U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after stepping off Air Force One on Aug. 11, 2026, in Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — A federal district court in Massachusetts on Tuesday issued a temporary order blocking the U.S. Postal Service from implementing President Donald Trump’s 2026 executive order on mail-in voting.
The same court in June blocked other portions of Trump’s order in 23 states and Washington, D.C., related to the Department of Homeland Security’s compilation of a federal voter citizenship list and requirement that states submit voter registration lists to the USPS, in addition to printing ballots that can be easily tracked.
Both injunctions apply only to the Nov. 3 midterm elections as litigation continues. Both indicated that the administration likely exceeded its authority in attempting to impose election requirements on states, which have the primary responsibility under law for regulating voting.
Both cases are likely to be addressed by the U.S. Supreme Court very soon. The court will essentially decide whether Trump can implement the order for the November elections.
The issue of standing remains a key question in both cases. The administration alleges that neither the states nor the coalition of nonpartisan voting rights groups has suffered concrete injury from the executive order that would allow them to challenge it.
The Trump administration has already appealed the states’ case to the U.S. Supreme Court, seeking permission to move forward. That decision could come down at any time, as soon as this week.
Cyclospora cayetanensis is a unicellular parasite that causes an intestinal infection called cyclosporiasis. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
(NEW YORK) — Cases of cyclosporiasis have topped 24,000, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There are at least 13,895 laboratory-confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis, including 740 hospitalizations, the data shows.
The agency is also aware of at least 10,455 additional cases that have not yet been laboratory confirmed.
The rate of increase appears to have slowed, with only about 2,000 more cases recorded over the last week. The previous week saw more than 22,000 cases recorded, a jump of over 10,000 from the week prior.
The CDC data, which was released on Tuesday, shows the ages of those who have fallen ill range between 1 and 98 years old.
There is a six-week reporting lag between when people feel sick and case reporting to the CDC, indicating that numbers will likely continue to rise.
It comes amid an outbreak now linked to now-recalled iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms that has spread to at least 15 states.
A total of 6,358 illnesses has now been reported across those states amid the outbreak, and at least 278 hospitalizations.
“The true number of sick people in this multistate outbreak is likely higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses,” a notice from the Food and Drug Administration investigation reads.
Two deaths have been reported in Michigan in the cyclosporiasis outbreak, both individuals with significant underlying health conditions, health officials in the state said this week.
Originally, illnesses were isolated to shredded lettuce served at Taco Bell in nine states. However, health officials have found that the lettuce was also distributed to food services, retail stores and restaurants.
The lettuce was sourced in central Mexico and distributed by Taylor Farms. Last month, Taylor Farms issued a voluntary recall of all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico.
With her son George by her side, Democratic Wisconsin Gubernatorial candidate Francesca Hong votes in the primary election on Aug. 11, 2026, in Madison, Wisconsin. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Voters in six states on Tuesday decided which candidates will face off in November in House and Senate races that could determine whether the balance of power will shift in the next Congress.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, a centrist Democrat, narrowly won the Democratic primary in Wisconsin in a major upset in the race for governor, the Associated Press projects. He defeated Wisconsin assemblywoman Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist, in what became a high-stakes test for progressives who pinned their hopes on winning a major party nomination in a crucial battleground state.
And in Connecticut, 14-term Rep. John Larson became the seventh House Democrat incumbent to lose a primary during this election cycle.
Here’s a look at Tuesday’s primaries:
Wisconsin
Republican and Democratic candidates in Wisconsin are vying to win the first open gubernatorial seat since 2010, replacing Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who announced last year that he wouldn’t run for reelection.
There are also primaries in both parties that could have an impact on which controls the House next year.
Incumbent Democratic Rep. John Larson will lose the Democratic primary for his 1st Congressional District seat to challenger Luke Bronin, the former mayor of Hartford, ABC News projects. Larson has held his seat since 1999. Larson is the seventh incumbent House Democrat to lose in primaries this year.
And Gov. Ned Lamont, who was elected in 2018, will fend off a primary challenge from Josh Elliott, ABC News projects. He’ll face Republican Ryan Fazio in November.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar will win the Democratic governor primary, ABC News projects, in the race to replace Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, who is retiring. She will face state House Speaker Lisa Demuth, who ABC projects will win the Republican governor’s primary, in November.
ABC News also projects Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan will win the Democratic primary in the race to replace Democratic Sen. Tina Smith, who is also retiring. She’ll face former NFL sideline reporter Michelle Tafoya, who ABC projects will win the Republican primary for Senate.
Minnesota also voted in primaries for several House races that could help determine the balance of power in Congress.
Darline Graham, the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham who was appointed to fill the remainder of her brother’s term, will face Rep. Ralph Norman in an Aug. 25 runoff to replace Lindsey Graham on the November ballot, ABC News projects.
Lindsey Graham’s death in July sparked a rapid-fire campaign season. Eight other candidates besides Graham and Norman were running for the seat.
Economist Amanda Janoo will win the Democratic primary for governor, ABC News projects, and will face incumbent Republican Gov. Phil Scott in the general election in November.
In Alabama, some voters decided several House races following the Supreme Court decision that limited portions of the Voting Rights Act and led several states in the South to take part in mid-decade redistricting.
Primaries were held in May, but Republican Gov. Kay Ivey pushed back those in the 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7th districts that were impacted by redistricting after the Supreme Court decision.
: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after stepping off Air Force One on August 11, 2026 in Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. President Trump is returning to Washington, DC after traveling to Ohio to attend the 2026 Patriot Games. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday night that his secret flight out of Turkey last month, which employed a passenger-filled “decoy” Air Force One, was the work of the Secret Service and the U.S. military.
“It’s only up to Secret Service. I just follow what they’d like to do,” Trump told reporters on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews following a trip to Ohio.
“So I go by Secret Service and the military. They wanted me to go on a different flight, a different plane. Equal safety. But they wanted me to do it, so I do it. I do what they say,” Trump said of the plan to secretly switch from Air Force One to another plane.
As first reported by The Washington Post on Monday, Trump secretly transferred from the old Air Force One to a military aircraft via a catering container, sources told ABC News, an elaborate ruse that was carried out without the knowledge of the traveling press and even some White House officials aboard the decoy flight.
Sources familiar with the matter told ABC News that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent were on the “decoy” Air Force One.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was on the other plane flying with the president, sources said.
All three Cabinet members were aware that Trump had secretly switched from the old Air Force One jet to the military aircraft given the threat, sources said.
Asked Tuesday night if he knew about a specific threat at the time, Trump brushed it off.
“I guess there was a threat out there. I didn’t really ask too much about it. I get a lot of threats,” Trump said.
When asked about the safety of the decoy Air Force One jet, Trump claimed that he was at greater risk on the other plane.
“I think actually the plane that I flew on was at greater risk,” Trump said. “I think it was at greater risk because that would be the plane I think that we — that they would be more likely to go for.”
Trump publicly stated at the time that he would be flying on the old Air Force One and not flying on the new Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet because he was sending it to a base in the U.K. so service members could tour it.
ABC News reported at the time that Trump was advised not to take the plane due to security concerns amid escalations with Iran.
On the Air Force One flight that was believed to be carrying Trump, reporters on board were told that the windows needed to be closed the whole flight and that it was a mandate from the Secret Service. Air Force One, despite the president not being on board, according to the Post, had its transponder turned off.
In a statement to ABC News regarding the Post’s reporting, the White House said, “As the President has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal to address those threats.”
ABC News’ Jonathan Karl and Luke Barr contributed to this report.
Luigi Mangione attends a pre-trial appearance at Manhattan Criminal Court on Aug. 11, 2026, in New York City. (Barry Williams-Pool/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — The jurors in accused CEO killer Luigi Mangione‘s state murder trial will be kept anonymous over concerns that they may be subject to “harassment, intimidation, or improper outside influence” if their identifying information is publicly released, according to the judge.
Judge Gregory Carro said Tuesday that only prosecutors and defense lawyers will have access to the jurors’ names and addresses.
Jury selection starts on Sept. 8.
Carro justified his decision in part by noting that individuals identifying themselves as Mangione’s supporters have “engaged in inflammatory and hostile public statements outside the courthouse and announced their intention to attend jury selection to attempt to speak to prospective jurors.”
“Given the extraordinary public attention and the documented instances of threatening or hostile behavior by individuals outside the courthouse, the court finds that disclosure of juror names to the public poses an unjustifiable risk of interference with the administration of justice,” Carro wrote in an order. “Restricting public disclosure of juror names while making the names available to the parties and counsel is an appropriate and necessary safeguard.”
Defense lawyers opposed withholding the names of jurors, arguing that prosecutors failed to demonstrate an “actual threat to the safety or integrity of the jury” and alleged that the concerns raised by prosecutors were “speculative” and “hypothetical.”
“They have identified no specific facts demonstrating that any actual, existing threat to the safety or integrity of the jury presently exists,” Mangione’s lawyers wrote.
Carro disagreed, writing that prosecutors have demonstrated that individuals related to the case have been subject to threats and harassment.
“The court finds that these circumstances create a realistic and substantial risk that prospective and sworn jurors could be subject to harassment, intimidation, or improper outside influence, and that disclosure of their identifying information would meaningfully increase that risk,” Carro wrote.
Prosecutors allege Mangione gunned down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in an assassination-style killing on a Midtown Manhattan street in December 2024. Mangione has pleaded not guilty in separate state and federal cases, and faces the possibility of life in prison if he’s convicted in his state murder case.
Carro’s written order came hours after Mangione appeared in a packed courtroom for a pretrial conference, possibly the last time the accused killer will be seen in public before jury selection begins.
The last two rows of the courtroom were filled with about 20 Mangione supporters, some wearing shirts declaring his innocence or calling for expanded courtroom access.
At the hearing, Carro shot down the defense’s claims that access to the trial was limited or that prosecutors were involved in dictating the coverage plans.
He said this was not the court’s “first rodeo” when it comes to high-profile cases.
“There has never been a discussion or decision by this court to exclude the public for these proceedings, and quite the opposite is true,” the judge said, adding that there will be an overflow room for the trial.
Carro noted that more than 80 media organizations have signaled plans to cover the trial.
“There will be less room for the public because of that, but there will be room for the public,” he said.
Tyler Boebert is seen in this undated police booking photo. (Garfield County Sheriff’s Office – Colorado)
(GARFIELD COUNTY, Colo.) — The oldest son of Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., was arrested on charges of sexual exploitation of a child, authorities said Monday.
Tyler Boebert, 21, of New Castle, Colorado, was arrested Sunday on a warrant on “multiple charges,” the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.
Court records show he was arrested on five felony counts, including three counts of sexual exploitation of a child and two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
The arrest follows an investigation conducted by the sheriff’s office and the 9th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, according to the sheriff’s press release.
Tyler Boebert’s bond was set at $10,000, which he posted the same day, the sheriff’s office said. His next court appearance is set for Aug. 19, court records show.
Attorney information for Tyler Boebert was not immediately available.
“I love my son,” Rep. Boebert said in a statement to ABC News. “We take these allegations very seriously and pray for everyone affected during this challenging time.”
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller contributed to this report.
First responders at the scene of a deadly car crash in Grand Junction, Colorado, on Aug. 9, 2026.(Grand Junction Police Department)
(NEW YORK) — Five 17-year-old boys died when their vehicle went off a cliff in Colorado and crashed, authorities said.
The crash occurred in a residential area of Grand Junction late Saturday, according to the Mesa County Coroner’s Office.
Police and fire personnel responded shortly before 8 a.m. local time Sunday to a report of a possible vehicle that drove off the edge of a cliff in the 2000 block of Lookout Lane, according to the Grand Junction Police Department. They located the crashed vehicle on the hillside, police said.
All five victims were pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.
“Initial investigation indicates the vehicle was traveling southbound on Lookout Lane when it veered off the roadway and down the steep incline of the hillside,” the Grand Junction Police Department said in a release on Sunday.
Speed is being considered as a factor in the crash, which remains under investigation, police said.
First responders from multiple agencies worked to recover the bodies from the crash site. All five teens died from injuries sustained in the crash, the coroner’s office said in a statement Monday.
The driver, front seat passenger and a third occupant were wearing their seatbelts, while the two other occupants were not and were ejected from the vehicle, according to the coroner’s office.
The teens were residents of Grand Junction, according to the coroner’s office, which did not publicly identify them, citing a policy not to release the names of minors.
“Our hearts are heavy following the tragic losses this weekend,” the police department said.
U.S. President Donald Trump takes a question from reporters during an event in the Oval Office on Aug. 10, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The same legal team that successfully challenged President Donald Trump’s first bid to end birthright citizenship is asking a federal judge to clarify that the Supreme Court’s ruling also blocks a second executive order attempting to target specific children who Trump says are exempt from becoming Americans at birth.
Trump’s second birthright order — signed last week as a response to the high court’s June ruling — attempts to deny citizenship to children born on U.S. soil to an “alien enemy,” or a “foreign government employee,” or a parent who “engaged in a commercial transaction” to obtain citizenship or who are born in a territory where citizenship is not conferred by statute.
Attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union, representing a class of potentially affected immigrant families, filed a motion in federal district court in New Hampshire on Tuesday seeking a declaratory order that the new order effectively defies the Supreme Court.
“Nothing requires this Court to countenance the continued assault on this foundational constitutional principle or issue an endless string of EO-specific injunctions,” the attorneys wrote. “The court should make clear that [Trump] may not take away class members’ birthright under the auspices of these or any other executive actions.”
The Supreme Court did confirm four categories of children born on U.S. soil who would not automatically become citizens: the children of ambassadors, those born on foreign public ships, those born to enemies occupying American territory and members of Indian tribes. But its 6-3 decision left little room for additional exemptions.
Court precedent “indicated that the four exceptions were a closed set,” Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote in a concurring opinion, “meaning that there can be no additional exceptions recognized based on subsequent circumstances or developments. And the decision has consistently been read that way.”
Chief Justice John Roberts’ majority opinion explained that the key determinant of citizenship was “fixed by the place of nativity, irrespective of parentage.”
The administration argues that the categories specified in Trump’s second executive order are acceptable exemptions from birthright citizenship under the legal interpretation presented by Roberts.
The president’s executive order is set to take effect on Sept. 6.
The ACLU argued in its motion to the court that none of those specified exemptions appear in the Constitution or federal citizenship law and seeks to block the order.
(NEW YORK) — Robert Gilman, a U.S. citizen and former Marine, has been freed from detention in Russia on humanitarian grounds, a State Department spokesperson confirmed Tuesday.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Luigi Mangione attends a pre-trial appearance at Manhattan Criminal Court on Aug. 11, 2026, in New York City. (Barry Williams-Pool/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Accused CEO killer Luigi Mangione is in a packed Manhattan courtroom on Tuesday for the last scheduled pre-trial conference before jury selection begins next month in his state murder case.
The last two rows of the courtroom were filled with about 20 Mangione supporters, some wearing shirts declaring his innocence or calling for expanded courtroom access.
Tuesday’s appearance could be the last time Mangione is seen in public before jury selection starts on Sept. 8, and the conference is one of the final opportunities for prosecutors and defense attorneys to finalize details of the high-profile trial.
Judge Gregory Carro began the hearing by shooting down the defense’s claims that access to the trial was limited or that prosecutors were involved in dictating the coverage plans. He told prosecutors that this was not the court’s “first rodeo” when it comes to high-profile cases.
“There has never been a discussion or decision by this court to exclude the public for these proceedings, and quite the opposite is true,” the judge said, adding that there will be an overflow room for the trial.
Prosecutors allege Mangione gunned down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in an assassination-style killing on a Midtown Manhattan street in December 2024. He has pleaded not guilty in separate state and federal cases, and faces the possibility of life in prison if he’s convicted in his state murder case.
In the two months since Mangione last appeared in state court, his defense lawyers abruptly withdrew plans to argue he was experiencing an “extreme emotional disturbance” as he allegedly killed Thompson. The rare psychiatric defense would have involved Mangione’s lawyers arguing he experienced a “profound loss of self-control” at the time of the alleged murder and that he should be convicted of the lesser crime of manslaughter, which carries a 25-year maximum sentence.
Mangione’s lawyers withdrew their notice about the planned defense after the judge said his lawyers would have to turn over Mangione’s psychiatric records if they chose that route.
Mangione’s lawyers and federal prosecutors in Manhattan also discussed a possible guilty plea in his federal case in June, sources previously told ABC News. The sources said it was not clear how close the two sides came to an agreement before the negotiations stopped, and Mangione’s federal trial is scheduled to begin on Jan. 5.
Prosecutors with the Manhattan district attorney’s office have said they would push for a stiffer sentence in his state murder case if Mangione were to plead out of the federal case.
“Any guilty pleas in these matters must account for the seriousness of defendant’s offenses, the loss of an innocent life, the impact of those crimes on the victim’s family, and the other state interests that are implicated, including the sanctity of life principle that underpins the state homicide charges,” prosecutor Joel Seidermann wrote in July.
