World, US, Culture, Market, and Sci-Tech News Aggregation from MSM and Independent News
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Olesya, a resident of the Russian-annexed port city of Sevastopol, Crimea, has resorted to desperate measures to fill up her car’s gas tank. Recently, she and a group of friends spent hours trying to obtain a QR code that would allow her to buy just 20 liters (5.3 gallons) of gasoline.
“There were 10 of us sitting there, hoping one of us would get a code,” Olesya told The Moscow Times, withholding her last name for safety reasons.
Ukraine has stepped up attacks on supply routes and energy infrastructure serving Crimea in recent weeks in what it says is an effort to isolate the annexed peninsula and disrupt military supply lines for Russia’s full-scale invasion.
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Oil prices were slightly higher on Tuesday as energy market participants closely monitored the potential for fresh talks between the U.S. and Iran in Qatar.
International benchmark Brent crude futures with August delivery were last seen up 0.2% at $73.32 per barrel, erasing earlier losses. The contract, however, is on track to end June roughly $19 lower, or 20% lower than the closing session on May 29. Brent crude futures with September delivery, meanwhile, rose 0.5% at $74.29.
U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures with August delivery traded 0.5% higher at $71.08, putting the contract on course for a $16 drop, or 19% fall, from last month’s closing.
The moves come as oil traders monitor the prospect of U.S.-Iran talks in Doha on Tuesday.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said talks between the two countries would take place in Qatar’s capital on Tuesday, claiming via social media that Tehran had “requested a meeting” following an exchange of strikes over the weekend.
A spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry on Monday reportedly denied that talks were scheduled over the coming days. They added that an Iranian technical delegation’s visit to Qatar this week was not related to U.S. officials visiting the country.
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More than 100 police and emergency personnel were deployed to the scene of the blast on Monday evening.
Harri Richie, who lives around 100m away from the targeted building, told the BBC she heard an “unbelievably loud explosion” at about 21:00 local time from the underground car park she was in.
She then went up to her 11th floor apartment, where she said she saw emergency services “dragging two people out [from the building] who looked badly injured”.
Emergency services arrived around five minutes after the explosion, she said, adding that there was a helicopter overhead throughout Monday night.
“This is the first time in history, to my knowledge, that such an act has taken place in the principality,” Mirmand, the head of Monaco’s government, said.
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On May 13, 2026, Air Force One landed in Beijing for President Donald Trump’s first state visit to China in nearly a decade. That same morning, the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations published a report titled The Evolving World and the Right Way to China-US Coexistence. The summit dominated global media coverage for two days. The report received almost none.
The Beijing summit produced familiar imagery: honor guards, a state banquet in the Great Hall of the People, and carefully choreographed warmth. Chinese leader Xi Jinping announced that both sides had agreed to “strategic stability” as a framework for the next three years, and both leaders praised the collegial atmosphere.
Beneath the pageantry, China’s premier foreign policy think tank had published its own assessment of the state of bilateral relations. Read against Mao Zedong’s original theory of protracted struggle, its report describes the current moment not as a step toward partnership but as the product of a strategy in which struggle precedes and produces cooperation on terms favorable to Beijing. Treating that stabilization as evidence of strategic convergence, rather than as a single stage within a longer competition, would be a misreading worth correcting.
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“Chief Day’s office even directs people who witness ICE activity to call an organization that advocates for ICE’s abolishment,” the letter states.
The US House Judiciary Committee has accused Portland Police Chief Bob Day, Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez, and Sheriff Morrissey O’Donnell of endangering the public by refusing to cooperate with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), thus allowing illegal aliens “to freely operate, terrorize local communities, and reoffend without consequences.”
These three officials received congressional letters dated June 23 regarding their handling of arrests and cases involving foreign nationals, which the committee claimed violated federal immigration laws.
The committee asked the sheriff’s office, the district attorney’s office, and the Portland Police Bureau to provide all communications, as well as policies and procedures, related to ICE and immigration dating back to January 1, 2022. The letter demands a response by July 7.
Oregon’s Sanctuary Promise Act prohibits state and local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration-related matters. This includes not disclosing a suspect’s immigration status or information to federal officials, limiting immigration arrests to specific locations, and prohibiting compliance with ICE detainers, which are official holds on criminal illegal aliens with ICE requesting notification before they are released from jail.
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It may have taken a few years, but it appears the Department of Justice is finally closing in on one of the more well-known financiers of far-left causes in the United States.
According to multiple reports, Neville Roy Singham — a China-based tech mogul — is being investigated by a federal grand jury over alleged financial crimes.
Citing unnamed sources, Fox News reported that “the grand jury in Manhattan has issued subpoenas as part of a probe launched by U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York.”
The investigation has been authorized by Acting U.S. Attorney Gener
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President Donald Trump just gave Republicans something they usually lack in a midterm year: a national stage they control.
The Republican Party will hold a first-ever midterm convention in Dallas on Sept. 9 and Sept. 10, less than two months before voters decide control of Congress on Nov. 3.
For a party defending narrow majorities, the move is bold and risky.
And smart.
Midterms typically punish the party in the White House. Gallup’s history shows the president’s party has lost an average of 25 House seats in midterm elections since 1946. From Reuters:
An off-year convention is unusual, with such events usually held only during presidential election years. Republicans are under pressure to hold on to control of Congress for Trump’s final two years in office and worry that voter unease over the economy and Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran could hurt their efforts.
“BIG NEWS! For the first time ever, the Republican Party will hold a MIDTERM CONVENTION. It will be in Dallas, Texas — One of my favorite places in the World. It will be fantastic!” Trump said in a social media post.
Trump plans to address the gathering, according to two Republican sources familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The move would further tie him to the election’s outcome at a moment when Republicans are confronting historic headwinds. The party that holds the White House in the first midterm elections after a presidential election usually loses congressional seats.
Presidents with under 50% approval have watched their parties lose an average of 37 House seats. Republicans don’t need a lecture from consultants; they need turnout, discipline, and a message strong enough to break through the usual noise.
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The United States of America, now with 20 percent more benefits than the American Express Platinum Card®.
Legal systems talk about legal doctrine, and the Supreme Court’s opinions in the birthplace citizenship case decided this week kicked off with a discussion of 17th-century English precedent. The discussion between justices is anchored in centuries of history and theory, but it’s mostly not anchored in a more immediate question: When a pregnant “birth tourist” in another country pulls up the website for an American obstetrics clinic that specializes in delivering babies for foreign visitors, what does she think she’s trying to get? What is U.S. citizenship to parents who use a border crossing to obtain it for their children?
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On Tuesday, President Trump hosted a very special guest at the White House.
He met and had lunch with Tina Peters, the 70-year-old grandmother who was jailed in Colorado for two years after calling out election fraud in the 2020 election.
President Trump shared a photo of himself with Tina in the Oval Office in a post on Truth Social.
Take a look:
Full text of President Trump’s post here:
“FREE TINA!” became the rallying cry of the Republican Party over the past two years. Tina Peters just came to the White House to thank me for getting her released from prison in Colorado. She was put there because she found Election Fraud, but instead of arresting the people that committed the Fraud, they arrested her! They gave her nine years in jail, and she served two, much time in solitary confinement along with hardened criminals and murderers, and then I got the Republican Party into gear, and she was released. Tina is 70-years-old, suffered a major bout with cancer, but hopefully is now cancer free. What she went through should never happen to anyone again. Just think of it, she caught the Democrats cheating, and they put her in jail for Voter Fraud. They didn’t want her out there speaking to the Media. She knows that the Voting Machines are RIGGED, that the Mail In Ballots are a DISASTER, and that our Elections are very Dangerous and Corrupt at a time when, with the Threat of Communism, we must be very wise and careful! It was an Honor to have lunch with her. I was fortunate, my Vote in 2024 was TOO BIG TO RIG, but they tried. There wasn’t a thing they could do about it, but not everyone is in that position. Thank you for your attention to this matter. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! President DONALD J. TRUMP
Tina Peters also shared a photo of herself in front of President Trump’s portrait at the White House Presidential Walk of Fame:
Greatest President Ever!@realDonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/MbbI9ldsBa
— Tina Peters🇺🇸 Whistleblower of fallen Navy SEAL (@realtinapeters) June 30, 2026
As you probably know, Tina was finally freed from prison earlier this month after being unjustly handed a nine-year sentence back in 2024.
Her sentence was commuted in May by Colorado Gov. Jared Polis under pressure from President Trump.
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Justice Amy Coney Barrett, appointed by President Donald Trump in 2020, has built a reputation for careful jurisprudence since joining the Supreme Court. Yet in recent decisions, including a 5-4 ruling on Mississippi’s mail-in ballot rules, she has joined outcomes that challenge core conservative priorities on election integrity and border security.
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… The Supreme Court just handed conservatives a brutal defeat on birthright citizenship, ruling President Donald Trump’s executive order ending the practice unconstitutional.
Now the question is whether conservatives are going to whine about it — or build the machinery to overturn it.
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A lot of people on the right are understandably upset about the Supreme Court’s decision this week upholding birthplace citizenship under the 14th Amendment. It’s easy to see why. All one has to do is read the scathing dissents by Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, which expose the flawed reasoning and intellectual dishonesty of the 5-4 majority — a majority that was clearly searching for a specific policy outcome and justifying it under the color of the Constitution.
But let me offer a cautious caveat to the black-pilling. The court’s decision wouldn’t be the catastrophe that it is if we hadn’t just lived through a Democrat administration that demonstrated what a dangerous weapon mass illegal immigration can be in the hands of left-wing ideologues who want to remake America.
There is a plausible world in which birthp
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The Supreme Court’s decision striking down President Donald Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order has forced Republicans to rethink how — or whether — they can still achieve one of the administration’s top immigration priorities.
The high court ruled Tuesday in Trump v. Barbara that the president could not use executive authority to deny citizenship to children born in the United States to parents who are in the country illegally or temporarily. While his executive order was invalidated by a 6-3 decision, only a 5-4 majority reached the constitutional question, holding that the 14th Amendment protects birthright citizenship in those circumstances.
That split has sparked debate among Republicans over whether Congress still has any viable path forward to restrict birthright citizenship, or whether only a constitutional amendment could accomplish Trump’s goal.
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A 29-year-old socialist ended a longtime Denver congresswoman’s tenure with an upset victory in the Democratic primary Tuesday.
Melat Kiros, an Ethiopian immigrant and lawyer who was fired over her public criticism of Israel, stunned incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette winning 49.3% of the vote to the congresswoman’s 43.5%, the Associated Press reported with 78% of ballots counted. Endorsed by Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), Kiros is the heavy favorite to win the November general election given Colorado’s First Congressional District’s strong Democratic lean.
In addition to the DSA, Kiros had the endorsements of Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Our Revolution, a left-wing group that began as a continuation of his 2016 presidential campaign. She also had garnered the support of Chris Rabb, a fellow DSA-backed candidate who won the Democratic nomination for a deep blue Philadelphia-based seat in May, and Justice Democrats — a group instrumental in helping Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez oust a longtime incumbent in a 2018 primary.
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The rescue comes well after the initial three-day period immediately after the quake during which experts say people trapped under debris have the best chance of being found alive.
La Guaira is one of the hardest hit areas, with many local people trying to carry out rescue efforts themselves.
The UN’s refugee agency said on Tuesday that food shortages were widespread, basic services had broken down and communications had been largely severed in La Guaira.
“Community tensions are rising as access to assistance remains constrained,” the UNHCR said in a statement on its website.
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Flexion Robotics, a Swiss startup founded by former Nvidia researchers, is approaching the problem from a different angle. It teaches robots basic physical skills and uses a higher-level AI system to decide which skill to call up and when. The goal is not just to complete tasks but to adapt…
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Watch the report in its entirety, as aired on NBC Nightly News on Tuesday, June 30th, 2026 (click “expand” to view transcript):
WATCH: @NBCNightlyNews mourns the Supreme Court rulings affirming state prohibitions of men in women’s school sports. Note the ACLU attorney saying “it’s not about winning trophies, it’s about learning life lessons.”
HALLIE JACKSON: To that other landmark ruling now, this one a… pic.twitter.com/F74cm6B9Vn
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) July 1, 2026
HALLIE JACKSON: To that other landmark ruling now, this one a win for President Trump- with the conservative majority ruling states can ban transgender women and girls from playing on female sports teams. Here’s Stephanie Gosk.
STEPHANIE GOSK: Tonight, President Trump calling it a “big win” while civil rights advocates slam it as a blow to transgender rights. The Supreme Court’s conservative majority upholding state laws banning transgender girls and women from playing on female sports teams in public schools. Justice Brett Kavanaugh writing: “allowing only biological females to play on women’s and girls’ teams can reduce the risk of physical injury and ensure fair competition.” But the ACLU representing the two transgender athletes in the case calling it “devastating.”
JOSHUA BLOCK: It’s not just about winning trophies; it’s about learning life lessons.
GOSK: 27 states currently ban transgender women and girls from participating in female sports, with an NBC News poll last year showing over 75% of Americans support those bans.
Macy Petty Charles celebrating today’s decision. She competed against a transgender athlete and hopes more states would pass bans.
MACY PETTY CHARLES: I would hope that it would embolden every state to protect those female athletes and I hope that they themselves are emboldened today to take action- to speak up for what they know is right.
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The Supreme Court’s Birthright Citizenship ruling today was a full-throated constitutional endorsement that the children of mothers here illegally or temporarily are “citizens at birth.”
No doubts there.
It was conventional wisdom that birthright citizenship would be upheld, but what was so shocking is that it was done on the backs of the three liberal members of the court who stuck together while the so-called conservatives splintered in numerous directions. So on the core constitutional endorsement, it was 5-4 with the majority being the three liberals (Sotomayor, Kagan, KBJ) plus CJ Roberts and Barrett. (Kavanaugh would have found the Trump EO invalid because it conflicted with an immigration statute, but he rejected the constitutional holding.)
Think about it. The three liberals prevailed on ideological core of the single biggest case of this term, one that defines who were are as a nation and whether we have sovereignty or are at the mercy of people who sneak across the border, overstay visas, or are here as birthright tourists.
“Disheartening” and “demoralizing” is how I described it in an appearance on the Tony Katz live stream today, but perhaps “infuriating” would be a better term.
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On Monday, NBC’s Today featured a four-minute report from London-based Molly Hunter obsessing over Prince Harry’s planned visit to his home country to promote the Invictus Games for veterans that he founded. ABC and CBS also offered full reports speculating on Prince Harry’s visit and whether Meghan Markle and their children will also attend.
On June 17, NBC’s Hunter performed a four-minute Today report (complete with “In Depth” graphic) on the Earth-shaking story that 12-year-old Prince George will attend the Eton College private boys’ school in the fall, just as his father and Prince Harry did. To pad the report, she also touted how Princess Kate did a 24-hour mountain climb for charity after her recovery from cancer.
ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, NPR, CNN, and MS NOW cannot be bothered for much more substantive British matters, like a recent report on the rape of young girls that came from Member of Parliament Rupert Lowe. The report estimates rape gangs victimized at least 250,000 girls across 149 local British authorities since the 1990s. It says many victims were young teenagers. Some were as young as four years old.
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Audrey Pulvar, the deputy mayor of Paris responsible for international relations, stated in an Instagram post that the United States bears significant responsibility for the extreme heat affecting France due to its greenhouse gas emissions and widespread reliance on air conditioning.
The comments came amid a heat wave that brought temperatures above 40°C (104°F) in parts of the country and led to reports of excess deaths.
Culver made the bizarre suggestion in a post responding to criticism from American tourists and social media users about the limited availability of air conditioning in Paris buildings. “Dear American journalists and social media ‘influencers’: for days, some of you have been
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Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine recently reached a major milestone in that it has now been going on for longer than World War 1. The war has taken a toll on both Ukraine and Russia with hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians dead and billions of pounds worth of buildings destroyed.
However, after Donald Trump took a warmer approach to relations with Russia, it looked like Ukraine might be forced towards a humiliating peace deal.
That has not happened. While there is no sign as yet of Putin looking like he will sue for peace, there is another financial factor to consider. The financial cost to Putin of the soldiers who are dying fighting for Russia, something that is costing his economy billions of pounds.
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A Democratic representative from Oregon, backed by numerous fellow lawmakers in the House, has filed articles of impeachment against Education Department Secretary Linda McMahon, alleging she is illegally dismantling the U.S. Department of Education.
Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici introduced the resolution last Thursday, arguing “I introduced an impeachment resolution because Secretary McMahon has made it her mission to close down the Department of Education, something she does not have the right to do.”
The legislation is cosponsored by 16 fellow Democrats, according to a news release from Bonamici’s office.
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A Fox News poll published Tuesday shows the 2026 Maine Senate race remains tight, with incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins holding a narrow lead over Democrat Graham Platner.
The poll shows that among registered voters, Collins receives 50 percent support to Platner’s 47 percent. The race shifts among the most engaged voters. Platner leads Collins 53 percent to 44 percent among those who say they are extremely motivated to vote, fueled by higher enthusiasm among Democrats.
About 76 percent of Democrats say they are highly motivated to vote, compared to 61 percent of Republicans. The poll also found voters have concerns about both candidates, but worries about Platner run deeper. Roughly one-third of independents said they are extremely concerned about Platner’s judgment, while 30 percent said the same about Collins having served too long.
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Washington — Republican hardliners continue to hold up most legislation on the House floor as they dig in on their demands for the Senate to pass President Trump’s voting regulations bill, the SAVE America Act.
On Tuesday, the holdouts blocked Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan to merge the SAVE America Act with the annual defense policy bill, known as the National Defense Authorization Act, before sending it over to the Senate. The conservative members sank a party-line procedural vote that would have set up final votes for the defense bill and other legislation.
Fourteen Republicans, including House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, voted against moving forward. Scalise, from Louisiana, switched his vote in a procedural move so that leadership can bring up the measure again.
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Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is facing a new round of violence in the country’s Kurdish-majority west, raising questions about whether a long-simmering Kurdish insurgency is entering a more active phase as fragile talks between Iran and Washington continue, experts say.
The flare-up matters beyond Iran’s borderlands because Kurdish opposition groups were recently viewed as a potential pressure point against Iran during the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran — and now some Kurdish voices fear they could be left exposed as Washington and Tehran return to fragile diplomacy.
In recent days, Iranian security forces have been killed in several reported attacks and clashes across western and northwestern Iran. Four Iranian security personnel reportedly were killed and several others injured in two separate armed attacks Tuesday, reported The Jerusalem Post, in an analysis by Seth J. Frantzman, citing Iraq’s Shafaq News.