Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) attempted to blame political violence — like the targeted shooting of two Democratic lawmakers and their spouses in his home state — on “mean tweets” in an apparent jab at President Donald Trump, despite the fact that he himself had called on Democrats to “be meaner” just a few weeks earlier. Walz gave a statement on Sunday evening after it was announced that the alleged shooter, Vance Boelter, had been apprehended after a two-day manhunt — and he called for “decency” in political discourse. “A moment in this country where we watch violence erupt, this cannot be the norm. It cannot be the way that we deal with our political differences,” Walz began. “Now is the time for us to recommit to the core values of this country. And each and every one of us can do it.” “Talk to a neighbor rather than arguing. Debate an issue. Shake hands. Find common ground. This is who Melissa Hortman was. In the first negotiating session that I had a chance to work with her, she got all the partners in the room, and she provided each and every one of us a copy of a book called ‘Getting to Yes,'” he continued, remembering the deceased legislator. “And the whole premise was debating with a sense of goodwill, a sense to come to compromises that serve everyone. And because of her, we did that. Because of her we did that year after year after year. That’s the embodiment of how things are supposed to work.” “It’s not about hatred. It’s not about mean tweets,” Walz added, in an apparent jab at Trump. “It’s not about demeaning someone. It’s leading with grace and compassion and vision and compromise and decency. That was taken from us in Minnesota with the murder of Speaker Hortman. So for each and every one of us to truly honor, and we will, we will continue to honor that spirit, but we will need to do it in just more than actions in a memorial. Conducting ourselves in the spirit that Melissa Hortman did her work is what the country needs to heal.” The governor’s words on Sunday mark a dramatic departure from what he said just a few weeks earlier about Democrats needing to “be a little meaner” when it came to engaging in political discourse. Walz, during his remarks at the South Carolina Democratic Party Convention, referred to Trump as a “wannabe dictator,” a “bully,” and a “cruel man” – and suggested that Democrats needed to “bully him back.” “Maybe it’s time for us to be a little meaner, maybe it’s time for us to be a little more fierce,” he said.

A female announcer on Iranian state TV had her anti-Israel rant truncated in a spectacular way when the Israel Defense Forces bombed the area near her studio. “What you heard was the voice of the invader of the homeland,” the announcer declared. “The voice of the invader against the voice of truth and justice. What you saw was the voice you heard.” Then, all hell broke loose. An Israeli strike on Iran was caught live on air. pic.twitter.com/EyHI02B45Q — Kassy Akiva (@KassyAkiva) June 16, 2025 “Israel struck buildings in Tehran belonging to the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, or IRIB, Iran’s state-owned media company, with the blasts seemingly heard live on television hours after the Israeli military said residents and workers in that part of the capital should leave,” The Wall Street Journal reported. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the IDF had targeted “the Iranian regime’s propaganda and incitement broadcasting authority.” The incident was reminiscent of one during Israel’s war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, when a Lebanese reporter, Fadi Boudia — who had been known to disseminate pro-Hezbollah propaganda — was about to conduct an interview when the IDF struck. WILD! Fadi Boudia, the presenter of the Lebanese "Maraya International" news network, was hit by an IDF attack in the Bekaa area during a live broadcast of his program. pic.twitter.com/YuN0Vew3Zz — Raylan Givens (@JewishWarrior13) September 23, 2024 Israel has established clear dominance over Iranian airspace since its initial attacks on June 13, while pointedly trying to avoid civilian casualties. “We just published an evacuation warning in Farsi for civilians in Tehran,” the IDF said on Monday. “Israeli civilians do not get evacuation warnings before running to shelters. We aren’t the same.” We just published an evacuation warning in Farsi for civilians in Tehran. Israeli civilians do not get evacuation warnings before running to shelters. We aren’t the same. https://t.co/DglLpSF2lP — Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) June 16, 2025 Iran has indiscriminately launched waves of ballistic missiles targeting Israel’s second, third, and fourth largest cities after Jerusalem: Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Petah Tikvah. Tel Aviv has roughly 475,000 people, Haifa has 290,000. Petah Tikvah has 255,000. On Monday, the IDF announced it had destroyed one-third of Iran’s missile launchers. Israeli officials have said they achieved air superiority within 48 hours of the campaign’s initial attacks. “The IDF has completely taken control of the airspace over Iran. This is a military fact — first of all,” IDF reserve lieutenant colonel Arie Zaiden stated. “Secondly, the IDF, as we are taught at all levels, commanders, officers, and so on: if you are successful, you need to expand on that success. The IDF is expanding on its success. … The IDF can now operate freely in Iranian airspace. We have enough ammunition. The U.S. gives us strong support. We also have international backing, so the operation continues. It’s not a victory, but it is clearly a turning point.”

The Trump Organization on Monday announced Trump Mobile, an American-based cellular network that aims to bring “American values” to the wireless industry. The launch — which marks a decade since President Donald Trump announced his first presidential campaign — featured Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, both executive vice presidents at the Trump Organization. Both Trumps spoke at the Manhattan launch alongside other partners. “One of the places where we felt there was lackluster performance was in the mobile industry,” Donald Trump Jr. said. His brother touched on the necessity to increase domestic production of technology, saying, “It’s about time we bring products back to our great country.” Donald Jr. said, “With Trump Mobile, we’re going to be introducing an entire package of products.” The service boasts “The 47 Plan,” a $47.45 per month, 5G nationwide network with unlimited telehealth services, roadside assistance, and unlimited texting to about 100 countries. The organization also announced a new line of smartphones, the first of which, the T1, is listed at $499. The gold-colored T1 smartphone, which is only available through preorder, has “T1” and the American flag engraved on the back. One of the other partners spoke about the service’s specific benefits. He said that, “We have your health, we have your phone’s health, we have your car’s health- we’re taking care of what matters to the American people most, which is getting to work, taking their family out, and doing things that are worthwhile.” According to the Trump Mobile website, “At Trump Mobile, we believe wireless service should reflect American values — simple, honest, and built for hardworking people. […] With Trump Mobile, you don’t just get a phone plan — you get service powered by American pride, freedom, and integrity.” In a statement on the Trump Organization’s website, Eric Trump said, “We’re especially proud to offer free long-distance calling to our military members and their families — because those serving overseas should always be able to stay connected to the people they love back home.” Eric Trump said at the press conference that “All of your customer service will be done in America. It will be done in St. Louis, Missouri.” He also called the venture “All-American, based here in America, with an American family.” This new enterprise is the first major endeavor by The Trump Organization since $TRUMP, a digital memecoin, launched a few days before Trump took the oath of office in January. Some commentators worry that the Trump Organization’s entrance into the mobile service market will bias the president against companies like Samsung and Apple, whose manufacturing is international and subject to American tariffs. The T1 phone is available for preorder for $100 and is expected to arrive around September.

Jihadists massacred around 200 Christians in Nigeria last week after storming a predominantly Catholic farming community and setting fire to homes, according to multiple reports. Last Friday and Saturday, Fulani Jihadist herdsmen targeted the Christians in Yelwata, in Nigeria’s Benue State, according to Catholic news outlet, Crux. The militants attempted to storm St. Joseph’s Church in Yelwata, which was housing families who had been displaced by previous Fulani Jihadist attacks in other areas, but were repelled by police, according to another report from Church in Need. The militants then attacked the town square, setting fire to buildings and killing people while yelling “Allahu Akbar.” According to eyewitnesses on the ground in the Nigerian community, the Jihadists “surrounded Yelwata … and began slaughtering people—mostly women, children, and displaced families who thought they had found safety here.” “We’re still finding bodies in the bushes,” said local youth leader Mton Matthias. “The death toll is rising every hour.” Pope Leo addressed the “terrible massacre” on Sunday when he said Christians “were killed with extreme cruelty, most of whom were internally displaced persons hosted by the local Catholic mission.” “I pray that security, justice, and peace will prevail in Nigeria, a beloved country so affected by various forms of violence,” Pope Leo said before he delivered the Sunday Angelus prayer, Vatican News reported. “And I pray in a special way for the rural Christian communities in Benue State who have been unceasingly the victims of violence.” Pope Leo prays for the victims of a “terrible massacre” in Benue State, Nigeria. Around 200 people were “brutally killed” in Yelwata, in the Guma Local Government Area on the night of the 13th/14th June, the Pope said, most of them internally displaced persons “sheltered by the… pic.twitter.com/gOZw8Ny0L2 — Vatican News (@VaticanNews) June 15, 2025 The violence against Christians in Nigeria is not new, but last week’s massacre marks the deadliest atrocity committed against Christians in the country in recent years, according to Church in Need. Fulani herdsman, made up of Muslims, regularly threaten farming communities, made up mostly of Christians, in Benue State. Between 2023 and 2025, more than 1,000 people have been killed as the Jihadists have clashed with farmers and Nigeria’s security forces, the BBC reported. According to Rev. Fr. Remigius Ihyula — director of the Justice, Peace and Development Foundation (JPDF) — the violence against Christians is part of an effort to clear the land of the Christian inhabitants. “These Fulani militias are not just killing—they’re clearing land to claim it,” he said. “And they’re being allowed to do it.” The Nigerian government, led by Muslims, has been accused of looking the other way while radical Muslims attack and kill Christians. “The credible evidence of who [the attackers] are is undeniable, so why is the government helpless in securing the safety of its citizens?” asked Father Moses Aondover Iorapuu, a Parish priest in Makurdi, Nigeria.

The United States partnered with European authorities to shut down one of the world’s largest darknet drug trafficking websites, which is also one of the few online marketplaces for fentanyl. American officials partnered with Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, to shut down Archetyp Market, which authorities say had trafficked at least $290 million worth of drugs to more than 600,000 users over five years. A law enforcement coalition that included the national police forces of several European nations and multiple American agencies conducted a three-day operation across five countries. Officers seized Archetyp Market infrastructure in the Netherlands and arrested a 30-year-old German administrator in Barcelona. One Archetyp Market moderator and six of the market’s highest vendors were also apprehended, along with around $9 million in assets. “With over 17,000 listings, it is one of the few darknet markets that allowed the sale of fentanyl and other highly potent synthetic opioids,” Europol wrote on its website. The operation required “years of intensive investigative work” to “map the platform’s technical architecture and identify the individuals behind it.” Law enforcement achieved this by “tracing financial flows, analysing digital forensic evidence, and working closely with partners on the ground.” “With this takedown, law enforcement has taken out one of the dark web’s longest-running drug markets, cutting off a major supply line for some of the world’s most dangerous substances.” Jean-Philippe Lecouffe, deputy executive director of operations at Europol, stated, per Reuters. “By dismantling its infrastructure and arresting its key players, we are sending a clear message: there is no safe haven for those who profit from harm.” All that’s left of the site is a seizure banner and a link to “Operation Deep Sentinel,” a video warning any remaining users that “Everything comes to an end.”

'Weakened or destroyed'

'Criminals, both legal and illegal, will be sought out and dealt with swiftly.'

'I made some bad choices'

Millions of people have made it their habit to wake up to notifications, reply to emails before drinking their first cup of coffee, and doomscroll long after going to bed. We frequently overlook the silent cost of a hyperconnected lifestyle, even as we applaud its speed and convenience. A growing mountain of invisible costs, to […]

'Downright ugly'