Iran war, White House ballroom, typewriters

ADVERTISEMENT

View in Browser

News without an agenda. AP is a not-for-profit organization with no corporate parent, no shareholders and no government influence. Our mission is journalism, not profit margins. Your donation supports independent reporting that serves the public interest, not corporate shareholders. Donate today.

By Mark Garrison

April 01, 2026

By Mark Garrison

April 01, 2026

 
 

In the news today: Trump’s controversial order directing the creation of a national voter list; his prediction that attacks on Iran could be done in a few weeks; and a judge halts the White House ballroom construction. Also, the typewriters that are delivering life lessons to Gen Z.

 
President Donald Trump answers questions from reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on Tuesday.

President Donald Trump answers questions from reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) 

POLITICS

Trump signs order directing creation of a national voter list, a move already facing lawsuit threats

President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order to create a nationwide list of verified eligible voters and to restrict mail-in voting, a move that swiftly drew legal threats from state Democratic officials ahead of this year’s midterm elections. Read more.

Why this matters:

  • The order, which voting law experts say violates the Constitution by attempting to seize states’ power to run elections, is the latest in a torrent of efforts from Trump to interfere with the way Americans vote based on his false allegations of fraud. The president has repeatedly lied about the outcome of the 2020 presidential campaign and the integrity of state-run elections, asserting again Tuesday that he won “three times” and citing accusations of voter fraud that numerous audits, investigations and courts have debunked.

  • The order signed Tuesday calls on the Department of Homeland Security, working in conjunction with the Social Security Administration, to make the list of eligible voters in each state. It also seeks to bar the U.S. Postal Service from sending absentee ballots to those not on each state’s approved list. Trump is also calling for ballots to have secure envelopes with unique barcodes for tracking, according to the executive order, which was first reported by the Daily Caller. Federal funding could be withheld from states and localities that don’t comply.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

  • From TMZ to Trump, pressure grows to bring Congress back during partial shutdown

  • Suspension lifted for helicopter pilots who hovered near Kid Rock’s home

  • In a first, Trump plans to attend Supreme Court hearing on his bid to limit birthright citizenship

  • Citing First Amendment, federal judge blocks Trump order to end funding for NPR and PBS

  • Appeals court suspends order for Voice of America employees to return to work

  • Trump plans to move Forest Service headquarters to Utah and shutter research sites

  • DHS pauses new immigrant warehouse purchases amid review of Noem-era contracts

  • California woman returns home after the Trump administration deported her to Mexico

  • Judge throws out US Justice Department lawsuit challenging sanctuary laws in Colorado, Denver

  • Judge says Penn must turn over information about Jewish employees in US discrimination probe
 

WORLD NEWS

Trump estimates US will be done in Iran in 2 to 3 weeks

President Donald Trump said the military could end its Iran offensive in two to three weeks and will shift responsibility for the Strait of Hormuz to countries that rely on it for oil and shipping. The White House announced a prime-time presidential address Wednesday evening on the war. Read more.

What to know:

  • The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush is slated to go to the Middle East along with three destroyers, two U.S. officials said. The carrier strike group consists of more than 6,000 sailors. It comes as thousands of soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division have also begun arriving in the Middle East, according to two other U.S. officials.

  • Iran hit a tanker off the coast of Qatar and Kuwait International Airport early Wednesday as Tehran remained unrelenting in its attacks on its Gulf Arab neighbors, while acknowledging for the first time that Washington had been in direct contact about a possible ceasefire. Israel sounded warnings of incoming fire from both Yemen and Iran, while launching its own attacks in Lebanon that killed at least five people.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

  • Trump criticizes European allies for not helping fix the damage his war against Iran has caused

  • Securing Iran’s enriched uranium by force would be risky and complex, experts say

  • Officials say American journalist kidnapped in Iraq had been warned of threats

  • Vance and Rubio’s differing postures on Iran war highlight their challenges ahead of 2028 election

  • Stopgap measures aren’t enough to halt rising gas prices as the world scrambles for more oil

  • JetBlue raises its checked bag fees by as much as $9 as the Iran war affects fuel costs

  • Pope Leo XIV urges an Easter end to the US-Israel war on Iran, calling for dialogue
 

POLITICS

Judge orders White House ballroom construction to halt in a ruling that leaves Trump seething

A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Trump administration to suspend construction of a $400 million ballroom it demolished the East Wing of the White House to make space for, barring work from proceeding without congressional approval. Read more.

Why this matters:

  • The ruling was the first major rebuke of Trump’s sweeping efforts to overhaul the White House. But it wasn’t immediately clear what it would mean for a sprawling project in which crews have long since torn down the East Wing, radically transforming the look and feel of the historic grounds.

  • U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington granted a preservationist group’s request for a preliminary injunction that temporarily halts Trump’s White House ballroom project. He concluded that the National Trust for Historic Preservation is likely to succeed on the merits of its claims. “The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families. He is not, however, the owner!” wrote Leon, who was nominated to the bench by Republican President George W. Bush.

  • The White House quickly filed a notice to appeal while Trump fumed at the ruling. “We built many things at the White House over the years. They don’t get congressional approval,” he told reporters in the Oval Office a short time later.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

  • WATCH: Golden toilet installed on the National Mall, a satire of Trump’s renovations

  • Trump mostly cheered while attending opening night of ‘Chicago’ at the Kennedy Center
 

ADVERTISEMENT

 

IN OTHER NEWS

READ

Tiger Woods: After pleading not guilty to DUI, a plan to seek treatment

Drought: Record low Colorado mountain snow won’t bode well for water in the region

Photo gallery: Christians mark