Russia-N.Korea pact, deadly air pollution and illuminating black hole

Detained Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is freed, Japan’s emperor and empress begin a three-day state visit to the UK, US judges partially block Biden's student loan relief plan, a prominent critic of ex-Philippine Pres. Rodrigo Duterte is acquitted, Afghanistan’s Taliban is accused of sexually assaulting detained women, the UN warns that 96% of Gaza is facing food insecurity, the judge in the Trump classified docs case questions the investigation’s funding, the US announces a $100M housing initiative, the US surgeon general declares gun violence a public health crisis, and several top music labels sue two AI-song  creators for alleged copyright violations. Sources: https://www.verity.news/

20 are killed in attacks on a synagogue and church in Russia's Dagestan, Russia blames the US for a 'barbaric' attack on Crimea, Netanyahu walks back his support for a US-backed Gaza cease-fire proposal, Iran and Bahrain agree to resume diplomatic ties, Trump says he has decided on his running mate, The US experiences over a dozen mass shootings, Exploded lithium batteries kill 22 at a South Korea factory, The Supreme Court agrees to hear a Tennessee ban on gender-reassignment health care, Apple is accused of violating the EU’s digital competition law, A report recommends criminal charges against Boeing, and a boy in the UK is the first to receive a deep brain neurostimulator to treat epilepsy. Sources: https://www.verity.news/

Donald Trump leads Joe Biden in battleground states according to new polling, “track two” nuclear talks are held between the PRC and the US, Argentina's Javier Milei faces a backlash over a controversial Supreme Court pick, in France, a National Rally candidate is assaulted while campaigning, Trump proposes Green Cards for foreign graduates, charges are dropped for dozens of Columbia University protesters, Wikipedia flags the Anti-Defamation League as “unreliable” regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict, OpenAI Co-Founder Ilya Sutskever launches a rival AI start-up, Eli Lilly sues alleged purveyors of counterfeit pharmaceuticals and a UK journalist backs out of the Washington Post’s chief editorial role. Details at Verity.News

A Biden super PAC reportedly raises $10M to rival Trump’s online presence, The Netherlands’ Mark Rutte appears set to head NATO, Hezbollah warns Cyprus against supporting Israel's war efforts, Putin arrives in Vietnam for a state visit, The UK’s Rishi Sunak is predicted to be the first prime minister to lose his seat, The UK investigates a Conservative candidate for alleged election betting, Louisiana orders public classrooms to display the Ten Commandments, A former UK judge backs amnesty for people convicted of COVID fines, Boeing faults leave two US astronauts stuck in space, and a new AI-powered blood test shows promise in predicting Parkinson's. Details at Verity.News  

Several US Lawmakers meet with the Dalai Lama, Israel warns of an ‘all-out war’ against Hezbollah, Russia and North Korea sign a defense pact, Nvidia unseats Microsoft as the world's most valuable company, a US Army sergeant is jailed for nearly 4 years in Russia, a Texas doctor is indicted for allegedly leaking health records, China reportedly renames hundreds of Uyghur villages and towns, the UK’s inflation hits its 2% target, air pollution is linked to 8M deaths in 2021 and astronomers discover a black hole “waking up” Sources: https://www.verity.news/

Russia’s Vladimir Putin visits North Korea, Malaysia outlines its ambition to join BRICS,Biden announces a citizenship pathway for 500K undocumented spouses, Israel’s Gaza division was allegedly warned of Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, Kansas sues Pfizer for allegedly hiding its COVID vaccine risks, Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is indicted on royal defamation charges, Thailand’s Senate approves same-sex marriage, A federal judge temporarily blocks Biden's new law for LGBTQ+ students, At least eight are killed in landslides in Ecuador, and China gears up to build the world's largest particle collider.   Sources: https://www.verity.news/

Netanyahu disbands the Israeli war cabinet, Seventy-eight countries sign Ukraine's peace summit communiqué, China's premier visits Australia, Reform UK releases their election manifesto, An investigation finds CUNY and the University of Michigan mishandled discrimination reports, A BBC report suggests that the Greek coastguard was involved in migrant deaths, Global nuclear weapons spending reportedely reached $91.4B in 2023, 100M Americans are expected to face a potentially historic heat wave, Maryland’s governor pardons thousands of marijuana convictions, and the US surgeon general calls for social media warning labels. Sources: https://www.verity.news/

A coalition government is agreed in South Africa, Reform UK overtakes the Conservatives in a new poll, Biden and Zelenskyy ink a 10-year security agreement, Trump visits GOP leaders on Capitol Hill, Israeli forces advance deeper into Rafah as cease-fire talks remain uncertain, Dozens are killed in a suspected Islamist rebel attack in DR Congo, A Chinese #MeToo journalist is jailed for five years, SCOTUS overturns an ATF bump stock ban, A Texas man is charged with threatening an FBI agent on the Hunter Biden investigation, and OpenAI appoints a former NSA chief to its board of directors. Sources: https://www.verity.news/

Facts & Spins for June 14, 2024 Top Stories: US Attorney General Merrick Garland is held in contempt, Clashes erupt as Argentina’s senate approves Javier Milei’s sweeping reform bill, G7 leaders agree to use frozen Russian assets to fund Ukraine, The UK’s Labour Party launches its election manifesto, France’s Emmanuel Macron suspends controversial voting reforms in New Caledonia, Tesla shareholders approve Musk’s $44.9B compensation package, SCOTUS upholds access to the abortion pill mifepristone, Trans swimmer Lia Thomas loses a case to compete in the Olympics, The US Fed holds rates steady, and Swedish scientists win a $10M prize for antimicrobial resistance research. Sources: https://www.verity.news/

Facts & Spins for June 13, 2024 Top Stories: a UN inquiry alleges that both Israel and Hamas have committed war crimes, while alleged leaked recordings show Hamas characterizing civilian deaths as “necessary sacrifices,” Vladamir Putin endorses Turkey’s eventual entry into BRICS+, US sources say that Washington will provide Ukraine with another Patriot missile system, the EU plans to hike tariffs on PRC electric vehicles by 38%, Donald Trump calls for all remaining crypto mining to take place in the US, new FBI statistics reportedly show a drop in US violent crime, Elon Musk drops his lawsuit against OpenAI, over 1K animals are killed in a tragic market fire in Bangkok, Thailand and a study shows female astronauts’ resilience to spaceflight impacts. Sources: https://www.verity.news/