The day so far
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House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries has vowed a “serious response” after two Democrats voted with Republicans to advance a procedural vote yesterday. Moderates Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Jared Golden voted to advance a resolution condemning socialism, which also contained support for the enactment of Trump’s SAVE America Act, that eight Democrats supported. Jeffries said the decision “represents a significant breach of trust”. More here.
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Meanwhile, Donald Trump – claiming that the US has control over the strait of Hormuz despite escalating conflict with Iran and extensive evidence to the contrary – has floated the idea of naming the critical waterway “TRUMP STRAIT”. A reminder that he has no authority to do so, and that this comes after his efforts to rename the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario to the Gulf of America and Lake America, respectively. Major US tech firms have complied with his re-naming decrees for US users of their maps apps.
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Trump picked acting navy secretary Hung Cao to take on the job permanently amid concerns that some sailors have been stretched to the limit during his war against Iran. Cao’s nomination comes as some, including Democrats in Congress, believe Trump has been overtaxing the navy. The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier’s nine-month deployment to support the Iran war included a record-setting uninterrupted 270 days at sea. Here’s Natasha May’s report as the ship finally docked in Thailand.
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Eighty-nine percent of recently surveyed US adults think government corruption is “widespread,” a Gallup poll released today said. Gallup, polling 1000 people this May and June per the Washington Post, said that this sentiment is at its “highest level in 20 years.” More here.
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The powerful Teamsters union is backing Republican candidates in the 2026 election cycle even after members have voted to support their Democrat opponents. The 1.3 million-strong union’s president, Sean O’Brien, angered many members and union leaders in 2024 when he became the first union president to speak at the Republican national convention. The latest moves by the union’s leadership are further stoking tensions within the union. Michael Sainato has the story.
