The Trump administration is taking another major step to secure America’s elections ahead of the critical 2026 midterms.

The Department of Homeland Security will require states seeking full Homeland Security Grant Program awards to conduct random, post-election manual counts of paper ballots, providing a physical check against results produced by electronic voting systems.

In an August 24 letter to the White House Transparency Task Force, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin warned that voting machines containing components manufactured by foreign adversaries create “significant security risks.”

“There is no question that election security is national security,” Mullin wrote.

Under the new grant requirement, states must demonstrate that they conducted “random post-election manual counts of paper ballots” before receiving their full awards, according to Mullin’s letter.

Translation: States that want every federal grant dollar will have to trust—but verify—the results generated by their voting machines.

The policy does not require officials to hand-count every ballot. However, earlier DHS election-security guidance required grant recipients to manually audit at least 5% of all ballots cast, reconcile the number of participating voters with the number of ballots, and develop plans to transition away from electronic systems that use barcodes or QR codes to tabulate votes.

The agency also required states to use the federal SAVE system or another authorized government database for certain citizenship-verification measures.

This is a major development for Americans who have spent years demanding voter-verifiable paper records, meaningful post-election audits, and transparency in the machines used to count their votes.

Mullin’s letter also sounded the alarm over America’s dependence on foreign-manufactured voting-machine components.

According to the secretary, three companies, Election Systems & Software, Hart InterCivic, and Dominion, control more than 80% of the American voting-system market. Representatives from all three companies have previously acknowledged that their systems contain components manufactured in China.

Mullin warned that compromised components could potentially provide hackers with an entry point before voting machines are even assembled or deployed. A malicious actor could theoretically exploit the same compromised component across multiple machines or jurisdictions.

The letter did not announce an immediate ban on all Chinese-made components. In fact, Mullin acknowledged that American voting-system manufacturers currently depend on foreign suppliers because certain hardware reportedly cannot be sourced domestically.

That dependence is precisely why independent paper records and manual audits are so important.

If an electronic system produces an incorrect result, whether because of programming errors, defective equipment, foreign interference, or deliberate manipulation, officials need a physical ballot that can be examined by human beings.

As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, the Trump administration was preparing to condition federal homeland-security funding on states adopting manual audits, documentary citizenship verification, and paper-based voting safeguards.

States refusing to implement the reforms faced losing a portion of more than $1 billion in federal security grants.

The Gateway Pundit also reported in July 2025 that Arizona State Senator Wendy Rogers asked President Trump and then-Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to investigate foreign components embedded in Arizona’s election infrastructure.

Rogers specifically raised concerns about Chinese-manufactured microchips, circuit boards, and networking hardware used in vote tabulators, electronic pollbooks, ballot-printing equipment, election-management software, and reporting systems.

Those warnings can no longer be casually dismissed.

The Gateway Pundit further reported in April on a declassified National Intelligence Council assessment concluding that Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea possessed the capability to access and potentially manipulate data in American election-related computer systems.

The assessment did not identify a specific plan to manipulate an election, but it documented vulnerabilities involving voter-registration databases, electronic pollbooks, and voting machines.

President Trump’s election-integrity agenda has consistently demanded voter-verifiable paper ballots, stronger voting-equipment standards, accurate voter rolls, documentary proof of citizenship, and enforcement of the federal Election Day deadline.

Now DHS is using the power of the purse to force states to take basic safeguards seriously.

The post DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin Orders MANDATORY Random Paper Ballot Audits for 2026 Midterms — Warns Chinese-Made Voting Machine Parts Pose “Significant Security Risks” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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The post Watch Live: VoterGA- Declassified Intelligence Reveals Massive China Election Interference Cover-up and More! The WAR Zone Podcast With Wayne Allyn Root Presented by The Gateway Pundit appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

President Trump on Thursday signed Executive Order 14420 which renamed Lake Ontario to “Lake America.”

President Trump blasted Canada as he explained by he changed the name of Lake Ontario.

The US and Canada are currently in a trade battle. Trump imposed 50% tariffs on $20 billion of Canada’s goods. Canada is threatening to retaliate with similar tariffs next month.

“They want to be treated like a state. But they’re not a state,” Trump said as he blasted Canada.

“We lose on average over the last 15 years, $60 billion a year carrying Canada. So we just can’t do it anymore,” Trump said.

WATCH:

Full statement from the White House:

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:

Section 1. Purpose and Policy. As I announced in Executive Order 14172 of January 20, 2025 (Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness), it is the policy of my Administration to recognize the extraordinary contributions of the American people and the rich heritage of our history by naming great natural landmarks for our shared achievements. The United States is the greatest protector of the Great Lakes, including the body of water currently known as Lake Ontario. Without the security and investment provided by the United States, this freshwater system would not be open for shipping, recreation, and responsible use to the same extent as it is today. The United States Coast Guard supplies 9 of the 11 ice breaking vessels on the Great Lakes, securing commercial shipping lanes free of charge. The United States has invested nearly $4 billion in protecting the Great Lakes freshwater ecosystem in the last decade, while Canada has invested far less in similar initiatives over the same period.

Sec. 2. Lake America. (a) The body of water currently known as Lake Ontario is a tremendous asset to the United States and part of our Nation’s heritage. With the deepest parts of the Lake’s waters lying within United States territory, the United States claims most of the Lake’s volume. The Lake has long been an integral asset to American exploration, settlement, commerce, and defense. From the colonial period through the early republic, the Lake served as a critical artery for American trade, commerce, and military logistics, including the establishment in Oswego of a historic fort and the first United States port of call from the St. Lawrence Seaway, shipbuilding and naval operations during the War of 1812 at Sackets Harbor and other New York posts, and the movement of goods, settlers, and later industrial cargoes that linked the interior of the United States to eastern markets and the Atlantic. Maritime commerce on the broader Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system — of which the Lake is the easternmost and gateway segment — continues to generate substantial economic activity for the United States, supporting hundreds of thousands of American jobs and billions of dollars in annual economic output, cargo value, and related business revenue, with our ports, carriers, and States deriving a significant share of the system’s benefits in iron ore, limestone, coal, agricultural products, and other bulk commodities. Water from the Lake is used to supply nuclear, natural gas, and oil-fired power plants and to supply municipal drinking water to nearby communities. United States domestic and cross-border shipping activity on the Great Lakes system has historically underpinned regional manufacturing, steel production, agriculture, and energy supply chains in several States, reflecting the strategic and economic importance of these waters to the United States that continues to this day. The Lake will continue to play a pivotal role in shaping America’s future and the global economy. In recognition of this flourishing economic resource and its critical importance to our Nation’s economy and its people, I am directing that the Lake officially be renamed as Lake America.

(b) Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) shall, in coordination with the Board on Geographic Names and consistent with 43 U.S.C. 364 through 364f, take all appropriate actions to rename as “Lake America” the body of water currently named as Lake Ontario, bounded on the south and east by the State of New York, and on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario. The Secretary, conjointly with the Board on Geographic Names, shall subsequently update the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) to reflect the renaming of the Lake and remove all references to Lake Ontario from the GNIS, consistent with applicable law. The Board on Geographic Names shall provide guidance to ensure all Federal Government references to Lake Ontario, including on executive department and agency maps, contracts, and other documents and communications, shall reflect its renaming.

Sec. 3. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

(d) The costs for publication of this order shall be borne by the Department of the Interior.

DONALD J. TRUMP

The post President Trump Signs Executive Order Renaming Lake Ontario to “Lake America” – And Explains Why (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Why tackle real problems when you can waste effort on trivialities?

For the French Republic to care for the French language is a good thing.

But that does not need to translate into a long-running war against the English language.

But now, the Paris ‘geniuses’ are floating plans to ban the use of “Black Friday” and other anglicized expressions from Government communication and from advertising.

The Telegraph reported:

“The country’s own culture ministry has cited the spread of ‘Black Friday’ promotions in English as evidence that the 1994 Toubon law protecting the French language is ill-adapted to the internet age.

A new bill would require such foreign expressions in online advertising to carry French translations in equally large and prominent lettering.

The proposals have been lodged by Yan Chantrel, a Socialist senator. While their passage is not assured, they draw on a cross-party senate report backed by conservative and centrist colleagues.”

Some proposals do make sense, such as multi-national companies being forbidden to address employees in France solely in English; or moving against French university courses taught entirely in English.

But, of course, they go overboard and want to target slogans such as “Choose France”, which is a slogan designed for foreigners, and as such, it makes a lot of sense to use the most understood international language.

“Public services and local authorities would face stricter obligations, while the government’s official guardian of the French language, DGLFLF, would gain stronger powers to investigate and sanction breaches, inspired by Quebec’s powerful language watchdog. The precise sanctions have yet to be set out.”

Read more:

Drug Gangs Bribe, Blackmail and Intimidate Mayors, Cops and Other Public Officials: French Prime Minister Lecornu

The post THE WAR ON ‘FRANGLAIS’: France Plans to Ban Use of ‘Black Friday’ and Other English Expressions From Government Communications and Online Ads appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Russian forces launched a coordinated wave of drone and bomb strikes across Ukraine’s rear and front-line regions on August 25, hitting Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson within a 24-hour window. It was the latest in a string of attacks that began with a heavy Independence Day bombardment the day before.

In Kyiv, jet-powered “Banderol” drones struck the capital’s Holosiivskyi district, tearing into the 14th floor of a 16-story residential building. Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported wall damage and blown-out windows, but no fire and no casualties.

The attack was more destructive in Chernihiv, where a Russian drone struck a residential building on Independence Day, August 24. The toll climbed steadily to at least 20 injured, including three children.

“Cynical strike by Russian terrorists on a residential building in Chernihiv. Right in the middle of the day — on Independence Day,” said Chernihiv Oblast Governor Viacheslav Chaus.

That same day, Russian missiles and drones also hit Odesa, setting two Epicentr hypermarkets ablaze in a fire that spread across 35,000 square meters. At least five people were injured. Nationwide, Russian attacks killed 8 and wounded 43 over the Independence Day period.

Sumy Oblast came under sustained fire on August 25, with regional authorities logging over 70 strikes across 33 settlements in 24 hours and at least two injuries reported region-wide.

On the eastern front, Russian bombers dropped nine guided aerial bombs on Kramatorsk, wounding 24 people, including a two-month-old infant. In Kharkiv’s Osnovianskyi district, a jet-powered “Shahed” drone injured four and sparked fires in two private homes.

Further south, Russian artillery struck the village of Yampil in the Lyman community of Donetsk Oblast, killing a woman, 69, and wounding a 61-year-old man. Prosecutors have opened a war crimes probe. Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed Russian troops launched 14 separate attacks toward Lyman, Novoselivka, Dibrova, and Drobysheve in the same direction. All 14 were repelled.

Zaporizhzhia was struck twice in a single morning. A guided aerial bomb hit the regional center, killing two people, while a separate drone strike hit a parking lot, injuring seven and setting roughly ten cars ablaze in the city’s Kosmichnyi district, scattering debris across nearly 7,000 square meters.

In Kherson Oblast, regional head Oleksandr Prokudin reported one person killed and nine wounded over the 24-hour period. In the city itself, a drone strike on a residential building sparked a fire that killed one man, while Russian forces attacked the regional emergency medical center with an FPV drone, wounding a 68-year-old security guard. A separate drone strike injured a resident in Bilozerka village.

Ukraine’s General Staff reported Russian losses of 1,230 personnel killed and wounded over the prior 24 hours, bringing cumulative losses since February 2022 to roughly 1,479,300.

On air defense, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed at a joint press conference with Estonian President Alar Karis that Ukraine had received a fresh batch of Patriot missiles, AIM missiles, and confirmation of incoming Crotale air-defense systems. “A few more Patriot missiles have come in. I can’t say how many, but it’s not much. We need more,” Zelensky said, declining to name the supplying countries.

The mobilization debate intensified further this week. Retired U.S. Lieutenant General and former special envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, threw his support behind mobilizing Ukrainian women into the armed forces.

“Do I believe women should be mobilized into the army? My answer is yes, because they fight no worse than men,” Kellogg said.

Days earlier, former Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told Radio Svoboda that military duty should extend to all citizens regardless of gender. He proposed a public information campaign followed by legislative changes and a new recruitment system. Reznikov said the shift could roughly double Ukraine’s mobilization pool.

Ukraine’s parliamentary National Security Committee rejected both proposals. It said mobilization of women “is not being carried out, prepared, or considered,” and that military service remains voluntary for women.

Meanwhile, former Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov’s call for wartime elections continues to reverberate. Zelensky rejected the idea directly on August 22, calling elections “a tsunami for the state that will split Ukraine.”

Separately, the Verkhovna Rada’s Temporary Investigative Commission has summoned Fedorov to an August 31 hearing over Operation Midas, a corruption probe tied to his tenure at the Defense Ministry.

The post Russia Hammers Multiple Ukrainian Cities in One Night — Kyiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Donetsk Hit as Kellogg Backs Drafting Women appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

By Wayne Allyn Root

Does the GOP really want to win the midterms? Do we really want to save America? Are they ready to lay it all on the line?

Do you understand Democrats will cheat like never before to win the midterms?

And do you understand what’s at stake?

Do you understand what happens if we lose the midterms?

First, Trump’s presidency- for all intents and purposes- is over. He becomes a lame duck president. The MAGA agenda is dead. Nothing will pass for the next two years.

Nothing. Zero. Zip. Nada.

Worse, in two years, Trump is never on the ballot again. With Democrats controlling the House leading into the 2028 presidential election, and therefore nothing will be achieved for the next two years, we will look like “the do-nothing party.” We will have 0 momentum heading into the 2028 election.

And Republicans will- as usual- take the wrong message from the midterm loss and go back to being a “moderate party” that stands for nothing- and run a safe, cautious, traditional campaign.

And we will lose.

Just like before Trump, when we usually lost. The GOP lost presidential elections, they lost in the House, and they lost in the Senate. By being moderate, and standing for nothing, and running boring, uninspiring candidates who stood for nothing, and playing by the rules. That’s a losing game plan every time.

At that point, if we lose in 2028. The nation is finished. America will be gone forever.

Democrats will open the borders and invite the whole world in (again); add four new Democrat US Senate seats with Washington DC and Puerto Rico added as states; pack the Supreme Court; kill the US Senate filibuster; censor and silence all opposition to their radical agenda (again); triple weaponize government against Republicans; and rig the 2030 census by counting tens of millions of illegal aliens.

Republicans will never win again. End of America.

So, the upcoming midterms are the whole ball of wax, the whole enchilada, the whole kitchen sink, the whole kit n kaboodle.

Everything- including the future of America, the future of our children, the future of the middle class, the future of capitalism- is riding on these midterms.

That means we have to play for keeps. 

That means we have to play rough and tough. That means we have to throw caution to the wind. Democrats don’t play by the rules. They play “anything goes.” They make up the rules.

It’s time for President Trump and the GOP to make up the rules.

So, what’s the game plan?

President Trump needs to declare a National Security Emergency for Elections. 

Simple. He has the right to do it. He can do it. He must do it. He should do it. Don’t even give it a second thought. Never look back.

The people who call you names, who scream the loudest, who claim you’re cheating- they’re the ones angry because they’re the cheaters, and you just took away their game plan.

Why would any of us worry about what the people who are trying to destroy America think? 

The SAVE Act will never pass- as I’ve argued for six months now. Never. It’s not gonna happen. Stop dreaming. Wake up to reality.

But have no fear. All is not lost. We can yet snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

My idea of a National Security Emergency for Elections is the SAVE Act- on steroids!

This National Security Emergency would mandate Voter Photo ID, proof of citizenship to vote, and limit mail-in voting.

These are all completely fair and reasonable voter integrity and voter security guardrails, used in every other major country in the world.

A National Security Emergency allows the President to require all of that without Senate approval for the SAVE America Act- which will never come.

More importantly, at this late date, Democrats cannot stop it with a legal challenge. The Supreme Court already decided that. A National Security Emergency declaration can only be stopped with a 2/3rds vote of both houses of Congress.

Democrats will never reach that threshold. And anything with less than a 2/3rds vote to overturn, President Trump will veto. And just like that, it’s in effect for the midterms.

Which is why my idea, and my pitching it to President Trump in my 17^th TV interview with the President, has turned into a media firestorm.

Democrats have gone ballistic. They are pissed. And they are pissing all over my idea. “It won’t work.” “It can’t work.” “It’s not legal.” “It’s terrible.” “It’s fascism.” “It won’t hold up in court.” “Trump would be a dictator.” “States run elections.” “It’s a crazy idea.”

I’ve heard it all. I’m crazy, alright. Crazy like a fox!

No wonder Democrats are angry. Democrats know they can’t stop it. And Democrats know they can’t cheat once it’s the law. And Democrats know they can’t win without cheating.

That’s why they are so hysterical over my idea. That’s why they are claiming it’s not legal and it can’t be done. Because their only chance to stop it, is to scream loudly in the media; and rile up their crazy, radical, violent base; and to try to intimidate President Trump and his advisors.

Democrats want the cautious people surrounding President Trump, often afraid of their own shadow, to be intimidated and scared off.

Democrats know they can’t win without rigging, cheating and stealing this midterm election. And they know they can’t stop a National Security Emergency for Elections. They can’t beat us fair and square. Without cheating, they’re dead in the water.

Just do it, President Trump. Because the future of America is on the line.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Wayne Allyn Root is a CEO, businessman, best-selling author, and national conservative TV and radio host, who has interviewed President Trump 16 times. Watch Wayne’s TV shows on Real Americas Voice TV- “America Speaks” weeknights and “America’s Top Ten Countdown” on weekends, and his daily video podcast “WAR Zone Live presented by The Gateway Pundit” daily at 4 PM ET/1 PM Pacific at TheGatewayPundit.com. His website is ROOTforAmerica.com. Read Wayne’s latest fun book, “How Illegal Immigrants Have Made America Great.” It’s 100+ blank pages. The joke is on Democrats!

The post WAYNE ROOT: Does the GOP Really Want to Win Midterms? Do We Really Want to Save America? Are We Ready to Fight, Fight, Fight? Then Remember These Five Words: “National Security Emergency for Elections.” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.