Tuesday, June 30, 2026
California Dems claim win over Trump in Supreme Court ruling on ballots - POLITICO
Senate Ethics dismisses allegations against Ruben Gallego - Live Updates - POLITICO
Gallego has maintained he was unaware of the allegations against Swalwell and said in a statement he was a victim of “right-wing conspiracies peddled by far-right activists like Anna Paulina Luna, the White House, and their allies.”
He continued, “I look forward to an apology from Rep. Luna for weaponizing the ethics process while refusing to investigate historic corruption that’s making life harder for families.”…
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/06/29/congress/gallego-allegations-dropped-00980210
The Supreme Court Is Building Its Own Massive Police Force - POLITICO
For years, the force sat at fewer than 200 officers, but now officials are aiming to more than double the ranks of the agents and officers who protect the justices and the Supreme Court’s building.
The push for a rapid security buildout stems from the substantial threats to the justices at a moment of growing political violence in the U.S. and the sense that the system has just not been up to the challenge task of keeping them safe. That’s a belief that appears to be shared by at least some of the justices themselves…
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2026/06/28/supreme-court-justices-security-police-00969784
Appeals court rejects Trump EPA bid to abandon rule restricting deadly soot pollution
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/27/trump-epa-court-ruling-soot-pollution
Locked up in America: new reports hit at costs of incarcerating women
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/29/incarcerated-women-costs
Five Americans die every hour from toxic vehicle emissions, study finds
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/29/deaths-vehicle-emissions-pollution
‘It definitely trickles down’: Muslims in Texas suffer effects of Republicans’ hate speech
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/29/texas-muslims-hate-speech
Supreme Court rejects Trump’s challenge to counting late mail-in ballots - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/29/supreme-court-mail-in-voting-ruling-00979740
Justices say Constitution protects people’s location history - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/29/supreme-court-location-data-ruling-00979929
Supreme Court widens Trump’s power to fire agency leaders — except the Fed - POLITICO
The justices didn’t detail how much evidence of wrongdoing would be needed to dismiss her, but zeroed in on the Justice Department’s claim that Trump had accorded her due process by issuing a Truth Social post demanding her resignation.
“The President’s post did not suggest that a response from Cook would be appropriate, nor did it even provide a clear account of the charge made against her. It instead read simply ‘Cook must resign, now!!!’ and linked to a news article,” Roberts wrote. “That will not do. At minimum, Cook was entitled to some explanation of the evidence at issue, some avenue for a response, and a deadline by which a response would be due.”…
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/29/trump-supreme-court-slaughter-cook-fire-fed-00979734
Pelosi to launch Berkeley institute focused on protecting democracy - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/29/pelosi-launch-berkeley-institute-009791826
Michigan threatens to pull troops from D.C. if used for Trump task force : NPR
https://www.npr.org/2026/06/29/nx-s1-5875427/michigan-governor-national-guard-dc
They Said We Couldn't Win at the Supreme Court. They Were Wrong.
Supreme Court won’t save Trump from paying E. Jean Carroll $5M - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/29/e-jean-carroll-donald-trump-supreme-court-00979728
States Sue to Block Medicaid Work Requirements – Mother Jones
In a press release, Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, who helped lead the suit, said that the “abrupt changes in [federal] implementation of the statute leave states insufficient time to adjust…or effectively communicate to members what is required.”
“This eleventh-hour attempt to further narrow protections for medically frail Medicaid recipients seeks to punish those who cannot fend for themselves,” said Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha, who is also joining the suit, in a press release…
California’s landmark anti-plastics law sparks anger as 17 states move to sue
The law, which was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2022 but only took effect in May, requires plastic and packaging companies to use less single-use plastic, and ensure by 2032 that all packaging is either recyclable or compostable. The big idea is to incentivize producers of plastics to consider the end of their products’ life in order to create better, more sustainable bottles, containers and wrappings.
Under the new rules, plastic producers have to cut single-use plastic, increase recycling rates, and pay $5bn to remedy harms from plastic pollution…
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/26/california-single-use-plastic-law
Belfast race riots cast fresh attention on ‘active clubs' : NPR
Violent anti-immigrant mobilizations have, in recent years, become an annual summer occurrence in Northern Ireland. In August 2024, Belfast was one of many U.K. sites where the killing of three young girls at a dance class in Southampton, England, triggered widespread disorder. The man convicted was U.K.-born, to Rwandan immigrant parents. Then, in 2025, an alleged sexual assault of a girl in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, led to groups targeting ethnically Roma residents and, ultimately, driving hundreds from that town.
In each instance, influential far-right figures in the U.K. — and even some in the U.S., like billionaire Elon Musk, who has railed against demographic changes in both countries — seized upon crimes committed against white U.K. residents to amplify a broader message about mass expulsion of non-whites. On social media, particularly on Facebook, anti-immigrant networks also use these cases to organize on-street action…
How children in West Bank are being killed by Israel ‘without accountability’
LIVE DEBATE [I am the Messiah, Jesus was a Fraud!] 4-5-2026 (Justin at DZ Debates on YouTube)
Details on the YouTube page.
- 12:30 Jason [Friendly] - Disciple of Doug
- 16:42 Emilio - What drives people to follow religions? Not here to debate
- 27:55 dtx - Is Justin a mythicist?
- 38:50 Loop of Sound - Crash out about Justin being performative
- 44:05 Riley - Oddities in the story of the resurrection; Origins of the Gospels; What proof do we have that Jesus was the messiah?
- 1:34:50 Mashiach (aka Pete) - How is Justin the messiah?
- 1:42:20 bayes - Is the Holy Trinity logical?
- 1:59:30 Pendragon - When were the Gospels written? Did Jesus fulfill any prophecies?
- 2:49:13 David Koresh - Troll
- 2:50:25 JesusIsTheMessiah - Jesus was the descendant of David; What prophecies did Jesus fulfill?
- 3:36:14 Superchats and wrap up
Monday, June 29, 2026
How a far-right group tried to assassinate Trump at his own event
According to investigators, the conspirators were enraged by the Trump administration’s continued alliance with Israel. Proper praised Adolf Hitler in posts on social media. Another alleged plotter, Michael Alan Thomas, 32, “indicated that he believes that the U.S. government is run by an elite group of individuals who sacrifice and consume infants who also were deeply involved with [Jeffrey] Epstein and are now protected by President Donald Trump,” an affidavit said, adding that Thomas also “places some of the responsibility of this corruption of government [on] Jewish people and blames them and Israel for the current war with Iran”.
He and his co-conspirators allegedly thought that their attack would bring about (or “accelerate”) a second American Revolution...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/27/trump-assassination-plot-ufc-fight-tycen-proper
Trump’s Board of Peace plans to grant itself sweeping immunity, documents show
US-led reconstruction efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan were often plagued by controversies of corruption or cases of civilian deaths or abuse at the hands of American contractors, including those working for Blackwater and KBR, who have since faced litigation in US courts. Any reconstruction effort in Gaza could face similar challenges.
“It looks like an attempt to exempt the board, and all of its personnel, from accountability for potential legal violations,” said Emily Schaeffer Omer-Man, an expert in litigating international humanitarian law in Israeli, American and foreign courts...
https://www.theguardian.com/law/2026/jun/27/board-of-peace-legal-immunity-un
Democratic socialists are winning in US cities with message of getting stuff done
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/28/democratic-socialist-mayor-mamdani-wilson
‘It’s dangerous and it’s going to erode trust’: redesign of US government websites stokes surveillance fears
The NDS built and now operates four public federal websites: ndstudio.gov, trumprx.gov, realfood.gov and trumpaccounts.gov. All four ran commercial visitor-tracking software, configured to evade the privacy tools many web users install, and none carry the public filings federal privacy law requires under laws including the Privacy Act of 1974 and the E-Government Act of 2002.
Separately, none of the NDS’s spending or its arrangements with outside vendors appears in USAspending, the federal contracting database, raising questions about how it is funded and overseen…
Anti-ICE organizers shift focus to defend democracy from Trump assault
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/28/ice-minnesota-defending-democracy
US and Iran trade strikes as both sides accuse the other of endangering ceasefire
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/27/us-iran-strikes
Biden calls Trump ‘a loser’, portraying him as incompetent, corrupt and vain
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/28/biden-speech-trump
Harass, Coerce, and Retaliate (Andrew McCabe and Allison Gill; Unjustified podcast)
The full DC Circuit Court of Appeals panel will hear arguments over Judge Boasberg’s contempt inquiry into CECOT deportations.
Former IRS officials call for a Miami judge to scrutinize Trump's “breathtakingly improper” immunity from tax audits as part of the Justice Department’s anti-weaponization slush fund settlement.
The Director of National Intelligence commissioned two reports on voting machine accuracy that show no votes were flipped in 2020 but the White House is blocking their release.
Plus listener questions.
Interview:
Al and Dahlia Lithwick on The Monarchic Supreme Court (Al Franken podcast on YouTube)
Dahlia and Al look past the mainstream media's narrative of a "moderate" bench to reveal an institution deeply aligned with MAGA's political playbook that continues to make way for an imperial presidency. On a more hopeful note, Dahlia offers a blueprint for how regular citizens can find their lane and fight back from the ground up. Dahlia issues a call for Americans to move past "learned helplessness" to dismantle the cult of the Court and return constitutional power to the people.
Interview:
LIVE DEBATE [Your God is Fiction] 3-20-2026 (Justin at DZ Debates on YouTube)
- 21:57 wotdonno - Can you have a mind without a brain? Is the universe fine tuned? Caller says he is an atheist at the end of the call; Marci joins
- 51:32 Mock | Inju - Nothing about naturalism would lead us to expect our mind and body to be harmonized; Is the universe eternal or did it have a beginning? Caller needs definitions for “nothing” and “any”
- 1:18:50 Jake - How does human intuition work?
- 1:40:20 Beau is your daddy [Philbro] - Catholic Thinker joins; Goes over Thomas Aquinas’ Second Way; Can you disprove an infinite, eternal world?
- 2:01:45 Tomyris Anderson - God is Earth; Caller believes in all gods; Call is kind of wild and has a bunch of extreme close-ups
- 2:25:35 Jameal Joshua - Caller isn’t committed to believing in a certain God; Caller says the source of life is intelligent thus there is a God; Abiogenesis
- 2:36:40 Oblivious - If we had answers to everything, we wouldn’t have a reason to use our imagination; Not really here to debate so gets dropped
- 2:43:25 Matt - Starts with the Kalam Cosmological Argument; What was the singularity when the universe was in a hot, dense state? Caller says we need a God for constants to exist
- 3:08:14 Nathaniel Ward - Caller has visited Heaven multiple times; If God isn’t real, why doesn’t Justin have tails for ears?
- 3:21:14 (Nathaniel Ward) - Wild tangent into bloodlines; Did Jeremiah talk about the 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 27:9)? Was the text corrupted?
- 3:49:05 Othelloxi - Was Jesus part of David’s lineage? What does 2 Samuel 7:12 say about David’s lineage? Does the high number of personal experiences prove some sort of God exists?
- 4:25:23 Michael - Caller is literally asleep. Sweet dreams, brother.
- 4:26:04 PhD Free - Bad faith; Is Jesus the son of God? What is entropy? Did God create time?
- 4:42:00 Superchats round 1
- 5:32:20 Ryan the theist - Dr Blitz joins; Caller believes in theistic evolution so they get questioned about the Genesis account; How did we have plants before the Sun? Other inconsistencies with science
- 6:16:05 Superchats and wrap-up
Sunday, June 28, 2026
Weekly Roundup: How Protest Became Terrorism in Trump's America (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)
Chrissy Stroop: Emptying the Pews and "Post-Truth America" | FFRF Convention 2025
0:00 Introduction
VIDEO Podcast Ep. 641: The Downfall of Jackson Lahmeyer (Hemant Mehta and Jessica Bluemke, The Friendly Atheist podast #641)
- 0:00 Intro
- 1:07 SCOTUS says Rastafarian can't sue prison guards who violated his faith and cut off his dreadlocks.
- 14:30 Trump-backed pastor Jackson Lahmeyer drops out of congressional race after sexting scandal.
- 34:50 MLB warns San Francisco Giants players after anti-LGBTQ protest on "Pride Night."
- 48:48 Conservatives claim a trans wrestler assaulted her opponent. The video tells a different story.
- 1:16:39 The Mormon Church is trying to sue a critic into silence. Now he's fighting back.
- 1:31:54 Christian adoption giant reverses course, shutting out prospective LGBTQ parents.
JD Vance Rebrands as Church Dad for Prez (Conspirituality podcast Episode #314)
JD Vance has an answer for the MAGA faithful: another memoir, another rebrand that turns to the device that made Hillbilly Elegy a smash hit, and the worst book ever: the gall to turn his personal and familial despair into the diagnosis of an entire culture, in Appalachia.
With Communion: Finding my Way back to Faith, Vance plays the same narcissistic trick: turning his lifelong journey through rightwing American Chrisitianity—with a short and shameful detour into New Atheism—to land in the Catholic faith of Leonard Leo, sketching out a redemption plan for every bro seeking their way home.
Interview:
Abortion is NOT child sacrifice (Dan McClellan and Dan Beecher; Data Over Dogma podcast on YouTube)
Chapters:
0:00 — IntroMaking the Case: A Side of Corruption (Senator Sheldon Whitehouse; Making the Case on YouTube)
In this episode, Senators Whitehouse and Blumenthal discuss the nomination of Todd Blanche to the role of our nation’s top prosecutor. From his botched handling of the Epstein files, to his weaponization of the Justice Department as Acting AG, Blanche has a pattern of placing his loyalty to President Trump above his duty to our country. As two former state Attorneys General and U.S. Attorneys, the Senators discuss the principles and morals that should define this role, the importance of an independent Judiciary, and more.
Sheldon Whitehouse represents Rhode Island in the U.S. Senate, where he champions policies to uphold American leadership in the world, protect our planet in a changing climate, and hold the powerful accountable.
Did Thomas Jefferson Base the Declaration of Independence on the Bible and Christianity? (Warren Throckmorton; The Christian Past That Wasn’t: Formerly Telling Jefferson Lies podcast)
In this segment, I assert that the exact language of the Declaration is not in Wise's essays, nor does Rossiter say Wise was critical to American independence. A review of the primary sources shows that the Bartons' claims are false. This leads to a discussion of why the Bartons assert such easily disproved falsehoods.
Interview:
Trump administration moves to restart LGBTQ+ suicide hotline it initially ended
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/26/trump-administration-lgbtq-suicide-hotline
Texas makes Bible passages required reading for millions of public school students
The reading list states that excerpts from the Book of Jonah and the Book of Psalms will be required reading beginning in seventh grade. Additional excerpts from several parts of the Bible, such as the Book of Lamentations and the Book of Genesis, will become part of the curriculum for high school students.
The list has sparked strong criticism. Opponents say it breaches the constitutional separation of church and state, lacks diversity and gives preference to Christianity over other faiths. Supporters argue that Judeo-Christian traditions played a central role in the country’s founding and should be represented in public school teachings…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/26/texas-bible-required-reading-public-school
Apologist Embarrasses Himself on Diary of a CEO (And Christians Loved It) (Paulogia video podcast)
Axis Daily Brief: Tucker Carlson's Surprising Reappropriation of the Historic 'Appeal to Heaven' Flag
https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/p/axis-daily-brief-tucker-carlsons
Inside Ron DeSantis’ Plan to Rewrite U.S. History for the Next Generation - Axis Daily Brief
https://axismundinetwork.substack.com/p/axis-daily-brief-inside-ron-desantis
Trump attacks Democrats as ‘godless communists’ in test of midterms message
The radical left “want to resume the transgender mutilation of children, they want to restart the war on Christians and churches, and as you saw with the communists elected in New York recently … they want to completely destroy the traditional American way of life,” Trump warned.
“Communism is very easy to sell. It destroys everything, but it is very easy. And I’ll be honest – I think I’d be the greatest communist in history.” Mockingly, the president said as a communist he could give free rent, houses and food, but the country would inevitably fail after two or three years. He said: “Everyone will suffer or die. That’s what happens.”
Trump, who has been the subject of three assassination attempts over the past two years, added darkly: “I’m sorry to say but the assassinations of those who oppose them is a very important element of their ideology. Assassinations are a big deal for them. They are animals!”…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/26/trump-democrats-communists-midterms
Screen time can damage under-twos’ long-term health and development, landmark study suggests
The new study, however, lays bare a wide range of potential harms associated with screen time for babies, including reduced opportunities to bond with parents and caregivers, less time for physical play with other children and limited language development.
It says screen use at such a young age may increase overstimulation and difficulty sleeping, and have implications for eye health and childhood obesity. There are also concerns that infants are turning to digital devices for comfort and soothing, rather than to a parent...
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jun/27/screen-time-damage-under-twos-development-study
Original Sin and Salvation are a Scam (Jon Cohen - Unconvinced live stream on YouTube)
then maybe we should ask an uncomfortable question:
We’ll be looking at:
Saturday, June 27, 2026
The News Roundup – Domestic and International (The 1A) 2026-06-26
Domestic
This week the Supreme Court sides with President Trump on ending Temporary Protected Status. The decades-long program currently gives legal status in the U.S. to about 350,000 Haitians and more than 6,000 Syrians seeking refuge from crises at home.The court also ruled to renew a “turn-back” policy at the border with Mexico that prevents migrants from entering the U.S. to seek asylum. A decision on President Trump’s effort to end birthright citizenship in the U.S. is expected soon.
Also in Washington, the president creates chaos in his own party, demanding that Republican Senators reconsider their support for a war powers resolution on Iran. A vote to limit war powers passed on Tuesday with support from four Republicans. A similar resolution failed on Wednesday. President Trump also on Wednesday refused to sign a bipartisan housing bill that had passed the House 358-32.
And in New York, three candidates backed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani win their primaries for Congressional seats against establishment Democrats.
Interview:
International
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President J.D. Vance were overseas this week, selling and negotiating an end to the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran.But Iran’s chief negotiator calls the deal an “American declaration of defeat” and it marks the end of any remaining joint Iran-strategy between the U.S. and Israel.
Delegations from Israel and Lebanon meet in Washington to extend a ceasefire in a conflict that’s killed more than 4,000 people in Lebanon and displaced 20% of the population of under 6 million. And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows to continue fighting in Lebanon as he faces pressure at home and isolation from U.S. leaders.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer resigns in the U.K., but analysts say his likely successor Andy Burnham will face the same deep challenges that have knocked out six leaders in the 10 years since Brexit.
WATCH: Trump receives report from Religious Liberty Commission in the Oval Office | PBS News
Israel and Lebanon sign framework agreement with US in ‘first step’ toward peace, Rubio says - POLITICO
The agreement does not include Hezbollah. One of the militant group’s officials in Lebanon warned of civil war...
Ex-NOAA employees re-create a climate data site shut down by Trump : NPR
https://www.npr.org/2026/06/26/nx-s1-5869615/climate-noaa-data-trump-doge
Report: 38 clergymen connected to Diocese of Saginaw accused of sexual misconduct
Exclusive: Meta asks California lawmakers for shield from child harm penalties - POLITICO
The bill from Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal, a Long Beach Democrat, threatens fines of up to $1 million per child for platforms found liable for harming kids through negligent product design. It’s set for a Tuesday hearing in Umberg’s committee.
Meta’s plea comes as it faces hundreds of lawsuits accusing the company of failing to protect kids’ safety on its platforms. The proposal is the latest example of how the company is maneuvering politically amid pending product safety lawsuits and surging global efforts to slap strict kids’ safety guardrails on social media platforms…
Voting in the Michigan primary? Here’s a guide to your ballot.
Palestinian shot dead by Israeli troops hours before son born : NPR
https://www.npr.org/2026/06/26/nx-s1-5828767/israel-palestinian-man-killed-west-bank
Wall Street regulator investigating prediction market giant Polymarket - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/26/cftc-investigation-prediction-market-polymarket-00978218
US strikes Iran after ship attack - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/26/us-strikes-iran-ceasefire-deal-00978490
Judge holds prosecutors in Charlie Kirk murder case in contempt for comments about the defendant - POLITICO
Graf said the comments about the bullet did not violate the court’s rules, but that Ballard went too far when he went on to say that prosecutors had “ample evidence to demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that Tyler Robinson committed this murder.”
The judge said those additional public statements possessed a “substantial likelihood” of prejudicing the case...
Appeals Court blocks Trump Administration's request for Michigan voter data
“We Want You Here”: Springfield Rallies—and Grieves—After SCOTUS Clears Path to Deport Haitians – Mother Jones
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to OK its unprecedented immigration detention policy - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/26/trump-ice-detention-supreme-court-00978482
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