Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has signed Senate Bill 293 into law, eliminating the state’s four-day mail ballot grace period with only a narrow exception for uniformed and overseas voters. Although the governor said he signed the bill reluctantly and would have preferred a veto, the change immediately alters how mail-in voting works across Ohio. Election officials estimate thousands of ballots could be excluded under the new rules, while advocates warn the shorter timeline will disproportionately affect seniors, people with disabilities, rural voters, and students. The episode also places Ohio’s move within a broader national push to end post-Election Day grace periods, as legal challenges backed by Republican leadership continue to work their way toward the U.S. Supreme Court.

#OhioPolitics #VotingRights #MailInVoting #ElectionLaw #SB293 #VoterAccess #ElectionIntegrity #CivicEngagement

The U.S. Supreme Court declined to grant the administration’s emergency request to deploy National Guard troops in Chicago, allowing federalization in theory but blocking their use on the ground. Illinois and Chicago argued the move violated the 10th Amendment and lacked any credible evidence of rebellion, a finding upheld by a federal district judge and largely affirmed by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. While the ruling is preliminary, it represents a significant judicial check on executive power and is likely to strengthen similar legal challenges underway in Los Angeles, Portland, and Washington, D.C., as broader questions over the use of regular armed forces continue through the courts.

#SupremeCourt #NationalGuard #Chicago #FederalPower #StatesRights #TenthAmendment #ImmigrationPolicy #JudicialCheck #ConstitutionalLaw #CivilLiberties

The 60 Minutes report that did not air in the United States but was broadcast in Canada examines conditions inside El Salvador’s CECOT prison, where men deported from the U.S. were detained earlier this year. The segment links what is shown on camera to a 2023 U.S. government human-rights report that warned of abuse, torture, overcrowding, and denial of due process in El Salvador’s prison system. Footage shows detainees being stripped, shaved, and processed under armed guard, while testimony describes beatings, confinement in small enclosed spaces, and severe water deprivation. The report also states that the U.S. paid El Salvador about six million dollars to take in detainees. While CECOT remains operational, there is currently no confirmed program sending new people from the U.S. there, and most of the Venezuelan detainees sent earlier this year have since been released and returned to Venezuela. The segment raises serious questions about human rights, accountability, and why a completed investigation was pulled from U.S. airwaves.

#60Minutes #CECOT #HumanRights #PressFreedom #DueProcess #Deportation #Detention #InvestigativeJournalism #GlobalNews