Mamdani-Endorsed Progressives Sweep New York House Primaries
JUN 24, 2026
Image Credit: Anthony Behar/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
In a major blow to the Democratic establishment, three progressives backed by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani won primary races in New York City. Former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander beat incumbent Congressman Dan Goldman. The 32-year-old Afro-Latina organizer Darializa Avila Chevalier pulled off a shocking defeat of five-term Congressman Adriano Espaillat, the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. And New York Assemblymember Claire Valdez, who is a former union organizer, defeated Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso to fill the seat long held by Nydia Velázquez, who had backed Reynoso. Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez were both backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, which also played a key role in Mamdani’s election.
Lander, Valdez and Chevalier all ran campaigns criticizing AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Claire Valdez spoke to supporters in Brooklyn last night.
Claire Valdez: “I will continue to call for Palestinian liberation. We will stand up to the genocide. We will refuse to abide by apartheid. And we will use our money to improve lives here instead of destroy them abroad. And I will do everything in my power every single day in Congress to give the labor movement the tools it needs to be a fighting force for the entire working class.”
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani spoke at Valdez’s victory party.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani: “The old politics that got us to this crisis is not the politics that’s going to get us out of this crisis. It’s time for working people to be back at the heart of our politics. These are the champions who will do it.”
In another closely watched New York primary, state Assemblymember Micah Lasher won the crowded race to replace Congressman Jerry Nadler. We will have more on the election after headlines and speak to Darializa Avila Chevalier.
Congress Directs Trump to End U.S. War on Iran
JUN 24, 2026
On Capitol Hill, the Senate passed a war powers resolution Tuesday directing President Trump to end the war with Iran. Republican Senators Rand Paul, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Bill Cassidy joined Democrats in voting for the resolution. One Democrat — John Fetterman — voted against it. The measure passed the House earlier this month. The New York Times reports this marks the first time since the enactment of the War Powers Resolution of 1973 that the Senate and House have approved a concurrent resolution directing a president to end a military conflict. Senator Chris Van Hollen spoke ahead of the vote.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen: “I also hope, colleagues, we will learn something from this needless tragedy. The calls for military adventurism, the promises of quick victory, the fantasies of regime change under the circumstances that were deployed, and the endless effort to undermine diplomacy led us directly to this disaster, and we should not repeat those mistakes. We should take a stand today and end this war, and we should finally start putting the interests of the American people ahead of costly and unnecessary conflicts.”
The Senate war powers vote came as the U.S. and Iran continued to dispute key terms of their agreement to end the war. President Trump has claimed Iran agreed to the “highest level” of monitoring by nuclear weapons inspectors, but Iranian officials have rejected that assertion. Earlier today, Iran’s speaker described the U.S.-Iran deal as “America’s declaration of defeat.”
Meanwhile, Israel and Lebanon have begun a new round of talks in Washington. This comes as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is visiting the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain — three Gulf nations that have expressed concern over the U.S.-Iran deal.
France Experiences Hottest Day on Record as U.N. Warns of More Frequent Climate Disasters
JUN 24, 2026
More than two dozen countries across Europe are under extreme heat alerts today, after a high-pressure “heat dome” settled over the continent, shattering hundreds of temperature records. On Tuesday, France recorded its hottest day ever, with the temperature reaching 111 degrees Fahrenheit in southwest France. At least 40 people have drowned across France while seeking relief from the heat, a number of them teenagers. In the U.K., United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres delivered remarks to the London Climate Action Week on Tuesday as temperatures outside topped 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Secretary-General António Guterres: “Around the world, climate disasters are becoming more frequent, more destructive and more costly. And the World Meteorological Organization has warned we ain’t seen nothing yet. El Niño is not just knocking on the door. It risks blowing the house down, turning up the heat, disrupting food and water systems, and hitting the vulnerable the hardest.”
Meanwhile, a new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change finds global heating has exposed an additional 1 billion people to extreme heat stress each year, compared to the 1970s.
Anti-ICE Protesters Sentenced to Decades in Prison over “Terrorism” at Texas ICE Jail
JUN 24, 2026
A federal judge in Texas has handed down prison sentences ranging from 30 to 100 years to a group of anti-ICE protesters convicted on terrorism charges in March. Federal prosecutors had accused the nine defendants of being members of an “antifa terror cell” for attending a protest outside the Prairieland ICE jail on July 4, during which fireworks were set off and a police officer was shot and wounded. Among those sentenced was Daniel Sanchez Estrada, who wasn’t even at the protest. He received a 30-year prison term for conspiracy to conceal documents, after he moved a box containing anti-fascist magazines and pamphlets. Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche welcomed the unusually harsh sentences, writing that “Antifa terrorists who attack law enforcement and federal facilities will face swift and uncompromising justice.”
Former U.S. Marine Corps reservist Benjamin Song, who was convicted of the shooting, received a 100-year sentence. In a statement, he said he only fired his rifle because he believed the officer was about to shoot another activist. Song said others had been punished just for knowing him, adding, “This is mass punishment. Collective punishment. This is guilt by association. This is injustice.”
Supreme Court Ruling Gives U.S. “Blank Check” to Weaken Green Card Holders’ Rights
JUN 24, 2026
The Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration on Tuesday in a 6-3 ruling that will make it easier for immigration officers to deny readmission to green card holders who’ve left the United States. Following the ruling, immigration officers will no longer need “clear and convincing evidence” that lawful permanent residents have committed a disqualifying crime before barring them from reentering the U.S. In a dissent signed by her two liberal colleagues, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote, “I worry that the Court has now handed the Government a massive blank check.”
Separately, the Supreme Court ruled 6 to 3 against a Black former prisoner who sued Louisiana prison officials for handcuffing him to a chair and forcibly shaving his dreadlocks. Damon Landor is a Rastafarian who had not cut his hair in two decades. He unsuccessfully argued that prison guards broke a federal law that requires states to protect the religious rights of prisoners.
Trump’s Efforts to Ram Through SAVE America Act Meets Resistance from GOP Senators
JUN 24, 2026
The Trump administration has threatened to withhold tens of millions of dollars in federal homeland security funds from states, unless they agree to a sweeping set of changes to how elections are run. That’s according to CNN, which reports that several homeland security grant programs have adopted new rules requiring states to phase out certain electronic voting systems and to move to hand-marked paper ballots.
Meanwhile, President Trump is set to meet with Republican senators on Capitol Hill today, as he seeks to push through the SAVE America Act. Voting rights experts say the legislation could disenfranchise millions of citizens who lack easy access to what would be required to vote — either a birth certificate or a passport showing their names assigned at birth. Some Republicans have criticized the legislation. North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis called it a “waste of time,” while Senate Majority Leader John Thune has refused Trump’s demand he abolish the filibuster to pass the bill. Last week, President Trump called out Senator Thune by name in a Truth Social post, writing, “Anybody who doesn’t want to Terminate the Filibuster is a FOOL.”
Trump Loyalist Bill Pulte Begins Purge at National Intelligence Office
JUN 24, 2026
Large-scale firings have reportedly begun at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, days after Trump loyalist Bill Pulte became the agency’s acting director.On Monday, Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia and Representative Jim Himes of Connecticut wrote to Pulte warning him against the firings. They wrote, “We are concerned that your record as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency demonstrates a willingness to misuse your position, including your access to sensitive information, to pursue President Trump’s perceived political enemies and further his retributive political agenda.” Pulte took office last week following the resignation of Tulsi Gabbard.
WaPo: Tulsi Gabbard’s Political Rise Was Highly Influenced by Guru of Hare Krishna Offshoot
JUN 24, 2026
Image Credit: Science of Identity Foundation/White House Photo by Daniel Torok
The Washington Post has published a major exposé indicating that Tulsi Gabbard’s political rise was secretly shaped by Chris Butler, the head of a cult-like breakaway Hare Krishna group in Hawaii. Gabbard and her parents are longtime followers of Butler’s. The Post obtained hundreds of confidential memos from Butler’s former secretary that appear to show Butler directly guiding Gabbard’s media appearances, social media posts and legislation when she served in Congress.
Congress Approves Housing Bill Limiting Institutional Investors and Easing New Construction
JUN 24, 2026
The House of Representatives has approved a bill aimed at increasing the supply of homes across the U.S. The legislation limits the number of single-family homes major investors can purchase, while loosening federal regulations to allow for new home construction. The bill does not include any new federal funding for housing. The Senate approved the bill on Monday; President Trump is set to sign it into law today.
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