“A former FBI assistant director says the federal government is taking a ‘dramatically different approach’ to how it approaches drug trafficking after several Sinaloa cartel leaders were slapped with terror-related charges. Both Pedro Inzunza Noriega and his son, Pedro Inzunza Coronel, were charged with narco-terrorism, material support of terrorism, drug trafficking and money laundering on May 13 as members of the Beltran Leyva Organization (BLO), a faction of the Sinaloa cartel. Five additional BLO leaders were charged with drug trafficking and money laundering. It’s the first time that cartel members have been hit with terrorism-related charges, which Chris Swecker, former assistant director of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, told Fox News Digital is intended to send a message. ‘This administration is taking a dramatically different approach to fighting drug cartels, who are the most powerful criminal organizations on the planet right now,’ Swecker said.” (06/02/25)
“Iranian, Egyptian and U.N. leaders met in Cairo on Monday to discuss Iran’s nuclear program after a report from the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said Iran is further increasing its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels. Rafael Mariano Grossi, the head of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, said the agency compiled the report because Iranian’s uranium enrichment was an ongoing concern to the IAEA’s board of governors. ‘We hope that by providing the clarification we will be providing an incentive for clarity, an incentive for a peaceful solution and a diplomatic solution,’ Grossi said in Cairo. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, though it was unclear if Araghchi would meet directly with Grossi.” (06/02/25)
“Welcome to the inaugural edition of ‘Trump’s Beautiful Disaster’, our pop-up newsletter covering what has improbably been labeled the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (really, ‘Bill Act’?), agenda-spanning legislation that would radically overhaul the tax code, the social safety net, and the relationship of Americans to their government. Between now and the final outcome of the bill (either its passage or its demise) the Prospect will bring you up-to-the-minute coverage on what’s included in the legislation, why it matters for you, and whether it can navigate the House and Senate successfully. We come to our story in the middle. The House has passed OBBBA (let’s just go with that as a shorthand) and the action has shifted to the Senate. After the Memorial Day break, this is the first week that the Senate has had an opportunity to look at the legislation.” (06/02/25)
“A newly released survey of public opinion across the European Union finds an amazing sentiment: Most people put democratic rule of law above many other EU priorities, such as climate protection or the sharing of financial resources. ‘Citizens take the fundamental norms of the EU seriously and are also willing to engage in costly actions to sustain these principles,’ wrote three scholars who commissioned the poll. A second finding was just as stark: Even in member states where norms of democracy are backsliding, ‘Significant portions of the population might welcome EU sanctions, even at the cost of losing EU funds for their country.’ The poll was timely. On May 27, EU officials again ratcheted up pressure on Hungary for its ‘rule of law breaches.’ The union is already withholding €18 billion ($20.4 billion) in funds from the country, which is facing budgetary and economic woes.” (05/30/25)
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“It’s a relatively well-known fact that Israeli forces have attacked the overwhelming majority of hospitals in Gaza and have launched hundreds upon hundreds of strikes on medical services in the enclave. Whenever anyone mentions this fact publicly they’ll get Israel apologists babbling about ‘human shields’ and absurdly trying to claim that there are Hamas bases in all the hospitals. But these talking points are invalidated by the fact that we’ve seen multiple reports from doctors documenting Israeli forces actually entering hospitals they’ve attacked and destroying all the individual pieces of medical equipment in those facilities, one by one. The latest of such reports appears in the Greek outlet Efimerida ton Syntakton from a specialist surgeon named Christos Georgalas, who was at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza from April to May of this year.” (05/30/25)
“Where are the Jeffrey Epstein files? Who planted the pipe bombs outside the Republican and Democratic National Committees on January 5th, 2021? Whose cocaine was left in a locker at the White House? These are interesting things, mostly, but they aren’t what I’d like the Federal Bureau of Investigation to divert resources to get to the bottom of. Sure, I’d like those questions to be answered, but they won’t impact the lives of as many Americans as exposing, charging, and dismantling the militant wing of the progressive left would. I’d like the FBI to focus on ANTIFA.” (06/01/25)
“California Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing an ‘asset test’ for seniors to prove eligibility for Medi-Cal healthcare benefits for low-income Californians in response to a budget shortfall. To qualify, people would have to possess less than $2,000 in assets to qualify. The governor’s budget proposal, written by the California Department of Finance, said the reasons for the increased costs include ‘higher overall enrollment, pharmacy costs and higher managed care costs.’ In the last 10 years, he said, Medi-Cal costs have increased by $20.5 billion. Newsom has also proposed freezing new enrollment for adults in the country illegally [sic] as a way to cut Medi-Cal costs.” (05/31/25)
“Imagine a U.S. president embarking on a lavish trip to the Middle East, signing major deals with Arab leaders, while Israel, its long-time ally, isn’t even invited to the table. This hypothetical scenario, which could easily have occurred with Donald Trump’s return to power in 2025, is a warning bell for a decades-old policy that has held America’s credibility hostage: unconditional support for Israel. This alliance has not only stripped the U.S. of its role as a credible peace broker but has also made it complicit in human rights violations and an obstacle to democracy in the region. The time has come for the U.S. to drastically curtail its massive aid to Israel and instead invest in democratic institutions and comprehensive peace across the Middle East. Every time a genuine hope for peace has emerged in the Middle East, Israel’s actions have worked to destroy it.” (05/31/25)
“Longtime Democratic Rep. Jerrold Nadler slammed President Trump for ‘sowing chaos’ nationwide after federal agents handcuffed one of his aides inside his lower Manhattan office. The lawmaker’s verbal tirade came after Department of Homeland Security officers entered the Big Apple office Wednesday and accused his staff of ‘harboring rioters’ in a dramatic confrontation caught on video. … The video, obtained by Gothamist, showed one agent aggressively restraining a teary-eyed female staffer, while another employee asked for a warrant and blocked a second officer from entering a private section of the congressional office, located in the same Varick Street building as federal immigration court.” (05/31/25)
“As Elon Musk steps back from his role at the Department of Government Efficiency, making the savings his team found stick is now in Congress’s hands. DOGE’s crack team of mostly young techies shined a light on surreal instances of fraud and waste, from the literal mine where all federal government employee resignations are processed by hand to millions of dollars in fake unemployment claims filed with birth dates 15 years in the future. But for all of the fanfare, outrage, and outright hysteria over DOGE’s supposedly drastic measures, the department’s actual power was limited to mostly cancelling grants and contracts, which put a major cap on how much in savings could actually be realized. Much of the discretionary spending it lined up for the chopping block was approved by Congress, and Congress alone can decide its fate.” (05/31/25)
