The Daily Brief — June 24, 2026
Judge blocks arrests in immigration courts, Senate limits president’s war powers, Trump cancels bill signing ceremony
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Trump Cancels Housing Bill Signing
President Trump abruptly canceled a scheduled signing ceremony for a bipartisan housing affordability bill, saying he would not sign it until the Senate passes the SAVE America Act.
The SAVE America Act, which the House passed in February, would require Americans to show proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and a photo ID to cast a ballot.
Trump announced the decision in a social media post less than two hours before the planned signing, calling the need to pass the voting bill a “national emergency.” The housing legislation passed the Senate 85–5 and the House 358–32 — veto-proof margins in both chambers. If Trump neither signs nor vetoes it, the bill will become law after 10 days.
Senate Republican leaders, including Majority Leader John Thune, have said they do not have the votes to pass the SAVE America Act — or to change Senate rules to bypass the 60-vote filibuster threshold. Trump has repeatedly urged the chamber to abolish the filibuster to push the bill through.
Judge Blocks Immigration Court Arrests
A federal judge in California blocked nationwide enforcement of the Trump administration’s policy allowing arrests of noncitizens at immigration courthouses. The judge ruled that the government failed to justify abandoning longstanding limits on such arrests.
ICE began making courthouse arrests after Trump returned to office in January 2025, with agents often detaining asylum seekers and other immigrants moments after their hearings ended.
The judge noted that many courthouse arrests involve immigrants who are complying with the law by attending hearings related to their immigration status. He also said the government had failed to explain how these arrests improved public safety when the people detained weren’t considered a threat.
The judge also vacated a related ICE policy allowing immigrants to be held in short-term detention facilities for up to 72 hours, restoring the previous 12-hour limit.
Senate Votes to Limit War Powers
The Senate approved a war powers resolution directing President Trump to withdraw US armed forces from hostilities against Iran, which began without congressional authorization. It is the first time a war powers resolution has cleared both chambers since the act was passed in 1973.
Four Republicans joined Democrats in supporting the measure, which passed 50–48, while Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) was the only Democrat to vote no. Two Republicans did not vote. The House passed the same resolution earlier this month.
The legislation does not go to Trump’s desk because it is a concurrent resolution. Concurrent resolutions do not carry the force of law under current Supreme Court precedent, and do not require a presidential signature.
Trump called the vote “poorly timed and meaningless.” A White House official said the resolution “has no significance” because there are no current hostilities between the US and Iran.
Election Results
Candidates backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani beat two incumbents in yesterday’s Democratic congressional primaries. The sweep is a show of strength for Mamdani’s progressive coalition six months after he became mayor, and a warning sign for establishment Democrats facing left-wing progressive primary challenges nationwide.
Former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander defeated second-term congressman Dan Goldman. Lander has been a much sharper critic of Israel’s war in Gaza than Goldman. State Assembly Member Claire Valdez, another Mamdani ally, was also victorious, and Darializa Avila Chevalier, a democratic socialist who helped organize the 2023–24 pro-Palestinian encampment at Columbia University, defeated five-term incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat, chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
In a separate, closely watched Manhattan primary, New York Assembly Member Micah Lasher won the crowded Democratic field to succeed retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler. The race drew national attention and more than $20 million in outside spending. Lasher beat Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of former president John F. Kennedy, who finished a distant third.
DOJ Charges 455 with Health Care Fraud
The Justice Department charged 455 defendants yesterday for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes involving over $6.5 billion in false claims submitted to health care programs. Among those charged are 90 doctors and other licensed medical professionals.
The cases span Medicare and Medicaid billing schemes, hospice and wound-care fraud, opioid distribution, and kickback arrangements, with prosecutions in 56 federal districts across 45 states and US territories. The DOJ said it seized more than $182 million in cash, and it termed the alleged fraud the largest ever uncovered: 295 defendants and over $518 million in false claims.
Some of the alleged fraud caused patient harm, including death. A doctor in Florida was charged with billing insurers for medically unnecessary cardiovascular screening of college athletes and then approving the results as normal without personally reviewing them. According to the indictment, the doctor approved one student’s tests as normal even though they showed an enlarged heart, and never alerted the athlete or his family. About three weeks later, the athlete died during basketball practice from complications of the same condition.
Trump Orders DOJ to Probe Oil Companies
President Trump said today that he has instructed the Justice Department to investigate oil companies for not lowering gas prices at the pump in line with falling oil costs. Trump accused the companies of “gouging” customers.
Gasoline prices rose sharply after the war in Iran began in late February and Tehran closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of the global oil supply moved before the war. Prices have eased since the US and Iran reached an interim agreement to reopen the waterway.
DOJ Subpoenaed Washington Post, Wall Street Journal Reporters
The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal fought subpoenas issued by the Justice Department to compel the testimony of their reporters before a federal grand jury, the Post reported. Faced with challenges from the newspapers, the government withdrew the subpoenas last month, according to an anonymous government official who provided information to the Post.
One subpoena targeted a Post national security reporter over reporting on US military strikes against boats in Venezuela. The other three went to the Journal reporters for their coverage of how Trump decided to launch the war in Iran. The Post did not say specifically what information the prosecutors were trying to get.
In May, The Wall Street Journal reported that the DOJ had issued subpoenas to its reporters seeking documents related to the coverage of the Iran war.
Both newspapers challenged the subpoenas on First Amendment grounds, saying the government was trying to force journalists to identify confidential sources.
Trump personally pushed acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to issue the subpoenas, CNN reported, after growing angry over leaks tied to the Iran war.
Sen. Mitch McConnell
Sen. Mitch McConnell, who was recently hospitalized, will not return to the Senate this week, his spokesperson said. The Kentucky Republican’s office has not shared details about his illness.
The former Senate GOP leader, 84, was admitted to an undisclosed hospital on June 14. His office has not said whether he remains hospitalized. McConnell was also hospitalized in February for “flu-like” symptoms.
The seven-term senator has missed several votes since during hospitalization, including yesterday’s Iran war powers vote.
Utah had primaries last night and many incumbent lost their own primaries. Including our Senate president. How much does anybody want to bet that Trump got a panicked phone call from Senator Mike Lee freaking out about how badly they are going to lose in November and now the SAVE act is a national emergency?
GO UTAH!