“Florida lawmakers on Tuesday passed a property tax cut proposal that would create a $250,000 homestead exemption, securing it on the November ballot. On the second day of the special session called by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Florida Senate passed House Joint Resolution (HJR) 1-F, creating a $250,000 homestead exemption on non-school levies for homeowners. The Joint Resolution proposes a constitutional amendment to increase the current exemption for owner-occupied homestead property to $250,000 over two years and creates a framework for full exemption over time. The amendment will appear on the November 2026 General Election Ballot for approval by Florida voters.” [editor’s note: The current homestead exemption, not increased since 2008, is $50,000 – TLK] (06/02/26)
“Israel’s deputy foreign minister accused the European Union of weaponizing a ‘socially acceptable mask’ of anti-Zionism to target Israel — after it sanctioned Israeli civil society groups that oppose a Palestinian state. It also sanctioned several individuals. ‘We are witnessing a deeply troubling trend where traditional antisemitism has simply put on a new, socially acceptable mask: anti-Zionism,’ Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel told Fox News Digital.’ … The European Union imposed the sanctions on four Israeli civil society organizations and three of their senior figures, alleging support for ‘settler violence’ and claiming they undermine prospects for a Palestinian state — a move that Regavim, one of the groups targeted, described as an infringement on Israeli sovereignty.” (06/03/26)
“Hungary’s governing Tisza party has submitted a bill to parliament to abolish an organisation set up by former Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government that stigmatized opposition figures and journalists for serving ‘foreign interests.’ The SPO was created in 2023 to monitor risks of what Orban’s then-governing Fidesz party described as ‘undue political interference’ by foreign entities. However, critics said it was a tool to suppress dissent, and the European Commission launched an infringement procedure targeting the law behind the agency’s creation.” (06/03/26)
“Squashing bugs is the goal of every tech company, but typically not the blood-sucking kind. Google wants to do both. In a permit filing with the Environmental Protection Agency, Google wants to release millions of mosquitoes in California and Florida. The Debug Project’s goal is to decimate populations of disease-carrying mosquitoes by introducing what it calls ‘good bugs’ to the environment. Under its current application, Google is asking to release 64 million mosquitoes across the two states over two years. … Because male mosquitoes don’t bite, the company plans to release only sterile males, with the goal that they mate with potentially disease-carrying female mosquitoes. Those female mosquitoes will go on to lay unfertilized eggs, decreasing the population of potentially dangerous mosquitoes over time.” (06/02/26)
“CBS News fired veteran ’60 Minutes’ correspondent Scott Pelley on Tuesday, one day after he sharply criticized the newsmagazine’s new leadership in front of the staff. CBS said Pelley was terminated for cause, and industry analysts immediately predicted that Pelley might take legal action against the network. The firing is sure to trigger even more scrutiny of CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss and her controversial efforts to overhaul the network news division.” (06/02/26)
“A drone strike on a passenger terminal in Kuwait’s international airport wounded several people Wednesday and forced air traffic to be suspended, as Iranian and US forces traded attacks in the Gulf. The attacks marked one of the more severe tests yet of a fragile April 8 ceasefire, that has largely held despite sporadic strikes after more than a month of war sparked by the US and Israeli attack on Iran. Kuwaiti officials blamed the attack on the airport on Iran, whose Revolutionary Guards accused US forces of triggering the night’s sequence of attacks by targeting a communications tower on the country’s Qeshm Island, forcing it to respond.” ()6/03/26)
“The primary election for California governor is too close to call, with vote counting continuing Wednesday. Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican business executive Steve Hilton lead the field with Democrat Tom Steyer in third place. In California’s unusual primary system, all candidates, regardless of party, appear on a single ballot open to any registered voter. The top two candidates then move on to the general election, even if they’re from the same party.” (06/03/26)
“Russia said it downed hundreds of drones over its territory, including about 60 over the Leningrad region Tuesday night, in a Ukrainian attack as a major economic forum gets underway. Saint Petersburg governor Aleksandr Beglov said three districts were targeted as part of an overnight Ukrainian drone assault that wounded several people and damaged infrastructure facilities. … Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky said ‘long-range strikes’ struck ‘key targets’ including the St Petersburg oil terminal, one of the largest oil transshipment complexes in northwestern Russia. … The attacks came as the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, or SPIEF, a major business event known as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s version of Davos, gets underway in the city on Wednesday.” (06/03/26)
“Bitcoin declined Wednesday to its lowest levels since February as other asset classes continued to lure investors away from cryptocurrencies. The world’s largest cryptocurrency fell to as low as $65,385, dropping 2.3%. That came after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 closed at records on Tuesday. Asian stocks mostly rose with Japan’s Nikkei 225 hitting a record high Wednesday. … Investors may be freeing up liquidity from bitcoin for opportunities in private markets or with initial public offerings such as SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic, QCP said.” (06/03/26)
“President Donald Trump signed a landmark executive order Tuesday that lays the foundation for federal testing of the world’s most powerful AI systems before they are publicly released. The order, signed in private, directs federal agencies — including the Defense Department, the Treasury and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency — to shore up the country’s cybersecurity defenses for critical infrastructure and charts out a mechanism for the federal government to test and vet the most powerful AI systems for safety issues before they are deployed. The testing would rely on voluntary collaboration from America’s leading AI companies, like Anthropic, OpenAI and Google.” (06/02/26)
