Monthly Archives: June 2025

2025.06.11

Fact-check: Trump’s speech at Fort Bragg contained lies and conspiracy theories about LA
The US president reiterated falsehoods and misleading statements to troops at the North Carolina military base
Robert Mackey
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/10/fact-check-trump-speech-fort-bragg

Everything we know about the protests in LA and other US cities
Brandon Drenon and James FitzGerald
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj93d3r0zz0o

In Los Angeles immigration protests, teachers, union members and children take to the streets together
No state in the U.S. has more immigrants than California, and most of them live in coastal cities like Los Angeles. Recent raids by immigration authorities have shaken and angered Angelenos, who place the blame for the latest escalations squarely on the federal government.
Marie-Astrid Langer (text), Ivan Kashinsky (photos), Los Angeles
https://www.nzz.ch/english/in-los-angeles-teachers-union-members-and-children-march-together-ld.1888310?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=2025-06-11&utm_campaign=2025-06-11%20Full%20Version&utm_content=%20L%20A%20protests%20escalate%20Israeli%20life%20increasingly%20politicized%20and%20tourist%20trends%20in%20the%20US

Trump’s war on Harvard was decades in the making. This letter proves it
Bernard Harcourt
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/11/trump-war-on-harvard

Note to self: Insurance actuarial tables are not based on government climate websites
Major US climate website likely to be shut down after almost all staff fired

Exclusive: Climate.gov, which supports public education on climate science, will soon no longer publish new content
Eric Holthaus
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/11/climate-website-shut-down-noaa

Weather makers: How microbes living in the clouds affect our lives
Carl Zimmer
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250610-the-microbes-that-thrive-in-the-clouds

Republican chair of House homeland security committee to retire early
Mark Green had announced he would not run in 2024 and then changed his mind when Republicans urged him to stay
Associated Press
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/10/mark-green-retires-republican-homeland-security-chair

This month’s best paperbacks
June
Looking for a new reading recommendation? Here are some brilliant new paperbacks, from moving memoirs to sequels of beloved novels
https://www.theguardian.com/books/ng-interactive/2025/jun/11/this-months-best-paperbacks-hanif-kureishi-alexei-navalny-and-more

2025.06.10

MyPillow founder Mike Lindell sticks by false 2020 election claims in defamation trial
Lindell took the stand for the first time during the trial in Denver.
by Colleen Slevin Associated Press
https://www.minnpost.com/national/2025/06/mypillow-founder-mike-lindell-sticks-by-false-2020-election-claims-in-defamation-trial/

From Bring Me The News: “Anxiety over current U.S. border and LGBTQ policies under the Trump administration has led a Canadian group to scrap the Minnesota leg of its annual cross-border Pride parade. Borderland Pride has announced that its cross-border Pride March will not start in International Falls this year. The event will instead take place entirely within Fort Frances on the Canadian side of the border.” Via MinnPost

Sumer is icumen in: From MPR News: “Our weather pattern will take a more typical summery and thundery June turn this week. Tuesday brings plenty of sunshine and warmer temperatures in the 80s to much of Minnesota. Then a warm front will stall across southern Minnesota along the Interstate 90 corridor between Wednesday and Friday. That front will be the focus of a few rounds of thunderstorms.” Via MinnPost

‘They tell you every minor inconvenience’: bartenders on which generation has the worst behavior
Gen Z patrons have stopped opening bar tabs and can’t order quickly, but older customers’ etiquette isn’t perfect either
Alaina Demopoulos
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/ng-interactive/2025/jun/10/gen-z-bar-tabs-etiquette

Compare the courage of Greta Thunberg’s Gaza aid mission with the inaction and complicity of western governments
Owen Jones
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/10/greta-thunberg-gaza-aid-mission-madleen

New blood test for coeliac disease can diagnose autoimmune condition without need to eat gluten
Australian researchers hope test is a ‘game-changer’ for diagnosing those following a strict gluten-free diet
Natasha May Health reporter
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jun/10/new-blood-test-for-coeliac-disease-can-diagnose-autoimmune-condition-without-need-to-eat-gluten

Mythica: Stormbound review – new chunk of swords and sorcery tale ripe for avid franchise audience
The sixth instalment in this low-budget series has a meagre plot and shonky visual effects but the director and cast clearly care about the franchise’s audience
Leslie Felperin
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jun/09/mythica-stormbound-review-new-chunk-of-swords-and-sorcery-tale-ripe-for-avid-franchise-audience

‘It makes me sick!’ How the French impressionists went from ‘lunatics’ to luminaries
The National Gallery of Victoria’s new show, French Impressionism, celebrates the likes of Monet, Renoir, Degas, Morisot and Pissarro, who painted in the face of public outrage
Sian Cain
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/jun/09/it-makes-me-sick-how-the-likes-of-the-french-impressionists-went-from-lunatics-to-luminaries

Frederick Forsyth, Day of the Jackal author and former MI6 agent, dies aged 86
Writer used his experience reporting on De Gaulle’s France to plot his thriller, and continued to draw on real-world research for subsequent bestsellers
Richard Lea
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/jun/09/frederick-forsyth-day-of-the-jackal-author-and-former-mi6-agent-dies-aged-86

Sly Stone obituary
Funk and soul musician whose band, Sly and the Family Stone, had a profound effect on US music in the 1960s and 70s
Garth Cartwright
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/jun/10/sly-stone-obituary

2025.06.09

Lojo Russo Pop-Up Concert
The Warehouse at Wonderwoman
3715 Minnehaha Ave
Monday, June 9 between 7p and 9p.
Hope you can make!
https://facebook.com/events/s/pop-up-lojo/715128571213095/

Trump news at a glance: California’s Newsom compares Trump to a ‘dictator’ over national guard deployment
The governor is in a showdown with the president over the policing of protests in LA and Paramount – key US politics stories from Sunday 8 June at a glance
Guardian staff
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/09/trump-administration-news-updates-today

A free flat for a fortnight: the German city offering perks to fight depopulation
Eisenhüttenstadt, once a socialist vision but now at risk of becoming a ghost town, seeks to ditch its far-right image
Deborah Cole in Eisenhüttenstadt
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/09/a-free-flat-for-a-fortnight-the-german-city-offering-perks-to-fight-depopulation

Toxic truth? The cookware craze redefining ‘ceramic’ and ‘nontoxic’
Designer brands such as Always Pan and Caraway are booming – but safety experts are raising questions
Tom Perkins
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/jun/09/ceramic-nontoxic-cookware

Will the Trump-Musk rift really change anything?
Jan-Werner Müller
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/09/musk-trump-rift-changeWill the rift between Trump and Musk truly lead to any significant changes?

Jan-Werner Müller
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/09/musk-trump-rift-change

Inside one of the world’s most advanced supercomputers
https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0lgb2xd/inside-one-of-the-world-s-most-advanced-supercomputers

The Guardian view on coming-out tales: from A Boy’s Own Story to What It Feels Like for a Girl
Editorial
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/08/the-guardian-view-on-coming-out-tales-from-a-boys-own-story-to-what-it-feels-like-for-a-girl

Who drank all the matcha? How tourism drained a Japanese town
Marina Wang
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250606-matcha-how-tourism-drained-a-japanese-town

From Tabasco sauce to Taiwanese Tex-Mex: Felicity Cloake’s American odyssey
Laura Hall
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250606-felicity-cloakes-american-food-odyssey

2025.06.08

Kristi Noem: the made-for-TV official executing Trump’s mass deportations Noem has played a starring role in the second Trump administration with her goal to ‘Make America Safe Again’ – derided by critics as ‘cosplay’ with cruel consequences Lauren Gambino https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/07/kristi-noem-trump-secretary-homeland-security

Stop bending the knee to Trump: it’s time for anticipatory noncompliance David Kirp https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/08/trump-anticipatory-noncompliance

52 tiny annoying problems, solved! (Because when you can’t control the big stuff, start small) Experts, Guardian readers and writers share ingenious solutions to life’s everyday irritations, from wobbly tables to persistent hiccups Compiled by Sarah Phillips https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/jun/08/tiny-annoying-problems-solved

Doctors trialling ‘poo pills’ to flush out dangerous superbugs
James Gallagher
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyge290l4xo

An ancient writing system confounding myths about Africa
Penny Dale
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5ye50xgw8vo

Local officials defend role following chaotic federal sting in Minneapolis
Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt said the enforcement action was one of eight search warrants carried out against a “transnational criminal organization.”
by Alfonzo Galvan, Katelyn Vue and Andrew Hazzard
https://sahanjournal.com/public-safety/minneapolis-lake-street-federal-sting-protest-response/

Dragonfly review – haunting, genre-defying drama of lonely city living Tribeca film festival, New York Brenda Blethyn and Andrea Riseborough, along with a very alarming dog, are superb as two neighbours thrown together by their neglected circumstances Peter Bradshaw https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jun/07/dragonfly-review-andrea-riseborough-brenda-blethyn-tribeca-festival

Fancy some iconic celeriac? New Nordic cuisine, now a blockbuster exhibition Twenty years ago, a group of Scandinavian chefs announced a culinary revolution. But as Norway’s National museum celebrates the New Nordic manifesto’s impact on dining and the arts, has the movement betrayed its own ambitious ideals? Dan Hancox https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2025/jun/08/fancy-some-iconic-celeriac-new-nordic-cuisine-now-a-blockbuster-exhibition

The week around the world in 20 pictures Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, wildfires in Canada, the first day of Eid al-Adha, and the Champions League final in Munich: the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists Warning: this gallery contains images that some readers may find distressing Jim Powell https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2025/jun/06/the-week-around-the-world-in-20-pictures

2025.06.07

Outrage after Republican representative disparages Sikh prayer in the US House
Mary Miller had first mistaken Giani Singh for a Muslim and said it was ‘deeply troubling’ he was allowed to lead prayer
Maya Yang
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/06/us-house-prayer-republican-mary-miller

Money can’t buy him love: Republicans give Elon Musk the cold shoulder
Robert Tait in Washington
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/06/trump-elon-musk-reaction

Trump bill set to add trillions to US debt pile – can America stop it climbing?
Economists are concerned, politicians are angry – but the national debt keeps growing, no matter who’s in charge
Callum Jones in New York
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jun/07/trump-bill-us-national-debt

The Trump-Musk feud shows danger of handing the keys of power to one person
Nick Robins-Early
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jun/07/trump-musk-feud-power

Musk and Trump are enemies made for each other – united in their ability to trash their own brands
Jonathan Freedland
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/06/donald-trump-elon-musk-enemies-trash-twitter-tesla

Neo-Nazi group ‘actively seeking to grow in US’ with planned paramilitary training event
The Base is emerging from shadows and ramping up its ranks as White House turns blind eye to the far right
Ben Makuch
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/07/the-base-neo-nazi-group-paramilitary-training

RFK Jr’s report calls farmers ‘backbone’ of US – but cuts leave workers lacking support
Small farmers face ‘two personalities’ as Trump team slashes $1bn in resources despite Kennedy’s vow to protect them
Jessica Glenza
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/07/farmers-trump-cuts-rfk-jr

Russia is at war with Britain and US is no longer a reliable ally, UK adviser says
Government defence expert Fiona Hill warns UK to respond to threats by becoming more cohesive and resilient
Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/jun/06/russia-is-at-war-with-uk-and-us-no-longer-reliable-ally

International Pride Orchestra plays outside DC in rebuff to Trump snub at Kennedy Center
LGBTQ+ ensemble was to appear at performing arts center but moved to Maryland after president reorganized venue
Guardian staff and agency
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/06/international-pride-orchestra-kennedy-center

Key takeaways from world’s largest cancer conference in Chicago
Experts announce findings on immunotherapy, a breast cancer breakthrough and the value of exercise
Andrew Gregory in Chicago
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jun/06/key-takeaways-from-worlds-largest-cancer-conference-in-chicago

Alzheimer’s blood test can spot people with early symptoms, study suggests
New test accurately picks up on memory problems by examining two proteins in blood plasma, US researchers find
PA Media
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jun/07/alzheimers-blood-test-can-spot-people-with-early-symptoms-study-suggests

It’s my goal to live to 100 – and it’s not just diet and exercise that will help me achieve it
Devi Sridhar
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/07/live-to-100-diet-exercise-long-life

Jantelagen: Why Swedes won’t talk about wealth
A high income is a badge of success in many countries, but in Sweden a deep-rooted cultural code called Jantelagen stops many from talking about it.
Video by Maddy Savage and Benoît Derrier
https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p07qgx5d/jantelagen-why-swedes-won-t-talk-about-wealth

If books could kill: The poison legacy lurking in libraries
Pauline McLean
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g2y9xq58no

Lost Turner oil painting found after 150 years
Leigh Boobyer
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyzp4r70m8o

2025.06.06

Food additive titanium dioxide likely has more toxic effects than thought, study finds
Controversial additive may be in as many as 11,000 US products and could lead to diabetes and obesity
Tom Perkins
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/06/titanium-dioxide-food-additive-toxic

Don’t rinse raw chicken: nine food safety tips from microbiologists
We all have questionable kitchen habits – experts break down how to avoid spreading pathogens at home
Adrienne Matei
https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/2025/jun/05/how-to-avoid-food-poisoning-microbiologists-tips

Minnesota’s boundary waters are pristine. Trump’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ could pollute them forever
A little-known provision would open thousands of nearby acres to a foreign mining company, risking acid drainage
Jimmy Tobias for Public Domain
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/06/minnesota-boundary-waters-pollution

A massive outbreak has made Ontario the measles epicentre of the western hemisphere
Three-quarters of cases are in unvaccinated children, and this week saw the first fatality: a premature baby
Olivia Bowden in St Thomas
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/06/measles-outbreak-ontario-canada

Diner dates and bathhouse chili: the colorful, defiant history of America’s gay restaurants
In his new book, Erik Piepenburg dishes on the US eateries that have served as LGBTQ+ havens and are still thriving
Tim Teeman
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/jun/06/american-gay-restaurant-history

Police now say they are investigating shooting of actor Jonathan Joss as possible hate crime
King of the Hill actor’s husband claimed killing was due to his sexual orientation, which police initially dismissed
Associated Press
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/jun/06/jonathan-joss-killing-investigation-hate-crime

The inevitable Trump-Musk feud is finally here – and it’s pathetic
Moira Donegan
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/06/trump-musk-feud-pathetic

Trump’s tariffs have become his Vietnam – and the right is breaking ranks
Sidney Blumenthal
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/05/trump-tariffs-republicans

Impeachment, Epstein and bitter acrimony: Trump and Musk joust in astonishing social media duel
Tensions over the Republican spending bill burst into public view as the president’s relationship with his former adviser deteriorated
Hugo Lowell and Andrew Roth in Washington
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/05/trump-elon-musk-fallout

Trump says Musk has ‘lost his mind’ and dismisses peace offering
Trump says he’s ‘not particularly’ interested in reconciling with Elon Musk, who reportedly wanted to speak to president
Dan Milmo Global technology editor
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jun/06/elon-musk-signals-he-may-back-down-in-public-row-with-donald-trump

Wake Up and Smell the Corruption
How far we’ve fallen, how fast
Paul Krugman
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/wake-up-and-smell-the-corruption?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=apztr&triedRedirect=true

‘We have a geriatric problem’ – Democrats wrestle with age-old issue
Anthony Zurcher
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpw7p2pjn11o

US supreme court sides with heterosexual woman in ‘reverse discrimination’ case
Judges rule 9-0 in case where Marlean Ames argued she was denied a promotion because she is heterosexual
Lauren Aratani and agencies
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/05/supreme-court-reverse-discrimination-case

Australian navy ship accidentally blocks internet and radio across parts of New Zealand
Incident happened as one of the Royal Australian Navy’s largest ships was on its way to Wellington this week
Elias Visontay
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jun/06/australian-navy-ship-accidentally-blocks-wifi-across-parts-of-new-zealand

Dr Martens profits slump by more than 90%
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2kpwnr4rjo

2025.06.05

A trillion here, a trillion there, pretty soon we’re talking real money!
Trump’s tax bill would add $2.4tn to US debt, says non-partisan analysis
The Congressional Budget Office warns Trump’s ‘one big, beautiful bill’ will leave 10.9 million uninsured by 2034
Joseph Gedeon in Washington
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/04/trump-tax-bill-debt

‘These guys are idiots’: Sean Penn and Dustin Lance Black call out government’s Harvey Milk erasure
Team behind Oscar-winning biopic of the groundbreaking gay politician hits back at decision to remove his name
Adrian Horton
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/04/sean-penn-harvey-milk

Hundreds arrested across 28 states in effort to curb organized retail theft
Illinois taskforce brought together more than 100 law enforcement agencies and over 30 retailers for crackdown
Marina Dunbar
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/04/organized-retail-theft-arrests

Many of Dead Sea scrolls may be older than thought, experts say
Researchers enlisted help of AI along with radiocarbon dating to produce new insights into ancient texts
Nicola Davis Science Correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/jun/04/many-of-dead-sea-scrolls-may-be-older-that-thought-experts-say

MyPillow’s Mike Lindell faces trial and plans to testify about 2020 election lies
The case, brought by former Dominion employee Eric Coomer, could deepen Lindell’s legal and financial troubles
Rachel Leingang
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/04/mike-lindell-testify-2020-election-trial

FDA issues highest alert for tomato recall due to salmonella risk
Williams Farms Repack tomatoes recalled in Georgia and Carolinas, although no cases of illness have been reported
Maya Yang
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/04/tomato-recall-salmonella

Contraception warning over weight-loss drugs after dozens of pregnancies
UK watchdog has had 40 reports relating to pregnancies in people using drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro
Tobi Thomas Health and inequalities correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jun/05/contraception-warning-over-weight-loss-drugs-after-dozens-of-pregnancies

Breakthrough in search for HIV cure leaves researchers ‘overwhelmed’
Exclusive: Melbourne team demonstrates way to make the virus visible within white blood cells, paving the way to fully clear it from the body
Kat Lay Global health correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/jun/05/breakthrough-in-search-for-hiv-cure-leaves-researchers-overwhelmed

I thought it was being gay that made my life so difficult. Then, at 50, I got an eye-opening diagnosis …
I spent far too many years lonely and angry, thanks to schoolmates who called me ‘weird’ and bosses who dismissed me as ‘hysterical’. But was it my sexuality that put their backs up – or the autism I am still coming to terms with?
Matt Cain
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jun/05/i-thought-it-was-being-gay-that-made-my-life-so-difficult-then-at-50-i-got-an-eye-opening-diagnosis

Millions in west do not know they have aggressive fatty liver disease, study says
Research finds more than 15m in US, UK, Germany and France with MASH have not been diagnosed
Anna Bawden Health and social affairs correspondent
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jun/05/millions-in-west-do-not-know-they-have-aggressive-fatty-liver-disease-study-says

First bacteria we ever meet can keep us out of hospital
James Gallagher
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgr5lej9l8lo

What to do if your email account is stolen – and how to stop it happening again
A hacked or compromised account can be a nightmare. But with these tips, it need not be the end of the world
Samuel Gibbs Consumer technology editor
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2025/jun/04/what-to-do-if-your-email-account-is-stolen-and-how-to-stop-it-happening-again

From MPR News: “The Minnesota Department of Public Safety said people are receiving scam text messages that threaten penalties if they do not pay up. Department officials are asking people to delete and disregard the messages.” Via MinnPost
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/06/04/minnesota-officials-warn-of-scam-dmv-texts

From Bring Me The News: “Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has issued a statement in response to the law enforcement operation at two Twin Cities restaurants on Tuesday, one of which drew a large crowd of protesters. … MPD’s policy said that it will not interfere with ICE investigations, but will not be involved in the enforcement of federal immigration law.” In this case, “MPD said it ‘responded to a request to assist with crowd control and to help ensure public safety,’ adding: ‘Officers supported federal law enforcement in safely departing the area.’” Via MinnPost
https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/ice-issues-statement-in-response-to-raids-at-2-twin-cities-restaurants

From KARE 11: “Skies are clearing over much of the state after days of being surrounded by a smoky haze, air so unhealthy it triggered the highest level Air Quality Index (AQI) warning for residents in northwest Minnesota. Things have improved so much that an Air Quality Alert issued by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) expired at 9 a.m. Wednesday for residents of the Twin Cities metro. Via MinnPost
https://www.kare11.com/article/weather/air-quality-alert-ends-for-twin-cities-wildfire-smoke-exiting-minnesota/89-a85d429f-5def-4025-92a7-ad26bb38790f

Contorted bodies and bare bottoms: Ralph Gibson’s all-seeing eye – in pictures
The photographer has spent six decades photographing Hollywood, New York … and lots of women. He talks us through his favourite images
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2025/jun/05/contorted-bodies-and-bare-bottoms-ralph-gibsons-all-seeing-eye-in-pictures

Where to start with: Edmund White
After the news of White’s death, here is a guide to a foundational writer of gay lives and elder statesman of American queer literary fiction
Neil Bartlett
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/jun/04/where-to-start-with-edmund-white

Why Minneapolis is one of the world’s happiest places
Lindsey Galloway
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250530-why-minneapolis-is-one-of-the-worlds-happiest-places

2025.06.04

From MPR News: “Tuesday’s smoke front produced the highest air quality index reading for wildfire smoke on record in the state of Minnesota.” Air quality is expected to improve markedly Wednesday and Thursday. Via MinnPost
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/06/03/smoke-storm-highest-smoke-level-ever-recorded-for-minnesota

From the Minnesota Star Tribune: “The hydroponic grower of year-round tomatoes in the northern clime of Owatonna, Minn., Bushel Boy Farms, has sold its assets and greenhouse to a new owner and operator. … Bushel Boy began as a greenhouse-grown tomato company in 1990 and had expanded in recent years to other fruits and vegetables, including strawberries and cucumbers.” Via MinnPost

US immigration officials push for increased detentions, including ‘collateral’ arrests
Exclusive: Ice officers encouraged to ‘push the envelope’ with arrests, including of undocumented people encountered by chance
José Olivares in New York
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/04/immigration-officials-increased-detentions-collateral-arrests

Proposed Republican cuts could undo opioid epidemic progress in Appalachia
Few other places in the US will see the effects of funding cuts felt more than in Appalachian communities
Stephen Starr in Huntington, West Virginia
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/04/opioids-appalachia-white-house-republicans

Trump keeps being overruled by judges. And his temper tantrums won’t stop that
Steven Greenhouse
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/04/trump-judges-law

Hegseth orders US navy to strip Harvey Milk name from ship amid Pride month
Timing of announcement on ship named after prominent gay rights activist and veteran is intentional, reports say
Maya Yang
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/03/harvey-milk-ship-name-hegseth

Are we heading for a recession? Show me your nails
Arwa Mahdawi
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/04/are-we-heading-for-a-recession-show-me-your-nails

How the use of a word in the Guardian has gotten some readers upset
Elisabeth Ribbans
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/04/use-word-gotten-some-readers-upset

Edmund White, novelist and great chronicler of gay life, dies aged 85
The American essayist, playwright and author of books including A Boy’s Own Story and The Married Man has died
Sian Cain
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/jun/04/edmund-white-novelist-dies

2025.06.03

Philadelphia paper warns Fetterman to take Senate job seriously – ‘or step away’
Democratic senator hits back at ‘smear’ after being accused of missing votes and skipping committee hearings
Anna Betts
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/02/john-fetterman-senate-philadelphia-inquirer

US firms say Trump trade war is hitting production as dollar nears three-year low
Manufacturing survey signals third monthly decline in output in a row amid uncertainty over tariffs
Heather Stewart Economics editor
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/02/us-firms-say-trump-trade-war-is-hitting-production-as-dollar-nears-three-year-low

Outrage over Peru’s decision to nearly halve protected area near Nazca Lines
Shock decision has raised fears ancient site with almost 2,000-year-old geoglyphs will be exploited by illegal miners
Dan Collyns in Lima
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/02/peru-nazca-lines-protection-illegal-mining

Theater Mu’s new artistic director sees role as a call to arms in uncertain times
Writer and director Fran de Leon aims to elevate the theater’s profile and reach, while continuing to bring overlooked Asian-American histories to light.
by Macy-Châu Diễm Trần
https://sahanjournal.com/arts-culture/theater-mu-new-artistic-director-fran-de-leon/

How Bangkok’s Coolest Neighborhood is Taking On Gentrification
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NHfQ7ox_is

2025.06.02

Much of Minnesota will be under an air quality alert, MPR News reports. The alert is expected to last until at least 6 p.m. Monday. “According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, fine particle levels caused by large wildfires from Manitoba and Saskatchewan will push the air quality index to the red category, a level considered unhealthy for everyone, across the northern half of Minnesota. … For most of the southern and central part of Minnesota, the air quality index is expected to reach the orange category, which is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups.”  Via MinnPost
https://www.minnpost.com/glean/2025/06/smoggy-times-canadian-wildfires-contribute-to-minnesota-haze/

Key US weather monitoring offices understaffed as hurricane season starts
National Weather Service offices are reeling from job cuts and a hiring freeze imposed by Trump
Oliver Milman
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/02/trump-national-weather-service-hurricanes

Half of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders faced hate in 2024, study finds
Exclusive: rampant anti-Asian hate in 2024 reflected divisive election season, survey finds
Minnah Arshad
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/02/aapi-hate-study

A ‘war on children’: as US changes Covid vaccine rules, parents of trial volunteers push back
Frustration and anger mount as Trump administration contemplates new trials and restrictions for Covid vaccines
Melody Schreiber
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/02/vaccine-rule-change-child-trial-volunteers

Loan plan in Republican bill could worsen doctor shortage, experts warn
Proposal to limit student loans for ‘professional programs’ risks driving people away from medicine, critics say
Jessica Glenza
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/01/republican-trump-bill-doctor-shortage

Is it true that … taking collagen supplements slows signs of ageing?
Many people take collagen powders and pills in the hope of looking younger for longer, but there are better ways to improve your chances
Kate Lloyd
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/jun/02/is-it-true-that-taking-collagen-supplements-slows-signs-of-ageing

The deadlift difference: is this the exercise you need for an active and pain-free future?
Life is easier with a strong, flexible body – and this weightlifting move will help with everything from rearranging the furniture to picking up your groceries. You might even learn to love the barbell
Phil Daoust
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/jun/01/the-deadlift-difference-is-this-the-exercise-you-need-for-an-active-and-pain-free-future

How electric scooters are driving China’s salt battery push
Xiaoying You
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20250530-how-electric-scooters-are-driving-chinas-salt-battery-push

Stakes are high for US democracy as conservative supreme court hears raft of cases
Former critics now hope the justices have enough fealty to the US constitution to mitigate Trump’s assault on rights
Robert Tait in Washington
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/01/us-supreme-court-democracy

Parks, libraries, museums: here’s why Trump is attacking America’s best-loved institutions
Margaret Sullivan
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/02/national-parks-libraries-museums-trump

Trump’s tax bill helps the rich, hurts the poor and adds trillions to the deficit
Katrina vanden Heuvel
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jun/02/big-beautiful-tax-bill-deficit-trump

The women saving Japan’s vanishing cuisine
Michelle Gross
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250530-the-women-saving-japans-vanishing-cuisine

Butt-naked Milton and a spot of fellatio: why William Blake became a queer icon
How did an ancient poet and painter who died in obscurity come to obsess everyone from Oscar Wilde to David Hockney, Robert Mapplethorpe, Derek Jarman and David Bowie? The writer of a new book explains his glorious allure
Philip Hoare
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/jun/02/william-blake-queer-icon-bowie-wilde-mapplethorpe-jarman