The Daily Brief — June 22, 2026
Judge blocks voter roll database, Trump clashes with Italian PM, British PM resigns
These are today’s top stories, delivered straight to your inbox. Catch up here on all the news.
Judge Blocks Voter Roll Database
A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from creating a centralized database containing Americans’ private information.
In an order issued this afternoon, US District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan said federal officials fed the database with unreliable data on millions of Americans, leading states that partnered with the federal government to “actively remov[e] United States citizens from voter rolls based on inaccurate information.”
The database was created after President Trump signed an executive order in March last year directing multiple federal agencies to implement a proof-of-citizenship requirement for voter registration. The League of Women Voters and several other voting rights groups sued, arguing that the administration was unlawfully using the database to search for citizenship-related information.
Sooknanan said that “the federal government has knowingly trampled on the privacy rights of American citizens in a manner that threatens the sacred right to vote.” She added: “This Court cannot stand idly by while that happens.”
Trump–Italy Spat
The US–Italian relationship has soured over President Trump’s claim that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni “begged” him for a photo at last week’s G7 summit. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani canceled his planned weekend trip to the US, calling Trump’s claims “serious and offensive” toward Meloni and all of Italy.
Meloni said Trump’s assertion was “completely fabricated.”
Trump first made the claim in an interview with Italian media, then repeated it on Truth Social over the weekend, writing that Meloni’s popularity was slipping because Italy declined to help the US in the Iran war. Meloni answered on social media: “My popularity is none of your concern. I suggest you focus on yours.”
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani was scheduled to meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio on his US trip, before he canceled.
DOJ on “Weaponization” Fund
The Justice Department is refusing a federal judge’s request to swear under oath that its proposed $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” is dead.
The fund would have paid people who claimed to be victims of government “weaponization” under past administrations — a plan critics in both parties said was created to help Trump’s allies.
After that criticism, the Trump administration said they would drop the fund, but US District Judge Leonie Brinkema said she wanted it in writing.
In a court filing Friday, the Justice Department called the sworn declarations unnecessary and said the judge’s order raises “serious separation of powers concerns, because it improperly compels testimony from senior officials from the executive branch.”
When the judge extended block on the fund on June 12, she told the DOJ lawyers that the lawsuit against the fund would move forward.
British PM Announces Resignation
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said today that he is stepping down as prime minister.
Starmer took office in 2024, but he has faced mounting pressure since his party’s heavy losses in May’s local elections.
Starmer lost popularity over cost-of-living concerns and the rise in energy prices due to the war in Iran. Starmer had promised to bring down energy prices.
The prime minister said he will stay on until a successor is chosen, with nominations opening July 9. He is the sixth British prime minister to step down in the last 10 years.
Newsbreak
Inspired by a real-life 1923 shipwreck off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, Runner is a historical novel that explores the lengths to which one young woman will go to keep her family afloat when her father’s rumrunning ship mysteriously sinks. Written by award-winning author (and The Preamble’s executive editor!) Ashton Lattimore, it’s a Prohibition-era story following Lena Jameson as she takes over her father’s business, embarking on a journey from the quaint, colorful streets of Oak Bluffs through gangland Boston to the jazz-filled clubs of Harlem during its Renaissance, all in search of quick money — and the truth about the shipwreck. But as buried secrets rise to the surface and the temptations of the glittering underworld pull Lena in deeper, everything she’s fought to protect soon hangs in the balance: her heart, her family, and her place in a world that’s quick to condemn women who dare to want more. We’d love it if you pre-ordered a copy!
Reflecting Pool
The Trump administration is blaming “vandals” for the problems with the reflecting pool project and said over the weekend that several people had been arrested and would be prosecuted.
Three-time Olympian David Hearn was arrested by US Park Police on Friday. He has denied wrongdoing, saying he only reached into the pool to touch a loose piece of coating before officers handcuffed him. He faces a misdemeanor charge of destruction of government property and is due in DC Superior Court on July 9. The misdemeanor is punishable by a fine of up to $100,000, one year in prison, or both.
The renovation has been a Trump pet project ahead of the nation’s July 4 semiquincentennial, and he personally chose the “American flag blue” color for the pool floor.
Days after water was pumped back in, algae surfaced and the new blue coating began peeling. National Park Service crews have been treating the water with hydrogen peroxide to kill the algae, which likely caused new blue paint to peel off.
Trump publicly said the work would cost about $1.8 million, but the price has since increased to over $14 million. Trump said Sunday that repairs to the pool will be started “immediately.”
Acting DNI Director
The new acting director of national intelligence (DNI), Bill Pulte, has requested a list of all employees at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to determine whom he can fire.
A Politico report said he plans to cut about 300 staff from the National Counterterrorism Center, which integrates terrorism-related intelligence across the government. Pulte took over as DNI after Tulsi Gabbard left the role last week.
Pulte, a Trump ally with no intelligence background, remains the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). He sought the employee list even before officially starting as acting DNI Friday.
He also asked whether he could take home the President’s Daily Brief — a highly classified intelligence summary for top officials.
Democrats have warned Pulte against making large-scale cuts or declassifying intelligence in ways that could expose sensitive sources and methods. They have also accused him of using his position as head of the FHFA to pursue criminal referrals against Trump’s political opponents.