“The Trump administration announced an end to temporary legal protections for Haitian migrants in the United States, leaving hundreds of thousands of people at risk of deportation. The temporary protected status designation, or TPS, for Haitian nationals in the United States expires in early August and will terminate Sept. 2, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement Friday. … The statement did not elaborate on why it considered Haiti safe for citizens. Meanwhile, the U.S. government continues to advise Americans against all travel to Haiti, which has been under a state of emergency since March 2024 because of ‘kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and limited health care.'” (06/28/25)
“Around 100,000 people defied a government ban and police orders Saturday to march in what organizers called the largest LGBTQ+ Pride event in Hungary’s history in an open rebuke of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government. Marchers gambled with potential police intervention and heavy fines to participate in the 30th annual Budapest Pride, which was outlawed in March by Orbán’s right-wing populist governing party. The march began at Budapest City Hall and wound through the city center before crossing the capital’s Erzsébet Bridge over the Danube River. Police diverted the crowd from its planned route to keep it separated from a small group of far-right counterprotesters, while members of Hungary’s LGBTQ+ community and masses of supporters danced to music and waved rainbow and anti-government flags. One marcher, Blanka Molnár, said it was ‘a fantastic feeling’ that more people had attended the Pride march than ever before despite it being outlawed.” (06/29/25)
“President Trump says he’s ‘terminating all discussions on trade with Canada, effective immediately,’ after Canada announced a digital services tax on large foreign and domestic technology companies. Posting on Truth Social on Friday afternoon, the president said the U.S. will let Canada know what their tariff rate will be in the next week. The trade talks blowup comes only a week after the president met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the Group of Seven economic summit in Alberta. … Canada is one of the United States’ biggest trading partners. The U.S. has imposed tariffs on most imports from Canada, and Canada has hit back with tariffs on U.S. exports to Canada.” (06/27/25)
“A state funeral has been held in Iran for about 60 people, including military commanders and nuclear scientists, killed during the 12-day conflict with Israel. Coffins draped in the Iranian flag, bearing portraits of deceased commanders, were flanked by crowds near Tehran’s Enghelab Square. The conflict ended with a ceasefire earlier this week, after the US became directly involved by bombing key nuclear sites in Iran. Huge crowds of mourners dressed in black chanted slogans, waved Iranian flags and held portraits of those killed. Ahead of the event, a media campaign urged people to participate, with authorities providing free bus and metro rides. Government offices were shut for the day.” (06/28/25)
“Riot police fired tear gas at thousands of anti-government protesters in Serbia’s capital on Saturday. The major rally in Belgrade against Serbia’s populist president, Aleksandar Vucic, was called to back a demand for an early parliamentary election. The protest by tens of thousands was held after nearly eight months of persistent demonstrations led by Serbia’s university students that have rattled Vucic’s firm grip on power in the Balkan country. The huge crowd chanted ‘We want elections!’ as they filled the capital’s central Slavija Square and several blocks around it, with many unable to reach the venue. … Vucic’s authorities have launched a crackdown on Serbia’s striking universities and other opponents, while increasing pressure on independent media as they tried to curb the demonstrations.” (06/28/25)
“California Gov. Gavin Newsom is suing Fox News, seeking $787 million in damages for allegedly falsely accusing him of lying about a key phone call with President Donald Trump before the deployment of the National Guard. The complaint, filed in Delaware Superior Court on Friday and obtained by SFGATE, alleges Fox News knowingly fabricated statements and doctored footage to falsely brand Newsom a liar. The governor is seeking $787 million in punitive damages, a nearly identical figure to what Fox paid Dominion Voting Systems in its 2023 settlement, as well as a court order barring Fox from continuing to post or broadcast the contested segments. ‘Freedom of speech does not grant the right to knowingly fabricate false and intentionally poison our democratic processes,’ the complaint reads.” (06/27/25)
“The Senate blocked an effort Friday to prevent President Trump from taking future military action against Iran without authorization from Congress, less than a week after he directed strikes aimed at the country’s nuclear capabilities. Senators voted 47-53 largely along party lines against the war powers resolution. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was the lone GOP lawmaker to vote with Democrats. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), an ardent backer of Israel, voted with Republicans. Fifty-one votes were needed for it to pass.” [editor’s note: The previous attack, and any future attacks, are illegal without a congressional declaration of war. The success or failure of the “war powers” resolution doesn’t change that – TLK] (06/27/25)
“Astronomers studying a distant galaxy cluster stumbled upon ancient radio signals that might hold clues to the formation of the early universe. While studying the distant galaxy cluster known as SpARCS1049, astronomers detected faint mysterious radio waves, according to a study published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters and available on the pre-print server Xrxiv. The discovered radio waves, which took 10 billion years to reach Earth, originated from a vast region of space filled with high-energy particles and magnetic fields. These vast clouds of high-energy particles are known as a mini-halo. A mini-halo has never been detected this deep into space before, according to the study. Mini-halos are described in the study as faint groups of charged particles. These groups are known to emit both radio and X-ray waves. Mini-halos are typically found in clusters between galaxies.” (06/28/25)
“Israeli soldiers in Gaza told Haaretz that the army has deliberately fired at Palestinians near aid distribution sites over the past month. Conversations with officers and soldiers reveal that commanders ordered troops to shoot at crowds to drive them away or disperse them, even though it was clear they posed no threat. … According to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza, 549 people have been killed near aid centers and in areas where residents were waiting for UN food trucks since May 27. Over 4,000 have been wounded …. the Military Advocate General has instructed the IDF General Staff’s Fact-Finding Assessment Mechanism – a body tasked with reviewing incidents involving potential violations of the laws of war – to investigate suspected war crimes at these sites. In a statement released following publication of this exposé, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz rejected the claims, which they called ‘blood libels.'” (06/27/25)
“In a letter to faculty and staff, Stanford University announced $140 million in budget cuts for the upcoming 2025-26 academic year, which it said will require staff layoffs. ‘This is difficult news to share,’ university President Jon Levin and Provost Jenny Martinez wrote in their letter on Thursday. ‘… We face significant budget consequences from federal policy changes.’ President Donald Trump’s ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill,’ passed by the House on May 22, proposes a 21% tax on some universities’ endowments, which would apply to Stanford, and would be an increase from Stanford’s current rate of 1.4%, according to student newspaper the Stanford Daily. If it becomes law, the change could represent an estimated $750 million tax annually, a significant hit to the university’s operating budget, according to the publication.” (06/28/25)
