Politics

Poll: SAVE America Act meets voter skepticism

Published

2 months ago

May 7, 2026

President Donald Trump has made the SAVE America Act a central GOP priority ahead of the midterms. Voters still don’t know how to feel about it.

New results from The POLITICO Poll show that while many Americans support some core provisions of the SAVE America Act — such as requiring documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote — that support is not overwhelming. And they are far less certain about the sweeping elections bill overall, even as Trump has for months pressured Republican lawmakers to pass it.

Democrats in particular oppose much of the SAVE Act, and many of them are unenthusiastic even about the voter ID provisions that generate the broadest support — a sign that Trump is prioritizing legislation that has little crossover appeal.

A 42 percent plurality of voters who supported former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024 back requiring proof of citizenship when registering to vote, including when registering by mail. But that number is dwarfed by the three-quarters of Trump 2024 voters who support such a measure, according to the survey conducted by Public First.

Asked about the bill overall — by name, but without providing information on what’s included — just 37 percent of Americans said they support it, and 21 percent oppose it. A larger share, 42 percent, say they neither support nor oppose the SAVE America Act, or are unsure.

Slightly more Americans say the bill will make elections fairer (38 percent) than those who say it will make elections less fair (32 percent). But 30 percent say they don’t know — another sign that their views on the issue are still forming even as the president wields it as a campaign cudgel.

“We are either going to fix” elections, he wrote on his Truth Social recently, casting it in existential terms, “or we won’t have a Country any longer.”

The findings reveal that though voter ID and proof of citizenship are popular, the SAVE America Act has not broken through in the same way. In addition to requiring proof of citizenship, the bill would also require states to regularly review voter lists and remove non-citizens.

“Voter ID is very popular, but the SAVE Act has been loaded up with other stuff,” said Buzz Brockway, a GOP strategist and former state representative in Georgia. “I think Senate Republicans should strip the bill back to Voter ID only. It still won’t pass because of Democratic opposition, but it would be a more popular bill.”

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said the SAVE America Act is “commonsense legislation supported by the vast majority of Americans … who want to ensure our elections are secure and that only American citizens vote in American elections.”

The SAVE America Act passed the House in February and has stalled in the Senate amid GOP divisions and staunch Democratic opposition. Four Republican senators — Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) — recently voted against an amendment that would have helped the legislation get across the finish line as part of a broader reconciliation package, raising new questions about its path forward in a narrowly divided Congress.

Critics of the legislation say it would make it much harder for Americans who lack the proper documentation — such as a paper copy of a birth certificate or passport — to vote.

“The SAVE Act will make it exceedingly and unacceptably difficult for hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Americans, to be heard,” Georgia Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock said in a brief interview recently. “And so if all the people in the election can’t be heard, who are eligible to vote, then that’s something other than democracy.”

“I don’t think the American public knows what is in store for them if [the SAVE ACT] passes,” said Hawaii Democratic Sen. Mazie Hirono. “Millions of people are going to need to re-register.”

In the absence of movement in Congress, Republicans in some statesare pushing forward with their own efforts to impose proof of citizenship requirements to their voting laws. Several red states, including Arkansas and Kansas, are expected to vote on measures this November that mirror the federal SAVE America Act.

Lawmakers in the battlegrounds of Alaska and Michigan have also garnered the required signatures to put citizenship questions before voters — two states that could test whether Americans’ support for such measures in public opinion polling translates to the ballot box.

Politics

Why Australia’s politicians are skipping out on the Socceroos

Published

29 minutes ago

July 3, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

CANBERRA, Australia — Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told a Sydney audience Thursday that he’d urge state governors to declare a weeklong holiday if Australia wins the World Cup.

Albanese’s enthusiasm for the Socceroos’ prospects — when Australia plays Egypt in their first knockout match — isn’t shared by many of his colleagues: Blue Light News approached a dozen ministers and members of Parliament for comments, favorite players and travel plans regarding today’s match, but all declined to respond.

The underlying reason: a 2025 travel spending scandal involving Sports Minister Anika Wells, which nearly cost her the ministry. The scandal left most MPs afraid to travel during Parliament’s sitting weeks, leaving Jerome Laxale, a second-term member, as the unexpected face of the ruling Labor Party during group matches.

Laxale’s rise to fame was likened Wednesday during a roast at the Australian Parliamentary Press Gallery Midwinter Ball — the local version of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner — to “subbing in Lionel Messi for a midfielder from Curaçao.”

Three MPs from the conservative opposition Liberal Party told The Sydney Morning Herald they were either paying their own way to the World Cup or able to join only because of existing unrelated travel plans.

The weeklong public holiday upon Australia’s lifting the trophy — which, let’s be honest, is probably not worth clearing one’s schedule for — requires state governors to make official. The last time Albanese declared unilaterally declared one was upon the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Politics

Egypt team staffer in altercation with Dallas police

Published

1 hour ago

July 3, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

DALLAS — An Egyptian team staffer was involved in an altercation Thursday with a Dallas police officer in the lobby of the team’s hotel, the night before the team’s knockout match against Australia.

A video circulated by Al Jazeera and other outlets shows a man identified as team manager Ibrahim Hassan, a longtime national team player and brother of Egyptian coach Hossam Hassan, in a verbal and physical confrontation with the officer, whose name hasn’t been released.

The video shows the officer trying to block Hassan from approaching two other people. The officer can be seen shouting “back off” and shoving someone, but bystanders block the view of who he shoved. A second man in a T-shirt marked “Egypt” is seen a few seconds later confronting the Dallas officer. The altercation lasted a few more seconds before other people and at least one other Dallas police officer intervened.

The Dallas Police Department said that the incident happened at 10:50 p.m. Thursday at the Westin Hotel and that its officers “responded to the Westin at the request of hotel security regarding an individual without event credentials attempting to gain access.”

“The situation was resolved on scene, and DPD met with representatives of the team to address their concerns. The matter has since been resolved,” the department said in an emailed statement.

The department didn’t respond to follow-up questions via email or voice message, and the Egyptian Embassy and Egyptian Football Association didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Politics

Argentina returns to Miami under tighter security

Published

2 hours ago

July 3, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

MIAMI — As fans battle the summer scorch to watch Argentina and Cape Verde today, local officials know what they are trying to avoid.

The last time Argentina played a major tournament was also in Miami Gardens, in July 2024, when the team was crowned Copa América champion after defeating Colombia. Before kickoff, thousands of fans — including those who didn’t have tickets — stormed the stadium gates and rushed past security. Dozens of people were ejected or arrested, and the game’s start time was delayed by more than an hour.

An after-action report from Miami-Dade County found that the incident was caused by a lack of intelligence gathering, insufficient security perimeters and large numbers of unticketed fans on site.

“Miami-Dade Emergency Management has conducted various training and exercises across a wide range of threat scenarios to enhance coordination, strengthen preparedness, and ensure a coordinated response among local, state, and federal partners during major events,” Dianne Fernandez, a spokesperson for county Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, said in a statement.

Fernandez referred specific questions on what protocols have changed since Copa America to the Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office, which did not respond to a request for comment.

Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said in a June press conference that the sheriff’s office would be using specialized training and equipment to control crowds. Fans will have to present their tickets multiple times before they “get anywhere near the stadium,” Cordero-Stutz said.

There is one new variable in the mix this time: triple-digit “feels like” temperatures and oppressive humidity Friday as a heat dome wallops the eastern U.S. Sweltering South Florida weather has already caused dozens of heat-related emergency calls during World Cup games this summer.

Miami Stadium’s Friday match is set to start at 6 p.m., only slightly outside of the day’s highest temperatures. Public health experts have flagged that searing summer weather could prove dangerous for players and fans alike, especially in open-air stadiums like Miami’s or street parties with copious amounts of alcohol, which can contribute to dehydration.

Local officials said they’ve changed heat protocols as the World Cup progresses and have rolled out public messaging urging fans and international visitors to stay cautious amid the heat.

The county has installed cooling stations at Miami Stadium where fans and employees can access air conditioning and advertised a public network of libraries, parks and government buildings where other residents and visitors can cool down. The county will also have water trailers and water refill stations at public transit stops for fans to stay hydrated.

“Miami-Dade is proud to welcome the world to our County to celebrate this historic moment, and we want every resident and visitor to enjoy the experience safely,” Levine Cava said in a June press release. “Heat is not a game — and in Miami-Dade, we know it.”