This Week in Politics, June 29
SCOTUS Expands Trump’s Power to Act Lawless, the Senate Passes Trump’s Bill, Zohran Mamdani wins NYC Mayoral Dem primary, and more.
The purpose of this roundup is to highlight the week’s most important political news—organized, well-sourced, and easy to scan.
All news items are from credible sources. Each bullet ends with a hyperlinked source in parentheses so readers can learn more.
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Sorry this one is so long. More election news than usual and the Supreme Court issued a lot of opinions this week.
It was another busy political week in Washington, D.C., across the nation, and around the world. Let’s get to this week’s news.
This Week in Supreme Court Opinions:
- On Friday, the Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, significantly limited the ability of District Court judges to issue nationwide injunctions. The purpose of these is to protect the country from excessive power by the executive branch (regardless of party), but Justice Barrett wrote in Trump v. CASA that universal injunctions are only appropriate when necessary to provide “complete” relief to parties and stayed these injunctions insofar as they go further. Despite the focus being on nationwide injunctions, the facts of this case centered on President Trump’s illegal executive order ending birthright citizenship. Notably, the Court did not opine on the constitutionality of Trump's assault on birthright citizenship, though it granted him the ability to partially implement it in 30 days. It is limited to the question of universal injunctions. (Law Dork) As Mark Joseph Stern, Slate’s Supreme Court analyst, noted on Bluesky: “Countless conservative judges issued universal injunctions against the Biden administration, and the Supreme Court never halted the practice. Now, barely five months into Trump's second term, the court puts an end to these injunctions. A brazen double standard.” (Bluesky)
o In a blistering dissent joined by Justices Kagan and Jackson, Justice Sotomayor writes: "No right is safe in the new legal regime the Court creates. Today, the threat is to birthright citizenship. Tomorrow, a different administration may try to seize firearms from law-abiding citizens or prevent people of certain faiths from gathering to worship." She also notes Trump knew his birthright citizenship order was unconstitutional, so he went after the universal injunctions instead. "The gamesmanship in this request is apparent and the Government makes no attempt to hide it. Yet, shamefully, this Court plays along." Sotomayor read her dissent from the bench as she did last week in U.S. v. Skrmetti.
o In Justice Jackson’s solo dissent, she continues to express grave concern over the conservatives’ embrace of Trump having such vast power: "The Court's decision to permit the Executive to violate the Constitution with respect to anyone who has not yet sued is an existential threat to the rule of law.,” she wrote. "Eventually, executive power will become completely uncontainable, and our beloved constitutional Republic will be no more."
- In a 6-3 opinion — with a majority consisting of Justices Roberts, Barrett, Sotomayor, Kagan, Jackson, and Kavanaugh as the author of it — the Court in Kennedy v. Braidwood upheld the preventive care mandate under the ACA that required coverage of the HIV medication, PrEP. It also allows the HHS Secretary to fire members of the Preventive Services Task Force. At the heart of this case was an employer's desire to stop covering PrEP, but the Court did not allow that. (Courthouse News)
- In FCC v. Consumers’ Research a 6-3 majority — again, Justices Roberts, Barrett, Sotomayor, Kavanaugh, Jackson, with Kagan as the author of this one — upholds the Universal Service Fund, which provides phone and internet access to poor and rural areas. Those were the background facts of the case, but the key legal question was whether the FCC violated the so-called “non-delegation doctrine,” which some legal conservatives have favored since the 1930s to prevent Congress from delegating power to federal agencies to implement policy. Three conservatives joined with the liberals to say no; we are not doing that. (NBC News)
o In the opinion Justice Kagan wrote, “The question in this case is whether the universal-service scheme-more particularly, its contribution mechanism— violates the Constitution's non-delegation doctrine, either because Congress has given away its power to the FCC or because the FCC has given away its power to a private company. We hold that no impermissible transfer of authority has occurred. Under our non-delegation precedents, Congress sufficiently guided and constrained the discretion that it lodged with the FCC to implement the universal service contribution scheme. And the FCC, in its turn, has retained all decision-making authority within that sphere, relying on the Administrative Company only for non-binding advice. Nothing in those arrangements, either separately or together, violates the Constitution.”
- In a 6-3 ruling — with the six conservatives in the majority — in Mahmoud v. Taylor, Court ruled that parents of religious children who object to public school instruction on LGBTQ+ material have a right under the Free Exercise Clause for their kids not to participate. Justice Alito wrote the opinion for the majority. In the ruling, Alito wrote: “We have long recognized the rights of parents to direct ‘the religious upbringing’ of their children. And we have held that those rights are violated by government policies that substantially interfere with the religious development of children.” (The Guardian)
o In a mournful dissent joined by Justices Kagan and Jackson, Justice Sotomayor wrote: “Today's ruling threatens the very essence of public edu-cation. The Court, in effect, constitutionalizes a parental veto power over curricular choices long left to the democratic process and local administrators. That decision guts our free exercise precedent and strikes at the core premise of public schools: that children may come together to learn not the teachings of a particular faith, but a range of concepts and views that reflect our entire society. Exposure to new ideas has always been a vital part of that project, until now. The reverberations of the Court's error will be felt, I fear, for generations. Unable to condone that grave misjudgment, I dissent.“
- In a 6-3 decision in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, with the three liberals dissenting, the Court upholds age-verification laws for online porn, holding that they are only subject to intermediate scrutiny. Laws that potentially curb civil liberties are subject to rigorous legal standards. Two lower courts had applied different standards to the Texas law. A District Court applied strict scrutiny, which requires that a law must be narrowly tailored, further a compelling government interest and be the least restrictive option. The 5th Circuit applied rational basis, essentially saying it has no potential to jeopardize freedom of speech. Writing for the majority, Justice Thomas said “Adults have the right to access speech obscene only to minors ... but adults have no First Amendment right to avoid age verification.”
o In Justice Kagan’s dissent, joined by Justice Jackson and Sotomayor, she stated “I would demand Texas show more, to ensure it is not undervaluing the interest in free expression. Texas can of course take measures to prevent minors from viewing obscene for-children speech. But if a scheme other than H. B. 1181 can just as well accomplish that objective and better protect adults' First Amendment freedoms, then Texas should have to adopt it (or at least demonstrate some good reason not to). A State may not care much about safeguarding adults' access to sexually explicit speech; a State may even prefer to curtail those materials for everyone. Many reasonable people, after all, view the speech at issue here as ugly and harmful for any audience. But the First Amendment protects those sexually explicit materials, for every adult. So, a State cannot target that expression, as Texas has here, any more than is necessary to prevent it from reaching children. That is what we have held in cases indistinguishable from this one. And that is what foundational First Amendment principles demand. Because the majority departs from that right and settled law, I respectfully dissent.”
- And in an anti-climactic non-decision in Louisiana v. Callais, regarding a possible racial gerrymander of a congressional district in Louisiana, the Court announced “These cases are restored to the calendar for reargument. In due course, the Court will issue an order scheduling argument and specifying any additional questions to be addressed in supplemental briefing.” Justice Thomas issued a brief, solo dissent.
- In a devastating ruling, on Thursday, a 6-3 Supreme Court in Medina v. Planned Parenthood ruled that South Carolina patients can't sue over being denied the right to see the provider of their choice, in this case Planned Parenthood. Al three liberal justices dissented. The decision could empower many other states to kick Planned Parenthood out of their Medicaid programs. (Law Dork)
- On Monday the Supreme Court’s 6-3 supermajority, without reasoning given, OK’d a Trump administration plan to deport people to random countries with no notice. Monday’s order means the administration can send anyone who is deportable — meaning there is an order of removal in place as to them — anywhere that the government decides it wants to send them, regardless of the dangers that a person might face if sent there and without any right to challenge that decision. Monday was a stay of the district court’s injunction as the litigation proceeds. Therefore, it is not to be taken as a decision on the merits of the lawsuit.
o Justice Sotomayor wrote a blistering dissent, joined in full by Justices Kagan and Jackson. “In matters of life and death, it is best to proceed with caution. In this case, the Government took the opposite approach. Rather than allowing our lower court colleagues to manage this high-stakes litigation with the care and attention it plainly requires, this Court now intervenes to grant the Government emergency relief from an order it has repeatedly defied. I cannot join so gross an abuse of the Court’s equitable discretion.”
- Friday, June 27, was the final Supreme Court opinion day for the 2024 term. Rulings in cases in the emergency docket may come at any time, but the 2025 term will not begin until October. Orders will be issued at 9:30am Monday, June 30 (so grants and denials of new cases), with clean-up orders set to be released at 9:30am Thursday, July 3, in advance of summer recess.
This Week in Congress:
- By a 51-49 vote, the Senate passed President Trump’s disastrous bill to cut taxes for the wealthy, severely cut Medicaid and implement work requirements, $150 million more for Trump’s deportation agenda and more. Sen Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky were the only two Republicans to vote against it. (Associated Press)
- The House voted 344 to 79 on a GOP motion to “table” — kill — Rep. Al Green’s (TX-09) impeachment resolution, which he forced a vote on in response to President Trump unilaterally striking Iranian nuclear sites. (Axios)
- Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia (CA-42) is the new ranking member on the House Oversight Committee. Garcia, who is 47 and represents Long Beach, is in his second term and brings a more progressive and youthful perspective to the top slot for the minority party on the Oversight Committee. (NBC News)
This Week in Elections and Polling:
- Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, a Muslim Democratic Socialist, is on track to secure the Democratic nomination for New York City mayor after former Gov. Andrew Cuomo conceded to him Tuesday night following the first round of ranked-choice primary votes. NYC uses ranked choice voting, so full results won’t be available until the first or second week of July, but it is extremely likely Mamdani will ultimately win. NYC Comptroller and fellow progressive Brad Lander cross-endorsed Mamdani as his number-two pick, meaning that many voters who selected Lander are likely to send additional votes to Mamdani in the final tally. Mamdani was endorsed by Bernie Sanders and AOC and has promised sweeping changes to New York City. He has promised to make buses free, freeze rent on stabilized apartments, and create city-run grocery stores in food deserts. (The City) There was a vile "Mamdani hates Jews" campaign by some of his opponents, but many Jews knew better and stood against it. As he wrapped up his speech, Brad Lander, who is Jewish, declared, "We are not going to let anyone divide Muslim New Yorkers and Jewish New Yorkers." Andrew Cuomo will stay on NYC mayor’s ballot after conceding the Democratic primary to Mamdani under the “Fight & Deliver” ballot line for the November election. (CNN)
- Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina announced Sunday he is not seeking re-election next year. The announcement came a day after he was one of only two Republican holdouts who voted against advancing President Trump’s reconciliation bill. Tillis had expressed concern about the impact cuts to Medicaid would have on his constituents, and Trump threatened on Saturday to back a primary challenger to his Senate seat. Tillis said in his statement that his decision was “not a hard choice” and expressed a desire to be closer with his family. “I look forward to having the pure freedom to call the balls and strikes as I see fit and representing the great people of North Carolina to the best of my ability,” he said. (CNN)
- GOP Rep. Don Bacon (NE-02), who represents one of House Republicans’ toughest swing districts, has decided not to run for re-election next year. This Omaha-based district voted for President Biden and Kamala Harris in the last two presidential elections and is an excellent pickup opportunity for Democrats. (CNN)
- A GOP Canvass held at Fairfax High School in Virginia on Saturday chose Stewart Whitson to represent the Republican Party, while the 11th Congressional District Democrats' Firehouse Primary has James Walkinshaw as the projected winner. The seat was left open by the late Gerry Connolly, who died of esophageal cancer in May. The winners from each party will go head-to-head in the September 9 special election. (WJLA)
- A new comprehensive study by the Pew Research Center demonstrates how well President Trump did with people of color, young voters, and 2020 non-voters, and more. He lost Hispanics by just 3 points after losing them by 25 points in 2020 and nearly doubled his share of Black support to 15 percent. Trump also lost Asian voters by 17 points after losing them by 40 points in 2020. Kamala Harris won naturalized citizens by only 4 points. Trump especially benefited from turnout changes, as his 2020 voters showed up more than Joe Biden’s, and people who hadn’t voted in 2020 backed Trump. Notably, people who didn’t vote in November say they would have picked Trump by a 4-point margin. The full report is fascinating. (Pew Research Center) As Nate Cohn wrote in the New York Times, the big problem for Harris wasn’t turnout: “Young, nonwhite, and irregular voters defected by the millions to Mr. Trump.” He added: “It’s not clear whether Democrats will struggle with irregular voters in the future, but the data nonetheless essentially ends the debate about whether Ms. Harris lost because she alienated swing voters or because she failed to energize her base. In the end, Democrats alienated voters whose longtime support they might have taken for granted.” (New York Times)
- Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker announced he will run for a third term as Illinois governor on Thursday. (Chicago Tribune)
- Democratic Congressman Don Beyer (VA-08) announced he would run for re-election. Beyer is 78 and has been elected five times since winning initially in November 2014. (ALX Now)
- Alan Wilson, the four-term Republican attorney general of South Carolina, launched his campaign for the state’s first open gubernatorial race in 16 years. “I’m going to DOGE all of South Carolina government, from the bottom to the top and back down again,” Wilson told the AP. “I want as much sunlight and transparency and accountability injected into the operation of government.” (Associated Press)
- Fifty-six percent of Americans disapprove of President Trump’s decision to strike Iran, according to a new CNN survey. Nearly six-in-en overall say the strikes will make Iran more of a threat to the US, with just twenty-seven percent believing it will lessen the threat and the rest expecting it to do neither. Even among those who support the strikes, just fifty-five percent expect them to lessen the threat level. The CNN poll was conducted by SSRS on June 22 and 23. Interviews with 1,030 adults nationwide were conducted via text message. (CNN)
This Week in the Judiciary:
- A senior Justice Department official, Emil Bove III, told subordinates he was willing to ignore court orders to fulfill the president’s aggressive deportation campaign, according to a whistle-blower complaint. What is perhaps most disturbing about this is that Bove III is nominated for a lifetime appointment to be a judge on a federal appeals court. (New York Times)
- In an unprecedented move, the Justice Department on Tuesday sued the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland and all 15 of its judges over an order last month that automatically blocks for two business days the deportation of migrants in the state who file a new lawsuit challenging their detention. The lawsuit argues that the standing order runs afoul of U.S. Supreme Court precedent governing the standards for when and how a court can issue an injunction and that, under the Immigration and Nationality Act, courts lack authority to interfere with deportation proceedings. The DOJ asked that the Maryland federal judges recuse themselves from hearing the case and instead have a federal judge from another state hear it. (Reuters)
- U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs, an Obama appointee, blocked Donald Trump’s administration from implementing his plan to bar foreign nationals from entering the United States to study at Harvard University. (The Guardian)
- Attorneys general from more than 20 states and Washington, D.C., filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday challenging billions of dollars in funding cuts made by the Trump administration that would fund everything from crime prevention to food security to scientific research. (Associated Press)
- U.S. appeals court judges appointed by President Donald Trump told lawmakers on Tuesday that they viewed calls to impeach judges over their rulings as inappropriate and that the judiciary needed more resources to bolster security for members of the bench. (Reuters)
- The Wisconsin Supreme Court delivered a victory for environmentalists on Tuesday when, in a 5-2 ruling, the court ruled that state regulators can force landowners to clean up emerging pollutants such as PFAS before they are officially designated as hazardous substances. (Associated Press)
- The liberal-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to hear challenges, without an explanation given, brought by Democrats seeking to throw out the battleground state’s current congressional district boundaries before the 2026 midterms. Redrawing the maps would have put two of the state’s six congressional seats currently held by Republicans into play. It was the second time in as many years that the court had refused to hear the challenges. (Associated Press)
This Week in Foreign Affairs and International Elections News:
- A preliminary U.S. intelligence assessment has determined that U.S. strikes last weekend on Iranian nuclear facilities have set back Tehran's program by only a matter of months, with one estimation saying the earliest restart could be in one to two months. The assessment is at odds with the statements of President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who claimed the weekend strikes essentially eliminated Iran's nuclear program. (Reuters)
- Israel has agreed to U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal for a ceasefire with Iran after it achieved its goal of removing Tehran's nuclear and ballistic missile threat, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement on Tuesday. (Reuters)
- NATO leaders agreed on a massive hike in defense spending Wednesday after pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, and expressed their “ironclad commitment” to come to each other’s aid if attacked. Allies committed to invest 5% of GDP annually on core defense requirements as well as defense and security related spending by 2035 to ensure our individual and collective obligations. (Associated Press)
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio surprised allies when he threw cold water on the idea of additional sanctions on Russia in the near future. “If we did what everybody here wants us to do, and that is come in and crush them with more sanctions, we probably lose our ability to talk to them about the ceasefire and then who’s talking to them?” Rubio said. (POLITICO)
- Portugal's centre-right minority government, under pressure from the far right to reduce immigration, said on Monday it would double to 10 years the amount of time most foreigners need to be legally resident in Portugal before applying for citizenship. Under existing rules, aside from the five years of residency, foreign citizens must demonstrate sufficient knowledge of Portuguese, no previous sentences of more than three years in prison and must not constitute a threat to national security. Secretary of State Marco Rubio surprised allies when he threw cold water on the idea of additional sanctions on Russia in the near future. The decree is yet to be sent to parliament, but it is expected to be approved with Chega's support. (Reuters)
This Week in the Trump Administration:
- Federal agencies are rehiring and ordering back from leave some of the employees who were laid off in the weeks after President Donald Trump took office, as they scramble to fill critical service gaps left by the Department of Government Efficiency–led effort to shrink the federal workforce. “There are time bombs all over the place in the federal government because of this,” said Elaine Kamarck, the director of the Center for Effective Public Management at the Brookings Institution. “They’ve wreaked havoc across nearly every agency.” (CNN)
- The White House is preparing to assert more power and clash with Congress’s power of the purse by challenging the 1974 Impoundment Act—enacted after President Nixon’s Watergate scandal—by refusing to spend congressionally mandated funds. Some White House aides have long argued that the law is an unconstitutional limit on presidential power and have suggested they will seek court rulings to overturn it. The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office has already issued two rulings that funds were illegally withheld, and congressional Democrats say a far wider scope of funding freezes has violated the budget law. (The Washington Post)
- In a continued effort to erase the legacy of January 6, 2021, and punish those who sought justice against the insurrectionists, the Justice Department on Friday fired at least three prosecutors involved in U.S. Capitol riot criminal cases. (Associated Press)
- The White House plans to limit classified intelligence sharing with Congress after leaks to the press of an early assessment undermined President Donald Trump’s claim that U.S. airstrikes obliterated Iranian nuclear facilities. (The Washington Post)
- The FBI will reallocate thousands of agents away from immigration enforcement and toward cyber threats and counterterrorism in the wake of the U.S. strikes in Iran last week. (ABC 7)
This Week in Immigration News:
- The Trump administration is planning to dismiss asylum claims for potentially hundreds of thousands of migrants in the United States and then make them immediately deportable as part of the president’s sweeping immigration crackdown. (CNN)
- In an alarming move, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said Monday that the federal government will fund an effort by Florida to set up immigration detention centers. The project will be nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz.” "Under President Trump's leadership, we are working at turbo speed on cost-effective and innovative ways to deliver on the American people's mandate for mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens. We will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida." (CBS News)
- Disturbingly, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is using a new mobile phone app that can identify someone based on their fingerprints or face by simply pointing a smartphone camera at them. “Face recognition technology is notoriously unreliable, frequently generating false matches and resulting in a number of known wrongful arrests across the country. Immigration agents relying on this technology to try to identify people on the street is a recipe for disaster,” said Nathan Freed Wessler, deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project. (404 Media)
- The Justice Department said Thursday that it intends to try Kilmar Abrego Garcia on federal smuggling charges in Tennessee before it moves to deport him to a country that is not his native El Salvador. (Associated Press)
This Week in Education News:
- In an alarming move, the president of the University of Virginia, Jim Ryan, resigned after demands from the Trump administration that he step aside to help resolve a Justice Department inquiry into the school’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. (New York Times)
This Week in Economic News:
- Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told lawmakers Tuesday that tariffs are likely to cause prices to climb and signaled that the Fed is likely to hold interest rates steady to head off the threat of inflation. Powell said the Fed can start cutting again “if it turns out that inflation pressures do remain contained,” but added that it wouldn’t be any time soon. He added that the economy may show “meaningful effects” from the tariffs in June, July, or August. (CNN)
- The U.S. economy shrank 0.5% in the first quarter, worse than earlier estimates had revealed. The Commerce Department previously estimated a 0.2% decline in the first quarter. (Associated Press)
- A new study by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research estimates that the 16 states with total or near-total abortion bans have sustained more than $64 billion in economic losses annually since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision in June 2022. Nationwide, the Dobbs decision that overruled Roe has led to a staggering $133 billion in economic losses each year, IWPR estimates. (IWPR)
This Week in LGBTQ+ News
- Earlier this year, in an effort to suppress LGBTQ+ freedom, expression, and love, Hungary passed an anti-LGBTQ+ law banning Pride events and allowing authorities to use facial recognition software to identify those attending the festivities. They subsequently amended its constitution to block any legal challenge to the ban. But this week, led by Budapest’s mayor, more than 200,000 people defied the ban and marched for Pride anyway. Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony defiantly designated the parade an official city event despite threats from Hungary’s federal government. When it came time to address the crowd, he declared, “You don't look like you've been banned… You gave the finger to the pompous, hateful government.” Standing with him were members of the European Parliament, mayors from across Europe, and local organizers—including one person wearing a “Protect the Dolls” T-shirt. (Erin in the Morning)
- The Trump administration threatened to cut funding for a sexual health education program in California last week over references the program makes to gender identity. The Personal Responsibility Education Program — or PREP — covers a wide range of topics, including sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy prevention. It also has materials that explain gender identity, including what it means to identify as transgender. PREP reaches children experiencing homelessness, in the juvenile justice system, or in foster care. It is also used in some schools, but not many — about 13,000 students in the state participate each year. (Cap Radio)
- Both chambers of the New Hampshire state legislature have now passed bills to ban most gender-affirming care for transgender minors in the state. One of the bills forbids doctors from administering puberty blockers or hormone treatments to patients younger than 18. The other bill prohibits gender-affirming chest surgeries for people before the age of 18. State House Republicans made it a priority this legislative session to fight what they call “radical gender ideology." (New Hampshire Public Radio)
This Week in Food Access and Nutrition News:
- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed a state budget measure that would have given qualifying low-income families $120 per child to pay for lunches in the summer months, a time when poor families often struggle to feed their children in the absence of affordable school lunches. The $60 million measure was the only budget item the Republican governor vetoed. Texas' investment would have covered administrative costs and enabled the state to access up to $400 million in federal funding. Gov. Abbott said, “There is significant uncertainty regarding federal matching rates for this and other similar programs. Once there is more clarity about the long-term fiscal ramifications for creating such a program, the Legislature can reconsider funding this item.” But built into the state budget item was a stipulation that if the funding formula changed, the appropriation would be canceled anyway. More than 3.75 million Texas children would have qualified for the program. (San Antonio Current)
This Week in Public Health News:
- Secretary Robert Kennedy’s new advisory panel voted on Thursday to walk back longstanding recommendations for flu vaccines containing an ingredient that the anti-vaccine movement has falsely linked to autism. Dozens of studies have shown that thimerosal, the vaccine ingredient being discussed, is harmless. It has not been a component of most childhood shots since 2001. “The risk from influenza is so much greater than the nonexistent risk, as far as we know, from thimerosal,” said the lone dissenter, Dr. Cody Meissner, a professor of pediatrics at Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine who is widely considered to be the most qualified member of the new committee. (New York Times)
This Week in Climate/Environmental News:
- The Trump administration said on Monday that it would open up 58 million acres of back country in national forests to road construction and development, removing protections that had been in place since 2001. Environmental groups said the plan could destroy some of America’s untouched landscapes and promised to challenge it in court. (New York Times)
This Week in Gun Control News
- Texas has loosened laws on gun ownership, removing short-barrel firearms, commonly known as "sawed-off" shotguns, from the state's list of illegal weapons. He also signed the Anti-Red Flag Act, which would prevent authorities from using a red flag order to confiscate a person’s guns during a civil case and would allow for criminal penalties, including jail time, if they try to enforce the order. Judges can still issue orders for criminal cases and domestic violence protection orders. (Fox 7)
This Week in Policing and Criminal Justice News:
- Missouri’s Republican Governor Mike Kehoe signed a bill that ends the city’s ability to run its own police department, transferring control to the GOP-run state government. Going forward, the department will be led by a board mostly appointed by the Republican governor. The new law, which passed with the support of police unions, also requires St. Louis to commit 25 percent of its budget to policing by 2028. “It is a clear gesture of white men wanting to control urban areas. It’s a strategic move to try to take away accountability and transparency,” Alderperson Rasheen Aldridge told Bolts. (Bolts)
This Week in Consumer Protection News
- President Donald Trump's rapid pullback of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has cost Americans at least $18 billion in higher fees and lost compensation for consumers allegedly cheated by major companies, according to an analysis released Tuesday. (Reuters)
This Week in Workers Rights News
- Democratic Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek on Tuesday signed into law a bill that provides unemployment benefits to striking workers. Oregon’s measure makes it the first state to provide pay for picketing public employees — who aren’t allowed to strike in most states, let alone receive benefits for it. It makes striking workers eligible to collect unemployment benefits after two weeks, with benefits capped at 10 weeks. (Associated Press)