“The Supreme Court on Monday declined to consider President Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn a 2023 jury verdict holding him liable for the sexual abuse and defamation of writer E. Jean Carroll, dealing a final blow to the president’s effort to thwart one of the most significant legal victories against him. Carroll’s lawsuit accused Trump of raping her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the 1990s and then describing her allegations as a ‘hoax’ after she went public with them during the first term of his presidency. The Supreme Court’s decision not to intervene means Trump will have to pay Carroll the $5 million judgment, plus interest, that the jury awarded her. Trump, however, is still appealing a much larger judgment — $83.3 million plus interest — awarded to Carroll after a second trial that found Trump liable for other acts of defamation.” (06/29/26)
“An explosion at a residential building in Monaco has left three people injured, including Ukrainian oligarch Vadym Yermolaiev, in an incident that the authorities say was almost certainly an attack targeting the tycoon. Mr Yermolaiev and his wife were fighting for their lives in critical condition after the explosion, according to reports, while a 13-year-old child was also badly injured. … Mr Yermolaiev is a major real estate developer in Dnipro. … He left Ukraine several years ago, renounced his Ukrainian citizenship in 2019 and became a citizen of Cyprus. In 2023, he was placed under Ukrainian sanctions by president Volodymyr Zelensky, who imposed a 10-year sanctions package over allegations tied to his alcohol business operations in Russia-occupied [sic] Crimea.” (06/30/26)
“US envoys are flying into Doha for high-level peace talks amid a renewed spate of strikes, despite claims from Tehran that no such talks have been arranged. Secretary of state Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to represent the US, a White House official said. ‘IRAN HAS REQUESTED A MEETING. IT WILL TAKE PLACE TOMORROW IN DOHA,’ Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social. However, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, said no talks between Iran and the US were scheduled in the coming days.” (06/30/26)
“The US Supreme Court just issued a ruling that limits geofence searches by law enforcement agencies, which could have major ramifications for privacy rights across the country. For the uninitiated, this is a relatively recent law enforcement technique in which police tap into the databases of tech companies to see who was near the scene of a crime. In the 6-3 ruling, the country’s top court said that ‘an individual has a reasonable expectation of privacy in his cell-phone location information.’ Justice Elena Kagan said that geofence warrants violate the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition against unreasonable searches. Moving forward, law enforcement will have to obtain an actual search warrant to force a tech company into handing over geofence location data. Search warrants require probable cause, which geofence warrants do not.” (06/29/26)
“As Israeli troops and vehicles entered the town of Abdin in southern Syria, residents blocked the roads with rocks, and some young men and boys threw stones to push back the military patrol. Tensions in this part of the country created by a buffer zone occupied by Israeli forces have flared into violence in recent days, leaving residents anxious that more escalation is coming. Residents of Abdin, located near a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone now controlled by Israeli troops, tried to resist against a military incursion Sunday. Residents said Israeli troops fired warnings shots at walls and between the angry protesters, before firing artillery rounds at the village. … Israel seized control of a U.N.-patrolled buffer zone in southern Syria in December 2024, following the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar Assad in an insurgent offensive.” (06/29/26)
“The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday tossed out two cases involving new redistricting ballot measures that would have favored Democrats. One ruling said the redistricting measure violated the state constitution’s ‘single subject’ requirement that calls for measures proposed by petition to focus on one issue for inclusion on the ballot. The Democratic aligned group, Coloradans for a Level Playing Field, were seeking ballot initiatives that approved mid-decade redistricting and new congressional district maps for the 2028 and 2030 election cycles.” (06/29/26)
“Martin Marietta Materials said on Monday it would merge with limestone supplier Lhoist North America in a cash-and-stock deal worth $13.5 billion, as the building materials firm looks to tap growing demand for lime products. Shares of the Raleigh, North Carolina-based company were down 5% in morning trade. … Lhoist North America makes hi-calcium lime, dolomitic lime and industrial mineral products used in domestic steel manufacturing, infrastructure and heavy non-residential construction across North America.” (06/29/26)
“Poland and Sweden on Monday signed a €4.2 billion ($4.8 billion) arms deal at a ceremony in the Polish seaport of Gdynia on the Baltic Sea. In the deal, Poland’s State Treasury Armaments Agency ordered the purchase of three new submarines from Swedish aerospace and defense contractor Saab. A Monday press release from Saab outlined the sale, saying the company would begin delivering the vessels in 2030, with the final sub delivered in 2038. … Currently, Poland only has one submarine, an aging Russian vessel. To bridge the gap between now and 2030, Warsaw’s navy will be given use of the Swedish submarine HMS Södermanland.” (06/29/26)
“The Supreme Court upheld a Mississippi law Monday that allows mailed ballots to be counted if they were postmarked by Election Day and received within five business days. The justices’ ruling could protect voting in states with similar laws this November and is sure to feed President Trump’s frequent criticism of voting by mail. The Trump administration backed the law’s challengers, arguing that allowing states to count ballots received after Election Day undermines the integrity of federal elections. The court ruled 5-4 to uphold Mississippi’s law, with Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh dissenting.” (06/29/26)
“The District of Columbia has agreed to pay $50,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a resident who [correctly] accused police officers of illegally [abducting] him for following an Ohio National Guard patrol while playing Darth Vader’s theme song from ‘Star Wars’ on his cellphone, according to a document released Monday. The plaintiff, Sam O’Hara, sued the district, four Metropolitan Police Department officers and a guard member from Ohio over what he says was his act of protest against President Donald Trump’s federal law enforcement surge in Washington, D.C. … O’Hara’s settlement with the district doesn’t resolve his related claims against an Ohio National Guard member, Sgt. Devon Beck, who has asked a judge to dismiss O’Hara’s claims against him.” (06/29/26)
