Thursday, June 25, 2026
Trump Says He Won’t Sign Housing Bill Until Congress Passes the SAVE Act.
https://time.com/article/2026/06/24/trump-housing-bill-save-america-act-voting-restrictions/
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he was canceling the signing of a landmark bipartisan housing bill until Congress passes the restrictive voter ID legislation he has forcefully championed in recent months.
Known as the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, the package passed both chambers of Congress this week with overwhelming support from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers. The legislation includes dozens of provisions aimed at eliminating barriers to building homes and lowering housing costs.
Before Trump’s abrupt announcement on Wednesday, the White House had expressed support for the bill. In a social media post on Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt called it “one of the most significant pieces of housing affordability legislation in American history.”
Trump has previously vowed not to sign any legislation until Congress passes the SAVE America Act, which would require people to provide proof of citizenship and photo identification in order to vote in federal elections, among other changes. The House passed the legislation in February, but Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said that Republicans don’t have the votes needed to push the bill through the upper chamber. The issue has become a source of tension between congressional Republicans and Trump
Rocked by the Iran war, the UAE sours on Trump: ‘We got played’
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/06/24/trump-was-popular-uae-then-he-went-war/
Across the Persian Gulf region, the president was viewed as a pro-business ally, but his decision to wage war on Iran and his erratic conduct have tarnished his image.
As they sipped their beers, Dubai residents said Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran, and his often erratic conduct over the course of it, had threatened the stability of the United Arab Emirates, a place they had come to do business, and tarnished their view of him.
Initial optimism that Trump would be a good ally to this region, built in part on its business-friendly and steady reputation, had faded for many.
But Trump, he said, “either miscalculated or misread the situation” and lost the trust of many in the business community here, who now feel it will be harder for them to succeed.
Trump might really drain the swamp
Ten years ago, in the final weeks of his first presidential campaign, Donald Trump often led rallygoers in a chant: “Drain the swamp! Drain the swamp!” This week, it might finally happen.
The land where the Lincoln Memorial sits used to be mudflats and wetlands, but now its Reflecting Pool became home to a historically large algae bloom filled with jagged clumps of blue industrial paint. The Trump administration’s poorly executed renovation has already cost taxpayers more than $14 million, failing in just two weeks despite the president’s claim that it “could last for 100 years.” To fix the problem it created, the White House is having the pool emptied once again — draining the muck.
This is just the latest in a series of botched jobs in the nation’s capital. Last fall, Trump razed the East Wing to build a ballroom, which he said would be covered entirely by private donations. Instead, after lowballing the estimate, costs have soared to $600 million, and taxpayers have already had to foot more than half the bill. He undertook controversial overhauls of the Rose Garden — twice in five years — replacing the trees and lawn with a stone patio, cafe tables and yellow-striped umbrellas fashioned to look like Mar-a-Lago poolside. And he affixed his name to the Kennedy Center and planned to shutter it for a two-year remodeling, only to have a federal judge order his name removed and block the venue’s closure. No project is too big or too small to bungle
Wednesday, June 24, 2026
Moshe as a Prophet
Rosh HaShanna (21b) Fifty gates of understanding were created in the world, and all were given to Moses save one, as it says, Yet thou hast made him but little lower than a God, Now, Koheles sought to find out words of delight. That is to say, Koheles sought to be like Moses, but a bath kol went forth and said to him, It is written uprightly even words of truth, There arose not a prophet again in Israel like Moses. The other said: Among the prophets there arose not, but among the kings there did arise.
New UN inquiry: Israel 'deliberately' killed Palestinian children, resulting in genocide
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/article-900287
The paper refers to the killing of Palestinian children as "deliberate" and also claims Israel uses "torture, inhumane and degrading treatment, including sexual and gender-based violence, against Palestinian children."
It is worth noting that the UN reports consider a ‘child’ to be “every human being below the age of 18 years."
A significant chunk of "children" killed have been Hamas fighters ages 16 and 17 years old, wielding arms and posing an equal danger to IDF troops as Hamas operatives over the age of 18.
"Genocide" does not apply when a military makes errors, only when it is proven that a military purposefully commits mass killings. Throughout the invasions of Gaza, the IDF always used several methods to try to evacuate (often successfully) the general civilian population from areas it was about to attack. These warnings often cost the IDF by allowing Hamas to escape in the masses of civilians who fled.
Trump keeps claiming Iran made concessions. Iran keeps denying them
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/06/23/politics/trump-iran-claims-nuclear-inspectors
Ever since releasing a memorandum of understanding last week that appeared heavily slanted toward Iran, the Trump administration has kept claiming Tehran agreed to other major concessions in ongoing negotiations.
The problem is that none of them appeared in the MOU — and Iran keeps denying them.
And given the Trump administration’s own demonstrated credibility problems, it’s not at all clear whom to trust.
The biggest example came Tuesday morning, when President Donald Trump made the massive claim that Iran has already agreed to major nuclear inspections in perpetuity.
But Iran has rejected the idea there had been any significant movement on this front.
Republican-majority US Senate votes to curb Trump's powers in Iran war
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-900316
The Senate voted 50-48 in favor of the concurrent resolution, which passed the House of Representatives earlier this month, reflecting growing concern about the unpopular conflict.
The Republican-majority US Senate backed legislation on Tuesday to halt US military action against Iran, but it was not immediately clear how it would affect the war as US President Donald Trump's administration negotiates a peace agreement with the Islamic Republic.
The Senate voted 50-48 in favor of the concurrent resolution, which passed the House of Representatives earlier this month, reflecting growing concern, even among some of Trump's Republicans, about the unpopular conflict that began on February 28.
The vote was nearly along party lines, with four Republicans joining all but one Democrat in favor. Two Republicans did not vote.
Only 25% of Americans Think US Won Iran War, New Poll Shows
https://www.newsweek.com/only-25-of-americans-think-us-won-iran-war-new-poll-shows-12111555
Only one-quarter of Americans believe the United States has won the war with Iran, according to a new national poll from The Economist/YouGov, underscoring the public's lingering skepticism over the conflict.
The survey found that just 25 percent of respondents said the U.S. won while most remain doubtful that it emerged victorious. The findings suggest that despite the memorandum of understanding and ongoing diplomatic efforts, many Americans remain unconvinced that the military campaign delivered a clear victory.
President Donald Trump, however, continues to argue that the conflict ended on favorable terms for the United States. Newsweek reached out to the White House via email on Tuesday evening about the poll.
Tuesday, June 23, 2026
Contradicting Trump and Vance, Iran says no plans for IAEA inspections, asserts sovereignty at Hormuz
Trump claims Iran okayed inspections ‘long into the future’; regime leaders hold talks with Oman on charging fees at waterway; in another pushback, envoy says Iran will be ‘only country’ to determine how to use its unfrozen assets, warns Lebanon clash poses risk to deal
Iran Researcher: 'Trump is simply insane'
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/429072
Beni Sabti, an Iran researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), sharply criticized the U.S. administration and President Donald Trump during an interview with 103FM, arguing that Washington’s approach reflects weakness in dealing with Tehran.
Strait of Hormuz Is Open Says Trump But Confusion Reigns
https://www.newsweek.com/strait-of-hormuz-is-open-says-trump-but-confusion-reigns-12108660
President Donald Trump said the Strait of Hormuz is open despite competing claims over access through the critical waterway, whose unblocking formed a key part of the deal to end the Iran war.
Trump's Truth Social post came a day after dozens of vessels had been tracked transiting the strait that had been closed by Tehran and prompted a retaliatory U.S. move to block Iranian ports. Maritime traffic has resumed through the waterway, although as of Tuesday it had not yet returned to pre-war levels.
Trump said Tuesday that Iran had agreed to long-term, high-level nuclear inspections, which addresses one reason for launching the war against the Islamic Republic on February 28.
Garnel IronheartJune 23, 2026 at 2:59 PM
This is why the whole "Trump is turning on Israel!" is a mistake. He's not turning on Israel. He's turning on anyone standing behind him and getting out of Iran with a great peace deal, an amazing deal, best ever in a bigly way! That includes Israel because of Hezbollah but it also includes Iran.