Further Middle East unrest dominates tense delay of peace deal signing

(The Center Square) – Bipartisan legislation to boost housing supply and home ownership nationally cleared the U.S. Senate in an 85-5 vote Monday evening, the largest housing bill Congress has advanced in decades.

The passage of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which now heads to the House for approval, follows months of haggling and marks a rare instance of lawmakers compromising in the 119th Congress.

“Today’s bipartisan vote is an important step toward addressing America’s housing affordability crisis and giving families across this country a fair shot at the American Dream,” Chairman Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., of the Senate Banking Committee said in a statement.

“This bill reflects years of work and priorities from the White House, Senate, and House to build a housing affordability package that puts families first, increases supply, expands access to affordable housing, and addresses the housing crisis.”

The median home price in the U.S. sits above $405,000 while the median annual household income is below $84,000, according to the most recent federal statistics.

Meanwhile, the median age of first-time buyers jumped to 40 in 2025, seven years older than the median age just five prior, according to a National Association of Realtors analysis.

Republican leaders in particular are hoping to get the bill to President Donald Trump’s desk as soon as possible so they can point to successful affordability-focused legislation ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Among other measures, the bill streamlines environmental reviews for new housing construction, lifts the 15% cap on banks’ private investments in affordable housing to 20%, and establishes a pilot program to convert vacant and abandoned buildings into livable housing.

It revises the federal definition of “manufactured housing” to include units not built on permanent chassis and authorizes a specialized grant program for areas with manufactured housing communities. It also updates mortgage lending standards through the Federal Housing Administration for manufactured homes.

Though the majority of the provisions are bipartisan, the legislation faced delays due to hangups in both chambers over pet provisions. Each chamber had posited its own version of the bill until committee leaders resolved the issues and revised the text.

The bicameral 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act will likely pass the House because it includes key sweeteners to appease factions in both chambers.

The final product contains the Senate’s 15-year ban on large institutional investors, defined as entities that own more than 350 housing units, from buying single-family homes for the next 15 years. Manufactured housing, multifamily homes, and build-to-rent properties are exempted from the ban.

At the same time, it omits a Senate provision requiring large institutional investors to sell rental homes they build to individuals within seven years of construction

It keeps a swath of banking provisions from the House’s version, including multiple deregulation bills meant to expand community banks’ access to funding sources for mortgages and home construction loans.

Sourced from the Senate version, the final bill includes a four-year ban on the Federal Reserve issuing a Central Bank Digital Currency, though it exempts “any dollar-denominated currency that is open, permissionless, and private, and fully preserves the privacy protections of United States coins and physical currency.”

Hundreds of organizations have expressed support for the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, including the National Association of Homebuilders, the National Association of Realtors and the National Housing Conference.

Mizzou men's basketball is set to take on Tennessee twice as its rotating opponent in Southeastern Conference play this upcoming season. 

The Volunteers will join permanent rivals Oklahoma and Arkansas as the three teams Mizzou is set to face twice in conference play. The rest of the Tigers' SEC slate will be comprised of the remaining 12 teams in the league. Home and away venues will alternate based off where the two teams played in the 2025-26 season.

Along with Mizzou's conference slate are confirmed non-conference matchups with in-state rival Saint Louis, Big East foe Marquette, Pittsburgh in the ACC/SEC Challenge and old rival Nebraska in a neutral-site game in Kansas City. 

Mizzou softball has signed former Middle Tennessee State infielder Jana Want through the transfer portal, the team officially announced Monday. The addition was first reported Friday by Brady Vernon of Softball America. 

Want joins the Tigers after spending the first two seasons of her career with the Blue Raiders. She earned all-conference honors in both of those seasons, being named to the first team in 2025 and to the second team in 2026. 

"Jana brings a combination of experience, toughness and consistency that will make an immediate impact on our program," head coach Larissa Anderson said in a release. "What stood out throughout the recruiting process was her competitive nature, her desire to continue developing and her excitement about being part of something bigger than herself."

In her freshman year, Want started every game for the Blue Raiders at third base. The next year, she started in every game at shortstop. Across her first two seasons, Want has recorded a batting average of .325, 96 hits, 64 RBI and 15 homers. She's also recorded 116 putouts and 165 assists. 

Want is the second portal addition that the team has announced officially, joining former South Carolina pitcher Nealy Lamb.

Mizzou women's basketball head coach Kellie Harper has made her first staff hire of the offseason, adding longtime in-state coach Mike Nicholson to her staff as an assistant coach. 

Nicholson replaces the assistant spot left vacant by Todd Schaefer, who departed for Ohio State after spending one season on Harper's staff. 

Nicholson most recently served as the chief of staff for Kansas State women's basketball from the 2021-22 to the 2025-26 season. The Wildcats went 112-64 in the span, reaching the NCAA Tournament three times. 

Before his time with the Wildcats, Nicholson was a decorated Division II assistant coach, serving as an assistant at Central Missouri from 2014 to 2021. In his final season as an assistant coach (2020-21), Nicholson earned Division II assistant coach of the year honors from both the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and World Exposure Report. 

Prior to Nicholson's tenure with UCM, he was an assistant on a highly-successful Missouri Western men's squad for two stints — the first from 1997 to 2005 and the second from 2007 to 2013. The Griffons tallied two MIAA Tournament titles, five NCAA-II Tournament appearances and 228 overall wins with Nicholson on staff. 

Nicholson began his coaching career at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, spending six seasons on staff with the Roos' men's team, one of which he helped set a program record for most wins in Division I history (21). 

(The Center Square) — A majority of American voters say the U.S. should remain in NATO, according to The Center Square Voters’ Voice poll.

President Donald Trump has toyed with the notion of pulling out of the treaty, ramping up talks in recent months following a reluctance of several NATO nations to assist the U.S. in the conflict with Iran.

Fifty-nine percent of American voters say the U.S. should remain in the nearly 80-year-old treaty, while only 27% believe the U.S. should withdraw. Democrats overwhelmingly support the U.S. remaining in NATO, at 73%, while 46% of Republicans agree.

In contrast, 39% of Republicans believe the U.S. should withdraw from the treaty, while only 16% of Democrats agree.

Mike Noble, founder and CEO of Noble Predictive Insights, says the poll is indicative of how Americans view the nation on a global scale and that Americans can compartmentalize the political climate.

“What makes this poll stand out is that NATO is one of the clearest measures of how Americans view the U.S.’s role in the world at a time of growing instability. Unlike a lot of domestic issues that are heavily polarized, NATO tends to test something deeper — whether voters still believe America should lead on the global stage or pull back inward,” Noble said. “What’s especially notable is that support for NATO often holds even when trust in other institutions is declining.”

Since taking office for a second time, Trump has pressured NATO member nations to increase their GDP spending on defense, with the U.S. contributing about $753 million, about 16% of NATO common funds in 2024, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense.

The president has called on NATO nations to increase their NATO contributions to 5% of their GDP.

The president indicated earlier this year that he was considering withdrawing from NATO. During a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office on March 17, The Center Square asked Trump whether he was reconsidering America’s relationship with NATO and possibly withdrawing from it.

The president responded by expressing disappointment in NATO’s lack of support for the U.S. strikes on Iran.

“Well, I’m disappointed in NATO that we spend trillions of dollars on NATO. Think of it, trillions over the years … It’s one of the reasons we have deficits and we help other countries when they don’t help us,” Trump told The Center Square. “I mean, it’s certainly something that we should think about.”

Some NATO countries, including France, Spain and Italy, have come under scrutiny for prohibiting American forces from using bases in those countries to carry out strikes against the Iranian regime and assisting the U.S. in securing the Strait of Hormuz.

Other administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, have supported the president’s criticism of NATO.

In May, while attending a NATO meeting in Sweden, Rubio addressed the strained relationship between the U.S. and some NATO countries with respect to their lack of support for the U.S. operations against Iran, underscoring the conflict in Iran.

“The president’s views, frankly, disappointment at some of our NATO allies and their responses to our operations in the Middle East, are well documented. That will have to be addressed, but that won’t be solved or addressed today,” Rubio told reporters during the meeting.

The secretary called the differences within NATO over cooperation a “challenge,” highlighting the different political dynamics and budgetary constraints impacting the alliance.

Rubio criticized many NATO nations for their lack of defense spending, a long-time source of contention between Trump and NATO.

“Some countries are still lagging,” said the secretary of state.

Earlier this week, Hegseth attended the NATO Defense Ministerial in Brussels, Belgium, urging NATO nations to take a more active lead, including in their spending. The secretary told NATO partners that the Department of War would undergo a six-month review of American military troops based in Europe.

The president is expected to attend a NATO meeting in Turkey next month, where he will likely continue his push for greater spending by many NATO nations.

The results come from a poll conducted by Noble Predictive Insights from June 1-4, which surveyed registered voters nationally via an opt-in online panel and text-to-web cell phone messages. The sample included 2,585 respondents, comprising 915 Republicans, 1,013 Democrats, and 297 True Independents (Independents who, when asked whether they leaned toward one of the major parties, chose neither). The margin of error is +/- 1.93%.

(The Center Square) – Superintendent Alberto Carvalho has resigned from the Los Angeles Unified School District, and education watchdogs are not sad to see him go.

Carvalho announced his resignation Sunday night via a letter to the Board of Education for the nation's second-largest school district.

The resignation came four months after federal agents raided Carvalho's home in the coastal San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles and at the district's office in downtown Los Angeles. The FBI served a search warrant on Carvalho for both sites. The reason hasn't been revealed.

Carvalho was placed on paid leave by LAUSD in late February.

In his letter, Carvalho addressed the "students, families, teachers, staff, and community of LAUSD" and said that it had been an honor to serve.

"Placing students first has always guided my work," wrote Carvalho. "Because I believe our schools must remain focused on students and learning without distraction, I am resigning as Superintendent of LAUSD effective today, June 21, 2026."

It was the only reference Carvalho made toward February's events.

Carvalho has served as LAUSD's superintendent since February 2022 and has been the district's longest-serving superintendent in over 20 years. Before his job at LAUSD, Carvalho was superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools for 14 years.

Karen Frost, chair of Moms for Liberty Los Angeles, said she was relieved upon hearing the resignation.

“During Mr. Carvalho’s very short time here, things have not improved,” Frost told The Center Square. “In fact, they’ve gotten worse. I’m hopeful that maybe we can finally get someone here to make the changes that LAUSD really needs.”

When asked to elaborate, Frost pointed to the LAUSD contract with AllHere for a $6 million chatbot that was never created.

“We know that AI is here, and we know the genie is out of the bottle. But to spend that kind of money on a chatbot in the classrooms - I mean, even the teachers' union was against that,” said Frost.

The Moms for Liberty leader would prefer to see LAUSD get back to the fundamentals of reading, math, and science.

Currently, 25% of fourth-graders in LAUSD are reading at or above grade level, Frost said, referring to data from the Nation's Report Card.

Pointing to the entire LAUSD, Frost said less than 40% of students can do math at grade level.

“So the focus has been in the wrong place, and really, I think LAUSD needs to look east to like Mississippi and the Mississippi Miracle and find new and creative and inventive ways to get kids to actually learn,” said Frost.

The Mississippi Miracle is a phrase used to show the dramatic rise in Mississippi’s K-12 public education outcomes. In 2012, Mississippi was ranked dead last in education. Today, the Magnolia State is ranked 16^th in the nation. State officials credit an emphasis on phonics, literacy and better training for teachers.

Another parent advocacy nonprofit, Oleada Inc., hopes Carvalho's resignation will help define a clearer path forward for students and families, Executive Director Maria Luisa Palma.

But she added, “Major concerns and many unanswered questions remain” for LAUSD.

“Carvalho’s formal departure does not cure the ailments festering at LAUSD,” Palma told The Center Square, answering questions by email. “LA Unified continues to lose top management amid the Carvalho scandal and the $22 million money laundering criminal charges against a former LAUSD employee by the Los Angeles County DA Nathan Hochman.”

Palma also said Inspector General Susan Stengel departed in December 2025 as her contract was not renewed.

“Soheil Katal, chief information officer, quietly had his farewell party at LAUSD just two days after the FBI raid in February,” said Palma. “Frances Baez, chief academic officer, announced her retirement in May, while Karla Estrada, deputy superintendent of instruction, also announced her departure after her new contract was approved by the board.”

Palma went on to state that Jamie Torrens, a Carvalho appointee from Miami as senior adviser to the superintendent, was included in the Reduction in Force announced in March.

“Why have so many highly paid administrators left LAUSD in such a short period of time?” wondered Palma.

While Palma has questions, she did praise Carvalho on one point. She said his tenure will be remembered as “an era in which parents’ concerns were heard by the superintendent directly."

When asked for comment by The Center Square, LAUSD sent a statement published on its website Monday acknowledging receipt of the letter of Carvalho’s resignation.

"The Board remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring stability, continuity, and continued progress through strong leadership," the school district said. "Our focus remains unchanged: providing every student with a high-quality education, supporting our dedicated workforce, and maintaining the trust of the communities we serve."

Andrés Chait has served as acting superintendent during Carvalho's absence.

LAUSD said Chait will remain in the position until a permanent decision is made.

United Teachers Los Angeles, one of several unions with members in the LAUSD, urged the district to select a superintendent who is deeply committed to public education.

“Our students deserve a leader who listens to their needs and works in partnership with educators, educational staff, and families to strengthen the schools our communities rely on,” UTLA told The Center Square. “Most importantly, the next superintendent must ensure that district resources are invested where they matter most: in our schools and classrooms, not in billions of dollars’ worth of outside contracts. UTLA will continue to hold district leadership accountable to that commitment.” 

When people think about climate catastrophes and subsequent insurance crises, they may think of California wildfires or Florida hurricanes. But the peril that’s now costing insurers the most — and quietly driving up premiums for tens of millions of homeowners in the Midwest and South — is one many people may have never heard of: severe convective storms, or SCSs as meteorologists call them.

Severe convective storms have surpassed tropical cyclones to become the costliest insured peril of the 21st century, according to Aon, one of the world’s largest insurance and reinsurance brokers. Aon’s research shows insured losses stemming from such storms reached $127 billion in 2025, 27% above the long-term average. And this was considered a “below-average” hazard year.

SCSs’ combination of hail, tornadoes, damaging winds, and thunderstorms has generated more than $50 billion in insured losses annually for three straight years.

Hurricanes remain a primary threat and still cause the costliest single disasters. But severe convective storms now strike so frequently and across such a broad range that they’re reshaping home insurance costs from Texas to Nebraska to Illinois.

Middle America hardest hit

Hail-prone states like Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Texas are seeing some of the sharpest insurance pressure in the country despite being at a lower risk for hurricanes and wildfires.

But severe convective storms have become a major driver of premium growth, accounting for 70% of global insured losses in the first half of 2024, according to Swiss Re. Areas that people once considered low-risk are experiencing rising premiums and limited coverage options. “Tornado Alley” is also shifting eastward, with the Southeast and parts of the Midwest now experiencing increased tornado activity.

Home insurance premiums have surged in kind. Since 2021, the national average cost of home insurance has risen by 46%, according to Insurify data. The national average rose nearly 12% in 2025, and Insurify data analysts project another 4% rise by the end of 2026.

Some states have suffered more than others. Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Oklahoma, and South Carolina all saw average rates increase 20% in 2025, according to Insurify. And storm activity in Iowa alone has caused at least four different insurers to abandon the state.

The impact of an El Niño year

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has declared 2026 an El Niño year, and weather prognosticators are unsure what to expect in the coming months regarding hurricanes and severe convective storms.

“El Niño tends to suppress Atlantic hurricanes by increasing vertical wind shear, but the relationship with severe convective storms is much less straightforward,” said Crystal Egger, president and meteorologist at Monarch Weather & Climate Intelligence.

El Niño doesn’t necessarily reduce the overall activity of severe thunderstorms, hail, tornadoes, and damaging winds, Egger said. Instead, it shifts atmospheric patterns and storm tracks.

“In fact, El Niño often strengthens the subtropical jet stream across the southern United States, increasing upper-level winds and wind shear that can support more organized severe weather outbreaks, particularly across the Gulf Coast and Southeast,” she said.

So while El Niño might give coastal areas a break from hurricanes this year, severe weather risk is often redistributed to other areas and, in some regions, can actually increase.

Analyzing hail risk

More than 43.5 million U.S. properties face moderate or greater hail risk, according to the Cotality 2026 Severe Convective Storm Report. But while Texas leads in raw exposure, Greater Chicago is actually the most financially exposed metro in the country.

Unlike hurricanes, SCS events are often highly localized and can develop rapidly with little warning — making them extremely hard for insurers to model and price accurately, and for homeowners to prepare for.

And the devastation they create can be unpredictable. On a Tuesday afternoon in June 2023, a cluster of severe thunderstorms tore through central Texas, producing hail that shredded roofs across a wide swath of the region. The storms generated between $7 billion and $10 billion in insured losses — 95% from hail alone. It was one of the most expensive storm events in U.S. history.

And it could have been much worse.

Had the storm tracked just 15 to 20 miles further north, into the denser neighborhoods of Fort Worth, modelers estimate total losses would have reached $30 billion — on par with a major landfalling hurricane.

Hailstorms alone account for 50%–80% of all SCS losses, and a warmer climate is expected to produce more of the largest, most damaging hailstones — with frequency projected to increase 15%–75% depending on climate scenarios.

And experts say the traditional severe convective storm season is expanding, appearing earlier in spring and lasting later into fall. Tornado impacts are also shifting much further east than historical norms, hitting Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio.

What’s next: How owners can protect their homes

For homeowners, the lesson is that climate risk is no longer confined to the coasts. From Texas to Nebraska to Illinois, the next insurance shock may arrive not as a named storm but as an ordinary-looking thunderstorm packing golf-ball-sized hail and hurricane-force winds.

Some good news is that severe convective storm losses are often more preventable than hurricane losses because much of the damage comes from roofs, siding, windows, trees, and water intrusion.

While homeowners can’t stop hailstorms or tornadoes, insurance experts say they can take several steps to reduce damage and avoid unpleasant surprises when filing a claim.

• Review your dwelling coverage. Ask your insurer whether your Coverage A dwelling limit still reflects current rebuilding costs.

• Understand your roof coverage. Review your policy and ask how roof claims are handled before a storm hits. Some insurers now use actual cash value settlements for older roofs rather than replacement cost coverage, and homeowners could receive significantly less than the cost of a new roof after a hailstorm.

• Check your deductible. Many homeowners focus on their premiums but overlook their deductibles. Make sure you understand how much you’d pay out of pocket if a hailstorm damaged your roof or a windstorm caused major property damage.

• Consider impact-resistant roofing materials. The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) says impact-rated shingles and roofing products can better withstand hail damage. Some insurers also offer discounts for qualifying roof upgrades.

• Protect windows and vulnerable openings. Reinforced garage doors, storm shutters, and impact-resistant windows can reduce wind damage and help prevent rain from entering the home during severe storms.

• Trim trees and remove hazards. Falling limbs are a common source of storm-related claims. Regularly trimming trees and removing dead branches can reduce the risk of damage to roofs, vehicles, and power lines.

• Document your property before storm season. Take photos or videos of your home’s exterior, the roof, and your major possessions. Having a current inventory can speed up the claims process and make it easier to prove losses.

• Shop your insurance before renewal. Severe convective storm losses are affecting insurers differently across the country. Comparing quotes before your policy renews can help you determine whether you’re still getting the best value and coverage for your needs.

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(The Center Square) – How Major League Baseball can force one viewpoint upon players and “attack” them for expressing another is a puzzler to a North Carolina congressman.

Three days after Republican U.S. Rep. Dr. Greg Murphy wondered aloud on social media, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon at the U.S. Department of Justice agreed in a letter penned to Commissioner Rob Manfred. Central to the issue was baseball’s Pride Night game in San Francisco on June 12, when multiple players for the Giants – wearing insignia with rainbow colors through the interlocking SF – wrote Bible verses on their caps.

Landen Roupp, born and raised in Rocky Mount in the district now represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Don Davis, started on the mound against the Chicago Cubs. Relievers J.T. Brubaker and Ryan Walker also took the field with Bible verses on their hats, and reliever Sam Hentges didn’t wear the rainbow SF cap instead choosing the traditional uniform hat with orange letters.

“So how does Major League Baseball get away with forcing their players to wear a hat promoting one particular political viewpoint and then attacking them for expressing another?” Murphy opined on social media last Monday. “This is about baseball. Not politics.”

Baseball issued warnings it said were standard for the violation of writing messages on uniforms. Then Tuesday, amid backlash, doubled down by saying, “To be clear, this routine verbal warning not to wear the hat in future games in not disciplinary and had absolutely nothing to do with the content of the message.”

Dhillon’s Thursday letter wasn’t buying it. It read in part, “MLB has asserted that its warning to the Giants players ‘had absolutely nothing to do with the content of the message’ and that it merely is enforcing a policy that prohibits writing on uniforms. Yet, MLB has allowed players to wear uniform patches reading ‘Black Lives Matter.’ This double standard – under which players may not inscribe Bible verses on hats for one game only but may wear ‘Black Lives Matter’ patches for one game only – calls MLB’s true motives into question and raises serious concerns about MLB’s compliance with Title VII. Employers may not use facially neutral policies as ‘a pretext for discrimination.’”

She wrote that the Trump administration is committed to combatting religious discrimination, and the Department of Justice would hold employers accountable. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is investigating, Dhillon wrote.

Dhillon reminded Manfred of the Civil Rights Act, and within it, that “employers must modify their uniform requirements to reasonably accommodate their employees’ exercise of religion.”

Whereas advocates of allowing homosexual activity have used the rainbow in flags and other displays, the verses the players chose direct the audience to the Bible. Genesis 9:12-16, the Scripture they wrote, is from the story of Noah’s ark.

In Verse 11, God tells Noah never again “will there be a flood to destroy the earth.” Verse 12 reveals the sign of the covenant, and in Verse 13, God says, “I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”

“It’s just about God’s covenant and a promise that He makes to us – His faithfulness and His mercy,” Roupp told KNBR. “It’s just something I believe in, and I stand firm in that. Thankfully we live in a country where we have the freedom to believe what we want.

“There’s no hate at all. It’s just what I stand for, and what I stand in. I believe in God.”

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., also wrote to Manfred, writing in part, “You must answer for what appears to be a pattern of discrimination within MLB against baseball players who profess their Christian faith."

Writing on caps has been seen before, even very recently and prominently. In last year’s World Series, members of the Dodgers and Blue Jays wrote “#51” on their caps. Alex Vesia, who wears the jersey number for the Dodgers, missed the series to be with his wife after the tragic loss of their newborn daughter.

The Dodgers’ Blake Treinen chose a different yet familiar cap this year for the team’s Pride Night game. He wore the regular white interlocking LA; others had rainbow stripes through the letters. Last year, he inscribed Charlie Kirk’s name and two crosses onto his hat after last September’s assassination.

Manfred has taken black eyes for baseball’s politics before. No act in his tenure was more clearly political than pulling the 2021 All-Star Game from Atlanta over a voting rights bill.

The Texas Rangers are the only one of 30 teams that do not have a game in June associated with gender and sexual orientation commonly known as LGBTQ+.

Hentges, from Arden Hills, Minn., told ESPN, “It’s just something that I feel like I was forced to support when I don’t morally support it. There wasn’t hatred behind it. I think that’s kind of something that’s been misinterpreted.

“I don’t hate the LGBTQ community. It’s just something I believed and talked with teammates and family, and they supported it.”

(The Center Square) - Voters in Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District, which includes the city of Boulder, will elect partisan candidates in the U.S. House during the June 30 primary.

Candidates from both parties are offering competing visions on public land protection, fraud enforcement, healthcare and the national debt. Besides Boulder, the district includes the city of Fort Collins and vast swaths of mountainous areas and public lands.

Incumbent Rep. Joe Neguse, D-Colorado, was first elected to the district in 2018, after fellow Democrat Jared Polis ran successfully for governor. Neguse is seeking a fifth term in Colorado’s traditionally Democratic district. However, two Republican candidates, Kelley Dennison and Christina Blunt, are vying to challenge Neguse in November.

Blunt told The Center Square that Neguse has not represented Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District well.

“We’re being governed by bureaucrats,” Blunt said. “I think that’s the largest disconnect.”

Neguse has boasted of his commitment to protect public lands in the district, embrace universal healthcare and advance climate change legislation. He boasted of his support for the CORE Act, which would permanently protect more than 400,000 acres of land in Colorado from oil and gas development.

The bill was first introduced in 2019 and passed through the U.S. House, but has never passed through the Senate.

“Joe is committed to preserving Colorado’s treasured public spaces, investing in our outdoor recreation economy, safeguarding wildlife and biodiversity and tackling western wildfires,” Neguse’s website reads.

Blunt slammed Neguse for focusing his campaign on legislation that has not passed. She said the region has become more prone to wildfires because Congress can’t pass the legislation.

“I hold all Democrats responsible for Democrat activity,” Blunt said. “It is setting us up for a massive fire.”

Kelley Dennision, another Republican seeking the nomination on June 30, said her campaign is focused on increasing oil and gas production in the district while protecting environmental resources. She called for the district to increase domestic energy production in a responsible manner.

“Protecting Colorado's environment should not mean destroying the livelihoods of ranchers, farmers, energy workers, small towns, or outdoor industries that depend on responsible land use,” Dennison’s website reads.

Dennison was not available in time for an interview with The Center Square. She also called for responsible forest management to prevent wildfires, including controlled burns and beetle mitigation.

Blunt has also focused her campaign on prosecuting individuals who commit fraud in federal programs. She called on Congress to prosecute fraud more aggressively and audit departments across the executive branch.

“Everything needs to become more competitive as far as contracts,” Blunt said. “We need to have guardrails on how money is spent.”

She said efforts like the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency and the White House Anti-Fraud Task Force are steps in the right direction to pursue fraud.

Blunt pointed out that the government typically does not operate on competitive contracts.

Blunt said she would support legislation like the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. She said the bill was designed to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining healthcare. Neguse voted against the bill last year.

“As much as people want to think it's not happening, there is fraud, waste and abuse from illegal immigration on our taxpayers,” Blunt said.

Neguse appears to have a significant fundraising advantage over his Republican competitors. He received more than $2 million in campaign contributions, according to the most recent filings from the Federal Election Commission.

He received a contribution for $1,000 from Booz Allen Hamilton PAC, a well-known defense contractor; $2,500 from the American Hospital Association PAC and $1,000 from Universal Music Group Action Fund.

According to FEC filings, both Dennison and Blunt have raised zero dollars for either of their campaigns. The Center Square reached out to both candidates for comments on campaign finances, but did not receive a response.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on June 30, Election Day. For more information visit the Secretary of State’s website, coloradosos.gov/pubs/elections. Early election results will be published that evening at www.thecentersquare.com/colorado.

(The Center Square) – Following what appeared to be a bumpy weekend between the U.S. and Iran, Vice President J.D. Vance said progress is being made.

Vance, leading a U.S. delegation in talks with Iran, mediated by Pakistan and Qatar, reassured that talks remain ongoing in Switzerland after Iranian representatives threatened to walk out in response to some strongly worded social media posts from President Donald Trump over the weekend.

The president responded to Iranian claims that it once again closed the Strait of Hormuz, accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire after the Jewish State retaliated for Hezbollah attacks.

Trump warned that Iran would not impose tolls on the strait during or after the 60-day ceasefire. However, the president left the door open for the U.S. to impose tolls “should the deal not be completed,” adding they would be considered, “services rendered as guardian angel to the countries of the Middle East for the purpose of both past, present, and future reimbursement costs.”

The president also warned Iran against supporting its terror proxies, specifically highlighting Hezbollah.

“Iran must immediately stop their highly paid proxies in Lebanon from causing trouble," Trump wrote. "If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!”

Despite Iran's saying it had closed the Strait of Hormuz, Vance confirmed that the vital waterway remains open. He sought to defuse regional tensions, pointing to the situation in Lebanon, which could prompt Iran to increase aggression in the strait.

The vice president also announced Iran’s approval of allowing inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency back in to inspect key nuclear sites. The agency has been inspecting sites, but since last year’s strike on the nation’s top nuclear facilities, access has been restricted.

During a brief press conference, Vance also addressed concerns regarding a potential agreement to unfreeze Iranian assets by “setting up a process.” He emphasized that “if” the frozen assets are unfrozen, the funds would be overseen by the U.S. and Qatar to be certain the funds would be used to “go to help the people of Iran.”

The funds would be spent on buying American agricultural products, described as a “classic Trump deal” that would help enrich American farmers.

In addition, the U.S. Treasury Department announced Monday morning that it was issuing a 60-day general license authorizing the production, delivery and sale of Iranian oil until Aug. 21.

The Memorandum of Understanding signed by the U.S. and Iran last week paved the way for the U.S. to lift the naval blockade on Iranian ports. The Trump administration said it was costing the Iranian economy between $400 million and $500 million a day in lost revenue.

Moody’s Analytics estimates the conflict with Iran has cost taxpayers $132 billion and counting since the U.S. began strikes on Feb. 28; much of that cost has come in the form of rising consumer prices, such as gasoline and food.