Quantum Vibe, 06/30/26
Source: Big Head Press
by Scott Bieser
Cartoon. (06/30/26)
Author: Thomas L. Knapp
Checks & Balances, 06/30/26
Source: Checks & Balances
“The Justice Department is Broken. Here’s How We Fix It.” (06/30/26)
https://chkbal.substack.com/p/the-justice-department-is-broken
Workers must defend their right to private opinions
Source: spiked
by Andrew Tettenborn
“It’s all very well to say that the general law allows you to speak your mind, but that doesn’t mean very much if an employer can sack you for expressing a view they happen to disagree with. And it’s easy to forget that it isn’t a matter of just a few people. Lawyers, doctors, accountants, financial professionals, architects, chartered surveyors, chemists, physiotherapists, nurses, teachers, social workers – the list of those who have to watch carefully what they say because the regulator might come down on them if they step out of line is a long one. Furthermore, regulators can use these powers fairly drastically. Alleged Islamophobia, racism and sexism expressed online, or simply matters seen as offensive or contrary to a profession’s ‘values’, are common grounds for people being hit with severe professional penalties or being drummed out entirely.” (06/30/26)
White House Ballroom Project Got Secret No-Bid Contract
Source: Washington Post
“White House officials last year secretly awarded a no-bid contract worth up to $500 million for the construction of the East Wing ballroom in an unusual arrangement that sidestepped typical contracting procedures designed to control costs, according to a copy of the agreement obtained by The Washington Post. The White House routed the contract through the Executive Residence, the document shows, an office that is exempt from rules that require federal agencies to solicit competitive bids and disclose details to the public. … The confidential contract with Clark Construction, along with related correspondence and records obtained by The Post, reveal for the first time how the Trump administration bypassed norms last summer as it set the ballroom project in motion. … Trump has repeatedly claimed that the ballroom would be paid for by private donors and once said that Clark executives offered to build it for free.” (06/30/26)
The Good Fight, 06/30/26
Source: Yascha Mounk
“Charles Fain Lehman on Why Cities Got Safer.” (06/30/26)
How Hunter Biden Won the Internet
Source: Wired
by Alana Hope Levinson & Makena Kelly
“In a little over a month, Biden has amassed over 800,000 followers and materially changed his image—in part by giving hours-long, shockingly intimate interviews to independent media outlets like Channel 5, Armchair Expert, and Soft White Underbelly. He’s even talked to former foes like Candace Owens, who once called him a ‘degenerate that should be in prison.’ He’s fed the trolls—and everyone is eating.” (06/30/26)
When the Children Become the Target
Source: CounterPunch
by Vijay Prashad
“On June 23, the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel released one of the most devastating reports ever produced by a UN investigative body on the Israeli genocide in Gaza. Its title is almost unbearable to read: The Essence of Childhood Has Been Destroyed. Behind the title lies an accusation of extraordinary gravity. The Commission concludes that Israeli authorities and security forces have deliberately targeted Palestinian children and that these actions amount to genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in the Gaza Strip, alongside war crimes in the occupied West Bank.” (06/30/26)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/06/30/when-the-children-become-the-target/
Sal and Mark, episode 9
Source: Free Talk Live
“Sal and Wayne Quinn are holding it down this week while Mark is on the road. Kurt Walker Jr., the world’s first Bitcoin historian, joins the show to trace the full arc of crypto from David Chaum’s eCash in the nineties all the way through the block size wars, the Silk Road takedown, and the deliberate hijacking of Bitcoin by banking interests tied to Jeffrey Epstein, Blockstream, and the Bilderberg group.” (06/29/26)
The dark money operation behind China-baiting in the homeland
Source: Responsible Statecraft
by Nick Cleveland-Stout
“This lobbyist is touting his efforts to restrict Beijing’s influence by convincing states they need to restrict land purchases by immigrants.” (06/30/26)
New Caledonia: French colonial loyalists emerge largest bloc after election, lack majority
Source: Reuters
“New Caledonia’s non-independence coalition emerged as the largest bloc in the legislature after the French Pacific territory’s provincial elections, but fell short of an outright majority, leaving a small centrist Pacific party in the role of kingmaker, final results showed. The elections, held on June 28 after repeated delays, were the first provincial vote since 2019 and followed deadly unrest in 2024 over proposed changes to the local electoral roll, exposing the deep strains in France’s relationship with New Caledonia and its Indigenous Kanak population. The French Pacific territory, about 1,500 km (930 miles) east of Australia, has around 270,000 inhabitants, including roughly 41% Melanesian Kanaks and 24% of European origin, mostly French, and has long been split between pro-independence and pro-France camps.” (06/29/26)