“The European Union will [pretend it has the ability to] impose a minimum age for young internet users to access social media without parental supervision, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Monday. … Von der Leyen said the bloc would consider age restrictions for other online services too, and will start work on determining which platforms are harmful [sic] to minors.” (07/13/26)
“Social media companies might soon be forced to remove the addictive features that keep teenagers online for hours on end — including the ubiquitous infinite scroll. Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal, a Democrat from Long Beach, initially introduced Assembly Bill 1709 in February as a proposal that would prohibit teenagers from using social media platforms that are designed to be dangerously addictive. But after deliberations over several hearings in the California Legislature between lawmakers, advocates and a prominent Big Tech lobby, all agreed that age-gating the internet could ultimately do more harm than good. So, last month, Lowenthal amended his bill to instead require the companies, including behemoths like Meta and Reddit, to come up with an alternative, less addictive feed for underage users. If the companies can’t abide, then kids under 16 will be unable to make accounts on their platforms.” (07/13/26)
“The US Justice Department launched a grand jury investigation into allegations that the head of the United Auto Workers pressured another high-ranking union official to secure benefits for his fiancée and her sister, according to internal communications within the labor organization. A federal grand jury has subpoenaed the union’s court-appointed monitor as it probes the claims against President Shawn Fain, according to emails seen by Bloomberg News. The messages were sent to Fain, UAW Vice President Rich Boyer and members of the law firm representing the union. Fain called the allegations ‘false’ in a statement to Bloomberg and accused Boyer, whose complaints to the monitor drew early scrutiny to union leadership, of trying to influence the upcoming UAW election.” (07/12/26)
“Iran claimed attacks Monday on Persian Gulf countries that host U.S. military bases after another round of U.S. strikes the previous evening, as renewed fighting over control of the Strait of Hormuz continued into a second week. U.S. Central Command said Sunday that forces targeted various Iranian vessels and facilities, and it contradicted Tehran’s claim that the Strait of Hormuz is closed, insisting that ‘Iran does not control’ the vital shipping lanes. Oil prices shot up nearly 5% Monday after the weekend’s strikes, with benchmark crude prices nearing $80 a barrel again after plunging briefly to pre-war levels.” (07/13/26)
“The official death toll from Venezuela’s devastating twin earthquakes rose to nearly 4,500 on Sunday, as the government reported more than 19,500 people were now living in camps due to the destruction. The latest toll offered by the government on its official Telegram account listed 4,490 as dead, about 150 higher than the day before, and 16,740 injured. It did not give an estimate for the number of people still unaccounted for. On 24 June, the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes hit Caracas and the coastal state of La Guaira, flattening entire high-rise apartment blocks into layers of rubble.” (07/13/26)
“Israeli attacks killed at least six people in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, including a 9-year-old girl, Palestinian health officials said, as mediators held more talks to safeguard the U.S.-brokered ceasefire. Medics said Israeli gunfire directed at a tent encampment on the eastern side of the Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza killed 9-year-old Tala Abu Matar. The Israeli military said it was not aware of the incident. An airstrike at a metal foundry in Gaza City’s Sabra neighbourhood killed four people. Witnesses said the site was hit with three Israeli missiles. The Israeli military said it had struck Hamas militants operating inside a weapons production facility, in what it described as a violation of the ceasefire by the Islamist faction.” (07/12/26)
“A Ukrainian attack in southwest Russia killed one person and wounded three more, local officials said Sunday, as Kyiv’s forces continued to bombard Russia’s oil facilities. The head of Russia’s Samara region, Gov. Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, said that a child was among the injured. He also said that residential homes and apartment buildings were damaged in the strike, as well as an unspecified ‘industrial site.’ Russian media outlets reported that the attack’s target was the region’s Syzran Oil Refinery, with many sharing images that appeared to show plumes of black smoke rising over the site.” (07/12/26)
“U.S. spot bitcoin and ether exchange-traded funds returned to weekly net inflows for the first time since early May, collecting a combined $281.8 million over the five trading days ending Friday, according to The Block’s analysis of SoSoValue data. The spot bitcoin ETFs posted approximately $197.4 million in net inflows for the week, ending an eight-week run that had drained about $8.26 billion from the products. The funds last recorded a positive week in the five days ending May 8, when they brought in roughly $622.7 million, per the data. The losing streak was the longest since the funds began trading in January 2024.” (07/11/26)
“On Friday, federal agents delivered grand jury subpoenas to four New York Times journalists, arriving in some cases at their homes, days after the paper reported the Secret Service had urged President Donald Trump to leave Turkey aboard an older jet rather than his new Qatari-gifted Air Force One. The subpoenas order Julian E. Barnes, Eric Lipton, Tyler Pager, and Eric Schmitt to testify Wednesday before a federal grand jury in Manhattan ‘in regard to an alleged violation of criminal law,’ according to the Times, which says it will fight the order. David McCraw, the paper’s newsroom lawyer, said the sight of federal agents on reporters’ doorsteps ‘should shock the conscience of any American.’ Issuing them was Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, whom Trump nominated last month to serve as director of national intelligence, the Times reported.” (07/11/26)
“A long-awaited response from Sen. Mitch McConnell has been released about his June 14 hospitalization. In a press release, the Kentucky Senator shared what his doctors have confirmed about his condition, and that he was hesitant to share the news. He reports that a fall was the cause of the hospitalization. The statement comes after Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear requested an official update from Sen. McConnell himself regarding his health after weeks of silence.” (07/12/26)
