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Democrats Quietly Form “Stage Left” Nonprofit With Hollywood Insiders to Amplify Leftist Messaging
Left-wing strategists and Hollywood figures incorporated Stage Left as a nonprofit in Washington, D.C., on June 22. The group lists itself as focused on content creation and issue amplification. Founding directors include Greg Propper, known as Kamala Harris’s celebrity whisperer for managing high-profile endorsements and events during her 2024 campaign. Other directors encompass former Obama aides Paulette Aniskoff and Ashley Allison, film producer Bruce Cohen, and Jason Berkenfeld. The organization connects to Bully Pulpit International and the Elias Law Group. It arrives amid broader Democrat efforts to route funds through firms for influencer and celebrity political work that is harder to trace than direct payments.
🏛️ News & Politics
Federal Judge Blocks Trump Postal Service Effort to Halt Delivery of Unverified Mail Ballots
A federal judge issued an injunction on June 25 blocking key parts of President Trump’s executive order that directed the U.S. Postal Service to refuse delivery of mail-in ballots from states that decline to verify voter identities through federal citizenship checks. Obama appointee U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani ruled that the order exceeded presidential authority and improperly intruded on states’ constitutional role in running elections as well as Congress’s oversight of the postal service. The order had required states to submit voter lists to Homeland Security for confirmed citizen lists, with non-matching ballots blocked from mailing. Talwani also rejected efforts to impose a uniform national mail-in ballot and noted that states cannot be compelled to participate, though they may do so voluntarily. This decision comes amid ongoing administration pushes for election integrity measures ahead of the 2026 midterms following earlier court setbacks on similar voter list access attempts.
Senate Republicans Reverse Course to Back Trump on Iran War Powers
The Senate rejected a Democratic-led measure late on June 25, 2026, that sought to curb President Donald Trump’s authority to engage in military action against Iran. The procedural vote on Sen. Tim Kaine’s resolution failed 47-50-1 after two Republican senators who had supported similar efforts the previous day switched their positions. Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana voted against advancing the measure following a heated White House meeting with Trump where he raised concerns about the duration and objectives of the conflict. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky voted present to give the president additional negotiating leverage, citing the apparent end of active hostilities. The outcome delivered a legislative win for Trump and GOP leadership as they push back against congressional efforts to limit executive actions in the ongoing Iran situation.
Supreme Court Grants Trump Major Wins on Immigration Enforcement
The Supreme Court handed the Trump administration two significant victories on June 25, 2026, advancing its immigration agenda. In a 6-3 ruling, the justices cleared the way for the termination of Temporary Protected Status for over 350,000 Haitians and about 6,100 Syrians, determining that courts lack authority to review such designations absent constitutional claims. The court also upheld a metering policy allowing officials to turn away asylum seekers at the US-Mexico border before they formally arrive in the United States. These decisions remove key legal hurdles for stricter border controls and the revocation of humanitarian protections that the administration views as having extended far beyond their temporary intent.
Supreme Court Strikes Down Hawaii Gun Restrictions on Private Property
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on June 25, 2026, that Hawaii’s law requiring express owner permission for concealed-carry permit holders to bring firearms onto private property open to the public violates the Second Amendment. Justice Samuel Alito authored the majority opinion in Wolford v. Lopez. The decision reverses a Ninth Circuit ruling and holds that the restriction hobbles the right to bear arms for self-defense in daily life. Hawaii’s measure, passed after the 2022 Bruen decision, imposed a default ban on guns in places like stores, malls, and gas stations unless owners explicitly allowed them. The Court rejected Hawaii’s arguments based on property rights and local traditions, noting that no sufficient historical tradition supports such a broad limitation. Dissenting justices argued it properly balanced property owner rights.
Virginia 2020 Election Data Reveals Over One Million Duplicate Voter Applications
A new analysis of official data from the 2020 Virginia election highlights over 1.2 million duplicate voter registration applications processed in the state. This figure comes from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission’s Election Administration and Voting Survey report. The duplicates align closely with a large unexplained ballot drop reported immediately after the election. Observers noted unusual vote updates late on election night that shifted the outcome toward Joe Biden. Earlier data feeds showed President Trump leading. Multiple large entries added votes disproportionately to Biden, while some votes appeared to be removed from totals. Such patterns raised questions about the accuracy and integrity of the process in Virginia.
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📢 The American Fifth Column
DSA Falsely Claims Mandate Over NYC After Primary Wins With Tiny Slice of Voters
Democratic Socialists of America leaders declared a “democratic socialist mandate” in New York City after their endorsed candidates swept several Democrat primaries on June 23, 2026. Just 17 percent of Democratic voters citywide turned out for the primaries. The winning candidates, including Darializa Avila Chevalier, Claire Valdez, and Brad Lander, captured only around 7 percent of the broader electorate in their districts due to low participation. These victories included upsets against incumbents such as Rep. Adriano Espaillat and Rep. Dan Goldman. NYC DSA co-chair Osman Chaudhary stated that the group now controls areas representing over three million New Yorkers at multiple government levels. Analysts noted the wins relied on organized turnout from younger, college-educated voters in a low-engagement environment.
Talarico Rails Against Billionaires While Hosting Fundraiser With Billionaire JB Pritzker
Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico, who has repeatedly denounced billionaires as a destructive force harming working people and corrupting politics, held a high-dollar fundraiser in Chicago on June 24, 2026, featuring Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker as the special guest. Tickets started at $500, with host levels at $5,000 and champion contributions up to $13,500, portions of which exceeded federal candidate limits and went to party committees. Pritzker, heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune with an estimated net worth of around $4.3 billion, has a history of tax maneuvers including removing toilets from a mansion to reduce property taxes. Talarico has positioned his campaign around fighting billionaire influence and big money in politics, including vows against super PACs, yet his events draw such donors while he campaigns in Texas against Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Former LA Fire Chief Sues Mayor Bass for Retaliation Over Budget Warnings
Former Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley filed a defamation lawsuit against Mayor Karen Bass on June 23 2026. Crowley alleges that Bass orchestrated a campaign of retaliation after Crowley warned about the impacts of budget cuts to the fire department prior to the deadly Palisades Fire in January 2025. The former chief had sent a memo highlighting how an $18 million reduction would create operational challenges, including issues with technology, payroll training, and the capacity to respond to large-scale emergencies like wildfires. Bass fired Crowley about a month after the fire and later made statements during her reelection campaign that Crowley claims falsely blamed her for problems such as inoperable fire engines and inadequate firefighter deployment while concealing Bass’s own absence from the city during the crisis. The suit seeks unspecified economic and compensatory damages from Bass personally, arguing that the mayor’s comments were not protected by government immunity and were designed to shift blame amid public criticism.
New York Mother Prevails in Appeals Court Against School District for Secretly Transitioning Daughter
A federal appeals court on June 25, 2026, revived a lawsuit filed by Jennifer Vitsaxaki against the Skaneateles Central School District in New York. School officials had created a Gender Support Plan for her seventh-grade daughter during the 2020-21 school year that included using a masculine name and pronouns while directing staff to conceal the social transition from her family by using her legal name and feminine pronouns around parents. Vitsaxaki learned of the plan, removed her daughter from in-person classes, and later enrolled her in private school, but some staff continued the masculine references despite her instructions to stop. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a unanimous 3-0 ruling that vacated the district court’s prior dismissal of damages claims, citing the Supreme Court’s March 2026 decision in Mirabelli v. Bonta on parental rights regarding school gender policies. The appeals court remanded the case for further consideration while agreeing that Vitsaxaki lacked standing for declaratory relief since her daughter no longer attends the school.
Ilhan Omar’s Husband Claims Minimal Income From Previously Valued Companies
Rep. Ilhan Omar filed a new financial disclosure report for 2025 that lists her husband, Tim Mynett, as earning between $200 and $1,000 for the year from his two companies: a venture capital firm, Rose Lake Capital, and a California winery, eStCru LLC. This filing marks a sharp drop from earlier reports that valued those same businesses at millions of dollars and showed significant distributions to Mynett in 2024. Omar’s office attributes the prior higher valuations to an accounting error that failed to account for liabilities. Mynett’s accountants had valued Rose Lake Capital at $7.9 million and eStCru at $1.5 million in a 2025 email, though he owns roughly a third of each. Business partners previously described the firms as nearly insolvent in court filings, with minimal bank balances and operational troubles, including the winery shutting down. The inconsistencies have prompted scrutiny from the House Oversight Committee and calls for further review of Omar’s disclosures.
🌐 International
Powerful Twin Quakes Devastate Venezuela, Leaving at Least 164 Dead
Two powerful earthquakes struck northern Venezuela on Wednesday evening, with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 hitting near the Caribbean coast west of Caracas within about a minute of each other. The shallow quakes caused widespread building collapses, especially in coastal La Guaira state and the capital, killing at least 164 people and injuring nearly 1,000 more while trapping victims under rubble. Rescue teams worked through the night and into Thursday to free survivors, including children, pulled from debris as acting President Delcy Rodríguez declared a state of emergency, closed the main airport, suspended services, and appealed for heavy equipment and international aid. The United States promptly offered search and rescue teams along with medical and humanitarian support, while other nations, including Qatar, Mexico, and El Salvador, sent personnel. Many residents spent the night outdoors amid aftershocks, power outages, and damaged infrastructure in one of the strongest seismic events to hit the country in over a century.
IRGC Strikes Singapore Cargo Ship in Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked a Singapore-flagged cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday. A projectile struck the vessel on its starboard side and damaged the bridge. No casualties or environmental damage occurred. The incident happened hours after the IRGC warned vessels against using routes not approved by Tehran and declared only Iranian-designated paths permissible. The British Navy’s Maritime Trade Operations reported the attack near the Omani coast. The United Nations paused its program to help stranded ships transit the waterway. The strike tests a recent US-Iran deal aimed at reopening the vital shipping lane.
Trump-Style Candidate Targets UN Bureaucracy in Bid to Lead Global Body
Former Senegal President Macky Sall has emerged as a leading contender for the next United Nations secretary-general position set to open in 2027. In a recent interview, he pledged to cut waste and reform the organization by making it more efficient and accountable to member states rather than allowing it to function as an unaccountable international bureaucracy. Sall expressed support for President Donald Trump’s foreign policy approach and called Trump a peace builder while noting ongoing issues with Iran. He adopted the slogan MUNGA or Make the UN Great Again, which echoes frustrations with the body’s bureaucratic inefficiency and failure to deliver on core missions like maintaining peace and security. UN insiders and former US officials have noted widespread dissatisfaction among member states with the current setup under outgoing Secretary-General António Guterres. Sall highlighted his firsthand experience with wasteful UN peace operations in Africa and positioned himself as someone who could work across Western and Eastern leaders to achieve reforms with US backing while avoiding vetoes from permanent Security Council members.
NATO Chief Announces Tens of Billions in New Defense Contracts for Ankara Summit
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated on June 25 that the alliance will announce tens of billions of dollars in new defense-related contracts at its upcoming summit in Ankara on July 7-8. He spoke during a visit to Washington and addressed the Atlantic Council. Rutte highlighted efforts to meet a defense spending trajectory toward 5 percent of GDP by 2035 after years of underinvestment. He noted that the deals would boost security, spark a defense industrial revolution, grow economies, and create hundreds of thousands of jobs while overcoming fragmented European industries and bureaucracy. Rutte also reaffirmed support for Ukraine, with President Zelenskiy attending, and sent a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the alliance’s readiness to defend itself.
French Woman Rescued From Alleged Captivity By Pakistani Husband In Remote Village
A 54-year-old French national named Sylvie Yasmina married a Pakistani man in Australia in 2003 and moved with him and their family to Pakistan in 2014. She told authorities that her husband kept her and their five children effectively imprisoned in a dilapidated mud-brick room in the remote village of Bara in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the Afghan border. Police found the family covered in bruises after one of the sons sneaked out to report the situation, prompting a raid. Yasmina described daily physical and mental abuse by her husband, who allegedly deprived them of outside contact, education for the children, and basic care. The husband was arrested. The mother and children were taken to a women’s shelter in Peshawar and plan to return to France.
