Three outlets set to argue White House ban violates First, Fifth Amendment
The Department of Justice is allowing ex-felons to regain their gun ownership rights for the first time in decades, according to clemency experts. Getting those rights back has been nearly impossible without a presidential pardon. The DOJ will accept applications this week from invited candidates and begin accepting applications from the first 5,000 candidates from the general public in November. The DOJ estimates 25 million people might qualify for the new gun restoration program. Gun rights groups support the initiative as a second chance for people who have paid their debts, while critics raise questions about its implementation, according to NPR.
Violent offenders will not be considered for the program, including those convicted of rape or kidnapping. Eligible applicants must submit their conviction details, character references, fingerprints and a $30 fee to the DOJ. An estimated 330,000 people are expected to apply each year. One complication the program faces is that some states have their own laws for restoring gun rights; a person who regains their federal gun rights might not be allowed to own a firearm in their state.
A similar program run by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives ended in the 1990s. A 1992 Violence Policy Center report found that of the more than 2,000 people whose gun rights were restored between 1985 and 1992, 69 were rearrested for crimes including attempted murder, first-degree sexual assault and child molestation.
The same Up First newsletter also reported the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll, which finds registered voters prefer a Democratic Congress over a Republican one by a 12-point margin. President Trump’s job approval sits at 39%, with 53% disapproving — the highest share of strong disapproval recorded since the question was first asked in 2017. More voters said Democrats would better address gas prices, the economy and foreign policy amid rising costs and the war in Iran. Forty-five percent of voters — most Democrats and just over half of independents — said they would be voting against Trump, according to NPR’s Stephen Fowler. Many Republicans said Trump did not factor heavily in their vote, suggesting some of Trump’s base could stay home or back a Democrat. Fowler cautioned that while polls show declining support for Republicans, this does not reflect who will actually cast ballots for the midterms. A blue wave is possible, he added, but might not spread evenly across states and districts.
A separate NPR/PBS News/Marist poll finds public trust in the U.S. Postal Service’s ability to deliver mail-in ballots on time is declining. Separately, Democratic lawmakers, retired military leaders and civil society organizations have raised concerns that Trump could deploy the U.S. military to polling places in the midterms, despite strict state and federal laws prohibiting such actions. They are seeking assurances from the administration that this will not occur.
Trump addressed the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, highlighting economic growth and improvements to global leaders. He outlined options for his conflict with Iran, including “total destruction or a peace deal” after the elections. In his brief speech, Trump described himself as someone willing to take action when other countries’ leaders will not, according to NPR’s Deepa Shivaram. Trump has often criticized the U.N. in the past but largely stuck to his prepared remarks this time. After his meetings with world leaders, Trump said a U.S. delegation had met with Iranian counterparts for three hours on Tuesday. It is unclear how much progress was made, but Shivaram said the meeting marks a shift back to diplomacy after tensions flared over the summer regarding the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said the election is not on his mind as he decides how to address the war. Iran’s president was scheduled to address the General Assembly on Wednesday.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico are scheduled to argue in federal court Wednesday that the Trump administration violated their constitutional rights when it barred the outlets from the White House over coverage Trump did not like. Lawyers will argue that Trump is violating the outlets’ First Amendment freedom of speech and Fifth Amendment due process rights. The Department of Justice has defended the media ban, saying the outlets’ reporting on issues like White House construction and ammunition depletion during the Iran war threatens national security and spreads falsehoods. According to NPR’s David Folkenflik, the administration views reporting from the White House as a privilege, not a right. Trump was reminded that journalists can still report and ask the president questions when CNN’s Kaitlin Collins and other journalists shouted questions about the unpopularity of the war in Iran at the U.N. General Assembly. Trump dismissed Collins, saying, “You should not be here covering me.” Collins noted that her press credentials were issued by the U.N.
The administration has launched “Trump TV,” a 24/7 YouTube channel that promises to cover its biggest moments. The launch has drawn backlash from press-freedom advocates and Democratic lawmakers, who have called it “state-run media.”
The newsletter also reported on Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to establish “mobile detention facilities” for immigrant detainees in Pennsylvania as part of a $75 billion expansion begun after the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said he wanted to streamline the deportation process and described wanting a squad of trucks rounding up immigrants like “[Amazon] Prime, but with human beings.” ICE’s plan has drawn strong opposition from local communities and immigration activists, and comes as the Trump administration is detaining immigrants at record numbers.
The newsletter’s Living Better segment reports that an increasing number of people are growing their own produce at home, especially after this summer’s record number of foodborne illness cases. A third of Americans, or 44 million households, are growing fruits or vegetables, about a 4% annual increase over the past five years, according to the National Gardening Association. Experts told NPR that farming practices, not size, are what is most significant for food safety. Large operations have cleanliness standard regulations with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and use bar codes to quickly trace contamination. However, the co-mingling of large volumes of produce in washing and processing warehouses can lead to significant outbreaks. Most small growers don’t have to follow FDA rules on irrigation or microorganism testing, leading to varying food-safety approaches compared with those of their counterparts. Food safety experts recommend washing all produce with water, regardless of where it comes from, and noted that contamination can also happen in the kitchen, especially when raw meat comes into contact with produce.
The newsletter also reported three additional items: scientists have discovered a species in California named the fire amoeba that can reproduce at 145°F and can continue moving up to 147°F, setting a record for complex organisms; OpenAI solved the Navier-Stokes problem, considered one of mathematics’ most important unsolved questions, while mathematicians acknowledge that the AI’s proof is technically correct but find it challenging to understand; and a grand jury in Mississippi has decided not to issue indictments in the case of 18-year-old Nolan Wells, saying his cause of death was consistent with drowning.
The newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.