Good morning folks!

We have a LOT going on today. I mean per usual haha

Trump is railing against mail-in voting while apparently using it himself. His approval rating has fallen to the lowest point of his presidency. ICE may be looking to literally purchase detention facilities, including potentially the one right here in Tacoma. And while all of that is happening, another round of elections today will give us a fresh look at where voters are heading ahead of November.

Pour whatever gets you through this timeline. Here’s what you need to know.

TRUMP WANTS TO RESTRICT MAIL-IN VOTING. HE JUST VOTED BY MAIL.

You genuinely cannot make this shit up.

The White House is defending Donald Trump after reports that he voted by mail in Florida’s Republican primary, even as Trump continues pushing Congress for new restrictions on mail voting and repeating baseless claims about widespread fraud.

The White House says Trump qualifies because he primarily lives in Washington while remaining a Florida resident.

Cool.

But that’s exactly the point.

Voting by mail is a completely legitimate way for Americans who cannot conveniently appear at a polling place to participate in democracy. Trump apparently understands that perfectly well when the person benefiting from it is Donald Trump.

The problem was never that voting by mail doesn’t work.

The problem is that millions of other Americans get to use it too.

TRUMP’S APPROVAL RATING JUST HIT 33%

This one matters heading into November.

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll puts Trump’s approval rating at just 33%, the lowest of his current presidency. Sixty-four percent disapprove.

His approval has fallen from 35% earlier this month, with the Iran war and its economic consequences weighing heavily on voters. The conflict has disrupted global oil trade and helped drive gasoline prices higher.

Republicans now have to walk into the midterms defending congressional majorities while their president is sitting at roughly one-third approval.

That doesn’t guarantee Democrats anything.

But it absolutely creates an opening.

And the question remains whether Democrats are prepared to actually use it.

🚨 ICE COULD BE LOOKING TO BUY DETENTION FACILITIES, INCLUDING POSSIBLY TACOMA

This is the story I’m watching closest here at home.

GEO Group, the private prison company that operates the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, says it expects to begin negotiations with ICE over potentially selling some of its detention facilities directly to the federal government.

We don’t yet know whether Tacoma is included.

But here’s the part that should get everyone’s attention:

ICE recently sought information about purchasing ready-to-operate detention facilities in several states, including a facility in Washington near Seattle.

Those locations reportedly line up with facilities GEO already owns.

So instead of merely contracting with private companies to operate parts of the immigration detention system, ICE could potentially become the outright owner of some of these facilities.

Given everything happening with immigration enforcement right now, Washington needs to be watching this extremely closely.

This isn’t some distant national immigration story.

This is happening in our backyard.

ELECTION DAY AGAIN

Three states are holding primaries today, including a major election in Florida.

Florida voters are choosing nominees for governor and U.S. Senate while also voting under newly redrawn congressional districts pushed through by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Those maps are designed to give Republicans an advantage in 24 of Florida’s 28 congressional districts.

Alaska is also voting today in its top-four primary, along with Wyoming.

Every election between now and November is another piece of evidence about the political environment we’re heading into.

And with control of Congress hanging in the balance, I’m watching turnout just as closely as I’m watching who wins.

TRUMP IS ONCE AGAIN BETTING ON HIS PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH KIM JONG UN

Trump says North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has responded to his efforts to restart talks, although neither Trump nor the White House has provided details about what that supposed response actually was.

This comes after Trump ordered the Pentagon to substantially reduce joint military exercises with South Korea, describing North Korea as “unthreatening and respectful.”

Meanwhile, North Korea has significantly strengthened its relationship with Russia since Trump and Kim last met, including providing military support connected to Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Trump continues to approach international diplomacy as if personal relationships between powerful men can substitute for long-term foreign policy.

We’ve seen this movie before.

The first Trump-Kim diplomatic experiment produced historic photographs and extraordinary television.

It did not produce North Korean denuclearization.

Now we’re apparently gearing up for the sequel.

THE BOTTOM LINE

There is a pretty clear theme running through this morning.

Trump wants Americans suspicious of mail voting while using it himself.

His approval rating is collapsing while Republicans desperately try to hold Congress.

ICE continues building out an immigration detention and enforcement apparatus that could become even more directly controlled by the federal government.

And voters are already heading back to the polls.

We are getting closer to November every single day.

There is going to be an enormous amount of noise between now and then. There will be scandals, distractions, manufactured outrage and probably approximately 47 things every morning that make us ask whether reality has finally developed a software bug.

Don’t lose sight of the bigger picture.

Organize.

Pay attention to your local races.

Support candidates who actually represent your values.

Talk to people who aren’t permanently plugged into political news.

And vote.

Because eventually the timeline stops being the timeline.

Eventually, we get to answer back.

I’m Sean Bartley, and this has been your Morning Cup.

Stay informed. Stay loud. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.