Housing Reform on Hold, Great American State Fair & Where's Gracie? - Thursday, June 25, 2026

**Erica Mandy** (0:00)
Today is Thursday, June 25th. We'll tell you why President Trump is now refusing to sign the bipartisan housing bill that Congress overwhelmingly approved, and what to know about the sudden exit of an army general who's earned bipartisan praise. Also, where back-to-back earthquakes caused widespread damage. Plus, what to expect from the great American state fair that just kicked off. Why more boomers seem to be leaving their marriages later in life. And how do you lose a giraffe? Why it's been so hard to find an animal taller than a house? Those stories and even more news to know, next.
Welcome to The NewsWorthy. All the day's news in less than 15 minutes. I'm Erica Mandy. Thanks so much for being here. Let's do this.
President Trump was all set to sign the first major housing bill to pass Congress in more than three decades. But then Trump abruptly canceled those plans. Trump now says he's refusing to sign the bill into law until Congress passes his controversial voter ID bill called the Save America Act. That's the one that adds new voter ID and voter registration requirements, puts restrictions on mail-in ballots and more. The president says it's a national emergency to make sure Democrats don't allow for cheating or fraud in elections. Though election officials and investigators have found widespread voter fraud to be exceedingly rare. Either way, Senate leaders say they don't have enough votes to pass the bill. So what happens to housing reform if the elections bill doesn't pass? Well, that depends on what Republican leaders in Congress want to do.
And whether they really want to go over the president's head. House Speaker Mike Johnson says he's going to talk to President Trump about it at the White House today. For what it's worth, Trump says the housing reform bill isn't important anyway, since in his opinion, the housing market really all comes down to interest rates, which are controlled by the Federal Reserve. But the housing bill aims to lower costs in part by building more homes and keeping institutional investors from buying them all up. And again, passing it was seen as a rare bipartisan achievement. So Trump's decision to cancel the signing ceremony adds to the tension between him and Senate Republicans. Some said they feel blindsided by Trump's actions and find his unpredictability makes it harder to pass his agenda.
Though other lawmakers are on the president's side, saying they will also block all new business until Congress passes the elections bill.
Some of this came up when President Trump had lunch on Capitol Hill yesterday, and the meeting apparently became pretty heated. Though the most contentious moments were reportedly over the war in Iran. President Trump and Republican Senator Bill Cassidy shouted at each other about the war and the senator's recent vote to reign in the president's war powers. Trump reportedly called Cassidy a loser and told him to sit down, while Cassidy shouted back that he won't be bullied.
Later, Cassidy admitted he lost his temper, but that he was only matching the tone and volume of the president. Trump characterized the lunch as colorful, but said for the most part, the party is still unified with the exception of, quote, a few people.
The Iran War has sparked divisions, not only in Congress, but also between the US and European allies. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited the White House yesterday in what was seen as a mission to help mend fences before next month's NATO summit. Remember, Trump has long criticized the alliance, arguing the US carries more than its fair share of military spending. But his grievances have grown louder since the Iran War, since some member countries refused to support it. When asked what European allies could do to get back on his good side, Trump said, quote, just be loyal. Bruta both praised Trump and gently pushed back, telling him that even though Trump was disappointed by some things, the European allies have done a lot to support the war efforts and are still there for him. Still, the Pentagon is now reviewing the US military's presence in Europe. And this week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth forced the top US. Army commander in Europe to retire. That's at least according to reports from The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and other news outlets. General Christopher Donahue will step down from his command next week. He's the latest in a line of nearly two dozen top military leaders to leave their jobs early under Hegseth's leadership. But his retirement announcement caught many by surprise. Within the Army, General Donahue was widely seen as a top officer who could have led the service or been chosen to be a chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He spent much of his career as a highly respected special operations commander. And in his most recent role, he helped lead the military's efforts to prepare for future conflicts shaped by drones, AI and other new technologies.