'Ricochet' explores how the right to bear arms expands — while gun laws contract (Terry Gross; Fresh Air podcast)

The New York Times reporter Mike McIntire says gun companies and the NRA are broadening the scope of the Second Amendment, socializing kids to appreciate guns and marketing a new brand of masculinity.

Interview: 

https://www.npr.org/2026/07/28/nx-s1-5910517/ricochet-explores-how-the-right-to-bear-arms-expands-while-gun-laws-contract

SHOCK Supreme Court RULING Puts Haitians at risk

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bALUW03L3UE

 

Weekly News Roundup: The Christian Nationalist Agenda Is No Longer Fringe (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)

Doug Wilson's latest NPR interview has reignited debate over Christian nationalism—but what does he actually believe, and why does it matter?

This week, Brad Onishi and Dan Miller break down Wilson's comments on voting, patriarchy, the Constitution, and the future of American government. They explain why Wilson's vision isn't simply "traditional values," but a fundamentally different political philosophy that replaces individual rights with patriarchal households as the basic unit of American society.

They also connect Wilson's ideas to broader political developments, including: 

• Ken Paxton's latest controversies and what they reveal about evangelical political power.
• The GOP's renewed push to end birthright citizenship and why the issue continues to dominate conservative politics despite recent Supreme Court rulings.
• The growing mainstream acceptance of Christian Reconstructionism and why Doug Wilson has become one of the country's most influential Christian nationalist thinkers.
• Tech billionaire Bryan Johnson's quest to defeat aging—and what Silicon Valley's obsession with "hacking" the human condition says about modern culture.

Throughout the episode, Brad and Dan explore how Christian nationalism, technocracy, and the pursuit of political power are reshaping American democracy, religion, and public life.

Interview: 

https://www.youtube.com/live/SaY4zokH65U?si=lBla5CUxuzv1XMK_

You need to WAKE UP if you think this is okay

 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9LLAGCpUvoU

Unethical Chief Justices

Interview: 

https://youtube.com/shorts/KQydObJfDTE?si=UJfJEKdHw3x386L0

Student Voices on Christian Nationalism (Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, Freethought Radio podcast)

We look at a new federal “religious liberty” report that could significantly reshape church-state separation in the United States, along with a Supreme Court ruling allowing states to ban transgender girls from school sports. We feature award-winning essays by three students – Gabrielle Williams, Jaianah Hightower and MeKah’E LeClair. 

We also hear Dan Barker’s opening statement from a recent debate on whether the God of the Bible exists.

Interview: 

https://ffrf.org/news/freethought-radio/freethought-today-july-2-2026/

John Roberts and the Overturning of Humphrey’s Executor

 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/W_SFIhgGszM

Six extremist Supreme Court justices...

 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/arxJdlFds_w

Trump Lost Three Times at the Supreme Court #shorts

 https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JsL1e6NGZ88

Why the US supreme court’s birthright ruling brings only partial relief

There is anger the decision was not unanimous, and worry that dissenting justices have given weight to fringe theories…

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/30/supreme-court-ruling-birthright-citizenship

 

Bar pregnant foreigners from entering U.S.? Trump allies considering all options after Supreme Court defeat. - POLITICO

“Under current law, pregnant women can be barred from entry, and the president can do that under 212(f), again existing law,” said Ken Cuccinelli, who served as the deputy DHS secretary during Trump’s first term. “The State Department can bar those visas, and CBP can bar entry for those folks if the president chooses to do that.”… “

You’re not going on vacation, in an emergency, in late-term pregnancy. Those are some issues we can look at,” he said. “Because at the end of the day, it is national security.”..

 https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/01/after-supreme-court-loss-on-birthright-citizenship-white-house-eyes-crackdown-on-pregnant-foreigners-00984187

 

What to know about the US supreme court ruling on birthright citizenship

So instead, Trump is pushing for lawmakers to create new legislation that establish exceptions to birthright citizenship for children born to parents who do not have permanent legal status in the US. 

But any legislation would need to overcome the 60-vote filibuster, which has proven to be frequently insurmountable on extremely divisive bills during his second term…

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/30/birthright-citizenship-explained-supreme-court

 

Supreme Court upholds laws banning trans athletes from women’s sports - POLITICO

In a ruling Tuesday, the justices upheld laws in Idaho and West Virginia that ban trans athletes from women’s sports, saying the federal law against sex discrimination in education, Title IX, allows schools to separate women’s and men’s sports teams by biological sex. 

The high court’s majority also rejected claims that such measures violate the constitutional rights of transgender people...

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/30/transgender-athletes-supreme-court-ruling-00980446 

 

Supreme Court rejects Trump’s bid to end birthright citizenship - POLITICO

The justices ruled that the Constitution guarantees U.S. citizenship to virtually everyone born on American soil...

 https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/30/birthright-citizenship-supreme-court-ruling-00980448

Supreme Court to decide on right to own assault weapons - POLITICO

While the Supreme Court has repeatedly nullified gun restrictions in recent years, longstanding precedent allows authorities to ban “dangerous” and “unusual” weapons. Federal law banned the manufacture and import of such weapons from 1994 to 2004. Eleven states and numerous cities have broad bans on the weapons. 

However, gun-rights advocates contend that AR-15-style rifles are now so common that they can hardly be considered “unusual.” …

 https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/30/supreme-court-assault-weapons-00981996

 

California Dems claim win over Trump in Supreme Court ruling on ballots - POLITICO

“I know our responsibility is to count every eligible ballot — not create new barriers for voters,” said Democratic Assemblymember Gail Pellerin, a former local election official. “Today, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of voter enfranchisement.”…

 https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/29/california-dems-claim-win-over-trump-in-supreme-court-ruling-on-ballots-00980042

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

Supreme Court rejects Trump’s challenge to counting late mail-in ballots - POLITICO

States are free to count mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day, so long as they are postmarked by then or election officials deem the ballots to have been cast on time, the Supreme Court ruled Monday...

 https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/29/supreme-court-mail-in-voting-ruling-00979740

 

Justices say Constitution protects people’s location history - POLITICO

“An individual has a reasonable expectation of privacy in records about his cell phone’s location, and police intrude on that constitutionally protected interest when they demand the information — even though for only a limited time, and from a third-party tech company,” Justice Elena Kagan wrote for the majority...

 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