For First Time in 20 Years, Majority of Russians Say Economy is Worsening

For the first time since 2006, a majority of Russian adults believe their local economy and living standards are worsening, as wartime growth slows and labor shortages intensify.

READ MORE

Norway To Ban AI for Elementary School Pupils

Norway's government announced a near-ban on generative AI for elementary school pupils aged 6-13, proposing more funding for books over tablets, starting in the fall term.

READ MORE

How the UAE Arms Sudan's RSF

UN investigators and defectors reveal an illicit weapons bridge built by the UAE to sustain the RSF:

▪️Darfur gold finances operations
▪️Covert air hubs in Chad & Libya
▪️Cargo includes Chinese drones & UK-origin arms

READ MORE

JD Vance:

One of the things I learned in the United States Marine Corps serving from '03 to '07 is that we sometimes had leaders who would ask you all to go to war but would not give you a clear mission on the other end.

And one of the reasons why I'm proudest of what the President of the United States has done over these last 18 months is because, when he has asked you to go to war, he has given you a defined mission, he's asked you to go and accomplish it, and, most importantly, he's given you the tools to kick the hell out of the enemy and to come home safely.

Syrian President Sharaa Finalizes Country's First Post-Assad Parliament

Ahmed al-Sharaa appointed the final 70 lawmakers to the 210-seat body, as the transitional legislature prepares to convene on Monday to draft a new constitution.

READ MORE

JD Vance on Iran:

Iranians are further away from developing a nuclear bomb than they have ever been since basically the last 20-30 years.

JD Vance on Iran:

There are people in this country who want to keep going and keep going.

Why do we engage in negotiation? It's not out of weakness, but it's out of strength.

JD Vance on Iran:

What I noticed about the people who are attacking the administration for negotiating is that they are the very same people who encouraged us to drop a few more bombs on places like Afghanistan.

Those people refused to say what we were dropping bombs for.

JD Vance on Iran:

We dropped some bombs a couple of days ago. You know why? Because the Iranians were shooting at commercial ships.

We dropped some bombs, we applied some leverage, and we've had free commercial transit for the last three days.

JD Vance on Iran:

If the Iranians try to rebuild the nuclear program, the President's got options.

If the Iranians try to threaten their neighbors or fund terrorism, we've got options.

But what we must never do is drop bombs just for the sake of dropping bombs. And that is what the President will never ask you to do.

He'll ask you to go to war, yes. But when he asks you to go to war, he'll tell you exactly what you're going for. And I think that is what you should expect out of your political leadership.

Reporter: Can you commit that the U.S. won't return to full-fledged combat operations before the 60-day clock on the MOU is up?

JD Vance: Trump is not going to send our military back in unless he has to.

JD Vance on Iran:

We are worried about the nuclear issue.

We're gonna start talking about that.

Trump:

BIG NEWS! Micron, a truly GREAT American Company, and one of the “HOTTEST” anywhere in the World, has announced a HISTORIC $250 MILLION Investment in TRUMP ACCOUNTS.

This incredible gesture, made by Micron’s fantastic CEO, Sanjay Mehrotra, will make many children extremely happy some day in the not too distant future.

This is the BIGGEST CORPORATE Investment of its kind, and will help jumpstart the American Dream for these fabulous children as we celebrate America's 250th Anniversary! This MASSIVE Investment will help MILLIONS of American children and families get a strong start in life, and give them REAL Financial Security.

Micron is investing directly in the American Worker and Family! This is exactly what the fabulously successful TRUMP ACCOUNTS were created to do — Give every American Child a headstart, and a real chance to succeed.

My Policies are WORKING, and working “BIG.” Our Country is doing far better than any country, anywhere in the World, and Companies like Micron are proving it every single day. THIS IS THE GOLDEN AGE OF AMERICA! Thank you for your attention to this matter.

JD Vance on Iran:

In the Iranian system, you got people who recognize that the last 47 years of their government has been a mistake.

And you got a few people who are still attached to the old ways.

We see a lot of momentum for the people who are trying to turn over a new leaf.

JD Vance:

Sometimes the Supreme Court makes mistakes.

We're gonna try to correct that mistake, but nobody is perfect, including the Supreme Court.

JD Vance jokes:

You know what I'm thinking as I'm coming down the steps is, don't fall and bust your ass in front of all of you, and in front of all these cameras, because they would never let me live that one down.

I've got the angel on my shoulder saying, "JD, don't be partisan. We're going to make this nonpartisan."

And then I've got the devil on my shoulder who wants to talk about every time that Joe Biden fell up or down the stairs.

German carmaker Volkswagen is examining the sale of Audi's 8.33% stake in FC Bayern München AG as part of its major austerity program.

Porsche's stake in VfB Stuttgart is also under review; engagements with VfL Wolfsburg.

The news lands directly on top of last week's report that Volkswagen is preparing to slash 100,000 jobs, with the plan set to go before its supervisory board on July 9.

Source: CORRECTIV

US tries to talk Iran out of Hormuz tolls as Doha talks resume.

US and Iranian negotiators are in Doha for talks focused primarily on the Strait of Hormuz, with Washington arguing Iran stands to gain far more from a nuclear deal than from charging tolls on shipping.

"The US message to Iran was 'Think bigger,'" a US official said — arguing that lifting sanctions under a broader deal would be "100 times more valuable" than "using a gangster tactic to try and charge a toll."

Source: Axios

French Dassault’s CEO Éric Trappier says "the bridges are cut" on Eurodrone:

Airbus told us 'out.'

Well, we don't agree. So we are discussing the reasons why we are out.

I can no longer tell you where the program is, since the bridges are cut, in the programmatic sense of the term.

A Eurodrone over the Sahel — it flies for a long time, it observes well, it must have relevance.

A Eurodrone in an armed conflict where the sky is not completely mastered — it's surely a fairly easy target.

I understood that the French didn't want to buy Eurodrones anymore.

Will it stop, will it not stop — I can't tell you.

NEW: US Navy MH-60S Seahawk crashes in Arabian Sea; one crewmember missing.

A US Navy MH-60S Seahawk helicopter assigned to the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush conducted an emergency water landing in the Arabian Sea early Wednesday, US 5th Fleet said.

Three of the four crew members have been recovered in stable condition. A search is underway for the fourth.

The 5th Fleet said there is no indication the emergency was caused by hostile action, and that the cause is under investigation.

It is the second US military helicopter crash in the region in recent weeks.

An Army AH-64 Apache went down in the Gulf of Oman on June 9; President Trump said Iranian forces shot it down, and the crew was rescued by a Corsair drone boat.

Spain Orders Blacklist of US Tech Giant Palantir From Public and Private Companies

The Spanish government blacklisted Palantir due to growing concerns over the potential misuse of classified national security information.

READ MORE