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June 30, 2026

Can Europe turn defense spending into military power?

Europe is trying to turn higher defense spending into something more concrete, with Germany moving to secure a major tank maker and Britain shifting its armed forces toward drones, AI and autonomous systems. Germany’s parliament Budget Committee approved the state’s acquisition of a 40% stake in KNDS, the Franco-German maker of Leopard 2 tanks and […]

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June 30, 2026

NPR falsely reported a Supreme Court justice was retiring. The internet noticed

A social media community devoted to political news blew up Tuesday morning with reactions to a major scoop by NPR: Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito had retired.  The story wasn’t true, however, and it no longer exists on the web. Replacing the story by longtime legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg is an editor’s note from […]

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June 30, 2026

What will it take to solve the great American energy puzzle?

As the United States marks its 250th birthday, Straight Arrow is taking a fresh look at the institutions, systems and social contracts that shaped modern America — and the pressures now testing them. Michael Skelly has spent most of this century trying to solve a Rubik’s cube. Not the six-colored toy with 43 quintillion possible […]

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June 30, 2026

New Trump admin rules tie federal student loans to how much money graduates earn

The Trump administration is overhauling the way millions of Americans pay for a higher education. On Monday, it finalized new rules for how the government determines the college programs that are eligible for federal student loans. The new rules, which are set to be formalized Wednesday, will tie colleges and universities’ ability to access federal […]

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June 30, 2026

Is your state missing from the Great American State Fair in Washington, DC?

At least 11 states or territories — about 20% — are not participating in the Great American State Fair on the National Mall, as part of the Trump administration’s celebration of the country’s 250th anniversary. They include Alaska, Connecticut, Hawaii, Rhode Island, Maine, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, U.S. Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa. […]

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June 29, 2026

Sen. Gallego seeks apology after Senate ends sexual misconduct inquiry

Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., wants an apology from Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., after an investigation into Gallego’s behavior based on her comments came up empty-handed.  According to a letter obtained by NBC News, the Senate Ethics Committee dismissed Luna’s allegations after the panel said it “did not find evidence” to back them up. Luna’s […]

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June 29, 2026

Ukraine refinery strikes create ‘obvious’ problems, Putin says

Ukraine’s refinery attacks are turning Russia’s energy network into a growing liability. The strikes have not delivered a decisive battlefield breakthrough. But they appear to be creating a different kind of pressure for Moscow: fuel shortages, export limits, strained air defenses and visible signs of war inside Russia. Foreign Policy cited a Reuters estimate that […]

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June 29, 2026

In the modern surveillance state, someone’s always watching

As the United States marks its 250th birthday, Straight Arrow is taking a fresh look at the institutions, systems and social contracts that shaped modern America — and the pressures now testing them. The Watergate scandal of the 1970s began with a botched surveillance attempt. Five men working for President Richard Nixon’s re-election campaign were […]

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June 29, 2026

Dangerous heat wave hits the US with highs exceeding 100 degrees

A severe heatwave is projected to affect the central and eastern U.S. this week, with high humidity intensifying the already scorching temperatures. So far, more than 100 million Americans across the South and the Great Plains are at moderate-to-severe risk of heat, but the National Weather Service said that risk will expand as the heat intensifies throughout the week. […]