Ballots Get Federal Babysitters, Asylum Seekers Get the Rolling Visa Ax

Monday, August 24, 2026, was a real two-for-one special. First, the Supreme Court gave the Trump administration a procedural win over its mail-voting executive order, ruling that the states in this particular challenge could not sue yet—not that the order itself is lawful. So the feds may start trying to reshape mail-ballot rules before the midterms, because apparently election administration needed the calm, orderly energy of a North Shore rotary at 4:45 on a Friday. AP reporting Supreme Court order

The executive order calls for federal citizenship lists and directs the Postal Service to limit mail ballots to voters appearing on those lists. The Court’s unsigned order stayed the lower-court injunction in the states that brought this case, while expressly warning that any eventual implementation measure still might not be lawful. That is not a final ruling on the merits; it is the legal equivalent of letting somebody carry a tray of fried clams across the bar while everyone waits to see whether they hit the floor. Supreme Court order AP reporting

Meanwhile, the State Department is preparing to revoke B-1 and B-2 business and tourism visas, on a rolling basis, for up to 200,000 people who have sought or are seeking asylum, according to State Department documents obtained by the Associated Press and two U.S. officials. The plan is not final, and visa revocation would not necessarily mean immediate deportation, but AP reports that affected people with pending asylum cases would be recategorized and lose visitor status. Nothing says orderly governance like putting a couple hundred thousand people in another administrative maze and then acting surprised when the CB radio starts squawking. AP reporting