“President Rodrigo Paz on Saturday declared a state of emergency that gives the military broad power to remove road blockades that have put a stranglehold on fuel and food supplies in Bolivia’s seat of government and other major cities. A wave of protests over the last five weeks has called for Paz to step down over austerity measures imposed by the government, including the cancellation of fuel subsidies, and other issues. The demonstrations have unleashed violent confrontations between dynamite-wielding demonstrators and riot police, leading to at least 365 arrests and 37 injuries, according to authorities. At least 17 people have died, most of them linked to a lack of medical care caused by transportation disruptions, according to Bolivia’s ombudsman’s office and human rights organizations..” (06/20/26)
“Police in Blue Springs say a homeowner shot and killed an intruder early Friday morning near Lake Lotawana. … According to a social media post, officers received a 911 call from the homeowner reporting a burglary in progress and that a person had ‘unlawfully entered the residence.’ Before officers arrived at the scene, police say the homeowner shot and killed the person.” (06/20/26)
“Russian strikes killed at least two people and wounded two others in the northeastern Ukrainian region of Sumy after Moscow threatened escalation for Ukraine’s biggest assault so far. Another nine people, including four children, suffered injuries in Kharkiv, which was attacked with Russian guided aerial bombs. Ukraine on Friday morning claimed that a crew member of a Panama-flagged ship was killed in a Russian drone attack in the Black Sea waters. Oleksiy Kuleba said that another vessel under the Saint Kitts and Nevis flag was also hit. Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov previously warned of ‘massive coordinated strikes on a regular basis’ in response to Ukraine’s attack on a Moscow oil refinery for the second time this week.” (06/19/26)
“Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester in northern England, won a seat in Parliament on Thursday, a pivotal step in his plans to challenge Prime Minister Keir Starmer for leadership of the Labour Party and the country. Mr. Burnham easily defeated a field of more than a half-dozen candidates, winning 24,937 votes — a resounding majority of about 55 percent. … When Mr. Burnham might challenge the prime minister — and how Mr. Starmer will respond — remains unclear. The prime minister has said he will fight to stay in the office he won almost two years ago. But several Labour lawmakers have publicly said Mr. Starmer should step aside, for the good of the party and the country, if Mr. Burnham challenges him.” (06/19/26)
“Planned talks in Switzerland between the United States and Iran to discuss the technical terms of their ceasefire deal have been postponed. The Swiss Foreign Ministry confirmed early on Friday that the talks, which were scheduled to take place in Burgenstock, would not go ahead. The postponement has raised fears that the ceasefire deal signed by the US and Iran earlier this week could unwind already. Reports suggest that Iran has delayed sending its delegation to discuss the technical issues linked to the ceasefire deal – digitally signed by the two countries on Wednesday – due to Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Lebanon. … Chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Friday that any talks would remain bound by Tehran’s ‘red lines.’ A halt to Israel’s attacks on Lebanon was one of Tehran’s key demands in negotiations around the deal.” [editor’s note: Israel is not, so far as I know, a party to the deal – TLK] (06/19/26)
“The Supreme Court unanimously ruled Thursday the government can’t criminally prosecute a man for possessing a firearm simply because he regularly smoked marijuana, rejecting the government’s comparison to the disarmament [of] habitual drunkards in the founding era. Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote that it violates his right to keep arms under the conservative justices’ expanded Second Amendment test. It requires gun control measures be consistent with the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation. … At issue was the federal law making it a crime for someone ‘who is an unlawful user of or addicted to any controlled substance’ to possess a firearm.” [editor’s note: Any supposed “historical tradition” is irrelevant. The court’s job is to enforce the Constitution, which says “shall not be infringed,” with a period immediately after – TLK] (06/18/26)
“A new kind of flu vaccine moved a step closer to the U.S. market Thursday as federal health advisers recommended approval of the first made with the same mRNA technology that was key to ending [sic] the coronavirus pandemic. The Food and Drug Administration is evaluating Moderna’s new shot, dubbed mFlusiva, for older Americans ahead of the winter flu season. Moderna is seeking full approval for the vaccine’s use in people ages 50 to 64 — along with authorization for use in those 65 and older while it conducts additional testing.” [editor’s note: The mRNA COVID-19 “vaccines” didn’t “end” the pandemic. They reduced some symptoms, but didn’t reduce transmission, actually INCREASING spread of the virus – TLK] (06/19/26)
“German engineering and technology firm Bosch has agreed to pay a $36 million [bribe] to resolve federal allegations that it exported restricted products and software to China’s Huawei. Federal prosecutors announced the agreement Wednesday, saying the Bosch resolution was the National Security Division’s first declination under the Justice Department’s new corporate self-disclosure policy. The company has agreed to forfeit the $11.4 million in profits it made in the alleged transactions, with a portion being credited against the [bribe]. As a result, the NSD has declined to prosecute the company.” (06/18/26)
“The Bank of England held U.K. interest rates at 3.75% on Thursday, as policymakers continue to balance the need to address above-target inflation with lackluster economic output. The hold, which was in-line with the expectations of economists polled by Reuters, was backed by seven of the nine monetary policy committee members in the BOE’s May meeting. BoE chief economist Huw Pill and Megan Greene, an external member of the rates-setting Monetary Policy Committee, were the two dissenting voices. Pill and Greene both cast votes to hike the BOE’s ‘base rate’ by 25 basis points to 4%.” (06/18/26)
“An Ecuadorean man, who police accuse of leading a faction of one of the country’s most feared criminal gangs, has been shot dead as he was leaving the airport in Ecuador’s largest city, Guayaquil. Security footage shows two young men waiting outside the arrivals terminal holding stuffed toys and flowers before one of them approaches the victim, pulls his gun from behind a teddy and shoots him point-blank. Police have detained two teenagers in connection with the crime, the latest in a widespread wave of gang violence. … Ecuador’s interior minister, John Reimberg, identified the victim of Wednesday’s attack as 39-year-old Carlos Alberto Suástegui Villanueva, who he said was the leader of the Los Águilas gang in El Triunfo, a region east of Guayaquil.” (06/18/26)
