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The Brief

The most important stories for you to know today
  • Suing of school district part of ongoing battle
    Five people with light skin tone are outside holding protest signs. The biggest sign reads "FIGHT 4 FEMALES" and another reads "God's kids are NOT for sale!"
    People show support for three statewide initiatives at a press conference at the state Capitol in Sacramento on Aug. 28, 2023.

    Topline:

    California’s culture wars escalated Monday as the state sued a school district over its transgender student policy, and a parents’ group took the first step toward placing a trio of initiatives on next year’s ballot that would restrict protections for transgender youth.

    The moves follow highly publicized incidents last month in which state leaders attempted to rein in school boards they said had run afoul of civil rights laws.

    Test of power: Under California’s local control system, school boards have wide latitude to enact their own policies — a freedom that’s now being tested as a handful of districts move to expand parental rights by limiting the rights of LGBTQ students.

    The backstory: Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a complaint on Monday morning against the Chino Valley Unified School District in San Bernardino County over its new policy requiring parental notification when students change their gender identity at school. The complaint, seeks a temporary restraining order against enforcement of the policy, which Bonta referred to as the “forced outing” of transgender and gender nonconforming students.

    California’s culture wars escalated Monday as the state sued a school district over its transgender student policy, and a parents’ group took the first step toward placing a trio of initiatives on next year’s ballot that would restrict protections for transgender youth.

    The moves follow highly publicized incidents last month in which state leaders attempted to rein in school boards they said had run afoul of civil rights laws. Under California’s local control system, school boards have wide latitude to enact their own policies — a freedom that’s now being tested as a handful of districts move to expand parental rights by limiting the rights of LGBTQ students.

    Monday morning, Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a complaint against the Chino Valley Unified School District in San Bernardino County over its new policy requiring parental notification when students change their gender identity at school.

    The complaint, filed in San Bernardino County Superior Court, seeks a temporary restraining order against enforcement of the policy, which Bonta referred to as the “forced outing” of transgender and gender nonconforming students, while the court determines whether it violates state law.

    “It presents students with a terrible choice,” the attorney general said at a news conference in Los Angeles. “Either walk back your rights to gender identity and gender expression, to be yourself, to be who you are, or face the risk of serious harm. Mental harm, emotional harm, physical harm.”

    The policy requires schools to notify parents when students request to be identified by a name or pronoun, or use facilities or participate in a program that does not align with the sex on their official records. Parents would be notified even if they do not have the student’s permission.

    In its function, in its text and in its context, this policy is destructive, it’s discriminatory and it is downright dangerous.
    — Attorney General Rob Bonta

    Bonta said this could potentially put students with parents hostile to their gender expression in danger. He argued that the policy violates California’s constitutional right to privacy, as well as the state’s equal protection clause and state laws that guarantee students the equal right to an education regardless of their gender identity.

    Citing comments from school board members who said transgender students were suffering from a mental illness and a perversion, Bonta said the policy was plainly discriminatory.

    “In its function, in its text and in its context, this policy is destructive, it’s discriminatory and it is downright dangerous,” Bonta said. “It has no place in California, which is why we have moved in court to strike it down.”

    ‘Desperate attempt to stop us’

    Sonja Shaw, Chino Valley’s school board president, was undaunted by the lawsuit, and said the district’s policy is legally sound.

    “This is a desperate attempt to stop us, and quite honestly, it’s embarrassing that Bonta is wasting so much time and money on this,” Shaw said Monday. “Every time he does something like this, it’s a gift, because it exposes who these people really are — extremists who want to come between students and their parents.”

    At a boisterous meeting July 20, the Chino Valley Unified board voted 4-1 to pass the policy requiring school staff to notify parents within three days of discovering that a child has changed their gender identity. That could include changing their name or pronouns, joining a single-sex team or club or using bathrooms or locker rooms that don’t align with their gender at birth.

    State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond attended the meeting to protest the policy, but police escorted him out when he spoke longer than his allotted time.

    Andi Johnston, Chino Valley Unified communications director, said that the district’s policy does actually include protections for students who might be at risk for abuse from parents. If a student believes they are in danger or may be abused, injured or neglected due to their parents knowing of their preferred gender identity, staff must notify police or child protective services and won’t immediately notify parents.

    Assemblymember Bill Essayli, a Corona Republican, speaks during a press conference at the state Capitol in Sacramento on Aug. 28, 2023.
    Assemblymember Bill Essayli, a Corona Republican, speaks during a press conference at the state Capitol in Sacramento on Aug. 28, 2023.
    (
    Rahul Lal
    /
    CalMatters
    )

    Chino Valley Unified was among the state’s first districts to enact such a policy, which is based on a bill that’s currently stalled in the Legislature. Assembly Bill 1314, proposed by Assemblymember Bill Essayli, a Republican from Riverside, would have reversed the state’s current policy of protecting the privacy of LGBTQ students who might not be “out” at home. Because the chair of the Assembly education committee, Al Muratsuchi, declined to schedule the bill for a hearing, Essayli said he would contact school boards directly and urge them to pursue the issue.

    Since then, three other districts — Anderson Union High School District in Shasta County, and Murrieta Valley Unified and Temecula Valley Unified in Riverside County — have adopted similar policies. Several others have proposals in the works.

    Going to the voters in 2024

    A few hours after Bonta filed his lawsuit, the group Protect Kids California filed state paperwork to place three initiatives on the fall 2024 ballot that would require schools to notify parents when students alter their gender identity; restrict girls’ locker rooms, bathrooms and sports teams to “biological” girls, based on the sex assigned them on their birth certificates; and ban surgery and hormone therapy for transgender minors.

    “These initiatives are necessary because we have a Legislature that’s out of touch with most Californians, so we’re taking these issues directly to the voters,” said Jonathan Zachreson, a Roseville City School District board member and president of Students First California, which is backing the initiatives.

    This is a desperate attempt to stop us, and quite honestly, it’s embarrassing that Bonta is wasting so much time and money on this.
    — Sonja Shaw, Chino Valley School Board president

    The group has until April to gather close to 550,000 signatures per initiative to qualify for the ballot.

    At a press conference Monday afternoon on the steps of the Capitol, backers of the initiatives said they were eager to return rights to parents, who they say are best suited to help their children.

    “What we are concerned with is who gets to raise our kids, who gets to raise the next generation of students in the state of California,” Essayli said. “Is it the government or is it their parents?”

    At the end of the event, a group of young activists confronted one of the speakers but was then surrounded by backers of the initiatives. The activists wanted to know why adults were speaking on behalf of youth who’d be affected by the policies.

    Impacts on young people

    LGBTQ groups said both efforts — the proposed initiatives and the school board actions — are deeply harmful to LGBTQ students, and the state is right to intervene. The 2015 U.S. Trans Survey found that 10% of transgender people had faced violence from a family member due to their gender identity, and 15% had run away or been forced from their homes. In general, LGBTQ youth are more prone to depression and anxiety and are four times as likely to attempt suicide as their peers, according to the Trevor Project, which advocates for LGBTQ youth.

    “These anti-LGBTQ policies are spreading like wildfire, and people need to realize the harmful impact that these policies have on young people,” said Jorge Reyes Salinas, communications director for Equality California, a civil rights organization focusing on LGBTQ issues. “It’s imperative that the state take action. … We’re grateful that Bonta filed this suit to uphold the rights and dignity of LGBTQ students.”

    He said he’s confident the ballot initiatives will fail, saying that most Californians oppose “hate and discrimination, especially when it comes to LGBTQ students. But we are ready to continue fighting, and we’re not going to stop until we’re victorious.”

    Meanwhile, members of the California Legislative LGBT Caucus, with help from Gov. Gavin Newsom, said they were continuing to craft a bill strengthening the rights of transgender students.

    “Recognizing the nuance and complexity of this work, we are continuing to refine our legislative approach in this two-year session, including working with the governor and key stakeholders, to ensure the most comprehensive and responsible legislation is proposed,” said Assemblymember Chris Ward, a Democrat from San Diego. “Our LGBTQ Caucus is fully committed to assuring that every student feels safe and supported in their school environment and that teachers aren’t forced into policing and outing students. We know that lives and careers are at stake here.”

  • The issue has sparked criticism from her opponent
    A woman with medium-dark skin tone with long dark wavy hear wearing a black blazer speaks into a microphone holding a piece of paper while standing behind a wooden dais with a wooden nameplate that reads "Raman."
    Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman has missed nearly 3,000 votes since being elected in 2020.

    Topline

    Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman has missed nearly 3,000 votes since she was first elected in 2020, according to an analysis by LAist, a number that has been criticized by her opponent in the upcoming mayoral race.

    The details: A closer look at data from the L.A. city clerk reveals Raman ranks in the middle of the pack of the 15-member council when it comes to votes missed. She was eighth among her colleagues when it came to votes missed so far this year. Last year she ranked third. In 2024, she ranked sixth.

    The vast majority of those votes were unanimous or near unanimous among the other council members, meaning her vote on those matters would not have changed the outcomes.

    Criticism: The campaign of her mayoral opponent incumbent Karen Bass has stressed that the missed votes matter. "This isn't just missing a few votes, it's about six years of Nithya Raman not showing up — for constituents wanting encampments outside of schools cleaned up or voting to make it cheaper to film here,” said Alex Stack, Bass’ campaign spokesperson.

    Conflicting meetings: Raman’s campaign said she was officially excused from many of the meetings because she was appointed to represent L.A. on the board of the Air Quality Management District, which is charged with reducing local air pollution and improving public health. Bass appointed her to the board.

    Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman has missed nearly 3,000 votes since she was first elected in 2020, according to an analysis by LAist — a number that has been criticized by her opponent in the upcoming mayoral race.

    A closer look at data from the L.A. city clerk reveals Raman ranks in the middle of the pack of the 15-member council when it comes to votes missed. She was eighth among her colleagues when it came to votes missed so far this year.

    Last year she ranked third. In 2024, she ranked sixth.

    The vast majority of those votes were unanimous or near-unanimous among the other council members, meaning her vote on those matters would not have changed the outcomes.

    Still, the campaign of her mayoral opponent — incumbent Karen Bass — has stressed that the missed votes matter.

    "This isn't just missing a few votes, it's about six years of Nithya Raman not showing up — for constituents wanting encampments outside of schools cleaned up or voting to make it cheaper to film here,” said Alex Stack, Bass’ campaign spokesperson.

    “If you don't show up for your job, you shouldn't get a promotion," he said.

    Bass brought up Raman’s City Council meeting absences during a debate earlier this month, and the campaign has since set up a website, titled NoShowNithya, devoted to highlighting those absences.

    Raman’s campaign said she was officially excused from many of the meetings because she was appointed to represent L.A. on the Air Quality Management District board, which is charged with reducing local air pollution and improving public health.

    Those meetings happened at the same time as some council meetings. The board meets on the last Friday of every month. The City Council meets three times a week — on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

    “The data shows that Nithya’s attendance is in line with other council members,” said campaign spokesperson Liz Garcia. “These desperate attacks from Mayor Bass will not distract Nithya from campaigning to make LA a city that works and is affordable for everyone."

    The numbers

    City Councilmember Adrin Nazarian has missed the most votes so far this year — 393 — compared to Raman, who was ranked eighth at 233. Last year, Councilmember Monica Rodriguez ranked first with 631 and Raman ranked third with 556.

    In 2024, Rodriguez ranked first with 741. Raman ranked sixth with 575.

    Bass isn’t the only one who believes this is an issue.

    “Attendance at meetings isn't ceremonial,” said Pomona College Associate Professor of Politics Sara Sadhwani. “It’s where amendments and laws get shaped, it's where budgets get fought over and it's where constituents' priorities either make it into policy or they don’t. So missing that work means missing those leverage points.”

    “Generally, the expectation is that you show up for work,” she added.

    In January, Bass removed Raman from the Air Quality Management District AQMD board, a role she’d been serving in since 2022 when she was appointed by then-Mayor Eric Garcetti.

    Nazarian was appointed to the air quality board to replace Raman.

    As for Raman’s absences, her campaign sought to turn the tables on Bass. It pointed to the incumbent’s absences from commission meetings of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.

    Since joining, the mayor has skipped more than half of the meetings held by the L.A. Homeless Services Authority Commission, according to an LAist review of attendance records, despite the mayor’s insistence that homelessness is her No. 1 issue.

    The Raman campaign also pointed to Bass’ absence during the early hours of the Palisades Fire when she was on a diplomatic trip to Ghana.

    "This is ironic coming from a mayor who was missing during our city’s most devastating emergencies [and] failed to show up for more than half of LAHSA homelessness meetings,” Garcia said.

    Bass’ office told LAist that, regardless of her attendance record, she has kept up to date on what LAHSA has been doing. The regional agency is responsible for managing the region’s homelessness response.

    Earlier this month, following LAist’s reporting, Bass announced she was stepping down from the LAHSA Commission.

    “It cuts both ways, and it's a reminder that both of these candidates are political insiders and have a track record with the city,” Sadhwani said.

    Too many meetings?

    The issue of missed meetings points to another question: Does the City Council meet too often? The city charter mandates that the panel meet three times a week. Its counterpart on the county level — the Board of Supervisors — meets once a week even though its budget is far larger.

    In addition to deciding who will be L.A.’s mayor, voters in November will decide whether the number of mandated weekly City Council meetings should be modified. The council has placed a proposed change to the city charter that would require only one meeting per week.

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  • See who won at the 2026 primetime awards

    Topline:

    The winners of the 2026 Emmy Awards were announced Monday night for shows that aired between June 2025 and May 2026.

    The context: Last year's winner for best drama, The Pitt, was up against Pluribus, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, The Diplomat, and more. On the comedy side, two Apple TV newcomers — Widow's Bay and Margo's Got Money Troubles — were up against a slate of returning nominees including Hacks, nominated for its fifth and final season, and The Bear, nominated for its fourth season.
    Read on... for an updated list of winners as they're announced.

    Updated September 14, 2026 at 21:26 PM ET

    Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay is hosting the Emmy Awards on Monday night. The ceremony is on NBC and Peacock starting at 8 p.m. PT, 5 p.m. ET.

    Last year's winner for best drama, The Pitt, is up against Pluribus, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, The Diplomat, and more. On the comedy side, two Apple TV newcomers — Widow's Bay and Margo's Got Money Troubles — are up against a slate of returning nominees including Hacks, nominated for its fifth and final season, and The Bear, nominated for its fourth season. (Eligible shows aired between June 2025 and May 2026.)

    Noah Kahan is set to perform "Bridge Over Troubled Water" for the In Memoriam segment.

    We'll be updating this page with winners in bold as they come in.

    Outstanding writing for a comedy series

    WINNER: Katie Dippold, Widow's Bay
    Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
    Tim Robinson, Zach Kanin, The Chair Company
    Michael Patrick King, Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback
    Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, Jen Statsky, Hacks
    Anthony King, Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat

    Outstanding lead actor in a comedy series

    WINNER: Matthew Rhys, Widow's Bay
    Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Wonder Man
    Steve Carell, Rooster
    Jason Segel, Shrinking
    Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building

    Outstanding lead actress in a limited or anthology series or movie

    WINNER: Sally Field, Remarkably Bright Creatures
    Claire Danes, The Beast In Me
    Carey Mulligan, Beef
    Sarah Pidgeon, Love Story
    Sarah Snook, All Her Fault

    Outstanding supporting actor in a drama series

    WINNER: Tom Pelphrey, Task
    Patrick Ball, The Pitt
    Billy Crudup, The Morning Show
    Shawn Hatosy, The Pitt
    Gerran Howell, The Pitt
    Jack Lowden, Slow Horses
    Carlos Manuel-Vesga, Pluribus

    Outstanding lead actor in a drama series

    WINNER: Noah Wyle, The Pitt
    Sterling K. Brown, Paradise
    Gary Oldman, Slow Horses
    Mark Ruffalo, Task
    Rufus Sewell, The Diplomat

    Outstanding reality competition program

    WINNER: The Traitors
    Dancing With the Stars
    RuPaul's Drag Race
    Survivor
    Top Chef

    Outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series

    WINNER: Stephen Root, Widow's Bay
    Colman Domingo, The Four Seasons
    Paul W. Downs, Hacks
    Nick Offerman, Margo's Got Money Troubles
    Michael Urie, Shrinking
    Tyler James Williams, Abbott Elementary

    Outstanding lead actress in a drama series

    WINNER: Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus
    Carrie Coon, The Gilded Age
    Chase Infiniti, The Testaments
    Keri Russell, The Diplomat
    Zendaya, Euphoria

    Outstanding supporting actress in a drama series

    WINNER: Allison Janney, The Diplomat
    Taylor Dearden, The Pitt
    Fiona Dourif, The Pitt
    Katherine LaNasa, The Pitt
    Sepideh Moafi, The Pitt
    Julianne Nicholson, Paradise
    Karolina Wydra, Pluribus

    Outstanding lead actor in a limited or anthology series or movie

    WINNER: Matthew Rhys, The Beast In Me
    Riz Ahmed, Bait
    Jason Bateman, Black Rabbit
    Charlie Hunnam, Monster: The Ed Gein Story
    Oscar Isaac, Beef

    Outstanding supporting actress in a limited or anthology series or movie

    WINNER: Linda Cardellini, DTF St. Louis
    Dakota Fanning, All Her Fault
    Laurie Metcalf, Monster: The Ed Gein Story
    Joy Sunday, DTF St. Louis
    Youn Yuh-jung, Beef
    Constance Zimmer, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette

    Outstanding supporting actor in a limited or anthology series or movie

    WINNER: David Harbour, DTF St. Louis
    Jason Bateman, DTF St. Louis
    Richard Gadd, Half Man
    Richard Jenkins, DTF St. Louis
    Charles Melton, Beef
    Nick Offerman, Death by Lightning

    Outstanding lead actress in a comedy series

    WINNER: Jean Smart, Hacks
    Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
    Ayo Edebiri, The Bear
    Elle Fanning, Margo's Got Money Troubles
    Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback

    Outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series

    WINNER: Kate O'Flynn, Widow's Bay
    Dale Dickey, Widow's Bay
    Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
    Janelle James, Abbott Elementary
    Michelle Pfeiffer, Margo's Got Money Troubles
    Megan Stalter, Hacks
    Jessica Williams, Shrinking

    Outstanding comedy series
    Abbott Elementary
    The Bear
    Nobody Wants This
    Hacks
    Margo's Got Money Troubles
    Only Murders in the Building
    Shrinking
    Widow's Bay

    Outstanding directing for a comedy series
    Randall Einhorn, Abbott Elementary
    Christopher Storer, The Bear
    Andrew DeYoung, The Chair Company
    Lucia Aniello, Hacks
    Mary Lou Belli, The Ms. Pat Show
    Hiro Murai, Widow's Bay

    Outstanding drama series
    The Diplomat
    The Gilded Age
    A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
    Paradise
    The Pitt
    Pluribus
    Slow Horses
    Your Friends and Neighbors

    Outstanding directing for a drama series
    Salli Richardson-Whitfield, The Gilded Age
    Hanelle M. Culpepper, Paradise
    Noah Wyle, The Pitt
    Vince Gilligan, Pluribus
    Saul Metzstein, Slow Horses
    Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Task

    Outstanding writing for a drama series
    Peter Ackerman, Debora Cahn, The Diplomat
    Kirsten Pierre-Geyfman, R. Scott Gemmill, The Pitt
    Valerie Chu, The Pitt
    Vince Gilligan, Pluribus
    Will Smith, Slow Horses
    Brad Ingelsby, Task

    Outstanding limited or anthology series
    All Her Fault
    The Beast In Me
    Beef
    DTF St. Louis
    Love Story

    Outstanding variety series
    The Daily Show
    Jimmy Kimmel Live!
    Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
    The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
    Saturday Night Live

    Copyright 2026 NPR

  • Trump's mail voting restrictions rejected

    Topline:

    The Supreme Court has sided against President Donald Trump, rejecting his efforts to enact new mail-in voting restrictions for the midterm election.

    The context: The ruling released Monday by the high court means the U.S. Postal Service is expected to continue delivering ballots as usual. Voting by mail has already begun in states including Alabama, North Carolina and Wisconsin, with more soon to follow — including Western states such as Hawaii, Oregon and Washington, where elections are held primarily or fully with mail ballots.

    Why it matters: Under the still-blocked USPS plan, which followed an executive order by Trump, states would have had to turn over lists of voters' names and addresses and have certain specific barcodes on ballot envelopes in order to have them delivered by the mailing agency.

    How we got here: Earlier this month, a federal judge in Boston had issued a preliminary injunction against USPS, blocking the mailing agency from imposing those new ballot requirements on states. The judge found the requirements are likely illegal because the Postal Service has no authority to control mail-in voting. Now, a majority of the Supreme Court decided to keep that injunction in place.

    Updated September 14, 2026 at 21:18 PM ET

    The Supreme Court has ruled against President Trump, rejecting his efforts to enact new mail-in voting restrictions for the midterm election.

    The ruling released Monday by the high court means the U.S. Postal Service is expected to continue delivering ballots as usual.

    Voting by mail has already begun in states including Alabama, North Carolina and Wisconsin, with more soon to follow — including Western states such as Hawaii, Oregon and Washington, where elections are held primarily or fully with mail ballots.

    Under the still-blocked USPS plan, which followed an executive order by Trump, states would have had to turn over lists of voters' names and addresses and have certain specific barcodes on ballot envelopes in order to have them delivered by the mailing agency.

    Earlier this month, a federal judge in Boston issued a preliminary injunction against USPS, blocking it from imposing those new ballot requirements on states. The judge found the requirements are likely illegal because the Postal Service has no authority to control mail-in voting. A second federal judge issued another preliminary injunction late Sunday.

    Now, a majority of the Supreme Court decided to keep that injunction in place. The court said the Trump administration was unlikely to succeed on the merits of its challenge.

    Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote a short concurring opinion, saying "there is at least a fair prospect that the final rule falls within the Postal Service's statutory authority." But, he added, "applying the rule in the 2026 elections would be arbitrary and capricious in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act because state and local election officials do not have sufficient time to reasonably implement the rule before the elections."

    Indeed several Republican state election officials, including from the mostly vote-by-mail state of Utah, signed on to a Supreme Court brief, warning that any attempt to carry out the USPS plan now "will almost certainly lead to mistakes, delays, and confusion for both voters and election officials."

    Conservative Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented from the order, and would have granted the administration's request to pause the Boston-based judge's ruling.

    While the USPS plan remains paused for the midterms, the legal fight will likely continue over how the agency may try to implement it for future federal elections.

    For now, challengers of the proposal are celebrating their victory.

    "Today, the Supreme Court refused to allow the federal government to throw our elections into chaos just weeks before Election Day. The Postal Service exists to deliver Americans' mail — not to rewrite election rules, demand voters' personal information, or decide which ballots make it through the system," Celina Stewart, CEO of the League of Women Voters, said in a statement.

    New York State Attorney General Letitia James said in a separate statement that she was "truly relieved" by the high court's ruling.

    "Voters should never have to wonder whether a ballot they legally cast will be counted because the federal government suddenly changed the rules," said James, whose state was among the 24 mainly Democratic-led states that sued alongside Washington, D.C. "We will keep fighting to make sure every eligible ballot is counted come November. Now, I encourage all eligible Americans to get out and vote — and vote early."

    Trump said he issued the call for USPS to change its rule for mail ballots as a way to stop illegal voting by non-U.S. citizens, a problem that many studies and audits show is extremely uncommon. For this legal fight over the USPS plan, the administration's lawyers have provided the courts with no evidence of mail-voting fraud.

    Trump has been a vocal critic of the way about one-third of voters cast ballots in the last two federal elections. In 2024, the share of voters who reported casting ballots by mail was higher among Democrats (37%) than Republicans (24%), according to a national survey by the MIT Election Data and Science Lab.

    In a social media post last year, Trump said he is "going to lead a movement to get rid of MAIL-IN BALLOTS" and claimed that "ELECTIONS CAN NEVER BE HONEST WITH MAIL IN BALLOTS/VOTING."

    This year, Trump himself voted by mail in Florida.

    Editor's note: USPS is a financial supporter of NPR.

    Edited by Benjamin Swasey

    Copyright 2026 NPR

  • What he's saying about Caltech's future with JPL
    Ray Jayawardhana, the incoming president of Caltech, walking down a set of stairs
    Caltech president Ray Jayawardhana at his announcement ceremony at Caltech in Pasadena on January 6, 2026.

    Topline:

    Ray Jayawardhana — or Ray Jay for short — has served as Caltech's president officially since the beginning of July. His expertise in astrophysics, coupled with extensive experience in university administration, is what he's using to lead the school while continuing his own research. He sat down with AirTalk, LAist 89.3's daily news show, saying he's optimistic about the school's future and relationship with the Jet Propulsion Lab.

    Why it matters: NASA — which now owns and sponsors JPL — is opening its contracting to other research institutions for the first time, which could mean a bidding war. Losing the contract for Caltech would mean losing a stream of federal funding valued at $3 billion per year.

    What's next? Jayawardhana said he’s confident Caltech and JPL’s partnership will continue, saying that the university's value proposition is unrivaled. NASA’s current contract with Caltech expires in September 2028.

    Listen to the full conversation with Caltech's new president

    Listen 22:22
    New Caltech president Ray Jayawardhana

    Ray Jayawardhana, a seasoned astrophysicist and university administrator, officially took over as Caltech’s 10th president on July 1.

    The newly appointed president sat down with Larry Mantle on AirTalk, LAist 89.3’s daily news program, to talk about his plans for the future of the esteemed university.

    Ray Jay and Caltech — it was in the cosmos

    Jayawardhana, who goes by “Ray Jay,” told Larry he was always interested in the cosmos growing up.

    He shared that, as a teenager in Sri Lanka, he wrote to the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) — NASA's leading space exploration center, which is managed by Caltech — to ask for images from the Voyager space missions they were conducting during the 1980s.

    “I waited impatiently for a response, and one day, this large envelope with an oversized wheel of books arrived with a set of images of the outer planets and their moons,” he said. “That just delighted me to no end.”

    Today, he’s the first South Asian American to lead Caltech, overseeing the operations of the same Jet Propulsion Lab he wrote to in the '80s.

    How he came to the U.S.

    After attending St. John’s College in Sri Lanka, he decided to pursue higher education in the United States. He earned an undergraduate degree from Yale and subsequently his doctorate in astronomy from Harvard, quickly establishing himself as one of the world’s most renowned astrophysicists.

    He previously held positions at Cornell University and Johns Hopkins.

    Exoplanetary president

    Aside from his main focus as the school’s head of administration, Ray Jay continues his own research exploring the formation of planets and stars, saying it keeps him intellectually engaged.

    He's part of a team that works with the James Webb Space Telescope to observe and characterize so-called exoplanets — planets around other stars — with an eye toward the potential for life beyond Earth.

    He’s confident in Caltech’s future with JPL

    Universities like Caltech are on rocky terrain amid sweeping federal government cuts of public funding for scientific research.

    Additionally, JPL's future is uncertain. NASA — which now owns and sponsors JPL — is opening its contracting to other research institutions for the first time, which could mean a bidding war.

    A dark sign reads "Jet Propulsion Laboratory - California Institute of Technology" with trees and a white building behind it
    The entrance to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
    (
    Robyn Beck
    /
    Getty Images
    )

    Losing the contract for Caltech would mean losing a stream of federal funding valued at $3 billion per year.

    Jayawardhana said he’s confident Caltech and JPL’s partnership will continue, saying that the university's value proposition is unrivaled.

    “It’s not only about the self-interest in continuing to ensure there's federal and public funding for research, it's also about enriching humanity,” he said.

    NASA’s current contract with Caltech expires in September 2028.