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| Via Spencer Hakimian |
June 16, 2026
Polls
A nearly equal share of rural Americans, 48 percent, said they disapprove of the president, while 31 percent of rural respondents said they approve of Trump’s handling of the economy and cost of living issues.
Weather
Newsweek - A developing system in the Gulf of Mexico has prompted a series of tropical storm watches across coastal Texas and southwestern Louisiana, raising concerns about heavy rainfall, gusty winds and the potential for a strengthening tropical cyclone.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issued multiple watch statements Tuesday morning, noting that “tropical storm-force winds are possible somewhere within this area within the next 48 hours.” While winds remain below tropical storm strength for now, forecasters warn that conditions could change quickly as the system organizes.
Trump regime
Independent - The administration of Donald Trump is continuing its efforts to dismantle the Education Department, reassigning critical oversight responsibilities for special education and civil rights to other federal bodies.
Under the new arrangement, the Department of Justice will assume enforcement duties for civil rights within education, while the Department of Health and Human Services will take charge of special education oversight. These transfers, announced on Tuesday, mean that the bulk of the Education Department's functions have now been distributed across various other agencies.
Trump, a Republican, had previously campaigned on a promise to abolish the Education Department entirely, asserting his intention to "move education back to the states where it belongs."
The real cost of the White House ballroom
Washington Post - Five months after the demolition of the White House’s East Wing, President Donald Trump claimed that the project to construct a massive ballroom and a bunker in its place would cost up to $400 million and that private donors would pay for all of it.
“This is taxpayer-free. We have no taxpayer putting up 10 cents,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on March 31, describing the project as including bomb shelters and major medical facilities.
But a detailed project summary prepared for the White House by the contractor more than three weeks before Trump’s comments estimated the total construction cost at $600 million — with more than half coming from taxpayers, according to a copy of the contractor estimate obtained by The Washington Post.
By the time Trump made his comments in March, the federal government had already approved more than a dozen payments to the contractor overseeing the work, Clark Construction, totaling tens of millions of dollars in public funds, according to a log of the contractor’s invoices obtained by The Post.
Social Security
Alternet - A group of Democratic US senators warned Monday that congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump could be gearing up for a push for raise the retirement age as part of a broader—and deeply unpopular—effort to slash Social Security benefits after the 2026 midterm elections.
Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) wrote in a letter to Trump that they have “renewed concerns” that his administration is “considering raising the retirement age, cutting the earned benefits of millions of Americans,” despite the president’s repeated vows to shield the program.“Republicans have a history of attempting to increase the retirement age, privatize Social Security, or otherwise cut Social Security benefits, and some congressional Republicans have called to raise the retirement age or means-test benefits,” the lawmakers wrote, emphasizing that GOP lawmakers “are not alone.”
“In an interview this past fall, [Social Security Administration] Commissioner Frank Bisignano said—and later attempted to retract after public outcry—that your administration was considering this idea,” the Democratic senators wrote of raising the retirement age, which would cut Social Security benefits across the board.
Trump vs. mail-in voting
Alternet - As election officials across the country steel themselves for the midterm elections in less than five months, President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting voting by mail threatens to upend their preparations. The executive order instructs the U.S. Postal Service to refuse to deliver ballots in states that don’t provide lists of voters or meet other requirements. It has created a sense of deep uncertainty and concern among election officials as they consider how to comply, according to a review of court documents and interviews with election officials and experts on election administration.
The March 31 executive order, and a proposed Postal Service rule published June 2 that would put the order’s requirements into effect, raise serious logistical and procedural challenges for those running elections, they say. Rural areas with limited resources are especially at risk, but jurisdictions of all sizes could be forced to scramble.
The executive order is the latest step taken by Trump to assert control over state-run elections, along with the stalled SAVE America Act, which would require voters to provide documents proving their citizenship. The Justice Department, under Trump’s control, is also trying to obtain state voter rolls.
Transgender bathroom use
NY Times - Idaho cannot immediately enforce its new law criminalizing the use of certain restrooms that do not match an individual’s sex at birth, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday.
The ruling provides a temporary reprieve for transgender people in Idaho, who faced up to five years in prison for using restrooms that match their gender identity. The state’s law, which is seen as the most restrictive measure on this issue in the country, was to go into effect on July 1.
Six transgender Idaho residents brought the case, arguing that the statute violates their constitutional rights to equal protection and to shield personal information from disclosure. But Judge Amanda K. Brailsford of the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho said it was not necessary to consider those claims, because the plaintiffs were likely to prevail on their third claim: that the law is unconstitutionally vague.
Could use a little help
Sam Smith - Although I have backed ranked choice voting, one thing I don't understand is why, if the candidate in first place doesn't get enough votes, the person in last place gets their second choice counted. It seems that it would be the second place candidate whose secondary choice would be the closest to a consensus.
Trump even wants to take away DC residents' vote
Huffington Post - President Donald Trump’s desire to control everything in Washington, D.C., has moved beyond repairing fountains and sending in National Guard troops to electoral politics, as voters in the capital are set to select a new mayor for the first time in more than a decade.
“We are not going to get ICE off our streets by fearing this president,” she said in a statement to HuffPost on Monday. “We are not going to protect our rights or Home Rule by obeying in advance. Threatening Home Rule because you do not like how residents vote is an attack on democracy itself.
Janeese Lewis George, a city council member who has led in the polls, is a democratic socialist who’s campaigned on delivering universal childcare and ceasing the D.C. police department’s cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Trump said last week he “wouldn’t like it” if she won.
“Maybe we’d take back Washington, run it on the federal basis,” Trump said in response to a reporter’s question at the White House. “We won’t put up with it. We’re not going to lose our businesses.”
The race between Lewis George and Kenyan McDuffie, a longtime former council member considered part of the city’s political establishment, is about a lot of things: the high cost of housing, crime, the city’s recovery from a DOGE-induced economic shock. But as with almost every personnel decision in Washington these days, voters in the city will also be weighing who is better equipped to deal with Trump.
The president can’t just “take back Washington” — at least, not legally.
There’s no question he can meddle in the city’s affairs. Trump has direct control over D.C.’s National Guard, and the Home Rule Act gives him the power to use the D.C. police force for federal purposes if he decides there are “special conditions of an emergency nature.” He took advantage of those authorities last year, when he briefly took over the police department and deployed the National Guard in response to a supposed crime crisis. Groups of guardsmen, mostly from GOP-controlled states, still roam the city’s streets.
Trump does not, however, have the power to single-handedly take over D.C.’s government. When Congress passed the Home Rule Act in 1973, it created the Washington, D.C., government that exists today and gave it significant control over its day-to-day activities.
The only way Trump could take over the district’s government is if Congress passes a bill amending the Home Rule Act. Even in today’s Congress, controlled by Republicans, such an effort would require a number of Democrats to support it in the Senate, which is highly unlikely.
Asked about Trump’s comments, Lewis George, who’s been a city council member since January 2021, said the city’s residents want a more confrontational approach to the president, who is obsessed with meddling with their city.
“We are not going to get ICE off our streets by fearing this president,” she said in a statement to HuffPost on Monday. “We are not going to protect our rights or Home Rule by obeying in advance. Threatening Home Rule because you do not like how residents vote is an attack on democracy itself.
Public schools
- Federal data show White students fell from 51 percent to 44 percent of public school enrollment over ten years.
- Hispanic enrollment rose from 24 percent to 29 percent in the same period.
- The Census Bureau also found White students were below half of K–12 enrollment in 2021.
Best run cities
WalletHub - As local governments continue to grapple with challenges like inflation and ongoing public safety concerns such as mass shootings, the personal-finance company WalletHub has released its report on 2026’s Best- & Worst-Run Cities in America, along with expert commentary.
To evaluate the effectiveness of city leadership, WalletHub analyzed 148 of the nation’s largest cities based on their operating efficiency. The study developed a “Quality of City Services” score for each city, using 36 key performance indicators across six service categories, and compared those results to each city’s total per-capita budget.
Best vs. Worst
To evaluate the effectiveness of city leadership, WalletHub analyzed 148 of the nation’s largest cities based on their operating efficiency. The study developed a “Quality of City Services” score for each city, using 36 key performance indicators across six service categories, and compared those results to each city’s total per-capita budget.
| Top 20 Best-Run Cities in America | ||
| 1. Provo, UT | 11. Las Cruces, NM | |
| 2. Nampa, ID | 12. Oklahoma City, OK | |
| 3. Manchester, NH | 13. Mobile, AL | |
| 4. Boise, ID | 14. Dover, DE | |
| 5. Nashua, NH | 15. Chesapeake, VA | |
| 6. Sioux Falls, SD | 16. Warwick, RI | |
| 7. Fort Wayne, IN | 17. Durham, NC | |
| 8. Virginia Beach, VA | 18. Jacksonville, FL | |
| 9. Lincoln, NE | 19. Lexington-Fayette, KY | |
| 10. Mesa, AZ | 20. Missoula, MT | |
Best vs. Worst
- Casper, Wyoming, has the lowest long-term debt outstanding per capita, which is 64.9 times lower than in Oakland, California, the city with the highest.
- Nampa, Idaho, has among the fewest property crimes (per 1,000 residents), which is 9.7 times fewer than in Oakland city, California, the city with the most.
- Rapid City, South Dakota, has the lowest unemployment rate, which is 8.8 times lower than in Flint, Michigan, the city with the highest.
- Fremont, California, has the lowest share of the population living in poverty, which is 6.6 times lower than in Flint, Michigan, the city with the highest.
Meanwhile. ..
NPR - A third of Illinois counties have passed resolutions seeking to separate from the city of Chicago to form a 51st state. People in these rural counties resent what they see as Chicago's disproportionate power. NPR - The U.K. government has announced it will ban social media for all children under 16. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was "giving children their childhood back." |
Middle East
NPR - Israel, which began the war in Iran with the U.S., has been sidelined in the agreement that the U.S. and Iran are expected to sign on Friday to begin negotiations to end hostilities. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not be party to those negotiations, and it could spoil peace efforts. |
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Roll Call - Congress needs to be able to review the agreement between the Trump administration and Tehran that is intended to end the Iran war, senators in both parties said Monday. President Donald Trump announced Sunday that the United States and Iran had reached a memorandum of understanding to end the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and begin more comprehensive negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program and sanctions relief.
The deal has been signed electronically, while a formal, in-person signing ceremony is scheduled for Friday in Geneva, Trump said Monday. While the United States and Iran have both been touting wins in the deal, no actual text has been released — making it impossible to parse who’s telling the truth and leaving U.S. lawmakers clamoring for more details.
“Trump must release the details publicly, brief Congress immediately and end this war for good,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement Monday.
Trump’s Republican allies on Capitol Hill have said since the United States and Israel launched strikes in February that Iran cannot be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon, but they say they can’t assess whether the new memorandum of understanding (MOU) will achieve that objective because they have yet to review it.
“The MOU, I want to see it myself. The way Iran describes it is awful. The way we describe it makes sense to me. Let’s look at it and see what it actually is,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who was a leading proponent of the military strikes against Iran and urged Trump last month to resume strikes to “finish the job,” if necessary.
Roku and Fox
Bloomberg - Fox’s surprise acquisition of Roku is a $22 billion bet on streaming as the company’s future, after years of building up a cable-TV empire and amassing sports media rights.
- The deal will make Fox a streaming distributor as well as a content company, and the combined company will become the third-largest player in US television by viewing share.
- It’s a gamble by Lachlan Murdoch, fresh off a succession battle that cemented his role as heir apparent to his father’s media empire.
- Investors balked at the Roku deal, sending Fox shares down 17%, their steepest decline on record. Competitors including Google and Samsung are working to narrow Roku’s lead, while Walmart bought smart-TV maker Vizio in 2024 to accelerate its advertising business.
Word
“This is an administration capable of immense, epic destruction, but unable to create much besides spectacle.” - Michelle Goldberg, NY Times Opinion columnist
Trump's war on voting rights
The Guardian - The Trump administration is waging war on voting rights using justice department lawsuits, FBI investigations, and an executive order to limit voting by mail, moves mirroring the US president’s false claims he lost the 2020 election due to voting fraud, say election experts and ex-officials.
Since Donald Trump began his second term, numerous 2020 election denialists have been installed in key agencies such as the DoJ, the FBI and elsewhere to pursue widely discredited claims of fraud, which can intimidate election workers and voters in swing states that Trump lost to Joe Biden in 2020.
The justice department has also filed lawsuits seeking sensitive voter data from 30 states – even though, by law, states control elections – and the FBI has launched investigations into debunked allegations of voting fraud in Georgia, Wisconsin and a few other swing states that Trump lost in 2020.
Trump in late March this year issued an executive order sharply tightening mail-in voting rules, which Trump has long claimed without evidence contribute to fraud. The order gives the United States Postal Service unprecedented powers to issue new rules making voting by mail harder.
The administration’s multi-pronged push to change voting rules is under way despite laws that empower states and Congress to set election rules, sparking lawsuits from states and nonpartisan voting rights groups.
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the DOJ is investigating him and his wife.
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