memeorandum: Protect Every Animal From Cruelty? Not in 2026, Oregon Democrats Say (Anna Griffin/New York Times)

10:35 AM ET, June 21, 2026

Top Items:

Trump likely to drain Reflecting Pool again, following peeling paint and algae — The president blamed “disgraceful Vandalism” for the damage and peeling paint, which emerged after workers spent days treating algae. — Summary — President Donald Trump said Saturday night that he was likely …

Discussion: Raw Story

Minho Kim / New York Times:

Trump Says Reflecting Pool Will Likely Need to Be Drained — The pool has taken on clouds of algae after a hasty renovation. A three-time Olympian was charged with destroying government property after he says he touched one of the strands of blue paint peeling off the pool's bottom.

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Fox News, Althouse, The Gateway Pundit and Washington Examiner

David J. Lynch / Washington Post:

Cyclist arrested at Reflecting Pool is former Olympian who denies vandalism claims — David Hearn said he touched the pool's detached liner but “didn't destroy or break or peel anything.” Trump accused vandals of sabotaging the refurbishment. — Summary

Discussion: The Hill, ABC News, Fox News, TMZ.com, Washington Examiner, The Gateway Pundit, UPI, Breitbart, HotAir, New York Post, MS NOW, Mediaite, Daily Mail, Raw Story, NewsNation, NewsMax.com and The Guardian

Associated Press:
Trump tries to blame Reflecting Pool woes on vandalism, without offering substantiation

Discussion: NPR, The Independent, Breitbart, Associated Press, The Hill, Raw Story, CBS News, Washington Examiner, Washington Times, RTÉ, HuffPost, CNN and Issues & Insights

CNN:
Trump claims vandals will force drainage of algae-plagued Reflecting Pool

Discussion: Washington Times, emptywheel, Agence France-Presse, Metro.co.uk, NBC News, The Guardian, Raw Story, Daily Mail, New York Post, The Post Millennial, Lawyers, Guns & Money, The Gateway Pundit, Townhall, HuffPost, New York Times and The Daily Wire

New York Times:

How Trump's Fragile Agreement With Iran Is Shaping the Midterms — Democrats say the president started an economically painful war that resulted in nothing positive. Republicans are more divided, even as they show some signs of relief at falling gas prices.

Discussion: CNN, The Hill and NewsMax.com

Neil MacFarquhar / New York Times:

Neither the War Nor Trump's Deal Terminated the Main Threats in Iran, Analysts Say — Neither the war nor the agreement terminated the main threats emanating from Iran, many analysts said. — In igniting a war against Iran on Feb. 28, President Trump billed the U.S. campaign …

Discussion: Raw Story and Mother Jones

Associated Press:
US Vice President JD Vance arriving in Switzerland to launch talks with Iran on its nuclear program

Discussion: New York Post, Politico, The Hill, Scripps News, Axios, Mediaite, Associated Press, Reuters, New York Times, KSTP-TV, RedState, RTÉ, The Gateway Pundit, Washington Examiner, The American Conservative and NPR

Bloomberg:
US, Iran Begin Talks in Switzerland on Permanent Peace Deal

Discussion: The Guardian, Financial Times, MS NOW, Associated Press and NewsMax.com

Bloomberg:
US-Iran Talks Set to Open as Vance Arrives in Switzerland

Euan Ward / New York Times:
Israel and Hezbollah Are Still Fighting, Several Cease-Fires Later

Discussion: The Times of Israel, Informed Comment, Al Jazeera, KRDO, Washington Examiner, The Guardian, France 24 and NBC News

New York Times:
Mideast Live Updates: Strait of Hormuz Re-emerges as Point of Tension After Iran Says It's Closed

William James / Reuters:

UK PM Starmer expected to resign on Monday and set out orderly exit, Observer newspaper reports — British Prime Minster Keir Starmer is expected to resign on Monday and set out a timetable for his departure, the Observer newspaper reported on Saturday. — The newspaper said Starmer …

Discussion: Mediaite and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Rachel Sylvester / The Observer:

Starmer expected to resign on Monday and set out orderly exit — The prime minister now accepts that his time has run out as majority of Labour MPs back Andy Burnham — Nigel Farage urged to sack ‘problem’ Zia Yusuf — Scale of Burnham's triumph piles pressure on Starmer to take a ‘dignified exit’

Discussion: Metro.co.uk, HuffPost, Truthout, Reuters, RTÉ, Straight Arrow, HotAir, The Guardian and Human Events

Telegraph:
Starmer is ready to resign, say allies

Discussion: Metro.co.uk, Daily Mail, The Independent and The Gateway Pundit

New York Times:

Trump Administration Shuttered a Criminal Probe Into Fraudster's Clemency … David Gentile, a private equity executive who was convicted in a $1.6 billion fraud scheme, was released from a New York prison days into a seven-year sentence after being granted clemency by President Trump.Bryan Anselm for The New York Times

Luca Léry Moffat / The Kyiv Independent:

Russian-occupied Crimea completely suspends gas sales to civilians as Ukrainian drone strikes squeeze peninsula — Gas stations in Russian-occupied Crimea have been instructed as of June 21 to completely suspend sales of fuel to civilians, as Ukraine steps up medium-range drone strikes on energy infrastructure across the peninsula.

Discussion: Politico, Associated Press, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, RTÉ, Bloomberg, Reuters, Washington Examiner and CNN

Jon Swaine / Washington Post:

Tulsi Gabbard, her guru and the mysterious messages that helped shape her political career … The first time I spoke with Rebecca Saltzburg, she told me Tulsi Gabbard was a freethinker who took orders from no one. — “I didn't always agree with Tulsi on everything,” Saltzburg …

Joseph Choi / The Hill:

What to know about the temporary Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program — Starting in July, some Medicare beneficiaries will be able to access GLP-1 medications by paying one flat fee per month. The temporary program is set to run for a year-and-a-half through the end of 2027.

Discussion: NewsNation

David J. Lynch / Washington Post:

For cash-strapped farmers, deal to end Iran fighting comes too late — Some of the president's strongest supporters are hurting as midterm elections approach. — Summary — NASHVILLE, N.C. — The possible end of the Iran war will not cure the drought that has stunted the wheat crop.

Anna Griffin / New York Times:

Protect Every Animal From Cruelty? Not in 2026, Oregon Democrats Say — A possible referendum in Oregon on animal rights would end fishing, hunting, even pest control, just when Democrats are trying really hard not to be seen as “weirdos again.” — Since the 2024 elections …

Discussion: Althouse

New York Times:

A Diocese Tries to Protect Its 29-Foot Jesus From Trump's Border Wall — In a battle of symbols, the Catholics of Las Cruces, N.M., argue that religious freedom should stop the wall from scarring a mountain that has attracted pilgrims for nearly a century. — At sunrise, when the day's …

Discussion: Axios