Economy

Tesla's future
Upturn for Tesla in Norway – Model Y behind the increase

The skepticism that has surrounded Elon Musk lately has not stopped Norwegians from buying the Tesla CEO's electric cars. After a sluggish start to the year, both in Europe and in Norway, sales have turned up significantly and are now better than last year, reports the Norwegian E24.

The launch of Tesla's updated version of the "Model Y" is said to be behind the upturn. In both March and April, the company was back in the top sales, the newspaper writes.

So far this year, 7,300 new Tesla cars have been registered in Norway, compared with last year's figure of 6,700, according to the industry magazine Bilbransje24.

Volvo Cars' future
Samuelsson: Confident that we can continue the business in the US

A new law is expected to come into force in the US in 2027 that bans Chinese technology in new connected cars. The legislation threatens, among other things, Chinese-owned Volvo Cars' sales in the US, but CEO Håkan Samuelsson believes that the car manufacturer will be able to meet the requirements, he tells Ekot.

- I am confident that we will continue to operate in the US. It should also be taken into account that this equation takes into account that we have been in the US for 70 years, he says.

Trump's tariff policy
Experts: Swedish steel exports risk tariff blow

Donald Trump's increased steel tariffs from 25 to 50 percent could be a tough blow for Swedish steel exports. Experts tell DI.

- The big danger is that companies and investors are already pausing business, says SEB's senior economist Robert Bergqvist. He further points out that targeted tariffs cannot be stopped by the courts.

Jernkontoret CEO Mathias Ternell notes that a 50 percent increase is “a lot” and warns that too large price increases could force players to look for cheaper alternatives.

EU prepares countermeasures after Trump's increased steel tariffs

The European Commission on Saturday “strongly” regretted Donald Trump's increased steel tariffs from 25 to 50 percent and announced that the EU is preparing countermeasures. This was stated by a spokesperson in an email to Reuters.

"The decision increases uncertainty for the global economy and means higher costs for both consumers and companies on both sides of the Atlantic," the spokesperson wrote, adding:

"The EU is ready to introduce countermeasures, including in response to the latest tariff increase from the United States."

It was late yesterday that Donald Trump announced the doubling of steel tariffs from 25 to 50 percent.

 

Trump's USA The President's team

Musk on drug data: "Okay, next question, please"

Elon Musk's drug abuse during the American election campaign last year was significantly more serious than previously known. The New York Times reports this, citing sources close to Musk.

Musk himself has reportedly stated that he took so much ketamine that it affected his bladder, a known side effect of chronic use. He has also reportedly taken ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms. While traveling, Musk is said to have regularly carried a pill bottle with around 20 tablets.

According to the newspaper, it is unclear whether Musk continued to take drugs since he started working for Donald Trump.

When Musk resigned at the White House on Friday, he avoided answering questions about the New York Times' information, reports AFP.

- We'll move on, okay. Next question, Musk said.

When Donald Trump was later asked if he knew about Musk's drug use, he replied that he did not. 

Analysis: Elon Musk only had a supporting role in the White House

Elon Musk may claim some victories in his fight to streamline the state apparatus, but what he has accomplished is a drop in the ocean compared to what was promised. This is what NBC's Jonathan Allen writes in an analysis in connection with the Tesla CEO's exit from the White House.

Allen believes that Musk has overestimated his abilities and points out that there are big differences between running a company and reshaping a state where the "owners" - the American population - have more interests than how things are going economically.

"If voters only cared about profit and loss, the US would not have a national debt of 36 trillion dollars, and with more deficits in sight."

An unsigned analysis in The Independent states that Musk and Trump are different in many ways. While Musk's Tesla cars are built with foreign components in the face of Trump's tariffs, and while the cars are powered by electricity, Trump is an outspoken advocate of fossil fuels, among several examples.

According to the newspaper, Musk has been met with silence when he expressed his dissatisfaction and over time he has been forced to realize that he is a supporting actor in a huge political machine. The question is whether Tesla's brand can recover from all the controversies that have occurred since last fall.

"Everything was going so well - until he aimed even higher. The story of Musk has now become a cautionary tale." 

Middle East crisis

Israel-Syria Relations
Israeli attack on weapons depot in Syria

Israel has carried out an airstrike in western Syria. This is stated by both the Israeli military and Syrian state media, reports TT.

It is the first attack of its kind in Syria in almost a month, and takes place since Damascus announced indirect talks with Israel earlier in May.

According to Israel, the attack was aimed at a weapons depot. One civilian is said to have been killed.

Gaza War
Last open hospital in northern Gaza forced to close

The last functioning hospital in northern Gaza has closed. The World Health Organization announces this after the Israeli military IDF ordered the evacuation of the building, reports Sky News.

Last week, the IDF issued an evacuation order for large parts of northern Gaza. Al-Awda Hospital was not included, but has been surrounded and shelled in recent days, Rami al-Ashrafi tells AP.

In a statement, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that Israel's military operations and evacuations are "straining the health system beyond breaking point."

Hamas' response: We can release hostages - but have new demands

Hamas agrees to release ten live Israeli hostages and return 18 bodies, in exchange for an unknown number of Palestinian prisoners being released by Israel and a 60-day ceasefire coming into effect. The Guardian reports.

This is in line with the US proposal that Israel has previously accepted. The US proposal would have taken place in two phases, but Hamas instead wants it to take place in three phases. In addition, the terrorist group wants Gaza residents to be allowed to cross the Rafah border crossing.

This is said to have been conveyed to US envoy Steve Witkoff via mediators.

An Israeli source tells Haaretz that Israel will most likely say no to the new conditions.

– They have drawn up their own proposal, the source says.

Hamas response: We can release hostages – but have new demands

Hamas agrees to release ten live Israeli hostages and return 18 bodies, in exchange for an unknown number of Palestinian prisoners being released by Israel and for a 60-day ceasefire to come into effect. The Guardian reports.

This is in line with the US proposal that Israel has previously accepted. The US proposal would have taken place in two stages, but Hamas instead wants it to take place in three stages. In addition, the terrorist group wants Gaza residents to be allowed to cross the Rafah border crossing.

This is said to have been conveyed to US envoy Steve Witkoff via mediators.

An Israeli source tells Haaretz that Israel will most likely say no to the new conditions.

– They have drawn up their own proposal, says the source.

Witkoff rages against Hamas' new demands: "Unacceptable"

US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff criticizes Hamas after the group said it was ready to release hostages to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza but at the same time made new demands. According to Haaretz, he calls Hamas' response to the previous American proposal "completely unacceptable".

Witkoff says that Hamas' demands are taking the process backwards rather than forwards.

– Hamas should accept the proposal we have put forward as a basis for negotiations. 

West Bank
Israel blocks foreign ministerial meeting in West Bank

The foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan were planning to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday.

Now Israel is stopping the planned meeting in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, Reuters reports. According to an Israeli official, the meeting was intended to discuss the establishment of a Palestinian state and calls it “provocative.”

– Such a state would undoubtedly become a terrorist state in the heart of Israel, says the official.

The canceled meeting is taking place ahead of an international conference in New York on June 17, which France and Saudi Arabia have called for, where the issue of a Palestinian state will be raised.
 

TOP NEWS

The future of the EU
Report: EU billions for discriminatory projects

Tens of billions in EU funds are being used in various projects that violate and discriminate against the rights of marginalized groups. This is according to a report that has examined 63 different projects in six countries – Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Greece, Poland and Romania, reports The Guardian.

In total, this amounts to over a billion euros in EU funding, which has gone to segregated housing for Roma, housing for children with disabilities and reception centres for asylum seekers where living conditions are substandard.

Ines Bulic from the European Network on Independent Living, which is one of eight organisations behind the report, believes that the problem is widespread throughout the EU.

– This is probably just the tip of the iceberg, she says.

European security policy
British experts warn of sabotage: “A question of when”

The UK’s offshore infrastructure is highly vulnerable to Russian sabotage. British military and energy experts warn of this in a report to be released next week, Politico reports.

The experts, who are providing the basis for a strategic review that the government is to present, say that data cables as well as gas and power lines could be damaged by foreign powers in a “catastrophic” way.

Grant Shapps, who held two ministerial posts between 2022 and 2024, says that the issue is not a high enough priority.

– It is not a question of if the problems will arise, but when.

 

Billions in circulation when the Danish thousand kroner is abolished

Time is ticking for those Danes who are still sitting on a thousand kroner note. Tomorrow, Sunday, is the last day to pay with the money or deposit it in the bank before the note is phased out, writes Danmarks Radio.

Since Danmarks Nationalbank announced at the end of 2023 that the highest denomination banknote would be removed, as it is no longer in widespread use, more than 19 million thousand kronor notes have been returned.

However, at the end of April, there were still 1.7 billion kronor worth of thousand kronor notes in circulation.

“It is entirely expected that there will be a number that will not come in. It is quite natural that many of the notes have either been lost or broken over time,” says Niels Kaas, Chief Treasurer at Danmarks Nationalbank.

North Korea crisis

Mysterious objects near Kim's ship believed to be balloons

North Korea appears to have placed several balloons next to the warship that was damaged when it was about to be launched in late May, satellite images obtained by CNN show.

The purpose of the objects seen in the images is unclear, but if they are actually balloons, there are two possible explanations, according to retired American captain Carl Schuster.

Balloons could prevent drone surveillance or be used to reduce the load on the part of the ship that is stuck in the dock.

- That is the area that has probably been damaged the most.

The accident has been described as a severe blow to the country's leader Kim Jong-Un, who has promised to punish those responsible.

Expert: North Korea on the verge of a strategic golden age

Cooperation with Russia has been a perfect way for North Korea to circumvent sanctions and realize its military plans, experts tell the New York Times. Kim Jong-Un has apparently gained access to advanced technology in exchange for manpower and artillery shells.

– North Korea appears to be entering a strategic golden age, says defense expert Yang Uk at the Asian Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul.

The newspaper writes that the extent, however, is unclear and points out that North Korea has failed on several occasions to launch military spy satellites.
 

Nuclear deal with Iran

Iran enriches uranium at record rate: “Very worrying”

Iran has sharply increased the production rate of highly enriched uranium. This is shown by a secret report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which several news agencies have seen.

“The rapid accumulation of highly enriched uranium is very worrying,” writes IAEA director Rafael Mariano Grossi, according to Bloomberg.

The increased production means that Iran has today accumulated over 400 kilograms of uranium with an enrichment of 60 percent. This is an increase of almost 50 percent in three months and means that the country now has a volume equivalent to ten nuclear bombs.

The material is only a short technical step from reaching 90 percent, which is required to make nuclear weapons.

Expert: Increased conflict if talks do not yield results

Negotiations between the US and Iran on a nuclear deal risk collapsing if no meaningful progress is made soon. This is what Iran analyst Ali Vaez at the International Crisis Group says, after a report showed that Tehran has sharply increased the production rate of highly enriched uranium.

He tells the Financial Times that the report shows that Iran has tried to hide its activities and warns of what can await if the negotiations do not progress.

– Then it is likely to turn into a more conflict-filled and risky confrontation. 

  

Investors Are SHOCKED as Dollar WEAKENS, DEFAULTS Loom and Confidence Loss Escalates |Larry McDonald

World Affairs In Context    

  

Richard Wolff: US Dollar is DEAD! China Just DESTROYED America’s Empire w/ Michael Hudson

Danny Haiphong

 

  

Moscow: Kiev Loses Odessa East & South Ukraine If Istanbul Talks Fail; UK/EU Gloom As US Exits War

 Alexander Mercouris       

  

Graham in Kiev, Russia NOT winning. Odessa is next. Hegseth & Macron warn China. Trump saves China

 Alex Christoforou     

Trump's USA US-China relations

Hegseth warns of China – wants to see Asia invest in defense

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is urging allies in Asia to increase their defense spending to 5 percent of GDP. At the same time, he is raising a warning finger at China, several news media write.

In a speech this morning, the Pentagon chief points to a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan and calls for increased cooperation between the countries.

He points out that NATO members have committed to increasing their defense spending, "even Germany."

- It is not reasonable for European countries to do so while important allies in Asia are spending less money on defense, despite an even greater threat, he says.

However, analysts are skeptical and call Hegseth's demands "unrealistic."

– The call for Asian allies to follow Europe's example and increase defense spending to 5% of GDP is unrealistic, says Shahriman Lockman, an analyst at the Malaysian Institute for Strategic and International Studies.

Chinese anger – speech "imbued with provocations"

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's speech at the international defense conference in Singapore did not go down well with China.

The Chinese embassy in Singapore writes on Facebook that the speech was "imbued with provocations", reports AFP.

Hegseth's "slandered and attacked" China and painted the country as a threat, when in fact it is the United States that is the "biggest troublemaker" in the region, it further writes.

In the speech, the US Defense Secretary urged allies in Asia to increase their defense spending. He also warned of the threat from China and that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan is entirely possible.

How Trump Gets Rich on Tariffs: New Golf Course

Tariff Crisis

Small Farmers' Farms Are Being Destroyed for Trump's Golf Course: "Forcing Us"

Joachim Kerpner

Published 06.14

 

Photo: Patrick Semansky / AP

The Trump Organization got the green light in record time to build a skyscraper and a 36-hole golf course in Vietnam.

Now the small farmers' farms will be destroyed to make way for the luxury resort.

- They will take our land. What are we going to do with our lives? says Do Thi Suat, 63, to The New York Times. 

Quick version

• The Trump Organization has been given permission to build a skyscraper and a golf resort in Vietnam in record time, which will lead to the destruction of small farmers' farms.
• Vietnam promised new and better homes for small farmers, but there are suspicions that the project did not follow normal laws and processes, which normally would have taken significantly longer.
• The Trump administration claims that the deal has nothing to do with Donald Trump's tariffs, even though the construction permit was issued in connection with ongoing tariff negotiations between the United States and Vietnam.
  

Panic spread in Vietnam when Trump announced 46 percent tariffs in early April.

Six weeks later, the counterattack came from Pham Minh Chinh, Vietnam's Prime Minister. At that time, the agreement was presented that the Trump Organization will be allowed to build a tourist and golf resort in Hung Yen province and a skyscraper in the capital Hanoi for a total of $ 1.5 billion, around SEK 14.4 billion.

- The Trump family will make you very, very proud, said Eric Trump, Donald Trump's son, at the ceremony.

 

Small farmers work on land that will become the Trump Organization's golf course. Photo: Linh Pham / New York Times

Local residents were turned away by police. They were not allowed to join the party tent where Prime Minister Chinh promised from the podium that small farmers would get “new homes that are better than your old ones.”

The Prime Minister, however, did not mention that the construction process took just over three months, and that the laws governing this type of project have not been followed. Normally, the process would have taken between two and four years, according to The New York Times.

 

Cyclists roll through an area that is to be cleared and become a golf course, owned by the Trump Organization. Photo: Linh Pham / New York Times

In the spring, local residents have become increasingly negative about the golf facility, which is to be located on their farmland. They do not trust the Prime Minister’s words that they will be compensated generously:

“They don’t listen to us. They just come here and impose their will on us,” Le Thi Thanh, 57, told The New York Times.

– They will have hotels, golf courses and swimming pools. We will have nothing, Le Van Truong, 54, told the newspaper.

 

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Eric Trump and other powerful people press the start button for the Trump Organization's project in Vietnam. Photo: Pham Kiem / AP

The Trump administration denies that the deal has anything to do with Donald Trump's tariffs. The White House writes in an email to The New York Times that "all tariff discussions that the president is conducting are completely unrelated to the Trump Organization". In addition, it is Eric Trump, not Donald Trump, who runs the Trump Organization and therefore there are no ethical doubts about the deal, according to the White House.

 

“The Trump family will make you very, very proud,” Eric Trump said at the ceremony in Vietnam on May 21. Photo: Pham Kiem / AP

On the same day as the ceremony in Hung Yen – May 21 – tariff negotiations between the United States and Vietnam were taking place in Washington. The following day, a press release was issued stating that “Vietnam and the United States have made positive progress” in the negotiations.

Tariffs against Vietnam and the rest of the world have previously been suspended until July. 

  

‘Lose Odessa or Make Peace’: Sachs and Kellogg predicts Over NATO, Ukraine’s Future! | TN World

Times Now World 

 

Macron’s ‘Empty’ Threat: Warns China to Stop DPRK or NATO Will ‘Invade’ Asia! | Times Now World

Times Now World

 

US Shuts NATO Door For Ukraine: Bombshell Ahead of Hague Summit & Peace Talks To End War!NATO Summit

Times Now World

  

  

Scott Ritter & Larry Johnson: Putin CRUSHES Trump's Ukraine Ultimatum, BRACES for War with Germany

Danny Haiphong

 

  

Larry Wilkerson & Chas Freeman: Why America’s Missing Grand Strategy Could Be a Global Disaster 

Dialogue Works

  

Ukraine drone swarm failure angers West

 The Duran    

 

Russian invasion

Negotiations
Senator: Will Present New Sanctions Next Week

The US Senate will move forward next week with a bill to impose additional sanctions on Russia. This was announced by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham when he visited President Volodymyr Zelenskyj in Kyiv on Friday together with Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, Reuters reports.

The bill would, among other things, involve import tariffs of 500 percent from countries that buy Russian oil, gas and uranium.

New sanctions must be approved by the Senate and House of Representatives and signed by President Donald Trump. Trump has threatened to expand sanctions against Russia, but said earlier this week that he wants to wait so as not to “scuttle” peace talks.

Uncertainty ahead of peace talks: “Both are stubborn”

The negotiations between Russia and Ukraine will lay the foundation for peace, says Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Reuters reports.

At the same time, in a conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, he points out the importance of both parties sending strong delegations to the meeting.

The comment comes after concerns that Ukraine will refuse to participate, writes the Washington Post.

Zelensky has cast doubt on the negotiations, as he believes that Russia has not delivered clear conditions for peace. Something he sees as a necessity for fruitful peace talks.

US President Donald Trump responded on Friday to a question about the negotiations that he thinks both Putin and Zelensky "are stubborn".

Security around the Baltic Sea
Sweden increases controls of the Russian shadow fleet

Control of foreign ships in the Baltic Sea will be tightened, reports Ekot. As of July 1, the Coast Guard and the Maritime Administration may collect insurance information from ships that pass through Swedish territorial waters or economic zones.

Today, the rules only apply to ships that call at port.

According to Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer (M), it is a way to act against the Russian shadow fleet, which often lacks insurance.

– We think that it should both have a preventive, deterrent effect against ships that are part of the Russian shadow fleet, and also provide a basis for taking other measures, such as placing more ships on the sanctions list, says Strömmer. 

Russian invasion  The fighting
Sources: Helicopter mission was a Kremlin PR stunt

The Kremlin wanted to make it appear that Vladimir Putin was caught in the middle of a Ukrainian drone attack when he visited Kursk last week, but the stunt was a PR stunt aimed at the domestic audience, Russian sources tell the independent Moscow Times.

The sources say that Putin was indeed in Kursk, which is frequently targeted by Ukrainian drone attacks, but that the statement that his helicopter was in the “epicenter” of such an attack was a way of claiming that Putin is willing to risk his life for the war. 

Staged plan for “death attack” against Putin: Fake

Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Staged plan for “death attack” against Putin: Fake

Johan Edgar

Published 2025-05-30 23.58

 

Putin visited Kursk last week. Photo: Kremlin Via AP

President Putin's helicopter ended up in the middle of a deadly battle between Ukrainian drones and Russian air defenses.

That's what the Kremlin claims.

But according to sources inside the Russian regime, it was all a carefully studied PR coup, writes The Moscow Times.
 

Quick version

• According to the Kremlin, President Putin's helicopter was in the middle of a deadly battle with Ukrainian drones, but sources claim that this was a staged PR coup to strengthen his image.
• Ukraine denies that there were drones in the area at the time of the attack, which calls into question the Russians' official version of the incident.
• Russian state media reports claim that Putin's security was carefully secured and that the entire situation was intended to portray him as a heroic leader.

The Defense Ministry's press release to state-controlled media was dramatic.

During a visit to the Kursk region on May 20, where Ukraine last year carried out a surprise invasion raid across the border, Putin was reportedly hit by a deadly drone attack.

- The president's helicopter was actually at the center of a massive attack by hostile drones that was repelled, said Yuri Dashkin, head of the Russian air defense, in the press release, according to russian Interfax.

 

According to the Kremlin, Putin's helicopter was hit by a massive attack by hostile drones. However, Ukraine denies the reports. Photo: Oleg Petrasiuk/AP

Russian coup

He claims that the Ukrainian drone attack increased in strength while Putin was in the air, but that all threats could be defeated.

Ukraine denied the information a couple of days later. According to Kyiv, there were no drones in the air at that location at the time.

Now sources inside the Russian state apparatus tell The Moscow Times that everything was a carefully staged coup by the Kremlin and the security services to "convince the public that Putin is also making sacrifices for the country."

It is reported that the image that the president is also prepared to sacrifice his life in the service is believed to be able to reduce anger in Russia over the ongoing war.

Security guaranteed

- "Dear Russians, look at President Putin. He is also suffering and risking his life. Your problems are trivial. Get together and endure," a Russian official says of the intended message behind the coup to The Moscow Times.

The sources tell the newspaper that Putin's safety was guaranteed in every detail during the quick visit to Kursk.

 

Inside sources say that the image of Putin being prepared to die in his post is believed to be able to reduce Russians' anger over the war. Photo: Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP

It is said that the president is never in a vulnerable position when he is in the air. He is followed by fighter jets, among other things.

- If this had really happened, the president would not only have been in danger from enemy drones. There would also have been a risk that his helicopter would have been accidentally shot down by Russian air defenses, says a Russian official. 

Replaced by the security service

A strange circumstance is that the Russian journalists who cover the Kremlin and usually follow the president were not invited on this trip. Nor were the Kremlin's own photographers filming his visit.

Instead, people from the security service are said to have been behind the camera in the video clips released by the press service from the visit to Kursk.

 

Putin in a helicopter. Photo: Mikhail Metzel/AP/Archive

Several people who have participated in events with the president during the year state that the security around him is more extensive than ever.

Every trip that Putin makes involves hundreds of people from various security services and the Interior Ministry.

Fears illness

Several different motorcades, parallel routes to the final destination and alternative planes are used to hide the president's route and prevent possible assassination attempts.

The trips are planned several months in advance and even high-ranking security officials are often unaware of Putin's whereabouts.

- He doesn't even trust his own people. He only trusts his inner circle, Vitaly Brizhaty, who previously worked in the Russian security service, told the newspaper.

Security is also heightened in other ways.

A source tells The Moscow Times that he needed to take a PCR test, not only for Covid but also for the common flu, to get close to Putin during an event earlier this year.

Trump's USA

The conflict with universities
Reports: Filades on new moves in meeting about Harvard

The White House has gathered representatives from about a dozen agencies to discuss new measures against Harvard University, sources tell Politico. The agencies fall under several departments and new measures are expected to be presented in June.

Several measures have already been introduced and Donald Trump's administration feels that it needs to be more creative in the conflict with universities. What ideas were raised at the meeting are not clear, but Harrison Fields, a spokesman for the White House, promises that more is in the works.

- We have only scratched the surface.

Some sources are critical of Trump's stance and fear that the White House will go too far in "a losing battle".

Social media control introduced for visa applicants - private accounts questioned

Foreign students applying for visas to study at Harvard will have their social media accounts reviewed. This is stated in a document signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and obtained by Politico.

The decision is effective immediately and thus confirms previous media reports. The document also reveals new details. It states that officials reviewing applications must take into account that students who have locked or private accounts may do so to avoid review. The same applies to "lack of presence" on the Internet.

The instruction covers not only students but also researchers, lecturers and teachers at the elite university. The White House calls it a pilot program that may include more universities at a later stage.

Health Policy
"Fact-based" report contained fabricated quotes

A report on children's health released by the White House last week cited research studies that do not exist, reports the New York Times. The Trump administration called it a report that rested on "evidence-based foundations" but parts of the content were fabricated.

Epidemiologist Katherine Keyes was listed as the author of an article on mental health and drugs, but has never written an article with the title given by the White House. Ivan Oransky, who runs a website that reviews retractions of scientific studies, says that this is typical of the use of generative AI.

- We have seen it before, and unfortunately it is much more common in scientific literature than one would like or than it really should be.

He also says that it does not necessarily mean that the facts are wrong, but that it shows a lack of accuracy.

The White House has later published a new corrected version. 

Trump's tariff policy
Trump: Steel tariffs to be raised to 50 percent

The United States will raise import tariffs on steel by 25 percent to 50 percent, says President Donald Trump according to CNBC.

During a visit to the US Steel steel plant in Pennsylvania, he says that it is a measure that will strengthen the American industry and reduce dependence on China.

- No one will be able to circumvent it, says Trump according to AFP.

The president says that $ 14 billion will be invested in manufacturing through a "partnership" between US Steel and Japan's Nippon Steel, without giving any further details.
 

The US-China relationship
Analysis: The US is closing the door – and the price will be high

US President Donald Trump has greatly escalated his attempts to influence the country's universities, writes Foreign Policy's Christina Lu after the decision to revoke visas for Chinese students. She points out that foreign students have "pumped billions" into the American economy and that it threatens an important source of revenue for universities.

Experts warn that universities and the US economy will pay the price for the White House's latest move, she writes.

"For China and many other foreign countries that have long been eager to recruit America's top talent, Trump's policy has created a new opportunity."

Li Yuan writes in the New York Times that the decision is a crossroads. The US has long been a beacon of openness, but now the door is closing to Chinese people seeking a good education and a future in a country where freedom is highly valued, she writes.

"American officials often say they want to distinguish between the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese people. That distinction was particularly emphasized during Trump's first term. Now it has largely disappeared."  

Saying goodbye – with a golden gift

Elon Musk

Musk leaves his role in the White House

Nora Fernstedt,

Oskar Forsberg

Updated 22.06 | Published 20.02

Elon Musk is thanked at the White House.

He received a large golden key from President Trump.

– This is where the work begins, says Musk.

On Friday, Donald Trump held a press conference in the Oval Office of the White House together with Elon Musk.

Musk, who is the world's richest person, has previously announced that he will stop working in politics.

The press conference is being held on the occasion of his now leaving his role in Doge, (Department of government efficiency).

Musk said during the meeting that he will continue to advise President Trump even though he ends his official role at Doge.

– I have a feeling that will be the case, Trump added.

Musk also received a large, symbolic golden key to the White House from the president.

Musk, who is the world's richest person, has previously announced that he will stop working in politics.

The press conference is being held on the occasion of his now leaving his role in Doge, (Department of government efficiency).

Musk said during the meeting that he will continue to advise President Trump even though he ends his official role at Doge.

– I have a feeling that will be the case, Trump added.

Musk also received a large, symbolic golden key to the White House from the president.

Elon Musk had an explanation for the big bruise.

           

           

          Elon Musk had an explanation for the big bruise.

          1 / 2Foto: Evan Vucci / AP

Appeared with a bruise: “X did it”

Elon Musk had a big bruise during the press conference. When a journalist asked about it, Musk first joked and said that he “hadn’t been anywhere near France”.

He was referring to the well-known push French President Macron received in the face by his wife.

He then explains that the accident happened when he was playing with his five-year-old son X.

- I told him, “Come on, hit me in the face”, and then he did it. I didn’t feel much when it happened, Musk says.

Dismisses drug allegations

On Friday, the New York Times  published an article accusing Elon Musk of having been addicted to drugs during the election season.

A journalist tried to ask Musk about the allegations, but was quickly dismissed.

– New York Times? Is this the same publication that won a Pulitzer Prize for its false reporting on the Russia affair? Is this the same New York Times? Now we move on, Musk said.

          

         Musk received a large golden key as a parting gift. Photo: Evan Vucci / AP

  

Moscow Ultimatum For Ukraine, West In Istanbul; Accept Terms Or Defeat; EU Dreams Black Sea Conquest

Alexander Mercouris         

  

Larry C. Johnson: Iran WIPES OUT Israeli Attack - Russia Prepares for The WORST

Dialogue Works

 

Russia claims Serbia MIC arms Ukraine. China cuts off MAVIC drones. 5 against 1 at Istanbul talks

 Alex Christoforou        

Climate Threat Global Challenges

Report: Aruba had 142 more days than normal

Climate change is a challenge to life on every continent on Earth, climate scientist Mariam Zachariah told Euronews, citing a recent study that found that around four billion people experienced at least 30 more days of extreme heat in the past year than the average for the period 1991-2020.

The Caribbean island nation of Aruba stands out the most out of 247 countries analyzed, with 187 days of extreme heat last year. According to the study, that number would have been 45 if it hadn't been for climate change.

In the report, the researchers warn that extreme heat leads to both illness and death.

“This study must be seen as another stark warning. Climate change is here, and it's killing,” says Friederike Otto at Imperial College London.

Four Billions Live with Increasingly Extreme Heat

Almost half the world's population, four billion people, experienced 30 more days of extreme heat in the past year compared to the year before. This is shown by a new report, according to Bloomberg.

Tropical countries were hit the hardest. Last year was the warmest on record with several periods of heat waves. Of the 247 countries and territories analyzed in the report, those closest to the equator were by far the warmest.

- Temperatures are not variable in tropical countries, which is a clear sign that they are being hit the hardest by climate change, says Claire Barnes, one of the researchers behind the study. 

88 people dead in flooding in Nigeria

At least 88 people have died after a flood submerged a market in the city of Mokwa in Nigeria, reports the AP.

Husseini Isah from the national rescue service states that even more are still at risk.

“The number continues to rise, but at the last count, the death toll was 88,” he said.

The flooding began after hours of torrential rain. Local media reported that a dam near the city had burst. 

Economy

Fed vs. inflation
Fed chairman meets Trump – emphasizes non-political

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has met with Donald Trump at the White House, the central bank writes in a press release. But he did not discuss expectations for monetary policy – ​​instead, he emphasized that this will be shaped solely on the basis of economic data and what that information means for the outlook.

Powell also told the president that the Fed's monetary policy decisions will be made "solely based on careful, objective and non-political analysis", the central bank writes.

According to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, Trump is said to have told Powell that it is a mistake not to lower the key interest rate.

Donald Trump has on several occasions demanded that Powell lower the key interest rate and claimed that inflation has disappeared.

Elon Musk's X
Musk kept his promise – Wall Street avoided a billion-dollar loss for X

At the end of last month, seven banks divested their loans linked to Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter. This allowed Musk to fulfill his promise to the banks that they would not lose any money if they lent $13 billion.

When the last loans were sold, X made the unusual move to cover the losses, according to sources with insight. The loans were priced at a discount – 98 cents on the dollar – and X compensated for the difference.

– It was a bet on the world’s richest man and it paid off, a banker involved in the deal told the Financial Times.

Swedish taxes
S wants the rich to pay more in taxes – but it’s unclear how

The Social Democrats insisted on Thursday that the richest should pay higher taxes, but the party leadership does not want to say how this will work at this time, writes Aftonbladet.

The party refers to a tax review that will be carried out with broad support in parliament. Fiscal policy spokesman Mikael Damberg says that the reason why the rich often do not pay as much tax is that "there are exceptions, ways to move money".

- If you want to collect more tax revenue in a fair way, a tax review with broad tax bases and a functioning tax system is very effective, Damberg told the newspaper during the party congress in Gothenburg.

Other elements of the party's updated economic policy are to work for a state investment bank for climate-smart investments and state loans for the rearmament of the defense.

Food prices
Warns of deflation: "Prices do not follow"

Packaging is decreasing, but prices do not follow. This is what Ulf Mazur, CEO of Matpriskollen, told several news media.

According to Mazur, packaging has recently decreased for a number of goods, including candy, rice, bread, fabric softener and chewing gum.

The number of chewing gums per package has decreased to 21 from 25, and the number of diapers has decreased to 27 from 34.

“Making a package smaller is nothing strange, but shrinkage inflation also means that the price per unit or kilo increases,” says Ulf Mazur to TV4.

He points out that the phenomenon seems to apply to all types of goods and stores and that it is difficult for consumers to see the differences.
 

Tariff crisis Trump's tariff policy

China's response: US should stick to the agreement

After Trump's attack, China is now urging the US to end "discriminatory restrictions" and stick to the Geneva agreement. This is according to spokesman Liu Pengyu at the Chinese embassy in Washington, DC, according to Reuters.

According to the statement, China and the US have continued to express concerns on several points in talks at various levels since the agreement. For China, the concern is, among other things, the US's abuse of export controls in the chip sector, according to the spokesman.

The statement comes after Trump, in a statement on the Truth Social platform, accused China of having "totally violated" the agreement that led to the tariff break for 90 days.

Trump on the row: Will talk to Xi - hope to sort it out

After Friday's war of words between Donald Trump and China, the US president insists that Beijing violated the Geneva agreement almost two weeks ago.

– I am sure I will talk to President Xi and hopefully we will sort it out, he says during a press conference where he thanks Elon Musk who is leaving his job at the Department of Efficiency Doge.

Sources: The dispute is about rare earth metals

The conflict that threatens to overturn the trade deal between the United States and China is about Beijing being accused of slowing exports of rare earth metals, sources tell the Wall Street Journal.

The agreement reached in Geneva is said to have hinged on China resuming deliveries of the critical minerals. In return, the United States agreed to a 90-day tariff break.

Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng is said to have agreed to include rare earth metals in the deal towards the end of the marathon talks. But since the meeting almost two weeks ago, China has continued to be late with export licenses.

Earlier on Friday, President Trump accused China of violating the Geneva agreement, to which China responded that the United States had done the same. 

Stole body parts from Harvard and sold them

Harvard University

Morgue director admits: Stole body parts from Harvard and sold them
Donated for educational and research purposes – buyers made human leather

Leo Pettersson

Published 10.42

 

Harvard's former morgue director Cedric Lodge, 57, faces ten years in prison. Photo: Nbc

Heads, brains, hearts, lungs, bones and skin.

The Harvard morgue director stole it with the help of his wife – then everything was sold on the black market.

– We feel extremely betrayed, a relative tells People.

The prestigious Harvard Medical School in Boston is rocked by a major scandal.

Several people are charged with stealing human remains that were donated to the school for educational and research purposes in order to resell them.

Instead of cremating the body parts, buyers were invited to the school morgue. There they could choose which body parts they wanted.

Sold for 400,000 SEK

The then morgue manager Cedric Lodge, 57, has now pleaded guilty to the charges.

With the help of his wife Denise, they first took the remains home and then shipped them to buyers in several different states. According to the indictment, between 2018 and 2010, they sold remains for more than 400,000 SEK.

Lodge, who was fired from the school in 2023, faces ten years in prison and a fine of approximately 2.5 million SEK.

Harvard Medical School has called Lodge's actions "morally reprehensible" and described it as "a heinous betrayal".

Daughter's anger: "I wanted to vomit"

Relatives of the donors have also expressed their grief and anger.

Darlene Lynch, whose father Nich Pichowicz donated his remains to Harvard, describes the family as feeling “extremely betrayed.”

“I feel sick. When I first found out, I wanted to throw up. It’s sick that people would do this. It’s crazy, completely unthinkable,” she tells People. 

 

Jeremy Pauley bought human skin from Lodge and made leather from it. Photo: Pennsboro Township Police Department

Made leather from the skin

Several buyers are also facing charges. One of these is Jeremy Pauley, 43.

He and another man bought human skin that they then made leather from.

The same Pauley also bought body parts from a person who stole remains from a funeral chapel in Arkansas.

During a police search, several remains were found in Pauley’s basement and he has pleaded guilty.

 

 

Prof. Jeffrey Sachs : Is Trump Delivering Peace Anywhere?

Judge Napolitano - Judging Freedom  

 

  

Dmitry Orlov: The Ukraine Conflict Just Took a TERRIFYING Turn! 

Dialogue Works

  

Russia Issues ULTIMATUM to Ukraine at UN Security Council

Times Now World

 

 

$40 Trillion Market GONE? China Cancels Trade in USD Amid Its Global Power Play Showdown

World Affairs In Context    

Ukraine's SHADOW POWER Structure, Rise of Far-Right and Loss of Democracy | Dr. Nicolai Petro 

World Affairs In Context    

  

Russia Won the War - John Mearsheimer, Alexander Mercouris & Glenn Diesen

 The Duran    

New twist: The halt is stopped in Trump's tariff battle

USA

The tariff chaos will continue – at least for a while longer

Joachim Kerpner

Updated 12.59 | Publishcd 12.49

On Wednesday, a court stopped Trump's tariffs and the world breathed a sigh of relief.

Barely a day later, the halt was paused.

The Trump administration must be given time to sharpen its counter-arguments, a higher court ruled.

Quick version

• The US Court of International Trade stopped Donald Trump's tariffs, because he was considered to have abused his power when he introduced them.
• The Trump administration appealed the decision and a high court paused the halt yesterday, Thursday. The tariffs are in effect while the Trump camp develops its legal counter-arguments.
• The battle over the tariffs is expected to reach all the way to the US Supreme Court, where it can be decided whether Trump's use of an economic crisis law from 1977 was legal.

Donald Trump's threat of high tariffs against a long list of countries has created chaos in the world economy.

On Wednesday, American time, the US Court of International Trade ruled that the American president had abused the law he referred to when he introduced the tariffs. The court found that Trump did not have "unlimited power" to fight a global trade war, according to  The New York Times.  The tariffs were thus declared illegal.

The decision meant that the Trump administration must withdraw most of the tariffs within ten days.

The law that Trump referred to - an economic crisis act from 1977 - gives the president the right to act against imminent threats. When Trump made his tariff decisions, he has referred partly to the fact that fentanyl smuggling from abroad constitutes a crisis situation, partly to the fact that the US trade deficit must be addressed urgently.

Donald Trump's tariffs have created chaos in the world economy. Photo: Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP

After Wednesday's court ruling, senior US government officials went public and declared that the tariffs would not be lifted. In addition, the Trump camp filed an appeal with a higher court, asking it to pause the court's decision so that the presidential administration has time to develop its arguments that the tariffs are legal.

The higher court ruled on Thursday on just such a pause, which means that while the Trump administration sharpens its arguments, the tariffs can remain in place.

The battle over whether the tariffs are valid or not is expected to go all the way to the US Supreme Court, according to The New York Times.

If the legal battle ends with Trump's use of the almost 50-year-old economic crisis law being deemed illegal, it still does not necessarily mean that the president is prohibited from imposing tariffs.

There are a handful of other laws that he can refer to to impose tariffs. But those laws require a longer process that could take "a couple of months" to implement, unlike the quick presidential orders made possible by invoking the emergency law.