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The Supreme Court threw out a challenge on June 26 to the federal government’s actions when it communicated with social media platforms about public health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. The justices voted 6–3 in finding that those challenging the government lacked the legal standing to do so. Standing refers to the right of someone to sue in court, meaning the parties must bear a strong enough connection to the law or action complained of to justify their participation in the lawsuit.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) has lost his Democrat primary battle to Westchester County Executive George Latimer, becoming the first member of the progressive "squad" to be unseated by a centrist Democrat. The two-term congressman is also the first Democrat incumbent to lose a primary this year, capping off a contest that laid bare divisions within the Democrat Party that have deepened over the Israel–Hamas war.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange returned to his homeland of Australia hours after pleading guilty to obtaining and publishing U.S. military secrets in a deal with Justice Department prosecutors that concludes a drawn-out legal saga. The plea deal required Mr. Assange to admit guilt to a single felony count, but also permitted him to return to Australia without serving time in a U.S. prison.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is on his way to Saipan to enter a plea deal with the U.S. government that will free him and resolve the legal case over his outlet's publication of a trove of classified documents. He’s expected to plead guilty to an Espionage Act charge of conspiring to unlawfully obtain and disseminate classified national defense information, according to the U.S. Justice Department in a letter filed in court.
The District of Columbia Court of Appeals has suspended Hunter Biden’s license to practice law. The decision comes after Hunter Biden was convicted in his federal gun trial. According to a court filing, the Board on Professional Responsibility will issue a formal proceeding to determine subsequent steps. DC Bar rules state that law licenses should be suspended for any felony regardless of any pending appeal.
With just days left in the current Supreme Court term, several blockbuster cases are still undecided. One of them is the presidential immunity case brought by former President Donald Trump. The question before the justices is whether former President Trump can be tried on criminal charges. Special Counsel Jack Smith has charged him with conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Former President Trump has argued that he has immunity because he was still the president at the time of the alleged violations.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed the 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report on June 24. The state department says this report represents the world’s most comprehensive resource of anti-trafficking efforts around the globe. It covers 188 countries and territories, including the United States.
The Supreme Court agreed on June 24 to hear a challenge by the federal government to a Tennessee law that prohibits the use of puberty blockers and medical treatments for minors who identify as transgender. The decision comes as several states have enacted legislation regarding transgender individuals’ treatments, participation in school sports, use of gender-specific bathrooms, and drag shows.
Gunmen opened fire on places of worship in two cities of Russia’s southernmost Dagestan province on Sunday, killing at least 15 police officers and four civilians, including an Orthodox priest, in what appeared to be a coordinated attack.

The Supreme Court on June 21 upheld by 8–1 a federal law that bars people under domestic violence-related restraining orders from possessing firearms. The justices found that the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is not violated when an individual is disarmed after a court has found them to pose a credible threat to the physical safety of another. The ruling overturned a lower court decision that had struck down a federal law.
Former President Donald Trump’s campaign outraised President Joe Biden's by more than $60 million last month, according to federal filings that detailed the Republican fundraising explosion sparked by the former president's felony convictions. President Biden’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee together raised a robust $85 million in May, and reported $212 million in the bank at the end of the month. The strong showing does not include roughly $40 million raised by President Biden and his top surrogates in recent days—or a separate $20-million donation from former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to pro-Biden groups.
Dangerously hot temperatures are scorching the United States, the result of a record-breaking heat wave that is shifting toward New York and the I-95 corridor. More than 100 million Americans are under heat advisories, watches, and warnings across the Northeast and Southwest this weekend. Widespread temperatures in the upper 90s and even into triple digits will be possible around Washington.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has failed to qualify for next week’s debate in Atlanta, according to host network CNN, as he fell shy of benchmarks for both state ballot qualification and the required polling figures. The missed markers mean that the June 27 showdown will be solely between Democratic President Joe Biden and presumptive Republican nominee and former President, Donald Trump.
Tropical Storm Alberto, the first named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, has made landfall in Mexico. A dangerous heat wave is scorching parts of the Midwest and Northeast, where record-breaking high temperatures are forecast for dozens of cities. Meanwhile, authorities have reported that at least two people died as a result of wildfires in New Mexico. One fire has destroyed over 1,000 structures.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed at least a dozen deals with his Vietnamese counterpart on June 20 in the course of his state visit, and offered to supply fossil fuels including natural gas to Vietnam over the longer term. His visit comes as Moscow is seeking to bolster ties in Asia to offset growing international isolation over its military actions in Ukraine.

On his first visit to North Korea in 24 years, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow and Pyongyang have ramped up ties to a “new level,” pledging to help each other if either nation is attacked. In a “breakthrough” new partnership, the two countries signed the new strategic partnership to replace previous deals signed in 1961, 2000, and 2001, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
At least one person has been reported dead as a result of the fast-growing wildfires still burning in New Mexico, state emergency officials told CNN. The fire, which prompted evacuations and a state-of-emergency declaration from Gov. Michelle Grisham, has burned through 20,000 acres and impacted at least 500 buildings.
Tropical storm Alberto formed Wednesday in the Southwestern Gulf of Mexico, the first named storm of what is forecast to be a busy hurricane season. Tropical storm warnings are in effect from the Texas coast at San Luis Pass southward to the mouth of the Rio Grande, and on to Tecolutla, Mexico.