“Disruptive plane passengers could find themselves banned from flying by all airlines under a new UK government proposal. It is understood that a scheme for carriers to share information on unruly travellers is being developed by officials at the Department for Transport and the Home Office. The proposal, which is still at the concept stage, could lead to airlines being required to notify the government of a disruptive passenger. A participating airline could then be alerted when the same marked person checked in for a subsequent flight. It would then be up to that airline to determine how to respond, but they would have the option of refusing to carry them.” [editor’s note: Sounds like the kind of thing that could easily be done with zero government involvement … and therefore SHOULD be done that way if it’s done at all – TLK] (06/01/26)
“Florida’s Attorney General James Uthmeier sued OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman on Monday, accusing the company of putting profit over safety, fueling violence and pushing a product it knew could harm users. … The wide-ranging lawsuit accuses OpenAI of four counts of deceptive and unfair trade practices, two counts of negligence, two counts of violating product liability laws, and one count each of fraudulent misrepresentation and causing a public nuisance. The suit claims that OpenAI’s systems present a ‘great danger of addiction, cognitive decline, suicide, violence, and related harms’ to users.” (06/01/26)
“Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar on Monday threatened to amend the country’s constitution to oust President Tamás Sulyok. Magyar said his government would attempt to use all available legal tools to remove Hungary’s head of state, an ally of former prime minister Viktor Orbán, and even change the country’s fundamental law to force his exit. ‘This process will take about a month, we are trying to adopt the necessary legislation as quickly as possible, and yes, there will be talk of removing all puppets,’ Magyar told reporters.” (06/01/26)
“Illinois lawmakers passed a nearly $56 billion state budget early Monday morning after the spring legislative session stretched several hours past its deadline. The $55.9 billion spending plan is the largest state budget in Illinois history. The House passed the budget just after 4 a.m. by a vote of 76 to 39. The plan now heads to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk, who said he plans to sign it. The budget includes more than $800 million in new tax revenue, including new taxes tied to digital advertising revenue, prediction markets, cryptocurrency and large social media companies. It also extends a cap on corporate operating losses, which is expected to generate about $300 million in state revenue.” (06/01/26)
“Nicaraguan Indigenous leader and activist Brooklyn Rivera died from health complications after nearly three years in detention, the country’s health ministry said on Sunday. Last week, the Nicaraguan government’s confirmed that he had been detained since 2023. UN representatives, the US government and Rivera’s family have demanded proof that he was still alive. ‘We regret to confirm that he has sadly passed away,’ the health ministry said in a statement on state-run media outlets. … The 73-year-old was a renowned leader of the Miskito People and a former member of Nicaragua’s Congress. He was arrested in 2023 by the left-wing authoritarian government of President Daniel Ortega on undisclosed charges.” (06/01/26)
“The U.S. military conducted a deadly strike against a vessel in the Pacific on Saturday, killing several alleged ‘narco-terrorists,’ according to U.S. Southern Command. That attack, which killed three men, was one of four such military strikes announced by SOUTHCOM last week. … ‘On May 30, at the direction of #SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations. Intelligence confirmed the vessel was transiting along known narco-trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and was engaged in narco-trafficking operations. Three male narco-terrorists were killed during this action. No U.S. military forces were harmed,’ the post on X noted.” (06/01/26)
“United Auto Workers (UAW) members are on strike as of Monday at midnight. Nearly 1,000 employees at Dauch Corporation, formerly American Axle, are walking out on the job after months of failed labor negotiations. United Auto Workers Local 2093 members say it’s been 18 years since they’ve been fairly paid, and they’re done making concessions. They’ve been negotiating a new contract with Dauch since March. The auto parts company’s a major axle supplier for General Motors, and its largest Michigan factory is in Three Rivers. UAW’s bargaining chairman Josh Jager says workers’ paychecks were cut in half during the Great Recession and have never fully recovered.” (06/01/26)
“Ethiopians voted Monday in an election marred by insecurity but widely expected to see the ruling Prosperity Party secure the majority of legislative seats and give Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed another five-year term. A heavy military presence was observed in the capital, Addis Ababa, as watchdogs called for a peaceful vote in the country that is Africa’s second most populous and host of the African Union. The head of the electoral commission, Melatework Hailu, said security incidents were reported at polling stations in two volatile regions, Oromia and Amhara. Voting resumed at some but did not at 143 others, and it was not clear whether voters would have another chance to cast ballots. No details were given about the insecurity. Voting in 50,000 other polling stations proceeded as Ethiopians choose more than 500 members of the House of Representatives, who will vote to select the prime minister. More than 50 million people, out of Ethiopia’s estimated population of 130 million, are registered to vote.” (06/01/26)
“Israel’s government ordered strikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut on Monday, a day after its ground forces reached their deepest point in Lebanon in 26 years and as Hezbollah fired rockets at northern Israel, including the outskirts of the coastal city of Haifa. A joint statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said the orders to attack targets in Beirut’s southern suburbs followed what they called repeated violations of the ceasefire by Hezbollah and ‘attacks against our cities and citizens.’ Hezbollah agreed to halt attacks on Israel when the ceasefire was signed in mid-April, but the militant group resumed the assaults after Israeli strikes in Lebanon that Israel characterized as self-defense. After Monday’s warning, large numbers of people were seen fleeing the area known in Arabic as Dahiyeh, jamming roads leading out of the suburb, where Hezbollah enjoys wide support.” (06/01/26)
“The French Navy on Sunday boarded an oil tanker, named the Tagor, which was subject to international sanctions and sailing from Russia, French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X. ‘This operation took place in the Atlantic Ocean, on the high seas, with the support of several partners, including the United Kingdom, in strict compliance with the law of the sea,’ he said. … The Maritime Prefecture of the Atlantic said in a separate statement on Monday that the French Navy had intervened on an oil tanker more than 400 nautical miles west of the tip of Brittany, coming from Murmansk, Russia.” (06/01/26)
