’s wedding after-party in the Bahamas this year – an extraordinary flouting of ethical norms for an American president’s family.
Mitch McConnell, 84, returned to the U.S. Senate on Monday for the first time in more than three months, ending an absence that had fueled questions about his medical condition and ability to continue serving after a health incident at his home in mid-June.
“Today, I’ll cast my first Senate vote since I took a bad fall back in June. I’m really looking forward to being back on the Senate floor and seeing my colleagues,” McConnell wrote on X.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said he would not run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028 if Kamala Harris does so, appearing to offer deference to the former vice president ahead of a race that could draw a historically crowded field of candidates.
Democratic-led states and cities filed lawsuits challenging a federal rule set to begin Friday they say gives the Trump administration broad discretion to deny green cards to immigrants who rely on public assistance for food, healthcare, housing and other basic needs.
A James Dolan-bankrolled Super PAC backing Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman launched a $250,000 billboard ad campaign that blames Gov. Kathy Hochul for an exodus out of the Empire State.
Hochul’s office is advising local governments that zoning and state environmental laws can stymie Immigration and Customs Enforcement from building or expanding detention facilities in their communities.
Hochul will send so-called “energy rebate checks” of up to $200 to more than 8 million New York households beginning later this month — the second time her administration has doled out taxpayer funds to households that meet certain income thresholds.
“As Washington Republicans continue to send the cost of everything from utility bills to gas and groceries soaring, I’ll never stop working to address the rising cost of living for New Yorkers,” Hochul said in a release.
As New York teachers unions organize a protest against Hochul’s plan to opt into a federal tax-credit scholarship program, the CEO of Teach Coalition said that opponents are spreading “misconceptions” about how the policy actually operates.
New York quickly and quietly removed a request that was posted last week on a state website seeking proposals to study the possibility of building a 3,000-bed correctional facility at a location later to be determined.
For every 100 New York freshmen, about 83 stayed in the state for college in 2000. By 2024, that number had fallen to 77, with Pennsylvania remaining a top destination for those who matriculate outside the state.
The Board of Regents told the State Education Department on Monday to get to work on making all Regents exams optional.
State AG Tish James and NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani filed a set of lawsuits challenging the Trump administration’s plan to put green cards out of reach for immigrants who use public benefits.
“None of this is abstract,” Mamdani said at a City Hall press conference. “People could die as a result of these changes.”
“At a time when many New Yorkers are already struggling with the rising cost of living, access to public benefits should not be viewed as a sign of dependency,” said Arlene Cruz Escobar, director of health programs at Make the Road New York.
Mamdani is expected today to reveal a wide-ranging plan to make streets safer after a number of fatal traffic collisions, most involving pedestrians, have renewed concerns about the city’s crowded sidewalks and roads.
The 50-page plan, entitled “Vision Zero Reimagined,” commits to advancing or building upon many of the strategies the city has already embraced for making its streets safer since Vision Zero was first introduced by former Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2014.
Some of the influencers in the mayor’s coterie are relatively innocuous. But others celebrate the assassination of Charlie Kirk, claim America runs “mass concentration camps” and make apologies for terrorist attacks targeting synagogues.
After eight months, Mamdani is still waiting to be approved for a high-level security clearance from the federal government. Officials with a clearance may receive classified briefings from federal officials on terrorism and other threats.
The mayor tried to play down the lack of potentially crucial information being shared with him, telling reporters during an unrelated press conference in City Hall that this was a “typical timeline” for approval.
Brooklyn Democratic boss Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn’s attempt to maintain control of the county Democratic club was blocked in court on Monday.
Months after New York City abruptly turned off its emergency notification system for private schools, officials have reversed course and resurrected the tool in what they say is a new and improved form.
New Yorkers will soon start seeing ads promising “faster government” across the city as Mamdani’s charter commission launches a $1.6 million campaign today around five proposed City Charter changes headed to voters this November.
The city cleaned out an East Side homeless encampment under the FDR Drive Monday, leaving behind a mess — while locals said the vagrants will likely come back anyway.
Entry-level tech jobs have plummeted by nearly 50% in the Big Apple in recent years — and the situation isn’t much better for everything from business to entertainment and media, according to a dismal new study.
Manhattan prosecutors seized the domains of 12 websites used to distribute and sell AI-generated “deepfake” pornography made from images of about 1,200 real people, DA Alvin Bragg said, while acknowledging that many more such sites are still operating.
A group of pro-Palestinian former student activists, including Mahmoud Khalil, sued Columbia University in federal court, accusing the institution of failing to address the persistent and severe harassment they said they encountered as a result of their advocacy.
A Democratic congressional candidate from Long Island acknowledged on Monday that he had posed years ago in an explicit ad campaign modeling leather bondage gear, saying that it had no bearing on his campaign or ability to serve.
Rep. Mike Lawler was weaving through traffic at 74 mph with a blood-alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit when state troopers pulled him over in 2012, police records reviewed by The Post reveal.
A University at Albany electrical engineer has developed a noninvasive way to monitor the lungs of premature infants — and everyone else.
The East Greenbush Police Department did not report a former officer’s resignation to the state after he was charged with misdemeanor stalking for allegedly sending his estranged wife messages that caused her to fear for her safety.
The legal battle continues over 27 St. Peter’s cardiologists who provide care at Ellis under a professional services agreement.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced that early big game and small game hunting seasons are officially underway for the 2026–27 license year.
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand joined state and local leaders in calling out VA Secretary Doug Collins for what they say is a lack of transparency over the Schenectady VA clinic closure.
A Clifton Park gym owner said she was blindsided by a wave of online harassment after being wrongly accused of appearing in a viral video in which a woman shouts racist and anti-Muslim comments at a teenager outside a mosque in Waterford.
Hosted by Mariska Hargitay and held on Monday – live from LA’s Peacock Theater – the 2026 Emmys were a surprisingly unpredictable night.
The Apple TV horror /comedy “Widow’s Bay,” which was a word-of-mouth hit over the summer, cleaned up, beating more established comedies like “Hacks” and “Only Murders in the Building” for the top comedy category.
Matthew Rhys became the first man to win two lead actor categories in the same year for his work on that show and the limited series “The Beast in Me.”
Jean Smart and Allison Janney both elbowed their way into the Emmy record books when they nabbed their eighth acting win, tying a record with Cloris Leachman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus for the most by a single performer.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
