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Cleanup under way after week-long fire at a Boyle Heights facility spoiled tens of millions of pounds of frozen foodSomething is rotten in the neighborhood of Boyle Heights.For a week, thick black smoke filled the air while a massive warehouse burned near downtown Los Angeles, prompting a state of emergency and evacuation orders in the immediate area as air quality worsened. Firefighters finally extinguished the flames on Wednesday, but not before half the warehouse’s 85m lbs of frozen food were lost in the fire – leaving roughly 40m lbs of food to rot. Continue reading...

• The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has experienced a rapid internal collapse and electoral decline, losing its status as an "invincible" political powerhouse within a single month. • The party originally rose to dominance in 2011 by ending the 34-year uninterrupted rule of the Left Front, the longest-running democratically elected Communist government globally. • This crisis highlights a critical failure in the party's leadership, specifically the distinction between merely holding power and sustainably building a political foundation.

• House Committee Chairmen Jim Jordan, Bryan Steil, and James Comer sent a formal letter to former Biden White House Counsel Dana Remus demanding documents and communications. • The request focuses on ActBlue's fraud prevention policies following New York Times reporting that Remus possesses direct, firsthand information regarding the matter. • This action is part of a broader oversight effort by House Republicans to investigate potential fraud and misleading statements made to Congress.

Experts say move signals greater political interference into public health and will exacerbate opioid overdose crisisHealth programs receiving federal funding must agree within days to new priorities from the Trump administration, including a focus on “parental authority” in education and a move away from proven overdose-prevention methods like harm reduction, suggesting greater political control over public health.The new priorities will likely affect progress against the opioid crisis, and they could signal an attack on vaccination requirements at schools, which are set at the state and local level. The priorities may also weaponize public health to quash “public disorder.” Continue reading...

• The EU has proposed a new air-conditioning labeling rule designed to help households, particularly in Spain, better compare long-term running costs before purchasing systems. • The initiative aims to prevent consumers from choosing units based solely on low upfront installation quotes, which may hide high electricity consumption or poor performance. • This measure is critical as it addresses issues such as noise levels, heating efficiency during winter, and improper room matching that can increase overall expenses.

Scrutiny of Black’s association with Epstein has intensified after DoJ released millions of files last year and this yearThe billionaire financier Leon Black is scheduled to appear Friday morning before the House committee on oversight and reform as part of its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.The interview will be conducted behind closed doors, though the committee is expected to release a transcript at a later date, as it has done with previous interviews. Continue reading...

Alejandro Gertz Manero’s cars and properties contrast starkly with Morena party’s long association with austerityWith his million-dollar jewellery collection and his two Rolls-Royces, Mexico’s new ambassador to the UK will fit right in with the Mayfair crowd.Former attorney general Alejandro Gertz Manero was appointed to the post by President Claudia Sheinbaum last year, but only recently disclosed his financial assets. Continue reading...

• The Bank of England maintained UK interest rates at 3.75% for the fourth consecutive month due to persistent inflation concerns. • The decision was split among the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), with seven members voting to hold and two voting to increase rates to 4%. • This caution follows May 2026 Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation of 2.8%, which remains above the MPC's official 2% target.

• Hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah have continued through June 2026, following the start of the conflict on 2 March 2026. • According to the UN and Lebanese government data, at least 4,175 Lebanese citizens were killed as of 22 June 2026, though military and civilian casualties are not distinguished. • Diplomatic talks are currently focused on the disarmament of Hezbollah and the mutual withdrawal of both Israeli and Hezbollah forces from southern Lebanon.

• Rep. Anna Paulina Luna is leading a House blockade, claiming she has the votes to freeze all floor action until Republicans pass the SAVE America Act. • This legislative hold-up focuses on advancing Donald Trump's stalled voter ID push, effectively halting other scheduled business for the week. • Luna dismissed the importance of a recently passed bipartisan housing bill, despite GOP leadership viewing the expansion of housing stock as vital for affordability messaging.

Planning permission has been sought for three additional military sites Home Office plans to use three more former military sites to house thousands of asylum seekers have been condemned as “arrogant”, “costly” and “a political fix” by refugee charities and local stakeholders.Planning permission is being sought to build “basic” accommodation at MOD Bicester in Oxfordshire, RAF Barnham in Suffolk and RAF Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire, a statement said. These new sites could house 3,750 claimants, the government has claimed. Continue reading...

Top Democrat signals party will not back paying for unpopular conflict never authorized by CongressThe White House has requested Congress approve $87.6bn in new funding, much of which would go towards the costs of Donald Trump’s war with Iran, but a top Democrat has signaled the party will not support paying for an unpopular conflict that lawmakers never authorized.The Trump administration’s supplemental funding request released on Wednesday comes amid a logjam in US Congress sparked by the president’s demand that the Senate pass a measure to impose sweeping new restrictions on voting nationwide. Continue reading...

• The House of Representatives has given final approval to a landmark housing bill designed to increase the housing supply and lower costs. • The legislation provides funding to convert abandoned infrastructure into residential spaces and creates a framework for reforming outdated zoning regulations that currently limit large-scale developments. • Key provisions include raising financing limits for public housing renovations and codifying a recovery program to expedite funding for communities rebuilding after disasters.

Trump suddenly scrapped the signing of a pivotal bipartisan housing bill yesterday, demanding the Senate pass his voter ID bill Hello and welcome to the US politics live blog.A dramatic day is in store in Washington DC as Donald Trump heads for a crucial meeting with Mike Johnson, the House speaker, in an attempt to break a legislative gridlock as huge political fireworks have detonated on Capitol Hill far ahead of anything resembling a Fourth of July celebration.Maryland’s Democratic US Senator Chris Van Hollen is endorsing the progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan’s Senate primary, a split with Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, the Associated Press reports as an exclusive.The US supreme court is expected to issue opinions at 10am ET and most of the big cases have not yet been ruled upon. We await immigration and finance-related opinions in particular.Huge focus on the Hill where the House speaker, Mike Johnson, meets with Trump at 2pm, with both hoping the House will be persuaded to take a vote and end a rebellion from within the right wing of the Republican caucus over the Save Act to tighten up on who can vote in US elections.Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana got into a shouting match with Trump at the Senate lunch on Wednesday after Trump admonished four senators, including him, for backing a resolution to rein in the war in the Middle East. Kennedy reportedly responded: “You have not told the American people what’s going on” with the war, adding afterwards to reporters: “It was supposed to last four weeks. It’s lasted four months,” according to Politico. Continue reading...

Estate agents are offering a 30% stake in former Russian spy’s house for £114,000, with the rest owned by the councilThe house in Salisbury where the former Russian spy Sergei Skripal was poisoned with the nerve agent novichok is up for sale.A 30% shared ownership of the house on Christie Miller road is being offered for £114,000, with the rest being held by Wiltshire council. Continue reading...

• The House of Commons Library is tracking financial market indicators, including share prices, oil, and gold, to assess the overall health of the economy. • The FTSE-100, which monitors the 100 largest companies on the London Stock Exchange, experienced a sharp decline in 2020 due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. • On March 23, 2020, the index closed at 4,994, marking its lowest point since October 2011.

• The ongoing conflict between Israel and the US-Iran axis has disrupted oil and gas supplies across the Middle East. • These disruptions are driving energy price increases, which may lead to higher inflation and reduced GDP growth within the UK. • The severity of the economic shock depends largely on overseas geopolitical decisions and the resulting stability of global energy markets.

• South Korea and Taiwan are experiencing a massive economic boom driven by surging global demand for AI chips and record-breaking stock market gains. • While the semiconductor sector thrives, other parts of the domestic economies are lagging, creating a widening economic divide between chip giants and the general population. • This disparity highlights a critical vulnerability where national growth is overly dependent on a small cluster of high-tech companies.

• White House deputy assistant for domestic policy Heidi Overton is reportedly among the final candidates being considered to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). • Overton is a medical doctor who holds a doctorate in clinical investigation from Johns Hopkins University, bringing significant medical and policy expertise to the role. • This potential appointment is critical as the FDA head oversees the safety and efficacy of pharmaceuticals and food products across the United States.

FTSE 100 firm says Prologis all-share proposal turned down as it falls long way short of its own views on valueThe UK warehouse landlord Segro is at the centre of the latest transatlantic takeover battle after rejecting a £12.6bn takeover approach from the US rival Prologis.Prologis has gone public with its offer for the FTSE 100 company after it was “unequivocally rejected” by Segro’s board on Tuesday despite valuing the company at almost 25% more than its market value at that day’s close. Continue reading...

Donald Trump has indicated he will sign rare bipartisan initiative to tackle affordability after 358-32 vote in HouseThe House gave final approval on Tuesday to a broad bipartisan bill aimed at lowering the cost of housing, with lawmakers in both parties eager to show progress on affordability issues ahead of this year’s midterm elections.The 358-32 vote sends the bill to Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it into law on Wednesday at the Capitol. The Senate passed the legislation 85-5 on Monday. Continue reading...

• New York City voters will cast ballots this Tuesday in a House primary that has become a proxy war between the AI industry and safety advocacy groups. • The conflict centers on candidates like Bores, who proposed the RAISE (Responsible AI Safety and Education) Act to mandate that AI firms disclose safety protocols and report incidents. • Tech-backed organizations are opposing such candidates, arguing that strict regulations will stifle innovation and limit the potential benefits of artificial intelligence.

Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, the reporters behind Regime Change, were up against an administration that is ‘very good at keeping secrets’They cracked the White House situation room, unearthing secrets from the heart of a secretive administration. But the reporters behind Regime Change, a blockbuster new book on Donald Trump’s second term, ran up against a wall when reporting on one issue surrounding the 80-year-old US president: his fitness for office.“His health has always been a very specific lockbox for him, going back decades,” Maggie Haberman, co-author with Jonathan Swan, said in an interview. “Illness freaks him out; he perceives illness as weakness, usually, and he certainly perceives any sense that he is having an issue as a projection of weakness, and his advisers are very, very attuned to that. Continue reading...

• House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill (AR-02) announced the committee's official activity schedule for July 2026. • The schedule features a Full Committee Hearing titled “The Federal Reserve’s Semi-Annual Monetary Policy Report.” • This hearing is critical for congressional oversight, as it allows lawmakers to review the Federal Reserve's current monetary policy and economic outlook.

AI-focused Super Pacs are spending heavily in midterms, and nearly half has gone to a single Manhattan district raceThe artificial intelligence industry is spending heavily in the 2026 midterms, hoping to secure influence over the technology’s first generation of legislation – and New York City’s primary has emerged as the key battleground.AI-focused Super Pacs have raised roughly $100m this cycle, of which $44m has been spent so far, in dozens of congressional races across the country. Nearly half of all spending has converged on a single Manhattan race: Tuesday’s Democratic primary in the district of NY-12.Will Craft and Andrew Witherspoon contributed reporting Continue reading...

Fire at cold-storage facility that started on 17 June continues to spew smoke across the metro areaMayor Karen Bass has declared a state of emergency for the city of Los Angeles, as firefighters still struggle to contain a blaze from a cold-storage facility that continues to spew smoke across the metro area.“This emergency declaration is crucial because Boyle Heights is not just responding to a fire. Residents have lived through days of smoke, shelter-in-place orders, disruptions to daily life, and ongoing questions about what this means for their health and well-being,” Councilmember Ysabel Jurado, who represents Boyle Heights, said in a statement. Continue reading...

• Nepal elected a former rapper as prime minister following legislative elections held in March 2026, which were preceded by widespread youth protests. • The new leader, Shah, has committed to a balanced and independent foreign policy based on non-alignment to navigate the influence of neighboring China and India. • This transition marks a significant political shift driven by youth activism and a desire for independent governance.

• The White House delayed the release of a federal report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) regarding voting machine security. • The ODNI report concludes that U.S. voting machines may possess software vulnerabilities that require urgent protections and updates. • This security gap is particularly critical as the United States prepares for the upcoming midterm elections in November.