Show notes
Today's Headlines: Mitch McConnell has been hospitalized for over a week with his office offering nothing beyond "he's still working closely with staff." Meanwhile, JD Vance called the Iran talks a "classic Trump deal" while the administration temporarily lifted oil sanctions letting Iran sell oil in US dollars for the first time since 2018 — when Trump blew up the original deal — with Iran saying they made "no new commitments," the Strait of Hormuz status depends entirely on who you ask, and Vance gets visibly snubbed by Iran's foreign minister during a photo op. Trump responded to New York Times war coverage by threatening to add their reporting to his $15 billion defamation lawsuit and calling them treasonous, which is bold from someone whose last Times lawsuit was thrown out within days. The administration is threatening to withhold a billion dollars in homeland security funding from states unless they overhaul their election laws — paper ballots, federal audits, administration-preferred voter databases, all at state expense — which is unconstitutional and headed straight for court, while a George W. Bush-appointed judge blocked DOJ subpoenas targeting Tim Walz and other Minnesota officials, finding "overwhelming" evidence they were issued purely to harass political opponents. Jeanine Pirro is threatening to prosecute anyone caught "vandalizing" the reflecting pool, at least five people have been federally cited for being near it, and Trump claimed someone made a 350-foot gash in a pool he simultaneously described as uncuttable. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer resigned — the country's seventh prime minister in ten years, right on Brexit's tenth anniversary — with Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham as frontrunner to replace him, while researchers found Elon Musk played an "instrumental" role in inciting Belfast's anti-immigrant riots by generating over half of 115 million views driving the unrest, prompting England and Wales's attorney general to ban his office from using X. Finally, Tucker Carlson announced he's done with the Republican Party and won't support them in the midterms.
Resources/Articles mentioned:
WAVE: Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell in the hospital, ‘still working closely with staff," says office
WSJ: U.S. Allows Iran to Sell Oil in Dollars for First Time in Decades
NYT: U.S. Eases Sanctions on Iranian Oil, but Progress on Nuclear Issues Is Muddy
The Daily Beast: Grimacing Vance Snubbed by Diplomats at Iran Peace Summit
Yahoo News: Trump calls New York Times story "treasonous," vows to add to lawsuit
CNN: Exclusive: Trump administration plans to use homeland security funds to pressure states into election changes
Axios: Judge blocks Trump subpoenas targeting Walz, other Minnesota Democrats
Yahoo: Jeanine Pirro vows to prosecute anyone ‘vandalizing’ Reflecting Pool
BBC: Andy Burnham sworn in as MP after Keir Starmer announces resignation
PBS News: How UK's Keir Starmer went from election landslide to downfall
NYT: In the U.K., a Violent Cycle: Hateful Attacks, Right-Wing Agitation and Riots
LeMonde: Elon Musk's role was 'instrumental' in the Belfast riots, researchers say
The Guardian: Attorney general tells department to stop using X amid UK disinformation concerns
Axios: "I'm out": Tucker Carlson says he's done with the GOP
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