An Ignoble Experiment: The 7: Julian Assange’s plea deal; gun violence declared a public health crisis; Picassos in a bathroom; and more

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Good morning. It's Tuesday, June 25, and this Post Reports episode on the fall of Alex Jones and his conspiracy empire is well worth a listen. Now let's get to the news.

Julian Assange reached a tentative plea deal with the U.S. government.

The details: The WikiLeaks founder is expected to plead guilty to a single felony for obtaining and publishing government secrets from 2009 to 2011, new court filings show.
What then? He would return to his home country of Australia and be freed, having already served prison time in Britain. That would end a long-running legal saga.

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The Supreme Court agreed yesterday to review a ban on gender transition care.

What to know: A Tennessee law bans gender care for people under 18, including puberty blockers. The court will review the law in its next term, which begins in October.
Zooming out: About half of U.S. states have passed such bans or restrictions for minors. This will be the first opportunity for justices to consider whether they're constitutional.
This term: The court will make 10 high-profile rulings this week or next.

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The nation's top doctor declared gun violence a public health crisis.

This morning: Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said the U.S. must act urgently to address harm caused by firearms, like how it has campaigned against tobacco use and car crashes.
Why now? Deaths caused by guns rose to a three-decade high in 2021, driven by increases in homicides and suicides. Murthy also cited the rising number of mass killings.

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Israel's Supreme Court ruled that ultra-Orthodox Jews must serve in the military.

The background: Ultra-Orthodox parties have backed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition in exchange for his continuation of their exemption from military service.
What now? Today's decision could result in ultra-Orthodox lawmakers pulling out of the coalition government and collapsing it.
Zooming out: About 12% of Israel's population is ultra-Orthodox. Resentment of their exemption has grown as Israeli soldiers fight the war in Gaza.

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Two judges blocked parts of President Biden's student loan repayment plan.

Yesterday: Federal judges in Kansas and Missouri issued rulings preventing the government from fully implementing and forgiving more loans through its popular Save program.
Why it matters: It raises questions about whether borrowers can still enroll in the plan or receive promised loan cancellation. Millions of Americans could be affected.

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The Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup for the first time.

Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov lifts the Stanley Cup. (Nathan Denette/Canadian Press/AP)

How they did it: The Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 last night in Florida, taking the best-of-seven series 4-3.
What it means: Canada's long Stanley Cup drought continues. A Canadian team has not won hockey's title series since the Montreal Canadiens in 1993.

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An art museum in Australia is displaying Picassos in the women's bathroom.

Artwork by Pablo Picasso hangs in a women's restroom this month at the Museum of Old and New Art in Hobart, Australia. (Eden Meure/Museum of Old and New Art)

Why? A court ruled in April that displaying artworks in a female-only Ladies Lounge, inspired by the exclusion of women from public spaces, was discriminatory to men.
What now? Kirsha Kaechele, the artist behind the lounge, is appealing the decision, and said she had done "a little redecorating" in the ladies' bathroom in the meantime.

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