Upshot: Our poll result in Maine (it’s a tight race)
Also: Loophole lifts pay for surgical assistants
The Upshot
June 29, 2026

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WEEKLY HIGHLIGHTS

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The New York Times

$22,000 Per Hour: Assistants Use a Legislative Loophole to Outearn Surgeons

A law meant to end surprise medical billing has led to large paydays for some surgical assistants, who can earn far more than the doctors they help.

By Margot Sanger-Katz and Sarah Kliff

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The New York Times

Flashback: Your Weekly History Quiz, June 27, 2026

Can you sort 8 historical events?

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The New York Times

How Much Have Airfares Risen With High Jet Fuel Costs?

While prices are up overall, there’s a surprising pattern depending on your destination.

By Ben Blatt and Christine Chung

Map shows the extent of weak and strong seismic waves 15 seconds after the quake started underground, alongside yellow dots that represent phones detecting seismic activity.

The New York Times

How Phones Alerted Millions Before Quakes Shook Venezuela

Millions of people in Venezuela and surrounding countries received early warning alerts to their phones up to two minutes before back-to-back earthquakes on Wednesday.

By Amy Graff and Martín González Gómez

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Kpler

Ships Pull Back Amid Heightened Risk From U.S.-Iran Strikes

Four days of attacks by both countries forced a sharp decline in the number of vessels navigating through the Strait of Hormuz.

By Jenny Gross

POLLING AROUND THE NATION

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The New York Times

President Trump’s Approval Rating: Latest Polls

Track the latest approval rating and polls on Americans’ approval of President Trump.

By Annie Daniel, Jon Huang, Ruth Igielnik, Jasmine C. Lee, Alex Lemonides, Jonah Smith, Caroline Soler, Albert Sun and Rumsey Taylor

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Damon Winter/The New York Times

The Big Changes Coming to the Times/Siena Poll

The goal is to make the survey more deeply representative of the population.

By Nate Cohn

Midterm Test

This question comes from a recent Times article. Click an answer to see if you’re right. (The link will be free.)

In the Colorado Democratic primary Tuesday, two long-serving politicians are trying to avoid a wave of recent upsets. Can you name them?

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