“The time is ripe for European leaders to set aside the self-licking summits in European capitals and get in the room with the U.S., Ukraine, and Russia to orchestrate a modern-day Helsinki Conference. A durable peace for Ukraine will require several interlocking agreements, each of which will be incredibly difficult to negotiate, but all of which will be vital if we are to avoid a general war in Europe.” (06/11/26)
“Graham Platner is now through to the general election in Maine. He has survived another scandal, despite the fact that June is an unlikely time for the final story on him to drop. And his supporters, both in Maine and across the country, appear unwilling to abandon him for any reason. I want to argue here that Platner is a beneficiary of two kinds of populist thought, moving from both the bottom up and the top down. The first kind is the traditional sort, the kind that leads to Platner being excused as a hardscrabble everyman with rough edges. The second is an elite driven form of populism …. that underwrites the audacity of a Hotchkiss School dropout turned military adventurist turned oyster farmer to run for a Senate seat with no prior experience and no recognition that a single one of his subsequent scandals could be disqualifying.” (06/11/26)
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Joseph Solis-Mullen
“The energy index surged 3.9% in May, accounting for the lion’s share, over 60%, of the monthly CPI gain. Gasoline prices jumped about 7% MoM (with even larger unadjusted moves) and sit 40.5% higher than a year ago. Overall energy costs are up 23.5% YoY. Food prices rose more modestly, while shelter costs continued their steady grind higher in the core measure. This isn’t abstract economic noise. It’s a direct hit to real incomes. … The primary culprit is unmistakable: the ongoing U.S.-involved conflict with Iran that Washington and Tel Aviv launched in late February 2026.” (06/11/26)
“A celebrity MAGA influencer and conspiracy theorist walked into a conclave in India under fire for mocking Indians as ‘third-world invaders’ with low IQ and bad hygiene, but walked out as a new mascot for India’s Islamophobes earlier this year. Framing herself as a ‘proud Islamophobe,’ Laura Loomer during her March visit to India delivered a heady cocktail of rants on ‘Islamic terrorism’ and Pakistan’s ‘jihad export,’ garnished with a message of affection from President Donald Trump for India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, enough to win over an audience primed to forgive racism if it comes wrapped in anti-Muslim fervor. Loomer’s passage to India points both to the power of an emerging pattern of global far-right networks of anti-democratic politics shaping today’s geopolitics, as well as the limitations of such transnational solidarities because of the contradictions engendered in these movements’ racist core.” (06/11/26)
“Canada is joining a growing list of countries seeking to protect [sic] young people from harm [sic] online by restricting their access to social media platforms. The Canadian government Wednesday introduced a new digital safety [sic] proposal that would require users to verify that they are [capable of faking being] at least 16 to access websites such as Facebook, TikTok and Instagram. A new regulator called the Digital Safety Commission of Canada would administer the proposed measures, officials said.” (06/11/26)
