Good evening, esteemed Operation Freedom listeners and subscribers. It is our pleasure to bring you this comprehensive briefing, summarizing the most recent news stories from across the United States and around the world.
**Summary Briefing**
**Education:** The Texas Board of Education has approved a statewide mandatory reading list that includes Bible stories, affecting approximately 5.5 million public school students.
**Government:**
* President Donald Trump shared a mockup of a new limited edition U.S. passport design to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary of independence.
* The President suggested European countries could face a 100% tariff if they implement a digital services tax (DST) on American companies.
* Talks with Iran are set for Tuesday in Qatar, following weekend hostilities between the United States and the Islamic Republic.
**Foreign Policy:**
* America’s space agency is planning to participate in various activities, including flyovers and hosting events at the Kennedy Space Center, to celebrate the 250th birthday of the United States.
* The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) rejected President Donald Trump’s bid to overturn a New York jury’s $5 million verdict finding him liable for alleged sexual abuse and defamation of former columnist E. Jean Carroll.
**Economy:**
* California motorists will face another increase in expenses at the pump starting July 1, 2026, as the state’s excise tax on gasoline is scheduled for its annual upward adjustment.
* President Donald Trump reiterated his demand for gasoline companies to lower their prices consistently with the dropping prices of oil amid the U.S.-Iran conflict.
**Sports:**
* The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) upheld state laws that ban biological males from participating in female sports.
**Domestic Issues:**
* Representative Nancy Pelosi announced she will teach a course at the Nancy Pelosi Institute (NPI) for Representative Democracy at the University of California (UC) Berkeley after retiring from nearly four decades of public service.
* First Lady Melania Trump released a statement approving of SCOTUS’s ruling banning biological males from women’s sports, while also signaling support for the LGBT+ community.
**Law and Order:**
* A New Mexico man was arrested on federal charges after allegedly posting comments online threatening to commit a mass shooting at a Pride parade in Texas.
* A California judge has rejected tech giant Meta’s bid to toss a ground-breaking lawsuit that accuses the company of deliberately designing social media platforms to hook children with highly addictive features.
**Health:**
* Representative Julia Letlow has won the Republican nomination for Senate in Louisiana, marking another win for a President Donald Trump-backed candidate.
* Idaho became the first state to institute a firing squad as the primary execution method for death row inmates.
**Miscellaneous:**
* An intense heatwave is expected to grip parts of central and eastern United States ahead of Independence Day festivities.
* California is drastically changing how grocery items are labeled under a new consumer protection law to cut down on food waste and prevent unnecessary confusion for shoppers.
Briefing Provided by: The Operation Freedom Press Corps
