France: About 20 drown trying to escape heatwave sweeping much of Europe

Source: Al Jazeera [Qatari state media]

“French authorities say about ⁠20 ⁠people have drowned over the weekend while swimming in unsupervised areas to seek relief from a heatwave gripping France and other parts of Europe. … Separately, local authorities said the heatwave was the most likely reason for the deaths of two children aged two and four who were found unconscious in a car outside their home in Carpentras in southeastern France. Three more people aged 80 to 95 died in the Bordeaux region from heat-related health issues, local official Sophie Brocas told France TV.” (06/23/26)

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/23/about-20-drown-in-france-trying-to-escape-heatwave-sweeping-much-of-europe

The Art of the Tax Deal

Source: Hawaii Reporter
by Tom Yamachika

“One of the basic freedoms we have in this country, enshrined in our Constitution, is the freedom to contract. Two or more parties with differing interests can agree to just about anything, as long as it isn’t illegal, and our country’s court system will enforce that agreement. The rules work a little differently when the government is part of the agreement. The government has the ability to contract as well, but the ability is defined and limited by law. It should be. We, the people, have an interest in the deals that our government is making. Especially if tax money, or government resources paid for by tax money, is part of the deal.” (06/22/26)

https://www.hawaiireporter.com/the-art-of-the-tax-deal/

Judge rules DOJ subpoenas of Walz, others are unconstitutional

Source: United Press International

“A federal judge on Monday threw out multiple Justice Department subpoenas issued to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and other officials, saying they are unconstitutional and part of attempts to harass President Donald Trump’s political opponents. The subpoenas sought to force Walz and others to turn over records and information as part of a federal investigation into whether Democratic officials obstructed the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown through public resistance. … District Judge Patrick Schiltz said the subpoenas were ‘part of an unconstitutional effort to coerce Minnesota officials into assisting the federal government with enforcing civil immigration laws and to harass and retaliate against them for failing to do so,’ CNN reported.” (06/22/26)

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2026/06/22/judge-throws-out-DOJ-subpoenas/1341782167543/

Enterprising the Final Frontier

Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Katrina Gulliver

“In his new book, New Space Capitalism: The Entrepreneurial Path to the Stars, Rainer Zitelmann presents the idea that private enterprise is the best way for space exploration to go forward, pointing out the ways in which public funding, since the days of the Moon landing, has been too uneven (and insufficient) to make the advances possible. When reaching space initially was a political contest, the spirit was there, but since the end of the Cold War, it has been less of a priority. … But today, billionaires have become more involved, and the prospect of space tourism has also put more money into the enterprise.” (06/22/26)

https://fee.org/articles/enterprising-the-final-frontier/

Ukraine: Russian strikes injure six as fuel crisis deepens into Siberia

Source: AOL

“Six people were wounded in Russian air strikes on Ukraine overnight on Tuesday, local authorities said, while Russia’s ongoing fuel crisis deepened into parts of Siberia. The strikes came in the wake of a Ukrainian ‌attack on a plant producing electronics for missiles in Russia’s border Voronezh region on Monday that killed five people and ‌injured dozens, according to the local governor. … Ukrainian attacks on maritime logistics and supply roads have sparked a fuel crisis in Russia and areas of Ukraine it controls. … The Omsk region, about 2,500 kilometres southeast of Moscow, is limiting fuel sales and the nearby Novosibirsk region is preparing to do the same, local governors said on Telegram. … From Tuesday, Lukoil, Russia’s second biggest oil producer, was limiting gasoline and ‌diesel sales in Voronezh region, the regional government said on ​Telegram.” (06/23/26)

https://www.aol.com/articles/ukraines-kyiv-issues-air-raid-223451000.html

The Demented Origin of the War on Drugs and War on Terrorism Nexus

Source: JimBovard.com
by James Bovard

“If the U.S. government is entitled to summarily kill suspected drug traffickers abroad, there is no reason why the same prerogative would not eventually be invoked on the home front. If politicians truly want to protect Americans, why not authorize the U.S. military, state police, and county government dog catchers to summarily attack any boat suspected of transporting drugs on the nation’s lakes, rivers, or overgrown puddles? Actually, such warped logic has already been taken to absurd ends. The core follies of the Trump-Hegseth war of extermination on drug suspects were established almost a quarter-century ago. American illicit drug users miraculously became collectively guilty for every terrorist attack in the world.” (06/22/26)

https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/the-demented-origin-of-the-war-on-drugs-and-war-on-terrorism-nexus/