Today’s Big Story

Trump Takes on Voting

The president vows to change how elections are run. The Constitution doesn’t give him that power.

Donald Trump has long opposed mail-in voting and falsely said it was a source of fraud after he lost the 2020 presidential election. And he’s just reignited his push to ban mail-in voting (and maybe voting machines in general) after meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin. No, seriously.

In an interview with Fox News host Bret Baier on Friday, Trump relayed that "one of the most interesting things" Putin told him during the Alaskan peace summit had to do with the unreliability of mail-in voting. “He said: ‘Your election was rigged because you have mail-in voting. ... It’s impossible to have mail-in voting and have honest elections,’” Trump said, adding that Putin told him “no country” has mail-in voting.

Of course, it’s false that the United States is the only country with vote-by-mail. Other countries, such as Canada and the United Kingdom, also do. And Russia has been heavily criticized around the world, including by the U.S. government, for not having free and fair elections. Trump then vowed Monday to issue an executive order aimed at banning vote-by-mail.

“Remember, the States are merely an ‘agent’ for the Federal Government in counting and tabulating the votes,” Trump posted to social media. “They must do what the Federal Government, as represented by the President of the United States, tells them, FOR THE GOOD OF OUR COUNTRY, to do.” While he cannot unilaterally end mail voting, his renewed criticism could sow early seeds of doubt in the electoral process should the GOP lose in the midterms.

Trump himself urged his supporters to vote using mail-in ballots prior to the 2024 presidential election, Democrats have been significantly more likely to vote using mail-in ballots, compared to Republicans. But Politico says that Republicans poured tens of millions of dollars last year into convincing their voters that casting ballots by mail was safe after Trump spent years bashing the practice and baselessly insisting it was rife with fraud. And it worked, with GOP voters closing or even reversing the mail voting gap with Democrats in several states. But Trump’s new attacks are once again threatening to undermine his party’s efforts.

Mail-in voting provides more opportunity for fraud than in-person voting researchers say, but it’s still rare, and election officials have safeguards in place. Supporters have long said mail ballots make voting easier for people who can’t get to polling stations—those with disabilities, parents with young kids, or workers with long shifts, while also giving voters more time to research candidates at home.

Zelensky’s White House Visit

Despite optimism that a Ukraine peace deal is possible, European leaders voice distrust of Putin

It seems like for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, a lot is riding on how much he can trust Donald Trump. The American president offered only vague assurances on Monday that the United States would play a role in guaranteeing Ukraine’s safety if Zelenskyy were to cut a deal with Russia to stop the fighting.

But the delegation of European leaders who joined in at the White House have tempered their optimism with a note of caution about trusting Putin. “I have the greatest doubts about the reality of the Russian president’s desire for peace, because as long as he thinks he can win through war, he will do so,” French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters. Finnish President Alexander Stubb praised Trump for his efforts but laid out Putin’s key goals as: Russia rising to become a superpower, the West splitting apart, and the denial of Ukraine’s sovereignty.

Trump said he hoped to quickly arrange a trilateral summit involving both Putin and Zelensky, but Putin has yet to agree to that idea. Posting on Truth Social, the president said “After that meeting takes place, we will have a Trilat, which would be the two Presidents, plus myself. Again, this was a very good, early step for a War that has been going on for almost four years.” According to Axios, Trump also said the U.S. would “be involved” in providing post-war security guarantees for Ukraine. He didn't rule out sending in U.S. troops, though he said the Europeans would be the “first line of defense.”

Popeye’s Debuts Dry Rub Wings

Some say this could be the chain’s biggest hit since they kicked off the chicken sandwich war

Popeyes knows its way around a chicken comeback. After sparking the fast-food sandwich wars a few years back, the chain is shifting its focus back to wings—and giving them a fresh start. On Monday, the restaurant released a whole line of dry rubs for the brand's wings. The spicy rubs (Ghost Pepper, Lemon Pepper, Garlic Parm and Buffalo) are landing just in time for game-day spreads.

On the r/fastfood subreddit, Popeyes’ wings have ignited plenty of debate. Fans called out the garlic parm as a standout, but others argued that the portions ran small or the price didn’t match the size. Comparisons to grocery store fried chicken and rival chains pop up often, along with debates over crunch and heat. Food & Wine says the new mild base and broader flavor lineup seem designed to meet those critiques head-on while tapping into football season’s built-in appetite for shareable, high-flavor food.

But both The Takeout and Tasting Table’s in-house reviewers, both of whom, bought and ate all the flavors at their local Popeye’s yesterday found that many of the wings had uneven coatings, which lessened the experience. But that seems, unfortunately, to be expected from fast food.

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