#new-york — Trump Fail

FEMA Will Withhold 20% of a $1 Billion Anti-Terrorism Grant Program — Money for Cybersecurity and Protecting Crowded Public Spaces — Unless States Rewrite Their Elections to Trump's Demands Before the Midterms, a Power the Constitution Gives Him Zero Authority Over

The Trump administration is holding counterterrorism money hostage to force states to change how they run elections before the November 2026 midterms. FEMA's fiscal-year 2026 Homeland Security Grant Program notice says the agency will withhold 20% of each state's total award — from a $1.064 billion program that funds cybersecurity, emergency planning, training, equipment, and protection of crowded public spaces — until the state proves it has complied with new "Election Security" requirements. Those requirements: submit a plan to abandon electronic voting systems that use bar codes/QR codes and move to hand-marked paper ballots (eliminating ballot-marking devices); conduct 5% manual post-election audits; reconcile voters against ballots cast; run the entire voter roll through the DHS "SAVE" citizenship database within 120 days; and verify the citizenship of every poll worker and vendor. In FY2025 the election-related hold was just 3% for three modest actions; FY2026 escalates it to 20% and a far larger list. The 3% election-security set-aside and the 20% holdback are explicitly separate — meeting one does not release the other. The grants flow largely to populous urban states: New York alone expects about $204 million in FY2026. Switching to hand-marked paper ballots would cost states hundreds of millions — Georgia's Republican secretary of state estimated $66 million for his state alone. The Constitution gives the president no authority over election administration; a federal judge recently wrote exactly that while blocking parts of Trump's anti-voting executive order, and another judge blocked DHS from using SAVE to purge voters, finding the administration "knowingly trampled on the privacy rights of American citizens." The DOJ has separately sued 30 states for refusing to hand over voter lists and warned election officials in all 50 states they could face criminal charges. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul: the administration is "once again putting New Yorkers' lives at risk to forward their political agenda." Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows: "Trump is trying to meddle in how states run American elections because he's terrified of losing power after the 2026 midterms."

Trump "Thunderously" Booed at NBA Finals Game 3 in Madison Square Garden — Claims It Was "Mostly Cheers"

Trump became the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game — and was thunderously booed when shown on the Madison Square Garden jumbotron during the national anthem. White House pool reporters called it "indisputably" loud booing. Trump told reporters afterward: "It was, I think, mostly cheers. It was loud, and it was very enthusiastic." His presence caused 4+ hour security lines, forced the cancellation of fan watch parties outside MSG, and required a 10-foot fence, counter-drone technology, and a bulletproof glass suite. Fans made rude gestures at his motorcade. Ticket prices exceeded $5,000. The Knicks lost 115-111, snapping a 13-game playoff win streak. Schumer: "Trump should LEAVE US ALONE! He's not wanted here." Trump sat with James Dolan, Jared Kushner, Boris Epshteyn, and four Cabinet secretaries. Howard Lutnick — who testified about Epstein ten days earlier — sat courtside.