Supreme Court Rulings and Middle East Tensions – 6/18/2025

The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld plans for temporary nuclear waste storage in Texas and New Mexico, while tensions escalate in the Middle East with ongoing Israel-Iran conflicts prompting U.S. evacuation plans for Americans in Israel. Domestic issues include a drop in U.S. unemployment claims and legal developments in the NYC mayoral primary race.

United States

  • Miami joins ICE Task Force to assist in apprehending illegal immigrants
  • Trump calls Fed Chair Powell “a stupid person” and muses about self-appointing to the Fed
  • Warren falsely claims bill “cuts access to healthcare” for vulnerable, while it protects their benefits
  • Trump’s overnight approval rating hits 55.96% nationwide, per Rasmussen Poll
  • Social Security and Medicare funds projected to deplete by 2033, earlier than prior estimates, per Reuters
  • Homeland Security Secretary Noem requires personal approval for all contracts over $100,000, per CNN
  • U.S. unemployment claims drop to 245,000 last week, per APNews, TheNextGenBusiness
  • CAR T-cell therapy shows promise for lupus treatment, per NYTimes, TheNextGenBusiness
  • Klarna to launch U.S. mobile plans with Gigs, per CNBCInternational, TheNextGenBusiness
  • Major U.S. companies cut workforces to boost efficiency, per WSJ, TheNextGenBusiness
  • Supreme Court backs Tennessee’s ban on transgender youth treatments, per NYTimes, TheNextGenBusiness
  • NYC Comptroller Brad Lander arrested at immigration courthouse amid Democrat resistance to Trump policies, per The New York Times
  • Karen Read’s second murder trial jury deliberates third day, per APNews, TheNextGenBusiness
  • Thune faces GOP pushback on Trump’s tax bill, per TheHill, TheNextGenBusiness
  • Cuomo leads Mamdani in tight NYC mayoral primary, per NYTimes, TheNextGenBusiness
  • Tyler Perry sued for $260M over alleged s-xual assault, per NYTimes, TheNextGenBusiness

Western States

  • Supreme Court upholds nuclear waste storage in Texas, New Mexico, per NewsNation, TheNextGenBusiness
  • Seven men charged in $100 million jewelry heist from Brink’s truck in California, per The Washington Post
  • Arizona’s Hamadeh seeks 2024 election ballot probe, per Newsweek, TheNextGenBusiness
  • Austin startup gets U.S. nod for autonomous freight guideway, per WSJ, TheNextGenBusiness
  • Extreme heat warnings issued in three states, per Newsweek, TheNextGenBusiness
  • U.S. deploys 2,000 additional National Guard troops to Los Angeles to protect federal functions, per NBC News

International

  • Fake dentist and assistants charged in Czech Republic for unlicensed practice after online training, per The Guardian
  • African Initiative media tied to Russian intelligence, per Euronews, TheNextGenBusiness
  • EU-Israel agreement suspension unlikely despite Gaza concerns, per Euronews, TheNextGenBusiness
  • Outbreak linked to Walmart, Kroger meals k-lls three, per NewsNation, TheNextGenBusiness

Middle East

  • U.S. initiates evacuations for Americans in Israel due to heightened Iran-Israel conflict
  • Tel Aviv sirens blare as Iran reportedly launches new missile assault
  • Israeli opposition leader Lapid praises Netanyahu’s decision to launch strikes on Iran, per SenWarren
  • Trump assures Americans he seeks to avoid a “long-term war” with Iran
  • Trump remains cryptic on striking Iran’s nuclear sites, saying “nobody knows what I’m going to do”
  • Trump hints at possible U.S. strike on Iranian nuclear sites amid ongoing Israel-Iran conflict, per Politico
  • U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem arranges evacuation flights and cruises for Americans leaving Israel, per CBS News
  • Iran’s Khamenei warns U.S. of “far greater” damage, per NewsNation, TheNextGenBusiness
  • Israel’s Tehran strikes divide Germany’s Iranian community, per WSJ, TheNextGenBusiness
  • Iran detains three suspects in Australian tourist’s sh–ting in Bali, per APNews, TheNextGenBusiness