Today’s Major News Shows A Government Turning Power Inward While Global Flashpoints Get Hotter
Today’s news cycle is a warning flare. From deepening Russia and China military cooperation to escalating danger around Iran, from immigration enforcement deaths to surveillance contracts, election pressure, hunger policy, and the courts, the pattern is not subtle. Power is consolidating, accountability is being challenged, and vulnerable people are being forced to carry the cost.
Key Developments
- DER SPIEGEL investigation reports that secret documents reveal a deeper level of military cooperation between Russia and China, showing a partnership that looks less like symbolic alignment and more like strategic coordination.
- Critical Threats Iran update warns that Iran appears willing to risk renewed large scale conflict with the United States to maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz, while US strikes have not visibly changed Iran’s calculus.
- The 50501 Movement report says ICE fatally shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston while his family and advocates dispute the government’s account, with witness photos reportedly showing no visible damage to his van and key eyewitnesses now in ICE custody.
- Aaron Parnas report highlights escalating Epstein oversight pressure, including Democratic plans to make the investigation a major priority, survivor claims that Lesley Groff gave false testimony, and continued questions about what Congress will pursue next.
- Anne P. Mitchell analysis says the Justice Department sent letters to all 50 states demanding written responses within five days about election law compliance, a move she frames as pressure on voter rolls and state election officials.
- Zeteo interview features Abby Martin arguing that US policy toward Cuba has deadly consequences, especially as Cuba faces a collapsing power grid, economic pressure, and worsening hardship for vulnerable people.
- Popular Information investigation reports that RFK Jr. has an ongoing financial connection to a Scientology linked law firm that has targeted antidepressant manufacturers, while the Trump administration promotes a broader campaign against psychiatric medication use.
- MS NOW report says Senate Democrats are scrutinizing a reported FBI personnel surge in Georgia, raising concerns about taxpayer dollars, political targeting, and possible abuse of federal law enforcement resources.
- The Capitol Hill Reader breaks down major Supreme Court rulings on birthright citizenship, mail in ballots, geofence warrants, agency independence, party spending, and transgender sports restrictions, showing how much of the next political fight is already being shaped by the courts.
- Eyes On ICE Austin report argues that Texas state rights rhetoric collapses when federal immigration enforcement enters local clinics, public safety systems, and community infrastructure, especially in Austin.
- The Intercept investigation reports that federal agents raided a Texas activist’s home and later offered her up to $200,000 to become an informant, a case civil liberties advocates warn could test the limits of the administration’s antifa crackdown.
- Ellie Leonard column uses Mitch McConnell’s reported recovery and calls with conservative allies to revisit his legacy on the courts, abortion rights, tax policy, impeachment, deregulation, and the long term conservative capture of federal power.
- Against All Enemies analysis frames Trump’s NATO appearance as a credibility collapse, pointing to a moment with Volodymyr Zelenskyy as evidence that foreign leaders are no longer treating Trump as untouchable.
- The Nation investigation reports that new SNAP restrictions and work requirements have pushed millions off food assistance, with more than 4 million people losing benefits and food banks absorbing the fallout.
- Front Page Detectives report says a federal judge ordered more than $5 million plus interest to be released to E. Jean Carroll after Trump was found liable in a civil case for sexual abuse and defamation.
- Eyes On ICE surveillance report describes a $513 million surveillance pipeline tied to Palantir, Anduril, and immigration enforcement technology, warning that deportation systems are being built like automated logistics networks.
- PunchUp report says House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan subpoenaed Arlington prosecutor Parisa Dehghani Tafti for a closed door deposition over a chalk protest near Stephen Miller’s home, even after police reportedly called the protest non threatening.
- Daily Mail report centers on a civil assault lawsuit accusing Byron Donalds of threatening a woman during a 2022 grocery store confrontation, while his campaign dismisses the case as politically motivated.
Featured Resisters and Resources
- Israel Exposed War Crimes Archive is a digital evidence archive focused on preserving footage and documentation from Gaza and the West Bank. The project describes itself as a researcher led effort to archive war crimes footage before it is deleted, censored, or lost from social media platforms. Its stated purpose is journalistic, research, and legal accountability documentation.
- AREDN Mesh, also known as the Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network, provides software and documentation for building high speed wireless mesh networks using amateur radio infrastructure. These networks are designed to support emergency communications when internet, cellular, or standard communication systems are disrupted.
What We Are Watching Today
- Congress is on another vacation
- 8:17 AM EDT
U.S. Trade Representative Greer Speaks to White House Reporters - 10:03 AM EDT
Former Olympian David Hearn Pleads Not Guilty to Charges in Reflecting Poll Damages Case - 11:30 AM EDT
Massachusetts State Senate Considers Social Media Protections for Minors - 1:00 PM EDT
U.S. Senate Candidate Roy Cooper Holds Campaign Event - 3:00 PM EDT
House Pro Forma Session - 4:00 PM EDT
Senate Pro Forma Session
Today’s Call to Action
1. Read Today’s Resistance Survival Guide
2. Sign these Petitions and Send These Pre Written Letters
- Tell Congress: Investigate Trump’s pre-4th ICE arrest surge
- Please sign my petition if you agree: When Democrats take power in Congress, one of their first orders of business must be investigating and exposing Trump administration weaponization of the government against Donald Trump’s perceived political enemies. I will submit your signature to Democratic leaders after the midterms.
- Sign and send a short, clear message to your U.S. senators: Reject Todd Blanche for Attorney General.
- Please add your name my petition: It’s time to elect the president by national popular vote. If Democrats win control of enough states after the 2026 to make this possible–and they are closer than you might think=–they need to follow through.
- Please sign and send a petition to your member of the House of Representatives urging them to support and pass the House resolution to protect voting rights and multiracial democracy.
- Sign and send petition to your U.S. senators: Reject Jay Clayton, Donald Trump’s election-denying nominee for Director of National Intelligence.
3. Verify your voter registration status and help at least one other person check theirs
4. Save contact information for local legal aid and voting support organizations
5. Attend an Event
- Join us as we welcome Ryan Estrada next Wednesday, July 15, at 7:30 PM ET to hear about his book, “Banned Book Club.”
- On this week’s What’s the Plan, Indivisible co-founders Ezra Levin and Leah Greenberg will be joined by actor and activist Ben McKenzie for an in-depth conversation on crypto corruption and how progressives should address it. McKenzie is the director of the anti-crypto documentary “Everyone Is Lying to You for Money,” though many of you probably know him as the star of the OC. Register for this week’s What’s the Plan with Ezra, Leah, and Ben McKenzie (Thursday, July 9 at 3pm ET / 12pm PT) >>
- From your screen to your vehicle to your refrigerator, semiconductors power nearly all modern technology. Join the Tech Workers Coalition for a webinar on ethics and exploitation in the tech hardware industry on July 12 at 2 p.m. ET. Register here.
- Organize DC Protests List 6/7/26
6. Contact Your Lawmakers Directly
- Tell Congress to protect Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP, and ACA coverage. Families should not lose health care so politicians can fund cruelty and tax breaks.
- Tell Congress to stop giving ICE and CBP blank checks. We need hearings, civil rights protections, and limits on raids, detention, and masked federal enforcement.
- Tell Congress this is a rule of law crisis. They need to defend oversight, protect the courts, stop retaliation, and act publicly before more damage is done.
- The Trump administration has proposed a rule that would weaponize federal funding, turning it into a tool for partisan politics. Help us oppose this reckless proposal by submitting a public comment today!
Let’s Roll!
The big story today is not one scandal, one court case, or one international crisis. It is the way these stories stack together. Federal power is being used more aggressively, surveillance is expanding, courts are reshaping democratic rules, immigration enforcement is turning deadly, and economic policy is pushing vulnerable families toward hunger. The task now is to keep the receipts, follow the money, protect the witnesses, and refuse to let the daily flood of headlines blur the pattern.
