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Democratic Socialism Popularity Climbs Among Democrats in New Polling
A recent analysis of polling data shows that two in three Democrats now hold a favorable view of socialism. This marks a sharp increase from roughly 50 percent in 2010. At the same time, favorable views of capitalism among Democrats have dropped to 42 percent. CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten highlighted that the Democratic Socialists of America enjoy a net favorability rating of plus 17 among Democrats. This outpaces the plus-four rating for congressional Democrats. Recent electoral successes include democratic socialist victories or strong showings in races for mayor of New York City, Washington D.C., and Seattle. Additional candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America are advancing in congressional and local primaries across several states.
🏛️ News & Politics
Trump Furious With Senate GOP Leader Thune Over Stalled Voter Integrity Bill
President Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with Senate Majority Leader John Thune and other Senate Republicans for failing to advance the SAVE America Act. The House passed the legislation in February to require proof of citizenship for voter registration, mandate voter ID at polls, and limit mail-in voting practices, measures with broad public support aimed at securing elections ahead of the 2026 midterms. Trump has tied its passage to the renewal of FISA Section 702 surveillance authority, stating he will not approve the latter without the former, but Thune has maintained that the votes simply are not there to overcome a Democratic filibuster or pursue procedural changes like a talking filibuster. Reports indicate Trump has questioned Thune’s leadership privately, including polling senators on his performance, while Thune and allies like Sen. John Cornyn have emphasized the practical math problem in the Senate rather than personal resistance, even as some accounts suggest internal GOP divisions include senators unwilling to back the bill due to anti-Trump sentiment.
Schumer Accidentally Spotlights Voter Roll Problems While Attacking Save America Act
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer appeared on MS NOW with Lawrence O’Donnell and criticized the SAVE America Act as one of the worst anti-democracy measures ever proposed. He claimed the legislation would remove 25 to 30 million people from voter rolls by sending state election data to the Department of Homeland Security for algorithmic review of eligibility. Schumer described this process as a fix that could knock ineligible voters, including non-citizens, off the rolls without prior notice. The bill, backed by President Trump, requires proof of U.S. citizenship for federal voter registration and photo identification at the polls. Schumer vowed Democrats would block it and had already defeated similar efforts in court with him as a lead plaintiff. His comments came amid Republican pushes for the measure, which enjoys broad public support and aims to prevent non-citizen voting, while Democrats frame it as voter suppression.
Georgia Senate Passes Voting Bill Requiring Hand Recounts Over Democratic Objections
Georgia’s Senate passed Senate Bill 3EX on June 20, 2026, in a 33-19 party-line vote. The measure delays until January 2028 a ban on QR code ballot tabulation that was set to take effect July 1. It creates a nine-member committee to recommend a new voting system and adds an amendment mandating hand recounts of the top two races on ballots before certification. Democrats objected, citing a lack of guaranteed seats on the committee, potential burdens on counties, especially large ones like Fulton, added costs, and questions about the bill’s scope under the special session call. The bill advances to the House.
Appeals Court Halts Trump Administration Push to Slash CFPB Staffing
A federal appeals court on Friday blocked the Trump administration from carrying out new plans to reduce staffing at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau by about two-thirds. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued a per curiam order from an en banc panel that denied a motion to modify a stay pending appeal. The court granted a limited remand to the district court while keeping the broader case in abeyance and retaining jurisdiction. This decision maintains the stay that prevents the staff reductions as litigation continues over efforts to shrink the agency created after the 2008 financial crisis to oversee consumer financial products. The ruling follows earlier legal setbacks for similar workforce cut proposals.
Trump Blasts Pritzker After Chicago Weekend Violence Leaves at Least Four Dead and 22 Shot
President Trump called out Illinois Governor JB Pritzker on Sunday after a violent weekend in Chicago that saw at least 22 people shot and four or more killed. A drive-by shooting during a Juneteenth celebration in the Princeton Park neighborhood on the South Side left around a dozen wounded when gunmen in an SUV opened fire on a crowd. Additional shootings across the city contributed to the toll, with victims ranging in age from teens to adults. Trump noted the ongoing killings and questioned why Pritzker had not sought federal help while stating he could make Chicago one of the safest cities in the country within a month by applying approaches that worked in Washington D.C.
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📢 The American Fifth Column
New York School Board Vice President Arrested on Child Pornography Charges
Travis J. Longo, 46, vice president of the Cazenovia Central School District Board of Education in New York and a drag performer who founded Cazenovia Pride Fest, faces federal charges of receiving and possessing child pornography. New York State Police arrested him on June 18 on four misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of a child after investigators found he engaged in a pattern of sexually explicit communications with a child under 12. A search of his phone revealed numerous images and videos of child pornography, including content depicting the sexual abuse of infants that he received online. Longo appeared in federal court on June 20 and remains in custody. The school district barred him from grounds and events while reviewing the matter, and the board demanded his resignation. Cazenovia Pride Inc. canceled its festival and dissolved. Authorities seek additional victims.
Socialist Candidate Pushes to Let Violent Criminals Into Public Housing
Darializa Avila Chevalier is a socialist running for New York’s 13th Congressional District. She called for ending the New York City Housing Authority’s permanent exclusion policy. This policy bars murderers, drug dealers, sex offenders, and other violent criminals from public housing. Chevalier made the remarks in a 2017 panel discussion. She cited a black queer feminist lens and said the most marginalized should be at the center of the work. She argued the policy gets abused and affects people over minor issues like fare evasion or marijuana possession. NYCHA oversees the nation’s largest public housing system with around 400,000 residents, many women and children. Progressive groups have noted that the policy targets serious offenses and helps improve safety in developments.
Ilhan Omar Claims Husband Earned Less Than One Thousand Dollars Last Year
Somali-born Rep. Ilhan Omar filed her 2025 financial disclosure report showing that her husband Tim Mynett earned less than one thousand dollars from all sources combined during the year. The only reported income came from his now-defunct California wine business eStCru, which generated between two hundred and one thousand dollars before dissolution in April. No income appeared from his main venture, Rose Lake Capital. The filing lists the couple’s joint assets between twenty thousand and one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars, offset by thirty thousand to one hundred thousand dollars in credit card and student loan debt, resulting in a net worth between negative eighty thousand and positive ninety-five thousand dollars. This marks another reversal from earlier disclosures that had valued Mynett’s businesses at up to thirty million dollars before an amended filing attributed the figures to an accounting error.
AZ Democrat Ruben Gallego Funneled Campaign Cash Into Family Luxuries and Super Bowl Jaunt With Swalwell
Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego used his campaign committee and leadership PAC to cover family travel to places like Miami, Chicago, Disneyland, and Disney World. He also drew more than $18,000 in child care reimbursements since 2019, including payments to his mother-in-law. Federal Election Commission records show Gallego and disgraced former Representative Eric Swalwell jointly hosted a Super Bowl event in Arizona where donor funds paid for tickets, brunch, and related expenses while Gallego’s wife attended. A source close to the spending described the campaign account as Gallego’s personal slush fund for a luxury lifestyle. Gallego’s team maintains the expenditures tie to fundraising activities and comply with Federal Election Commission rules that allow broad use of leadership PAC money.
Roy Cooper Hosted Hamas-Tied Imam at Secret Iftar Dinner in Governor’s Mansion
Former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper hosted a low-key iftar dinner at the state’s Executive Mansion in Raleigh in 2018 to mark the end of Ramadan. The event drew more than 35 local Muslim leaders and received little public notice at the time, with no press release or guest list issued. Imam Mohamed AbuTaleb, who led a prayer there and appeared in photos standing directly behind Cooper, has longstanding connections to organizations with alleged Hamas links, including the Muslim American Society and Islamic Relief. AbuTaleb served as imam of the Islamic Association of Raleigh when it donated substantially to Islamic Relief USA, a group scrutinized for ties to entities connected to Hamas. He has since spoken at events with the Muslim American Society and works at the Yaqeen Institute alongside figures who have made inflammatory remarks. Cooper’s team offered only a vague social media mention weeks later. The story has resurfaced as Cooper runs for U.S. Senate in North Carolina.
🌐 International
Oil Keeps Flowing Through Hormuz Despite Iranian Closure Claims
Millions of barrels of oil continued to move through the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend. Iran claimed to have shut the waterway again in response to events in Lebanon. Three laden supertankers carrying about 6 million barrels from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar sailed along the Omani coast route. US Central Command reported that 17 million barrels passed through on Saturday with 55 merchant ships transiting safely. Ship tracking data showed vessels using the southern path near Oman with visible signals, as supported by US military assurances of freedom of navigation. Some tankers also moved near Iran’s coastline. This occurred ahead of US-Iran peace talks in Switzerland.
Trump Warns Iran of Destruction Over Hormuz Closure, Rogue Hezbollah in Lebanon
President Trump issued strong warnings to Iran on Sunday amid ongoing US-Iran talks in Switzerland. Vice President JD Vance reported progress in negotiations at a Swiss resort aimed at solidifying a ceasefire and regional peace. Trump threatened severe military action if Iran failed to control Hezbollah proxies in Lebanon or keep the Strait of Hormuz open. He suggested the US could take control of the strait as its “guardian angel” and impose tolls, including a 20 percent share of oil passing through it, if no final deal is reached. Iran had claimed to close the Strait in response to Israeli actions in Lebanon.
Colombians Vote in Runoff Between Leftist Continuity and Right-Wing Outsider
Colombians headed to the polls on Sunday, June 21, 2026, for a presidential runoff election. Leftist Senator Ivan Cepeda promised to extend the policies of outgoing President Gustavo Petro including expanded social welfare programs union supported labor reforms peace negotiations with armed groups and a halt on new oil projects. His opponent, Abelardo De La Espriella, a right-wing lawyer and political newcomer with no prior elected experience, pushed for an aggressive military campaign against armed groups, an expansion of the oil and gas sector, lower taxes, and a reduction in the size of government by as much as 40 percent, while keeping some popular social measures. De La Espriella led the first round in May with about 43 percent of the vote to Cepeda’s roughly 41 percent. Concerns over crime, economic pressures, and public debt weighed heavily on voters in a polarized contest.
Keir Starmer Faces Imminent Resignation After Crushing By-Election Loss
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to announce a timetable for his departure as early as Monday. Senior Labour figures cited in reports indicate he is preparing to step down following Andy Burnham’s decisive victory in the Makerfield by-election. Burnham secured over 54 percent of the vote and a substantial majority. This outcome has accelerated calls from cabinet ministers, union leaders, and donors for Starmer to exit after less than two years in office since Labour’s landslide win.
U.S. and Uzbekistan Launch Joint Investment Platform to Counter Chinese Influence
The United States and Uzbekistan signed a joint investment platform agreement on June 16, 2026, in Tashkent. Officials from the US International Development Finance Corporation and Export-Import Bank joined Uzbek counterparts, including President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, to establish the framework. It targets priority sectors such as energy, infrastructure, critical minerals, transportation, logistics, advanced manufacturing, information and communications technology, and pharmaceuticals. The platform seeks to expand US supply chains in Central Asia’s second-largest economy while identifying and financing strategic investments and export opportunities that align with shared interests.
