🇺🇸⚡️- The Trump Administration is putting pressure on the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to design a $250 bill with President Trump’s portrait in commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary, per WaPo.

🇺🇸🇬🇹⚡- “Guatemala has agreed to carry out joint strikes with the United States military inside its territory to target drug trafficking groups, according to three people familiar with the talks, in a further expansion of the Trump administration’s military campaign across Latin America.

Last week, President Bernardo Arévalo of Guatemala agreed to both airstrikes and other military action in a call with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, two of those people said, with operations to start as early as next month.” - NYT.

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡️- "The US Treasury Department continues our Economic Fury campaign against the Iranian regime.

Their troops are not getting paid, the police are not reporting for work, and Kharg Island is shut down. The Iranian economy and currency are in free fall.

Iran’s Persian Gulf Strait Authority (PGSA) is a joke, and today Treasury has sanctioned it. We have warned any corporate or state entities against paying tolls or hiding them as aid payments.

Forming a Wall of Steel, the U.S. Naval Blockade has ensured a record low amount of Iranian crude on the water. We will also be shutting down both Iranian airlines’ access to landing spots, refueling, and ticket sales.

Only a satisfactory outcome in negotiations will end the downward spiral." - Scott Bessent, US Treasury Secretary.

🇱🇧🇮🇱⚡- "We are launching very strong strikes in Lebanon and we are working to find a solution to the threats of Hezbollah," - Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister.

🇱🇧🇮🇱⚡- "Yesterday we bombed Tyre, and today Beirut," - Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister.

🇱🇧🇮🇱⚡- "We crossed the Litani River [southern Lebanon]," - Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister.

🇱🇧🇮🇱⚡- Renewed Israeli airstrikes on Nabatieh, southern Lebanon.

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡️- "[The USS] Tripoli is among more than 20 U.S. warships currently enforcing the blockade against Iran. U.S. forces have now redirected 111 commercial vessels to ensure compliance." - US Central Command.

🇨🇭- Today's knife attack in Zurich happened shortly before the Swiss referendum on capping the Helvetic nation's population at 10 million residents, scheduled for June 14th.

Polls have shown it would be a tight vote, as between 44% and 48% of polled Swiss voters answered they would vote in favor of the referendum.

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡️- Axios reports that the US and Iran have reached a memorandum of understanding on a 60 day cease fire extension, pending Trumps approval. President Trump said he wanted a a few days to make a decision.

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡️- From Axios, the deal would include:

- Unrestricted access through the Strait of Hormuz with no tolls or intervention from Iran.

- The US naval blockade will also be lifted, but will be proportionate to the restoration of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

- A commitment from Iran not to pursue nuclear weapons.

- A commitment that the first issues negotiated during the 60 day window will be how to dispose of Iran's uranium, sanctioned relief and the release of frozen funds.

🇫🇷⚡️- Gabriel Attal, former centrist French Prime Minister and second heir to Macron, after Edouard Philippe, had an arrangement to validate his master's degree, as he failed to validate his cursus at SciencesPo.

Using connections to France's high society, a deal was struck to deliver him his diploma despite failing his fifth year twice.

🇫🇷⚡️- This is the fourth major reveal in two weeks about a candidate to the 2027 French Presidential elections.

Journalists, off the books, have implied a total war was ongoing behind the scenes of the French political landscape, with no sign of stopping.

🇱🇧🇮🇱⚡- Israeli jets over Beirut airspace.

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡️- 2 more weeks.

Make of it what you will, Barak Ravid, The Axios reporter who does these articles, is a Jew.

🇺🇸 - The US Marines have announced that the USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) and the USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28), the only amphibious assault group in the region, are now heading home from the Caribbean after an extended 10-month deployment.

Approximately 2,500 Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) will be replaced by the 24th MEU, who are onboard the USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) and are currently taking part in the Sail 250 event in New Orleans, and are expected to head south after the event ends on June 1st. It is currently unknown which other ships will deploy as part of the amphibious assault group, although they will likely be joined by an independently deployed ship already in the region.

A resupply Aircraft from the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) carrier group was seen moving through the Caribbean today, north of Venezuela, which is a rough indicator of the carrier group's current location.

🇺🇸🇴🇲🇮🇷⚡️- "The United States Government will not tolerate any effort to impose a tolling system in the Strait of Hormuz. Oman, in particular, should know that the U.S. Treasury will aggressively target any actors involved - directly or indirectly - in facilitating tolls for the Strait and any willing partners will be penalized. All nations should reject outright any efforts by Iran to disrupt the free flow of commerce. Tehran’s days of terrorizing the region and the world are over." - Scott Bessent, US Treasury Secretary.

🇺🇸🇮🇷⚡- "While an agreement was reached between Iranian negotiator Araghchi and the U.S. team led by Witkoff, it has not been approved by Iran’s senior leadership.

According to the report, Mojtaba Khamenei did not give approval, which may also be a factor in why President Trump has not given final consent," - i24.

🇺🇸🇮🇷🇴🇲⚡- "Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman ⁠Esmaeil Baghaei says Iran stands in solidarity with Oman, after Trump threatened to 'blow up' the country if it did not 'behave ⁠just like everybody ⁠else' with respect to control over the Strait of Hormuz," - al-Jazeera.

🇱🇻⚡️- After Former Prime Minister Evika Silina resigned, Andris Kulbergs has been confirmed as Latvia's new Prime Minister until the next parliamentary elections on October 3.

🇲🇦🇿🇦⚡️- Per the latest report by the African Developement Bank, Morocco has overtaken South Africa as Africa's most industrialized nation.

The ADB's report attributes the main cause of this evolution to the successful transition operated within Morocco's economy, which went from relying on phosphates and car exports to diversifying its industry and establishing an efficient aeronautics sector. Morocco's Tanger port also became Africa's most important port, per the report.

The ADB cited South Africa's turmoil and economical contraction as another core reason for the new balance of power within Africa's economies.