“Iran launched a deadly barrage of missiles at Israel overnight, as the rapidly escalating hostilities between the two enter a fourth day with casualties rising and growing international calls for de-escalation. … Israel’s military said fighter jets have struck command centers belonging to the Quds Force, a clandestine wing of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. Earlier on Sunday, Israeli strikes targeted missile sites and military targets in Iran, and killed the Revoultionary Guard’s intelligence chief.” (06/16/25)
“US President Donald Trump has ordered an expansion of the [abduction] and deportation of migrants across the country as protests against his policies continue. In a post on Truth Social, Trump called on federal agencies to ‘do all in their power’ to deliver ‘the single largest mass deportation programme in history,’ naming Los Angeles, Chicago and New York as specific targets. These cities are among the many where large-scale protests have broken out against raids on undocumented migrants since 6 June. … Trump also ordered immigration authorities to focus their efforts on sanctuary cities – those that limit their assistance to federal immigration authorities — which during the protests have become a source of tension between federal and state lawmakers.” (06/16/25)
“The suspect in the assassination of one lawmaker and the attempted assassination of another in Minnesota, the United States, has been captured. Vance Boelter, 57, was arrested on Sunday following a two-day manhunt in the Midwestern state, law enforcement officials said. … Boelter is alleged to have shot two Democratic lawmakers and their spouses early on Saturday morning in what officials believe was a politically motivated attack. Melissa Hortman, a state representative, and her husband, Mark, were killed in the attack, while state Senator John A Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were injured.” (06/16/25)
“American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten is departing the Democratic National Committee, citing disagreements with DNC Chair Ken Martin. Weingarten told Martin in a letter dated June 5 and obtained by The Hill on Sunday that she was declining to be reappointed as an at-large member of the committee. … Weingarten backed then-Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler to serve as DNC chair during elections earlier this year. Weingarten was later removed by Martin from the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee. … Weingarten is a powerful figure on the political left [sic]. AFT boasts roughly 1.8 million members and has significant influence on the Democratic Party and its candidates.” (06/15/25)
“Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) recorded five days of consecutive inflows, despite the recent geopolitical turmoil caused by the Israel-Iran conflict. According to data from Farside Investors, the streak began on June 9, with inflows of over $386 million and continued through Friday, with an additional $301 million in inflows. In total, over $1.3 billion in capital moved into Bitcoin ETFs over the past five days. The price of Bitcoin has proved resilient in the wake of the Israeli airstrikes on Iran, dropping by roughly 3% in response to the news. … Bitcoin is only trading less than 6% away from its all-time high of $112,000 recorded on May 22, despite the ongoing geopolitical tensions.” (06/14/25)
“Saudi Arabia has executed a journalist who spent seven years in prison on charges of terrorism and treason. Rights groups say the charges were linked to posts he made on social media, the Associated Press (AP) reported. Turki Al-Jasser, a journalist in his late 40s, was put to death on Saturday after the country’s top court upheld his death sentence, according to the Saudi Press Agency. Al-Jasser was arrested in 2018 after security forces raided his home and seized his computer and phones. It remains unclear where he was tried or how long the trial lasted. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a New York-based watchdog, said Al-Jasser was accused of operating a social media account on X, which had published allegations of corruption involving members of the Saudi royal family.” (06/15/25)
“Three people were taken into custody Saturday night in connection with a shooting during a ‘No Kings’ protest in Salt Lake City, Utah, including a man believed to be the gunman, according to police. Salt Lake City Police said one victim was injured after officers heard gunshots near 151 South State Street just before 8 p.m. The victim was transported to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. The man believed to be the shooter also suffered a gunshot wound and was taken to the hospital with serious injuries under police watch, Police Chief Brian Redd said at a press conference. … Redd said it was too early to tell if the shooting was politically motivated and whether those involved knew each other. The shooter appeared to be walking alongside the group of marching protesters.” (06/14/25)
“China’s military held joint sea and air patrols in the South China Sea on Saturday, a spokesperson for the People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theater Command said. Spokesperson Tian Junli said in a statement on Sunday that the Philippines has courted countries outside the region to organise ‘joint patrols’ and ‘raised security risks’ in the region. ‘The theater command forces remain on high alert, resolutely safeguarding China’s national sovereignty and maritime rights,’ he said, adding that ‘all military activities that seek to stir up trouble in the South China Sea or create flashpoints are fully under control.’ The Philippine embassy in Beijing did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.” (06/15/25)
“British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Saturday he would accept a recommendation for a national inquiry into grooming gangs who sexually abused thousands of girls, having previously resisted calls for a statutory review. Interior minister Yvette Cooper in January asked Louise Casey, a former senior official, to undertake a ‘rapid audit’ of the current scale and nature of gang-based exploitation in Britain. … The child sexual abuse scandal, which revealed how gangs of mostly Pakistani men had groomed, trafficked and raped young white girls more than a decade ago, returned to the political agenda this year after U.S. billionaire Elon Musk criticised the British government.” (06/114/25)
“Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has been stripped of his Legion of Honour – the country’s highest distinction – following a conviction for graft, according to a decree published Sunday. The right-wing ex-president ruled France from 2007-2012 and has been beset by legal problems since leaving office following a bruising presidential election defeat. An appeals court last year upheld his conviction for illegal attempts to secure favours from a judge and ordered him to wear an electronic ankle bracelet instead of serving a one-year jail sentence. The decision to revoke his award had since been expected, according to the rules of the order, despite current French President Emmanuel Macron saying he was opposed to the move.” (06/15/25)
