Nightly News - Thu Jun 25 2026
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Nation
Trump Blows Up Republican Budget Deal Over Election Bill — $88B Iran War Funding Request Sent to Congress
President Trump torpedoed what could have been a GOP budget win to pressure lawmakers into passing an elections overhaul bill that has stalled in the Senate. Separately, the White House asked Congress for nearly $88 billion in supplemental funding, mostly to cover ongoing U.S. military operations against Iran.
Sources: NPR · AP · Reuters
South Africa Xenophobic Violence Escalates — Migrants Driven Out, Several Killed Ahead of June 30 Deadline
Foreign-owned businesses have been attacked and migrants driven from their homes across South Africa, with several people killed, as a leading xenophobic group gave all undocumented immigrants until June 30 to leave the country.
Sources: NPR · AP · AFP
Roe v. Wade Overturned Four Years Ago Today — A Confusing Patchwork of State Laws Remains
Thursday marks four years since the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022, with state abortion laws remaining a fragmented and rapidly shifting landscape across the country.
Sources: NPR · AP
World
Venezuela Twin Earthquakes Kill 188+, 1,520 Injured — USGS Warns Death Toll Could Reach Tens of Thousands
A 7.2 and 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck Venezuela 39 seconds apart Wednesday evening, collapsing dozens of buildings in Caracas and the coastal city of La Guaira. USGS estimates a 44% chance fatalities exceed 10,000; U.S. search-and-rescue teams from Fairfax County and Los Angeles County are deploying.
Sources: CNN · NPR · NBC News
U.S. Deploys Aid to Venezuela — Rubio: Response Will Be "Big, Fast, and Effective"
Secretary of State Rubio said the U.S. is immediately sending search-and-rescue teams, medical resources, and humanitarian assistance to Venezuela, with Trump saying he instructed all government agencies to help the country's "new and great friends."
Sources: NBC News · AP · Reuters
Fertilizer Prices Easing as Hormuz Reopens — Iran War Cost Inflation Expected to Peak in May PCE
American farmers are seeing fertilizer prices ease with the Strait of Hormuz reopening and a U.S.-Iran peace deal in view, after the war caused a sharp spike in fuel and input costs that won't yet appear in Thursday's May PCE data.
Sources: NPR · Reuters
Technology
Anthropic Accuses Alibaba of 28.8 Million Claude Extraction Attack — "Largest Known Distillation Campaign"
Anthropic told Senators Warren and Scott that operators linked to Alibaba's Qwen lab used ~25,000 fake accounts to run 28.8 million Claude exchanges between April 22 and June 5, nearly double the February DeepSeek campaign. Alibaba shares fell to a 16-month low in Hong Kong; Anthropic is calling on Congress to treat AI distillation as a national-security threat.
Sources: Bloomberg · TheStreet · Business Standard
Alibaba Sues Pentagon Over Military Blacklist Designation — Down 33% Year-to-Date
Alibaba filed suit in federal court in San Jose challenging its June 8 addition to the Pentagon's 1260H list of alleged Chinese military companies, calling the designation "arbitrary and capricious" — adding a third Washington fight to its week that already included the Anthropic accusations.
Sources: Reuters · 24/7 Wall St. · AP
Micron Surges 15% as AI Chip Rally Extends — SK Hynix $29B U.S. Listing Announced
Micron extended its post-earnings surge Thursday as Micron's blowout Q3 continued to lift the semiconductor sector. South Korea's SK Hynix separately announced a $29 billion U.S. listing plan aimed at expanding AI chip capacity, sending Korea's KOSPI up more than 3%.
Sources: CNBC · Bloomberg · Yahoo Finance
Oracle Cut 21,000 Jobs in 12 Months — Says AI Replaced Some Roles
Oracle disclosed it eliminated approximately 21,000 positions over the past 12 months, with management citing AI automation as a factor in some of the reductions, marking one of the clearest corporate acknowledgments yet that AI is directly displacing workers at scale.
Sources: Bloomberg · CNBC
Business & Markets
PCE Hits 4.1% in May — Highest Since April 2023, Core at 3.4%; Fed Holds, September Hike Now in View
The Fed's preferred inflation gauge rose to 4.1% annually in May, up from 3.8% in April, driven largely by Iran-war energy price spikes. Core PCE came in at 3.4%; Q1 GDP was revised up to 2.1%; but consumer spending rose a robust 0.7% — keeping the Fed on hold while markets now price a September rate hike.
Sources: CBS News · CNBC · Seeking Alpha
Initial Jobless Claims Fall to 215,000 — Labor Market Holds Firm Despite Inflation Pressure
Weekly jobless claims dropped 12,000 to 215,000 for the week ended June 20, beating the 223,000 forecast and signaling a resilient labor market that gives the Fed less urgency to cut rates anytime soon.
Sourches: CNBC · BLS · AP
Science & Health
Europe Heat Dome Shatters Records — France Near 40°C, UK Breaks June High, Spain Posts Back-to-Back Records
A powerful heat dome over Europe pushed temperatures in France close to 40°C (104°F) Thursday, with the UK recording its highest June temperature ever and Spain logging back-to-back monthly records, part of a broader pattern of accelerating summer extremes across the continent.
Sources: iWeatherNet · Reuters · AFP
DRC Ebola Outbreak Continues — 58 Deaths Recorded in Mongbwalu's Shuni 1 Neighborhood
An Ebola outbreak in Mongbwalu in the DRC's Ituri Province has recorded 58 deaths in the Shuni 1 neighborhood alone, with WHO and aid organizations working to contain the spread in a remote region with limited healthcare infrastructure.
Sources: NPR · WHO · AFP
Sports
USMNT Already Group Winners — USA vs. Turkey Tonight at 10 p.m. ET at SoFi; Pulisic Doubtful
The U.S. men's national team enters Thursday's group finale against Turkey already through as Group D winners, with two wins and a 6-1 goal differential. Christian Pulisic remains doubtful with a left calf injury; Pochettino's squad is chasing an unprecedented third group-stage win for the program.
Sources: NPR · ABC News · FIFA
South Korea Eliminated After 0-0 Draw with South Africa — Mexico Tops Group A
South Korea needed at least a draw to advance but was held scoreless by South Africa Wednesday night, finishing third in Group A and heading home. Co-host Mexico topped the group after a routine win over Czech Republic.
Sources: ESPN · Yahoo Sports · FIFA
Germany Wins Group E, England Tops Group L — Round of 32 Picture TakingShape
Germany clinched Group E with a dominant display, while England secured top spot in Group L on goal difference over Ghana after their Tuesday draw. The Round of 32 bracket is taking shape ahead of this weekend's knockout-round openers.
Sources: ESPN · BBC Sport · FIFA
Entertainment
Wendy's Jumps 15% on Retail Short Squeeze — Meme Stock Energy Returns to Markets
Wendy's shares surged more than 15% Thursday as retail traders piled in, drawing comparisons to the 2021 meme-stock era, on the same day broader markets were digesting Micron's AI chip rally and the PCE inflation data.
Sources: TheStreet · Yahoo Finance
Ukrainian Soccer Club in Philadelphia — World Cup Host City Ties to Immigrant Community Highlighted
NPR reports on Philadelphia's deep Ukrainian soccer roots, with World Cup matches now playing in the same city where Ukrainian immigrant clubs have built community through the sport for decades.
Source: NPR
Weather
DFW: High 95°F, Sun and Clouds Mixed — Low Tonight 77°F, Stays Hot Through Weekend
Dallas–Fort Worth sees another near-identical summer day Thursday with a high around 95°F, sun and clouds mixed, south winds at 10–20 mph, and just a 5% chance of precipitation. AccuWeather shows highs holding at 95–97°F straight through the weekend with no meaningful relief in sight.
Sources: Weather Underground · AccuWeather · NWS Fort Worth
Coming Up
Friday Watch: USMNT Result Tonight · Venezuela Rescue Operations Continue · Markets React to PCE + Micron Rally
Friday brings the aftermath of tonight's USA–Turkey match and the ongoing Venezuela earthquake rescue operation, which USGS warns could reveal a far higher death toll as rubble is cleared. Markets will also open with Thursday's PCE data and the sustained Micron-led chip rally as dual tailwinds — or headwinds, depending on Fed rate-hike reads.
Source: Daily Tech Reader
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