The Hound | June 18

Hi there,

Please note: There will not be a newsletter tomorrow due to the Juneteenth federal holiday. Have a good weekend and I’ll be back in your inbox on Monday!

It’s Thursday. Georgia Republicans declined to redraw congressional map after voting rights decision, worrying about mobilizing Democratic voters before the midterms. With the full text of Trump’s Iran agreement revealed, MAGA allies are furious at Trump and view the deal as capitulation to the Iranians.

And major news organizations including The New York Times, CNN, NBC News, ABC News, and The Washington Post need to stop treating the Justice Department’s latest charges against ICE protesters as routine criminal prosecutions. The indictments stemming from Minneapolis protests raise serious questions about whether federal law enforcement is targeting political dissent rather than addressing genuine public safety threats.

Yet too much media coverage focuses on the allegations themselves while failing to examine the apparent weakness of the government's case and the broader political context. When federal authorities pursue aggressive charges against demonstrators while elevating political narratives about "antifa" and unrest, journalists should be asking whether the goal is justice—or deterrence of future dissent.

🖊️ Sign the petition to call on The New York Times, CNN, NBC News, ABC News, CBS News, The Washington Post, and other major outlets to investigate these prosecutions aggressively—examining the evidence, the legal theories being deployed, and whether federal power is being used to target political opponents.

The public deserves reporting that scrutinizes politically charged prosecutions with the same rigor applied to any other exercise of government power.

Read about this, and more, with today’s stories:

DOJ’s New ICE Protest Indictment Is Its Most Absurd Yet (Mother Jones)

MAGA Erupts in Fury as Full Text of Trump’s Iran Deal Is Revealed (The New Republic)

Here's how much the the Iran war cost — and how its effects will linger (NPR)

Georgia Republicans decline to redraw congressional map after voting rights decision (The Guardian)

“Digital Colonialism”: U.S. Demands to Access Africans’ Data Raise Privacy, Sovereignty Concerns (ProPublica)

‘We Just Want Clean Water’: Residents Sue a North Carolina County Over Landfill Contamination (Inside Climate News)

Until next time,

Harry from The Hound

P.S. Do you know someone who would appreciate The Hound? If you can, forward this email and encourage them to subscribe! Let’s stay informed, together.