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IRAQ
At 3 a.m. Sunday in Baghdad, tanks rolled into the Green Zone.
Elite Counter-Terrorism Service units, backed by Iraqi Army armor, sealed off the heavily fortified compound that houses Iraq’s parliament, the Council of Ministers, the judiciary, the US Embassy, and the private residences of the country’s most powerful politicians. They worked through the night. By dawn, 47 people had been arrested — sitting members of parliament, senior government officials, corporate executives, and figures linked to Iran-backed Shiite militia financing networks. Parliamentary immunity was lifted for the lawmakers before their detention, with the approval of Speaker Haybat al-Halbousi. Some suspects fled before forces arrived. Entrances to the Green Zone were sealed. A wider search operation was launched.
The arrests were ordered by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who took office in May with US backing and has made anti-corruption and state control of weapons his defining pledges. They followed confessions made by Adnan al-Jumaili, Iraq’s former deputy oil minister for refining affairs, arrested last month on corruption charges, whose statements implicated a wider network of officials in dollar smuggling, Iranian oil smuggling, and the diversion of public funds to Iran-backed armed factions. A Phase Two is being prepared, targeting what one Iraqi security source called “First-Tier political bosses, party leaders, and major financial tycoons who previously considered themselves completely untouchable.”
The timing was deliberate on multiple levels. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was visiting Baghdad the same morning for talks with al-Zaidi and Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein, a visit during which Araghchi warned that any attempt to create “new or separate arrangements” for the Strait of Hormuz “will only lead to more complicated situations and delays in the reopening of the Strait.” A diplomat in Baghdad told AFP the security operation “is part of the Washington visit preparations” — al-Zaidi is planning a mid-July trip to Washington, where he will press for US investment and a strengthened security partnership. US envoy Tom Barrack is also due in Baghdad this week to press demands for Iran-backed Shiite militias to be dismantled. Muqtada al-Sadr has already placed his militia’s weapons under state control. US Secretary of State Rubio said Washington has received “good and constructive signals” from the Iraqi government on armed factions.
Iraq is threading a needle that no country in the region has managed to thread: maintaining working relations with both Washington and Tehran while dismantling the financial infrastructure that connects its own political class to Iranian influence. Sunday’s dawn raids are the most aggressive move yet in that effort.
A note of caution the sourcing requires. Anti-corruption drives in Iraq have a documented history of selective prosecution — previous governments used similar mechanisms against political rivals while leaving their own networks untouched. The targets of Sunday’s arrests share a common characteristic: alignment with Iran-backed Shiite factions that dominated the previous government and that al-Zaidi’s administration displaced. The corruption charges are specific and documented. The $85 million seized earlier is confirmed. But whether this represents genuine accountability or political consolidation under a US-backed prime minister — or both simultaneously — is a question the sourcing cannot yet answer. Human rights organizations have not yet commented. ROTWR will continue to follow.
🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: At 3 a.m. Sunday, Iraqi tanks rolled into Baghdad’s Green Zone and arrested 47 politicians, lawmakers, and officials linked to corruption and Iranian militia financing. The same morning, Iran’s foreign minister was in Baghdad warning against any Hormuz workarounds. The US envoy arrives this week to press for militia disarmament. Iraq is doing something Washington has wanted for years and has never been able to compel. It is doing it on its own terms, for its own reasons, with consequences that will ripple through the region.
Sources: Al Jazeera (Qatar, state-funded/editorially independent — 47 arrested confirmed, CTS units confirmed, Green Zone raids confirmed, parliamentary immunity lifted confirmed, Speaker al-Halbousi approval confirmed, Maliki support confirmed, June 28); Reuters via People News Today (wire — al-Jumaili confessions confirmed, broader network implicated confirmed, some suspects fled confirmed, Green Zone sealed confirmed, June 28); Times of Israel (Israel — Araghchi Baghdad visit confirmed, AFP diplomat “Washington visit preparations” confirmed, al-Sadr weapons transfer confirmed, Rubio “constructive signals” confirmed, dollar/oil smuggling charges confirmed, June 28); Iran International (UK — Phase Two confirmed, Barrack Baghdad visit confirmed, Iran-aligned parties targeted confirmed, 43-47 figure range confirmed, June 28); Asharq Al-Awsat (Arabic/international — $85 million seized earlier confirmed, Araghchi Hormuz warning verbatim confirmed, al-Zaidi Washington visit July confirmed, June 28)
PAIGELYNNE GONYEA
On June 23, New York’s primary election day, ICE agents entered a polling place in Syracuse.
Paigelynne Gonyea was working her shift as a poll site manager at the Central Library in downtown Syracuse when she received a voicemail from someone identifying himself as a Department of Homeland Security special agent calling from a New Jersey number. He told her they had been “just by” her apartment. He said her husband had been spoken to. He wanted to discuss an Instagram post she had made in January.
Gonyea called back from inside the polling site and told the agent she was working. He asked her to come outside. She declined. “I’ve seen the news, especially in Minnesota,” she said. “And I didn’t want anything to happen to me.” She told the agents they could come inside.
Two uniformed ICE agents entered the library. They carried a file on Gonyea containing her name, address, date of birth, height, weight, and eye color. They handed her a written warning stating she might be in violation of federal statutes protecting federal law enforcement officers from having their personal information posted publicly. She was asked to sign a document. She refused. The agents left. Fellow poll worker Sheilia Milledge, 70, recorded the encounter on her phone. No voters were present at the time.
Here is what Gonyea’s January post actually contained. On January 8, 2026 — the day after ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed Renee Good, a 37-year-old US citizen and mother, in Minneapolis — the Minnesota Star Tribune published Ross’s name. Gonyea shared an image of the masked agent, identified by name in the press, with a caption reading, “The ICE agent who shot and killed Renee Good in broad daylight has been identified as Jonathan Ross by the Minnesota Star Tribune. I think today is a great day for Jonathan to be indicted!”
DHS claims Gonyea posted Ross’s home address, constituting criminal doxxing. Gonyea denies it. DHS has not produced the address in question. The post, as described by every outlet that has reviewed it, contained information already published by a news organization. Calling for the indictment of a public official is protected speech under the First Amendment. Sharing a newspaper’s reporting on who a public official is, is protected speech under the First Amendment.
Federal law has prohibited armed federal agents from entering polling places since the Civil War. The relevant statute, 18 U.S.C. § 592, bars troops and armed federal officers from deployment anywhere an election is held. The New York Attorney General’s office is reviewing the incident. Gonyea is consulting with two First Amendment legal teams, including the New York Civil Liberties Union. She has not taken the post down. “This is not about the money,” she said. “This is about the principle and it’s bigger than me. This is to protect our First Amendment, not just my First Amendment.”
The encounter in Syracuse did not happen in isolation. For months, Trump administration allies have been publicly discussing the deployment of ICE agents to polling places ahead of the November midterms. Steve Bannon said in February that stationing ICE agents at airports is “perfect training for the fall of 2026.” Former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem declined to rule out polling place deployments. DHS Secretary-designate Markwayne Mullin said during his March confirmation hearing that ICE could be sent to polling places in the event of a “specific threat.” DHS has said publicly it has no plans to station ICE at polls. But neither has DHS ruled it out.
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi formally demanded answers from DHS on June 16, asking the agency to identify “any plans, contingencies, operational guidance, or concepts of operations” concerning ICE deployment during the 2026 midterms, and to “identify any such deployments since January 20, 2025.” His response deadline is June 30 — tomorrow. Nine secretaries of state, from both parties, have demanded written assurances that ICE will not operate at polling locations this November. They have not received them.
What happened in Syracuse on June 23 may have been a one-off. Or it may be exactly what Bannon described — training.
🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: ICE agents entered a polling place on Election Day in New York. Federal law has prohibited armed federal agents at polls since the Civil War. The agents were there about a social media post containing information already published by a newspaper. The post called for the indictment of an agent who killed a US citizen. That is protected speech. No charges have been filed against Gonyea. DHS has not produced the address it claims she posted. A congressman demanded answers from DHS about polling place deployment plans. The deadline for those answers is tomorrow. November is four months away.
Sources: NPR (US — Gonyea account confirmed, voicemail confirmed, agents entered confirmed, file contents confirmed, DHS statement confirmed, Gonyea “I didn’t want anything to happen” confirmed, June 26); ABC News / AP (US wire — January post confirmed, Ross named by Star Tribune confirmed, Gonyea caption verbatim confirmed, DHS “committed a federal crime” statement confirmed, NY AG reviewing confirmed, June 26); Democracy Docket (US — Gonyea “bigger than me” quote confirmed, NYCLU consultation confirmed, post still up confirmed, June 28); WAER Syracuse (US — “already outed” framing confirmed, Star Tribune identification context confirmed, June 26); Brennan Center for Justice (US nonpartisan — 18 U.S.C. § 592 confirmed, Bannon “perfect training for the fall of 2026” confirmed, Mullin confirmation hearing confirmed, election official preparation briefings confirmed, March 2026); Congressman Krishnamoorthi press release (US primary — formal demand text confirmed, June 30 deadline confirmed, specific questions verbatim confirmed, June 16 2026); Democracy Docket (US — nine secretaries of state letter confirmed, bipartisan confirmed, no written assurances received confirmed, April 2026)
THE 17th AMENDMENT
On June 25, Congressman Keith Self of Texas introduced a joint resolution to repeal the 17th Amendment to the United States Constitution.
The 17th Amendment, ratified in 1913, established the direct popular election of US senators. Before it passed, senators were chosen by state legislatures. Self’s resolution would return that power to state lawmakers. “The current system has given us six-year politicians more focused on national ambitions and the institution of the U.S. Senate than on the states they serve,” Self said. Co-sponsors include Representatives Paul Gosar of Arizona, Andy Harris of Maryland, Clay Higgins of Louisiana, and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, among others. Higgins called the 17th Amendment “arguably the most injurious amendment in history.”
The resolution arrives in a specific political context. The House and Senate are in an escalating feud over the SAVE America Act — the voter ID bill the House passed and the Senate has blocked. The Senate also just passed a War Powers resolution against Trump’s Iran war. House Freedom Caucus members, of whom Self is one, are openly furious. The 17th Amendment resolution is, in part, a statement: if the Senate will not bend to the House’s will on the SAVE Act, perhaps the solution is a Senate that is no longer elected by voters at all.
Repealing a constitutional amendment requires two-thirds of both the House and Senate and ratification by three-fourths of states — 38 of 50. No constitutional amendment has been repealed since Prohibition was ended in 1933. Self’s resolution will not become law. But it is a public statement about what a faction of the Republican Party believes American democracy should look like. The Senate that just passed a War Powers resolution by 50-48 and blocked the SAVE Act is a Senate chosen by voters. The Senate that Self is proposing would be chosen by state legislatures, many of which are gerrymandered in favor of Republicans.
The 17th Amendment was itself a response to a system that produced corruption, deadlocks, and backroom deals. Between 1885 and 1912, state legislatures deadlocked 71 times over Senate selections, leaving at least 17 seats vacant for entire sessions. In Delaware, a selection process took 217 ballots over 114 days, leaving the state unrepresented for two years. The amendment was passed because the previous system failed. Self is proposing to return to it.
🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: A faction of House Republicans introduced a resolution last week to end direct popular election of US senators. If it succeeded, Americans would no longer vote for their senators, state legislatures would choose them instead. It will not pass. But it was introduced the same week the Senate blocked the SAVE Act and passed a War Powers resolution against the president’s war. The timing is the message.
Sources: Washington Examiner (US — Self resolution confirmed, co-sponsors named, House-Senate feud context confirmed, June 25); Congressman Self press release (US primary — full resolution text, Self and Higgins quotes verbatim, June 25); Democracy Docket (US — Kansas parallel mechanism confirmed, Thompson “big mistake” quote confirmed, June 26); US Senate Historical Office (US government primary — 71 deadlocks confirmed, 17 vacant seats confirmed, Delaware 217 ballots/114 days confirmed, 1913 ratification confirmed)
KOHEN WILEY
Kohen Kartier Wiley was buried Saturday in Pope, Mississippi. He was one year old. He was buried with a stuffed Bluey toy. His mother Vellesiya held her own Bluey toy throughout the service. His small Bluey-themed casket was carried in a white horse-drawn carriage.
Hundreds of mourners filled Hosanna Family Worship Center. Civil rights attorney Van Turner led the crowd in chants of “justice for baby Kohen.” Ben Crump spoke. Black Lives Matter Birmingham Grass Roots traveled from Alabama to stand with the family. Nearly 300 people were there.
Kohen’s grandmother Veronica Roberson said, “That baby meant everything to me. He’s all I had. My only and my first grandchild. I took his mother to the hospital to deliver him.” His grandfather Carlos Haynes said, “What hurts me most is when my granddaughter asks where he is. She’s only three years old and to see her play alone, I just want justice for my dude.”
Turner said, “There is nothing in that Walmart store that is more precious than a baby.”
No charges have been filed against Sergeant Hunter Foster of the Senatobia Police Department, who fired the shots. No arrest has been made. The body camera footage, dash camera footage, and Walmart surveillance footage remain withheld. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation says the investigation may take six to nine months. A candlelight vigil planned for Saturday evening was canceled after a city official failed to submit a required form. Kohen’s family is still demanding that all surveillance video be released.
🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: Kohen Wiley was buried Saturday. He was one year old. The officer who shot him has not been charged. The footage has not been released. The investigation will take six to nine months. His grandmother is one of 300 people who came to say goodbye to a baby.
Sources: Newsweek (US — Turner “nothing more precious” quote confirmed, hundreds confirmed, BLM Birmingham confirmed, Roberson quote confirmed, June 28); WREG Memphis (US — Bluey casket confirmed, horse-drawn carriage confirmed, 300 attendees confirmed, Hosanna Family Worship Center confirmed, June 28); Action News 5 (US — Haynes quote confirmed, Roberson quote confirmed, granddaughter detail confirmed, June 23); Legacy.com obituary (US — burial Saturday June 27 confirmed, Hosanna Family Worship Center confirmed)
LEBANON AND PALESTINE
The framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon, signed Friday, has not stopped the dying.
Overnight Sunday, IDF Captain David Hazutt, 21, was killed in a clash with a Hezbollah gunman in the southern Lebanese village of Deir Siryan. Israel announced it had demolished a Hezbollah tunnel in Majdal Zoun — 200 meters long, 25 meters deep, used to assemble and launch Iranian-made drones. Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri announced the framework agreement will not be ratified by parliament. Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem called it “humiliating, shameful and a surrender of sovereignty.” Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir approved plans for “continued operations in the security zone,” which Israel defines as extending 10 kilometers into Lebanese territory. Strikes continue.
In Gaza this morning, three people including a child were killed in an Israeli drone strike on Deir al-Balah in central Gaza. The cumulative death toll in Gaza since October 2023 has surpassed 73,000. Since the October 10, 2025 “ceasefire” took effect, Israeli attacks have killed more than 1,024 Palestinians, including more than 250 children.
In the West Bank, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich declared at the inauguration of a new illegal settlement in Hebron that Israel had annulled the 1997 Hebron Accords and now holds planning authority over the H2 zone. The Israeli Foreign Ministry partially walked it back. The US State Department said it does not support annexation. The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights estimates Israeli forces now control roughly 64% of Gaza, up from the 53% stipulated under the October ceasefire.
🇺🇸 What American readers need to know: The ceasefire framework signed Friday has not stopped Israeli strikes in Lebanon. A soldier was killed overnight. Parliament will not ratify it. Hezbollah rejected it. In Gaza, three more people were killed this morning including a child. The cumulative toll is past 73,000. Israel’s finance minister declared Hebron’s 1997 agreement annulled. The US said it doesn’t support annexation. Israel controls 64% of Gaza. The “ceasefire” in Gaza has killed more than 1,000 Palestinians since October.
Sources: Times of Israel liveblog (Israel — Hazutt killed confirmed, Majdal Zoun tunnel confirmed, Berri no ratification confirmed, Zamir continued operations confirmed, June 28-29); Al Jazeera (Qatar, state-funded/editorially independent — Qassem “humiliating shameful” quote confirmed, one killed Saturday confirmed, June 27); Israel-Palestine LiveUAMap (aggregator — three killed Deir al-Balah June 29 confirmed, Gaza drone strike confirmed, Berri no ratification confirmed, June 29); Al Jazeera (Qatar, state-funded/editorially independent — 73,000+ cumulative confirmed, 1,024 post-ceasefire confirmed, 64% Gaza control confirmed, Smotrich Hebron Accords claim confirmed, US State Dept response confirmed, June 23)
WAR DAY 121 | NUMBERS AT PUBLICATION
🇮🇷 Iran: 3,468 killed, 26,500+ injured (Iran Ministry of Health, via Al Jazeera live tracker, last updated June 10)
🇱🇧 Lebanon: 4,230 killed, 12,179 injured (Lebanon Ministry of Public Health, updated June 25)
🇮🇱 Israel: 35+ killed (Israeli news source via Time, June 21 — tracker frozen June 10)
🌍 Gulf states/Iraq: 131 killed — Iraq 118, Kuwait 7, Bahrain 3, Oman 3 (Al Jazeera live tracker, last updated June 10)
🇺🇸 US military: 13 killed, 381 injured (Al Jazeera live tracker, last updated June 10)
🛢️ Brent crude: $72.47/barrel (OilPrice.com — back to pre-war levels; $23.67 below the May 21 peak of $96.14)
⛽ US national gas average: $3.86/gallon (AAA — down $0.70 from the May 21 peak of $4.56)
Sourcing note: All war casualty figures sourced to the Al Jazeera live tracker, last updated June 10, 2026, except Lebanon. Lebanon updated to 4,230 killed, 12,179 injured per Lebanon Ministry of Public Health, confirmed June 25. All figures are floor estimates. Methodology differs between sources; figures are not directly comparable.
“Whenever the people are well informed, they can be trusted with their own government.” — Thomas Jefferson, 1789
