Plus: Mamdani’s candidates sweep NYC primaries ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Richard Hall | June 24, 2026

Hello there! Today in The Brief, we’re looking at how Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump may have sparked a revolution in Albania, how rising sea levels are already remaking reality in a North Carolina community, and Zohran Mamdani’s sweep in NYC.

We’ve been reading all the feedback you’ve given so far on the new Brief, and we’re listening, so please stay tuned.

Today’s Linked starting words are “magic” and “homer”. Let us know how you get on!

Five Must-Reads

Pennsylvania may once again play the nation’s signature swing state in the upcoming midterms, with several key races likely to determine which party controls the House of Representatives. Democrats need to pick up three total seats to gain control of the chamber, and they are eyeing at least three toss-up races there. —TIME

Europe is heading into its second deadly heatwave in two months after several countries experienced a “heat dome” last month with record-breaking temperatures that killed several people across the continent. Here’s what you need to know about the heatwave and what you can do to protect yourself in high temperatures. —TIME

A rare school shooting in the Philippines that killed three students and injured 20 others has prompted debate on whether the Southeast Asian nation’s laws on juvenile offenders are harsh enough to deter such crimes from happening. Lawmakers are urging a broad review of school safety and gun regulations. —TIME

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani saw all three progressive candidates he endorsed win their races in Tuesday’s U.S. House primaries, dealing a blow to establishment Democrats. Some Democrats have pointed to the results as a demand from voters for the party to be “bolder,” while Republicans are already seizing on the moment to paint Democrats as having “surrendered” to their “socialist wing.” —TIME

People in the U.S. are living longer than ever: In 2024, the latest year for which data are available, life expectancy hit 79, an all-time high. Now, a new study examining health conditions in old age finds that people are living their last years in better physical fitness—and with fewer limitations—than they did previously. —TIME

IN FOCUS

Did Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump spark a revolution in Albania?

When Ivanka Trump jumped from her friend’s boat into the warm waters of the Adriatic Sea some years ago, and swam toward an uninhabited island in the distance, she could not have known that she was starting a revolution. But that is what appears to have happened in Albania as a result of what came next.

Thousands of protesters have been demonstrating in the streets of the capital Tirana for weeks over plans by the U.S. President’s daughter and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to develop the 3,500-acre Sazan island into an exclusive luxury resort with villas, a casino, a golf course and high-end apartments. The plans involve a second development just across the bay, next to a nature reserve home to flamingos and other wildlife.

Ivanka Trump told podcaster David Senra last month that she was “captivated” by the island after finding it while on vacation. “It stayed with us ever since,” she said. The estimated $4 billion project is reportedly being financed by Kushner and Gulf investors.

Protesters have carried signs that say “Albania is not for sale” and, in recent days, broken into construction sites of other luxury development projects to destroy equipment.

This aerial photograph shows protestors gathering in front of Albania’s Prime Minister’s Office during a demonstration against a luxury resort development near a protected natural area, in Tirana on June 20, 2026. ADNAN BECI/GETTY IMAGES

What began as an expression of anger over the project, which was fast-tracked by Albania’s Prime Minister Edi Rama with little public oversight, has evolved into broader demonstrations against alleged government corruption and environmental degradation, and opposition to the country’s ruling elite.

The Flamingo Revolution, named for the threat to wildlife posed by the development at the heart of the protests, shows no signs of slowing after more than three weeks.

An on-the-ground report from the Guardian summed up the mood of the country in stark terms: “Not since the collapse of communism, more than three decades ago, has Albania been shaken by such collective fury.”

Albania’s Prime Minister has turned down demands for his resignation, telling CNN that the project will not “pour concrete on the head of flamingos” and that Trump and Kushner are part of a broad group of international investors.

Meanwhile, the Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania (PPNEA), a conservation group, said the project has already caused “severe” and “irreversible” ecological damage.

ONE NUMBER

$9.9 billion

The combined compensation of 391 company leaders in the Wall Street Journal’s annual CEO pay ranking amounted to $9.9 billion in 2025, as the newspaper announced that “the $100-million-plus CEO is back with a bang.”

The report, which monitors pay of the heads of S&P 500 companies, found that more U.S. CEOs crossed that pay threshold than in any year since 2021.

The Journal found that companies are anticipating a shift in how their leaders are compensated, mirroring Elon Musk’s “moonshot” pay packages that reward company performance with huge stock or option awards.

The combined pay of those 391 CEOs was dwarfed by Musk’s total compensation as Tesla’s CEO, which was $158 billion.

SOURCE: WALL STREET JOURNAL

A VIRAL MOMENT

Norway’s Viking fans

Norway’s World Cup fans are terrifying the opposition with their “ro”— a coordinated rowing chant urged on by a beating drum.

The team has made its way through to the knockout stages of the competition in their first appearance at the World Cup in 28 years, and fans appear to be making the most of it.

This video shows hundreds performing the Viking-inspired chant in Times Square, New York.