Tag: finance

In a Sunday morning press briefing, Trump’s Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth declared that “Iran’s nuclear ambitions have been obliterated” – but also asserted that the attack did not target the Iranian people or civilians. He hailed the “incredible and overwhelming success” – following President Trump last night saying the same thing. “It’s worth noting the operation did not target Iranian troops or the Iranian people.”

Hegseth said this is part of the commitment of this administration’s vision of “peace through strength”. He continued, “Many presidents have dreamed of delivering the final blow to Iran’s nuclear program, and none could, until President Trump.”

For the “bold and brilliant” operation, there was weeks of preparation and precision logistics and “misdirection” at the highest level, involving B-2 bombers going to hit, Hegseth described. “No other country on planet earth” could have conducted this operation.

He also underscored that the Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) was used for the first time in US combat history – also that it was the longest bomber mission of its kind since 2001.

“Just like [IRGC Quds Force General Qasem] Solemani found out in the first term, Iran found out when POTUS says ’60 days’ – that when he seeks peace and negotiation – he means 60 days of peace and negotiation, otherwise that nuclear program will not exist. He meant it.”

Hegseth then read aloud Trump’s post to Truth Social last night, soon after the three nuclear sites were struck:

“Any retaliation by Iran against the United States of America will be met with force far greater than what was witnessed tonight.”

That’s when the US Defense Secretary then warned, “Iran would be smart to heed those words. He said it before and he means it.” He tried to stress the ‘limited’ scope of the attack and urged the Iranians to come back to the negotiating table:

There are both public and private messages being delivered to the Iranians in multiple channels, giving them every opportunity to come to the negotiation table, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says at a Pentagon press briefing.

Scope of operation on Iran was “intentionally limited” Hegseth says he believes the US attack will have a clear psychological impact on how Iran views the future US strikes against Iran’s nuclear enrichment site at Fordow are believed to have destroyed capabilities there…

To review the details of what happened last night, the US deployed six B-2 bombers to drop 12 GBU-57 “bunker-buster” bombs on Iran’s heavily fortified Fordow nuclear site, marking the first time these massive 30,000-pound bombs were used in combat.

The enrichment sites at Natanz and Isfahan were also attacked. The mission lasted about 37 hours with multiple refueling missions.

While the White House is now claiming Iran’s nuclear facilities were “completely and totally obliterated,” officials say it’s too early to confirm the full extent of the damage.

America dropped six GBU-57 bunker buster bombs on the Fordow nuclear site pic.twitter.com/LaWrHm0c2d

— Vince Langman (@LangmanVince) June 22, 2025

Iran, along with international nuclear agencies, reported no radiation leaks, prompting skepticism about the strike’s effectiveness—particularly at Fordow, which is buried deep underground. Iranian officials said damage was minimal and mostly above ground. Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization vowed to continue its nuclear program, referring to assassinated nuclear scientists as “martyrs.”

Some degree of political backlash has quickly emerged over the lack of Congressional approval for the strikes. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, despite previously mocking Trump’s diplomatic efforts with Iran, called for a War Powers vote, criticizing the president’s unilateral military action without a clear strategy.

Via Remix News,

Belgian conservative-nationalist Dries Van Langenhove has again been sentenced on appeal to one year in prison as a suspended sentence for what the judge said were violations of the Racism and Negationism Act.

The sentence stems from racist memes that were not even posted by him, but by members of a group chat he administrated seven years ago.

The sentence was delivered today by the Court of Appeal in Ghent, although Van Langenhove does not accept the sentence, and the case now goes into cassation.

On X, Van Langenhove simply wrote, “Guilty. 12 months in jail. Madness.”

Guilty. 12 months in jail. Madness.

— Dries Van Langenhove (@DVanLangenhove) June 20, 2025

He later clarified upon receipt of the written verdict that the custodial sentence “appears to be a suspended sentence,” which he suspects is “most likely because the prisons in Belgium are literally full of illegal migrants.”

“Most people don’t realize that the end result of such a sentence is the same. One politically incorrect tweet can now put me in jail. One meme sent by someone else in a group chat I am in can turn the suspended sentence into an effective one. This suspended sentence is the gravest form of censorship they could pursue and an effective way to kill activism,” he added.

I just received the written verdict. It’s very long so it will take time to analyse everything, but the 12 month prison sentence appears to be a suspended sentence.

The irony is that I have been fighting against mass migration for well over a decade now, and it has gotten me a… pic.twitter.com/8aeAxzXsLz

— Dries Van Langenhove (@DVanLangenhove) June 20, 2025

Last year, Van Langenhove was sentenced to a one-year prison sentence and a fine of €16,000. He would also be sentenced to be deprived of his right to stand for election for a maximum term of 10 years, but he appealed this verdict in a lower court.

Van Langenhove ran a chat in 2018, but a broadcast from Pano news outlet showed how members exchanged thousands of potentially racist and sexist messages. This included several hundred memes or internet cartoons.

Van Langenhove contended they were jokes and indicated he did not post anything himself. Seven members of the group chat faced criminal prosecution.

Notably, the case in a country like the United States would have never gone to trial due to freedom of expression enshrined in the constitution. However, Belgium and a range of EU countries have not only beefed up hate speech laws but are also using them to prosecute political dissidents and anti-immigration activists, with Van Langenhove now one of the most high-profile targets.

After several delays, the Court of Appeal in Ghent delivered its sentence today.

Van Langenhove was convicted of violations of the Racism and Negationism Act, but the court argued that since the facts date from seven years ago, they merit a lighter sentence. The one-year prison sentence is fully postponed, and the fine is still €16,000. Van Langenhove will also not be deprived of his civil rights.

“It is a black day for free speech, for Flanders, and for Europe,” said Van Langenhove when he came out. “Me, my family, and my environment have been terrorized for humor in a private chat group for seven years. Unfortunately, the court never wanted to listen to me, even now.”

The court, however, found that Van Langenhove cannot use humor as a defense “if the real intention is to incite hatred.”

“In the private Facebook and Discord group, by the way, not only jokes and cartoons were sent, but also many other, ordinary messages that show that Shield & Friends (the chat group’s name) apparently and repeatedly proclaimed discrimination and racism.”

The court argued that even though Van Langenhove did not send the messages, he was responsible.

“He didn’t have it removed, even though he had the option to do so,” said the Court.

It rejected that VRT journalists manipulated the content of the messages, which Van Langenhove claimed.

The Court of Cassation will now review the legality of the judicial decisions, but will not examine the facts themselves. In most cases, the court determines whether the trial should be repeated.

“If necessary, I will then go to the European Court,” said Van Langenhove. “I certainly don’t give up the fight.”

Van Langenhove was on trial with five other defendants, who will receive 80 hours of work and fines of €1,600. However, two others will be sentenced to three years in prison with deferment.

One defendant who expressed regret was convicted, but his term will be suspended under separate conditions.

The case has been broadly watched as a litmus test on free speech conditions in Europe, with the European model focusing less on freedom of speech and more on controlled speech, especially on issues related to race, sex, and immigration.

Furthermore, questions have been raised about how access was obtained to the chat group in the first place, with allegations that a hack attack was conducted.

Read more here…

Agri-Pulse’s Oliver Ward reports that “renewed conflict in the Middle East has shuttered urea production in Iran, sending ripples through global fertilizer markets and adding to existing uncertainty around Russian and Chinese supplies, analysts tell Agri-Pulse.”

“Tensions flared between Iran and Israel on Friday when Israel launched what it called a preemptive missile strike targeting Iran’s nuclear program and military leadership. Four days later, both sides are reeling from attacks on key infrastructure and shuttered industries, including in the fertilizer sector,” AgriPulse notes. “‘Iran has shut down seven of its urea and ammonia plants,’ said Mark Milam, senior editor for fertilizers at Independent Commodity Intelligence Services, over concerns that they could be potential Israeli targets.”

“Josh Linville, vice president of fertilizers at commodities analysis firm StoneX, said that attacks on the country’s natural gas infrastructure – which is used in the production of urea – is also keeping operations offline,” Ward reported.

“Iran was the third-largest urea exporter in 2024, according to StoneX, with export volumes of around 4.5 million tons – about the size of China’s. The country has a production capacity of around 8.9 million tons a year, Milam added, serving markets in Turkey, Brazil and Argentina, among others. It is also an exporter of ammonia.”

“In addition to knocking Iranian urea production offline, the attacks also brought Egypt’s operations to a standstill,” Ward reported. “Israel reduced its natural gas flows to the country on Friday, prompting Egypt to cease production.”

AgWeb’s Margy Eckelkamp reported that “Linville’s colleague at StoneX, Arlan Suderman, details why this conflict is being watched so carefully if the concern isn’t in those two countries’ production. ‘There’s a lot of other producers of fertilizer in the Middle East and a lot of it also passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which will be at risk going forward now,’ Suderman says. From a global supply standpoint, Suderman also points out the Ukrainian attack of one of Russia’s largest nitrogen fertilizer plants two weeks ago.”

With ongoing and new conflicts and strikes in key fertilizer production areas, Linville foresees needing to be focused on the potential outcomes,” Eckelkamp reported. “‘For now, we don’t believe there’s going to be much in the effect in terms of fertilizer production from either country, though it would be a little silly to not consider it, so we’re watching very, very closely,’ he says.”

Separately, Ward reported that “compounding availability and price worries, the analysts said, is China’s continued pullback from exporting fertilizers. Both China’s phosphate and urea exports are lagging historical levels. China typically exports around 5.5 million tons of urea annually, but this year, Linville said, Beijing will only allow around 2 million in exports.”

“‘You’ve got so many different pieces,’ Linville said, driving uncertainty over urea supplies,” Ward reported. “U.S. farmers are somewhat insulated from short-term price shocks given many will not be buying fertilizer in earnest until later in the year. But Milam said that if supply uncertainties persist, it could create ‘all kinds of complications’ for U.S. buyers.”

“‘It’s hard to say whether that that’ll happen,’ Milam said,” according to Ward’s reporting. “China’s market retreat should be ‘a decent concern’ for farmers hoping for price stability come 2026, Linville said.”

Authored by Andrew Korybko via Substack,

Its successful implementation will help optimize the “military Schengen”, bring about a windfall of profits from facilitating the EU’s trade with Asia that could then be reinvested in its ongoing militarization program, and thus altogether pose a very serious national security concern for Russia.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced late last month that his country will invest €1 billion into expanding the Euroterminal Slawkow railway facility in southwestern Poland, which is significantly the EU’s only cargo hub adapted to handle broad-gauge trains from the former Soviet Union. The plan calls for expanding the existing terminal’s capacity from around 285,000 standard containers per year to half a million and building another terminal to boot, while the long-term plan is to build five of them in total.

As RT’s report about this noted, not only does Tusk envisage Poland profiting more from Ukraine like he earlier explicitly declared that his country will now seek to do, but he also foresees this megaproject helping to expand Poland’s trade with the rest of Europe and even Asia due to its location near the intersection of two European transport corridors. The Asian dimension of future Polish trade through Slawkow is curious though since those trains would have to transit through EU-sanctioned Russia.

Either Tusk expects a thaw in EU-Russian tensions or he expects that this trade will be conducted along the multimodal “Middle Corridor” (MC) linking together China and the EU via Central Asia, the Caspian Sea, the South Caucasus, the Black Sea, and then Odessa in this context. About that city’s port, former Polish Deputy Minister of Agriculture Michal Kolodziejczak informally proposed leasing at least one wharf there in April, which was followed by Ukraine inviting Poland to help rebuild its maritime sector.

Moreover, despite bilateral political tensions over Poland’s revival of the Volhynia Genocide dispute and decision to only send more military aid to Ukraine on credit, they signed a cooperation agreement late last month that includes Ukraine helping Polish companies in the country. When coupled with Kolodziejczak’s complementary informal proposal of leasing Ukrainian farmland, the trappings of a master geo-economic plan are emerging that’ll now be briefly described.

Poland is the leader of the “Three Seas Initiative” (3SI), which refers to the regional connectivity projects for fostering integration between the countries of Central & Eastern Europe (CEE), including Ukraine in this context. Ukraine is Poland’s agricultural competitor, however, but Kolodziejczak believes that it can be partially co-opted via his informally proposed farmland leases. Leasing at least one wharf in Odessa and expanding Slawkow can then facilitate Polish agricultural and other exports to Asia via the MC.

At the same time, Slawkow’s expansion also enables Poland to profit from logistically facilitating the EU’s role in Ukraine’s reconstruction, especially neighboring economic powerhouse Germany’s. Furthermore, given Slawkow’s proximity to several European transport corridors, Poland can then play a larger role in intra-EU North-South and East-West trade upon this plan’s completion. Not only that, but it could then facilitate some of these same other EU members’ trade with Asia via the MC, profiting all the way.

Suffice to say, Slawkow also has dual military-logistics purposes vis-à-vis the “military Schengen” just like other major 3SI projects, and some of the profits reaped from the successful implementation of this master geo-economic plan will predictably be reinvested in modernizing Poland’s outdated military-industrial complex.

Poland is also expected to use these profits to purchase more military equipment from the US and South Korea.

This makes Slawkow a very serious national security concern for Russia.

Authored by Tamuz Itai via The Epoch Times,

Just before dawn on June 13, Israel unleashed Operation Rising Lion, its largest air campaign ever, deploying over 200 fighter jets in coordinated waves that dropped more than 330 munitions on at least 100 strategic targets across Iran. The Natanz Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant—vital for housing roughly 1,700 IR4 and IR6 centrifuges, capable of enriching uranium to weapons-grade levels—was hit hard, its above-ground portion severely damaged. Israel also struck additional nuclear sites near Esfahan, Arak, Fordow, Parchin, and multiple IRGC bases—evidence of a meticulously calibrated campaign designed to hobble Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Yet not every fortress fell.

The deeply buried Fordow facility—shielded under hundreds of feet of rock—remains intact, beyond the reach of Israel’s arsenal.

It’s precisely this gap that has stirred urgent talk in Washington: should the United States now bring out its GBU57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, the 15-ton bunker-buster designed to penetrate hardened underground sites?

When Precision Strikes Collide With Political Calculus

Iran responded almost immediately, unleashing a barrage of over 150 ballistic missiles and 100 drones toward Israeli territory. The Iron Dome and allied air defenses neutralized the bulk of this threat, with only a fraction breaching the shield, causing limited but symbolic damage. U.S. intelligence officials reported that Iran expended nearly a quarter of its missile stockpile—estimated originally between 2,000 and 3,000—in just days, a testament to its waning capacity.

President Trump, who issued a 60-day deadline in the spring demanding that Iran curtail its nuclear pursuits, faces a choice. According to The Wall Street Journal, he has privately approved military options, including U.S. strikes, yet holds his hand in the public arena—supporting Israel through missile defense deployments and regional force posturing while refraining from final orders. Trump’s posture is not aggressive by impulse—it’s measured with intent. His record suggests he is more anti-failure than anti-action, ready to act decisively, but only with the promise of lasting results.

Bunkers, Bombs, and the Burden of What Comes Next

It’s one challenge to dispatch bunker-busters; it’s another to envision the aftermath. Should a U.S. strike succeed in obliterating Fordow, the question becomes: What fills the vacuum it leaves?

One optimistic scenario, mentioned by some, centers on Reza Pahlavi, the Shah’s exiled son, potentially returning as a transitional figure. A domestic reformer with ties to expatriate moderates, Pahlavi could lay groundwork for a Western-aligned governance, economic reopening, and perhaps even a regional peace architecture reminiscent of the Abraham Accords. But optimism must be tempered. After Saddam Hussein was toppled in Iraq, the country unraveled into sectarian warfare and militant fragmentation, giving rise to ISIS, and later Iranian influence—a sobering aftermath of authoritarian collapse. Iran, for all its faults, retains stronger institutional and historical coherence. Unlike Iraq which was a new country, Iran has centuries of common history.

Still, signs of stress are evident: Tehran has seen mass evacuations; the economy teeters under the weight of sanctions and societal unrest; and the ruling elite, already rattled by losses in Natanz and elsewhere, appear divided. Left unmanaged, this fracture could spawn armed militias—some with control over nuclear-capable or radiological materials—raising the specter of “dirty bombs” that threaten global security.

From Shadows to Sky: Israel’s Intelligence Masterstroke

What elevates Operation Rising Lion from tactical strike to operational marvel is the intelligence architecture underpinning it. All the pieces were prepared over years. For months, Mossad planted explosive drones, sabotaged radar sites, and guided payloads into Iran—a strategy that Bloomberg describes as “hybrid warfare par excellence.” The agency’s creation of an on-ground drone base—believed to be within Iran’s central provinces—enabled precise neutralization of missile launchers and air defenses.

High-end platforms, including F-15I Ra’am “Thunder” fighters outfitted with 2,000-pound BLU109 bunker-busters, complemented stealth missions flown by F35I Adir jets, supported by mid-air refueling and advanced Israeli targeting pods. The synergy between covert human intelligence, cyber operations, drones, and manned aircraft has redefined the upper limits of modern precision warfare.

Hidden Costs: China’s Billion-Dollar Middle East Investment

Amid geopolitical tremors, Beijing watches not with idle detachment but with vested interest. The March 2021 25-year China–Iran strategic partnership, valued at an estimated $300–400 billion, binds China to sustained investment in Iran’s energy, telecoms, transportation, and potentially military sectors.

For China, Iran serves multiple purposes: a sanctioned oil source (allowing the CCP to buy oil cheaper), a bridgehead into Middle Eastern geopolitics, and a lever to distract and divide the West. Should Iran’s regime collapse entirely, China loses that leverage—but if the country fractures, Beijing stands to exploit a fragmented state and erect a new foothold, much as it did post-U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

America’s Crossroads: Strategy Over Showmanship

The gravest miscalculation would be to treat forthcoming U.S. action as another stand-alone military strike. It’s not about the thrill of bunker-busting—it’s overshadowed by the imperative of foresight. U.S. planners must ask: Do we have a viable political roadmap? Can we guide post-strike governance? Do our allies and the international community align on reconstruction or transitional stability? Crucially, can we prevent Beijing from capitalizing on the aftermath?

These are not hypothetical queries—they are the strategic architecture of modern intervention, and I assume over the past week, or more, the U.S. administration has been busy behind the scenes working out these scenarios and reaching out to allies and others.

Conclusion: Legacy Wears the Blueprint, Not the Bomb

The coming decision—whether to drop bunker-busters on Fordow—will echo for generations. A purely kinetic victory that lacks follow-through risks turning tactical success into strategic liability. Worse yet, it could gift Beijing a new canvas of influence at a moment when the West seeks to check its expansion.

President Trump—or any American leader—faces a rare moment of strategic crossroads: drop the bombs, yes—but also draft the blueprint for Iran’s next chapter. Victory without vision is hollow. Only with both can today’s mission transcend into lasting legacy.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ZeroHedge.

Authored by Jonathan Turley,

A unanimous panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has struck down California’s “1-in-30” gun rationing law as unconstitutional under the Second Amendment.

The law restricted citizens to one gun purchase every 30 days and was based on a ridiculous rationale that was shredded by the three-judge panel.

California Penal Code § 27535(a) states that individuals may not apply “to purchase more than one firearm within any 30-day period,” and § 27540(f) prohibits a firearms dealer from delivering any firearm if the dealer is notified that “the purchaser has made another application to purchase a handgun, semiautomatic centerfire rifle, completed frame or receiver, or firearm precursor part” within the preceding 30-day period.

Writing for the court, Judge Danielle Jo Forrest found the California law facially unconstitutional. She wrote:

California suggests that the Second Amendment only guarantees a right to possess a single firearm, and that Plaintiffs’ rights have not been infringed because they already possess at least one firearm.

California is wrong.

The Second Amendment protects the right of the people to “keep and bear Arms,” plural. U.S. Const. amend. II (emphasis added).

This “guarantee[s] the individual right to possess and carry weapons.” Heller, 554 U.S. at 592 (emphasis added).

And not only is “Arms” stated in the plural, but this term refers to more than just guns. It includes other weapons and instruments used for defense. See id. at 581. California’s interpretation would mean that the Second Amendment only protects possession of a single weapon of any kind. There is no basis for interpreting the constitutional text in that way.

The court rightfully dismisses the state’s forced and frankly frivolous argument.

It then delivers a particularly lethal line on the historical prong of the analysis.

Next, the panel held that California’s law is not supported by this nation’s tradition of firearms regulation. Bruen requires a “historical analogue,” not a “historical twin,” for a modern firearm regulation to pass muster. Here, the historical record does not even establish a historical cousin for California’s one-gun-a-month law.

Here is the opinion: Nguyen v. Bontan

The abject insanity of the political left cannot be overstated when it comes to the issue of transgenderism.  The notion of gender fluidity is built upon a swampy foundation, with a handful of questionable scientific papers primarily backed by pharmaceutical companies acting as the only evidence that trans “identity” has any basis in reality.  At bottom, the transgender debate is a perfect example of what happens when science becomes political. 

When corporate greed meets ideological cultism there is little room for objective analysis.  Progressives took an extreme minority of aberrant mental health cases (people with the psychological illness of gender dysphoria) and turned them into an international movement to deny basic biology and psychology.

No society should ever enable or embrace mental illness as a cultural ideal.  In particular, vulnerable children should be kept far away from emotionally unstable, morally bankrupt political zealots.  The western world is well aware of what happens when cult movements get their hands on little kids.

It would appear that the majority of the US Supreme Court agrees with this assessment with their latest 6-3 decision to uphold a ban on gender affirming care for minors in the state of Tennessee.  With its decision in Skrmetti v. United States, the Supreme Court has delivered a decisive blow to the transgender activist movement which has long sought to spread their ideology throughout the US.  The top goal of these activists is to normalize the trans grooming of children.

To be clear, this decision does not require states to ban gender-affirming care, but it does protect the ability of states to ban the practice.  The Tennessee case sets a precedent that will inspire similar bans throughout most of the US.   

In response, most Democrat politicians remain surprisingly quiet which has infuriated far-left progressives.  Democrats suffered severe political consequences for their blind support for transgender activism, losing the presidency, the House, the Senate and the popular vote in 2024.  Wokeness helped to destroy their party and they are trying to distance themselves.  Dem leaders seeking a potential White House run in 2028 are particularly absent from the debate.

Lefists argue that this represents a “betrayal” on the part of Democrats and on the part of SCOTUS.  They say the court’s decision is “devastating”, which makes little sense to normal people but perfect sense when you understand how important the grooming of children is for trans ideologues.  

In 2007 the very first transgender youth clinic was opened in Boston, MA.  By 2017 there were 41 such clinics across the US.  From 2017 to 2024, at least 300 trans clinics aimed specifically at children were built.  The institutions were spreading like a cancer.  

In 2017 the narrative was that there was no such thing as transgender treatments for children.  Leftist completely denied the practice existed.  Post-2020, the Overton Window shifted; Democrat leaders and progressive activists not only admitted that puberty blockers and gender-based surgeries were being administered to children, they argued that to prevent this from happening was akin to “genocide”.  

Between 2019 and 2023 around 14,000 American kids received puberty blockers and other treatments (which permanently sterilize them and ruin their physical development for the rest of their lives).  At least 5700 of those kids underwent trans surgeries.   

The claim among trans advocates is that children are aware of their gender fluid identity at a early age and have the cognitive ability to consent to such treatments, even without a parent’s knowledge.  Trans propaganda in public schools led to the rise of “trans trenders” – Minors who jumped on the bandwagon in order to fit in or stand out as “special”.  Then there is the problem of leftist narcissist parents who push their children into transgenderism because they see their kids as political fashion accessories instead of human beings.

Social media is rife with abuser parents manipulating their kids into believing they are trans.  

While conservatives and libertarians tend to demand limits on government interference in individual decision making, one area in which most of them agree is that kids do not have the ability to consent.  Undergoing transgender treatment is a life altering decision that cannot be left to easily impressionable minors, or their parents for that matter.  Not all “freedoms” are inherently good.

Scientifically speaking, there are only two genders and there is no evidence whatsoever that “trans children” are a reality.  The assertion that these kids will be more prone to suicide if they don’t receive puberty blockers and surgeries is baseless.  There is no historical precedent for what is happening in the west today when it comes to gender fluid theory.  Chemical castration and chopping off body parts for aesthetic purposes is not healthcare.

Such children are, in fact, being used as guinea pigs to satisfy a monstrous political experiment in biological and moral relativism.  This can no longer be tolerated.

Authored by Aldgra Fredly via The Epoch Times,

The Los Angeles Dodgers said on Friday that it has committed $1 million in financial aid to support illegal immigrant families affected by recent federal immigration operations in Los Angeles.

The Dodgers has refrained from directly referring to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in its statement, instead expressing its intent to help illegal immigrants affected by “recent events” in the city.

“What’s happening in Los Angeles has reverberated among thousands upon thousands of people, and we have heard the calls for us to take a leading role on behalf of those affected,” Los Angeles Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten said in a statement.

The Dodgers also stated that it plans to partner with the local community and labor organizations, including the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, in the coming days to provide more support to those affected.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass expressed her gratitude to the Dodgers for providing support.

“These last weeks have sent shockwaves of fear rippling through every neighborhood and have had a direct impact on our economy,” Bass said in the statement.

The Dodgers said on June 19 that it had denied ICE officers access to the parking lot at Dodger Stadium, although Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials disputed this claim.

DHS clarified that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) vehicles used the Dodger Stadium parking lot only “very briefly,” and that they had “nothing to do with the Dodgers.”

The department also made clear that CBP’s presence at the stadium was “unrelated to any operation or enforcement.”

Los Angeles has just experienced two weeks of protests stemming from the arrest of dozens of illegal immigrants as part of federal deportation efforts. Hundreds of protesters have been arrested in the demonstrations, which led to property damage and injuries.

President Donald Trump authorized the deployment of the National Guard and Marines to quell riots and protect federal property, despite objections from California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Trump said on June 16 that ICE officers have been subjected to violence and threats from opponents of the operation, but added that it won’t deter his administration from carrying out its mandate.

“Our federal government will continue to be focused on the remigration of aliens to the places from where they came, and preventing the admission of anyone who undermines the domestic tranquility of the United States,” the president stated in a Truth Social post.

Trump urged ICE agents to do everything they can to carry out what he called the “largest mass deportation operation of illegal aliens in history,” with a particular focus on sanctuary cities, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, where many illegal immigrants are located.

Today marks the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the shortest day in the southern, the summer and winter solstice.

As Statista’s Katharina Buchholz reports, humans have been celebrating these events for millennia and on modern-day solstice days, ancient and new traditions mix around the world.

You will find more infographics at Statista

Some of the best-known summer solstice festivities take place in Sweden, which celebrates its famous Midsommar festivals. Gatherings include weaving wreaths from flowers, errecting a decorated pole, lighting fires and of course feasting. Midsummer traditions are also practiced in other Scandinavian as well as Baltic countries, all of whom are sun-deprived during the winter months.

Fires lit play a central role in these traditions, as they do in celebrations elsewhere in Europe, for example in Austria, where they are lit in a spectacular way across mountain ranges in the Tyrol region. The fires are also sometimes referred to as Johannisfeuer, a link to the Christian feast day of St. John. Midsummer celebrations under this banner also take place in many Spanish cities as well as in Eastern European countries and are one example among several Christian holidays which coincide with pagan traditions.

In the United Kingdom and South America, solstice traditions hark back to ancient cultures which worshipped the sun or knew how to read its path across the sky.

At Stonehenge, thousands gather at summer solstice each year to witness how the stone circle aligns with the sun’s movement. Seen from inside the Stonehenge circle, the sun rises over a further removed stone, the Heel stone, on this day once a year.

In Peru, Ecuador and Argentina, people honor old Inca traditions celebrating sun god Inti at what is in the Southern Hemisphere the shortest day of the year.

In another sun-deprived corner of the world, Alaska, the city of Fairbanks puts on a large festival on summer solstice day each year, which includes a midnight baseball game.

In Asia, indigenous Chinese peoples still practice old sun-worshipping traditions, while in Japan, new midsummer traditions include saving electricity for two hours by lighting candles at night and just relaxing.

Authored by Debra Heine via American Greatness,

Governor Kathy Hochul (D-N.Y.) announced Tuesday that the state of New York will provide $50 million in taxpayer dollars to pay legal fees for illegal immigrants to help them fight back against the Trump administration’s popular deportation efforts.

The governor highlighted the state’s “investment” during a dramatic news conference addressing the arrest of New York City comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander, who was busted by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents earlier Tuesday for allegedly assaulting a federal officer.

Hochul said she believed the charges against Lander had been dropped, but added that she was still concerned about illegal aliens being “taken away from their families” in New York.

“They don’t have the attention, they don’t have the lawyers and that’s why the State of New York is providing 50 million dollars to cover legal services for people who are finding themselves in this situation,” Hochul said. “We continue to do what we can to support the communities and the immigration coalitions and thank them for their work they’re doing at this time.”

Video footage of Lander’s arrest shows him tussling with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as they escorted a defendant out of immigration court and repeatedly asking officials if they had a judicial warrant.

“I will let go when you show me the judicial warrant!” Lander said in the video. “Where is it?! Where is the warrant?!”

A few hours later, Lander walked out of the federal courthouse where he was being detained with Hochul at his side.

Democrats and their allies in the media have been hyping recent run-ins between liberal activist politicians and law enforcement in an apparent effort to portray themselves as victims of a purported “oppressive” and “authoritarian” government under President Trump.

Lander’s arrest comes a week after Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) was hit with federal charges for allegedly interfering with federal officers during a scuffle outside an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, last month. Charges were dropped against Newark Mayor Ras Baraka for federal trespassing at the facility.

And last Thursday, Secret Service had to forcibly remove Democrat Senator Alex Padilla of California from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s press conference in Los Angeles when he lunged toward the podium shouting questions.

Padilla tearfully recounted how he was thrown out of Noem’s press conference in an “emotional” speech on the Senate floor on Tuesday.

“What will a city already ON EDGE from being militarized THNK when they see their United States senator being HANDCUFFED just for trying to ask a question!” he wailed.

Padilla’s emotional outburst garnered widespread ridicule from conservative on social media.

“Real men don’t physically charge at women and then cry about it. Gaslighting 101,” quipped Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) on X.

Authorities on Tuesday defended Lander’s arrest, pointing out that in recent months, they have seen a substantial increase in assaults against ICE officers.

“Our heroic ICE law enforcement officers face a 413 percent increase in assaults against them—it is wrong that politicians seeking higher office undermine law enforcement safety to get a viral moment,” a DHS spokesperson said. “No one is above the law, and if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will face consequences.”

“The safety and security of official proceedings, government officials, law enforcement officers, and all members of the public who participate in them is a core focus of our Office,” said Nick Biase, chief of public affairs for the U.S. Attorney’s Office. “The Department of Justice will prosecute violations of federal law.”

Governor Hochul, however, said during her presser that the arrest of Lander constituted “a sorry day for New York and our country.”

“The video is shocking, she said.  “I knew I needed to come down here immediately and check on his whereabouts, and do what I could to intervene.”

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), a potential rival of Hochul in the 2026 N.Y. governor’s race, blasted the $50 million boondoggle on social media.

“$50 MILLION of NYers hard earned taxpayer dollars are being used for illegals migrants legal fees because of Kathy Hochul’s illegals first, New Yorkers LAST failed leadership in NY,” Stefanik wrote on X. “VOTE HER OUT.”

Polls consistently show that a majority of Americans support the Trump administration’s deportation policies.