“Iran has accused the US of denying visas to ‘integral’ members of its national football team’s backroom staff, hours after Washington confirmed Iranian players had been given permission to travel to the upcoming World Cup. US officials said visas had been issued to all players and ‘necessary support staff’ on Friday, 10 days before Iran’s opening fixture in Los Angeles on 15 June. They also said Iran would not be allowed to ‘abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the United States under false pretences.’ Iran’s embassy in Turkey accused the US of ‘politically biased interference in sport’ by denying visas to ‘a large portion of the managerial and executive staff’ and ‘technical advisers.'” (06/06/26)
“The Nigerian army said Sunday it freed 360 people abducted by Boko Haram in southern Borno, in the northeastern part of the country. The operation, according to the army’s statement, was conducted in the Mandara mountains which form a part of the militant group’s stronghold. It resulted in the release of several people, including children, who had been abducted across different communities in Borno. Two infants ‘succumbed to exhaustion’ due to the challenging mountainous terrain and the hardship they endured during their prolonged captivity, an army spokesperson, Haruna Sani, said. … The insurgency in Nigeria’s northeast has killed thousands of people and displaced millions, according to the United Nations.” (06/07/26)
“Pope Leo XIV joked Saturday that he knows who would win if young people had to choose between seeing him or Latin pop singer Bad Bunny this weekend. The Pope, who began a weeklong visit to Spain on Saturday, acknowledged that he is competing for attention with the Puerto Rican superstar while in Madrid. Many young Spaniards, he suggested, would likely choose the Grammy-winning artist over the pontiff. ‘If they are confronted with the question ‘Do you want to go see Bad Bunny or do you want to go to see the pope?’ I think many will see Bad Bunny,’ Leo told reporters aboard the papal plane before his arrival. ‘But I think there will also be a few here to see the pope,’ he added. ‘And that says something, you know.’ … Despite his remarks, thousands of young Catholics turned out to greet the pope.” (06/07/26)
“The Pentagon’s intelligence arm has raised the assessed threat level on Israeli spying from “high” to ‘critical’ in recent weeks, according to US media. NBC News first broke news of the change on Friday, with The New York Times issuing its own report the following day. The news outlets cited anonymous sources as saying the switch came in light of concerns over increasingly aggressive tactics related to the US-Israeli war with Iran. They said the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) had raised the alert level amid fears that Israel is increasingly attempting to surveil top US officials. The aim is allegedly to understand internal White House deliberations about ending the war. … The New York Times reported that, while Israel has been known to spy on the US, the DIA cited an uptick in activities beginning in late 2024, as the administration of US President Joe Biden increased pressure on Israel over its genocidal war in Gaza.” (06/06/26)
“Raúl Castro, Cuba’s low-profile former president and revolutionary guerrilla, appeared in public for the first time since being indicted by the United States for his alleged role in the 1996 downing of two civilian aircraft, official video released Saturday showed. Castro’s celebration of his 95th birthday with top officials and military leaders at the Ministry of Interior in Havana on late Friday offered Cuba’s socialist government an opportunity to close ranks and project defiance as the Trump administration escalates its pressure campaign on the fuel-starved island. State TV broadcast footage of Castro, clad in his olive-green military uniform, entering a packed theater to a standing ovation, followed by his grandson and bodyguard, Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez, and Cuban President Miguel Diáz-Canel.” (06/06/26)
“A homeowner fatally shot an armed intruder after an exchange of gunfire inside a San Jacinto residence late Friday night, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office. … According to investigators, the homeowner was visiting a neighboring residence when he heard screaming and gunfire coming from his own home. The homeowner ran back to the residence and encountered an unknown male intruder inside the house armed with a shotgun, sheriff’s officials said. Investigators said the homeowner armed himself and confronted the suspect, and during the confrontation, the suspect allegedly fired multiple rounds at the homeowner, who returned fire and struck the intruder. The suspected intruder died at the scene, officials said, and no other injuries were reported.” (06/06/26)
We don’t go “web-only” with a FIREHOSE FRIDAY — no email or social media editions, everything at the site — very often these days. A few months back we switched to putting in a LOT of content every day and just formatting 60-70 items into those other editions, only showing the rest on the web site.
Today is one of those rare other occasions. I’ll explain why, but first, I’ll let you know that we’ll probably have AT LEAST 100 news stories, opinion pieces, and audio/video links lined up for you here at the web edition by the time you read this.
So, why? I’m traveling (I’m in Clearwater, Florida, a couple of hours from my home, accompanying my wife to a conference and hoping we can work a mini-vacation into the schedule), and when I’m traveling I’m working on a laptop at odd hours, etc. We still get just as much content in, but I sometimes make the call to go “web-only” both because it’s easier and because it’s always possible that some travel-related event will intervene while I’m trying to mess with all that formatting. So now you know.
Of course, whenever we go FIREHOSE FRIDAY on you, I also make it a point to mention that we’re a reader-supported publication and that you’re a reader. Not to put too fine a point on it, but last month I made about $100 and Steve made about $50 for our work producing the freedom movement’s daily newspaper.
I’m not complaining … but I also wouldn’t mind a drink with a little umbrella in it on this here “mini-vacation,” at the expense of whomever might care to buy said drink. The proxy cash bar is open at:
Have a great weekend, and if I’m not e.g. eaten by sharks after an unwise swimming decision powered by drinks with little umbrellas in them, we will be back with the regular editions on Monday.
Yours in liberty,
Tom Knapp
Publisher
Rational Review News Digest / Freedom News Daily
“Hezbollah on Thursday rejected the latest ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Lebanese government, and the militant group demanded a complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon as more fighting there hampered efforts to end the Iran war. The Hezbollah announcement came as Israeli strikes killed at least four people, according to local authorities, and a U.N. peacekeeper was killed in the crossfire. An Israeli soldier was also killed in combat in southern Lebanon.” (06/04/26)
“One of the three remaining criminal cases stemming from efforts by President Donald Trump’s supporters to overturn the 2020 election results appears headed back to a grand jury in Arizona. The case began in April 2024 when an indictment sought by Arizona’s Democratic attorney general charged 18 Republicans with forgery, fraud and conspiracy, accusing them of trying to undo former President Joe Biden’s victory in the state by 10,457 votes. In a decision released Thursday, the Arizona Supreme Court rejected Attorney General Kris Mayes'[s] request to avoid sending the case back to the grand jury. Mayes had hoped to continue pushing forward through the courts without having to start over at the grand jury level. … The ruling came after similar cases in Michigan and Georgia were dismissed by the courts and a special prosecutor dropped a federal case in late 2024 that charged Trump with conspiring to overturn the 2020 election.” (06/04/26)
“The United States imposed sanctions Thursday on Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, his wife and three other individuals, in the latest move by the Trump administration to pressure the island’s leadership that drew immediate condemnation from Havana. … The new penalties come as U.S. President Donald Trump has been threatening military action in Cuba since ousting Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in January and then ordering an energy blockade that choked off fuel shipments to Cuba. That has led to severe blackouts, food shortages and an economic collapse across the island.” (06/04/26)
