Hezbollah Rejects Extension of U.S.-Brokered Ceasefire Between Israel and Lebanon
JUN 05, 2026
Israeli attacks across Lebanon have killed at least six people so far today, despite the announcement of an extension of the U.S.-brokered so-called ceasefire. The agreement between Israeli and Lebanese diplomats seeks to create zones inside Lebanon in which Hezbollah operatives would be banned. Hezbollah has not been part of the negotiations, which the group’s leader Naim Qassem has rejected as a “farce.” On Thursday, Qassem also warned of more retaliatory attacks unless Israel agrees to a comprehensive ceasefire and withdraws from southern Lebanon. Over 3,500 people have now been killed and more than 10,000 injured in Israeli strikes on Lebanon since early March.
Meanwhile, U.S. lawmakers have voted down a resolution seeking to block U.S. military support for Israel’s assault on Lebanon. On Thursday, 91 House Democrats joined nearly all Republicans in a vote of 324 to 92 to defeat the resolution authored by Michigan Congressmember Rashida Tlaib, who forced the vote over what she called Israel’s “genocidal war on Lebanon.”
Senate Approves $70 Billion in Additional ICE and Border Patrol Funding
JUN 05, 2026
Senate Republicans have rammed through a $70 billion budget reconciliation package to fund Trump’s immigration crackdown through 2029. This is in addition to the $170 billion already approved for ICE and Border Patrol last year as part of Trump’s so-called One Big Beautiful Bill. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska was the sole Republican to vote against the package early Friday morning. The legislation does not include language that would permanently bar the Trump administration from creating a $1.8 billion slush fund for Trump’s MAGA allies, a ban that was backed even by some Republicans. The legislation now heads to the House.
This comes as detained immigrants continue to raise alarm over the inhumane, unsanitary and dangerous conditions they face in ICE jails nationwide and amid a record number of deaths in ICE custody since Trump’s return to office. At least 18 immigrants have died in ICE custody since the beginning of this year alone. Meanwhile, The Washington Post reports ICE plans to stop reporting deaths of immigrants that occur within 30 days of being released from custody.
WFP Warns Strait of Hormuz Closure Has Pushed Millions More into Hunger
JUN 05, 2026
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says there will be no peace in the region until Israeli forces withdraw from Lebanon, and has reaffirmed its support for Hezbollah. This comes as the World Food Programme warns millions of people face acute hunger due to soaring costs and shortages of fuel and fertilizer due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The U.N. agency warns the crisis has pushed an additional 2.5 million people in Somalia, 1.3 million in Sri Lanka and 2.3 million in Afghanistan into acute food insecurity.
Israeli Strike on Gaza Leaves Family of Five Burned Alive in Their Home
JUN 05, 2026
In the Gaza Strip, Al Jazeera reports a Palestinian family of five was burned alive as they slept in their beds when Israel bombed their home in Gaza City overnight. They were among nine people killed in the attack. This is a Palestinian man who lost his daughter and his two grandchildren.
Rabah Lubbad: “The war did not end. It is a hoax. The war did not end. They are fooling people. Nothing ended. There are martyrs every day. There are martyrs in all places in Gaza every day. What war ended? The war ended from one side only.”
Since October, when Israel agreed, on paper, to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Hamas, it has killed nearly 950 Palestinians in near-constant attacks on Gaza. Nearly 3,000 others have been wounded.
Trump Administration Scraps Ocean Sensors That Track Climate Change and Predict Storms
JUN 05, 2026
Image Credit: Rebecca Travis © WHOI
The Trump administration has begun dismantling the Ocean Observatories Initiative, a network of ocean floor sensors that collect critical data on marine ecosystems, ocean currents and the climate crisis. The National Science Foundation said this week it will decommission more than 900 deep-sea sensors installed a decade ago. Its closure was recommended by the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 playbook for Trump’s presidency. Scientists warn the move will severely degrade efforts to monitor changing climate patterns and could negatively affect weather forecasting and extreme weather alerts.
Trump Administration Seeks More Control Over Scientific Research Grants
JUN 05, 2026
Image Credit: National Institutes of Health
The Trump administration has proposed rule changes to the Federal Register that would give the president and his political appointees far more power to decide how billions of dollars of scientific research grants are awarded. Draft regulations released by the Office of Management and Budget would give partisan political appointees oversight over how grants are awarded to scientists researching everything from vaccine safety to LGBTQ+ health to the climate crisis. Trump appointees would also have the power to terminate active projects and could limit international scientific collaborations. The American Association for the Advancement of Science condemned the proposed rule as a “brazen power grab” and said it would make future discoveries less likely. The Union of Concerned Scientists warned, “It could also give politically connected industries a functional veto over research that might reveal risks associated with products and practices.”
White House Announces $700 Million in Federal Funds for Coal Industry
JUN 05, 2026
The White House has announced funding for construction of what would be the first new U.S. coal plants in 13 years. On Thursday, President Trump announced $700 million in new federal funding for the coal industry during an Oval Office gathering with Republican governors and Cabinet members.
President Donald Trump: “If you look at China, if you look at so many of the successful countries, they’re using coal. If you look at some of the real great failures countries, they’re using wind. Just keeps blowing, blowing, blowing and puts you right out of business.”
This week, attorneys general from seven states sued the Trump administration over its efforts to cancel a major offshore wind lease off the coast of New York.
Lawmaker Grills Marco Rubio over Trump’s Apparent Naps at Public Events
JUN 05, 2026
President Trump appeared to struggle to remain awake during his appearance in the Oval Office on Thursday, closing his eyes for extended periods of time and at one point slumping in his chair at the Resolute Desk. It’s the latest in a series of public events where Trump appeared to doze off in full view of the White House press corps. On Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified to a House committee that he’d never seen President Trump fall asleep. That prompted California Congressmember Ted Lieu to accuse Rubio of “lying to Congess.” Lieu then played video from a December Cabinet meeting where Rubio praised Trump’s leadership while the president appeared to fall into a slumber.
Rep. Ted Lieu: “You are literally talking about issues of war and peace, and Donald Trump is sleeping right next to you.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio: “No, he’s not.”
Rep. Ted Lieu: “If Donald Trump cannot stay awake at these important meetings where the cameras are rolling, imagine what he’s like when the cameras are not there. So, I’m going to ask you: Have you been at classified meetings where Donald Trump has fallen asleep” —
Secretary of State Marco Rubio: “I’ve never been at any meeting” —
Rep. Ted Lieu: — “or had trouble staying awake?”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio: “I’ve never been at any meeting where — and the things you’re showing me now, he was not falling asleep.”
Kalshi Reports Disgraced Former Congressman George Santos for Insider Trading
JUN 05, 2026
The online “prediction markets” platform known as Kalshi has reported the disgraced former Republican Congressmember George Santos to federal authorities on suspicion of insider trading. Two sources familiar with the investigation say Kalshi contacted the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Department of Justice after Santos placed bets on whether or not he would attend the State of the Union address last February. Santos bet against his own attendance — after posting this video to his hundreds of thousands of social media followers.
George Santos: “I’m going to be there for the State of the Union in the gallery, guys. Just chill, trolls. Chill. OK?”
Santos was expelled from Congress in 2023 and pleaded guilty last year to wire fraud, identity theft, lying to Congress, stealing money from campaign donors and fraudulent unemployment claims. He was released from federal prison in October after President Trump commuted his seven-year sentence. It’s not clear whether Santos will face new criminal charges.
This comes after President Trump lashed out at prominent politicians who’ve sought to regulate or ban Kalshi and similar platforms. Writing on his Truth Social site after Minnesota last month became the first state to ban prediction markets, Trump called Governor Tim Walz ”SCUM,” along with Chris Christie, Letitia James, and JB Pritzker. Trump added, “Other Countries are after this new form of Financial Market, and we want to remain at the top. Likewise, and even more importantly, where we are currently the Crypto (Bitcoin, etc.) Capital of the World, other Countries are trying diligently to replace us in that capacity, but we won’t let that happen.”
Democrats Oppose Rule Change Allowing Crypto and Private Equity Investments in Pension Funds
JUN 05, 2026
Democratic lawmakers are urging the Trump administration to scrap a proposal making it easier for 401(k)s and other retirement plans to offer investments in cryptocurrency, private equity and so-called alternative assets. In a letter to the Labor Department, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders and Congressmember Bobby Scott warn, “This would strip long-held investor protections from retirement savers and encourage the use of more risky, complex, and expensive investments. The proposed rule is harmful to American workers.”
Residents of Monterey Park, California, Vote to Ban Data Centers
JUN 05, 2026
In California, voters in the city of Monterey Park have approved a measure that permanently bans the construction of new data centers, defeating a proposal to build a massive new artificial intelligence site near a residential neighborhood. It’s the first time a municipality has banned a data center through a direct ballot initiative.
This comes as new research from the U.N. University warns that, by 2030, global data centers are projected to consume 945 terawatt-hours of electricity — or nearly triple what Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nigeria consume annually, combined. The report also finds data centers’ water footprint will equal the basic annual domestic water needs of all 1.3 billion people in sub-Saharan Africa.
GOP Congressman Wins Uncontested New Jersey Primary Even Though He Hasn’t Been Seen in Months
JUN 05, 2026
In New Jersey, Republican Congressmember Tom Kean Jr. won an uncontested primary election on Tuesday — even though he has not been seen in public in over three months. Kean’s campaign has offered little explanation for his absence, saying only that it’s due to a “personal medical condition” and that it might be several more weeks before Kean is healthy enough to return to Capitol Hill. Kean won the endorsement of President Trump, who praised him on social media as “working tirelessly,” while adding, “HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” Kean has missed over 100 votes since his disappearance in early March.
Pam Bondi Testified Todd Blanche “Was in Charge” of “Entire Release” of Epstein Files
JUN 05, 2026
The House Oversight Committee has released a transcript of Pam Bondi’s testimony from a closed-door interview with lawmakers last month, revealing that the former attorney general sought to lay responsibility for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files at the feet of her former deputy, Todd Blanche. Blanche once served as President Trump’s lead criminal defense attorney, before Trump tapped him as deputy attorney general under Bondi. After Trump fired Bondi in May, Trump elevated Blanche to acting attorney general and has nominated him to permanently replace Bondi. According to the transcript, Bondi said of Todd Blanche, “He was in charge of the process and the entire release of the Epstein files.”
Peruvians March Against Keiko Fujimori Ahead of Presidential Vote, Warning of Return to Dictatorship
JUN 05, 2026
In Peru, voters head to the polls for a presidential election Sunday that pits a leftist lawmaker against the daughter of a former dictator. Keiko Fujimori is the daughter of Peru’s late ruler Alberto Fujimori. She faces Roberto Sánchez in a runoff election for the presidency. Sánchez has proposed drafting a new constitution to replace the current document, which was created under Fujimori’s government in 1993. Ahead of the vote, protesters marched against Keiko Fujimori, demanding justice. This is Indira Huilca, a former congressmember and the daughter of a union leader who was killed under the regime of Alberto Fujimori.
Indira Huilca Flores: “Fujimorism has already captured the institutions, has already destroyed many democratic institutions. And that is why, in this election, what we can choose is to give total power to Keiko Fujimori or open a path to rebuild democracy in our country.”
Colorado Appeals Court Reverses Homicide Convictions of Paramedics in Elijah McClain’s Death
JUN 05, 2026
Image Credit: The McClain family
A Colorado appeals court has reversed the homicide convictions of two paramedics in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain, an unarmed 23-year-old Black man. McClain had been walking home from a convenience store when he was assaulted by Aurora police and put in a chokehold, before paramedics administered a fatal dose of ketamine into his body. McClain went into cardiac arrest on his way to the hospital and died several days later. On Thursday, the Colorado Court of Appeals ordered new trials for the two paramedics, Peter Cichuniec and Jeremy Cooper. Cichuniec had been sentenced to five years in prison; Cooper avoided any prison time.
Marjane Satrapi, Author of Comic Memoir “Persepolis” About Life in Iran, Dies at 56
JUN 05, 2026
The French Iranian artist, filmmaker and graphic novelist Marjane Satrapi has died at the age of 56. In a statement, her relatives said she had “died of sadness” after the passing of her husband, Swedish producer Mattias Ripa, last year. Tributes have poured in from around the world honoring Satrapi, whose comic memoir “Persepolis,” about a rebellious young Iranian girl navigating life following the 1979 revolution, became an international phenomenon. In 2024, Satrapi spoke to Democracy Now! just after Iranians elected Masoud Pezeshkian as president.
Marjane Satrapi: “All the elected representatives of this country have their hand in the blood of the Iranian people, more or less, but they have their blood on the hand. Iranian young people, women, from all walks of life, they expressed a desire for a true secular democracy. And this regime will never change.”
Click here to see our interview with Marjane Satrapi.
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