BLUE-STATE TAX RELIEF, RED-TAPE EDITION
In today’s edition, Sahil Kapur digs into an emerging debate among Democrats with big implications for the future of the party. Plus, we have the top lines from President Donald Trump’s news conference as the Iran war stretches into its sixth week.
Tax cuts have become the hottest new policy idea among Democrats, with 2026 gubernatorial candidates and potential 2028 presidential hopefuls jumping on the bandwagon with new proposals.
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., seeks to create a federal tax exemption for up to $75,000 in income for married couples. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., wants to set that figure at $92,000.
Democrats, after years of treating tax cuts like a radioactive potato, have suddenly discovered them as the hottest new policy accessory, and naturally everyone wants one before the 2026 and 2028 fashion shows begin. Sen. Cory Booker is offering a federal tax exemption up to $75,000 for married couples, Sen. Chris Van Hollen is aiming a little higher at $92,000, Katie Porter wants California families making up to $100,000 to skip state income taxes altogether, and Keisha Lance Bottoms is pitching zero income taxes for teachers, because nothing says “serious governing” like a party-wide sprint toward the fiscal equivalent of saying, “You get a tax cut, and you get a tax cut!” The best part is watching an entire political tribe try to outdo one another in a contest to sound both populist and prudent, as if arithmetic were just another branding problem.
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Today’s Birthday
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Chester Burton "Chet" Atkins, Mister Guitar (1924)June 20, 2026
Atkins got his first guitar by making a trade with his brother, and it was arguably the best deal he ever made. Although he struggled with shyness and suffered from severe asthma—he had to sleep sitting up and often fell asleep still holding his guitar—he became an accomplished guitarist and went on to release several hit records, develop a signature line of guitars, and help create country music's "Nashville sound." What did "Mr. Guitar," as he came to be known, trade to get that first guitar?
Atkins got his first guitar by making a trade with his brother, and it was arguably the best deal he ever made. Although he struggled with shyness and suffered from severe asthma—he had to sleep sitting up and often fell asleep still holding his guitar—he became an accomplished guitarist and went on to release several hit records, develop a signature line of guitars, and help create country music's "Nashville sound." What did "Mr. Guitar," as he came to be known, trade to get that first guitar?Today’s Holiday
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West Virginia DayJune 20, 2026
West Virginia Day is a state holiday in West Virginia to celebrate its joining the Union in 1863 as the 35th state. The creation of the state was a result of the Civil War. The settlers of western Virginia defied the state's vote to secede from the Union, and on June 20 West Virginia formally entered the Union as an anti-slave state. The day is marked with ceremonies at the state capitol in Charleston and at the West Virginia Independence Hall in Wheeling. It was there that the conventions were held to declare West Virginia's independence from Virginia.
West Virginia Day is a state holiday in ARTICLE OF THE DAY
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Black TeaJune 20, 2026
Excluding water, tea is the most widely consumed drink on the planet, drunk either hot or cold by half the world's population. The vast majority of tea sold in the West is black tea, made from fermented leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. Generally stronger in flavor and more caffeinated than the green and oolong varieties, black tea retains its flavor for several years and has long been an article of trade, serving as a form of currency into the 19th century in what countries?
Excluding water, tea is the most widely consumed drink on the planet, drunk either hot or cold by half the world's population. The vast majority of tea sold in the West is black tea, made from fermented leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. Generally stronger in flavor and more caffeinated than the green and oolong varieties, black tea retains its flavor for several years and has long been an article of trade, serving as a form of currency into the 19th century in what countries?
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