Ship ferrying aid from Mexico and Belize docks in Cuba as crises deepen

Source: ABC News

“A ship laden with 1,700 tons of food and other aid collected in Mexico and Belize has docked in Cuba to help ease the island’s crises. Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel said that the aid was sent by government officials in both countries, as well as supporters and Cubans living abroad. ‘We appreciate the supportive embrace in such difficult times,’ Díaz-Canel wrote in a post on X on Sunday. A U.S. energy blockade that began in late January has halted oil shipments to Cuba, which is experiencing severe blackouts and food shortages.” (06/08/26)

https://abcnews.com/International/wireStory/ship-ferrying-aid-mexico-belize-docks-cuba-crises-133683510

Trump Is Doing What FDR Could Not

Source: Foreign Policy
by Julian E Zelizer

“To understand the hold that Trump has on his party, it is useful to look back to the 1938 midterms, when Franklin D. Roosevelt — one of the most consequential presidents in U.S. history — failed to keep his party on the same page. When Roosevelt tried to purge the Democratic Party of conservative Southern legislators who were holding back his New Deal, the president found himself on the losing end of the battle, empowering the very forces he was trying to stop. … The irony, though, is that, despite his defeat in 1938, Roosevelt ultimately helped build a far more enduring Democratic coalition. … Trump, by contrast, has tied his party to a deeply unpopular leader and agenda.” (06/08/26)

https://archive.is/MNRZF

TX: Defense tries to buttress self-defense claim in trial over teen athlete’s killing

Source: SFGate

“Lawyers for a young man who fatally stabbed a competitor at a Texas high school track meet called more witnesses Monday to try to support a claim of self-defense as a trial entered a second week. Karmelo Anthony, now 19, is charged with murder in the death of Austin Metcalf, 17, at a school stadium in Frisco, a Dallas suburb, in April 2025. Prosecutors say the stabbing was an unprovoked attack related to a dispute over whether Anthony could be under the tent of Metcalf’s team during a rainy track meet. Defense attorneys insist Anthony felt threatened and believed he needed to defend himself when physical contact was made. Metcalf’s death drew wide attention, in part because of social media posts that amplified the case in racial terms. Anthony, who attended Frisco Centennial High School, is [b]lack, while Metcalf, who attended Frisco Memorial High School, was white. Prosecutors rested their case Saturday in Collin County court.” (06/08/26)

https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/defense-tries-to-buttress-self-defense-claim-in-22295877.php

First-ever bear sighting in Japanese city triggers suspensions at 94 schools

Source: New York Post

“The Japanese city of Utsunomiya has suspended all 94 of the primary and middle schools ​that it operates on Monday after its ‌first-ever bear sighting, a municipal official said. The city of half a million residents, about 100 km (60 miles) north of Tokyo, said ​the bear was first seen in a residential ​area near a park on Saturday evening. It ⁠remains at large after the last sighting early ​Monday morning about half a kilometer from a ​middle school. Bear attacks, including in urban areas, have been on the rise in Japan, prompting the government to set up a ​task force this year to reduce casualties.” (06/08/26)

https://nypost.com/2026/06/08/world-news/first-ever-bear-sighting-in-japanese-city-triggers-suspensions-at-94-schools/

The Bulldozer Revolution: A Blueprint For American Meddling in Eastern Europe

Source: Libertarian Institute
by Patrick Pillow

“By the summer of 2000, Yugoslav President Slobodan Milošević appeared firmly entrenched in power. A decade earlier, he had risen to prominence by harnessing Serbian nationalism as Yugoslavia began to fracture. Over time, he consolidated control over political institutions and much of the media while leading Serbia through wars, sanctions, and NATO’s 1999 bombing campaign. Yet beneath the surface, public frustration was growing. The economy was struggling, unemployment remained high, and many Serbians had grown weary of international isolation and authoritarian rule. When Milošević changed election rules in July 2000 to allow the presidency to be decided by popular vote, he likely expected another victory. Instead, the move created an opportunity for a united opposition.” (06/08/26)

https://libertarianinstitute.org/articles/the-bulldozer-revolution-a-blueprint-for-american-meddling-in-eastern-europe/

Human Life Is So Much Harder Than It Needs To Be

Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone

“We make it so hard for ourselves, this human experience. Like it would be hard enough just being born into mortal bodies that have to experience pain and get sick and deteriorate and die. That alone would be more than enough to deal with. Then on top of all that we go and create these psychological ego structures in our heads that make us miserable for a whole bunch of other reasons that aren’t even real.” (06/08/26)

https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/06/08/human-life-is-so-much-harder-than-it-needs-to-be/

Kenya: Police Attack Protesters With Chemical Weapons, Arrest Ex Chief Justice at National Park Protest

Source: US News & World Report

“Riot ⁠police fired tear gas to disperse ​scores of protesters rallying on Monday against ‌plans to build on ‌part of a national park in ⁠Kenya’s ⁠capital. Officers moved in and arrested at least nine ​people, including former Chief Justice David Maraga, outside the main entrance of Nairobi National Park, Reuters ​reporters said. The Kenya Wildlife Service has defended ⁠the project, ⁠saying it will ⁠expand ​an animal orphanage on the site, Africa’s only ​wildlife reserve ⁠within a capital city. Protesters — who waved placards marked with ‘Nature is not vacant land’ and other slogans — say the plans, including ⁠a parking area for more than 1,000 vehicles, will ⁠encroach on one of Kenya’s most famous protected areas.” (06/08/26)

https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-06-08/kenya-police-fire-tear-gas-arrest-ex-chief-justice-at-national-park-protest