We’ll be off tomorrow for the Fourth of July, and we’ll see you on Monday! Federal models show President Trump’s planned record-breaking fireworks show on the Fourth of July will cause dangerous air pollution, and people should “expect irritation symptoms.” / The Washington Post [$] Watch: That time
The Trump family is found to have made billions since returning to power, much of it in ventures that benefit directly from White House policies. / The Hill Presidential historians say no other president in American history entered into new business enterprises just before moving into the White House. / The New
The new FDA panel appointed to review peptides includes multiple panelists who also sell peptides or run clinics that prescribe them. / ABC News At least four public federal websites deployed under the Trump administration use software to track visitors and evade users’ privacy tools. / The Guardian “Trump is altering our
The Supreme Court decides President Trump can fire independent regulators at will, though not at the Federal Reserve. / NPR In ruling that prison staff can’t be held financially liable for violating religious freedoms—specifically, for cutting a Rastafarian man’s hair—the Supreme Court would seem to run roughshod
Officials say Russia has been pressuring Belarus to launch nonconventional operations against NATO members. / The Wall Street Journal [$] Thanks to Ukraine’s attacks on energy infrastructure, regions across Russia impose restrictions on gas and diesel sales, and Crimea declares a state of emergency. / Radio Free Europe, Kyiv Post Unrelated: Watches
At least 164 people have been killed and nearly 1,000 injured in Venezuela after 7.2- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes struck last night. / The Associated Press As part of sentencing related to protests at a Texas ICE facility, one person got 30 years for transporting zines that the
At least 94 million people in Europe are expected to experience temperatures above 95 degrees Fahrenheit today. / The Guardian Forty people drowned recently in France while trying to escape the heat. / Reuters More than 5,300 people remain trapped in online scam centers in Myanmar, defrauding people worldwide. / Al Jazeera
Madison Square Garden is reportedly tracking activists who have publicly criticized the venue’s use of facial recognition. / 404 Media Grocery stores seem well on their way to introducing AI-enabled shopping carts that track your items and pepper you with targeted ads. / Futurism It’s Prime Day, which also
Embattled British PM Keir Starmer announces he’ll step down, likely to be succeeded by Andy Burnham, who will become the UK’s seventh PM in 10 years. / Reuters Polymarket has been paying creators to film themselves winning trades on a dummy version of its platform, then posting the final
Israel has reportedly killed more than 1,000 Palestinians in Gaza since the alleged ceasefire in October. / The New Arab For the first time in 110 days, ships are crossing the Strait of Hormuz after being marooned. / The Associated Press The biggest short-term variable in the agreement between Iran
What’s in Trump’s Iran deal? No regime change, no mention of Israel, and no clear answer on who’s supposed to pay Iran $300 billion. / Al Jazeera Netanyahu ally and right-wing anchor Shimon Riklin: “If you compare the agreement Obama did with Iran to this, what’s
As reported yesterday, Iran appears to have emerged from Trump and Netanyahu’s attack in a stronger strategic position. / Institute for the Study of War A round-up of media coverage of the agreement. Tom Nichols says Trump doesn’t understand the war he lost. / Reliable Sources, The Atlantic [$] The
Hosted by a fractured North America, this year’s World Cup feels like three separate—and competing—events, each with its own message and mascot. / The Wall Street Journal [$] The coach of Iran’s World Cup team says US officials ordered them to return to their training base in Mexico
President Trump looks to stay awake through meetings with world leaders by celebrating his new Iran agreement. / NPR The “memorandum of understanding” appears to be pretty heavily tilted toward Iran, perhaps because “losing a war has consequences.” / Foreign Exchanges See also: Grading the war on Trump’s own terms. / Wake
A brief summary of why the United States finds itself “on the outside looking in” as China and Gulf states pursue African partners. / Council on Foreign Relations Case in point: More than 75% of African countries currently lack a US ambassador. / The Africa Brief With SpaceX’s public offering, Elon
In Europe, violent anti-immigrant riots continue in Northern Ireland, with people like Elon Musk encouraging them. / The Guardian, USA Today In the Middle East, Iran hits Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan in retaliation for recent attacks by the United States. / Al Jazeera In Ukraine, it’s been confirmed that fully
On a single day in April, all 50 of the world’s hottest cities were in India, where unprecedented heatwaves are becoming common. / Carnegie Endowment for International Peace President Trump spends $700 million to keep retiring coal plants open and even build an Oakland coal terminal canceled several times over.
Israel has reportedly killed nearly a thousand people in Gaza since the so-called ceasefire in October. / Proximities Netanyahu typically reserves his overt defiance for American leaders that “he wishes to humiliate and marginalize.” / Forever Wars Israel captures Beaufort, a Crusader-built castle and UNESCO World Heritage site in southern
Despite President Trump posting “stop ‘shooting’” on his family’s social media platform, Iran and Israel resume warring openly. / CNN Noah Smith summarizes three recent Trump disasters: the war on tech employees, the war on Iran, and the war on America. / Noahpinion Unrelated: Historian Heather Cox Richardson launches “250 to
We’ll be off next week for summer vacation, and will be back on Monday, June 8. See you then! A Russian drone, presumably bound for Ukraine, crashes into an apartment building in Romania, a NATO and EU member. / CBC Norway says it’s joining France’s nuclear deterrence club.
