China: Regime imposes trade curbs on dozens of US firms in retaliation for Pentagon blacklist

Source: CNBC

“China imposed fresh trade restrictions on dozens of U.S. entities on Monday, retaliating against Washington’s move to add more Chinese companies to a Pentagon list of businesses it accuses of aiding Beijing’s military. On Monday, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce placed 10 American industrial suppliers on its export control list, including rare earth miners MP Materials Corp and USA Rare Earth, and drone makers Teal Drones and Jaia Robotics — barring exports of any dual-use items originating in China to the companies. Other companies included on the list are California-headquartered electronics manufacturer Aveox Inc, Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp, and military equipment provider Oshkosh Defense. In a separate statement Monday, the Chinese Finance Ministry excluded 46 U.S. companies, mostly defense contractors, from participating in government procurement projects.” (06/22/26)

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/22/china-trade-curbs-us-companies-export-controls-procurement-exclusion-pentagon-list-.html

Trump: Repairs to algae-plagued Reflecting Pool to “begin immediately”

Source: BBC News [UK State Media]

“US President Donald Trump says he has ‘inspected’ the Reflecting Pool in Washington DC, and that ‘work will begin immediately’ to repair the American landmark. Despite a recent multi-million dollar renovation, including a fresh coat of blue paint, the historic structure continues to face issues – most prominently algae turning the water a bright shade of green. The pool may need to be drained and refilled for a second time this month, according to Trump, who flew over the site in a helicopter on Sunday while on his way back from Camp David. It comes as Trump claims the pool’s paint has been marred by vandals ahead of the 250th anniversary of the country’s 4 July independence day. US Attorney for Washington DC Jeanine Pirro has vowed to aggressively prosecute anyone found to have damaged the pool.” (06/22/26)

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c872e8d9el1o

SCOTUS reinstates murder conviction in case of Etan Patz, missing New York City boy

Source: Seattle Times

“The Supreme Court on Monday reinstated a murder conviction in the 1979 disappearance of 6-year-old Etan Patz. The justices, by a 6-3 vote, granted an appeal from New York prosecutors who had urged them to undo a federal appeals court decision that overturned the verdict. The three liberal [sic] justices dissented. Prosecutors had been preparing to try the man, Pedro Hernandez, for a third time. … Etan vanished while walking to his downtown Manhattan school bus stop on May 25, 1979. Hernandez worked at a nearby convenience shop at the time, but the Maple Shade, New Jersey, resident didn’t become a suspect until 2012. Etan was among the first missing children ever to appear on milk cartons, and the anniversary of his disappearance became National Missing Children’s Day. Hernandez already has been tried twice. A jury deadlocked in 2015, and then a different panel of jurors convicted him at a 2017 retrial.” (06/22/26)

https://archive.is/oxET6

South Korea: Former justice minister jailed for 25 years over martial law bid

Source: South China Morning Post [Hong Kong]

“A court sentenced a former South Korean justice minister on Monday to 25 years in prison for his role in ex-president Yoon Suk-yeol’s brief and disastrous declaration of martial law in 2024. Park Sung-jae was found guilty of involvement in ‘insurrection,’ the Yonhap news agency reported from the Seoul Central District Court. Yoon’s December 2024 martial law declaration lasted only about six hours as lawmakers raced to the assembly building and voted it down in an emergency session. He has since been convicted of leading an insurrection, and is in detention while appealing a life sentence. Yoon was also given a 30-year jail term earlier this month for sending drones to North Korea to ‘manufacture a national crisis’ to justify his martial law.” (06/22/26)

https://archive.is/PjeNE

Oil falls below $75 for the first time since March as Hormuz traffic begins to recover

Source: NBC News

“U.S. crude prices fell 2.7% Monday to about $74 per barrel, after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a 60-day waiver of sanctions on the purchase of Iranian oil. It was the first time crude prices had broken below $75 since early March. International Brent crude prices fell 4% to about $77 per barrel, likewise a new low since the Iran conflict began. Both prices remain above their immediate pre-war prices of $62 and $68 a barrel, respectively. In a statement published on social media Monday, Bessent said Iran had ‘committed to free and open transit in the Strait of Hormuz.'” (06/22/26)

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/energy/oil-prices-hormuz-sanctions-waiver-rcna351144

Australia: Regime goons steal three tons of recreational pharmaceuticals

Source: Associated Press

“Police found 2.7 metric tons (3 tons) of cocaine on a property on Sydney’s outskirts in Australia’s largest ever seizure of the drug, officials said on Monday. The drug was found on June 19 in plastic tubs buried in underground bunkers hidden beneath three shipping containers on a semirural property in the suburb of Londonderry on Sydney’s western edge, the Queensland Joint Organized Crime Taskforce said in a statement. The containers had false floors that provided access to the cocaine, which police estimate had a street value of 816 million Australian dollars ($572 million). Two Sydney residents, men aged 21 and 25, were arrested at the property and charged with possessing a commercial quantity of an illicit drug.” (06/22/26)

https://apnews.com/article/australia-cocaine-record-seizure-drug-sydney-314a94fa0ce6dcd15dd56915a1b5bd97

Kenya: Health minister found in contempt of court over US-backed Ebola facility

Source: SFGate

“Kenya’s Health Minister Aden Duale was found in contempt of court on Monday for failing to halt the construction of an Ebola quarantine facility intended for Americans, despite existing court orders. The High Court ordered Duale to appear on Tuesday for sentencing. Earlier this month, the minister defended the project, arguing that the facility at the Laikipia Air Base would benefit both Kenyans and international partners. The court had previously directed the government to suspend construction of the facility pending the hearing of a case filed by the Law Society of Kenya and the Katiba Institute, a constitutional watchdog. The petitioners argued that Kenya’s healthcare system is already overstretched and may be unable to manage foreign Ebola patients safely. Residents living near Laikipia Air Base reported seeing U.S. military aircraft landing after the court issued its suspension order on May 29.” (06/22/26)

https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/kenya-s-health-minister-found-in-contempt-of-22315076.php

Former Democratic Party insider claims she will expose Democrats who covered up Biden’s cognitive decline

Source: Fox News

“Lindy Li, a former Democratic fundraiser who switched party affiliation over unheeded warning signs about President Joe Biden’s decline in the 2024 election, is revealing new details about the red flags the party blew by. ‘Whatever was out there, it wasn’t the truth. They wanted him to go, and also in my book, I will be telling people exactly who was aware of Biden’s cognitive decline but pretended otherwise,’ Li told Fox News Digital during a phone interview. Li, who is publishing a new book titled Unburdened later this year, adds to the picture of the internal discussions, the research, and the panic behind the scenes of the Democratic Party, indicating that Biden enjoyed only shaky support even among his own camp long before he ultimately dropped out of the 2024 election.” (06/22/26)

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ex-dem-insider-reveals-she-will-expose-democrats-covered-bidens-decline-new-book

Romania: Nominated PM Asks Parliament’s Vote of Confidence Without Clear Majority

Source: US News & World Report

“Romania’s prime minister-designate Adrian Vestea ⁠asked ⁠parliament late on Sunday for ⁠a vote of confidence, banking on support from the country’s largest ​party, but his cabinet is unlikely to pass without support from the opposition far right. Centrist ‌President Nicusor Dan nominated Liberal Party ‌member Vestea earlier this week without consulting the party, in what analysts said was ⁠a forceful ⁠attempt to rebuild a pro-European government to carry out reforms and ​keep cutting the largest budget deficit in the European Union. … On ⁠Sunday, the ⁠Liberals reiterated they would ⁠no longer ​join a ruling coalition with the Social Democrats and voted to exclude Vestea from their ​ranks, as well as ⁠any party member who would back or join his government.” (06/22/26)

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-06-22/romanias-nominated-pm-asks-parliaments-vote-of-confidence-without-clear-majority

Crimea: Fuel sales halted after Ukrainian forces strike both sides of Kerch bridge

Source: Independent [UK]

“Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukrainian forces have struck energy and military infrastructure either side of a key bridge linking occupied [sic] Crimea and Russia. The Russia-appointed Crimean governor Sergei Aksyonov said fuel stations across the peninsula suspended sales to the public and businesses, with supplies restricted to government agencies responsible for essential services and security. Russian authorities said at least five people were killed and 28 injured in the attacks, adding that air defences had downed 239 Ukrainian drones overnight.” (06/22/26)

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukraine-russia-war-live-putin-zelensky-crimea-bridge-attack-b3000129.html