World, US, Culture, Market, and Sci-Tech News Aggregation from MSM and Independent News
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Uh oh. Josh Kraushaar, a center-left reporter who specializes in Congress, recently acknowledged the obvious about the 2026 battle for the U.S. Senate:
This is an extraordinarily tough Senate map for the Democrats. Even though the party is in a very historically favorable national environment, the reality is it would take a tsunami for Democrats to win more than two Senate seats.
This is what I have been saying for a while. The Republicans have a 53 to 47-seat majority in the Senate, with 35 seats up this year. The Democrats need a net pick up of four seats to win control. But only two Republican seats – Maine and North Carolina – are in competitive states. The other 20 GOP seats are in states Donald Trump won by double digits. That almost never happens in Senate elections, let alone twice. In the 2025 Virginia elections, the Democrats won a landslide, but they didn’t carry a single district where Trump won with that margin.
The Democrats also must not lose any of their own competitive seats. And in the blue wave of 2018, the Democrats lost Florida. This year, they could lose Georgia, Michigan, and/or New Hampshire.
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Watch Louder with Crowder every weekday at 11:00 AM Eastern, only on Rumble Premium!
California is “too gay to function.” And if you are surprised by this, you are not paying attention.
According to Chris Rufo, in California, the left is prioritizing contracts for “state-certified gay-owned businesses.” It is unclear how your business can get certified in gayness, but I digress.
Per City Journal:
In 1986, Governor George Deukmejian signed Assembly Bill 3678, which required certain CPUC-regulated utilities to submit annual “plans” for buying goods and services from woman- and minority-owned companies. Two years later, CPUC created its “Supplier Diversity Program,” which would enforce the law and set contracting “goals” for large utilities.
Under a series of Democratic governors, the program has expanded to include gay-owned businesses. In September 2014, then-Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation requiring CPUC to recognize “LGBT-owned businesses” as eligible for supplier-diversity benefits. Five years later, Governor Gavin Newsom expanded the program further, “encouraging” other companies involved in the energy sector to award contracts to gay-owned firms.
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Here’s ABC’s entry, delivered by Mary Bruce:
WATCH: @ABCWorldNews didn’t find time to cover the SPLC boss funneling $1.2M to her neo-Nazi lover, the Antifa indictments out of Minneapolis, or to do a follow-up item on the various investigations into the Newsom Machine. Not when there is schadenfreude to be had over the algae… pic.twitter.com/2DluvgI6WJ
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Democrats, who tell us it’s Normal Americans who are really the people doing all that mostly peaceful but fiery violence, continue to behave like rabid badgers. Worse, they behave like envious rabid badgers, which is never a good look. The Party of diversity and tolerance is anything but, and this time, the object of their hate is Elon Musk—still.
Musk was something of a Democrat ally until he did the unforgivable: he aligned himself with Donald Trump, exposed Democrat fraud and crimes, shut down their money funnels, and worst of all, bought Twitter and restored free speech on a platform they previously owned. So, Democrats vandalized and torched Teslas, the electric cars they previously loved, and discovered Musk was one of the billionaires who must “pay their fair share” of taxes, unlike Soros and other Democrat billionaires who must pay Democrats.
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Kamala Harris was the Vice President during the previous administration. Some may argue that means she was effectively the second most powerful person in the world. This is why she was very much aware when the former president, aka a sleeping potato, went after the current president through political retaliation. As you recall, the left did everything in their power to attempt to jail President Donald Trump while he was the leading Republican candidate. If this is not going after your political enemies, nothing is.
This is why it is disingenuous for her to complain that Trump is supposedly doing just that.
According to the failed presidential candidate, she “predicted” Trump would do what he is doing, adding that this is the most corrupt president in American history.
Per Politico:
Former Vice President Kamala Harris said the Trump administration’s investigation of Gavin Newsom fit a pattern of the president pursuing his political rivals, reinforcing the California governor’s argument that he’s the target of a vendetta.
“He told us most of what we would know would happen, including that he would go after his political enemies using the Department of Justice,” Harris, a fellow Californian and potential 2028 presidential contender, said during a summit in Austria. “I am not surprised that he may be using the Department of Justice to go after a political enemy in the current governor of California.”
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… Now, a stunning new inquiry from a member of Parliament is dragging that truth into the light.
The sheer number of alleged victims — and the obvious signs of what was happening to them that were ignored at every level — reveals the repeated failures that became endemic to the British system.
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Tuesday on CNN’s “The Source,” former Vice President Mike Pence said President Donald Trump’s deal with Iran “smacks of appeasement.”
Pence said, “Iran has been at war with the United States, and our cherished ally Israel, for 47 years. And I strongly supported, the president’s decision for the first time in modern history to take the fight directly to the mullahs in Tehran last year. And then again, this year. And I do believe the president has earned some latitude in negotiating an end to hostilities. But I have very real concerns. I look like apparently an awful lot of people on this, I just don’t trust the Iranians. I’ve been quite close to those issues from my time in the White House, many briefings in the Situation Room, as well as my years on the Foreign Affairs Committee in the House. So I’ve been the Iranians, particularly with regard to their nuclear ambition, have essentially a legacy of lies.”
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Although the league says it was merely responding to a run-of-the-mill rule infraction, its warning to three San Francisco Giants players after a recent game struck many Americans as inherently anti-Christian.
The trio wrote Bible verses onto their caps before the “Pride Night” game during which the team had been instructed to wear rainbow-themed uniforms.
In response to the move, the MLB handed down its reprimand and, in turn, opened itself up to widespread criticism.
As The Hill reported, Vice President J.D. Vance was among the critics:
“To be clear, this routine verbal warning not to wear the hat in future games is not disciplinary and had absolutely nothing to do with the content of the message,” MLB told The New York Times about the incident. “We respect players’ right to free expression. However, writing of any kind, with any message, is prohibited per Major League Baseball’s uniform regulations.”
Vance, in a social media post on Tuesday, responded to a Sports Illustrated report about the warning, saying “Trump won we don’t have to do this anymore.”
MLB is one of several major sports leagues that features annual Pride nights and events, encouraging teams to celebrate diversity during Pride Month in June.
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The U.S. government’s decision to stop Anthropic from offering its Mythos and Fable 5 models to non-U.S. nationals may end up providing a big boost to the adoption of open-source models, including those from Chinese AI labs like DeepSeek and Moonshot AI.
Users can download open-source models and run them on their own computers or cloud networks, effectively sidestepping the ability of both AI developers and governments to control access. These models can also be more easily fine-tuned by developers to tailor them for specific needs.
Chinese labs are already claiming a public relations win from the Anthropic controversy.
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Trump administration officials began weighing sanctions on Anthropic weeks before they demanded the company take its latest and most advanced artificial intelligence model offline, after a dispute shattered the White House’s already-fragile trust in the company, according to two White House officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private deliberations.
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Just over 75,000 people in the constituency of #Makerfield, near #Manchester, will be voting for their new representative in parliament on June 18th… possibly leading to the fall of the #UK’s prime minister.
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Republicans in Georgia just proved that one thing can overcome the power of President Donald Trump’s endorsement: an endless stream of cash.
Health care executive Rick Jackson defeated Trump-backed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in Georgia’s GOP gubernatorial primary Tuesday, with the help of over $100 million of his personal wealth.
Jones’ loss is a major upset for the president in a marquee battleground state, and it follows several high-profile Trump losses in 2022, when his candidates either lost their primaries or the general election. The result is also a rare blunder for Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who joined Trump in endorsing Jones to be his successor ahead of Tuesday’s primary, after months of sitting on the sidelines of the race.
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TOKYO, June 17. /TASS/. Japan purchased approximately 364,000 barrels of oil from Russia in May this year, according to TASS calculations based on statistical data published by Japan’s Finance Ministry.
According to the data, Japan imported 58,000 kiloliters of Russian oil last month, equivalent to approximately 364,800 barrels. The purchases concerned oil linked to gas supply contracts under the Sakhalin-2 project, which is exempt from anti-Russian sanctions. The oil is also exempt from the price cap introduced by the G7 countries. According to TASS calculations, the price of Russian oil purchased by Japan in May amounted to approximately $103 per barrel.
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Happy Wednesday, dear Kruiser Morning Briefing friends. The Sine Qua Non Sequitur is investigating rumors of a “Never Ending Meat Wheel” at a Wednesdays-only speakeasy somewhere near the Inner Hebrides.
This isn’t just about California today, but that’s always a good starting place for any overall examination of the extreme leftward drift of the Democratic Party. As we discussed last week, that is the proving ground for the most insane leftist initiatives and schemes that the Dems hope to one day mainstream.
Our jumping off point is a real doozy, even by California lunatic fringe standards. Had I not read it on one of our sister sites, I probably would have triple-checked it. This is from my Townhall colleague Joseph Chalfant:
A new report from the City Journal revealed the “LGBTBE Certification” process that individuals must go through should they wish to receive preferential treatment in the taxpayer-funded contract bidding process in the state of California.
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The U.S. military attacked a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Tuesday, killing one man and leaving two survivors, as the Trump administration continues its monthslong campaign against alleged traffickers in Latin America.
The latest attack brings the number of people who have been killed in boat strikes by the U.S. military to at least 208 since the Trump administration began targeting those it calls “narcoterrorists” in early September.
As with most of the military’s statements on strikes in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, U.S. Southern Command said it targeted the alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes. The military did not provide evidence that the vessel was ferrying drugs. A video posted on X showed a boat traveling in the water before being hit by the strike and bursting into flames.
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Apparently, it’s “Loneliness Awareness Week,” thanks to a global campaign emanating from the United Kingdom.
On the surface, the idea of a “Loneliness Awareness Week” sounds as cozy as the founding organization’s name, Marmalade Trust. That group self-identifies as a “charity,” but it acts more like a nongovernmental organization (NGO) devoted to government and globalist involvement in shaping our social connections.
Marmalade Trust’s home page proudly announces that its mission to fight loneliness is “joined by organisations globally,” including 10 Downing Street, the U.K.’s National Health Service, the BBC, The Guardian, Public Health England, and various other globalist and media outlets. On another page, it boasts that Loneliness Awareness Week has had the involvement of “the Royal Family, the Prime Minister, the Mayor of London, NHS trusts, and all government departments. We have even had a special Royal Mail postage stamp!” The London transit authority is also partnering with the campaign by encouraging people to chat with strangers on public transit, seemingly to help overcome the loneliness epidemic.
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The grieving father of a white teen murdered by a black teen is actually to blame for his death, according to a Howard University professor.
Last week, a Texas jury found Karmelo Anthony guilty of murder after he stabbed Austin Metcalf in the heart during a confrontation in April 2025 at a track meet. Anthony argued he acted out of self-defense after Metcalf pushed him during an argument under a tent.
Coming to Anthony’s defense is Professor Stacey Patton, who teaches journalism at Howard University. Patton has previously suggested Charlie Kirk “paid” the “price” for supporting gun rights. She also previously defended riots in Baltimore and suggested racial jokes by comedians can be to blame for the killings of black people.
Patton, in a long post on her Substack page, blamed Jeff Metcalf, the father of the murdered teen, for the death, saying he was a “failure.”
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Jacob Wenske, 26, was charged in late May with one count of making a terroristic threat against Kirk.
A new report has revealed that anti-Christian extremism and “assassination culture” could have fueled a recent assassination attempt that targeted the widow of Charlie Kirk, Erika Kirk, who is now leading Turning Point USA. The report comes as threats against public officials have increased.
Jacob Wenske, 26, was charged in late May with one count of making a terroristic threat involving public fear of serious bodily injury or public disruption after he allegedly planned to bomb a Turning Point USA event where Kirk was set to speak as the keynote.
At the time, he wrote in an email to Turning Point USA that he was targeting Kirk as well as other “Christian nationalists,” according to police documents. The suspect had also posted multiple threats on social media in addition to the email, according to the Fox News.
The threats against Kirk allegedly from Wenske emerge as there have been a record number of threats against members of Congress as well as other political figures in the US. According to the US Capitol Police Threat Assessment, there was a 58 percent increase in threats against members of Congress from 2024 to 2025.
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President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Tuesday on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, as the leaders of the world’s largest economies renew their focus on the war in Ukraine amid hopes the Iran conflict is nearing a conclusion.
Mr. Trump told reporters after the sit-down that the two had a “very good meeting” and that he planned to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart again later in the day.
Asked about the war, Mr. Trump responded, “Russia should make a deal.”
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The strategy of selling killing based on it being limited to rare circumstances is used in every jurisdiction when debating the legalization of poisoning.
The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC) argues that once legal, the assisted killing law inevitably expands because it is discriminatory to allow doctors to kill one group of people while restricting doctors from killing another group of people with similar conditions. EPC has been vilified for our honesty.
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The United States supports Gulf countries contributing hundreds of billions of dollars to Iran, but will not contribute itself, according to Vice President JD Vance.
The subject of funds either given to or made available for Iran has been a primary source of questions as the Trump administration prepares to sign its Memorandum of Understanding with Tehran on Friday.
“That’s the sort of thing they could have access to, funded by the Gulf Coast Coalition, so long as they honor their end of the obligation,” Vance told CBS News on Monday, when asked whether the U.S.-Iran memorandum electronically signed Sunday allowed for a “$300 billion reconstruction fund.”
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Major League Baseball (MLB) threatened to punish several Christian ballplayers for the San Francisco Giants on Monday after they inscribed Bible verses on their team’s “pride night” uniforms.
“The writing on the cap violates our rules, and consistent with normal practice, we have warned the players about future violations,” MLB Chief Communications Officer Pat Courtney said in a statement to media outlets.
The league further claimed that “writing on uniforms violates MLB rules,” according to local media.
The warning came days after pitchers Landen Roupp, JT Brubaker, and Ryan Walker all wrote variations of Genesis 9:12-16 on their LGBT-themed hats during the Giants’ Friday matchup against the Chicago Cubs. The Bible verses detail God’s use of a rainbow to symbolize His covenant that He would never again destroy mankind by flooding the Earth.
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A B-52 Stratofortress conducting a test mission crashed shortly after takeoff from Edwards Air Force Base in California on Monday, killing all eight people aboard, according to military officials.
The aircraft went down at approximately 11:20 a.m. local time during a flight tied to an Air Force radar modernization program. Video footage from the scene showed debris scattered across a burned section of desert near the runway as emergency crews responded to the crash site.
“An Air Force B-52 Stratofortress carrying eight people on a routine test mission crashed today after take-off at 11:20 a.m. (PDT). Initial indications are that the crash was not survivable,” the base wrote on X.
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By a single vote, the Senate shot down a proposal on Tuesday that would have reined in President Donald Trump’s ability to use military force against Iran without Congress’s approval.
The vote fell just one vote short of advancing with 48-47. Republican Senators Susan Collins, Bill Cassidy, Lisa Murkowski, and Rand Paul voted with the Democrats. On the flip side, Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) crossed the aisle to vote alongside the Republican majority against the bill.
Introduced by Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA), the resolution sought to require congressional approval for continued U.S. military action involving Iran. Warnock had urged Republicans to vote for it, arguing that Congress shouldn’t just sit back and let the president make all the decisions on foreign wars.
The vote occurred as lawmakers pressed the White House for details about an agreement Trump announced Sunday between Washington and Tehran that he has promoted as a path toward ending months of fighting.
“The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete. Congratulations to all!” Trump declared on Truth Social.
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The alleged plot involved the use of explosive-laden drones, which would strike buildings in the area of the event.
An alleged plot to target the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House over the weekend using explosive-laden drones and snipers was thwarted by the FBI and law enforcement partners in the days leading up to the event, officials have revealed.
FBI Director Kash Patel said his agency and its law enforcement partners first became aware of a potential threat “involving individuals outside of the National Capital Region” against the event on June 10. He said, “thanks to the rapid action of this FBI, our partners, and the Department of Justice in a multi-state operation, multiple individuals are now in custody and allegedly planned attacks were stopped cold.”