Try and Stop Us Digest — August 17, 2026

Must Read

"Smoking Gun" Email Shows The White House Targeted Colorado Over Tina Peters

Hours before Trump attacked Colorado's governor over Tina Peters's imprisonment, a White House aide summoned five federal agencies to a 2:43 AM call to "prioritize Colorado." Within days, hundreds of millions in federal funding was cut.New York Times / Denver Post: "The very idea that the president of the United States or the Executive Office of the President would target a state because they don't feel that the state and its administrators are in line with the current administration's priorities is phenomenal," said U.S. District Judge R. Brooke Jackson, who called it something he'd "never even imagined." Colorado's AG called it proof the White House "orchestrated an unconstitutional scheme."

A California county wants to hire Tina Peters next month — she's legally barred from leaving Colorado until 2029.KHSL: Shasta County's registrar of voters, censured by his own board of supervisors last week, announced plans to replace his assistant registrar with Peters — a convicted felon still on parole in Colorado.

DOJ's Voter Roll Crusade Just Lost Twice In One Day

The full Sixth Circuit refused to revive DOJ's demand for Michigan's voter rolls — but nine Republican-appointed judges signaled they'd back Trump next time.Democracy Docket / Bloomberg Law: "Today, the government invokes Title III for an inverse purpose — to ensure that some people have not voted," wrote Judge Andre Mathis, contrasting DOJ's approach with the law's original 1960s purpose. A Trump-appointed judge dissented, warning the ruling would "hamper efforts to enforce federal laws."

An hour later, a Nevada judge handed DOJ it’s 22nd consecutive loss. Democracy Docket: DOJ offered no factual basis at all for its demand, Judge Anne Traum wrote: "The Government has provided 'no basis — none.'" Nevada had already offered its publicly available voter list; DOJ wanted birthdates, driver's license and Social Security numbers too.

Todd Blanche: "We're Not Going To Stop" Even After 22 Straight Losses

The new attorney general said taking the voter rolls fight to the Supreme Court is a "possibility.” NBC News: "Absolutely, it's a possibility," Blanche told Meet the Press when asked if he'd appeal DOJ's 22 losses to the Supreme Court. DOJ has sued 30 states and D.C. — including Republican-led Idaho, Utah, Georgia and Vermont. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called Blanche's DOJ "a wholly owned subsidiary of the Trump cartel."

The Trump Administration Gutted The Agency Meant To Stop Election Hacking. Now Iran Is Testing The Gaps.

Suspected Iranian hackers already breached Arizona's election server and hit water systems in 30+ towns. CISA has lost a third of its staff and hasn't had a confirmed director in over a year.The Atlantic: "They cut off all support for us; they've threatened to investigate us," said Arizona's Adrian Fontes. "That's not the posture that an ally would take. That's what an adversary would do." When Iran-linked hackers hit Minnesota's water systems, Trump blamed Gov. Tim Walz instead. "I have to worry about this administration," Walz said.

States Are Already Building Legal Defenses For Federal Agents At The Polls In November

From Nevada to West Virginia to Michigan, state election officials say they have lawsuits "ready to go" the moment Trump tries to send troops or ICE to a polling place.HuffPost: "The second that we would become aware that they were going to deploy troops or agents to Michigan, we're going to file a lawsuit and we're going to win," said Michigan's Aghogho Edevbie. Even Republican West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner drew a line: "As long as the feds stay on their side of the Potomac River, we'll all be in good shape."

In The States

MISSISSIPPI — The secretary of state is trying to unilaterally revive a gerrymandered map that a federal court already struck down for diluting Black voters.Democracy Docket: Michael Watson ordered local officials to use the old map before the legislature or courts weigh in, citing the Supreme Court's recent gutting of VRA protections. A federal judge will hear an emergency motion to block it Aug. 28.

NEVADA — A judge threw out charges against six Republicans who falsely claimed to be Trump's electors in 2020. Politico: The judge found prosecutors' evidence "minimal" and said the fake electors acted in public, without hiding what they were doing. False elector charges have now collapsed in Arizona, Nevada, Michigan and Georgia; Nevada's AG says he'll appeal.

What Experts Are Saying

The former head of CISA under Biden says small towns shouldn't have to defend themselves against a foreign government alone. "They have a lot of inherent weaknesses, but I don't think these small towns and municipalities should have to defend themselves from the Iranian government. The threats are moving faster and the risks are more dangerous than ever." — Jen Easterly, former Director, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, The Atlantic

Headlines

Trump's Attacks on Voting

Mother Jones: Senators Sound Alarm on Voter Intimidation in Nursing Homes

Wired: Election Officials Are Preparing for Prediction Markets to Sow Chaos in the Midterms

In The States

Democracy Docket: Texas Supreme Court refuses to stop GOP-led county from changing voting maps between primary and November election