UNBIASED - June 18, 2026: Here's What the U.S.-Iran Agreement Actually Says, the Supreme Court's Latest Second Amendment Ruling, Details of the UCF Freedom 250 Attack, An Alleged Investigation Into Newsom's Wife, and More.

Episode Date: June 18, 2026

Get the facts, without the spin. UNBIASED offers a clear, impartial recap of US news, including politics, elections, legal news, and more. Hosted by lawyer Jordan Berman, each episode provides a recap of current political events plus breakdowns of complex concepts—like constitutional rights, recent Supreme Court rulings, and new legislation—in an easy-to-understand way. No personal opinions, just the facts you need to stay informed on the daily news that matters. If you miss how journalism used to be, you're in the right place. In today's episode: Here's What the U.S.-Iran Agreement Says and How It Compares to What Trump Said the JCPOA Should've Included (0:26) Gov. Newsom Says the DOJ is Investigating Him and His Wife; Here's What Reports Say (~17:21) Details of the UFC Freedom 250 Attack (~21:34) What We Know About the B-52 Crash (~30:19) Supreme Court Issues Latest Second Amendment Ruling; Here's What It Means for Drug Users (~35:16) Quick Hitters (~39:13) GOOD NEWS (~42:09) Critical Thinking Segment (~47:29) ⁠Watch⁠ this episode on YouTube. Follow Jordan on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠TikTok⁠. All sources for this episode can be found ⁠here.⁠  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome back to Unbiased, your favorite source of unbiased news and legal analysis. Welcome back to Unbiased Politics. Today is Thursday, June 18th, and we're talking about the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran, the B-52 crash, the investigation into Governor Gavin Newsom's wife, the UFC terror plot, the Supreme Court's latest Second Amendment ruling, and more. Let's start with the biggest news, which is the MOU. So yesterday we got the actual text of the MOU and both President Trump and the Iranian president signed the hard copy of the MOU earlier than expected. Trump signed a copy at the Palace of Versailles in France. He was, of course, there for the G7 summit.

And then photos published by Iranian state media seem to show Iran's president signing a copy as well. The actual text is not that much different than the draft version, which had been circulating the day. before. The actual text is just a bit more specific on some of the more major issues. So I'll tell you what the actual text says. I will be paraphrasing here. It's 14 points. We'll start with the first one. And that is the war will end immediately and permanently. So the United States, Iran, and their allies agree to stop military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon. Now, this is interesting because it doesn't specifically mention Israel or Hezbollah, but it seems Israel would be considered an ally of the United States and Hezbollah would be considered an ally of Iran.

And we know that part of this conflict has been the conflict specifically between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. That's what triggered the most recent strikes between Iran and Israel. So it would appear from the text of this agreement that Hezbollah and, you know, Israel are also included. Point one also establishes that both countries promise not to start another war or military operation against each other and not to threaten or use force against each other. This section also specifically says Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity must be protected.

Two, both sides will stay out of each other's internal affairs. In other words, the United States and Iran agree to respect each other's borders, sovereignty and territorial integrity and not interfere in each other's domestic politics or internal matters. Put another way, both sides are agreeing not to interfere in each other's domestic political affairs, which could include things like efforts aimed at regime change. Three, the United States and Iran commit to negotiating a final agreement within 60 days unless both sides agree to extend that timeline. Four, the United States will, will start lifting the naval blockade immediately, as well as any other obstacles affecting Iran,

and the blockade will be fully ended within 30 days. Ship traffic would be restored gradually in proportion to the amount of pre-war traffic Iran is able to restore. After a deal is a final deal is reached, the United States would have 30 days to remove its forces from areas close to Iran. number five, Iran will reopen commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran will use its best efforts to allow commercial ships to safely pass between the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman for 60 days without charging them. Commercial traffic will begin right away, but full restoration could take up to 30 days because Iran has to remove certain technical and military obstacles, such as those mines,

that it's been laying. Iran will also talk with Oman and other Persian Gulf coastal states about how the Strait of Hormuz should be administered going forward, consistent with international law and the rights of those coastal states. Six, the United States and regional partners will support Iran's reconstruction and development. The United States will work with regional partners on a mutually agreed plan to provide at least $300 billion for Iran's reconstruction and economic development. development. The final details will be worked out within 60 days, and the United States will issue the licenses, waivers, and permissions that are needed for those financial transactions. Now, I just want to point out here that Vice President Vance did say that this $300 billion fund would be funded by Arab countries, not by the United States. But as I said, the final details

do have to be worked out during this next round of negotiations. So we'll have to see what happens with that. Number seven, sanctions on Iran would be terminated under the final deal. So the United States is committing to ending all sanctions against Iran on a schedule negotiated in that final agreement. Keep in mind, remember, this MOU is not the final agreement. So this is saying in the final agreement, once that is reached, these sanctions will be lifted. Number eight, Iran would reaffirm that it will not develop or acquire nuclear weapons. The two sides will negotiate what happens to Iran's stockpile of enriched nuclear material during this next phase of negotiations, with the minimum approach being that the material would be downblended on Iranian soil under IAEA supervision. Now downblended means the enriched uranium

would be mixed or processed in a way that lowers the concentration of uranium 235. This makes it much less useful for weapons purposes. The two countries will also discuss Iran's enrichment program and other nuclear-related issues as part of the final deal. Number nine, both sides will freeze the current situation while negotiations continue. In other words, until the final deal is reached, Iran will keep its nuclear program at its current status. The United States won't impose any new sanctions or send in any additional forces. Number 10, the United States will allow. allow Iranian oil and petroleum exports while sanctions are being lifted. So now that the MOU has been signed, the U.S. Treasury will issue waivers that allow Iran to export

crude oil, petroleum products and related goods immediately. Those waivers would also cover things like banking, insurance, and transportation tied to those exports. And the reason that we need waivers here is because those sanctions are still currently in place. Remember, the sanctions will be lifted once that final deal is right. reached. So in the meantime, the Treasury Department is going to issue these waivers that allows Iran to sell crude oil, petroleum products, and related goods. 11. Iran's frozen or restricted funds will be made available. So the United States and Iran

will negotiate the exact procedures for releasing the money, but Iran's central bank is able to direct payments to the final beneficiaries it chooses. A couple of things worth noting here. The MOU does not say that this money is limited to humanitarian goods, food, medicine, reconstruction, civilian projects, or any other specific category. So there do not appear to be limits on what the money can be used for. The only limitation built into the text is that the United States and Iran still have to agree on the procedures for releasing the money. So unless those procedures later add restrictions, this doesn't appear to be a humanitarian-only relationship. of funds. And this is this is notable because in the past, whenever Iranian funds were released,

one of the big questions was, you know, can Iran spend this money however it wants, or is it limited to things like food, medicine, and humanitarian goods? This version, this MOU, appears to be written much more broadly. Moving on, point number 12, a monitoring system would be created. So the United States and Iran will set up a mechanism to monitor whether this MOU is being carried out properly and whether both sides are complying with the final deal later. 13 final negotiations will start once key early steps are underway. So now that the MOU is signed, final negotiations will start once implementation has started ending military operations, removing the naval blockade, reopening commercial shipping,

allowing Iranian exports and releasing frozen funds. And then finally, 14, the final deal will be backed by the UN Security Council. This means the final deal will be endorsed through a binding UN security resolution, and that will give it international legal weight. So those are the terms of the MOU. And like I said, the deal was signed yesterday ahead of schedule. Now, a lot of you wanted to know how this compares to Obama's deal, the JCPOA, the one Trump pulled out of back in 2018. But this is what I'll say. The MOU isn't a final deal.

It's much more broad. It almost acts like a ceasefire. right? So it's really hard to compare the two. This is not a nuclear deal. But I'll also say, you know, on that point, the JCPOA was basically a nuclear for sanctions deal. Okay. So Iran accepted limits on its nuclear program and in exchange, the United States, UN, and EU lifted certain sanctions. This MOU is much bigger and much more political. It's not just about Iran's nuclear program. It's also about ending the war, reopening shipping, removing the blockade, dealing with the Strait of Hormuz, releasing frozen Iranian funds, allowing oil experts, exports, creating a

reconstruction plan. And also, you know, the nuclear part of this MOU is a lot less detailed than the JCPOA because a lot of the nuclear questions are being pushed into the final deal. So that's why I say it's really hard to compare the two. It's not necessarily apples to ask. apples. Now, I will also say this at the same time, when Trump pulled out of the JCPOA. The White House said, quote, President Trump is terminating United States participation in the JCPOA as it failed to protect America's national security interests. The JCPOA enriched the Iranian regime and enabled its maligned behavior while at best delaying its ability to pursue nuclear weapons and allowing it to preserve nuclear research and development. The JCPOA failed to deal with the threat of Iran's missile

program and did nothing to include a strong enough mechanism for inspections and verification. The JCPOA foolishly gave the Iranian regime a windfall of cash and access to the international financial system for trade and investment. Instead of using the money from the JCPOA to support the Iranian people at home, the regime has instead funded a military buildup and continues to fund its terrorist proxies such as Hezbollah and Hamas. President Trump is making clear that in addition to never developing a nuclear weapon, the Iranian regime must never have an intercontinental ballistic missile, cease developing any nuclear capable missiles, and stop proliferating missiles to others. It must cease its support for terrorists, extremists, and regional proxies, such as Hezbollah, Hamas, the Taliban and

al-Qaeda. It must end its publicly declared quest to destroy Israel. It must stop its, it's threats to freedom of navigation, especially in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea. It must cease escalating the Yemen conflict and destabilizing the region by proliferating weapons to the Houthis. It must end its cyber attacks against the United States and our allies, including Israel. It must stop its grievous human rights abuses shown most recently in the regime's crackdown against widespread protests by Iranian citizens, and it must stop its unjust detention of foreigners, including United States citizens. end quote. Now, if we compare this MOU to what Trump said the JCPOA should have included back in 2018,

there are a few things this MOU does address, but there are also several things it does not address, at least not yet, right? Because we still have to get to that final deal. So as for the things it does address, the MOU definitely makes clear that Iran can never produce or acquire a nuclear weapon. And that was one of Trump's biggest points. also says the two sides will negotiate what happens to Iran's enriched nuclear material. As for the issues Trump raised in 2018 that are not specifically addressed in this MOU, the MOU does not appear to require Iran to stop supporting its regional proxy groups. It doesn't appear to require Iran to end its hostility toward Israel, stop cyber attacks,

address human rights abuses, stop detaining foreign nationals or end its involvement in Yemen. another issue that Trump had with the JCPOA was that in his view it gave Iran access to a quote-unquote windfall of cash and that instead of using that money to support the Iranian people, Iran was using it to fund its military and regional proxy groups. And that's why we touched on this part of the MOU earlier because as the MOU is written, it says that Iran's frozen or restricted assets would be made available. But it doesn't appear to include specific limits on how. that money can be used. It doesn't say the funds have to go towards food or medicine or humanitarian goods, reconstruction, civilian projects, things like that. The one caveat all add here is that the United

States and Iran still have to negotiate the procedures for releasing the funds. So restrictions could theoretically be added later. But based on the text we have right now, it appears to give Iran broad access to those assets. And that's one of the issues that Trump had with the JCPOA. So when you compare the MOU to what Trump said the JCPOA should have included. And presumably what he would have wanted to include in the deal all those years ago, that's what you get. But I say that while also highlighting two other things. Number one, Trump made those criticisms eight years ago. His position might have changed since then. We don't know. Two, this is still not the final deal. The fairest comparison will come once the final agreement is reached. And once that final agreement is reached, I will certainly do a

comparison of, you know, the final deal here and the JCPOA. So from here, the planned 60-day negotiation period will start tomorrow and the leaders of both country will work towards finalizing a more specific deal. Both countries do have the opportunity to extend the negotiation period after those 60 days and there is still the possibility that talks fall apart in this time. Trump said he prefers a diplomatic outcome, but he also said, quote, if it doesn't get done in 60 days, we go back to bombing. End quote. So the next 60 days will tell us a lot about what comes from this, but that is where we're at right now. Let's take our first break here. When we come back, we'll talk about

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about this alleged federal investigation involving California Governor Gavin Newsom's wife. On Monday, Governor Newsom accused President Trump and the DOJ of launching an investigation into him and his wife and targeting them for political reasons. He posted a five-minute video to X with an accompanying caption that read, quote, today my wife and I joined Donald Trump's hit list. He has directed his Department of Justice to investigate us. They have not found a crime. They are simply trying to find one. He isn't coming after me because of mean tweets, but because I am considering running for president. He hates that I consistently call him out. He is simply the most corrupt president in American history. We have nothing to hide. Mr. President, come after me. I'm not going anywhere.

The country is watching. End quote. The DOJ has yet to comment on this alleged investigation, but that may be because, you know, DOJ policy generally is not to confirm or comment on ongoing investigations before charges are filed. But this is where the story gets a little more complicated. So a person familiar with the matter told the AP that these investigations started last year and that political leadership in Washington was not involved in the decision to open them. Instead, this was a decision made by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Sacramento because the office received multiple whistleblower complaints. And this is really where the two narratives differ, right?

Newsom says this is political retaliation from Trump's DOJ. But reporting from the AP and Reuters includes sourcing that says the investigation started in California, not Washington, and began before the public fight between Newsom and Trump really escalated. According to Reuters, federal law enforcement officers in Sacramento have been conducting several investigations connected to people around Newsom since last year, and those investigations are all being handled by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Sacramento. And this is notable because this is the same U.S. Attorney's Office that just prosecuted Governor Gavin Newsom's ex-chief of staff, Dana Williamson. Williamson pleaded guilty in May to conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud. She also pleaded guilty to filing a

false tax return and making false statements to a federal agent. Prosecutors say her case involved a scheme to steal about $225,000 from a dormant political campaign and funnel it to another person for personal use. Prosecutors also said Williamson falsely claimed more than $1.7 million in business deductions for personal expenses, including travel, food delivery, home goods, veterinarian services, and other expenses. Now, to be clear, Newsom has not been accused of wrongdoing in Williamson's case. But that case is part of the broader. context here because it involves someone from Newsom's political circle and it's being handled by the same Sacramento-based federal prosecutor's office. Now Newsom is saying investigators are

targeting him and his wife, Jennifer Seibel Newsom directly. Okay, so he's saying it's no longer just a circle. It is them directly. However, the AP citing a person familiar with the matter reported that there's not an investigation specifically targeting Governor Newsom himself. That person said there are multiple federal probes into people. around him, including one related to his wife's taxes, and more specifically, the taxes of the nonprofit his wife co-founded. There are reports that say the nonprofit at the center of the investigation is California Partners Project, which focuses on gender equity, women on boards, equal pay, and child well-being. But that has not been confirmed at this point. We also don't know

exactly what this investigation involving Newsom's wife is about. So there's still a lot of of unknowns here. That that's the general just of what we know at this point, but a lot of conflicting narratives, right? Again, Newsom is saying this is Trump's DOJ that's targeting him for political reasons. Source is connected to the matter say that this was actually started by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Sacramento, and it relates to all these other investigations. And some of those investigations, including the investigation into Dana Williamson, started before Trump took office. So a lot of questions still that are unanswered, but hopefully that gives you a bit more clarity on the situation.

Now, let's talk about this alleged plot involving the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House. According to the DOJ, the five men charged are Tyson proper. He's 19 from Ohio. Brian Roa, 24 from California. Michael Thomas, who's 32, also from California. Daniel Eskridge, who's 32 from Missouri. And Abraham Hermosio Alvarez, who's 31 and from Nebraska. Now, all of the information I am giving you as it pertains to the story is either from the DOJ's press release or the criminal complaints against each defendant.

So according to the DOJ, these conspirators allegedly planned to deploy drones armed with explosives in and around the UFC Freedom 250 event in order to force an evacuation of the event and then planned to deploy snipers to fire upon people that were evacuating. Okay. And we'll get into a little more detail as it pertains to the actual, actual details of the plan in a little bit. According to the criminal complaint against Tyson Proper, on June 10th, officers with the Knox County Sheriff's Office and Danville Police Department in Ohio were dispatched to Proper's home in reference to a disturbance call. Proper's mom had called the police. She was expressing concerns about her son's behavior. She said he, you know, his recent conduct was a bit off. He had bought firearms and he was communicating with certain people online that she wasn't familiar with. And upon arriving on scene, officers spoke to Proper, as well as his mom and dad. Proper's dad told officers that Proper had recently met random people online and had been planning, quote unquote, recons with them. He said proper had recently quit his job in preparation to meet these individuals that he had been engaging with online and that he was planning on leaving that upcoming weekend to meet up with them.

Proper's dad also said that proper had recently acquired camping gear, food, ballistic plates, a new shotgun, a rifle, quote unquote, lots of ammunition, extra magazines, and plate carriers, and that he spent about $3,000 of his graduation money to buy that equipment. After police met with the family, Proper was taken to a local hospital. He was admitted based on homicidal ideations. And the following day, the FBI got involved. So the FBI conducted a phone interview with Proper's mom, and that's when she told the FBI that proper had recently begun interacting with this group online that was made up of individuals

who claimed to be ex-military and Christian-based. She didn't know the name of the group, but she said they expressed ultra-religious and anti-government sentiments, specifically citing grievances about government corruption, the handling of the Epstein files, data centers taking up all the water in communities, and other government actions. She would see proper talking to other people through texts on the phone and over Discord. And when she would ask him what he was doing, he couldn't tell her exactly. But she could see that they were looking at multiple different locations and intended to conduct quote unquote recon as well as quote unquote hit and run missions. And she said she believed that hit and run missions meant,

you know, conducting shootings and then leaving. When investigators searched proper's phone on June 11th, that's when they found the detailed plans of the attack. There were detailed pictures of the National Capital Region and maps of the area that highlighted sniper locations, potential drone launch locations, and other detailed tactical planning. When investigators interviewed proper at the medical facility, this was also on June 11th, proper allegedly told investigators that members of this group planned to meet up in Fredericksburg, Virginia, a day or two before the event.

And then from there, the plan was to stage a demonstration near the north side of the White House during the UFC event on June 14th. And while that demonstration was taking place, the group would fly small drones with unspecified explosive devices, which would detonate over the north side of the UFC arena. When the drone detonated, the intent was to force the crowd attending the event and what they called high value targets to evacuate. to the south. The plan was for the group to act as snipers and shooters, preferably with long guns, staged either at or near that southern evacuation point to shoot at people as they fled the scene. Again, this is all according to proper. This is what he told investigators. He also told investigators that the high value targets included both wealthy people and politicians and described the attack as something designed to, quote, unquote, jumpstart a revolution in the United States.

In chats from May, proper said to the group that he had a possible target on Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn when asked why, he said, quote, she's taken money from the Israel, pro-Israel lobby and supports them. End quote. Later in May, proper sent a text saying, these are people we're going to focus on and then sent pictures of Senator Jim Justice, Senator Shelley More Capito, Representative Carol Miller and Representative Riley Moore. And according to the complaint, the four images of these members of Congress appear to have been taken from the website track AIPAC.com and appear to include

information about how much money each congressperson received from, quote, pro-Israel PACs, end quote. Now, as for how this group allegedly formed, Provers had some of the members started communicating around March of this year. They were originally part of this TikTok group called vanguard of the old and then I should say they all everyone in this group felt that the country was headed in the wrong direction and needed to be torn down so it could be rebuilt. Proper then said that the more serious members of the group moved on to Signal, which is an encrypted messaging app and that is where they planned the attack. Proper told investigators that the group had tiers and that people in the top tier were expected

to meet physical fitness standards and get equipment like body armor and fire. firearms and he said that he was one of the team leaders. Now, the DOJ also lays out allegations against other defendants in separate criminal complaints. So for Brian Roa, the DOJ says law enforcement searches home and his car and allegedly found a rifle, handgun, tactical belt, ammunition, a rifle magazine, a two-way radio, and an infrared laser target pointer. Investigators also found messages on his phone discussing the attack, including the use of drones with explosives and rooftop snipers. Then for Michael Thomas, the DOJ says that in one of the messages in the group chat, Thomas wrote that $1,300 would get the group drones and quote unquote charges and said everyone should pitch in.

The DOJ also said Thomas allegedly discussed the different tiers of people in the group, including people on the ground, drivers, drone operators, logistical suppliers, and social media influencers. When agents searched Thomas's home, the DOJ says they found a rifle, rifle magazines, ammunition, and a pistol. For Daniel Eskridge, he was allegedly identified while investigators were reviewing Propper's phone. He allegedly participated in these encrypted chats where group members discussed assassinating senators, representatives, and prominent people in business. And the government says Eskridge allegedly talked about needing five teams of three, people with each team including a sniper, a support, or lookout person, and a drone operator. When agents searched his home, they recovered rifles, a shotgun, a pistol, and tactical gear.

And then finally, for Abraham Hermosio Alvarez, the government says he helped plan, organize, and direct the attack. He allegedly posted about where teams should position themselves, drone explosives, escape routes, and a possible safe zone. He allegedly also wrote that he had one drone and was working on getting more. Now, as far as the charges go, all five defendants have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder, which if convicted comes with a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. All defendants also face a charge of conspiracy to commit violence on White House grounds, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

We may see more charges come here, and each defendant does, like Tyson proper, for example, he does face a couple of additional charges. So depending on each defendant's activities in this group, they may face more or less charges. Okay, this next story is kind of just a quick update. It's not really short enough to be a quick hitter, but not necessarily. It's not really a deep dive either. It's really just a sad story that that we have to talk about. So on Monday, shortly after Monday's episode went out, a U.S. Air Force B-52 Strata Fortress crashed shortly after taking off from Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California. Officials said this. was a routine test mission. And according to the Air Force, this aircraft was carrying eight people

and took off around 1120 a.m. Pacific time. The Air Force has since confirmed that all eight people on board were killed and the victims were later identified as Colonel Gregory Watson, Lieutenant Colonel Gabriel Estrella, retired Lieutenant Colonel Miles Middleton, Major Alexander Davis, Major Robert D, Major Brad Hovey, Jeremy Smith, and Christopher Rashar. According to the Air Force, this was a mix of military members, civilians, and contractors connected to the test mission. Some were pilots. Some were weapons systems officers. And two were flight test engineers. Now, the aircraft, as I said, was a B-52 Strata Fortress. This is one of the oldest aircraft in the Air Force's fleet. And because these planes are so old, but they're still a huge part of the country's, the military,

the Air Force has been working on upgrades to keep them operational. And one of those upgrades, is the B-52 radar modernization program. This is basically where the older radar technology is replaced with a newer system that the Air Force says is designed to help with navigation, targeting, and situational awareness. So in 2025, Boeing sent a B-52 to Edwards Air Force Base with a modernized radar system. And according to a news released, a test team planned to conduct both ground and flight test activities on that aircraft through 2026 to ultimately reach a production decision.

Now, it's unclear if that was the same aircraft involved in Monday's crash, but Air Force officials have said that this particular test flight was meant to test the B-52 radar modernization program. Early flight tracking data shows the plane made a sharp right to the northeast and then nearly completed a 180-degree turn before plunging in. into the ground at almost a mile a minute. Now, that data comes from a system called multilateration. It doesn't show precise altitude and speed information, but it does show that the plane fell to the ground at a rate of descent of 5,056 feet per minute, which is nearly 10 times as fast as a plane normally descends when preparing to land. At this point, officials have not determined

the cause, but the Air Force says the crash is under investigation by an interim safety investigation board. Let's take our second and final break here. When we come back, we'll talk about this new Supreme Court decision related to gun rights for drug users, and we'll finish with quick hitters some good news and critical thinking. Welcome back. Earlier today, the Supreme Court unanimously said the federal government cannot prohibit a frequent marijuana user from owning a gun simply because they use marijuana. So there's a federal law that says if you are an unlawful user of a controlled substance, you cannot possess a gun. This case involved a Texas man named a denial Hamani. The FBI searched his home and found a handgun, marijuana, and cocaine. And he had also

told agents that he uses marijuana roughly every other day. So prosecutors ended up charging him under this federal law that essentially says if you unlawfully use drugs, you cannot have a gun. But Hamani challenged that charge. And his argument was the government shouldn't be able to take away my Second Amendment right to own a gun just because I said I use marijuana or just because I use marijuana. I wasn't high when I had the gun. I wasn't accused of using the gun dangerously. So how does this make sense? And that became the question for the court.

So the question for the court was, can the government disarm someone just because they use illegal drugs? Or does the government need to show something more? Like that person was intoxicated at the time, addicted in a way that made them dangerous. Maybe they actually pose some kind of safety threats, something like that. And the government's argument was, look, drugs and guns are a bad combination. This law is meant to keep guns away from people who may be more likely to misuse them. And they compared it to old laws that restricted habitual drunkards, basically people who were regularly drunk and viewed as a public safety risk.

And the reason they did that is because the Supreme Court puts heavy weight on the country's history and tradition. So they were hoping that that would show the court, look, the country's been banning people with substance use issues for a long time because of the risks they pose to the public. But Hamani's side said that that comparison went a bit too far. They argued that there's a big difference between saying you can't carry a gun while intoxicated and saying you lose your gun rights because you use drugs every so often or a few times a week, whatever it was.

They also argued that the law is big because unlawful user doesn't clearly tell people who are supposed to follow the law how often, how recently or how heavily they have to use drugs before they become a felon for having a gun under this law. And the Supreme Court sided with Hamani, and it was unanimous. The court said that the government could not use this law against him in this way. So what this means is the federal government cannot automatically turn someone into a felon under this federal law just because they use marijuana or any other illegal drug and also possess a gun. The justices essentially said, if the government wants to take away someone's second amendment rights,

it needs more than just this person uses marijuana. This person uses drugs. It needs a stronger constitutional justification. Drug use alone, without more, isn't necessarily enough to strip someone of their gun rights. And in writing for the court, Justice Gorsuch wrote, quote, we do not question that sometimes an individual's unlawful use of marijuana or any other controlled substance may render him a danger to others. But again, the government disclaims the need to show anything like that in this case.

Instead, it asks us to conclude that anyone who regularly uses marijuana is categorically violent and dangerous without any further showing. End quote. So that's the Hamani case. Now, these next 10 to 15 days are big days for the court. This is when we start to see the decisions in some of the more high profile cases. The court will wrap up its term at the end of this month or the very beginning of July. and it has to release the remaining 17 decisions before then.

So the next opinion day is Tuesday. We should have another one next Thursday. And then the court will most likely wrap things up the following week going into 4th of July weekend. And as always, I will be covering those more high-profile decisions as they get released. All right, let's do a few quick hitters. Rex Hewerman, the convicted Gilgo Beach serial killer, he was sentenced to multiple life sentences without parole. after pleading guilty to murdering seven women and admitting to killing an eighth. At sentencing, victims' relatives gave emotional impact statements and Heurman spoke briefly

when the judge asked whether he wished to address the court. He said, quote, there are no words that I can say, the words I would say have no meaning, end quote. The judge then asked him whether he was remorseful for what he had done and he answered simply, quote, yes I am. And quote, the judge rejected that expression of remorse saying Heurman appeared sorry only. that he had been caught. Luigi Mangione's lawyers plan to use a psychiatric defense in his New York state murder trial over the killing of United Health Care CEO Brian Thompson. A judge said the defense will argue Mangione was experiencing a, quote, extreme emotional

disturbance, end quote, at the time of the shooting, which if accepted by a jury could reduce the charge from murder to manslaughter. Mangione has pleaded not guilty, and the judge ordered his lawyers to provide prosecutors with more details about this specific mental health claim before the trial, which is scheduled to begin September 8th. Prosecutors say Lance Twiggs, Tyler Robinson's romantic partner and roommate, has been granted limited immunity for statements Twigs made two investigators in the Charlie Kirk assassination case. That means Twigs' statements generally can't be used against Twigs later, but prosecutors can still use those statements as evidence against Robinson. According to reporting

in newly unsealed filings, Twigs told investigators Robinson confessed to the shooting and described what he did with the gun and clothing afterwards. Robinson also allegedly told Twigs not to speak with police. The Federal Reserve decided to keep interest rates where they are in the range of 3.5 to 3.75%. Basically, the Fed is still waiting to see more progress on inflation before cutting rates again, especially since inflation is still above the 2% target. on the Fed's latest projections, officials may keep rates higher for longer than expected, with some even leaving the door open to a possible rate hike later this year. And that decision came at Kevin Warsh's first meeting as Fed chair.

President Trump postponed Jay Clayton's confirmation hearing to become director of national intelligence, saying the process should not move forward until Jamie McDonald is approved to replace Clayton as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. In the meantime, Trump said Bill Pulte will remain acting DNI. And the Obama Presidential Center is holding its grand opening ceremony today in Chicago. The center, which has been in the works for more than a decade and cost $850 million to build, will officially open to the public tomorrow on June 10th. The campus features a museum, garden, basketball court, and a new branch of the Chicago Public Library.

Let's do some good news. We're swapping out rumor has it for good news this week. So first some good news out of the World Cup. After Japan's match against the Netherlands in Dallas earlier this week, Japanese fans stayed behind after the end of the game, not to celebrate, not to hang out, but to clean up their section of the stadium. The match itself ended in a two-two draw, but afterwards hundreds of Japanese fans pulled out trash bags and started picking up cups, rappers, and anything else left behind in the seats. And it wasn't just the fans. The Japanese national team players also reportedly left. their locker room spotless, even though no one told them to do it. A representative from the Japan

American Society of Dallas-Fort Worth explained that in Japan, this kind of thing is taught early. She said students often clean their own schools, including hallways and restrooms. And speaking of the World Cup, I don't know if you've seen these, but there's a bunch of stories right now about how much foreigners are loving the United States. I want to play this minute-long clip for you. This is a segment from Jake Tapper's show on CNN. He's talking, with a World Cup tourist from Germany. Other German soccer fan, Freddie, has also been going viral on X. He posted this photo of a custom Welcome Freddie banner with the German flag added to Louisiana's state welcome sign.

What do you make of all the viral content coming out of this tournament and all the love for the European tourists from the American people as you show us our country with fresh eyes? Yeah, I know Freddy. He's a nice guy. He's from, like, close to me. So I've been talking to him. He's loving it. He's more touring the south at Chicago. And I think it's more like because in Europe we have a lot of rather negative news about the Americans in the last five years, let's say that. And I think we are all enjoying like the fact that this country is so great to visit. People are amazing, so welcoming. The culture is amazing.

It's like Europeans are getting a new view of America right now, I think. Also through our content and that's cool, I think. It's been really interesting to hear from people abroad what they think about the United States. And if you're interested, I included a link to a Yahoo News article in the sources section of this episode, which you can always find in the show notes. That article is titled World Cup tourists are sharing their honest thoughts on the U.S. And now some touching news out of New York State. An elderly nursing home resident with dementia had her wedding ring stolen right off her hand because she couldn't care for herself or speak for herself. it was her family who noticed the ring was missing and reported it to police.

According to the Leroy Police Department, Detective Caden Van Jalillo, spent months doing interviews, checking databases and following leads, but he kept hitting dead ends. And eventually, his search took him all the way to Buffalo. And he personally went from pawn shop to pawn shop looking for the ring. And finally, he found it. Police say they were also able to recover a bill of sale with the suspect's signature. and the suspect worked at the nursing home and has since been charged with larceny. In opposed to Facebook, the department said, quote, this may not be the crime of the century,

but you cannot put a price on the sentimental value of a wedding ring. And quote. Now, this last one, so a listener named Connor reached out to me after Monday's show. He had listened to the good news segment and he loved it and he asked if he could add his own piece of good news to the segment. that is, you know, something that's close to him. And of course, I was more than happy to honor his request because good news is always good, but I love it when it comes from you. So Connor went on to share with me that he works for Special Olympics, Georgia. And right now, they're gearing up for the USA games that start this weekend. So based on my research,

Special Olympics is a year-round sports program for athletes with intellectual disabilities. It's different from the Paralympics, which is for athletes with 50s. physical, visual, and intellectual disabilities. Special Olympics is specifically built around athletes with intellectual disabilities. And it welcomes athletes of all ability levels, age eight, and older. Special Olympic athletes train and compete locally and at the state level. And then there are some that are chosen to represent their state at bigger events like the USA Games. And the 2026 USA Games are happening in Minnesota from June 20th through the 26th.

than Team Georgia will be one of the delegations competing there, which is, of course, the team Connor works for. But Connor basically reached out wanting to raise awareness for the Special Olympics because a lot of people have never heard of it. And the more people who know about it can, you know, support the athletes better. So if you feel inclined to support, you can obviously just Google the Special Olympics, but specifically for the upcoming USA Games, you can go to 2026 Special Olympics USAGames.com and all the information is there. So that's 2026 Special Olympics USAGames.com. And there are both volunteer opportunities and donation opportunities for anyone who wants to help. And also, ESPN and ABC will be covering some of it. So for those of you who want to tune in, you can do that

on one of those two channels. And again, that's June 20th through the 26th. Connor, if you're listening, thank you for all that you do for these athletes. And we are all rooting for Team Georgia. Now for some critical thinking, let's go back to the MOU. So first I want you to think, what are your thoughts on it? Are you happy with it? Do you feel negatively about it? Maybe you feel a little bit of both. But more importantly, why do you feel that way?

Why do you feel that way? Don't let other people tell you how you should feel about it or why you should feel that way. I want you to think, why do you feel the way that you do towards this agreement? Because I think there are two different ways to look at this. So on one hand, this MOU could be seen as a major step towards peace, right? It ends the war. It reopens shipping.

It creates a path towards a final deal. It puts diplomacy back on the table. But on the other hand, it leaves a lot unresolved. The nuclear details are still being negotiated. The sanctions timeline is still being negotiated. The release of frozen funds is still being negotiated. So here's my question. If you don't like the deal because you think it doesn't accomplish enough,

is it better to get an imperfect deal now or to hold out for a stronger deal later? and why? If you do like the deal because it stops the war, where's your line? At what point does a peace deal give up too much in exchange for ending the fighting immediately? That's what I have for you. If you love today's episode, please leave me a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Don't forget to check out the Special Olympics, which start this weekend. Make sure you support Team Georgia. And I will talk to you on Monday.