News of the Week for June 15th, 2025
- Abortion
- Gun Rights
- Hide the Decline
- Socialized Medicine
- War & Terror
- National News
- Economy & Taxes
- International News
- Opinion
Abortion
Court Cases & Legislation
House Republicans Found a New Way to Go After Abortion Access in Blue States
A provision in the House reconciliation bill would give them a pathway to restrict access to abortion in states that legally protect it.
New Gallup Poll Shows Increase in Pro-Life Sentiment
Today, Gallup released the results of its annual survey on abortion. Overall, the news is good for pro-lifers. A range of survey questions indicate that there was actually a slight increase in pro-life sentiment in 2025.
Another Gallup Finding on Abortion
Historically, the two relatively anti-abortion options have outperformed the two relatively pro-abortion ones. In May 2020, for example, there was a 55–43 percent split along those lines.
More on Gallup’s Abortion Polling
The other day, I went into recent trends in public opinion concerning whether abortion should be legal “in all circumstances,” “in most circumstances,” “only in a few circumstances,” or “illegal in all circumstances.”
Gun Rights
Second Amendment Roundup: Removing Silencers from the NFA
The NFA is a revenue measure and deleting silencers would not violate the Byrd Rule.
Hide the Decline
Environment &“Green Energy”
U.N. Human Rights Chief Pushes Nature Rights
How radical has the U.N. become? This radical. Volker Türk, the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Human Rights, stated in a recent speech at Oxford University that nature rights are equivalent to human rights.
New Mexico Appeals Court Dismisses Suit Seeking to Compel Greater Environmental Regulation under State Constitution
The appeals court concludes the lawsuit failed to present a claim upon which relief can be granted under state law.
Socialized Medicine
Government in Healthcare
Kennedy Removes All C.D.C. Vaccine Panel Experts
The U.S. health secretary chose to “retire” members of a committee that makes significant decisions about who receives immunizations, including the vaccines for children.
He Had Panic Attacks. So, Assisted Suicide, of Course
Over the weekend, The Guardian had what was presented as a great love story of our time. An elderly Australian couple has spent a lifetime together. She had a degenerative spinal condition. He had panic attacks because of the stress of her condition. And, so, of course, choose death, to die together. They have their last meals, as if on death row.
New York State of Death: The Empire State Senate Moves for Legalizing Assisted Suicide
“This is like 1969 all over again.” That was the very first thing that was said to me on Monday as I joined a crowd of people protesting the assisted-suicide bill the New York state senate was scheduled to vote on later in the day. The man was a physician who said he wouldn’t be able to sleep — or live with himself — if he hadn’t shown up.
FDA Tells Drugmaker ‘Heavy Workload’ to Delay Approval Decision
US regulators delayed their decision on whether to approve the first pill taken on demand for a rare, inherited swelling disorder due to a “heavy workload and limited resources,” a biotech company said.
War & Terror
Crimea, Once a Crossroad of Civilizations, Finds Itself Isolated and Under Attack
Mostly Russian visitors now cavort along its historic beaches, hoping to avoid the Ukrainian drones whizzing toward military targets.
NATO boss warns ‘learn Russian’ as he predicts war in Europe in next five years
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte has warned that it could soon be time to “get your Russian language course out”
Russia hired African farmers to make shampoo, then sent them to war
Desperate migrants lured to Moscow by fake job adverts are used to bolster Putin’s depleted invasion forces
Ukraine says Russia launched the biggest overnight drone bombardment of the war
Russia launched almost 500 drones at Ukraine in the biggest overnight drone bombardment of the three-year war, the Ukrainian air force said Monday, as the Kremlin presses its summer offensive amid direct peace talks that have yet to deliver progress on stopping the fighting.
Colombian soldiers fought guerrillas. Now they’re fighting for Mexican cartels
Dangerous new hired guns have arrived on the battlefield of Mexico’s cartel wars: Colombian mercenaries. Former combatants in Colombia’s long-standing internal conflict are increasingly being lured to Mexico by criminal groups to train hitmen, build bombs and fight bloody turf battles.
Are We Trading Away Strategic Export Controls Now?
White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told CNBC’s hosts on Monday that the White House may be willing to pare back its restrictions on sales of sensitive electronic components with potential military applications to China. In exchange, Beijing would be expected to speed up exports of rare earth minerals and magnets to the United States.
Gabbard tightens grip on intel assessments after Venezuela clash
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has imposed a more intensive review process for inter-agency reports, slowing their publication and deepening internal fears about political influence on intelligence, two U.S. officials tell Axios.
Russia launches mass missile and drone attack on Kyiv for third night
Moscow seeks to avenge bold Ukrainian sabotage operation that destroyed bombers on the ground
Defense Tech: It’s (Way Past) Time to Close the Drone Gap
If anyone had any remaining doubts (how could they?) that drones have changed how wars will be fought, the extraordinary success recorded by Ukraine in using a fleet of them to destroy planes in a coordinated attack on various air bases across Russia (from its far north to eastern Siberia) should have dispelled them once and for all. The drones launched were from the trucks on Russian territory, in which they had been concealed.
Trump Team Has Doubts About the ‘One Bright Spot’ in Biden’s Foreign Policy
On the menu today: Hey, remember AUKUS, that big submarine construction and joint defense deal with Australia and the United Kingdom, an agreement that even GOP hawks said represented the “one bright spot” in Joe Biden’s foreign policy legacy? The one that the Chinese government absolutely hated because it posed “a serious military challenge to China”? Yeah, well, apparently now the Pentagon is reviewing it to make sure AUKUS is “aligned with the president’s ‘America First’ agenda.” Heaven forbid that we actually work with our longtime allies to join forces against a mutual threat!
Marco Rubio: America Congratulates the Russian People on Russia Day
For the first time since 2022, the U.S. government issued a statement marking Russia Day.
How Putin could open a new and dangerous front against Ukraine
Moldova says Moscow is interfering in its upcoming election. That could spell trouble for Kyiv.
Israel chose to act now, whether Trump likes it or not
It has been clear that there has been growing tension between Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump over the possibility that Israel would launch an attack on Iran.
Israeli strikes hit more than 100 targets in Iran including nuclear facilities
Tehran says strikes are ‘declaration of war’ while Donald Trump warns of further, more brutal attacks
IDF attacks, destroys Natanz nuclear site, weapons during overnight strikes in Iran
However, the IDF has so far not attacked from the air against the Fordow nuclear facility, which lies underneath a mountain.
After years of preparation, Israel launches major offensive against Iran and its nuclear program
IAF strikes hit nuclear sites and in Tehran; Natanz enrichment facility significantly damaged; IRGC chief, army head, commanders, scientists dead; Mossad active on ground
“U.S. Could Join If Initial Strikes Succeed”: The Israeli Offensive Against Iran – What’s Next?
The White House is closely monitoring developments, with officials suggesting U.S. involvement could follow a successful Israeli opening.
The Israeli Air Force Performed Midair Refueling in Syrian Airspace
For a long time, the conventional wisdom was that Israeli airstrikes against targets in certain parts of Iran would be difficult, if not impossible, because of the range of Israel’s variant of the F-16 fighter jet, about 1,040 miles.
Iran’s nuclear facilities damaged but not destroyed, experts say
Israel’s airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear sites have damaged some aboveground research facilities and infrastructure but do not appear to have eliminated the thousands of centrifuges, buried deep underground, that enrich near-weapons-grade uranium or the hundreds of pounds of material they have already produced, according to a wide range of nonproliferation and Iranian experts.
Iran fired some 200 ballistic missiles at Israel in several barrages since last night, IDF says
Iran has fired some 200 ballistic missiles at Israel in several barrages since last night, according to the IDF.
WAR FOOTING RAF fighter jets to be scrambled to Middle East as Israel-Iran conflict spirals and Tehran threatens to strike UK bases
It comes as Iran and Israel teeter on the brink of all-out war
Iranian lawmaker says closure of key Strait of Hormuz under consideration
The closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz is being seriously reviewed by Iran, IRINN reported, citing statements by Esmail Kosari, a member of the parliament’s security commission.
MAGA Factions Breaking Apart Over Israel Strike Trump Is Cheerleading
Most people didn’t catch it at the time, but at a Thursday afternoon press conference, President Donald Trump all but greenlit Israel’s looming strike on Iran. “I wouldn’t call it imminent,” he said — the kind of caveated warning that lands like a punchline: “I’m not saying you’ve gained weight… but.”
How three pizza restaurants predicted Israel’s attack on Iran
Online sleuths forecast a major operation after spotting a rise in footfall at outlets near the Pentagon on Thursday evening
Voice of America brings back 75 staffers amid Iran-Israel conflict
The government-funded broadcaster has fired more than 500 and sidelined 800 more since March.
National
Once Champions of Fringe Causes, Now in a ‘Trap of Their Own Making’
Top leaders at the Justice Department and the F.B.I. are struggling to fulfill Trump campaign promises often rooted in misinformation and conspiracy theories.
NASA, Pentagon push for SpaceX alternatives amid Trump’s feud with Musk
The fight between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk highlights the government’s outsize dependence on a single company for missions.
Gina Ortiz Jones, a Progressive, Is Elected San Antonio’s Mayor
Ms. Jones, a former under secretary of the Air Force under the Biden administration, prevailed over Rolando Pablos, a conservative with ties with to Gov. Greg Abbott.
Harvard Medical School rebrands DEI office to ‘Culture and Community Engagement’
The Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, George Daley, announced the change last week. His message notes that the school is ‘navigating in an ever-morphing environment that requires frequent adaptation.’
Fetterman calls out ‘anarchy’ in LA, noting that Dems forfeit ‘moral high ground’ by failing to decry violence
The maverick Democrat’s post on X earned significant attention
Trump to ramp up transfers to Guantánamo, including citizens of allies
The administration is preparing to send thousands of foreigners to the infamous detention facility, including people from Britain, France and Italy, with no plans to notify their home governments, officials said.
At least 3 Louisiana universities force future teachers to take DEI classes: report
One university modifies course following report
Los Angeles Lawmakers Request the LAPD Break the Law on ICE Raids
On the menu today: After days of insisting that local law enforcement could keep order in the streets of Los Angeles and that any National Guard deployment was a wild overreaction, Mayor Karen Bass declared a curfew in the city, just the third time in four decades that L.A. has required one. Meanwhile, the city council of Los Angeles demands that the Los Angeles Police Department tell them about any upcoming ICE raids, a proposal that the chief patiently explained would amount to obstruction of justice. Meanwhile, the U.S. director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, chooses to appear on her personal YouTube page to declare, “we stand here today closer to the brink of nuclear annihilation than ever before.” Last, responding to objections to yesterday’s newsletter about foreign students on college campuses.
‘It felt different’: U.S. citizens arriving at MIA report tense encounters with Customs
In January, a man returning to the United States from Nicaragua landed at Miami International Airport, made it through customs and waited for his luggage at baggage claim. By the time he left the airport, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials had revoked his Global Entry status.
Head of FEMA’s storm response center leaving agency amid leadership exodus
The head of FEMA’s National Response Coordination Center — a position responsible for the government’s response to storms — submitted his resignation letter Wednesday and will formally depart the agency in two weeks.
US territory wants to ditch America and rejoin Spain
Puerto Rico – an unincorporated territory of the United States – has put forward a number of proposals to break away from the U.S. and realign with Spain
Same-sex married couples lead growing share of US households
More U.S. households are headed by same-sex married couples, according to data released Thursday by the Pew Research Center, with the number steadily growing over the last decade.
Police deploy tear gas, shoot projectiles at ICE protesters in downtown Las Vegas
Tear gas was deployed by police as several hundred people gathered and marched in downtown Las Vegas on Wednesday night to protest the Trump administration’s enforcement tactics against illegal immigration.
China demands sensitive information for rare earth exports, companies warn
Extensive licensing requirements raise concerns about intellectual property theft
Tulsi Gabbard Bombs American History
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Tuesday released a short video on the devastation wrought by the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Her account is morally obtuse history in pursuit of feckless lessons for contemporary foreign policy. Regardless of where one draws the moral line on the decision to drop the bombs, America has nothing to apologize for — and the DNI should not be conducting her own foreign policy media strategy with campaign-style videos.
‘No one is safe’: Both conservative and liberal students punished for their speech, survey finds
‘The question is whether we are willing to protect the principle of free expression even when doing so is hard’: report
‘He stole a piece of our souls’: Christian music star Michael Tait accused of sexual assault by three men
Tait posted on Instagram days ago that for 20 years he lived a ‘double life’ but is working on ‘repentance and healing’
The secret police descending on Small Town, U.S.A.
Masked immigration officials are storming towns and arresting people.
A Supreme Court Win for Special-Needs Kids’ Lawsuits Against Schools
The six Supreme Court cases decided this morning — leaving 21 argued cases remaining on the Court’s docket to decide in the next three weeks — produced no great fireworks and a lot of unanimity, with only Justice Neil Gorsuch writing lone dissents in two of the cases. The biggest news comes from A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools, Independent School District No. 279, in which Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the opinion, with concurring opinions by Justices Clarence Thomas and Sonia Sotomayor. The net result of A.J.T. is to make it easier for parents of disabled and special-needs children to sue schools for disability discrimination.
NASA’s Voyager Spacecraft Found A 30,000-50,000 Kelvin “Wall” At The Edge Of Our Solar System
Temperatures there reach an astonishing 30,000-50,000 kelvin.
Authorities searching for 57-year-old suspect in assassination of Rep. Hortman, law enforcement source says
A person familiar with the investigation said the suspect is Vance Boelter. Authorities said the shooter impersonated a police officer.
Suspect in ‘politically motivated assassination’ of Minnesota Democratic House leader identified, officials say
The suspect in the assassination and attempted assassination of two Minnesota lawmakers has been identified as Vance Boelter, two law enforcement officials briefed on the case tell CNN.
Rep. Melissa Hortman, her husband killed; Sen. John Hoffman, his wife shot in ‘targeted’ shootings
Two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses were shot by someone impersonating a police officer early Saturday morning. Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were killed. Sen. John Hoffman and his wife are undergoing treatment in the hospital. The shootings happened in Champlin and Brooklyn Park.
Minneapolis shooting LIVE: Suspect Vance Boelter being hunted after Rep. Melissa Hortman and husband shot dead
Police helicopters are circling the area around Minneapolis’ Brooklyn Park neighborhood in a desperate manhunt for a man posing as an officer who shot dead former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman
2025 Lombardo Veto Tracker: Governor breaks own record after rejecting 87 bills
The Republican governor’s final veto tally stood at 87, breaking his own record for most bills rejected from a single legislative session.
Playing Secretary
As war looms, Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon is beset by infighting over leaks, drugs, and socks. How long will Trump stand by his man?
GOP Senate Version of the Big Beautiful Bill Includes an Ugly Attack on Courts’ Ability to Protect Constitutional Rights
It requires litigants seeking preliminary injunctions against illegal government actions to post potentially enormous bonds.
Short Circuit: An inexhaustive weekly compendium of rulings from the federal courts of appeal
Discretionary lawn care, Agent Orange, and banished from South Georgia.
Minnesota shootings set off five-alarm fire in Congress
Members of Congress went into this weekend with their nerves already severely frayed. The shooting of two lawmakers in Minnesota on Saturday has sent those tensions over the edge.
Economy & Taxes
The U.S. Economy Is Headed Toward an Uncomfortable Summer
Companies are freezing hiring and investment to deal with shifting tariff policies. ‘Even Trump doesn’t know what Trump will do next.’
Tariff impacts begin as vehicle shipping volume drops by more than 70%
The volume of cars getting shipped to the U.S. via sea routes has plunged as a result of President Donald Trump’s tariffs on imported vehicles.
The Canned-Food Aisle Is Getting Squeezed by Rising Steel Tariffs
Steel used in cans is mostly imported—and subject to the Trump administration’s new 50% levy
Trump’s Tariffs Aimed at Reviving Manufacturing Are Doing the Opposite
President Donald Trump’s signature trade policy is threatening to backfire by upending other top priorities: the revival of US manufacturing and the American Rust Belt.
Thune Confident Senate GOP Has Trump’s Backing on Making 2017 Business Tax Breaks Permanent
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has signaled to members and conservative groups that the president is supportive of Senate Republicans’ plan to make permanent several business-friendly provisions in the 2017 tax bill as part of this year’s reconciliation package, sources familiar with the matter tell National Review.
Josh Hawley’s Misguided Minimum Wage Crusade
Senator Josh Hawley (R., Mo.) introduced a bill to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour on Tuesday. The “Higher Wages for American Workers Act,” co-sponsored by Senator Peter Welch (D., Vt.), would, in 2026, more than double the current minimum wage and implement annual increases to match inflation.
SEIU Quickly Leverages Riots to Outflank Newsom on Budget Battle
Early today, I wrote about the role of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in setting California on a collision course with federal immigration enforcement. Now it’s clear that SEIU is already leveraging the riots — and the arrest of union president David Huerta on a federal charge of conspiracy to impede an officer — to wrangle a big win in the state legislature.
The Resurgence of Do It Yourself Economics
Many national fiscal policies are steeped in lore and dogma, immune to the reasoned objections of actual economists.
Texas Is Right to End the Heartland Flyer
The state-supported Amtrak service is a terribly inefficient way to transport 200 people per day.
‘Tariff Derangement Syndrome’
Smart propaganda should be recognized, if not necessarily applauded (for example, some Soviet propaganda was well done, but I’ll hold the applause). The Treasury secretary is trying to connect opposition to the administration’s tariff policy to some of the president’s angrier critics and also, in a certain sense, turning it into some sort of loyalty test. Moreover, by referring only to Democrats’ opposition to it, Bessent tries to tie opposition to tariffs to the left, and all the baggage that comes with that.
While the Federal Government Has Grown in Power, State and Local Governments Have Grown in Manpower
96 percent — the proportion of the growth in total government employment since 1955 that is from state and local government employment, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Courts Botch the Trump Tariffs Case
The Federal Circuit should have suspended the tariffs while the litigation goes forward.
International
Kyrgyzstan Dismantles Central Asia’s Tallest Lenin Statue
Russian ally Kyrgyzstan on Saturday quietly dismantled Central Asia’s tallest monument to Vladimir Lenin, the revolutionary founder of the Soviet Union.
Brazil’s top court votes to hold social media platforms accountable for user posts
Brazil’s Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that social media companies must be held accountable for some types of content published by users on their platforms in the country, but details on the decision have yet to be resolved.
Opinion
On the Elites and Counter-Elites: The Elites and California Disease
Before addressing what California Disease is and how it afflicts politicos, one must riff from Dickens. California was progressive to begin with. There must be no doubt, whatever, about that. The Republicans were Hiram Johnson, Earl Warren, and Arnold Schwarzenegger; the Democrats were Pat and Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom. The GOP has not held the “trifecta” in the state since the 1960s, and the trifecta, not presidential voting habits, tells best the truth of a state’s politics.
The LA Riots Are a Trump Ad
Americans don’t trust Democrats on immigration or law-and-order matters, and the party’s response to the disorder in LA isn’t helping.
Democrats rationalize lawlessness in Los Angeles
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reported this weekend that a crowd of 1,000 protesters “became increasingly agitated, throwing objects and exhibiting violent behavior toward federal agents and deputy sheriffs.” That sounds like a precarious situation. Perhaps local authorities could have handled the unrest without President Donald Trump calling up the California National Guard; perhaps not. But let’s not forget the underlying causes of the problem.
You Picked the Wrong Time to Riot
There’s never a good time to launch a riot against the duly-elected government of the United States, and rioters tend to be malicious actors and/or idiots. There’s always some of them who are just interested in mischief for its own sake, or are revolutionaries searching for the eternal high of heightening the contradictions.
The Moral Vacuum Overseeing U.S. National Intelligence
In an answer to a question no one asked, Donald Trump’s director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, released a video message today in which she all but endorsed Barack Obama’s revisionist and ahistorical account of the end of the Second World War.
Why Trump’s second term is so different from his first
From judges to trade to foreign policy, the president is rejecting positions and advisers he once embraced.
‘Mostly Peaceful Protest’ and the Use of Force
Just adding a coda to Rich’s excellent piece today on the progressive left’s freakout over President Trump’s deployment of armed forces to protect federal personnel, property, and functions, which we are to believe is nothing less than a rebirth of the Third Reich. I was especially struck by Michelle Goldberg’s fretting that Trump’s invocation of the word “inhibit” — as in inhibit the execution of federal laws — somehow threatens dissent that is actually peaceful.
Immigration Idealism vs. Immigration Reality
One of my very first legal clients was an illegal alien named Alejandro. He migrated from Central America and lived in Macon, GA. He and his wife worked multiple jobs. They had children born in the United States. They sent much of their money back to Central America to provide for their families there.
The Mexican Flag Is the Confederate Banner of the L.A. Riots
El Tricolor is the new Stars and Bars.
The online right’s Israel foes
NR’s Haley Strack has posted this round-up of the effusions of “the online right’s Israel foes.”
“That’s outrageous!” When everything is outrageous, nothing is.
In politics today, outrage has become our most devalued social currency. Like a nation printing money without restraint, our political system has made so many withdrawals from the bank of moral indignation that inflation has rendered each new expression nearly worthless.
Minnesota Takes a Dark Turn from Budget Drama to Assassination
Minnesota’s legislature has had a wild ride the past three years — and now, it has taken a much darker turn. With the gunman at large, the police say that this was politically motivated, but aren’t elaborating further.
