It’s Tuesday, June 23. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: Kara Kennedy on why you need to stop shaming 40-something pregnant women, an Iranian singer gets lashed for not wearing her hijab, and more.
But first: Is Britain ungovernable?
Yesterday, UK prime minister Keir Starmer announced his plans to step down, less than two years after moving into No. 10 Downing Street. Starmer becomes the sixth prime minister to resign in the past 10 years. If the country cannot maintain stable political leadership, it raises the question: Is Britain ungovernable?
To make sense of this, we bring you two of our favorite Brits. Up first, Douglas Murray. In his column today, Douglas offers his diagnosis for where Starmer went wrong. The answer, he says, is all too familiar: a leader knowing what he was against, but not what he was for. Read Douglas’s column to understand not just the downfall of Britain’s PM, but what the country’s political leaders keep getting wrong.
Coincidentally, Starmer’s resignation came one day before the 10th anniversary of Brexit, the national referendum that severed Great Britain from the European Union—and triggered a decade of political turbulence. Today, Niall Ferguson marks that milestone by taking the long view—on Starmer’s departure, Britain’s divorce from the EU, and whether or not the country regrets it.
—The Editors
A 29-year-old Iranian singer, Parastoo Ahmadi, is soon to receive 74 lashes by the Qom Provincial Criminal Court in Iran for singing without a hijab. Iranian American Masih Alinejad knows what it’s like to be targeted by the Iranian regime. Her crime was distributing anti-government pamphlets, and in her piece today she dissects Iran’s ban on women singing and asks: What will it take for the men to stop taking the stage in solidarity?
Birth rates are falling across the West, with governments racing to find a solution. But some who decry low birth rates, especially conservatives, shame women over 40 years old for having children. You can’t have it both ways, Kara Kennedy writes. The shame of an older pregnancy needs to go if society is going to make it out of the fertility crisis.
The FDA recently expanded access to flavored vapes, prompting pushback from critics who worry they will fall into the hands of addiction-prone teens. Not so fast, write Sally Satel and Arielle Selya. In fact, as flavors such as mango and piña colada have entered the market, teen vaping has declined, while older, ex-smokers have instead jumped onto the fruity trend.
For the latest episode of “School of War,” Aaron MacLean sat down with Mamuka Mamulashvili, a Georgian Legion Commander in Ukraine who became a soldier at the age of 14 during the 2008 Russian invasion of Georgia. Mamulashvili talks about the mental toll of experiencing war at such a young age, and what a lifetime of fighting Russians teaches you about how they operate.
MORE FROM THE FREE PRESS
THE NEWS
Vice President J.D. Vance said Monday that Iran would permit nuclear inspectors to return following what he described as a “very, very good” first day of U.S.-Iran talks in Switzerland. Iran’s foreign ministry, however, denied this and said it has made “no new commitments” regarding inspections.
Andy Burnham, the former mayor of Manchester and fellow member of the Labour Party, is the presumptive pick for the next prime minister after Keir Starmer announced his resignation on Monday. Burnham won his election to the House of Commons just last week for Makerfield, Greater Manchester. The precinct voted heavily for the 2016 “Brexit” referendum.
Alan Greenspan, famed economist and chairman of the Federal Reserve for five terms, died Monday at the age of 100. Greenspan’s nearly 20-year term as chairman spanned four presidencies—from Reagan in 1987 to Bush in 2006.
Alligator Alcatraz, Florida’s large migrant detention center nestled in the Everglades, will soon be demobilized, CBS News reported Monday. The facility, which was opened last July and cost an estimated $1.2 billion, was heralded by Florida governor Ron DeSantis and President Trump as a model for other detention centers across the country.
A federal judge tossed out federal grand jury subpoenas for Minnesota governor Tim Walz and several of his allies, calling it “blatantly unlawful.” U.S. District Judge Patrick Schiltz said there was “no doubt” that the subpoenas were issued to damage Walz. The ruling was dated June 17, but was unsealed on Monday. Schlitz is a George W. Bush appointee.
On Monday the Treasury Department dropped sanctions on the sale of Iranian oil, allowing for an estimated $10 billion of revenue to flow into the country while nuclear negotiations with Iranian officials continue. The temporary waiver lasts through August 21.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi’s two goals against Austria in a Monday World Cup match made the superstar the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history. Messi, 38, scored his 18th goal after scoring three last week against Algeria. Messi has scored all of Argentina’s five goals during the 2026 World Cup so far.
I for one am happy for Ann Hathaway. I hope she has an easy pregnancy and labor.
Some people have too much to say and it always has to just be mean because they are jealous losers and creepy creeps.
Meanwhile, speaking of creepy creeps, our erstwhile VP, JD "Chamberlain" Vance, who has decided that Jews are too "Jewy" to know what is and isn't antisemitism, is apparently the dumbest negotiator on the planet. I know another news outlet (which shall remain nameless) called him the "Hillbilly Obama," but I think that insults Hillbillies. My friend calls herself half-hillbilly (the other half is hispanic) and something tells me when it comes to negotiating with evil people she would not give them the benefit of the doubt like JD seems to be doing with the Iranians. I still want to know why when he was publicly disrespected at the handshake why he simply did not leave. The insult was specific and public. He is so ignorant of that part of the world, he doesn't even know how ignorant he is.
Trump just said there is supposed to be negotiations between Qatar, Pakistan, Lebanon, Hezbollah, Iran, and Israel about Lebanon. Led of cause by Qatar and Pakistan, 2 countries whose stated goal is genocide of Israel and Jews worldwide. And Trump thinks that Israel is going to say sure, we will trust our future to these Islamo-Nazis.
Trump said he controls Bibi and Bibi will do as he says. The man behind the resolute desk really is a psycho.
And now that Starmer is gone how is Burnham going to fix what ails Britain when he doesn't actually like the British people? The bigger question is why after Lowe's expose on the Muslim rape gangs of Britain and how the British elite, CPS, and police turned not only a blind eye, but threatened anyone who tried to stop it, how are the people not hauling out guillotines and burning the parliament down?
How to turn an article about older mothers into an ugly political screed: "Many conservatives claim they want to save the family, but they want to do it only if they can control every intricate aspect of how it’s built—demanding that women stay at home, breastfeed on command, and skip epidurals." Who are these conservatives? They are mentioned throughout the article, but never by name. What utter trash.