These are the top stories for June 24th.
Headlines
Mamdani Sweeps Primaries
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani swept Tuesday’s Democratic congressional primaries, with Brad Lander defeating Rep. Dan Goldman (NY-10), Darializa Avila Chevalier ousting Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), and Claire Valdez winning the open NY-7 seat. Seven Democratic incumbents in total fell on Tuesday, including five state lawmakers. Trump celebrated Goldman’s defeat on Truth Social; Republicans quickly moved to brand the results as proof that Democrats are surrendering to socialists. Source
Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday to brief the UAE, Kuwait, and Bahrain on the U.S.-Iran ceasefire framework as tensions over its terms continued. Iran’s President Pezeshkian flatly stated in Islamabad that ” the discussion over our missiles does not exist in the MoU, and it never will,” while Trump again insisted Iran had agreed to nuclear inspections and dismissed Iranian denials. The disagreement over what was actually agreed in Switzerland remained unresolved on Wednesday. Source
Taylor Swift made an unannounced appearance Tuesday night at Travis Kelce’s Tight End University charity concert in Nashville, closing the show with ” Shake It Off” and ” Love Story” alongside country stars Kane Brown and Lainey Wilson. Other performers included Dan + Shay and Chase Rice. The surprise set came less than two weeks before the couple’s reported July 3 wedding at Madison Square Garden, with about 1,000 guests expected. Read More
Politics
The Senate approved a war powers resolution Tuesday directing President Trump to withdraw U.S. forces from the Iran conflict, with Sens. Rand Paul, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and Bill Cassidy joining Democrats in a 50-48 vote. The measure is largely symbolic — it does not go to Trump’s desk for signature — but marks the first time both chambers have put themselves on record against the war. Trump called it “meaningless” and ” poorly timed.” Find out More
Trump-backed Anthony Constantino defeated Assemblymember Robert Smullen in a primary to succeed Congresswoman Elise Stefanik. Source
President Trump is set to attend a lunch with Senate Republicans as friction between the two grows. An increasing number of Republican Senators have shown a willingness to buck Trump on key agenda items. Read More
U.S. News
The Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday it is modifying the travel restrictions imposed on Iran’s national soccer team ahead of their June 26 World Cup match in Seattle, allowing the team to arrive two days before the game — an extra day beyond what was granted for their first two matches. The Iranian soccer federation had filed a complaint with FIFA over its treatment during the tournament, saying the restrictions put them at a competitive disadvantage. Source
The U.S. and Iran remained in an open dispute Wednesday over whether Tehran agreed to admit IAEA nuclear inspectors following the Switzerland talks, with Trump insisting Iran ” fully and completely agreed” and Iran’s foreign ministry saying no new nuclear commitments were made. The AP reported from Islamabad that Iranian President Pezeshkian met with Pakistani mediators who played a central role in the Switzerland talks, as both sides continued negotiating the 60-day roadmap. Read More
Riders were left dangling 250 feet in midair after the ride at Six Flags Amusement Park stopped working. Read More
Business
U.S. stock futures pointed to a modest recovery on Wednesday after global markets were roiled by a two-day technology selloff triggered by concerns over AI chip valuations. South Korea’s Kospi bounced more than 3% in volatile trading after plunging nearly 10% the prior session, led by SK Hynix and Samsung. Wall Street’s S& P 500 fell 1.44%, and the Nasdaq dropped 2.21% Tuesday; Micron Technology’s after-market earnings were keenly watched as the defining test of memory-chip demand fundamentals. Source
S& P Dow Jones Indices announced Tuesday that Alphabet will join the Dow Jones Industrial Average, replacing Verizon in a significant reshuffling of the blue-chip index that reflects the tech giant’s central economic role. The change takes effect on Friday. The announcement came even as Alphabet’s stock had dropped sharply amid concerns about AI talent, suggesting index managers are positioning for the company’s long-term dominance rather than its near-term stock performance. Source
Oil prices edged lower on Wednesday, with Brent crude at $75.59 and WTI at $71.88, as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz continued a slow recovery and the U.S. Treasury’s 60-day Iranian oil sanctions waiver took effect. Iran’s oil supply returning to the market has analysts at Greenlight Commodities projecting prices could slide into the $60-per-barrel range if transit normalizes over the next several weeks. See Details
Market Report
| Symbol | Last Close | % Change | |
| Dow Jones | DJIA | $35,000.00 | 0.09% |
| S&P 500 | SPX | $4,500.00 | 1.00% |
| Nasdaq Composite | IXIC | $140,000.00 | 0.90% |
| Alphabet Inc. | GOOG | $346.08 | -0.77% |
| Tesla, Inc. | TSLA | $381.61 | -5.79% |
| Apple Inc. | AAPL | $294.30 | -0.91% |
| Microsoft Corp. | MSFT | $373.94 | 1.80% |
World News
The International Maritime Organization announced Wednesday it will begin evacuating approximately 11,000 sailors who have been stranded on ships near the Strait of Hormuz since the U.S.-Iran war began on February 28. IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez said safety guarantees from Iran, Oman, the U.S., and other coastal states are now in place, and the evacuation is being coordinated with both Washington and Tehran as Strait traffic continues to slowly recover. Read More
A deadly heat dome tightened its grip over western Europe on Wednesday, with France enduring its hottest recorded day ever, and at least 42 people drowning while seeking relief from the heat since June 18. The UK Met Office issued Red Extreme Heat Warnings, forecasting temperatures to reach at least 102° F in England — which would shatter the June record. Experts warned that the combination of extreme temperatures and widespread lack of air conditioning creates particular danger for the elderly and very young. Read More
Hezbollah accused Israel of a ” blatant violation” of the U.S.-Iran 14-point ceasefire framework on Wednesday, after Lebanon’s Health Ministry confirmed that Israeli forces killed two people in southern Lebanon on Tuesday. The killings followed two days of relative calm after a ceasefire was brokered Saturday, and renewed Hezbollah fire into northern Israel. The flare-up threatens to destabilize the broader diplomatic talks, since Iran has demanded that a full Lebanon truce be part of any comprehensive deal. See Details
Entertainment
HBO Max released the first full trailer on Tuesday for “Stuart Fails to Save the Universe,” a multiversal “Big Bang Theory” spinoff premiering July 23. The Hollywood Reporter noted the series reunites several original cast members around the beloved comic-book-store owner, Stuart, and arrives as HBO Max aggressively courts nostalgia IP ahead of its fall programming push. Read More
Music legends offer their condolences for Clive Davis, the iconic producer who passed away at the age of 94 and was known for discovering stars like Whitney Houston. See Details
Sports
Canada and Switzerland faced off Wednesday afternoon at BC Place in Vancouver in a pivotal Group B finale, with Switzerland needing a win to claim first place and Canada needing only a draw to advance as group winners. Canada arrives as group leaders after their historic 6-0 thrashing of Qatar — the nation’s first-ever men’s World Cup win — while Switzerland won 4-1 over Bosnia with a spectacular brace from 20-year-old sub Johan Manzambi. Source
Bleacher Report detailed Tuesday’s PGA Tour announcement: the Championship Series will launch in 2028 with at least 10 confirmed events, all with purses of $20M+; a reimagined postseason will feature new match play elements; and players can earn automatic promotion from the Challenger Series by winning a major or multiple Challenger events within a single season. Tiger Woods called the new model ” the strongest possible version of the PGA Tour for future generations.” Source
Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo became the first male player to score in six different World Cups with a brace in Portugal’s 5-0 win over Uzbekistan. See Details
Off the Wall
Chad Caruso completed a 3,000-mile skateboard crossing from Venice Beach, California, to Jacksonville, Florida, in just 39 days — averaging 72 miles per day — breaking the Guinness World Record he set in 2023 when the same trip took him 57 days. Caruso said the real motivation was marking a decade of sobriety: ” Skateboarding was the thing that kept me out of trouble. Everything turned out better.” Find out More
