Thursday, June 25, 2026

Wednesday Afternoon News Updates: Trump Abruptly Torches His Own Bill Signing – 6/24/26

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Wednesday Afternoon News Updates: Trump Abruptly Torches His Own Bill Signing – 6/24/26

Today's news you need to know

MeidasTouch Network and Ben Meiselas

Jun 24

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An empty stage in Statuary Hall after President Trump abruptly canceled the planned signing of a bipartisan housing bill, leaving Republicans who hoped to tout the legislation on the campaign trail scrambling. Photo: Scott MacFarlane / MeidasTouch

Hi all, Ben here. It’s Wednesday, and Donald Trump just completely blew up his own party’s big day.

Here’s what we’re tracking today:

Trump cancels the signing of a bipartisan housing bill at the last minute, holding it hostage for the SAVE America Act
Senate passes a War Powers Resolution on Iran 50-48; Trump accuses four Republicans of giving “aid and comfort” to Iran
Oil prices crash below $70 a barrel; Trump blames oil companies for “gouging”
Trump claims his approval rating is the highest ever, contradicted by a new poll showing 30%
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool saga continues, now with a side debate about turning it into an “ecosystem”
Interior Department puts up banners pairing Trump with George Washington
Primary results roll in from Maryland, New York, South Carolina, Utah, and South Dakota, with a big progressive night in NYC
MeidasTouch scoop: Newsom and Becerra meet for the first time since the primary
Scott MacFarlane hits 200,000 YouTube subscribers

Let’s get into it.

Trump Blows Up His Own Bill Signing

This morning quickly got off to a bizarre start. Congress had actually passed a real, bipartisan piece of legislation. An actual bill! The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act. The bill cleared the Senate 85 to 5 and the House 358 to 32. For people keeping score at home, that is about as close to unanimous as anything gets in Washington these days. Elizabeth Warren and Tim Scott worked together on the Senate side. French Hill and Maxine Waters worked together on the House side. Republicans and Democrats actually agreeing on something that helps regular people.

The bill increases housing supply, cuts red tape and outdated environmental review requirements that slow down construction, and restricts large institutional investors, the ones who own 350 or more single-family homes, from buying up even more of the housing stock. It also creates grant programs to help local governments reform zoning, supports rural and manufactured housing, and expands small-dollar mortgage access. This is the kind of unglamorous, technical legislation that actually moves the needle on whether young families can afford a home. I’d argue it could go further, but it’s a real step in the right direction.

So naturally, with cameras set up in Statuary Hall, chairs arranged, the presidential seal mounted on the podium, all the pageantry in place for what should have been a genuinely good news day for the country, Trump cancelled it.

This morning, just hours before the ceremony, he posted that the signing was “hereby cancelled until such time as we pass the desperately needed SAVE AMERICA ACT, which I consider to be a National Emergency.”

Now stick with me here, because this is where it gets good.

Members of Congress found out the event was scrapped while they were already standing in the building. Scott MacFarlane, our head of the MeidasTouch DC bureau, was there and caught the whole thing live. He watched Representative Virginia Foxx get told, in person, that the event she’d shown up for no longer existed. Her response was basically a shrug. She said she’d just go to meetings in her office instead. NOTUS reporter Reese Gorman described informing her himself, noting that members were “significantly caught off guard.”

Meanwhile, Republicans who didn’t get the memo in time were out there doing victory laps for a bill signing that wasn’t happening. French Hill was mid-interview praising the legislation he co-sponsored, seemingly unaware Trump had already pulled the plug. Steve Scalise kept publicly celebrating “delivering for American families.” Speaker Mike Johnson tried to smooth it over, saying he’d walk Trump through the details so he’d understand it’s “a good product.” Listening to Johnson talk about explaining basic legislative wins to the President of the United States like he’s coaching a toddler through a Lego set is its own special kind of embarrassing.

Here’s the reality: Trump has zero actual leverage here. If he refuses to sign the bill within 10 days, it becomes law automatically. If he vetoes it, Congress has more than enough votes to override him given those margins. This entire tantrum is theater. He’s not stopping anything. He’s just delaying a win for the American people so he can throw a fit about an unrelated voter suppression bill that doesn’t have the votes to pass anyway.

Trump attacked Warren by name, calling the legislation “The Elizabeth ‘Pocahontas’ Warren centric housing bill” and claiming it “pales in comparison” to the SAVE America Act, the bill that would make it harder for women who’ve changed their last name through marriage to vote. He topped it off by saying he’ll be “watching with tears in my eyes” as Republicans pass that instead.

When Warren was asked on CNBC to explain Trump’s thinking, she didn’t even try. She said if you want someone to get inside Donald Trump’s head, you need somebody else, because she has no idea what’s going on in there. She added that whatever his reasoning is, it reflects a complete indifference to the cost squeeze on American families.

That’s it exactly. This was a day that could have been about the country coming together to solve a real problem. Instead it became about Trump’s grievances, his nicknames, and his need to make everything a fight. Markets reacted anyway: homebuilder stocks jumped regardless, with Toll Brothers up over 7%, KB Home up more than 16%, D.R. Horton up nearly 7.5%, and Lennar up close to 7%. The bill actually seems quite good, considering. But Trump, once again, is the problem.

Trump Effectively Accuses Senate Republicans of Treason

Last night, Trump was also busy picking a fight with members of his own party over Iran. On Tuesday, the Senate passed a War Powers Resolution, 50 to 48, directing Trump to remove U.S. forces from hostilities against Iran absent a formal declaration of war. Four Republicans crossed over to support it: Susan Collins, Bill Cassidy, Lisa Murkowski, and Rand Paul. One Democrat, John Fetterman, voted against it. Surprise, surprise.

Trump’s response was to accuse those four senators of giving aid to the enemy. He posted that Iran was “on the ropes, ready to go down for the fall,” and that the four Republicans who voted with Democrats “have just made my job more difficult.” He was effectively calling their vote an act of treason.

Even by Trump’s own framing, the premise doesn’t hold up. We did not win some lopsided victory over Iran. We handed them billions of dollars and a diplomatic outcome that Iranian officials are now publicly calling an American defeat. Their lead negotiator literally said the Islamabad memorandum “became a declaration of America’s defeat.” And the objective facts bear that out.

The Gulf Is Moving On Without Us

This is the bigger story underneath all the noise, and it’s one I’ve been tracking for months on these morning videos. Qatar’s Prime Minister has now said publicly that Gulf states, working alongside Iran, are negotiating a new regional security framework that relies less on Washington and more on regional cooperation. For decades, Gulf security ran through the American security umbrella. Now, in the wake of what regional leaders are openly calling a failed U.S. war effort against Iran, Arab nations are asking why they should keep depending on us at all.

That is an extraordinary shift. The Abraham Accords framework, built around Israel, the UAE, and Bahrain setting terms in the region, is weakening. A new alignment is rising that includes Iran as a major player, not an isolated target.

Meanwhile, Marco Rubio was in Abu Dhabi meeting with the UAE, supposedly representing American diplomatic interests, despite reportedly working to undercut the very MOU he wasn’t even present for during the technical negotiations in Switzerland. And sitting in that meeting alongside him was Trump’s son-in-law Michael Boulos, who holds no formal government role but seems to keep finding his way into meetings with foreign leaders anyway. Combine that with Jared Kushner reportedly raising another 5 billion dollars in the region on top of the 5 billion he already raised, and you’ve got quite the family business operating alongside actual U.S. foreign policy.

Meanwhile, Israel is making clear it’s not waiting on Washington’s permission for anything. Defense Minister Israel Katz said flatly that Israel will not withdraw from Lebanon regardless of any American demand, and that 200,000 residents will not be returning to what Israel now considers its security zone. Netanyahu, at a press conference, said that when he told Trump Israel was going into Iran, he wasn’t asking permission, he was informing him of a decision already made. He said the same was true for Syria, Lebanon, and Gaza.

Trump Needs a Scapegoat

WTI crude fell below $70 a barrel for the first time since March, dropping nearly 3% to $69.94. Meanwhile, gas prices remain quite high due to the oil shocks of the past few months. The chaos is all Trump’s fault, so naturally, he needs a scapegoat. So Trump posted that he’s instructed the Department of Justice to investigate oil companies for not lowering gas prices fast enough, accusing them of gouging. Let’s be clear: the oil companies are certainly not on the up and up. But Trump blaming them for high prices caused by his war is no different than him blaming “vandals” for the algae bloom in the Reflecting Pool.

The Polling Disconnect

Trump posted that his “REAL” poll numbers are “the highest they have ever been.” That claim runs directly into a new American Research Group poll showing his approval rating sinking to 30%. Polls across the board are generally showing that Trump is the least popular president of all time.

A Four-Star General Forced Out

I want to flag something more serious before we move on. General Christopher Donahue, the last U.S. soldier to leave Afghanistan in 2021, is being forced out as commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa after just 18 months in the role. This is part of a pattern under Pete Hegseth of pushing out senior, experienced military leadership. Donahue commanded Delta Force, helped plan the capture of a Benghazi attack planner, oversaw the restoration of Kabul Airport operations, and coordinated aid to Ukraine. Many people believed he was a future contender for Chairman of the Joint Chiefs or Army Chief of Staff. Instead, like former Army Chief of Staff Randy George before him, he’s being pushed out. This kind of churn at the top of our military leadership should concern everyone, regardless of party.

DVIDS - Images - Brig. Gen. Christopher T. Donahue [Image 17 of 18]

General Christopher Donahue

Primaries and a Progressive Surge in New York

Tuesday’s primaries brought some striking results. In Maryland, Governor Wes Moore advanced, and in the 6th district, April McClain Delaney defeated self-funded candidate David Trone. In New York, the most striking story was the continued strength of the progressive, Mamdani-aligned slate. Claire Valdez, running with DSA backing, won in NY-7. Brad Lander defeated Dan Goldman in NY-10. In a tightly contested NY-13 race, Darializa Avila Chevalier narrowly unseated longtime incumbent Adriano Espaillat.

In South Carolina, Alan Wilson defeated Pamela Evette in the GOP gubernatorial runoff. In Utah, Democrat Ben McAdams won in the 1st district while Republican incumbents Blake Moore and Celeste Maloy held their seats. And in South Dakota, the Sioux Falls mayoral runoff remains a coin flip, sitting at roughly 50-50.

MeidasTouch Scoop: Newsom and Becerra Break Bread

Here’s a scoop! MeidasTouch has learned that California Governor Gavin Newsom and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra met this week at Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco, their first in-person meeting since the June primary. According to our sources, the two discussed expanding health care access, tackling the housing crisis, growing the economy, supporting small businesses, protecting reproductive freedom, confronting climate change, and defending California’s democracy from Trump’s ongoing assaults. Newsom has endorsed Becerra and pledged to campaign for him through the general election. We’ll keep following this one.

That’s the Wednesday roundup, everybody. Let me know what you think in the comments, and continue listening to the MeidasTouch Podcast for more updates throughout the day.

Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you later!

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Morning Digest, sponsored by NDTC: A tough primary season may soon get worse for House incumbents

Members of both parties are on the defensive across the country, from Hawaii to Florida

David Nir and Jeff Singer

Jun 25

Hawaii state Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole is challenging Rep. Ed Case in the August Democratic primary. (Credit: Jarrett Keohokalole Facebook)

Leading Off

Primaries

The 2026 primary season has been rough for House incumbents—and it’s not anywhere close to finished. Many more members from both parties are in danger through September, and enough may lose to make this the worst primary cycle for incumbents of the 21st century.

Reps. Adriano Espaillat and Dan Goldman’s defeats in Tuesday’s Democratic primaries bring the number of House primary losses up to six so far.

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A pair of Republicans, Dan Crenshaw of Texas and Thomas Massie of Kentucky, went down in March and May, respectively. They were joined just after Memorial Day by Texas Democrats Al Green and Julie Johnson, who lost renomination in congressional districts that Republicans radically revamped last year as part of their new gerrymandered map.

That figure would almost certainly be even higher were it not for a scandal that erupted mid-race in another Texas showdown.

Republican Tony Gonzales, whose reelection campaign was overshadowed by allegations he’d had an affair with a former staffer who later died by suicide, would likely have brought this number up to seven had he continued to run. Gonzales, though, dropped his bid for another term in March immediately after getting forced into a primary runoff and admitting to the relationship. He resigned from Congress the following month.

This year’s House casualty rate has already surpassed 2024’s, when four representatives were ejected by their own party’s voters. However, it’s still well short of the 21st-century high-water mark set two years earlier, when 14 members—eight Republicans and six Democrats—lost renomination, thanks in key part to decennial redistricting.

But the 2026 primary cycle isn’t over by a long shot. At least a dozen representatives will be watching their backs this summer, including two in Colorado next week.

Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette faces a tough intraparty challenge on Tuesday from Melat Kiros, a former attorney who’s argued that voters in the Denver-based 1st District want a more progressive alternative to the 15-term incumbent. Late spending by DeGette’s allies suggests they may agree that Kiros is a real threat.

Morning Digest: A veteran House Democrat has been pushed to the brink in Denver

David Nir and Jeff Singer

Jun 22

Read full story

Freshman GOP Rep. Jeff Hurd, meanwhile, is trying to win a rematch against former state Rep. Ron Hanks in the 3rd District in western Colorado.

Hurd prevailed 41-28 during their first bout in 2024, and Hanks has brought in a trivial amount of money for their second go-round. But Donald Trump’s bizarre decision to endorse, then un-endorse, then re-endorse Hurd should have the congressman concerned about whether his standing has been harmed with the MAGA faithful.

July will provide temporary relief for wary House incumbents. Arizona is the only state holding congressional primaries next month, and six of the seven representatives who are seeking another term are unopposed for renomination on July 21. Democratic Rep. Greg Stanton faces activist Kai Newkirk in the 4th District, but Newkirk has struggled to raise money in his first weeks in the race.

The action, though, picks right back up on Aug. 4, and it will last until just before Labor Day.

Democratic Rep. Shri Thanedar, one of the wealthiest members of Congress, faces serious opposition from state Rep. Donavan McKinney in Michigan’s 13th District, which includes much of Detroit. McKinney, who is running to the incumbent’s left, is also arguing that Thanedar, who is Indian American, is the wrong person to represent this heavily Black constituency.

That same day, Rep. Wesley Bell of Missouri will go head-to-head in a high-profile rematch with former Rep. Cori Bush, the woman he unseated two years ago in the Democratic primary for the 1st District in and around St. Louis. Bush, who spent her two terms in Congress as an ardent critic of Israel, has argued that voters now have the chance to reject AIPAC, which spent millions to beat her last time.

Republicans in Middle and West Tennessee will then decide on Aug. 6—a Thursday—whether to renominate Andy Ogles, a sophomore congressman who has been plagued by a litany of scandals during his relatively brief time representing the 5th District.

Former state Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher began challenging the Trump-backed incumbent last year, and he remained in the race even after Republican mapmakers moved his home outside of the district. Trump, though, is in Ogles’ corner.

Hawaii Democrats will have their say just two days later—yes, on a Saturday—in the primary between veteran Rep. Ed Case and state Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole in the 1st District, which takes up most of Honolulu.

Keohokalole has charged that Case, who has long been one of the most conservative members of the Democratic caucus, has failed to do enough to address the state’s many challenges. Case, for his part, says his constituents would suffer if they lose his seniority, including his spot on the influential Appropriations Committee.

The focus then heads back east on Aug. 11 as Connecticut Rep. John Larson, another longtime presence in the state’s political scene, tries to fend off three Democratic primary opponents in the 1st District.

Former Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin, who has emerged as the main challenger, says that the 77-year-old Larson needs to “pass the torch” after a pair of health scares. The incumbent has pushed back by arguing that Bronin is too close to “crypto bros” and data center builders.

Florida, which just passed a new GOP-drawn gerrymander, occupies center stage a week later on Aug. 18.

Rep. Cory Mills, who, among other things, has been accused of abusing two different women, still has Trump’s endorsement for his reelection campaign in Central Florida’s 7th District. But Ryan Elijah, a former TV anchor with Orlando’s Fox affiliate, says Republicans need to get rid of the scandal-tainted incumbent.

Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, meanwhile, responded to the GOP’s effort to eliminate her South Florida constituency by running in the heavily Black 20th District. Local African American leaders have condemned Wasserman Schultz, who is not Black, for campaigning here, while House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has declined to endorse her effort.

Morning Digest: Jeffries declines to endorse Wasserman Schultz's bid for plurality Black district

David Nir and Jeff Singer

Jun 4

Read full story

Wasserman Schultz, who currently represents just 2% of the residents of this Broward County constituency, lacks many of the advantages that most incumbents have in primaries. However, she may well survive thanks in part to her detractors’ inability to consolidate behind a single alternative.

While the four main Black candidates who were already running for the 20th before redistricting—former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, rapper Luther Campbell, former Broward County Commissioner Dale Holness, and activist Elijah Manley—discussed the possibility of uniting behind a single standard-bearer to defeat the congresswoman, they failed to reach an agreement before candidate filing closed this month.

Nearby, Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz is seeking reelection to the 25th District, another South Florida constituency that includes under half of the residents of his old 23rd District. While Moskowitz, one of the most outspoken centrists in the Democratic caucus, is preparing for a tough battle against the GOP in a seat that just became much redder, he first has to guard against his left flank.

Union organizer Oliver Larkin, who describes himself as a “proud Democratic Socialist,” began running against Moskowitz before redistricting, and he’s continued his campaign under the new map.

Finally, on Sept. 1, a pair of longtime Democratic congressmen in Massachusetts will try to turn back intraparty opponents who say it’s time for change.

Rep. Richard Neal, who was first elected in 1988 to represent Springfield and the Berkshires, faces public school teacher Jeromie Whalen in the 1st District. The 38-year-old Whalen has far less money than the 77-year-old incumbent, but the challenger is hoping to gain traction by framing the race as “a referendum on corporate campaign finance.”

Rep. Stephen Lynch, lastly, is trying to hold off attorney Patrick Roath in the 8th District, which includes parts of Boston and its southern suburbs. Roath has faulted Lynch, who was first elected in 2001, for breaking with his caucus on key votes during his long career, including by opposing the Affordable Care Act in 2010 and backing the Laken Riley Act last year.

There’s also a decades-long age gap between the 71-year-old congressman and 39-year-old challenger, but Roath says that isn’t why primary voters should make a switch.

“It’s not that Congressman Lynch is too old, or he’s bad, or he’s corrupt—it’s just that the times demand something different,” Roath told the Boston Globe in April.

The Downballot Podcast

SCOTUS’ war on voting rights

The Supreme Court’s decision gutting the Voting Rights Act two months ago was a devastating blow to American democracy, but it didn’t emerge out of the blue. Instead, it was the culmination of a decades-long effort on the right to capture the courts so that partisan jurists could enshrine minority rule.

On this week’s episode of The Downballot podcast, author David Daley takes us on a 60-year journey that began just weeks after the VRA first became law, when reactionaries first began plotting to sabotage it. Daley, a senior fellow at FairVote, explains how, after initial challenges failed, conservatives mobilized to ensure favorable outcomes by reshaping the judiciary—a strategy that ultimately worked to perfection.

But nothing in politics is permanent. Daley tells us what supporters of democracy must do to reform the Supreme Court, including how they must make the case for radical changes to both the public and politicians. He also details his wish-list for legislation that would protect voting rights, end gerrymandering, and restore the majority rule in America—measures that only stand a chance under a new-look SCOTUS.

House

Congressional Leadership Fund

The Congressional Leadership Fund announced a second round of fall ad reservations on Wednesday, totaling $22.1 million in Florida and Virginia. The new investments overlap closely with a batch of bookings made last week by CLF’s Democratic counterpart, the House Majority PAC.

For the first time, CLF has reserved time in the Sunshine State, putting $9.9 million in the Miami media market and $2.6 million into West Palm Beach. Both can be used to target the redrawn 25th District, where Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz is seeking reelection. The Miami reservation could also be directed to several other districts, including the 27th, where GOP Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar is vulnerable.

CLF is further devoting $6.5 million to the Tampa market, which includes Democratic Rep. Kathy Castor’s 14th District and Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna’s 13th District.

Finally, it’s added another $3.5 million to its existing $2.1 million booking in Norfolk, Virginia, where former Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria is hoping to win her old seat back from Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans in the 2nd District.

Together, CLF and HMP have reserved $378 million in fall ad time, with Democrats responsible for nearly $203 million and Republicans $175 million. You can track all fall TV and digital reservations from these PACs and their peers by bookmarking our continually updated database.

Thank you so much for being a paid subscriber to The Downballot! If you’d like to further support our work, you can donate on our ActBlue page.

Donate on ActBlue

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Thursday, June 25, 2026