U.S. pulls the plug on Cuban oil giant CUPET in sweeping new sanctions
"The U.S. government announced strict new sanctions on Thursday against Unión Cuba-Petróleo (CUPET), Cuba’s state-owned oil and gas company. The move freezes all of the company’s property in the United States and makes it illegal for any American citizen or business to conduct financial or trade transactions with the energy firm.
The penalties fall under Executive Order 14404, which President Trump signed on May 1. U.S. officials say the sanctions are a direct response to how the Cuban government is managing the island’s severe energy crisis.
According to the official press statement, “energy has long been weaponized by Cuba’s Communist government as a tool of both repression and self-serving regime kleptocracy.”
The U.S. government accuses Cuban leaders of taking scarce fuel meant for the public and reselling it on the secondary market. Officials also claim the regime hoards energy for its military and intelligence agencies, prioritizing power for luxury tourist hotels while regular citizens deal with relentless blackouts and wait weeks to fill up their cars. The government also noted that some of CUPET’s main assets were originally seized from American owners years ago." msn
FBI nabs first 'most wanted fraudster' accused of stealing over $4.2M meant for child care"The FBI busted the first suspect from its new “Most Wanted Fraudsters” list Wednesday, nabbing former Minneapolis deli owner Said Abdullahi Ereg, who is accused of swindling $4.2 million from the Federal Child Nutrition Program during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ereg, 47, surrendered to authorities less than a week after being placed on the FBI’s roster of shame and faces charges of money laundering, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
“Today’s arrest is historic – the first ever arrest of a subject on our Most Wanted Fraudsters List released last week with the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement.
“Said Abdullahi Ereg, wanted on federal charges since 2024, was taken into custody this afternoon in Minnesota after he allegedly stole over $4 million from the Federal Child Nutrition Program during the COVID-19 pandemic from 2020-2021."NYP
Trump Says "Secret Military Mission" Allowed 200 Ships, 100 Million Barrels To Cross Hormuz
"Trump posted on Truth Social that he had "directed our Great U.S. Military to execute a secret mission to support Oil Tankers and other Commercial Ships through the Strait of Hormuz." Trump added that "this effort has resulted in more than 100 MILLION Barrels of Oil making its way through the Strait, and into the Open Market. More than 200 Commercial Ships have safely traveled through the Strait," which would explain why oil prices have remained low and confirms what Goldman's Delta One head, Rich Privorotsky, wrote this morning, namely that "a lot has been thrown at the oil market and it’s simply not going up, which is remarkable given the level of escalation. The only conclusion that really fits the price action is that barrels are still getting through the Strait of Hormuz, visibly or otherwise. There doesn’t seem to be a more rational explanation."
"This wildly successful effort is because the UNITED STATES of AMERICA CONTROLS the Strait of Hormuz — NOT Iran" Trump concluded." ZeroHedge
U.S. revokes Iran's World Cup ticket allocations, two days before tournament starts"Iran's football federation on Tuesday said the U.S. has revoked its allocation of tickets for its World Cup group games, two days before the tournament is set to begin.The federation accused the U.S. of obstructing the attendance of Iranian supporters under the shadow of a bitter diplomatic row.
The U.S. has presented a number of bureaucratic hurdles for Iran at the global football spectacle, including refusing to issue visas for some of its support staff, as the two countries remain at war.
'With less than three days remaining until the start of the 2026 World Cup... the United States has once again acted to obstruct the presence of Iranian supporters at the stadiums hosting the national team's three group stage matches,' the federation said in a statement." msn
Trump Salutes and Smiles During National Anthem Before NBA Finals Game 3
"Donald Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to attend an NBA Finals game, and the first glimpse the television audience had of him showed the nation’s chief executive saluting the national anthem.
The president delivered on his promise to return to his native city and watch his favorite team, the New York Knicks, take on the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden. And as the cameras caught the president in his suite during the anthem, he saluted." Breitbart
U.S. Forces Shoot Down Iranian Missiles Targeting Gulf Neighbors
"Iran lashed out at its neighbors Saturday after U.S. forces downed missiles Iran launched at targets in the Strait of Hormuz.
“U.S. forces intercepted multiple Iranian ballistic missiles and drones launched by Iran toward the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf neighbors,” U.S. Central Command posted on X.
“Iran fired seven ballistic missiles toward Kuwait and Bahrain hours after U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones that were launched toward the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM said." Western Journal
Beat the Press: Trump Ends NBC Interview Slams ‘Crooked’ Show
"Sunday President Donald Trump ended an NBC “Meet the Press” interview with host Kristen Welker saying calling the network “one-sided” and “crooked.”
The interview, which took place during Trump’s campaign stop in Wisconsin over the weekend, covered a number of topics before it concluded early. The two discussed issues such as the Iran conflict, costs of living and the president’s proposed “weaponization fund” aimed at compensating victims of Biden-era prosecutorial overreach.
Tensions rose during discussion over the latter topic after Trump laidout his reasoning for proposing the fund. He indicated that individuals “hurt so badly by radical left lunatics” should receive compensation for the aggressive, unprecedented treatment of the Biden Administration’s political enemies while left-wing rioters frequently attack federal agents and are not prosecuted with the same fervor.
The conversation also turned tense on the topic of California’s ongoing elections, which are expected to take several weeks due to counting of mail-in voting. California’s weeks-long vote-counting process is among the longest in the industrialized world, with “vote drops” radically favoring one candidate or another the longer counting takes.
California’s process has been under the microscope primarily due to the Los Angeles mayoral race, as former reality TV star Spencer Pratt now appears poised to miss the runoff after seemingly clinching victory on Election Day. Pratt’s now evaporated lead was so wide that his opponent practically conceded before overwhelmingly winning several “vote drops.”
“The election was rigged. It was a dirty election. And it’s happening again right now in California,” Trump said in reference to the 2020 election and California’s current process. “It’s four days and they aren’t even close to coming up with the — do you know why they’re doing that? Because they’re cheating on the election.”
Welker responded that this did not constitute evidence, claiming that California’s mail-in voting system and counting procedures explain delays. Tensions rose as Welker continued to seek details, at which point Trump criticized the interview process for being overly hostile and biased.
TRUMP: You play right into their hands with this stuff. You know that these elections are rigged. Your network knows that they’re rigged. Do you know that I won an election in a landslide and I got 94% bad press.
WELKER: But Mr. President –
TRUMP: You know why I got that?
WELKER: – you’ve never presented –
TRUMP: Because you have no credibility.
WELKER: -evidence. But you’ve never presented evidence it was rigged. Let’s keep talking about, I want to talk about Todd Blanche.
TRUMP: You have more evidence, there’s more evidence than ever presented.
WELKER: Let’s talk about–
TRUMP: Your elections in this country –
WELKER: – you went to court.
TRUMP: We’re like a third-world country.
WELKER: But sir –
TRUMP: Your elections are crooked and you’re crooked, and “Meet the Press” is crooked.
WELKER: But Mr. President–
TRUMP: And so is ABC and CBS and CNN.
WELKER: But Mr. President–
TRUMP: You’re a one-sided crooked network. Sorry. Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough. Thank you, darling. Have a good time.
WELKER: Mr. President, let’s – please, I traveled all the way to Wisconsin.
TRUMP: I’ve sat in the rain with you–
WELKER: I traveled all – I know. I traveled all the way–
TRUMP: I sat in the rain with you for an hour.
WELKER: –to Wisconsin.
TRUMP: On and off in the rain, and I’ve given you enough time. You ought to straighten out your press, because you know what?
WELKER: Mr. President–
TRUMP: A country can never be great with a dishonest press.
WELKER: – we traveled all – listen. We traveled all the way to Wisconsin for this interview." Breitbart
U.S.-Nigeria raid kills 199 ISIS suspects
"U.S. and Nigerian forces killed 199 suspected ISIS fighters, including Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, in a secret operation.
The mission reflects deepening counterterrorism ties, with multiple follow-up strikes targeting ISWAP strongholds in Nigeria.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth identified al-Minuki as being responsible for killing Christians in Nigeria. Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, a senior commander in the Islamic State West Africa Province, was killed in Metele." msn
Iran told to leave U.S. within 24 hours of World Cup matches as coaching staff visas are denied
"Iran have been told they must enter and leave US soil on the same day of matches while ‘integral’ members of their coaching staff have been denied visas to the World Cup.The country’s ambassador to Mexico, where the squad is staying thanks to the ongoing conflict with the US, said on Saturday that their players would have to be in and out of the US within 24 hours.
Iran – whose group matches are in Los Angeles and Seattle – were due to stay in Tucson, Arizona but will now fly in.
U.S. officials said visas have been issued to all players and ‘necessary support staff’ ahead of their 15 June opener.
They added that Iran would not be allowed to ‘abuse this system to sneak terrorists into the United States under false pretenses’." msn
Iran rejects Trump's proposal for meeting with Khamenei
"Iran’s foreign minister ruled out a meeting between Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and President Trump, calling the idea unrealistic. The rejection comes during a fragile ceasefire and ongoing talks to end hostilities, with the nuclear issue remaining a central sticking point. The U.S. seeks control over Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, while Iran refuses to send it abroad, complicating potential agreements." msn
U.S. employers added 172,000 jobs in May, an unexpectedly strong showing
"The U.S. economy added 172,000 jobs in May, a surprisingly strong gain for the economy, even as employers grapple with elevated prices.
“Today’s report was unambiguously good,” said Laura Ullrich, Indeed’s director of economic research. “We did see more broad-based [job] increases than what we’ve seen in more recent months. …"
Meanwhile, the Trump administration rushed to praised the strong job gains. “OUTSTANDING JOBS NUMBERS!” the White House posted on X." msn
Three U.S. nationals arrested on charges of allegedly conspiring to provide material support to ISIS
"The Department of Justice announced that three U.S. citizens were arrested on charges of allegedly plotting to finance ISIS's terrorist operations against U.S. service members.
Bisaam Ghafoor, 21, of Leawood, Kansas; Elias Shamsaldeen, 21, of Porterville, California; and Bereen Dzayee, 25, of Lakeside, California, were arrested early Friday by the FBI over an alleged plan to hatch a cryptocurrency scheme to buy RPGs and drones for the purpose of financially supporting terrorism. All three men allegedly expressed a willingness to die for the ISIS cause and collectively donated over $2,000 to a person they believed to be a member of ISIS." msn
Energy Department says advanced nuclear reactor first to reach critical milestone
"The Energy Department says a small nuclear reactor under development at a national lab has reached a crucial milestone that could allow it to produce electricity within a few years.
The microreactor being developed by Antares Nuclear Inc. at the Idaho National Lab reached “criticality” on Thursday, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said. The milestone occurs when a nuclear reactor achieves a self-sustaining chain reaction capable of producing a steady release of energy." Newsweek
Trump expands TrumpRx prescription drug discount program to more than 800 medications
"President Donald Trump on Friday announced a major expansion of his administration's initiative aimed at helping Americans access discounted prescription medications.
In a Truth Social post, Trump said the government-backed website TrumpRx.gov has added 160 prescription drugs, bringing the total number of discounted medications available through the program to more than 800." FOX
Rubio Backs Bolivia's Government As Protests Trigger Food, Fuel Shortages
"The United States has pledged additional emergency assistance to Bolivia as protests and road blockades deepen shortages of food, fuel, and medical supplies across the South American country.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz on June 4 and discussed efforts to address growing shortages caused by nationwide unrest.
“The Secretary noted the United States is ramping up emergency assistance and logistics operations support in Bolivia to help those facing acute food and medical shortages due to illegal roadblocks intended to destabilize Bolivian society,” U.S. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said on June 4.
Pigott said Rubio reaffirmed “the United States’ unwavering commitment to support Bolivia’s democracy and the Paz Administration” as the country works through a political and economic crisis.
Paz’s government faces mounting pressure from labor unions, peasant groups, miners, and supporters of former Bolivian President Evo Morales, who have staged protests and road blockades across the country." ZeroHedge
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