The Rest of the World Report | Monday, June 29, 2026 — Morning Edition

Iraqi tanks and elite Counter-Terrorism Service units sealed off Baghdad's Green Zone at dawn Sunday 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 Hormuz workarounds. Iraq is threading a needle Washington has wanted threaded for years. On Election Day in New York, ICE agents entered a polling place in Syracuse to pressure a poll worker over an Instagram post about the agent who killed Renee Good. The post contained information already published by a newspaper. Calling for someone's indictment is protected speech. Federal law has banned armed agents from polling places since the Civil War. Steve Bannon called ICE's airport deployments "perfect training for the fall of 2026." House Republicans introduced a resolution to repeal the 17th Amendment — the one that lets Americans directly elect their senators. It arrived the same week the Senate blocked the SAVE Act and passed a War Powers resolution. The timing is the message. Kohen Wiley was buried Saturday in a Bluey-themed casket carried by a white horse-drawn carriage. His mother held a Bluey toy throughout the service. No charges. No arrest. The footage is still withheld. The Israel-Lebanon framework is unsigned by Hezbollah, unratified by parliament, and violated daily. Three more people killed in Gaza this morning including a child. The cumulative toll is past 73,000."Whenever the people are well informed, they can be trusted with their own government." — Thomas Jefferson, 1789 Get full access to The Rest of the World Report at www.restoftheworldreport.com/subscribe