June 30th
Mark David
June 30th
1) lon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
Opinion by Sydney Lake MS NOW
MacKenzie Scott has become one of the most active philanthropists of our time. After all, she’s given away more than $26 billion during the past few years to thousands of organizations through her foundation Yield Giving.
While many of her recipients had never received a gift of that size and many have called them life-changing gifts, not everyone sees her work in the same way. Take Elon Musk, who recently became the world’s first trillionaire, who thinks Scott’s giving is actually making the world “worse off.”
Elon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'sadly,' it makes the world a worse place | FortuneElon Musk on MacKenzie Scott giving away $26 billion of her fortune: 'Sadly,' it makes the world a worse place
2) Trump Had a Feeling SCOTUS Would Rule Against Him on Birthright Citizenship
By Gabe Whisnant New editor for NEWSWEEK
he Supreme Court dealt a decisive blow to President Donald Trump’s effort to restrict birthright citizenship, ruling that his executive order could not override the Constitution’s guarantee of citizenship to those born on U.S. soil.
The 6-3 decision in Trump v. Barbara, authored by Chief Justice John Roberts, marks a major test of presidential power and reaffirms long-standing interpretations of the 14th Amendment. It also has sweeping implications for immigration policy, affecting potentially hundreds of thousands of children born in the United States each year.
3) Putin’s Crimea Trap: 5 Scenarios NEWSWEEK EDITORS June 30h
From a jewel in Vladimir Putin’s imperial crown to a thorn in his side, the 2014 conquest of Crimea is coming back to haunt him as Russia’s war in Ukraine falters.
Russian-installed authorities in Crimea declared an “emergency situation” on June 26, after Ukrainian attacks helped produce fuel shortages, power cuts and restrictions on civilian life across the occupied Black Sea peninsula.
4) The Supreme Court defended mail-in voting. That won’t stop Trump.
Republicans lost a bid to throw out Mississippi’s three-day grace period for absentee ballots, but the president is still itching for a fight.
By Hayes Brown for MS NOW
The Supreme Court has handed President Donald Trump precious few losses over its last two terms. On Monday, though, five justices voted to block the Republican National Committee’s efforts to limit the window for counting absentee ballots in federal elections. It’s a commonsense decision, something that has been exceedingly rare on the court in recent years, that allows states to count ballots postmarked by Election Day but received afterward. But common sense hasn’t stopped Trump’s outlandish demands before, so it’s hard to see that changing now.
5) Trump’s Mission to Dominate Washington — Physically and Ideologically
Even as he racks up failures, Trump continues his quest to transform Washington
Say this for Donald Trump: He sure knows how to rack up high-profile failures.
His name has been removed from the Kennedy Center. His Reflecting Pool renovation has become such a laughingstock that he took to surrounding the area with fencing and armed guards on the lookout for knife-wielding vandals, despite the fact that there’s no evidence anyone has caused damage to anything other than Trump’s ego.
Then there’s Trump’s “Freedom 250” Great American State Fair, which began on the National Mall this past weekend. It’s off to a shaky start. Attendance was sparse. And rain forced the cancellation of a concert by ’90s rapper Vanilla Ice, the lone performer who didn’t bail on the event once he learned it was a Trump-backed boondoggle.
6) World Cup propels surveillance to new heights by Anne Toomey McKenna Affiliated Faculty Member, Institute for Computational and Data Sciences, Penn State for THE CONVERSATION
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is the largest sporting event in history. It’s also the most surveilled World Cup ever. If you’re visiting or traveling around host cities, then you and your face, behavior, movement and devices are being monitored by governments and private companies.
The U.S. government funneled more than US$1 billion to World Cup security to protect transit hubs, stadiums and surrounding areas; improve tactical operations such as bomb squads and SWAT teams; and add and upgrade equipment. It’s been a bonanza for the private sector.
7) Trump claims special edition US passport says, 'Welcome, but be good.' Here's what we know
U.S. President Donald Trump shared artwork purportedly showing part of the passport on Truth Social on June 26, 2026. by Laerke Christensen for SNOPES Published June 29
· he claim that the Trump administration's limited edition passports celebrating the 250th anniversary of the U.S. would include the message "Welcome, but be good" is unproven.
· The rumor circulated after U.S. President Donald Trump posted an image purportedly showing artwork from the passport on Truth Social, writing, "The U.S.A.'s New Passport, which says, 'Welcome, but be good!' President DJT."
· The artwork in Trump's post did not include the printed phrase "Welcome, but be good." It was unclear how passport holders were supposed to interpret this message, printed or not, given that only U.S. citizens are eligible for U.S. passports.
· At the time of this writing, the U.S. State Department had not yet issued any commemorative 250th anniversary passports, so Snopes could not independently verify whether the documents contained the printed phrase, "Welcome, but be good," as some social media users appeared to suggest. Therefore, we leave this claim unrated.
· Snopes contacted the White House and the State Department to ask whether the commemorative passports contained the printed phrase and toward whom the president directed his messaging. We await replies to our queries.
8) The latest renewables milestone — and emissions jump
Renewables — mostly solar — were the largest source of global energy supply growth for the first time outside of a recession last year, a major new data release finds.
Why it matters: That factoid, along with other info from the Energy Institute's annual Statistical Review of World Energy, highlights two things happening at once.
- One is that climate-friendly energy and electrification are on the march.
- The other is that fossil fuels are still expanding as overall demand grows, sending carbon emissions higher again, up 1.1% last year.
https://mail.aol.com/d/list/referrer=newMail&folders=1&accountIds=1&listFilter=NEWMAIL
9) Trump’s smear campaign against E. Jean Carroll ends in failure
By Judd Legum and Rebecca Crosby for POPULAR INFORMATION June 30th
President Donald Trump has hit the end of the line. On Monday, the United States Supreme Court declined to consider his appeal of a 2023 jury verdict that found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming E. Jean Carroll. As a result, Trump will finally have to pay Carroll $5 million. And that could just be the beginning.
Carroll publicly accused Trump of sexually abusing her in an excerpt of her memoir published by New York Magazine in 2019. In the article, Carroll said that the incident occurred in the mid 1990s in New York City in a dressing room of the department store Bergdorf Goodman.
10) Pileup of health nominees awaits Senate health panel by Peter Sullivan AXIOS
A slew of Trump health nominees are awaiting Senate confirmation hearings — and most have to go through a committee chaired by a senator who recently clashed with President Trump.
Why it matters: While the administration tries to staff up some health agencies after last year's DOGE cuts, top leadership roles remain unfilled.
- There are no full-time political leaders at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration. The surgeon general's post is vacant.
- And Trump only recently made his picks for deputy health secretary and assistant secretaries for planning and for preparedness.
11) A Needed Win for Democracy: As the Supreme Court deals blow to Trump
By Dan Rather and Team Steady Jun 29, 2026
Americans’ most sacred right, the right to vote, was given a lifeline by the Donald Trump-packed Supreme Court. If not for today’s ruling, millions of Americans could have been disenfranchised from casting their ballot.
The president must be seething.
Not only did the Court refuse to hear his appeal of the $5 million verdict against him in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case today, but it also ruled against his multiyear effort to restrict mail-in voting.
12) Workmen Begin Putting E. Jean Carroll’s Name on Trump Tower
Andy Borowitz Jun 29, 2026
NEW YORK (The Borowitz Report)—In what was widely regarded as the ultimate humiliation of Donald J. Trump, on Monday workmen in midtown Manhattan began putting writer E. Jean Carroll’s name on Trump Tower.
The name-change was mandated after Carroll rejected Trump’s attempt to pay the millions he owes her in Trumpcoin, sources said.
In a desperate bid to keep his name on his signature building, he offered Carroll the naming rights to Eric Trump, which she immediately refused.