June 30, 2026
The Supreme Court, Middle East, and Walter Cronkite
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Today, we will look at yesterday’s Supreme Court rulings and the situation in the Middle East.
Let’s get to it.
United States
-The Supreme Court rejected a Republican Party challenge to a Mississippi law that allows some absentee ballots to be received after Election Day in the state.
Meanwhile, the Court denied President Donald Trump’s appeal of a $5 million judgement for defaming E. Jean Carroll.
In a separate ruling, the Court denied Trump’s effort to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, while allowing him to fire independent agency officials.
The Court also denied to hear Alan Dershowitz’s defamation lawsuit against CNN.
Today, the high court will issue its final batch of opinions to conclude its current term.
-Trump said yesterday that he was unsure whether he would sign a housing bill passed by Congress when asked by a reporter in the Oval Office, calling the bipartisan legislation “a yawn.”
He had initially planned a signing ceremony for the bill to be held in Statutory Hall at the U.S. Capitol before canceling and calling on lawmakers to pass his “SAVE America” elections bill.
If he does not sign the bill, it will go into effect automatically.
Meanwhile, Trump called on Senate Majority Leader John Thune to fire Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough yesterday, a move he has so far resisted.
-The average U.S. gas price stood at $3.86 yesterday amid the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, according to AAA.
-Favorable views about the United States have declined globally, according to a new Pew survey.
-Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas made a rare visit to Capitol Hill yesterday, although it was not immediately clear what he was there for.
-In a new interview, former President Barack Obama said that he is a “great admirer” of George Washington while also acknowledging that he was a slaveholder.
He added that like Washington, all of the presidents “embody the country’s contradictions.”
View the full interview here.
-Colorado will hold a statewide primary election today.
In the state’s 1st Congressional District, democratic socialist candidate Melat Kiros is challenging 15-term Congresswoman Diana DeGette in the Democratic primary, a race being closely watched as the latest testing ground for the rising progressive movement.
Meanwhile, Democratic Senator Michael Bennet and Attorney General Phil Weiser are locked in a tight race for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.
-On this day in 1986, the Supreme Court issued a decision in Bowers v. Hardwick, allowing states to criminalize gay sex between consenting adults.
The Court overturned the decision in Lawrence v. Texas in 2003.
Other Links:
Colorado Supreme Court deals blow to Democrats’ redistricting push - NBC
Iran war has cost Americans $1,000 per household, economist estimates - CBS
US economy expanded at solid 2.1% pace in January-March, government says, upgrading last estimate - AP
House Republicans mock Jeffries over ‘Bolshevik Revolution’ as he aims to become speaker - The Washington Post
Deleted tweets on Darializa Avila Chevalier’s account had favorable references to communist leaders and Marxism - CNN
Two Dan Sullivans to Appear on Alaska Senate Ballot, State High Court Rules - The New York Times
Senate Ethics Committee dismisses complaint against Sen. Ruben Gallego - NPR
Gallego faces federal probe over campaign spending - Axios
Sweltering Midwest heat cancels outdoor plans as cooling centers open and the East braces - AP
Luigi Mangione’s federal trial opening statements set for Jan. 25 - ABC
Africa
-Uganda’s military chief, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, ordered the closure of two media outlets last week while declaring that he did “not believe in a free press.”
Kainerugaba is the son of President Yoweri Museveni and viewed as primary candidate to succeed him.
Museveni, 81, seized power in a guerrilla-led coup in 1986 and has ruled the East African nation with an iron fist since then. He is currently Africa’s fourth-oldest head of state.
-Burkina Faso’s military-led government cut ties with France last week, accusing Paris of harboring “neo-colonial ambitions.”
-Lawmakers in Senegal passed a constitutional measure that seeks to rein in the president’s powers.
-On this day in 1960, Zaire declared its independence from Belgium.
In 1971, the country changed its name to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Other Links:
South African leader warns anti-migrant protesters ahead of unofficial deadline - BBC
South Africa faces security test as anti-migrant violence escalates - Semafor
South African rand steady as investors await economic data and planned protests - Reuters
Gunmen storm a Nigerian school and kidnap students during exams, police say - AP
Congo bans gatherings in Kinshasa and three provinces over Ebola outbreak - Reuters
Americas and the Caribbean
-Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government rolled out a new artificial intelligence strategy this month.
In a video posted to his social media, the Liberal leader said that Ottawa would ensure that the fledging technology would be used “safely, responsibly, and most importantly, to improve the lives of all Canadians.
-The death toll from two back-to-back earthquakes that struck Venezuela last week has risen to nearly 1,500.
A Reuters report captures the devastation that has rocked the country.
View it here:
-Several high-profile Mexican government officials have approached U.S. authorities to act as informants, according to a report in The New York Times.
-On this day in 1962, Mexican President Adolfo López Mateos hosted President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in Mexico City for a state visit.
Other Links:
More than 100 Venezuelans who were deported from the US hours before the earthquakes are missing - AP
Haitian politician meets with judge as probe into presidential slaying widens - AP
Trade tensions shake up Brazil’s caipirinha spirit - NPR
Argentine president names interior minister to be new cabinet chief - Reuters
Argentina’s warning for Venezuela on debt restructuring - Financial Times
Asia/Indo-Pacific
-Pakistan carried out strikes on three targets along its border with Afghanistan on Monday, according to the United Nations, killing more than 30 civilians and injuring 160 more.
The strikes come amid rising tensions between the former allies, who fought their most intense battle in February.
Islamabad accused the Taliban-led government in Kabul of harboring militants who plan and stage attacks inside Pakistan, an accusation it denies.
An Afghan official said in a statement that the strikes would be “avenged at the appropriate time.”
-Australia and the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu signed a delayed development and security pact viewed as curbing China’s influence.
Canberra is currently locked in a race for influence with Beijing in the region and has sought out similar deals with nations in the Pacific.
China is currently Vanuatu’s largest external creditor.
-On this day in 2018, President Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to set foot inside of North Korea.
Greeted by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un along the demilitarized zone that separates his isolated nation from South Korea, Trump took 20 steps into the country.
Other Links:
Self-exiled Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui gets 30 years in US prison for fraud conviction - AP
A Chinese dissident recounts his perilous dinghy escape to South Korea and how he got to Canada - AP
Ousted Bangladesh PM Hasina vows to return home this year - Reuters
India lifts restrictions on sale of petrol, diesel from July 1 - Reuters
India news: Modi hails Seychelles as valued maritime partner - DW
Abdul Ahad Momand, Only Afghan to Fly in Space, Is Dead - The New York Times
Europe
-Andy Burnham, Britain’s likely next prime minister, laid out his vision for governing yesterday, saying that he would decentralize decision making away from London and expand his office to Manchester.
In a press conference in Manchester, the Labour leader pledged to usher in a “10-year mission to raise living standards across the land.”
Burnham was elected to parliament in a by-election earlier this month on the promise of challenging outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer for his leadership post.
Last week, Starmer announced he would resign upon the election of his successor.
-Russian forces are seeking to make gains in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kostiantynivka as its gains across the frontlines have largely stalled.
Last week, Russian leader Vladimir Putin acknowledged that heavy Ukrainian bombardment on Russian infrastructure has caused fuel shortages and other “problems” for his country.
-On this day in 1974, Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev hosted President Richard Nixon at his dacha in Yalta for private talks.
Other Links:
Some Russian soldiers last just minutes on front lines against Ukraine’s drones, military bloggers say - CBS
Russians Feel the War’s Hardships as Ukraine Pummels Crimea - The Wall Street Journal
Stray Ukraine drones worth the price of hitting Russia, says Estonian minister - Financial Times
Ex-UK lawmaker pleads guilty to cheating in election betting scandal - AP
Shooting in northern Germany leaves 6 people dead. Suspected shooter arrested - AP
Turkey’s Erdogan says NATO summit must emphasise unity and resilience - Reuters
Europe’s heatwave linked to 1,300 deaths, WHO says, as Germany hits record 41.7C - BBC
Middle East
-President Trump said yesterday that U.S. and Iranian officials will meet in Doha, Qatar, today to resume negotiations after the two countries exchanged a series of strikes in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend that threatened an interim ceasefire deal.
-An Israeli airstrike in central Gaza killed three Palestinians yesterday, including a child, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
Israeli forces currently control approximately 60% of the besieged coastal enclave. Since Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in October, 1,045 Palestinians have been killed, along with four Israeli soldiers.
Nikolay Mladenov, the Trump-appointed Board of Peace envoy to Gaza, has said both sides have violated the cessation pact.
-The United Nations held a meeting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict yesterday.
View it here:
Other Links:
Middle East producers push on with oil and LNG loadings despite ship attacks - Reuters
Aramco oil company helicopter crashes in Saudi Arabia, killing all 14 on board - AP
Israel says it destroyed Hezbollah underground infrastructure in southern Lebanon - Reuters
In Beirut’s Southern Outskirts, Life Slowly Returns Amid Ruins - The New York Times
Iran cyberattacks on Israel surged in 2026, Israeli cyber chief says - Reuters
That’s all for today. See you tomorrow.
Enjoyed the clip of President Obama. Jeez, we think alike. On "The Colbert Show", President Obama stated a preference for mustard only on otherwise unadorned hamburgers.
ln the clip, President Obama takes the same view as former SecState Condoleezza Rice of appreciating flawed national heroes by appreciating them, notwithstanding their short-comings.
Sorrowful over the state of fray in South Afirca. The fish stinks worst at the head. Not referring to President Ramaphosa, about whom I know little, but Trump, for setting a xenophobis example.