Ecuador: Prosecutor killed in latest attack on regime officials

Source: United Press International

“Ecuador’s Attorney General’s Office said a new attack targeting justice officials left a prosecutor dead in the port city of Manta. Veteran criminal prosecutor Alexandra Bravo and her sister, Olinda Bravo, were shot and killed in broad daylight Sunday, raising renewed concerns about the security risks faced by judges and prosecutors in a country operating under a state-declared ‘internal armed conflict’ against powerful drug trafficking organizations. Authorities said the attack occurred as the sisters were leaving a restaurant and walking toward their parked vehicle. A gunman approached them and fired multiple shots at close range. Both women died at the scene, while the attacker escaped.” (06/15/26)

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2026/06/15/latam-ecuador-prosecutor-lkilled/5591781540127/

Trump is stealing Americans’ faith in elections

Source: Seattle Times
by Jackie Calmes

“Trump’s Big Lie about rigged elections and Democrats’ supposed cheating — California being his latest target — is by now so familiar that many of us are all but inured to it, and have been for a long time. That’s understandable, and arguably good for our mental health, but collectively dangerous for the nation. The majority of Republican voters accept the lie as truth. What better time than the summer of the nation’s 250th anniversary of independence to reflect on how Trump’s years of lying have corroded the citizenry’s essential belief in the integrity of elections? Attention must be paid, especially ahead of midterm elections in November.” (06/15/26)

https://archive.is/zetXd

Taxing Away Success

Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Mark Moses

“We are witnessing a troubling migration — a flight of capital and talent from states that have adopted increasingly aggressive tax policies. Elon Musk moved Tesla and X from California to Texas; Palantir relocated to Colorado. High-profile individuals and corporations are pulling up stakes and relocating to states with more favorable tax policies. A casual observer might interpret such migrations as a strategic response to changing cost structures. But that framing misses the deeper issue. These departures are not just about lowering costs; they reflect an effort to exit a system that has decidedly turned against them.” (06/15/26)

https://fee.org/articles/taxing-away-success/

The World’s First Trillionaire Is Not Your Friend

Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone

“It’s so pathetic watching Elon Musk’s groveling bootlickers fall all over themselves on social media to defend their favorite oligarch from criticism as he becomes the world’s first trillionaire. They’re like ‘Don’t be mean to the trillionaire, just become a trillionaire yourself! All you need is luck, connections, wealthy parents, the ruthlessness to step on anyone who gets in your way, and a willingness to cooperate with murderous imperial institutions like the Pentagon and the CIA!’ Elon Musk is a military-industrial complex plutocrat who is balls deep in the US intelligence cartel and recently facilitated the US-Israeli attempted regime change operation in Iran. You have infinitely more in common with the average person in Iran, Cuba, Lebanon or Palestine than you have with the world’s first trillionaire.” (06/14/26)

https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/06/14/the-worlds-first-trillionaire-is-not-your-friend-and-other-notes/

SCOTUS declines former Trump aide’s lawsuit over surveillance

Source: CBS News

“The Supreme Court on Monday turned away ex-Trump campaign aide Carter Page’s attempt to revive a lawsuit against former FBI Director James Comey and other senior FBI officials over surveillance warrants obtained by the bureau during its investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. The Supreme Court’s denial of the case came after the Trump administration said in April it had reached a $1.25 million settlement with Page. He had appealed a lower court decision dismissing his lawsuit against the Justice Department, FBI and eight named individuals, including Comey. The Justice Department’s settlement involved only Page’s claims against the U.S. government, not the individual FBI officials.” (06/15/26)

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-trump-campaign-aide-carter-page-jim-comey/

What the Trillionaire Can’t Do

Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob

“Mr. Musk’s wealth is in the company that just took on new investors, driving up his shares. If he started selling his shares, the value of the stock would plummet before he found enough buyers. It is Mr. Musk’s managerial genius and technological vision that is responsible for the company’s success, so any step back from control — even by relinquishing stock — would almost certainly spell disaster. And if he vanished off the face of the Earth, our global civilization would feel it. What Elon Musk’s envious haters do not seem to understand is that Musk succeeds by developing products that people, businesses, and governments are willing to pay big bucks for.” (06/15/26)

https://thisiscommonsense.org/2026/06/15/what-the-trillionaire-cant-do/

Tulsi Gabbard Makes a Grand Exit

Source: Town Hall
by Jeff Crouere

“The Director of National Intelligence (DNI), Tulsi Gabbard, will be officially leaving her post on June 19. She is resigning to care for her husband, who is battling a rare form of bone cancer. Gabbard has enjoyed a remarkably successful tenure as DNI and is using her final days in office to unleash several bombshell reports. On Friday, Gabbard rescinded two intelligence assessments from the administration of President Joe Biden regarding the mysterious set of ailments known as ‘Havana Syndrome,’ which has sickened our spies and diplomats on missions throughout the world. … the Biden administration downplayed the reports and dismissed the possibility that the ailments were caused by a foreign adversary. Gabbard blasted these findings for excluding key information, suppressing ‘alternative analysis,’ and using an ‘ethically flawed medical study.'” (06/15/26)

https://townhall.com/columnists/jeffcrouere/2026/06/15/tulsi-gabbard-makes-a-grand-exit-n2677752