“Brian Rauch has felt the squeeze of higher gas prices on his 30-mile (50-km) drives from his home in rural Stevensville, Montana, to the doctor’s office. He has also noticed food prices going up and, as an Air Force veteran, sees little rationale for the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. These are among the reasons the 42-year-old increasingly disapproves of the performance of President Donald Trump, the man he voted for in the last three presidential elections, putting him among a growing portion of rural Americans disappointed by his leadership in Washington. Trump’s approval rating among rural Americans dropped in June to a new low of 50%, according to the June 3-8 Reuters/Ipsos poll. That compares with 60% approval in February 2025 shortly after Trump took office. Rural disapproval of Trump’s performance meanwhile rose to 48% from 34% in February 2025, according to the poll of 4,531 U.S. adults nationwide.” (06/14/26)
“The leader of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua has been killed in a U.S. military strike, President Donald Trump said in a social media post Friday night. ‘At my direction, the United States Southern Command delivered a swift and lethal kinetic strike to successfully execute Niño Guerrero, the infamous leader of Tren De Aragua,’ Trump said in the post. The president described Friday’s action as ‘retribution’ for what he claimed were the deaths of American citizens at the hands of illegal immigrants that he claimed are Tren de Aragua members. The post included a 10 second video showing a strike on a structure. The president said the action was coordinated with Venezuelan leaders.” (06/13/26)
“Taiwan’s intelligence agency said on Sunday it is establishing an information-reporting channel for Chinese nationals to offer tips securely, at a time when tensions between Beijing and the self-ruled island remain elevated. In a statement, Taiwan’s National Security Bureau said they are launching a webpage that will act as a secure channel for Chinese nationals to provide intelligence-related information, saying that an increasing number of people have recently approached relevant agencies in Taiwan wishing to ‘provide various types of information.’ … China had earlier said it launched an online platform to encourage reporting of ‘Taiwan independence’ activities, aiming at holding ‘separatists’ accountable.” (06/14/26)
“Sweden has dropped plans to imprison serious offenders as young as 13 due to a lack of parliamentary support. The country is currently grappling with children being recruited into violent gangs, with more than 50 children aged under 15 appearing in court last year on murder or attempted murder charges, Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer said. Sweden’s centre-right government will now draft legislation to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 14 from its current limit of 15. … Currently, children under 15 who are convicted of violent crimes are sent to youth homes, which Strommer said led to more inmates later re-offending. The government will now seek to lower the age of criminal responsibility by just one year instead of two ahead of legislative elections, due to take place in September.” (06/14/26)
“Mark Hill, a conservative lawyer who served on the local school board, won a divisive mayoral runoff on Saturday in Frisco, Texas, that turned into a referendum on the city’s diversity and a testing ground for the power of anti-Muslim messaging. Mr. Hill defeated Rod Vilhauer, a retired construction company owner who gained a following on the hard right with his promises to keep ‘terrorists’ from gaining a foothold in Frisco and to prevent Shariah, or Islamic religious codes, from taking precedence over local and federal law.” (06/13/26)
“Mexican authorities discovered a decomposing corpse with ‘signs of violence’ near Tijuana’s Caliente Stadium, where the Iranian national soccer team is training during the World Cup, according to a New York Post report. Authorities responded to complaints about a bad smell wafting from a gray Toyota SUV with California plates parked in a grocery store parking lot near the stadium, the Post reported. ‘Upon inspecting the vehicle, they found a person wrapped in a black bag in the trunk, showing signs of violence,’ a spokesperson for the Tijuana prosecutor’s office told the Post.” (06/13/26)
“British [pirates] have seized a Russian shadow-fleet oil tanker that was trying to transit the English Channel, Prime Minister Keir Starmer says. ‘This successful operation delivers yet another blow to Russia and reminds those fuelling [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s war in Ukraine that we will not let them hide,’ Starmer said in a post on X on Sunday. The United Kingdom Ministry of Defence also confirmed the early Sunday seizure of the vessel Smyrtos. It said the tanker, sailing under a Cameroon flag, was boarded by Royal Marine Commandos and National Crime Agency officials with support from Chinook helicopters and other aircraft, a frigate and a minehunter.” (06/14/26)
“The curtain may have come down for President Donald Trump at the Kennedy Center but the tarp stays up for now. Matt Floca, executive director and chief operating officer of the performing arts venue, told a federal court Saturday that the institution had complied with an order to remove Trump’s name from the facade. … But for onlookers who have gathered on the plaza in front of the center over the past day hoping to witness a dramatic moment symbolizing the limits of Trump’s power, it was virtually impossible to see whether the signage was gone. A tarp hung over the scaffolding constructed for workers to perform that task. It was unclear when the tarp might be removed to reveal the original lettering that had endured for decades: ‘The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.'” (06/13/26)
“Gene Shalit, a movie critic and arts reporter for the ‘Today’ show over four decades who was known for his puffy hair, oversized handlebar mustache and affection for groan-inducing puns, has died. He was 100. Shalit’s family announced the death Friday to NBC News, saying in a statement that he ‘passed away peacefully today after 100 years of an amazing life.'” (06/12/26)
“President Trump is hosting UFC fighters on the White House lawn Sunday night but the real battle may be on the streets of Geneva, where 50,000 people are expected to take to the streets of Switzerland’s second largest city to protest the G7 summit. Geneva essentially shut down on Sunday. Businesses closed and boarded up their windows. Anti-protester wire fencing was raised around the streets. And police vans took their places on corners, with officers wearing riot gear in preparation. Trump arrives at the G7 on Monday. He, like most world leaders, will arrive at Geneva’s airport before traveling to the summit location in nearby Evian, France. French and Swiss authorities shut down 27 border crossings on Sunday to keep the protesters away from the small spa-town on the shores of Lake Geneva where Trump and the other world leaders will stay.” (06/14/26)
