Think More: Wednesday, June 24, 2026
Mamdani's socialists sweep NYC, the SAVE Act standoff, tuition for illegal aliens, a DEA fentanyl scandal, and more.
Lead · The Socialists Take the Party
Mamdani’s Socialists Sweep New York’s Democratic Primaries
Representative Adriano Espaillat conceded at 10:34 p.m. on Tuesday, and with him fell the last establishment defense. Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s slate went three for three: Darializa Avila Chevalier toppled the Congressional Hispanic Caucus chairman in NY-13, Brad Lander unseated Dan Goldman in NY-10, and Claire Valdez claimed NY-7. A mayor elected only last November now dictates terms to his party.
The Socialists Take the Party
Mamdani’s Machine Means the Party Bends to Him
Two days before the votes, John Ketcham saw the machine forming. Mamdani broke with the leaders who lifted him, spurning Nydia Velázquez’s chosen successor and offloading Brad Lander into a race that had become a referendum on Israel. The bet: a listless Democratic Party will orbit the DSA. Tuesday proved him right.
How Socialism Arrives: Gradually, Then Suddenly
Jeffrey Carter | Points and Figures
Jeffrey Carter borrows Hemingway to explain the night: socialism comes gradually, then suddenly, and the gradual phase is ending. Control the cities, he argues, and you control the states, the Congress, and ultimately the country. He traces the long march through schools, courts, and unions, and calls Tuesday a warning.
Creed, Culture, and the 250th
Jaffa’s Answer to the Creed-Versus-Culture War
Glenn Ellmers | The American Mind
As the 250th nears, the Right is refighting an old quarrel between creed and culture. Glenn Ellmers returns to Harry Jaffa to call the choice false: American republicanism needs both, a doctrine of consent and a people virtuous enough to live it. Strip the principles away, he warns, and patriotism becomes baseball and hot dogs.
Democratic Patriotism Hits a Record Low as 250 Nears
Nicole Russell marks the 250th by asking why love of country now splits so sharply by party. Gallup’s June 2025 reading found 92% of Republicans expressing high pride against 36% of Democrats, a record gap. Russell’s verdict is blunt: a patriotism that fluctuates with which party holds power was never patriotism at all.
The Taxpayer’s Tab
Taxpayers Foot the Loan Bill for Radical Nonprofits’ Staff
Ashe Short reports that Public Service Loan Forgiveness turns on where you work: ten years at almost any 501(c)(3), 120 payments, and taxpayers erase the balance. The eligible rolls include groups prosecuting Trump supporters and one tied to a charity the report says called Hamas ‘freedom fighters.’ A late-2025 rule narrowed the definition; loopholes remain.
Justice Department Moves to End Kansas Tuition Breaks for Illegal Aliens
U.S. Department of Justice | justice.gov
The Justice Department sued Kansas and the same day filed a proposed consent decree to permanently bar in-state tuition for illegal aliens. It is the tenth such action, after wins in Texas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Nebraska, with suits pending elsewhere. The claim: charging citizens more than illegal aliens violates federal law and rewards illegal entry.
Eligibility and Enforcement
Trump Holds the Housing Bill Hostage to the SAVE Act
Kevin Killough | Just the News
President Trump canceled Wednesday’s housing-bill signing, vowing to withhold his pen until the Senate passes the SAVE Act, the voter-eligibility measure he has branded a national emergency. He wants Majority Leader John Thune to end the filibuster; Thune has refused. The housing bill cleared with veto-proof margins, but a pocket veto looms if Congress adjourns.
A DEA Agent Says Washington Let the Fentanyl Walk
A 19-year DEA veteran, David Howell, alleges prosecutors ordered agents to let fentanyl shipments ‘walk’ to build bigger cases, bypassing a 2019 protocol requiring seizure. Empower Oversight, which represents him, says he was sidelined for objecting and wants the Senate Judiciary Committee and the inspector general to investigate. The Justice Department earlier judged the calls reasonable.
By the whistleblower’s account: the New Mexico fentanyl that went unseized
1.8M
Pills allowed to walk, disclosed
3M+
Pills seized, May 2025 bust
19
Years served, now benched
