“The U.S.’[s] chief mailman told lawmakers Wednesday that his agency would restrict the delivery of mail-in ballots in states that don’t hand over a list of eligible voters, in line with proposed rules ordered by President Donald Trump. Postmaster General David Steiner dismissed Senate Democrats’ concerns that the floated regulations are an attempt by Trump to federalize elections, instead characterizing the proposal as an assurance that ‘the right ballots are going to the right people’ during an appearance before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.” [editor’s note: Per 18 US Code § 1702, “Whoever takes any letter, postal card, or package … before it has been delivered to the person to whom it was directed, with design to obstruct the correspondence … shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.” – TLK] (06/24/26)
“Massive, twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 killed at least 32 people and injured at least 700 others as buildings collapsed across several states in the South American nation, officials said. In an early update on June 25, acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez warned that the death toll is expected to climb as rescuers continue searching through the rubble. … The first quake occurred at around 6:04 p.m. local time about 15 miles east-northeast of San Felipe, Venezuela, data from the U.S. Geological Survey showed. The temblor, initially reported as a magnitude 7.1, had a depth of about 12.6 miles, and its epicenter was west of Morón, a town located on the country’s Caribbean coast. Less than a minute later, the USGS reported a second major earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5.” (06/25/26)
“Frozen bank accounts, canceled credit cards and blocked travel led three International Criminal Court judges to sue the Trump administration Wednesday, arguing they were punished simply for the cases they decided. In the 66-page complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the trio asks a judge to strike down President Donald Trump’s sanctions order, remove Judges Kimberly Prost, Solomy Bossa and Reine Alapini-Gansou from the U.S. sanctions list, unblock any frozen property and bar the government from enforcing the measures against them. … Trump signed Executive Order 14203 on Feb. 6, 2025, after the ICC pursued investigations involving U.S. personnel in Afghanistan and Israeli leaders over the war in Gaza. The order declared a national emergency and authorized sanctions against foreign nationals involved in ICC investigations or prosecutions targeting U.S. citizens or nationals of allied countries that do not recognize the court’s jurisdiction.” (06/24/26)
“The Senate late Wednesday night in a 47-50-1 vote opted not to rebuke the Trump administration a second time over its military conflict in Iran, as leaders convinced some Republican swing votes that doing so would harm the negotiations to end the war. The resolution would have been Congress’[s] way to reassert its power to declare war and directed President Trump to ‘remove the United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Iran, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or a specific authorization for use of military force.’ Sen. Rand Paul, who has voted with Democrats for similar resolutions in the past, said in a statement shortly before the vote that he would vote ‘present,’ rather than ‘no,’ to avoid jeopardizing the negotiations.” (06/24/26)
“Ukrainian forces struck a major natural gas processing plant and two key satellite communications centers in their latest nighttime attacks on Russia, Ukraine’s General Staff said Wednesday. The operation was part of Ukraine’s aerial campaign targeting energy facilities and military industries that has intensified as Kyiv builds bigger and better long-range weapons to ward off Russia’s full-scale invasion, now in its fifth year. In response, Moscow has ordered the redeployment of some air defense systems from Russian regions to the capital and to Crimea’s Kerch Bridge, a crucial link for supplying Russian troops, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. The bridge connects the Crimean Peninsula with the Russian mainland.” (06/24/26)
“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)
“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)
“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)
“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)
“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)
