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July 1, 2026
House GOP deadlocks over Trump's demands, sending lawmakers home early
(AP) As the nation celebrates its 250th birthday this weekend, the legislative branch has momentarily called it quits. The House leadership on Tuesday abruptly canceled votes and sent lawmakers home early for the holiday recess, Speaker Mike Johnson ’s majority once again ground to a standstill by a Republican revolt over their own party’s agenda.
Go to discussionControl of the Senate Is Up for Grabs, Times/Siena Polls Find
(New York Times) Democrats face an uphill battle to win control of the Senate but have pulled within striking distance of enough Republican-held seats to put the majority in play this fall, according to new New York Times/Siena polls in six Senate battleground states. ... Republicans are hampered by the unpopularity of President Trump and his diminished standing on the economy, while most of the Democratic candidates are so far running ahead of their party's own struggling brand, the polls show.
Go to discussionLawyer for E. Jean Carroll says Trump wants to delay $5 million payment in sex abuse, defamation case
(CBS News) Lawyers for President Trump asked for writer E. Jean Carroll's consent to delay the $5 million awarded to her by a 2023 jury, and signaled they plan to ask the Supreme Court to reconsider his appeal of Carroll's sexual abuse and defamation case, according to an attorney for Carroll. Carroll's lawyer, Roberta Kaplan, wrote in a court filing Tuesday that Mr. Trump's lawyer called her with the request Monday, soon after the Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal. Later Monday, Kaplan wrote, she informed Mr. Trump's team that "Carroll does not consent," and asked whether the president would agree to the immediate disbursement of the funds Carroll has waited years to receive.
Go to discussionMt. Olive Pickle Co. exits Great American State Fair over Confederate flag
(WNCT TV) Mt. Olive Pickle Company has withdrawn from the Great American State Fair in Washington D.C. after a Confederate flag was included in an exhibit. The company told WNCT they were invited to participate in the North Carolina exhibit. Mt. Olive Pickle Co. said, “we were unaware that an image of the Confederate flag was included in a video as part of this exhibit, and we have withdrawn our participation. Our company stands on values of human dignity, opportunity, and freedom.”
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Another New York resident says he was warned by officers after criticizing ICE
(ABC News) A second upstate New York resident said Tuesday that federal officers have served him with a warning about online activity that criticized U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. An attorney representing David Streever, of Rochester, said Streever was on a trip to Finland when two officers showed up to his home last week and presented his wife with a warning notice informing him that an email he sent months earlier was a threat.
Go to discussionTrump filing shows he took in about $1.2 billion from crypto businesses last year
(AP) President Donald Trump took in nearly $1.2 billion dollars from his crypto businesses last year, a federal filing released Tuesday shows, locking in profits while his investors were socked with losses. Mere startups when he took the oath of office, the new ventures have now eclipsed in revenue much of his vast property portfolio that took him decades to accumulate. Fueling their rise were billionaire investors and Trump’s own move to quash a federal crackdown on the industry.
Go to discussionMajority of Americans support ending private health insurance
(Common Dreams) On the heels of data revealing that millions of people have lost health insurance coverage during US President Donald Trump’s second term amid a series of GOP attacks on access to care, polling published Monday shows that a majority of Americans support eliminating private insurers. The 1,606 adult US citizens surveyed by The Economist/YouGov June 26-29 were asked: “Do you support or oppose a national health plan in which all Americans get their health insurance from the federal government and private health insurance companies are eliminated?”
Go to discussionSchumer, Warren locked in battle over future of Democratic Party
(The Hill) Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is locked in a contest for influence with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) over the future of the Senate Democratic caucus as the two battle to shape the outcome in this year’s primaries. Warren, a progressive who has been outspoken in her criticism of the cryptocurrency industry, has made a big push this election cycle to help elect candidates who she says will fight harder to change the status quo in America, even if that means backing candidates who won’t support Schumer as leader.
Go to discussionTexas Republicans may regret mandating Bible in classes
(Salon) The decades-long Republican quest to force Christianity on those they see as unwashed heathens reached a new low on June 26, when the GOP-controlled Texas State School Board put Bible stories on mandatory reading lists for every level of public school student. The decision is disturbing on many levels, starting with the outright disinformation being used to justify this move by people in charge of educating children.
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