Source: CoinTelegraph
“Bitcoin (BTC) hit new two-week lows at Wednesday’s Wall Street open as traders predicted a rally to a ‘poor’ lower high. Data from TradingView showed BTC price action dropping below $60,000 for the first time since June 10. Traders had warned of increasing short interest with rising funding rates, boosting the odds of a capitulatory move lower.” (06/24/26)
Source: USA Today
“President Donald Trump likes to boast that under his leadership, the United States is the ‘hottest and most respected Country anywhere in the World.’ However, according to a new Pew Research Center survey, the president’s approval ratings among adults around the globe are at an all-time low. Pew surveyed 42,151 citizens of 36 nations and found that a mere 23% of international respondents expressed confidence in Trump’s leadership on world affairs, while overall sentiment about the United States is ‘largely negative.’ … According to Pew, Indonesia, Italy, Nigeria, South Africa, South Korea and Turkey saw some of the most significant drops in favorable views of the United States, with each tallying double-digit declines over the past year. Of the 36 nations polled, less than 10 view the U.S. favorably. That includes Israel at 81%, followed by 68% of Ghanaians, 63% of Nigerians and Kenyans, 61% of Colombians, 58% of Hungarians and 51% of Peruvians.” (06/24/26)
Source: NBC News
“President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he had instructed the Justice Department to immediately probe oil companies for not lowering gas prices at the pump in line with falling costs, accusing them of ‘gouging’ consumers. Trump did not name any companies in his late-night message on Truth Social, which was posted shortly after midnight. … the American Petroleum Institute, which represents all of the major U.S. oil and gas companies, said the industry ‘shares the goal of delivering relief at the pump and restoring stability to global energy markets.’ But, ‘gasoline prices don’t move in lockstep with crude oil, especially during a major global disruption that is still affecting supply, refining and inventories,’ API spokesperson Bethany Williams said.” (06/24/26)
Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]
“The People’s Liberation Army’s most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian Type 003, transited the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, a day after Taipei launched a combat readiness exercise. Song Zhongping, a military commentator and former PLA instructor, said the Fujian could be heading back to its home port in the southern island province of Hainan for a break before it headed out to the South China Sea for more training. … The transit came a day after Taiwan kicked off a five-day military drill called the Immediate Combat Readiness Exercise, an effort meant to boost the island’s ability to quickly move to a wartime footing.” (06/24/26)
Source: ABC News
“Camp Mystic, the Christian all-girls sleepaway camp, filed for bankruptcy on Wednesday, according to court records. The Chapter 11 filing comes nearly a year after a deadly flood killed 25 girls and two teen counselors at the camp’s Guadalupe River location, which is located in the Texas Hill Country. According to the Wednesday filing, Camp Mystic has a debt exceeding $10 million. Paul Yetter, an attorney representing seven victims’ families, said in a statement Wednesday, ‘Bankruptcy will not stop all responsible parties from being held accountable.'” (06/24/26)
https://abcnews.com/US/camp-mystic-site-deadly-texas-flooding-files-bankruptcy/story?id=134165471
Source: Politico
“The Czech Republic’s Constitutional Court issued a preliminary injunction on Wednesday allowing President Petr Pavel to attend the July NATO summit in Ankara. The court’s ruling partially resolves the ongoing dispute between Pavel and Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, who announced on Monday that Pavel could not be part of the country’s delegation. Pavel filed a competency lawsuit the following day, seeking clarity on who has the authority to decide whether the head of state may attend the NATO summit. While the court will take up the ultimate question in an expedited manner in the coming weeks, it cited precedent from past presidents’ summit attendance, as well as Friday’s accreditation deadline, as grounds for the immediate injunction.” (06/24/26)
https://www.politico.eu/article/czech-constitutional-court-petr-pavel-nato-summit/
Source: SFGate
“U.S. Reps. Steny Hoyer and Jerrold Nadler, two of the top Democrats in Congress, are retiring when their terms expire in January, but they will continue to make their imprints on Washington. The pair passed the torch Tuesday night to former aides who won the Democratic primaries to replace them on Capitol Hill, and because both districts are overwhelmingly blue, they are all but certain to win in November and get sworn in to replace their former bosses. Hoyer and Nadler are the latest lawmakers to successfully anoint their successors after spending decades in Congress. Among 68 members of Congress not seeking reelection this year, at least five have endorsed former staffers to replace them and more than a dozen others have, to varying degrees, worked to smooth the path to Capitol Hill for their favored replacements.” (06/24/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/ex-aides-win-primaries-to-replace-retiring-22318270.php
Source: Engadget
“Following a similar lawsuit earlier this year, Google has settled with a minor known as ‘R.K.C.’ who claimed that social media platforms harmed them, Reuters reported. Terms of the settlement were confidential, the lawyers said yesterday. The same plaintiff also sued Meta, Snap and TikTok, with those trials set to proceed next month. YouTube has thousands of similar lawsuits pending, so this second case represents a test run for the many to follow. … More than 3,300 [frivolous/vexatious] lawsuits involving social media addiction [sic] are pending in California state courts, and another 2,600 were brought by people, school districts, municipalities and states in California federal court.” (06/24/26)
https://www.engadget.com/2200409/youtube-settles-early-test-case-over-social-media-harm-to-children/
Source: SFGate
“Progressive candidate Iván Cepeda on Wednesday conceded Colombia’s presidential election to Abelardo de la Espriella, a conservative outsider who was endorsed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Election results showed de la Espriella, a businessman and lawyer who had never run for office, defeated Cepeda, a lawmaker, by 1 percentage point, or nearly 251,000 votes. ‘We assume with serenity, responsibility, and absolute resolve — and let there be no doubt about it — the role that circumstances demand of us,’ Cepeda said in an address to the nation. ‘We will exercise a democratic, vigilant and constructive opposition.’ The result effectively was an indictment of outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s government, whose policies Cepeda had promised to continue, including a largely failed effort to establish dialogue with multiple armed groups under a plan known as ‘total peace’. Electoral authorities published all but a fraction of the vote count hours after polls closed Sunday.” (06/24/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/progressive-candidate-concedes-colombian-22318679.php
Source: France 24 [French state media]
“North Korea has commissioned a 5,000-ton destroyer that leader Kim Jong Un touts as a symbol of the country’s growing naval and nuclear capabilities, state media reported on Wednesday, as Pyongyang seeks to expand its ability to project military power at sea. North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim told a commissioning ceremony on Tuesday at the western port of Nampo that warships such as the Choe Hyon show that the nuclear armament of his navy is progressing as planned. … After years of spurring ballistic missile development, Kim has shifted his focus more towards naval capabilities, including the ongoing construction of a nuclear-powered submarine. Naval capabilities were also a key focus when Kim outlined his five-year military goals at February’s Workers’ Party congress, which included calls for intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of underwater launches.” (06/24/26)