“The recent war with Iran has been fought largely without the support of traditional European allies as well as aspirational Asian ones. Middle Eastern allies, however, have been far more willing partners. Israel is the most notable, but the Gulf states should not escape notice. They spent the last several decades sidling up to Western governments and capital, an approach that seemed broadly successful. They were able to maintain just enough interest in radical Islam to keep their people at bay, which meant the system broadly worked. But the most recent gamble of lowkey support for the war was one too far. The Gulf states planned on America taking out Iran and shielding them from the aftermath, and instead learned their place in the pecking order was far lower than imagined.” (06/01/26)
“A burglar was stabbed to death with his own knife by the tenant he was trying to rob after being caught breaking into a Brooklyn apartment, the Daily News has learned. The tenant, who was stabbed in the neck during the clash, is not expected to be charged because he acted in self defense, law enforcement sources said. … When the tenant came out of the bathroom, he caught the stranger red-handed, stealing two cell phones, a laptop and other belongings, the tenant says. …[Dan] Costume bit the tenant’s hands and cheek during the struggle, then whipped a knife out of his pocket and stabbed the tenant in the back of the neck, the tenant said. The tenant managed to disarm Costume and stab him in his thigh and lower back with the crook’s own knife, sources said.” (06/01/26)
“As we are in the heat of the binneal Primary Season, while the ‘soft’ ceasefire in the Ami-Iran War staggers on, while there are rumors of a ceasefire in this phase of the Lebanese Conflict, our minds of course turn to the wonders and benefits of government. If we are honest (and love God and/or liberty), it is a pretty short list. And nothing on the list is anywhere close to balancing the immense cost and negative attributes that government enjoys.” (06/01/26)
“Russian drones and missiles pounded the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and other cities early on Tuesday. At least 11 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in the assault which also hit Dnipro and Kharkiv, authorities said. Last week, the Kremlin warned that it intended ‘systematic strikes’ on targets in Kyiv in response to a drone attack on a dormitory in Ukraine’s Russian-held region of Luhansk, which killed 21. Ukraine denied the attack. … Russian regions also came under attack. The Ilsky oil refinery, in the southern Russian region of Krasnodar, caught fire after a drone attack, local authorities said on Telegram on Tuesday.” (06/02/26)
“The Supreme Court will soon rule in a case that will decide the future of birthright citizenship. The case has become more significant than ever because some officials are now openly advocating for ethnic cleansin — —mass removals of tens of millions of U.S.-born Americans based on their ancestry. In barely a year, the right has moved from the already controversial mass deportation of all undocumented immigrants to mass deportation of Americans. The 14th Amendment, drafted in part to prevent ethnic cleansing, should stop it. Whether it will is now up to the Supreme Court.” (06/01/26)
“President Trump on Monday hit the brakes on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to bomb Hezbollah targets in Beirut after Iran threatened to abandon its negotiations with the U.S. over Israel’s actions in Lebanon. An Israeli official told Axios the planned strikes on Beirut would not be happening. … Iranian officials told the semi-official Tasnim News Agency that no talks with the U.S. would take place until Israel stopped its attacks in Lebanon, and threatened retaliation in the Strait of Hormuz and possibly ‘other fronts.’ Hours later, Trump spoke with Netanyahu. He released a Truth Social post afterward claiming Israel and Hezbollah would stop attacking each other.” (06/01/26)
“On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the Great American Cotton Plan, a protectionist initiative to subsidize American cotton farmers. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins says the plan is necessary to help domestic growers who are being ‘crushed by rising costs, unfair foreign competition, and a flood of cheap synthetic products.’ … Given the government’s penchant for propping up struggling sectors, it’s no surprise that the industry is receiving this bailout. But it’s not ‘unfair foreign competition’ or ‘trade distortions’ that are causing America’s cotton industry to falter. Over the past decade, 84 percent of domestically produced cotton has been exported on average, which suggests that trade is going well for farmers. Instead, it’s the president’s own policies.” (06/01/26)
“The U.K. Government released a vast trove of documents relating to Peter Mandelson’s appointment as U.S. Ambassador, in a move that threatens to cause fresh damage to Keir Starmer’s faltering premiership. More than 1,500 pages of documentation were published on the British government’s website just after 2 p.m. local time. They include emails, text messages and other exchanges between government ministers, aides and Mr. Mandelson in the run-up to his appointment as U.S. Envoy, a post he held from February to September 2025. The release resurfaces a saga that has weakened and embarrassed Mr. Starmer over the nine months since Bloomberg News exposed the extent of Mr. Mandelson’s ties with the late pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.” (06/01/26)
