By Haley Lyons
Edited by Elissa D. Hecker
Entertainment
Customers Sue Madison Square Garden Over Hacking of 26 Million Records
Three class-action lawsuits were filed against Madison Square Garden after ShinyHunters, a hacking group, allegedly published more than 26 million stolen records, including customer and corporate data, following an unsuccessful ransom demand.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/23/nyregion/madison-square-garden-data-breach-hackers.html
Weinstein Will Be Resentenced in California Rape Case
A California appellate court upheld Harvey Weinstein’s 2022 rape conviction but ruled he must be resentenced because his original sentence relied in part on a New York conviction that has since been overturned.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/26/us/harvey-weinstein-california-resentencing.html
YouTube Stars Breach Hollywood’s Most Gilded Gate
Creative Artists Agency has expanded its focus on digital creators, making them a central part of its business as the creator economy continues to grow and creators increasingly cross over into traditional entertainment.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/22/business/media/youtube-hollywood-creative-artists-agency.html
Washington D.C. Settles Suit With Protester Arrested After Playing ‘Star Wars’ Song Near Deployed Troops
The District of Columbia agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by a protester who alleged he was wrongfully arrested after playing the "Imperial March" from Star Wars while demonstrating against the deployment of National Guard troops.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/26/us/politics/dc-star-wars-national-guard-protest.html
Arts
Photos Behind Kennedy Center Tarps Show No Sign of President Trump’s Name
Photos released by an activist group showed President Donald Trump’s name had been removed from the Kennedy Center’s facade after a federal judge ordered its removal.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/23/arts/music/kennedy-center-trump-name-photos-tarps.html
What Happened to Broadway’s New Musicals? This Year, They Vanished.
Broadway saw a sharp decline in new musicals during the 2025-26 season, as rising production costs, weak recent box office performances, limited theater availability, and cautious investors made it more difficult to bring original musicals to the stage.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/24/theater/broadway-new-musical-theater.html
Texas Public School Students Will Be Required to Read the Bible
Texas approved a statewide required reading list for public school students that includes classic literature and Bible excerpts, making it the first state to mandate a common book list for all grade levels across the state.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/25/us/texas-schools-book-list.html
M.I.T. ‘Embarrassed by New Book on Campus Antisemitism, Professor Says
Yossi Sheffi, an M.I.T. professor of 48 years, accused the university of refusing to fund promotional efforts for his new book criticizing the school's handling of antisemitism on campus, claiming that administrators are trying to minimize its impact.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/25/us/mit-antisemitism-book.html
Sports
Protects College Sports Act passes Senate committee amid continued Big Ten, SEC opposition
The Senate Commerce Committee advanced the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act, the first college sports reform bill to reach this stage in the Senate. The bill would create a national framework for college athletics by codifying name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights and establishing uniform eligibility and transfer rules.
https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/protect-college-sports-act-passes-senate-committee-big-ten-sec-opposition/
Newsletter, Image, Likeness Vol. 190: The NCAA Finally Fixed Eligibility…Then It Drew The Line At The Wrong Place.
The NCAA adopted a new age-based eligibility model but excluded athletes who exhausted their eligibility during the 2025-2026 academic year, prompting criticism and legal challenges that the rule unfairly denies the high school class of 2022 an additional year of eligibility.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/newsletter-image-likeness-vol-190-ncaa-finally-fixed-drew-heitner-wavue/?trackingId=wpQUF8kRTPWgYprupKweMA%3D%3D
FIFA’s great World Cup stadium cover-up: How sponsors were hidden and who did it best
FIFA required World Cup host stadiums to remove or cover venue sponsors as part of its clean stadium policy, prompting extensive efforts across host cities to temporarily rename and rebrand stadiums.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7369850/2026/06/23/world-cup-stadium-sponsors-covered/
Man charged with stalking Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham
An Indianapolis man was charged with stalking, intimidation, and harassment after allegedly sending Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham multiple threatening and explicit messages. This incident marks the second stalking case involving an Indiana Fever player in the past year.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7391393/2026/06/24/sophie-cunningham-indiana-fever-stalker/
Former Olympic skier Bode Miller’s drug charges dropped by prosecutor’s office
Prosecutors in Idaho dropped the misdemeanor drug charges against former Olympic skier Bode Miller, stating that new information made dismissal of the case in the interest of justice.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7395305/2026/06/25/bode-miller-drug-charges-dropped/
Iran captain Mehdi Taremi accuses FIFA of staging ‘disaster World Cup’: ‘No one helps us’
Iran captain Mehdi Taremi criticized FIFA’s handling of his team’s World Cup campaign, calling it a “disaster” and citing ongoing travel and logistical issues that he said placed Iran at a competitive disadvantage.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7400502/2026/06/27/iran-mehdi-taremi-fifa-world-cup/
Cristiano Ronaldo social media storm reveals the dystopian backdrop to this World Cup
Comments made by João Neves about Cristiano Ronaldo were taken out of context on social media, which triggered online abuse directed at Neves, his partner, and others during Portugal’s World Cup campaign.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7380934/2026/06/21/cristiano-ronaldo-social-media-world-cup/
‘Hard to Say Goodbye’: Aqueduct Racetrack to Close After 132 Years
Aqueduct Racetrack will close after 132 years, with live racing moving to the newly renovated Belmont Park, marking the end of New York City’s last remaining thoroughbred racetrack.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/27/nyregion/aqueduct-racetrack-closing.html
CFL will not allow its teams to sign Brendan Sorsby in 2026
The Canadian Football League announced that its teams will not be permitted to sign former Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby in 2026 following his permanent NCAA ineligibility for violating gambling rules and the NFL’s rejection of his supplemental draft application.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7398325/2026/06/26/brendan-sorsby-cfl-signing-ban/
Media/Technology
Justice Dept. Issued, Then Withdrew, Grand Jury Subpoenas of Journalists
The Justice Department withdrew grand jury subpoenas seeking testimony from reporters at The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post after the news organizations challenged them in court. The subpoenas signaled an escalation in the Trump administration’s efforts to compel journalists to cooperate with criminal leak investigations.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/23/us/subpoenas-wall-street-journal-washington-post.html
N.S.A. Lost Access to Powerful A.I. Model Amid Anthropic Dispute
The National Security Agency lost access to Anthropic’s advanced A.I. models after the Trump administration-imposed export controls on the company, interrupting the agency’s cybersecurity testing.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/23/us/politics/nsa-lost-access-anthropic-tool.html
‘The View’ Asks its Audience for Help in Battle With F.C.C.
ABC began airing messages urging viewers to support ‘The View’ as the F.C.C. investigates whether the daytime talk show violated federal equal airtime rules for political candidates.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/22/business/media/the-view-fcc-abc-investigation.html
Mark Zuckerberg Directed Meta to Create a Prediction Markets App
Meta is developing an experimental standalone prediction markets app, internally called “Arena,” as part of an effort to expand into emerging online social behaviors.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/23/technology/meta-prediction-markets-app.html
CBS News’s Independent Watchdog Stays Quiet Amid ‘60 Minutes’ Turmoil
CBS News’s ombudsman has remained publicly silent amid controversy surrounding ‘60 Minutes’, prompting criticism that the role has failed to provide public accountability during the network’s recent turmoil.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/23/business/media/cbs-news-ombudsman.html
Chaos Came to CBS News. What’s in Store for CNN?
CNN employees are preparing for major changes as David Ellison’s pending merger would place the network under the same ownership as CBS News, raising concerns about future leadership and editorial direction.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/27/business/media/cnn-bari-weiss-david-ellison.html
General News
Senate Votes to Check Trump’s War Powers, Rebuking Him on Iran
The Senate approved a resolution directing Trump to stop military operations against Iran or seek congressional authorization to continue them. The vote marked the first time since 1973 that both chambers of Congress have passed such a war powers measure.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/23/us/politics/senate-trump-war-powers-iran.html
Trump Stokes Chaos in Congress as He Huddles With the G.O.P.
Trump canceled plans to sign a bipartisan housing bill and pressed Senate Republicans to pass new voting restrictions, escalating tensions within the party and stalling the Republican agenda in Congress.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/24/us/politics/trump-senate-republicans-meeting.html
Trump Asks Congress for $88 Billion, Mostly for War With Iran
Trump asked Congress to approve $87.6 billion in additional spending, including about $70 billion for the war with Iran, but the request faced strong bipartisan skepticism and was expected to struggle in the Senate.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/24/us/politics/trump-congress-iran-war-pentagon.html
Iran Risks Peace Talks With U.S. to Maintain Leverage Over Strait
Iran is risking renewed conflict with the United States to preserve its control over the Strait of Hormuz, viewing the strategic waterway as critical leverage in ongoing peace negotiations and any future nuclear agreement.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/28/world/europe/iran-us-strait-of-hormuz-peace-talks.html
Renewed Strikes Threaten to Set Back Shipping Recovery in Persian Gulf
Renewed U.S. and Iranian strikes in the Strait of Hormuz have disrupted the recovery of commercial shipping traffic, raising renewed concerns over the safety of a critical global oil and gas transit route.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/27/business/strait-of-hormuz-shipping-iran.html
Supreme Court Restores Conviction in 1979 Murder of Etan Patz
The Supreme Court restored Pedro Hernandez’s conviction for the 1979 kidnapping and murder of Etan Patz, reversing a lower court ruling that had granted him a new trial.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/22/us/politics/etan-patz-pedro-hernandez.html
Supreme Court Bars Lawsuit After Prison Guards Shaved Inmate’s Deadlocks
The Supreme Court ruled that a Rastafarian inmate whose dreadlocks were shaved by prison guards could not sue individual state prison officials for money damages under federal law because the law did not authorize claims against individual state employees.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/23/us/politics/supreme-court-inmates-dreadlocks.html
Justices Reject Lawsuit Claiming U.S. Company Helped China Target Spiritual Group
Tthe Supreme Court ruled that members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement could not sue Cisco Systems, a U.S. technology company, under the Alien Tort Statute for allegedly helping the Chinese government target and torture them, further limiting the scope of the law.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/23/us/politics/supreme-court-cisco-falun-gong.html
Supreme Court Expands Trump’s Power of Immigration
In two 6-3 decisions, the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status for certain migrants and resume turning away asylum seekers at the southern border, expanding the president’s authority over immigration policy.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/25/us/politics/supreme-court-temporary-protected-status.html
Immigration Hard-Liners Repeatedly Lost in Court Before Justices Ruled in Their Favor
The Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration can end Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands of Haitian and Syrian migrants, allowing the administration to move forward with deportations of affected individuals.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/26/us/politics/supreme-court-trump-tps.html?searchResultPosition=7
Supreme Court says Alito’s verbal reaction to Sotomayor was based on a ‘misunderstanding’
The Supreme Court said Justice Samuel Alito's public response to Justice Sonia Sotomayor during the announcement of an asylum ruling stemmed from a misunderstanding over whether she would read her dissent from the bench.
https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/26/politics/supreme-court-alito-verbal-reaction-sotomayor-misunderstanding
Supreme Court Rejects Lawsuit Alleging Roundup Weedkiller Caused Cancer
The Supreme Court sided with the manufacturer of the weedkiller Roundup and ruled that federal law preempts state-law claims requiring Roundup to carry a cancer warning label. The decision overturned a Missouri jury award and could affect thousands of similar lawsuits against Bayer.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/25/us/politics/supreme-court-weedkiller-roundup-bayer.html
Supreme Court Overturns Hawaii Gun Law
The Supreme Court struck down a Hawaii law requiring gun owners to obtain permission before carrying concealed firearms onto private property open to the public, ruling in a 6-3 decision that the restriction violated the Second Amendment.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/25/us/supreme-court-hawaii-gun-law.html
Federal Citizenship Data Tool Cannot Be Used to Screen Voters, Judge Rules
A federal judge barred the Trump administration from allowing states to use a federal citizenship database to screen voter rolls after finding that the practice violated laws governing the disclosure of sensitive personal data.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/22/us/politics/federal-citizenship-database-voting.html
Judge Finds Justice Dept. Overreach in Subpoenas to Minnesota Officials
A federal judge quashed Justice Department subpoenas issued to Minnesota officials, finding that they were improperly used to target officials over their positions on immigration enforcement.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/22/us/minnesota-democrats-judge-ruling.html
Appeals Court Allows Trump to Resume Expedited Deportations Nationwide
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled, in a 2-to-1 vote that the Trump administration can resume using expedited deportations nationwide, restoring a policy that permits the rapid removal of certain undocumented immigrants without immigration hearings.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/23/us/politics/appeals-court-expedited-deportations.html
Justice Department Makes It Easier to Bypass Pollution Controls on Pickups
The Justice Department has stopped pursuing criminal prosecutions against people who install illegal devices that bypass diesel truck emissions controls, instead limiting enforcement to civil cases. The policy change reverses years of criminal enforcement under the Clean Air Act and aligns with the Trump administration’s broader rollback of environmental regulations.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/22/climate/justice-department-defeat-devices-diesel-truck-pollution.html
Trump Gives Teamsters a Chance to Shed Oversight Meant to Curb Mob Ties
The Teamsters and the Justice Department asked a federal judge to end decades of court-ordered oversight of the union, eliminating monitoring established in 1989 to curb organized crime ties.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/23/business/economy/teamsters-justice-sean-obrien.html
U.S. Begins Investigating Polymarket, a Test of a Key Regulator
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has opened a new investigation into Polymarket to determine whether the prediction market company, which has ties to Donald Trump Jr., is illegally serving U.S. customers.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/26/us/politics/cftc-investigating-polymarket-trump.html
Interior Department Moves to Relax Rules for Drilling on Public Lands
The Interior Department proposed rolling back environmental rules for drilling on public lands by lowering costs and weakening requirements for fossil fuel companies.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/22/climate/trump-drilling-public-lands.html
White House Secretly Swayed Board Meant to Stop Civil Service Politicization
A Merit Systems Protection Board ruling adopted the Trump administration’s broad view of presidential authority over the executive branch, potentially weakening long-standing civil service protections. The decision followed reported behind-the-scenes efforts by White House officials to influence the board’s approach, raising concerns about its independence.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/28/us/politics/trump-firings-workers-merit-systems-protection-board.html
Energy Dept. Unveils $17.5 Billion Plan to Kick-Start New Nuclear Plants
The Trump administration announced a plan to provide up to $17.5 billion in federal loans, overseen by the Energy Department, to help utilities purchase components for up to 10 new nuclear reactors to expand domestic nuclear power generation.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/23/climate/trump-energy-nuclear-loans.html
Postmaster General Conforms Plan to Hold Back Mail Ballots Under Proposed Rule
Postmaster General David Steiner confirmed that, under a proposed Postal Service rule aligned with Trump’s executive order, the agency would not deliver mail-in ballots in states that decline to provide voter data to the federal government.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/24/us/politics/postmaster-mail-ballot-rule-trump-elections.html
Trump Administration Sues New York State Over ICE Mask Ban
The Trump administration sued New York over a law banning federal immigration agents from wearing masks, arguing that it is unconstitutional and interferes with federal immigration enforcement.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/23/nyregion/ice-masks-ny-ban-trump-lawsuit.html
California’s Plastic Law Goes to Court: Is It Too Strict or Too Lax?
A coalition of 17 states and several environmental groups filed separate lawsuits challenging California’s plastics law, arguing that it either exceeds the state’s authority or is being implemented with loopholes that weaken its effectiveness.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/24/us/california-single-use-plastics-lawsuits.html
Judge Throws Out Federal Suit Against 4 N.J. ‘Sanctuary’ Cities
A federal judge dismissed the Justice Department’s lawsuit against four New Jersey cities over their sanctuary policies, ruling that the case was legally flawed because it failed to challenge the state directive governing local cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/24/us/politics/new-jersey-sanctuary-cities-lawsuit.html
Colorado Supreme Court Delay Threatens Redistricting Effort
The Colorado Supreme Court’s delay in ruling on the validity of two Democratic-backed redistricting ballot measures has raised concerns that the proposals may not qualify for the November ballot in time to redraw congressional maps before 2028.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/27/us/politics/democrats-colorado-redistricting-state-court.html
Oil Industry Lawyers Fight a $50 Billion Climate Case in Oregon
Lawyers for major oil companies urged an Oregon court to dismiss a $50 billion lawsuit alleging that the companies' deception about climate change contributed to the deadly 2021 Portland heat wave, arguing that the claims are preempted by federal law.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/26/climate/portland-heat-wave-lawsuit-oil-industry.html
Protesters Accused of Antifa Ties Sentenced to Up to 100 Years in ICE Attack
A federal judge sentenced the leader of a group accused of antifa ties to 100 years in prison, with seven other defendants receiving sentences between 50 and 70 years for their roles in an armed attack on an ICE detention facility in Texas that resulted in a police officer being shot. The case marked the first terrorism convictions involving alleged antifa members.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/23/us/politics/antifa-ice-protesters-sentencing.html
John Bolton, Former Trump Adviser, Pleads Guilty in Classified Information Case
Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton pled guilty to illegally retaining classified information related to notes for his 2020 memoir, which could result in up to five years in prison.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/26/us/politics/john-bolton-trump-classified-guilty-plea.html
Yale Seeks Trump Administration Deal As It Faces Sprawling Investigation
Yale is seeking a settlement with the Trump administration as the Justice Department investigates whether its undergraduate, law, and medical school admissions practices unlawfully discriminate against white and Asian applicants. The investigation reflects the administration’s broader effort to enforce its interpretation of the Supreme Court’s decision banning race-conscious admissions.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/26/us/politics/yale-trump-administration-admissions-race.html
FEMA Official Who Claimed He Once Teleported to a Waffle House Is Leaving
Gregg Phillips, a top FEMA official, took leave from the agency after facing scrutiny over a series of bizarre claims, including that he had once been teleported to a Waffle House while undergoing cancer treatment.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/26/climate/gregg-phillips-fema-waffle-house.html
Trump Cut a Billion-Dollar Mining Deal. His Sons Stand to Profit.
The Trump administration secured a mining agreement giving Kaz Resources access to a major tungsten reserve in Kazakhstan while considering up to $1.6 billion in federal financing for the project. The deal has drawn scrutiny because Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and the sons of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick have financial ties to companies involved in the project, raising concerns over potential conflicts of interest.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/28/world/europe/trump-lutnick-sons-kazakhstan.html
A Look Inside the Welcome Bags Planned for White South African Refugees
The Trump administration plans to provide welcome bags to white South African refugees containing U.S. founding documents and educational materials promoting its views on American and South African history.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/23/us/politics/south-africa-refugees-welcome-bags.html
China Tightens Rare-Earth Grip on U.S. Firms, Threatening Trade Clash
China imposed new restrictions on exports of certain rare-earth metals to two U.S. companies leading efforts to expand domestic rare-earth production, threatening renewed trade tensions between the two countries.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/22/business/china-rare-earths.html
Trump’s Vows to ‘Run’ Venezuela After Quakes
The death toll from the earthquakes in northern Venezuela rose to at least 920 as international rescue teams, including U.S. personnel, arrived to assist with relief efforts amid criticism of the government's response to the disaster.
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/06/26/world/venezuela-earthquake
Keir Starmer Resigns as U.K. Prime Minister, Yielding to a Party Mutiny
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced his resignation as leader of the Labour Party and said he will remain in office until a successor is selected. His departure will likely pave the way for Andy Burnham to become Britain’s next prime minister.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/22/world/europe/keir-starmer-andy-burnham-prime-minister-britain.html
Ebola Outbreak Could Become Largest Ever, Africa’s C.D.C. Warns
Africa's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo could become the largest ever unless contact tracing improves, with health officials currently reaching only about 30% of exposed individuals.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/25/world/africa/africa-cdc-congo-ebola.html