Politics & World Affairs — September 7, 2026

Mail-in ballot fight returns to Supreme Court. The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to enforce postal restrictions on mail ballots as North Carolina ballots enter the mail, potentially reshaping voting rules before the midterms.

The filing arrives at a sensitive moment for election administration, with North Carolina already distributing its ballots and the midterm elections roughly two months away, according to Fox News. Because the administration is seeking enforcement of the postal restrictions while voting logistics are underway, the justices' response could determine how mail ballots are handled in the near term. The dispute has previously moved through the courts before returning to the high court now.

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AfD courts conservatives after record German state election win. The AfD appealed Monday to Chancellor Merz's conservatives to support its bid to govern Saxony-Anhalt after surging into first place, falling just short of a majority.

The party's roughly 44 percent showing in Saxony-Anhalt left it short of governing alone, so it needs backing from other lawmakers to take power. If conservatives agree, it would produce the first state government in Germany led by the far right, according to Reuters. The result drew reactions Monday not only in Berlin but also in Paris, underscoring attention beyond Germany as the AfD presses conservative legislators to support its bid.

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U.S. envoys hold 'substantive' talks in Kyiv. Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met President Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Sunday, a day after lengthy talks with President Putin in Moscow.

The Kyiv stop marked the first visit there for both envoys, according to NPR, and came as part of back-to-back meetings on opposite sides of the conflict, following their session with Putin in Moscow the previous day. Beyond describing the discussions with Zelenskyy as productive, the two expressed confidence that a resolution could be reached through a trilateral format involving all sides, suggesting the shuttle diplomacy is aimed at bringing the parties together.

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