HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A federal judge on Monday blocked the authority of President Donald Trump’s administration to withhold some federal counterterrorism funding from states that don’t meet its election administration demands.
Courts have largely rejected the administration’s previous efforts, which reflect untrue claims about widespread voting fraud and come ahead of November’s midterm elections where Democrats seek to take control of one or both chambers of Congress and check Trump’s power.
U.S. District Judge Amir Ali in Washington, D.C., wrote in a 24-page opinion that federal agencies didn't have the authority from Congress to add such conditions to the grants, and that the conditions didn't meet legal thresholds requiring them to relate to the underlying grant purpose.
Neither the Department of Homeland Security nor its subagency handling the grants, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, immediately responded to a request for comment. The grant conditions were the latest in a line of actions by Trump’s administration to shape how elections are run, a task that has long been the job of states.
The plaintiffs that sued were Columbus, Ohio; Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee; and El Paso and Harris counties in Texas.
Over the summer, a FEMA antiterrorism grant announcement included a list of election-related requirements, saying that 20% of grants for states and urban areas would be withheld until they comply.
The program includes more than $1 billion for states and local and tribal governments for a variety of programs aimed at preventing terror at crowded places, online, with border security — and around elections. FEMA expects to award 56 grants.
The list of items for states includes verifying the citizenship of all registered voters and election workers.
Places that use electronic voting systems that use barcodes or QR codes to count votes would have to submit plans to switch to hand-marked paper ballots. Every jurisdiction would have to show it audits results.
In the lawsuit, the cities and counties said FEMA had no authority to impose those conditions, “not under its governing statute and not under the Constitution.”
Congress authorized FEMA to help jurisdictions protect critical infrastructure from terrorism and cyberattacks, not to decide who can vote, how ballots must be counted or how states maintain voter rolls, the cities and counties wrote.
“Never before has FEMA purported to regulate how states and counties run elections,” they said in the lawsuit.
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President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Brian Burns is expected to miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL in his right knee, leaving the New York Giants without their defensive leader and one of the best pass rushers in the NFL.
Coach John Harbaugh confirmed that Burns would have surgery to repair the damage after the linebacker went down in pain midway through the fourth quarter Sunday against Tennessee. It is the team's second significant long-term injury in as many games after quarterback Jaxson Dart injured his left knee in Week 2 at the Los Angeles Rams.
“We’re not the only team that faces losses or will face losses,” Harbaugh said on a video call with reporters Monday. “The fact that we (lost) our quarterback one week and probably our top defensive player, you might say, the next week is is shocking. But you’ve got to overcome the shock and you’ve got to get ready to play the next game and find a way to win the next game.”
“That’s what we’ll be doing as a team. But I feel bad for Brian more than anything. My heart breaks for him that way.”
Burns had a career-high 16 1/2 sacks last season, ranking second in the league behind only record-setting Myles Garrett. He had yet to get one through three games, sprained his left ankle against the Rams and did not practice all last week.
Abdul Carter has the Giants' only sack. Only the winless Miami Dolphins with zero have fewer.
Burns' absence should mean a bigger role for Kayvon Thibodeaux, who has gone from being on the field for 47% of snaps in the opener, 52% at LA and 60% against the Titans.
“It’s not going to be a problem for Kayvon to play more snaps,” Harbaugh said. “What we just need to do is get on track up front in terms of the pass rush. ... We need to get to the quarterback more.”
On the other side of the ball, the Giants acquired QB J.J. McCarthy in a trade with Minnesota on Monday. Harbaugh said Jameis Winston will start Sunday versus Arizona but was noncommittal about anything beyond that.
“Jameis will be the starter,” Harbaugh said. “Jameis will be the starter for as long as I can see into the future. But I don’t know. Nobody knows. What I do know is that we’re going to be playing this game against the Cardinals on Sunday, and Jameis will be our starter.”
With Winston replacing Dart and rain falling steadily throughout, Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy leaned on the ground game. Cam Skattebo and Najee Harris combined for 112 yards rushing.
“As a running back, you kind of pray for days like these because you know you are going to touch the football a lot,” said Skattebo, who had 20 carries. “It’s awesome. I felt great. I was ready to go.”
Winston and the offense failed to get into the end zone, and the 32-year-old's limitations were clear. He did what he had to do to get the job done against an overmatched opponent, but four field goals won't win a lot of games moving forward.
Rookie kicker Dominic Zvada is a perfect 6 of 6 on field goal attempts, and punter Jordan Stout is crushing the ball. Stout has the best net average in the league at the position, which was important because he had to punt six times against Tennessee.
“When you punt the ball 90 yards in the air, that is really good for the offense,” Skattebo said.
After Harbaugh hinted at a bigger role for Odell Beckham Jr., fans chanted “OBJ! OBJ!” during the Titans game. Beckham, who had yet to be thrown to once through the first two weeks, had one target and zero catches.
The Giants hope to have cornerback Deonte Banks and safety Tyler Nubin back after each was out with a calf injury.
50 — Years since the Giants won a game without scoring a touchdown and gaining fewer than 300 yards going back to Nov. 14, 1976.
Get ready for the Cardinals, who scored 30 points in a loss at San Francisco but look energized under new coach Mike LaFleur. Arizona was listed as a 1-point road favorite on Monday.
See AP’s full NFL coverage here
New York Giants linebacker Brian Burns (0) pressures Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward (1) during the first half of an NFL football game in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
New York Giants linebacker Brian Burns (0) is assisted by the team's medical staff after being injured during the second half of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
