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Last week in Staten Island, the NYC Charter Revision Commission held its next-to-last public hearing. As Commissioner Diane Savino commented, addressing NYC's closed primary system “is the single biggest issue we’ve heard this year.”

Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani defeated establishment favorite Andrew Cuomo for the Democratic nomination in New York's mayoral race, marking a clear victory for the party’s progressive wing.

Tulsi Gabbard can’t seem to catch a break, no matter which party or administration she joins. First, she was ostracized by the Democratic Party in 2016 when she spoke out against the party’s unfair treatment against Bernie Sanders. At the time, she was a sitting Democratic congresswoman and DNC vice chair.

Much of the election coverage on Tuesday focused on the New York primaries, especially in NYC and the hotly contested ranked choice election for mayor. What got less attention, however, were the 3.5 million independent voters in the state locked out of elections they paid for.

For the third time in history, New York City voters used ranked choice voting (RCV) to determine their party nominees in Tuesday’s citywide primary elections. First implemented in 2021, the system was used in that year’s highly competitive Democratic primary, where Eric Adams ultimately secured the nomination and went on to become mayor. It was used again in 2023 without incident.

On June 23, 2025, Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott shocked lawmakers and lobbyists alike by vetoing Senate Bill 3 (SB 3), a measure that would have banned hemp-derived THC products across the state.  He also called for a special session to bring lawmakers back to Austin on July 21 to craft regulations that restrict, but do not outright ban, intoxicating hemp products.

The United States is facing a disturbing resurgence of politically motivated violence, targeted attacks not just on individuals, but on the democratic fabric of the nation itself. Over the past several years, elected officials, public servants, and civilians have been stalked, firebombed, shot, and killed, sometimes in their homes, sometimes in broad daylight, often because of who they are, what they believe, or who they represent.

Last July, Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order “to address (homeless) encampments” and allocated funding to local governments to clear encampments and connect “those living in them to housing and supportive services.” 

All eyes are on President Donald Trump to see if the US will further insert itself into the escalating military conflict between Israel and Iran. As the two nations continue to attack each other, the debate over US involvement is creating a rift between defense hawks and non-interventionists in the Republican Party.

California has just proposed a sweeping new rule to permanently ban intoxicating hemp products — and Texas may soon follow, as Governor Greg Abbott (R) faces a June 22 deadline to sign or veto a similar bill.