WendyMcElroy.com

From Newser: A Deepfake Expert Is Throwing Up His Hands. 'Within a year or two, our whole visual system will be utterly useless,' says Hany Farid. [Ed: yep. I no longer believe my lying eyes, either.]

From PopSugar: Dog Reunites With Her Owner After 2 Years and Has the Most Adorable Reaction Ever

Iran Deal/War. From Naked Capitalism: Iran War: US Pundit Freakout Over “Deal,” Evidence of Disagreement Over Terms, Bodes Ill for Signing; More on Oil Cliff Risk Versus Hormuz Opening. From Son of the New American Revolution: The US and Iran Versions of the MOU Show Major Areas of Disagreement. [Ed: a must read.]

From Gizmodo: Giant Nevada Project Could Transform Astronomy. Caltech's array of 1,650 dishes will share real-time data globally in radio telescope project

Gavin in the Headlights. From Zero Hedge: Gavin Newsom And The DOJ Probe Opened Under Biden: Behested Payments, Family Nonprofits, & Questions Of Influence. "Ethically fraught when the ultimate beneficiary is the soliciting politician's spouse..." [Ed: "Behested Payments" can be quite the scam. From the Daily Caller: Rooke: Gavin Newsom blames Trump for something Biden started. [Ed: Newsom's enraged announcement denouncing Trump now makes him look foolish. But I understand why he is shaken up. This sort of scandal could really hurt his Presidential aspirations.]

Remigration. From Reuters: Sweden passes 'good behaviour' law to kick out misbehaving immigrants. "The law does ?not specify what ?types of behaviours ?are deemed unacceptable but the government has mentioned unpaid debts, not paying taxes, criminality and ?links to extremist organisations." [Ed: I expect such laws to become a trend.]

From Moneywise: Ultra-rich Americans are turning to a $40 billion industry to help them flee the US. Here’s where they’re going instead

Israel. From Zero Hedge: Hardline Israeli Politicians Livid Over Iran Deal, Want Netanyahu Out So They Can Do 'Real Regime Change'. Bennett says the clock for regime change in Iran starts the moment Israel gets a new government. From antiwar: The Mladenov Distraction: Behind the Screen, Netanyahu Is Annexing Gaza ‘Step-by-Step’. {Ed: this article explains who Mladenov is and the controversy.]

Trump & Netanyahu. From the Washington Times: Trump goes after Netanyahu as he pursues deal with Iran, putting their friendship to the test. [Ed: well. with powerfulforces within Israel wanting Netanyahu OUT, Trump may not have to put up with the man much longer.] From antiwar: The Fragile US-Iran MOU and the Limits of the Trump-Netanyahu Partnership. From International News: Former Israeli spy bombshell claims: Netanyahu has secret weapon to sabotage US-Iran peace deal. [Ed: Netanyahu may release new and never seen files on Epstein to sabotage the Iran deal and/or get back at Trump.]

From Daily Paws: This Golden Retriever Found Love 'Romeo and Juliet' Style on Her Apartment Balcony and We're Obsessed. [Ed: text with both youtube and tiktok.]

Oil. From Oil Price: First Iranian Oil Moves Past US Blockade Ahead Of Deal Signing. Iran’s first observed crude oil exports in two months have moved past the US blockade outside the Strait of Hormuz. [Ed: Iran is losing no time.First exports in 2 months.] From Zero Hedge: Trump Admits US Was Weeks Away From "Running Out Of Reserves" When Iran Deal Struck. [Ed: not really smart to admit this publicly.]

From Reason: Big Oil Tankers Abruptly U-Turn Toward Hormuz Ahead Of US-Iran Peace Deal Signing. Early maritime signals... [Ed: Jawboning is a political and financial slang term for using spoken persuasion, public appeals, or informal pressure.]

Upcoming Elections. From Jonathan Turley: “By Any Means Necessary”: Candidate Struck from Alaska Ballot Over Alleged Democratic Dirty Trick. [Ed: I didn't know that the Kennedys used this same ploy to help JFK.]

From the Justice Center for Constitutional Freedoms: Epoch Times: A Social Media Ban for Minors Requires Data From Everyone [Ed: because Canada is also going to ban children under 16 from social media.]

Russia. From RT: Russian frigate fires warning shots in English Channel [Ed: remember, UK commandos seized a Russian oil tanker recently in the English Channel.]

G7. From AP: G7 Wraps Up With Talks on Future of AI. They also discussed Iran deal, Ukraine.

From the Guardian: Pit bull hailed as hero for helping bring life-saving help to unconscious owners. This article is more than 10 months old. Dog faced traffic and led a stranger to a ‘secluded’ tent encampment where a man and woman were unconscious

Managing Your $. From Global Market News: Reverse Mortgage Scams Are Rising: 6 Costly Traps Retirees Need to Avoid From International Man: Why Dividend Stocks, Bonds, and Real Estate No Longer Solve the Income Problem.

From Good News Network: Tiny Goat Triplet Shunned at Birth is Now Thriving After Two Sheepdogs Adopt Her and Teach Her to Be a Collie.

The Newsoms. From Just the News: California Gov Newsom says he's under Justice Department investigation, alleges Trump 'hit list'. [Ed: well, his former Chief of Staff was indicted last year for federal wire fraud so... The reason(s) for the investigation of Newsom and his wife are not stated by DOJ. Video of Newsom's angry announcement is here.] From the New York Post: Who is Gavin Newsom’s wife Jennifer? And what does she do? [Ed: sounds like she regularly breaks filing and paperwork requirements, including tax ones.] UPDATE:

Cuba. From Breakthrough News: Cuba in the eye of the storm: sanctions, energy crisis, and threats of invasion. The situation in Cuba is steadily worsening. Compounding the prolonged economic crisis and deteriorating energy situation are new unilateral measures by the United States. [Ed: Cuba is going to blow up soon.]

From 404 Media: FCC Wants to Kill Burner Phones By Forcing Telecoms to Get All Customers’ IDs

From American Greatness: FBI Raids Soros-Connected Ohio Voter Mobilization Group In Fraud Investigation. Funding for the group, which has previously faced scrutiny related to voter registration activities, has come from several major Democratic-aligned organizations and labor unions, including entities connected to the Soros family...

From Newsweek: Heroic Dog Saves Owner From Rattlesnake, Tears Over What Happens at Vets. [Ed: happy ending, Brad.]

UK. From Reclaim the Net: Starmer’s Social Media Ban, the Reinvention of the Surveillance State. "Tyranny masquerading as child safety needs you to feel guilty before you feel suspicious. Downing Street is counting on it." From the Guardian: UK ministers lobby Trump to avert backlash against social media ban. "No 10 is worried about retaliation from White House over restrictions on under-16s’ internet use."

From the Epoch Times: 15 Tied To Antifa Charged With Violently Interfering With ICE Operations In Minnesota. The new cases are part of a “broad federal effort to address organized lawless behavior...” From X, Rhein Amacher: Chaos and unrest erupt outside the federal courthouse in Saint Paul. [Ed: Video of the violence at the indictments.]

Iran War. From Naked Capitalism: Iran War: US-Iran Differences Over “Deal”; Israel Still Bombing Lebanon, Expected to Try Other Spoiler Stunts; Oil Cliff Closer Than Most Think as Best Case Strait of Hormuz Reopening Sluggish.

Iran Deal. From CBS News: Iran Live Updates. [Ed: live feed, so just keep scrolling down.] From Reason: The Iran War Is Over, For Now. The U.S. and Iran have moved to the next stage of the peace process. Hawks on all sides are terrified that it will succeed. [Ed: I particularly like the new deal being contrasted with Obama's.] From Moon of Alabama: War On Iran: The MoU – A Small Pause In A Decades Long Conflict. [Ed: a must read.] From Andrew Korybko: Who Won the Third Gulf War? [Ed: another must read.]

From the DoDo: No One Wanted These Pit Bull Puppies — So The Shelter Gave Them Cowboy Hats.

From Rumble via Liberty Daily: Foreigners Posting Videos After Discovering How Awesome America Is Will Make Your Day From Red State: 'World Cup’ Freddy Finally Makes It to Houston - and America Delivers Again.

Ukraine-Russia. From Responsible Statecraft: Trump is blowing his chance to make peace in Ukraine. A serious attempt to end the war means shifting focus from territory, making realistic promises, and bringing all parties to the table. [Ed: I am not sure it is possible to shift focus from territory.] From Politico.EU: G7 promises to support Ukraine and sanction Russia in joint declaration. U.S. President Donald Trump signed the common statement after leaders in Evian unexpectedly converged on backing Kyiv. AND Trump offers Ukraine olive branch at G7 — with a price tag. The U.S. president’s overtures left EU leaders more upbeat on the second day of the G7 summit in France. [Ed: for EU's help with keeping the Strait of Hormuz open.]

From the Irish Star: Macron, Zelenskyy heard on camera game-planning how to handle Trump

G7 leaders held talks on support for Ukraine and peace talks with Russia on Tuesday.

From Market Watch: Fox to acquire Roku for $22 billion in major streaming consolidation. Fox Corp. is buying Roku for $22 billion, aiming to merge its content and streaming platforms to reshape the TV streaming landscape.

From Breakthrough News: Peru’s Fujimori leads over Sánchez with less than 1% of ballots left to count. Sánchez has alleged irregularities in the count, but he would need nearly 1 million dollars to challenge polling stations with irregular counts. [Ed: razor thin lead but the right wing candidate seems to have it.]

From the New York Post: SPLC boss funneled $1.2 million to lover in neo-Nazi group — pair even had joint bank account. [Ed: I am not even embarrassed by my Schadenfreude.]

Obama Center. From Just the News: Amid scheduled opening this week, funding and tax questions loom over Obama Center. Groundbreaking for the development on the city’s South Side was held in 2021, but the project was delayed several times. Construction cost estimates rose from around $350 million to at least $830 million. [Ed: I say purely for aesthetic reasons...this center is one of the damnedest ugly things I've ever seen.] From Crain's Chicago Business: The Obama Presidential Center was meant to lift up local contractors. Some are now fighting for survival. [Ed: Obama is stiffing contractors for millions and millions of $.]

From the DoDo: This Dog Could Barely Walk — Until He Met His New Dad

AI. From the Epoch Times The AI Threat SciFi Predicted Is Right On Our Doorstep. Software protections, industry standards, and patchwork regulations are inadequate. A stronger foundation; immutable hardware constructs and changes in national and international law are essential...

From the Mises Institute: Fear Of The Signal: Why The State Urgently Wants To Bind Prediction Markets. To a central planner, nothing is more dangerous than an accurate, uncontrolled price signal... "Predictive markets are experiencing a massive paradigm shift. They are rapidly transitioning from a niche internet subculture into a powerhouse financial category." [Ed: insightful article. It had not occurred to me that this was the drive behind the current call for a ban or regulation.]

From the University of Northern Iowa: Support dog takes the ranks among Panther Marching Band.

From the New York Post: Spencer ‘Pratt Pack’ uncovers disturbing new mystery on Skid Row.

Revolution in Albania? From MSN: Protests, land dispute intensify over Kushner resort in Albania. [Ed: I am not aware criminal accusations or charges for Trump or Kushner...as yet.] From Euronews: Prime Minister Edi Rama is standing by the project, insisting he has no intention of backing down. [Ed: I believe it has grown to include a general anti corruption protest against the current government.]

From Zero Hedge: Iran Offers 60-Day Toll-Free Hormuz Transit As 100s Of Ships Await Reopening. "Early indications suggest this may depend on Iran clearing naval mines over an initial 30-day period." [Ed: what happens after the 60 days...? To be negotiated.]

From Capital News: A look inside new Obama museum ahead of its Juneteenth official opening. Museum and library on Chicago’s South Side cost $850 million. [Ed: it is unbelievably hideous...and that's not ideology talking.] From the Real Deal: Unpaid contractors cloud Obama Center’s finish line. Subcontractors said they’re owed millions as the $850M presidential center prepares to open after years of cost overruns and delays. From the Black Agenda: The Obama Center is a Monument to the More Effective Evil. [Ed: the interesting thing is that this critique comes from the black left.]

From Dogman Ray: Just another rescue? Incredible Rescue of Little Girl by Golden Lab.

G7. From France in the US: G7: Priorities for the Évian Summit. [Ed: good basic explanation.] From the Guardian: Macron frames Évian G7 agenda in hope Trump will stay for whole summit. US president left last meeting early, but world leaders aim to end Ukraine war and push for resolution in Gaza and Iran. [Ed: Macron & Trump already have had a private meeting. BTW, Trump has hinted that he may leave this one early as well.] From Anadolu Agency: Macron says France ready to assist in reopening Strait of Hormuz. Assets could be rapidly deployed if requested by US, Iran, Oman, says French president. [Ed: well, this is quite the flip-flop. He and most of the EU obstructed Trump vis-a-vis Iran but now...let us in on the spoils!]

From Just the News: Supreme Court nears end of term with several high-profile cases still pending. [Ed: as is the issue of any of SCOTUS retiring before November.] From FOX News: These 11 upcoming Supreme Court decisions could make or break Trump's second term agenda. Cases on birthright citizenship, Temporary Protected Status and agency independence test limits of executive authority. [Ed: another take. SCOTUS usually adjourns for the summer in late June or early July 2026 Most often late June.]

From Andrew Korybko: Tulsi’s US-Funded Ukrainian Biolabs Disclosure Is Incredibly Important To The National Debate. [Ed: as I remember, she said there were about 30 such labs globally.]

From USA Today: 'It was so special': Kids raise $400 through lemonade stand to help with neighborhood dog's vet bills.

Freddie is My Hero! From Red State: Freddy the German Tourist Has Some Surprising Experiences As His Journey Across America Continues. [Ed: delightful.] From AL: The real star of Alabama’s World Cup match? Freddy from Germany and his 1 a.m. Buc-ee’s dinner.

From Gilbert Doctorow: Ardent Russian patriotism on display in the Mariinsky Theater last night. [Ed: a fascinating peek behind the curtain of Russian life by an insightful commentator.]

Graham Platner. From the Post Millennial: Graham Platner mocked teen's suicide attempt in Reddit post. “Someone clearly isn’t trying hard enough.” From Jonathan Turley: Post-Platner Democrats Must Ask: ‘Are We the baddies?’

Israel. From Asharq Al-Awaat: Israel Pushes Beyond ‘Yellow Line’ in Lebanon to Target Hezbollah and Bolster Negotiating Leverage. [Ed: informative. Recommended.] From Moon of Alabama: Israel Fails to Sabotage Islamabad Accord… At Least for Now. [Ed: well, the Friday Signing gives Israel a few days.] From Al Jazeera: Israel expands military control in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria by 1,000sq km. "...redrawing borders in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria to enforce unannounced buffer zones."

From The Cradle: US military begins construction of ‘huge base’ outside Gaza to oversee Trump’s colonization plan. While talks in Cairo center on disarming Hamas, Israel has kept killing hundreds of Palestinians without accountability and is expanding its control over the strip despite an alleged 'ceasefire'. [Ed: and Trump is willing to displace 2 million people to execute his plans.] From antiwar: How Israel Planned the Gaza Genocide Decades Ago

Iran Deal. From Naked Capitalism: Iran War: Iran and US Announce Signing of Memorandum of Understanding for Friday, Amid Doubts About Status of Terms, Israel Sabotage; Iran Claims Blockade and Hostilities on All Fronts to End Monday Night. From CNBC: US-Iran Peace Agreement Prompts Stock Rally, Leaves Some Investors Skeptical and Questions on Speed of Resuming Oil Production. From Zero Hedge: So, What Do We Know? Firstly, the agreement is not really a ‘deal’ at all, or even a deal to have a deal, but rather a memorandum of understanding staking out a framework to discuss a deal over the next 60 days. [Ed: best analysis so far.]

From X, Josh Block: Copy of the document to be signed by the United States and Iran

From the Dogington Post: Dog Surrenders And Climbs Into Armored Vehicle, Surprising Florida SWAT Officers

BREAKING.From Al Jazeera: At least three killed as Israel attacks southern Beirut. Israeli escalation in Lebanon’s capital raises concerns that peace negotiations between US and Iran could be derailed. [Ed: open sabotage. The incident for which this was retaliation was a minor one with no casualties. It was an excuse.] From X account of Netanyahu: Footage of the bombing posted by Benjamin Netanyahu so no one can miss seeing it. From the Guardian: Live feed. Middle East crisis live: Iran warns of ‘imminent’ response to Israeli strike on Beirut as ceasefire deal looks shaky. From DW: Iran war: Pakistan announces US-Iran peace deal reached. [Ed: to be signed on June 19 in Oman.]

250 Celebration at White House. From CBC: Live Feed: Trump gets ringside seat at White House UFC event on his 80th birthday. [Ed: because thisis a live feed that is constantly updated, you will not see the preceding headline except by scrolling down.] From Yahoo News: Party Poopers' Fight Card: Jane Fonda, 'No Kings,' communists roll out rival spectacle to Trump's 250th. [Ed: I don't like the headline but it is difficult to find good coverage of the protests. Strange.]

From Dogster: Remembering Heroic 9/11 Dogs: 6 Incredible Stories

BREAKING. From the Times Of Israel: Lebanese media reports IDF drone strike, artillery fire in south Lebanon. From Shafaq: Israel rejects Lebanon clause in US-Iran nuclear deal. "...asserting that Tel Aviv will not accept any arrangement limiting its freedom to act against Hezbollah."

AI. From Hacker News: Researchers Build Self-Replicating AI Worm That Operates Entirely on Local, Open-Weight Models. [Ed: very dangerous.] From Wired: A Court Has Ruled That Google Is Liable for False Statements Generated by AI Overviews. [Ed: Oh Boy.] From Futurism: Visa Officially Allowing AI Agents to Go Ham With Your Credit Card. This will in no way backfire.

Everyday Finances. From AP: One Way to Push Back on High Prices: Repair Cafes. Across the world, volunteers are helping neighbors fix busted items instead of tossing them. [Ed: Brad is involved in a local repair group.] From Schiff Gold: As Inflation Keeps Rising, Americans Have No Savings. "American households are plummeting to razor-thin financial margins as the personal savings rate falls to numbers last seen before COVID." From the Epoch Times: Why The Millionaire Next Door Drives A Used Car - And What That Teaches About Real Wealth. [Ed: status v. wealth.]

From Lew Rockwell: Since Lockdowns, a 12% GDP Loss; Half of US Dollar Purchasing Power Stolen. [Ed: by Jeff Tucker. Odd to see him posted at Lew Rockwell.]

From Newsweek: Man Brings Injured Dog To Shelter at 4 A. M.—Then Does Something Unexpected

Israel. From Al Jazeera: Amnesty calls for Israel boycott over aggression in the occupied West Bank [Ed: Video. Israel will listen only to the U.S.] From Andolu Agency: Israel expanding Gaza ‘yellow line’ to derail ceasefire talks, says Hamas. [Ed: well, duh. And bombing Lebanon, too.] From Caitlin Johnstone: Under The Western Empire You Get Punished For Having A Conscience.

From the New York Post: Influx of out-of-state agitators with links to dark money group among Delaney Hall arrests: ‘Organized anarchy’. [Ed: the same thing happened with the Vietnam War protests, of course.]

From the Most Important News: Steven Spielberg Believes That Disclosure Day Will Greatly Shake The Faith Of Christians All Over The Globe. Would undeniable evidence of alien life cause large numbers of people to abandon what they believe about God? [Ed: is part of the movie's favorable reception come from the media's hope that it does?]

G7. From Eastern Herald: Carney Tells the G7 the Post-Cold War Order Is Breaking Down. He’s Bringing Kenya, Brazil, India and Egypt to the Table. [Ed: said at a pre-G7 conference in Dublin. G7 itself is June 15-17 in Evian, France.] From Gulf Times: G7 Summit of Evian: Testing Unity, Credibility of World's Major Economic Powers - Report. [Ed: Trump will be in attendance and has already scheduled side-meetings, with Macron for example.] From Global Nation: Protests set to grip Geneva ahead of G7 summit. [Ed: as I said, Trump will be in attendance.] From France24: Thousands Protest Ahead of G7 Summit. Coalition includes opponents of imperialism, supporters of independent media. [Ed: Swiss and French have 1000s of police in the streets of Evian.]

From the Future of Freedom: America’s Exit Tax Is an Unconstitutional Violation of Human Rights, Part 1 [Ed: my latest for Jacob Hornberger.]

From Newsweek: Owner Receives Dog’s Report Card From Daycare, Learns Something Unexpected

From the BBC: US kills leader of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang in airstrike, Trump says [Ed: and the new leader of Venezuela is in Trump's pocket.]

Upcoming U.S. Elections. From Jonathan Turley: Drinking the Court-Packing Kool-Aid: Buttigieg Joins the Calls to Take Over the Supreme Court. "As the party becomes more radicalized, any candidate expressing doubts over radical demands like court packing is unlikely to make it out of the primaries." [Ed: Buttigieg has no chance.] From Mish Talk: What Are the Odds Trump’s Executive Order Blocking Mail-In Votes Stands? [Ed: none. Only Congress stands a chance of making this stick.]

From Reason: Your Uber Driver May Soon Be Unionized. At What Cost? It is in part an attempt to treat gig workers as full-scale employees rather than independent contractors. Drivers and riders will pay the price.

From CBS News: Violence erupts at Knicks celebration in Times Square as crowd lights school bus on fire From FOX News: The Athletic bewilderingly celebrates 'Zohran Mamdani sports summer' after New York Knicks win NBA Finals. The New York Times-owned outlet posted on X celebrating the politician's fandom of both championship teams

From Zero Hedge: UK Intercepts 'Russian Shadow' Fleet Vessel in Unprecedented English Channel Commando Boarding. "In the first U.K.-led operation of its kind, the vessel SMYRTOS was boarded by Royal Marine Commandos..." While there's nothing new in terms of an 'illicit' Russian tanker seizure in European waters, it is rare or even unprecedented that such an action occurred in the English Channel, so close to Britain's shores. [Ed: this is an act of war committed one day before the G&.]

From Dogman Ray: From Commerce to Canines