“The Philippine Supreme Court has refused to block the arrest of a senator wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity. Senator Ronald dela Rosa, whose whereabouts are unknown, is wanted by the court in The Hague for his role in the country’s ‘war on drugs’ during Rodrigo Duterte’s 2016-2022 presidency. … The interim ruling on Wednesday clears the way for the potential arrest of the senator, the latest turn in a dramatic story that has gripped the Philippines since early last week. Dela Rosa emerged from six months of hiding last week and took refuge at the Senate for several days before fleeing in the early hours of Thursday after a shooting incident between government agents and Senate security personnel that sent senators rushing for cover in their offices.” (05/20/26)
“U.S. Marines test fired a dozen rockets from a mobile launcher on Wednesday at a range in the foothills of Japan’s iconic Mount Fuji, in an exercise to keep sharp on weapon that is a growingly important component of the American military’s arsenal. The High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) is a launcher mounted on the back of a military truck that can be rapidly brought out from concealment, fire its rockets, then move quickly to a new location to avoid counter-battery fire. The so-called ‘shoot and scoot’ tactics are becoming increasingly important with the proliferation of drones over the battlefield, which make static positions more vulnerable. The system has been used by U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, and most recently U.S. Central Command said it was employed in the opening attack on Iran where it launched a new precision-guided rocket that could reach targets hundreds of miles away.” (05/20/26)
“A federal jury has acquitted two business executives of charges that they conspired to bribe a retired four-star U.S. Navy admiral, who is now serving a six-year prison sentence for his conviction on corruption charges. An earlier trial for Next Jump co-CEOs Yongchul ‘Charlie’ Kim and Meghan Messenger ended last year with a hung jury and a mistrial. Their retrial in Washington, D.C., ended Monday with a jury acquitting them of all charges, including conspiracy and bribery, court records show. Prosecutors accused Kim and Messenger of bribing retired Adm. Robert P. Burke for a military contract in exchange for a lucrative postretirement job.” (05/19/26)
“A Norwegian journalist’s question to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sparked a controversy in his country. Modi was on a two-day official visit to Oslo this week. As he walked away after a joint press appearance with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, journalist Helle Lyng called out to him, asking why he does not take questions, but got no response. Later in a press conference by Indian diplomats, Lyng asked, ‘Why should we trust you (India)? Can you try to stop the human rights violations that goes on in your country?’ India has rejected the allegations, highlighting its ‘commitment to justice and freedom.’ Lyng later told BBC Hindi that it was her ‘duty to ask’ the questions. Modi has not held a traditional solo press conference since taking office in 2014, and has rarely answered questions from journalists on his trips abroad.” (05/20/26)
“Your calls on Discord are now truly private. The social platform says it’s completed its years-long endeavor to apply end-to-end encryption in all voice and video calls. This security is applied to all calls outside of stage channels, with no need to opt into the added protection. Attitudes on end-to-end encryption have been shifting at some platforms. While many see E2EE as a critical way to keep personal conversations personal, there have been some moves away from this security option.” (05/19/26)
“The U.K. government has delayed some new sanctions on Russian oil in an effort to shelter Britons from the cost-of-living squeeze triggered by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz in the Iran war. A trade license that came into effect Wednesday permits the import of Russian oil that has been refined into jet fuel and diesel in third countries such as India and Turkey. The U.K. announced in October that it would ban imports of those products. The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and Iran’s retaliatory grip on the strait, through which about a fifth of the world’s oil usually passes, has sent fuel prices soaring around the world and sparked concerns about a shortage of jet fuel. Opposition Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch accused the British government of ‘choosing to buy dirty Russian oil.'” (05/20/26)
“The US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will not pursue President Donald Trump, his family or companies for back tax claims under an agreement announced on Tuesday by the Justice Department. Trump, his sons Eric and Donald Jr. and the Trump Organisation filed a lawsuit against the tax-collecting agency in January seeking $10 billion in damages following a leak of his tax returns. … Trump dropped the lawsuit against the IRS on Monday in exchange for the creation of a $1.7 billion fund to compensate political allies who believe that they were unfairly prosecuted under the Biden administration. … An addendum to the settlement agreement signed by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and released on Tuesday says the IRS is ‘forever barred’ from pursuing any tax claims against Trump, his family or his businesses that were pending as of the May 18 settlement date.” [editor’s note: Would have been nicer if the “forever barred” applied to EVERYONE – TLK] (05/19/26)
“Kentucky U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie lost his Republican House primary Tuesday, becoming the latest Republican lawmaker to anger President Donald Trump and then fall to a primary challenger backed by the president. Trump handpicked and endorsed Ed Gallrein, whose victory demonstrated the president’s influence over GOP voters and growing frustration with Massie’s opposition to Trump. … He pushed for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, criticized the war in Iran and voted against the president’s signature tax legislation last year. Still, he tried to convince voters that they could be for both him and Trump. The race was the most expensive U.S. House primary in history.” (05/19/26)
“Two Chinese tankers laden with oil exited the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, shipping data showed, brightening hopes that the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran may soon be resolved after positive comments from the U.S. president and his deputy. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the war would be over ‘very quickly’ while Vice President JD Vance talked up progress in talks with Tehran about an agreement to end hostilities. … Iranian state media said Tehran’s latest peace proposal involves ending hostilities on all fronts including Lebanon, the exit of U.S. forces from areas close to Iran, and reparations for destruction caused by the U.S.-Israeli attacks. Tehran also sought the lifting of sanctions, release of frozen funds and an end to the U.S. marine blockade, according to Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi as cited by IRNA news agency. The terms as described in the Iranian reports appeared little changed from Iran’s previous offer, which Trump rejected last week as ‘garbage.'” (05/20/26)
“The European Union reached a late-night provisional deal on Tuesday to remove import duties on [European buyers of] US goods, a key part of the bloc’s trade pact with the United States. This kept the EU on track to meet President Donald Trump’s July 4 deadline and avoid higher US tariffs on [American buyers of] European goods. … EU lawmakers softened several demands during negotiations, including a proposal to suspend favorable [sic] tariffs for [European buyers of goods from] US exporters if Washington breached the terms of the deal. The final text also gives the US until the end of the year to remove steel surtaxes above 15%, instead of making it a precondition for the agreement.” (05/19/26)
