The day so far
In a significant rebuke to former President Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda, the Supreme Court reaffirmed the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship, which grants citizenship to nearly all individuals born in the United States. In a 6-3 decision, the justices ruled that the Trump administration violated the 14th Amendment, a provision affirmed by the Supreme Court 128 years ago. The ruling stated,
“Children born in the United States to parents unlawfully or temporarily present are ‘subject to the jurisdiction’ of the United States and are citizens at birth under the Fourteenth Amendment’s Citizenship Clause.”
The NAACP, a civil rights organization dedicated to advancing the rights of Black Americans, described the decision as a
“powerful affirmation of the constitution and the enduring promise of equality it represents.”Voto Latino, a nonprofit advocating for Latino voting power, stated that
“the court drew a permanent line in the sand – defeating a radical attempt to divide our families and strip away any doubt that our community belongs here.”
President Trump responded by calling the decision
“too bad,”but indicated he would continue his effort to end birthright citizenship by turning to Congress. Rather than pursuing a constitutional amendment, Trump is urging lawmakers to pass legislation creating exceptions to birthright citizenship for children born to parents without permanent legal status in the U.S. He wrote on Truth Social,
“Congress should start TODAY to work on ending expensive and unfair to our Country, Birthright Citizenship.”However, such legislation would face significant challenges, including overcoming the 60-vote filibuster in the Senate.
The Supreme Court also ruled that schools may determine eligibility for women’s and girls’ sports teams based on biological sex, thereby upholding bans on transgender girls participating in female sports. The ruling arose from cases involving Lindsay Hecox, a college student in Idaho, and Becky Pepper-Jackson, a 15-year-old high school student from West Virginia. The Court held that West Virginia and Idaho did not violate Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in federally funded educational programs. The three liberal justices dissented, arguing that the bans infringe upon the Constitution’s equal protection clause. This ruling is expected to encourage similar bans across the United States.
Additionally, the Supreme Court struck down limits on campaign spending by political parties in federal elections. In a 6-3 ideological split, the Court ruled that restrictions on coordinated expenditures by political parties violate the First Amendment.
The Court declined to review the legality of laws restricting firearm purchases or use by individuals aged 18 to 20 but agreed to hear cases challenging bans on semiautomatic rifles, often referred to as assault weapons, under the Second Amendment.
Tom Homan, former Trump administration border czar, called for increased enforcement following the Supreme Court’s ruling against the president’s attempt to end birthright citizenship. In an interview on Fox News, Homan said,
“Now, we step up enforcement. We step up more enforcement, even though we’re doing record amounts of enforcement now.”He emphasized the need to intensify efforts against birth tourism, referring to pregnant women traveling to the U.S. to give birth so their children can acquire American citizenship. Homan noted,
“We have many investigations on birth tourism, but we need to triple, quadruple down on that.”
Republicans to hold first-ever national convention ahead of the midterms, set for September in Dallas
Donald Trump announced that the Republican Party will hold its first-ever national convention ahead of the midterm elections, scheduled for September 9 and 10 in Dallas, Texas. In his announcement on Truth Social, Trump described Dallas as
“One of my favorite places in the World.”He added,
“It has never been done before, and will be a truly Historic Event,”promising
“Great Entertainment.”
The concept of holding a national convention before the midterms has been previously considered but never implemented by either major party. Selecting Texas for the convention spotlights the state’s critical Senate race between Democratic nominee James Talarico and Republican nominee Ken Paxton. It also underscores the ongoing efforts to secure more Republican seats in the upcoming elections.
Separately, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell expressed strong disagreement with a federal judge’s decision blocking the Department of Defense from requiring journalists to be escorted within the Pentagon. Parnell stated on social media,
“This ruling strips away reasonable security measures and will make it easier for sensitive and classified information to reach our adversaries.”He added,
“Unescorted access to the Pentagon allowed journalists to observe activity patterns and develop relationships that contributed to repeated unauthorized disclosures of operational plans and intelligence. The court’s order effectively restores that risky environment at a time when protecting our military’s secrets is more critical than ever.”Parnell confirmed that the decision will be appealed.
Trump earned more than $1.4b in income from family’s crypto ventures last year, financial disclosure report shows
The U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE) released President Donald Trump’s annual financial disclosure report, revealing income exceeding $1.4 billion in 2025 from his family’s cryptocurrency ventures. These earnings are linked to digital assets that have benefited from policies enacted during his administration.
Trump reported over $500 million from World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency venture he co-founded with his sons. Additionally, he disclosed $635 million from the sale of his $TRUMP meme coins. The president also reported more than $80 million in income from settlements with various media companies, along with millions earned from licensing his name to overseas property developers.
OGE also published the annual financial disclosure of U.S. Vice President JD Vance. Both reports are publicly accessible.
Tina Peters, a former Colorado county clerk convicted for involvement in a scheme promoting election conspiracy theories disseminated by Donald Trump, visited the White House, according to a Truth Social post. Trump wrote,
“‘FREE TINA!’ became the rallying cry of the Republican Party over the past two years. Tina Peters just came to the White House to thank me for getting her released from prison in Colorado.”
While serving as Mesa County clerk, Peters facilitated a breach of the county’s election computer systems in 2021, allowing unauthorized access to voting equipment and election records. This breach occurred amid unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Peters was convicted in 2024 on charges including attempting to influence a public servant, conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, and violation of duty.
Colorado’s Democratic Governor Jared Polis commuted Peters’ sentence after Trump repeatedly urged a pardon as part of ongoing efforts to propagate false information regarding the 2020 election. Peters was released earlier this month. Trump commented,
“It was an Honor to have lunch with her. I was fortunate, my Vote in 2024 was TOO BIG TO RIG, but they tried. There wasn’t a thing they could do about it, but not everyone is in that position.”
House Republicans block legislation amid internal divisions
A group of House Republicans, led by Florida Representative Anna Paulina Luna, joined Democrats to block a procedural rule necessary to advance major bills, hindering Speaker Mike Johnson’s efforts to bring legislation to the floor before a recess. This marks the second consecutive week the group has obstructed House proceedings, refusing to pass a defense bill to pressure the Senate into passing a voter ID measure championed by President Trump.
A procedural vote to open debate on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and other legislation failed 224-198 after 14 hardline Trump allies broke ranks with party leadership. They opposed the NDAA because it did not include the SAVE America Act’s voter ID requirements as an amendment.
According to , Speaker Johnson stated that party leaders would spend the next day and a half working to resolve internal disagreements and move toward passage of the NDAA, which sets policy for the Pentagon. He remarked,
“This is life with a small margin, small majority, and we’ll work through it.”
Supreme Court rulings reflect ideological divisions
Supreme Court decisions often reveal the Court’s ideological leanings and judicial philosophies. Composed of six conservative and three liberal justices, the Court has issued rulings in recent years that have significantly reshaped federal government policies and American life.
On Tuesday, the Court rejected Donald Trump’s attempt to end birthright citizenship, delivering a setback to a central element of his administration’s immigration policy in one of the term’s most anticipated decisions. Chief Justice John Roberts authored the majority opinion, ruling that Trump’s executive order violated the 14th Amendment.
Roberts wrote,
“Citizenship, then and now, was the right to have rights – to freely participate in our political community. The Framers of the Fourteenth Amendment extended that promise to ‘every free-born person in this land.’ We keep that promise today.”
He criticized the government and principal dissent for their interpretation of “allegiance,” stating,
“Natural allegiance, they contend, was no longer sufficient for citizenship; some greater quantum of allegiance was required.”Roberts questioned,
“How much? The Government offers a smorgasbord of formulations: ‘primary allegiance,’ ‘sufficient allegiance,’ ‘full allegiance,’ ‘requisite allegiance’ … What all these formulations supposedly share is that they turn on domicile – the place of one’s permanent home. At some point before the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment, the argument goes, it became ‘deeply rooted’ in this country that ‘[d]omicile is the key concept that creates allegiance.’”
He concluded,
“The trouble is that there is scant evidence for this dramatically revisionist view. Certainly no one said that such a change had occurred.”
The principle of birthright citizenship, reaffirmed by the Court, is deeply embedded in American society. Despite President Trump’s efforts to dismantle it, birthright citizens hold prominent positions in his administration, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and FBI Director Kash Patel. Americans guaranteed citizenship under the 14th Amendment have achieved recognition in various fields, winning Oscars, Nobel Prizes, and Olympic medals, and may contribute to historic achievements such as winning the men’s World Cup.
Striker Folarin Balogun, born in Brooklyn, is eligible to play for Team USA. His mother, heavily pregnant, was prevented from boarding a flight back to England due to proximity to her due date, leading to his accidental birth in the U.S. After growing up in the UK, Balogun chose to represent the U.S. internationally, despite eligibility for England and Nigeria. He said,
“I’m extremely proud my individual journey will come full circle now. Especially the World Cup being here, the opportunity to represent my nation. It’s going to be something special for me.”In the World Cup opener, Balogun scored two goals against Paraguay. The U.S. team advanced to the knockout stage and is scheduled to play Bosnia and Herzegovina in Santa Clara, California.
Voters in Colorado head to polls in competitive primary elections
Colorado voters are participating in primary elections ahead of the November midterms. Key contests include Democratic primaries for governor, Senate, and House seats.
In the gubernatorial race, U.S. Senator Michael Bennet and State Attorney General Phil Weiser compete for the Democratic nomination to succeed term-limited Governor Jared Polis. First-term Senator John Hickenlooper faces a challenge from progressive state lawmaker Julie Gonzales.
Representative Diana DeGette, representing Colorado’s first House district, is challenged by Melat Kiros, a democratic socialist and former lawyer. In the third district, businessman Alex Kelloff and Army veteran Dwayne Romero vie for the nomination to face the Republican nominee, with incumbent Jeff Hurd seeking reelection.
In Colorado’s eighth congressional district, political groups funded by technology executives are targeting the race to unseat Republican Gabe Evans. Democrat Manny Rutinel has received at least $2 million in donations from committees led by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and crypto billionaire Chris Larsen. Rutinel, a progressive, is running against former state representative and centrist Democrat Shannon Bird.
House rejects war powers resolution on Lebanon
The House of Representatives voted down a war powers resolution aimed at preventing U.S. involvement in hostilities with Lebanon. Southern Lebanon has experienced fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants. While the U.S. is not publicly engaged in the conflict, it has participated in peace talks between Washington and Tehran.
Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib proposed a resolution requiring the U.S. to cease hostilities with Lebanon within seven days of passage. The House rejected the measure 189-235. A similar resolution proposed earlier in the month also failed, partly due to opposition from House Democratic leaders, who stated,
“Currently, there are no U.S. servicemembers involved in combat operations or hostilities in Lebanon.”
The resolution included exceptions for security cooperation with the Lebanese military and protection of diplomatic facilities and clarified that it should not be construed as authorizing the use of military force in Lebanon.
Republican leaders respond to Supreme Court birthright citizenship ruling
Several Republican leaders criticized the Supreme Court’s rejection of Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship. Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Lindsey Graham said he has advocated for legislation and a constitutional amendment
“for years”to end birthright citizenship. He stated,
“While I’m disappointed in the Court’s decision regarding birthright citizenship, I am determined more than ever to put an end to this major magnet for illegal immigration and birth tourism.”
Missouri Senator Eric Schmitt described the ruling as
“erroneous”and emphasized Congress’s responsibility to respond. He said,
“When the Court mistakenly interprets a statute, Congress can amend the statute through bicameralism and presentment.”
Congressman Tom Kean Jr. returns after hospitalization for depression
Republican Congressman Tom Kean Jr., who had been absent from the Capitol for nearly four months without explanation, returned to the House floor to disclose that he was hospitalized for depression. Representing a swing district in New Jersey, Kean last voted on March 5 before his unexplained absence.
In a speech on June 30, Kean stated,
“Several months ago, due to health concerns, I entered the hospital for some testing. I did not believe that this would result in a long-term stay. I was given the diagnosis of depression.”He explained that treatment took longer than anticipated and that he initially underestimated the severity of his condition.
Kean added,
“The doctors recommended that I remain in the hospital to address my illness. They explained to me that this would be the fastest way to recover, and to be honest, I was hesitant. I didn’t think that I had time for it.”He expressed gratitude for accepting help and stated,
“Today I stand before you healthier, stronger, and excited to return to the work that I love.”
Kean’s absence had fueled media speculation and complicated the GOP’s control of the House. A New York Times reporter visited his home recently, but Kean declined to comment. In contrast, Democratic Senator John Fetterman publicly disclosed his inpatient treatment for depression in 2023.
Supreme Court to hear cases on assault weapons bans
The Supreme Court announced it will hear appeals challenging bans on semiautomatic rifles, commonly known as assault weapons, in Connecticut and the Chicago area. Similar laws exist in about a dozen states, including major cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.
While a national assault weapons ban expired in 2004, there have been renewed calls to reinstate it following multiple mass shootings. States have continue...
