“Alabama is waging a last-minute legal fight to [kill] a man with nitrogen gas on Thursday night, asking the U.S. Supreme Court to set aside a judge’s finding that the method violates the Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Jeffery Lee, 49, is scheduled to be executed at 6 p.m. Thursday. However, a federal judge on Tuesday ruled that nitrogen executions are unconstitutional and blocked the state from using the method to put Lee to death. The state filed an appeal Thursday asking the Supreme Court to set aside the ruling and allow the execution. ‘If that ruling stands, it would be unprecedented in American history. Not only does it portend the first-ever permanent ban on a legislatively enacted method, but it would expand the concept of cruelty well beyond the bounds of the Eighth Amendment,’ lawyers with the Alabama attorney general’s office wrote.” (06/11/26)
“A Miami Gardens resident opened fire after his next-door neighbor alerted him about an armed attempted robbery overnight, killing the subject, police said. Miami Gardens Police units responded to reports of a shooting …. ‘Upon arrival, we found the subject of an armed robbery on the ground with a gunshot wound to the head,’ said Miami Gardens Police spokesperson Diana Delgado. The subject was transported to [HCA Florida Aventura Hospital] where he was later pronounced deceased, according to Delgado. According to investigators, an intruder who was attempting to rob a home awakened a couple residing there at around 1:30 a.m. Investigators said the female victim, the homeowner’s girlfriend, ran to her next-door neighbor’s home for help. Shortly after, the neighbor retrieved a firearm and came to the couple’s home. ‘That neighbor fired his weapon, striking the subject in the head,’ said Delgado.” (06/09/26)
“The United States launched new attacks on Iran last night and Tehran retaliated against American targets across the Middle East, a second day of strikes following the downing of a U.S. military helicopter. Iran’s military announced that the Strait of Hormuz, the key trade route it has largely blocked through the war, is now closed to all marine traffic in response. U.S. Central Command maintained the key waterway was still open. Three Indian nationals were killed after the U.S. military fired at a Palau-flagged tanker off the coast of Oman, India’s minister of ports, shipping & waterways said.” (06/11/26)
“Ukrainian drones have struck a historic museum in Russia-annexed Sevastopol in Crimea and the occupied [sic] port of Mariupol, as Russian authorities slashed nighttime train schedules amid intensifying air attacks across the peninsula and deep into Russia. Sevastopol’s Russian-installed governor, Mikhail Razvozhayev, announced the damage on Telegram early on Wednesday. … The attack on the port of Mariupol caused a blackout at the site, according to Ukraine’s military. Several of the port’s key facilities were struck, including energy and maintenance infrastructure, which has ‘significantly limited’ the city’s capacity as a logistics hub, the military said. … In Novokuibyshevsk in Russia’s Samara oil hub region, hosting Rosneft refineries, regional governors said authorities repelled drone attacks while urging one million residents to seek shelter. Russian OSINT channel Astra confirmed the Kuibyshev oil refinery was burning after at least 29 drones attacked.” (06/10/26)
“President Donald Trump on Wednesday spent nearly a full hour ranting about the new-look Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, trashing Democrats as ‘Dumocrats’ and downplaying the sky-high inflation that his war against Iran has caused before nearly forgetting to do the one thing he’d brought reporters into the Oval Office to see. As White House aides attempted to usher the White House press pool from the room after Trump ended the event by thanking reporters …. someone pointed out that he hadn’t actually signed the bill — at the signing ceremony in the Oval Office — he quickly pivoted to attacking his predecessor’s use of an autopen as he took out his bespoke Sharpie and inked a signature on the page as House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso and others watched over his shoulder.” [editor’s note: Too bad some idiot reminded him – TLK] (06/10/26)
“Amnesty International said that a significant acceleration in the speed and scale of Israeli annexation measures in the occupied West Bank amounted to a campaign of ‘ethnic cleansing’ aimed at removing Palestinians and ultimately annexing the territory. In a new report published Wednesday, the global human rights organization accused Israel’s government of implementing a state-led and -sponsored campaign that has resulted in the forcible displacement Palestinians in the West Bank. … Israel has in the past denounced accusations including allegations of ‘ethnic cleansing,’ as reflecting longtime unfair bias. It did not immediately respond to the Amnesty report.” (06/10/26)
“The Florida Supreme Court paved the way for Republicans to use a new House map that the party hopes will net them up to four seats in November – delivering another blow to Democrats’ efforts to push back against GOP redistricting. In a 6-1 ruling, the high court declined a bid from groups challenging the map to temporarily halt the use of the new Republican-friendly House lines and instead implement the current map for this fall’s elections as the broader case over the congressional map makes its way through the courts. Florida’s currently congressional delegation has a 20-8 edge favoring the GOP, but the new map could offer Republicans as much as a 24-4 advantage.” (06/10/26)
“Hollywood directors on Tuesday reached a four-year tentative contract agreement with studios and streaming services. The deal struck between the Directors Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers came four weeks after talks began. The talks were the first under new DGA President Christopher Nolan, who took the job in September. Along with similar four-year deals — longer than the industry three — ratified in recent weeks by unions representing writers and actors, the DGA agreement adds to the likelihood of long-term labor peace despite many other industry upheavals. The collective bargaining agreement must still be approved by the guild’s national board, and no details on the terms will be released until then, the DGA said in a statement. It then must be ratified by the guild membership.” (06/10/26)
“India has summoned a senior US diplomat after US forces fired on a Palau-flagged vessel with 24 Indian sailors on board off the coast of Oman, leaving three Indian seafarers missing. India’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed to Al Jazeera on Wednesday that it had summoned Jason Meeks, the US Embassy’s deputy chief of mission in New Delhi. The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said it carried out a ‘precision’ strike on a vessel, the Settebello, as it transited the Gulf of Oman transporting Iranian oil on Tuesday evening, claiming the crew failed to comply with instructions from US forces.” (06/10/26)
“The Trump administration’s export controls, sanctions and tariffs are hurting American firms in China without achieving their policy goals of blocking critical technology or reviving US manufacturing, according to a new business survey. … The report said that nearly half of the 175 respondents to the survey were affected by US export controls and sanctions, with around 61 per cent of those firms losing sales to Chinese competitors – a rise of five percentage points from 2025. Over 72 per cent of the surveyed companies were also hit by the tit-for-tat tariffs unleashed by both countries, with close to 40 per cent of the affected businesses losing sales as a result of the US duties. The report said that these losses had not forced American companies to onshore manufacturing – only 14 per cent of respondents expanded production at home while 36 per cent increased production in third countries.” (06/10/26)
