WASHINGTON, June 17 -- The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee posted the following news release: * * * MAGA Lapdog Jay Feely Won't Say Trump Lost The 2020 Election * AZ-01 twice rejected election denier Kari Lake in 2022 and 2024 MAGA lapdog Jay Feely is way too extreme for Arizona's First Congressional District, new reporting from the Arizona Republic highlights. Despite AZ-01 being " an epicenter for conservative voters who have wavered on the GOP," Feely continues to stand firmly with Trump on everything from reckless tar more PR

EAST LANSING, Michigan, June 18 -- Michigan State University posted the following news: * * * 250 years after 'Wealth of Nations,' professor explores Smith's enduring relevance * Two hundred and fifty years after Adam Smith published "Wealth of Nations," Brianne Wolf will spend the last week of June in Edinburgh, the city where Smith spent his final years and is buried. There, Wolf will speak to U.S. federal judges about the 18th-century economist and philosopher's enduring influence on the American legal system. "An Inquiry into the Natu more PR

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- Americans for Tax Reform posted the following commentary on June 17, 2026, by Theresa Grover: * * * ATR Applauds Winning Pledge Signers in Oklahoma Primary Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) congratulates Taxpayer Protection Pledge signers who won primary elections in Oklahoma. By signing the Pledge, these candidates have made a written commitment to taxpayers to oppose and vote against tax hikes if elected to Congress. Oklahoma * Rep. Kevin Hern (SEN) * Mark Tedford (OK-01 Runoff) * Rep. Josh Brecheen (OK-02) * Rep more PR

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin, issued the following news release: * * * Baldwin, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Stop Trump from Using Military or Federal Law Enforcement to Interfere with Elections * WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and her colleagues are introducing a new bill to protect Americans' constitutional right to vote and prevent federal interference by armed military or federal law enforcement. The Protect Our Polls Act defends our free and fair elections, preserves the apolitical nature more PR

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- Archie Young, British interim deputy permanent representative to the United Nations in New York, emphasized the importance of keeping the U.N. support mission in Libya at the center of political reconciliation efforts in a statement at the U.N. Security Council. Young urged all Libyan actors to engage with the roadmap toward elections while condemning disinformation campaigns that threaten the safety of U.N. staff working to address irregular migration. He also welcomed the military cooperation seen in the recent Exerci more PR

ATLANTA, Georgia, June 18 [Category: BizMedia] -- CNN posted the following news: * * * CNN's Brian Abel Promoted to Anchor and Correspondent * Brian Abel has been promoted to CNN Anchor and Correspondent, the network announced today. In this new role, Abel will appear across CNN platforms, including CNN, CNNi and CNN Headlines, the network's domestic FAST channel, to deliver up-to-the-minute reporting while continuing to anchor on a fill in basis across CNN.  Abel was previously a correspondent for CNN Newsource, based in Washington, D.C. more PR

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- The Center for Strategic and International Studies issued the following commentary on June 18, 2026, by Emily Harding, director of the Intelligence, National Security, and Technology Program and vice president of the CSIS Defense and Security Department: * * * Iran Won the Negotiation, Even Though It Lost the War The full text of the framework agreement with Iran is now public, and it is lopsided. There is one piece of good news: Washington and Tehran are publicly describing the same deal. Previous purported agreement more PR

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- The Center for Strategic and International Studies issued the following Critical Questions Q&A on June 18, 2026, involving Aaron Stanley, deputy director and fellow of the Africa Program: * * * After the Supermajority: Ethiopia's Trajectory Following the 2026 Election Ethiopia held its general elections on June 1, and with the majority of votes now finalized, all signs point to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali's Prosperity Party having secured a vast majority. While many analysts confidently predicted these outcomes well  more PR

WASHINGTON, June 18 [Category: Political] -- EMILYs List issued the following news release: * * * EMILYs List Endorses Judge Penny Brown Reynolds for Georgia Secretary of State * Today EMILYs List, the nation's largest resource for women in politics, endorsed Judge Penny Brown Reynolds for Georgia secretary of state. EMILYs List President Jessica Mackler released the following statement:  "Judge Penny Brown Reynolds is a fierce fighter who has spent her life serving the people of Georgia. With voting rights and fundamental freedoms hangin more PR

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- The Federal Election Commission issued the following weekly digest: * * * Commission meetings and hearings No open meetings or executive sessions were scheduled this week. * * * Litigation Bernegger v. FEC (Case No. 26-213) On June 12, Plaintiff filed a Motion for Reconsideration of the June 10, 2026 Minute Order and a Memorandum of Points and Authorities in Support of Plaintiff's Motion for Reconsideration of the June 10, 2026 Minute Order in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. * * * Outreach O more PR

NEW YORK, June 18 [Category: Law/Legal] -- LatinoJustice PRLDEF posted the following news release: * * * Federal Court Allows Challenge to Executive Order Restricting Mail-in Voting to Proceed with Respect to the Midterm Elections * BOSTON - A federal court today ruled that nonpartisan voting rights groups could continue with their legal challenge (link is external) to President Trump's executive order restricting mail-in voting ahead of the upcoming 2026 primaries and November midterm elections. In the ruling, the court recognized that th more PR

WASHINGTON, June 18 [Category: Law/Legal] -- The Asian Americans Advancing Justice issued the following news release: * * * Federal Court Allows Challenge to Executive Order Restricting Mail-in Voting to Proceed with Respect to the Midterm Elections * BOSTON - A federal court today ruled that nonpartisan voting rights groups could continue with their legal challenge 1 to President Trump's executive order restricting mail-in voting ahead of the upcoming 2026 primaries and November midterm elections.  In the ruling, the court recognized tha more PR

NEW YORK, June 19 -- Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law issued the following news release on June 18, 2026: * * * Federal Court Allows Challenge to Executive Order Restricting Mail-in Voting to Proceed with Respect to the Midterm Elections The lawsuit brought by the Brennan Center and others against the Trump administration's executive order restricting mail voting is allowed to proceed. - A federal court today ruled that nonpartisan voting rights groups could continue with their legal challenge to President  more PR

ATLANTA, Georgia, June 18 -- Fisher Phillips, a law firm, issued the following insight on June 17, 2026: * * * We Predict That a Prediction Market Policy is In Your Future: 3 Steps to Crafting an Effective Policy Odds are good that someone in your workplace has money riding on the next interest rate decision, election outcome, or season finale of a reality show - and your existing workplace policies might not cover this new trend. Online prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket are booming, with participants spending nearly $5 billion p more PR

ATLANTA, Georgia, June 19 -- The Georgia Secretary of State issued the following news: * * * Secretary Raffensperger Applauds General Assembly for Acting on Non-Citizen Voting Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is applauding the Georgia General Assembly for following his lead and taking concrete action to ensure only American citizens vote in Georgia's elections. On Tuesday, SR 4EX was introduced in the Georgia Senate, which would create a constitutional amendment stating that "no person who is not a citizen of the United States shall be more PR

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- Rep. Daniel Goldman, D-New York, issued the following news release: * * * GOLDMAN, ANSARI INTRODUCE NEW LEGISLATION TO GUARD AGAINST FEDERAL ELECTION INTERFERENCE * Today, U.S. Representatives Dan Goldman (NY-10) and Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03) introduced the Voting Systems Protection Act, new legislation to guard against election interference by the federal government. The legislation comes in response to the Trump administration's repeated attempts to seize election infrastructure in several states over the last year as more PR

ALLENDALE, Michigan, June 19 -- Grand Valley State University issued the following Q&A on June 18, 2026, political science professor Polly Diven and economics professor Paul Isely: * * * GVSU Experts: A Q&A on the U.S.-Iran agreement and its global impact Profile picture for Brian Vernellis By Brian Vernellis Polly Diven, professor of political science, researches and teaches international relations and U.S. foreign policy. She discusses the diplomatic challenges, regional dynamics and long-term implications of the agreement for U.S. forei more PR

NEW YORK, June 19 -- The Hispanic Federation, an organization that supports and strengthens Latino institutions through education, health, immigration, civic engagement, economic empowerment and the environment, issued the following news release on June 18, 2026: * * * Hispanic Federation Convenes Latino Leaders from Eight States to Confront Federal Attacks at Encuentro Midwest Wisconsin Lt. Governor Sara Rodriguez joins for a fireside chat to discuss issues affecting Latinos in the Midwest - Milwaukee, WI - On Thursday, nearly 100 Latino more PR

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wisconsin, chairman of the House Administration Committee, issued the following news release on June 18, 2026: * * * Chairman Steil Introduces the Stop Lawmakers from Predicting Act Today, Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil (WI-01) introduced the Stop Lawmakers from Predicting Act. This legislation prohibits Members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children from wagering on public policy issues and political outcomes. "The American people deserve to know their Member of more PR

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wisconsin, chairman of the House Administration Committee, issued the following news release on June 18, 2026: * * * Chairman Steil Introduces the Voter ID Act Today, Committee on House Administration Chairman Bryan Steil (WI-01) introduced the Voter ID Act. This commonsense legislation requires voters to show a photo ID when casting a ballot in an election for federal office. The bill also creates a new fund administered by the Election Assistance Commission to reimburse states who provide free IDs more PR

NEW YORK, June 19 [Category: International] -- Human Rights Watch posted the following commentary by Asia Advocacy Director John Sifton: * * * Research Is Not a Crime China's Arrest of US Scholar Part of Worsening Trend - The recent arrest of a prominent political analyst on Myanmar visiting China demonstrates Beijing's intensifying intolerance of any independent voices or viewpoints not to their liking. On June 3, Chinese authorities reportedly detained Min Zin, a US citizen from Myanmar and the executive director of the Institute for St more PR

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Michigan, issued the following news release: * * * ICYMI: Slotkin Press Conference on Bill to Stop Trump from Deploying Military to Interfere in Elections * WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) held a press conference to announce the introduction of the Protect our Polls Act, new legislation that would stop President Trump's ability to deploy troops or armed federal agents to polling places or to seize e more PR

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- The International Monetary Fund issued the following news release: * * * IMF Executive Board Concludes 2026 Article IV Consultation with Burundi The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation[/1] with Burundi. Burundi remains a fragile post-conflict country facing weak institutions, widespread poverty, and spillovers from conflict in neighboring DRC. Economic conditions improved in 2025, with growth reaching 4.2 percent on the back of stronger coffee and gold exports more PR

WASHINGTON, June 17 -- Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, issued the following news release: * * * In Spotlight Forum, Cantwell Calls Out Trump Trampling On Voting Rights: "This Is About Our Constitutional Rights, & Whether We're Going To Uphold Them Or Not" * Today, Trump again pressures Senate Republicans to pass voter suppression bill; Cantwell tapped by Schumer to join a task force of senators fighting back against the Trump administration's illegal overreach into free elections  WASHINGTON, D.C. - Yesterday, U.S. Senator Maria Cantw more PR

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- The Jamestown Foundation issued the following commentary on June 18, 2026, by Paul Goble, specialist on ethnic and religious questions in Eurasia, in the foundation's Eurasia Daily Monitor: * * * Moscow Pushing North Caucasians to Adopt a Common Civic Russian Identity Executive Summary: * Alarmed by new data showing that the non-Russian nations of the North Caucasus lag far behind Russians as a whole in identifying as civic Russians, the Kremlin is now working to force North Caucasians to adopt this broader identifica more PR

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- The Jamestown Foundation posted the following commentary on June 17, 2026, by Vali Kaleji, an expert on Central Asia and Caucasian studies in Tehran, Iran, in the foundation's Eurasia Daily Monitor: * * * Armenian Election Results Hold Contradictory Implications for Iran Executive Summary: * Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's victory in Armenia's June 7 parliamentary elections reinforces the country's pro-Western trajectory and is likely to advance peace with Azerbaijan and normalization with Turkiye, leading t more PR

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona, issued the following news release: * * * Kelly, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Stop Trump from Using Military or Federal Law Enforcement to Interfere with Elections * This week, Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), and Raphael Warnock (D-GA) introduced the Protect Our Polls Act to protect the integrity of American elections from federal interference by armed military or fed more PR

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- The League of Women Voters issued the following news release on June 18, 2026: * * * Federal Court Allows Challenge to Executive Order Restricting Mail-in Voting to Proceed with Respect to the Midterm Elections BOSTON - A federal court today ruled that nonpartisan voting rights groups could continue with their legal challenge to President Trump's executive order restricting mail-in voting ahead of the upcoming 2026 primaries and November midterm elections. In the ruling, the court recognized that the Trump administra more PR

AUGUSTA, Maine, June 19 -- The Maine Secretary of State issued the following news release: * * * Maine Secretary of State's Office announces ranked choice tabulations The Elections division today completed ranked choice tabulations on five June 9, 2006 Primary Election races. Based on ranked choice tabulations, final results for each race are as follows: Governor - Republican * Winner: Bobby Charles * Eliminated by round: 1-Libby, 2-Wessels, 3-Jones, 4-McCarthy, 5-Mason, 6-Bush Runner-up Midgley Governor - Democrat * Winner: Hannah Pin more PR

LANSING, Michigan, June 18 -- The Michigan Democratic Party issued the following statement on June 17, 2026: * * * STATEMENT: Mike Rogers Runs from His Record of Supporting Threats to Block the Gordie Howe Bridge Failed GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers knows that his support for blocking the Gordie Howe Bridge from opening is bad for Michigan's economy and out-of-step with what Michiganders want - and now, he's trying to run from his record. But actions speak louder than words, and Michiganders won't forget that Mike Rogers has consistentl more PR

COLUMBUS, Ohio, June 18 -- The Ohio Democratic Party posted the following news: * * * Ohio Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Clyde Calls on Gov. Mike DeWine to Veto Harmful Vote-by-Mail Restrictions * COLUMBUS, OH - Ohio Democratic Party Chair Kathleen Clyde issued the following statement calling on Governor Mike DeWine to veto Ohio Republicans' latest vote-by-mail photo ID legislation, which local elections officials are already slamming as "just bad for election administration": "Ohio's elections are already safe and secure. These new pho more PR

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- Sen. Alex Padilla, D-California, issued the following news release: * * * Padilla, Slotkin Lead Bill to Block Trump from Deploying Federal Law Enforcement at Polling Places * WASHINGTON, D.C. -Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee and California's former Secretary of State, joined U.S. Senators Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), and Raphael  more PR

WASHINGTON, June 18 [Category: Political] -- Reproductive Freedom for All (formerly the NARAL Pro-Choice America) posted the following news release: * * * Reproductive Freedom for All Endorses Chris Mann for Kansas Attorney General * Today, Reproductive Freedom for All announced its endorsement of Chris Mann for Kansas attorney general. A longtime civil servant and prosecutor, Mann has built his career serving Kansans and protecting the public. He has cemented himself as a reproductive freedom champion who will hold the line against attacks more PR

LONDON, England, June 18 [Category: BizMedia] -- Civil Society Media, an independent media company that says it is dedicated to supporting the charity sector, posted the following news: * * * Scottish parliament backs third sector partnership plans * Members of the Scottish parliament have backed the devolved government's plans to introduce a new partnership agreement with the charity sector. In February, the Scottish government revealed its plans for the agreement, which it said would focus on "fairer funding", shared goals to improve ou more PR

WASHINGTON, June 18 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following news release on June 16, 2026: * * * As President Trump Attacks Americans' Voting Rights, Durbin Delivers Opening Statement Calling To Protect Election Security During Spotlight Forum U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement at a spotlight forum on protecting election security as the Trump Administration continues to rest more PR

WASHINGTON, June 19 -- The U.S. Department of the Treasury issued the following news release on June 18, 2026: * * * Treasury Targets Hizballah-Aligned Officials and Intensifies Pressure on Global Financial Network Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is designating Hizballah-aligned Lebanese officials, as well as members of a Hizballah-associated business network overseen by Alaa Hassan Hamieh, also known as Alaa Hamieh. The Lebanese officials designated today have used their influence to obst more PR

WASHINGTON, June 18 (TNSLrpt) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following report (No. R48997) on June 16, 2026, entitled "U.S.-Panama Relations: Overview and Issues for Congress" by foreign affairs analyst Joshua Klein. Here are excerpts: * * * SUMMARY The United States and Panama generally have maintained close relations since Panama's independence in 1903. Close bilateral ties are largely rooted in the extensive linkages developed between the two countries when the United States controlled the Panama Canal and Panama hosted more PR

GENEVA, Switzerland, June 18 [Category: Religion] -- The World Council of Churches posted the following news: * * * WCC invites churches around the world to pray for Colombia * As Colombia approaches the second round of its presidential elections, the World Council of Churches (WCC) is inviting its member churches and all people of goodwill to pray for peace in the nation. The prayer asks for a just, comprehensive, and sustainable peace for the people. " Be with the people and the churches of Colombia in their search for justice, human rig more PR