Stories

Browse major news stories and see what officials have said.

May 28, 2026

Federal Judge Allows Trump's Mail-In Voting Executive Order to Stand

On May 28, 2026, U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols — a Trump appointee in Washington, D.C. — declined to temporarily block President Trump's March 31 executive order directing the Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration to build citizenship lists for mail ballot eligibility. Nichols ruled it was premature to block the order because it has not yet been implemented. The executive order directs DHS to compile lists of confirmed adult U.S. citizens in each state, with the U.S. Postal Service then delivering mail ballots only to verified citizens. Democrats and voting rights groups sued immediately, arguing the order risks disenfranchising millions of lawfully registered voters because the underlying data can be outdated or contain errors. A parallel legal challenge filed by a coalition of Democratic-led states is pending before U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston, who was scheduled to hear arguments June 2. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer led Democratic condemnation of both the order and the ruling.

Bulgaria's Eighth Election in Five Years: Radev Wins Landslide

Former president Rumen Radev's Progressive Bulgaria party won a decisive victory in Bulgaria's April 19, 2026 parliamentary election — the country's eighth in five years. Exit polls showed Progressive Bulgaria winning 37–39% of the vote, far ahead of former PM Boyko Borissov's GERB-UDF coalition at 15–16%. Radev, a former fighter pilot who resigned the presidency in January to launch his political movement, campaigned as an "oligarchy breaker." He declared the result "a victory of hope over distrust, a victory of freedom over fear" and pledged to form a stable government. Radev struck a notably eurosceptic tone, saying Europe "has become a victim of its ambition to act as a moral leader" and called for "pragmatic action." The election came one week after Hungary's voters ousted Viktor Orbán, raising questions about whether a broader anti-establishment wave is reshaping Central and Eastern European politics.

Orbán Loses Hungarian Election After 16 Years in Power

On April 12, 2026, Hungarian voters ousted Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in a landslide, ending 16 years of increasingly authoritarian rule. Opposition leader Péter Magyar's Tisza party won 138 of 199 parliamentary seats (53.6%) — a two-thirds supermajority — to Fidesz's 55 seats (37.8%), with a record 77% turnout. The defeat came five days after Vice President JD Vance traveled to Budapest to campaign for Orbán, accusing the EU of election interference while openly endorsing the incumbent. European leaders celebrated the result, with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen declaring "Hungary has chosen Europe." Orbán conceded, calling the result "painful but clear."

JD Vance Campaigns for Orbán Ahead of Hungary Election

Vice President JD Vance traveled to Budapest on April 7, 2026 to campaign for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán ahead of the April 12 election — an extraordinary move by a sitting U.S. vice president to openly support a foreign leader's reelection. At a joint press conference, Vance said Orbán's leadership "can provide a model for the continent" and accused the EU of "one of the worst examples of foreign election interference" he'd ever seen. Opposition leader Péter Magyar, whose Tisza party leads in polls, responded by asking Vance not to make Hungarian taxpayers foot the bill for his visit. The trip overlapped with Vance's role managing the Iran crisis, leading to the surreal moment where he learned of Trump's "civilization will die" threat from a reporter while onstage with Orbán.

Trump Calls on Republicans to 'Nationalize' Elections

During a nearly two-hour appearance on Dan Bongino's podcast on February 2, 2026, President Trump called on Republicans to "take over" and "nationalize" voting in at least 15 unspecified places, claiming without evidence that noncitizens were being brought to the country to vote illegally. The remarks drew bipartisan pushback, with legal experts noting such a move would contradict the Constitution's elections clause, which delegates election administration to state governments. The comments came days after the FBI executed a search warrant at a Fulton County, Georgia election office seeking 2020 election records.