The Paper Trail: June 23, 2026

New Intel Chief Begins Mass Firings at ODNI; Kash Patel Accused of Loyalist “Slush Fund”; The Unrelenting Sound of the AI Boom

June 23, 2026

Iran War

Pentagon seeks $80 billion from Congress for Iran War

The amount sought by the Pentagon is far higher than the $29 billion estimate of war costs that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave Congress during his testimony last month. However, Senator Brian Schatz said he expects the actual price tag could be much higher than the $80 billion being proposed.

(Kevin Freking and Lisa Marscaro, Military.com)

Trump expected to meet with defense contractors Wednesday amid Iran peace talks
(Jennifer Jacobs, CBS News)

Trump Anti-Weaponization Fund

White House Ballroom

Prediction Markets

Tensions in the Twin Cities

Fifteen people charged over alleged interference in Minnesota immigration crackdown

Fifteen people in Minnesota were charged with conspiracy to impede or injure federal officers over their response to the immigration enforcement crackdown in the state earlier this year. The prosecutors allege the defendants were part of two Minneapolis-based “antifa” groups that “violently oppose immigration law enforcement.”

(Rachel Leingang, The Guardian)

How did the Feds get into anti-ICE activists’ Signal messages?
(Nikita Mazurov, The Intercept)
“Blatantly unlawful”: Judge blocks DOJ subpoenas aimed at Tim Walz
(Kyle Cheney, Politico)

Natural Disasters

Defense and Veterans Affairs

Business and Finance

Tech

The cloud has sound: The unrelenting and unseen cost of the AI boom

As tech giants rush to build massive data centers, residents who live near them say a constant low-frequency vibration is ruining their health and homes. Nearly 40% of homes in the U.S. are within five miles of at least one operational data center, and more of them are creeping closer.

(Adeel Hassan, New York Times)

She says the 2020 election was stolen but sees a new threat in tech billionaires’ power
(Ian Duncan, Washington Post)

Health Care

“A huge grab of power”: Trump is defying Congress on foreign aid

Congress gave orders to Trump officials on billions of dollars in global health spending, but the administration has largely refused to follow many of them, likely in violation of the law.

(Anna Maria Barry-Jester, ProPublica)

“Digital colonialism”: U.S. demands to access Africans’ health data raise privacy, sovereignty concerns
(Kyle Cheney, Politico)

ICYMI

Upcoming Events

Update on the F-35 aircraft program. Senate Committee on Armed Services; Subcommittee on Airland. Tuesday, June 23, 4:15 p.m., SR-222 Russell Senate Office Building.
Safeguarding Federal Research Funds: The False Claims Act's Role in Combating Grant Fraud. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology; Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight. Wednesday, June 24, 10:00 a.m., 2318 Rayburn House Office Building.
Oversight Hearing – Department of Homeland Security. House Committee on Appropriations; Subcommittee on Homeland Security. Thursday, June 25, 10:00 a.m., 2358-C Rayburn House Office Building.
The Congressional Research Service and the Future of AI-Enabled Policy Analysis. Committee on House Administration. Thursday, June 25, 10:15 a.m., 1310 Longworth House Office Building.