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It’s real now. The time for talk is over.

Races in the Garden and Hawkeye states revealed emerging political trends that could shape the midterm elections.

Months ahead of the closure, residents are heralding the end of an era.

Welsh Police Officers Ordered To Log Anti-Islam Comments In Chilling Free Speech Crackdown

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

Britain's free speech traditions face fresh erosion as South Wales Police directs officers to record conversations and comments about Islam that stray beyond what the force deems "legitimate" discussion.

The policy, exposed in recent social media posts, risks logging lawful criticism as hostility incidents that could surface in future employment checks.

This move builds directly on the Labour government's March definition of "anti-Muslim hostility" and exposes how public bodies are "gold-plating" safeguards meant to protect open debate.

Police force orders officers to keep record of Britons' anti-Islam comments
https://t.co/kQIa0v3VGz

- GB News (@GBNEWS) June 2, 2026

South Wales Police has told staff to log anything exceeding its view of 'acceptable' talk on Islam. The Free Speech Union immediately challenged the guidance, warning it hands officers unchecked power to decide acceptable speech and creates a chilling effect on expression.

The FSU post laid it out plainly, noting "South Wales Police are zealously enforcing their own definition of Islamophobia in a way that threatens free speech."

? South Wales Police are zealously enforcing their own definition of Islamophobia in a way that threatens free speech.

The force has instructed staff to log anything that goes beyond what it considers a "legitimate" discussion of Islam.

This subjective definition gives... pic.twitter.com/cI6P188WOm

- The Free Speech Union (@SpeechUnion) June 1, 2026

"This subjective definition gives officers the power to decide what constitutes acceptable speech and risks having a chilling effect on free expression," the FSU adds.

The FSU has written to South Wales Police calling on them to withdraw the guidance. "If they fail to do so, we have threatened legal action by way of judicial review," it further notes.

FSU General Secretary Lord Young said South Wales Police risked "penalising people for expressing misgivings about Islam", contrary to free speech protections enshrined in law. Britain's blasphemy laws were abolished by Parliament in 2008.

Lord Young added: "The Government was careful to include free speech safeguards in its official definition of anti-Muslim hostility, making clear that it was not intended to inhibit criticism of Islam or Islamic religious practices, such as ritual public prayer."

"Our concern is that police forces and other public bodies adopting the definition will gold-plate it, ignoring those safeguards and penalising people for expressing misgivings about Islam, even when those views are rooted in evidence rather than prejudice," Young further urged.

He continued, "In particular, we are concerned that the default police response to reports of anti-Muslim hostility - even where they clearly fall outside the definition - will be to record them as 'anti-social behaviour incidents', the new name for 'non-crime hate incidents'. Those records may then be disclosed in enhanced DBS checks."

The Government announced its official definition of "anti-Muslim hostility" in March, alongside plans to appoint an Islamophobia tsar.

South Wales Police's interpretation adds an extra phrase to the Government's definition that could have a chilling effect on free speech and potentially affect people's daily lives, such as their employment prospects.

As a result of this policy, individuals may be unable to predict whether their lawful speech or beliefs will be recorded by the police, or how any resulting record may be used, retained or relied upon.

We understand that several other police forces have adopted their own definitions of Islamophobia.

In March, ministers unveiled the non-statutory definition of anti-Muslim hostility in the "Protecting What Matters" report. The same package urged schools, councils and workplaces to monitor and report incidents, creating an atmosphere of institutional surveillance.

A leaked draft of the social cohesion strategy went further, branding the Union flag a "tool of hate" wielded by the "extreme right" to intimidate and exclude. National symbols of pride were reframed as potential weapons while the strategy allocated hundreds of millions toward "pressured areas."

The definition itself was shaped by a working group where every member carried links to Islamist organisations previously shunned by governments since 2009, including the Muslim Council of Britain and Muslim Engagement and Development. One member had publicly supported Hamas; another stood for the Respect Party.

Conservative MP Katie Lam warned the definition would "make it harder to talk about Islamist extremism, FGM, and the grooming gangs. They'd rather restrict our right to criticise than deal with these problems head-on. It's putting us all in danger."

The Free Speech Union briefing stated: "In a free society, no religion should enjoy greater protection than others - nor be shielded from legitimate criticism and challenge." It added that the group's makeup left "deep cause for concern."

While institutions chase "anti-Muslim hostility" records, actual religious discrimination in the opposite direction has flourished. Landlords across London and the south-east openly advertise flats and rooms "only for Muslims," "for two Muslim boys or two Muslim girls," or "Muslims preferred" on platforms including Gumtree and Facebook. These listings breach the Equality Act 2010 yet continue with minimal enforcement.

The contrast is stark: criticism of Islamic doctrine or practices triggers police logging and potential DBS disclosures, while explicit religious exclusion in areas such as housing draws little institutional pushback. This is two-tier Britain in action.

Lord Young's warning in the FSU statement remains the core issue. Officers are now empowered to decide what counts as "legitimate" discussion of Islam. Lawful misgivings rooted in evidence risk being recorded anyway. Blasphemy laws were abolished in 2008 for good reason; this approach revives their spirit for one religion alone.

Free speech protections exist precisely to cover expression that offends, shocks or disturbs. When police forces treat evidence-based concerns about Islamism as automatic hostility, they invert that principle and accelerate self-censorship across the country.

The Free Speech Union has made clear it will pursue judicial review if South Wales Police does not withdraw the guidance. Other forces reportedly adopting similar interpretations should take note. Britain's tradition of open debate on all ideas, including religious ones, is not optional. It is the foundation that keeps a free society from sliding into managed speech and selective enforcement.

Tyler Durden Wed, 06/03/2026 - 05:00

A Miami biotech executive was followed into the skyscraper where he lived by the man, accused of pushing him off the building’s 25th floor, newly-released surveillance video shows.  Justin Zelin, 35, was seen walking into Miami Beach’s 47-story Akoya Condominium with a bearded man Corey Hutterli, 37, following behind on Feb. 12 — three days before...

The Yankees might not wait until the trade deadline to make improvements to their bullpen.

This is the second reported lightning death in the US in 2026.

Kuwait said Wednesday it had suspended commercial flights after an Iranian drone attack heavily damaged the country’s airport and caused injuries, hours after Iran and the United States traded missile strikes in the region.

Tuesday brought optimism and a bit more clarity surrounding Mitchell Robinson and his broken right pinky.

Opposite Of Drawdown: US Mulls Expanding Nuclear Weapons Deployments In Europe

The White House has been talking about reducing America's military presence across the European continent, amid long-running Trump complaints over lack of NATO burden-sharing. There are even plans to draw down 5,000 US troops from Germany on a permanent basis (though for now it appears thousands are just being moved to Poland).

Such a military 'reduction' would be welcomed by Moscow, however, as is usual when Washington signals de-escalation in force posture, the result ends up being the opposite. Washington is reportedly preparing to scatter more nuclear tripwires across the European continent, all while claiming a draw down of forces and footprint.

DoD file image

According to a Financial Times report published Tuesday, the US is actively discussing whether to deploy nuclear weapons in more NATO states.

Citing three people briefed on the internal discussions, American officials have signaled distinct openness to additional deployments well beyond the six nations that currently host the Pentagon's nuclear-capable bombers.

Under NATO’s legacy nuclear sharing program, only six allies including Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, and the United Kingdom - are approved to host US supplied dual-capable aircraft and "forward-deployed" nuclear bombs.

And yet that exclusive club may be about to get a lot larger, and even closer to Moscow's doorstep. Unsurprisingly, the nations highest on the list are located along NATO's eastern flank, with Poland and various Baltic states already aggressively expressing interest in hosting the bases required to house the aircraft.

But as even Ukrainian media points out, this violates prior high level agreements between the Western alliance and Moscow:

The 1997 NATO-Russia agreement said NATO had no plans to place nuclear weapons in new member states. However, some countries that joined NATO later, including Poland, have since said they would be open to hosting US nuclear weapons, especially after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The FT report suggests that while an agreement to expand nuclear hosting is not imminent, high-level discussions are happening at the highest levels of NATO.

The proposal seems to be Washington's carrot offered alongside the 'stick' of renewed financial arm-twisting over lack of European defense spending.

via London School of Economics and Political Science

As we featured last week, some recent reports have dubbed the new vision for European defense as "NATO 3.0" - wherein Washington would expect European allies to assume responsibility for the continent’s entire conventional defense, and the nuclear arsenal would be maintained by the United States. Lately France's Macron has introduced the possibility of a French nuclear umbrella, apparently as an alterantive.

Tyler Durden Wed, 06/03/2026 - 04:15

Sean Manaea views his success throwing his sweeper as a significant factor in his turnaround.

"Not only was he intelligent, articulate, young Christian man, he just had that something special still within him that I knew, we all knew, he was destined for greatness."

To the extent there was ever any question over whether Antonee Robinson would make the World Cup roster for the U.S. men’s national team, it was injury-related.

White Girls Raped By Dogs, Whisky Bottles, & 100s Of Men: Britain's Migrant Grooming-Gang Scandal Exposed

Via Remix News,

Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe used a Westminster Hall debate on Monday to confront MPs with harrowing testimony from White girls and women who were raped, tortured, trafficked, and degraded by migrant grooming gangs, and abandoned by the very authorities that should have protected them.

The debate was secured after 260,974 Brits signed a petition calling for Parliament to address the rape gang scandal. Lowe opened by thanking the signatories and welcoming survivors who were sitting in the hall, saying the debate was not about politics, but about them.

“I want the world to hear what we heard during the two weeks of our independent rape gang inquiry hearings, an inquiry that should never have needed to happen,” Lowe said.

He then read out a series of graphic testimonies that exposed the scale of the abuse suffered by almost exclusively White girls.

One survivor said she was only “about 12, nearly 13” when a man raped her before forcing an empty Jack Daniel’s bottle inside her and breaking the glass. Another described being held down by groups of men as they took turns to rape her, before beating her and threatening to kill her and harm her loved ones if she ever spoke out.

I want the world to hear what we heard. pic.twitter.com/2DtCS0QztE

— Rupert Lowe MP (@RupertLowe10) June 1, 2026

Lowe told MPs that the evidence heard by his inquiry included repeated allegations that White British girls were deliberately targeted.

One survivor said abusers made constant references to “White girls” and “Christian girls,” claiming they had “fewer morals or lower values,” while Muslim girls were described as having “dignity and higher moral standing.”

Another alleged victim said race “did play a part” in the selection of victims, adding that the girls she encountered during her exploitation were “almost exclusively White.”

The testimony also included claims that children in care were effectively handed over to abusers. One survivor said men would sound a car horn outside a children’s home before a staff member brought a child to the front door. Another said, “It was all of the White girls in every home that I went to.”

In one of the most disturbing accounts read to MPs, a survivor recalled seeing the back of a van opened to reveal “15, 20 girls locked in dog cages.” Another said dogs were brought in during an attack while men stood around filming, laughing, and betting on what would happen. She said she had nowhere to move and was raped by a dog while a man held her face and stared into her eyes because “he wanted to see me break.”

Lowe also read testimony from a survivor who said she was raped by “probably about six or seven hundred different men” over three years after the abuse began when she was 13. Another said abuse escalated around Eid and holidays, when parties became “bigger, worse, and “more violent,” with more men and more girls involved.

The Restore Britain leader claimed that institutions had repeatedly failed victims. One girl said she went to hospital at 15, bleeding, swollen, and unable to sit down after an assault, but was given tablets and discharged after telling staff her drink had been spiked because she was too frightened to say what had really happened. “They did not ask any questions,” she said.

Another survivor alleged that she was raped by multiple police officers in different parts of the country. A further testimony claimed a man put a cigarette out on a baby’s face.

Lowe said the abuse was also used to attack the faith and identity of victims. One Christian survivor said her cross was used as a way to break her down, with abusers asking, “Where is your God now? Has your God forsaken you?”

The politician said he could have continued reading testimony “for hours and hours,” warning that Parliament no longer had any excuse for inaction.

“All of us in this building have a responsibility to finally act. Not to talk, but to act,” he said. “Our Rape Gang Inquiry report will be released in the coming days. It will change Britain for good.”

Lowe launched his own independent inquiry before the U.K. government announced a statutory national investigation into grooming gangs, a probe that identified evidence of child sexual exploitation across dozens of local authority areas.

Read more here...

Tyler Durden Wed, 06/03/2026 - 03:30

Freddie Freeman had a two-run homer, and Shohei Ohtani added a two-run triple, to help the Dodgers survive late-game scares from the Diamondbacks.

This reader is upset that her abusive relationship has practically ruined the lives of her two daughters.

Luke Kornet wasn’t thinking about making multiple trips to the NBA Finals or making a play that would live in franchise lore.

"He calls two hookers and tries to frame me. He sends two hookers up to the house for me. I'm not even there. As a smokescreen."

US Warns Ally Oman That It Better Pick The 'Right' Side In Hormuz Standoff

The saga of rare Washington pressure on its longtime regional ally Oman continues, with on Tuesday The Wall Street Journal reporting that US officials are growing "increasingly frustrated" with Muscat's neutral stance, which they now view as hostile to US interests.

Oman has stood accused of cooperating with Iran on a proposed toll collection scheme which would benefit Tehran and circumvent America's aims for the region.

Via container-news

"In recent days, the Trump administration has threatened to sanction and even bomb Oman, after a new intelligence assessment concluded that Muscat was planning to join Iran in tolling vessels in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, according to another U.S. official," WSJ writes. "Oman has repeatedly denied that it plans to do so."

Interestingly, Oman actually provided some level of military assistance to the US even as it launched an unprovoked attack on the Islamic Republic alongside Israel.

"Omani territory was used to provide some logistical supplies to the U.S. military at the start of the war, say Arab and U.S. officials," notes the report. "But the U.S. official said the military assistance was small."

During a cabinet meeting last week, President Trump made clear that Muscat must align with US-backed 'international norms' or face consequences, warning, "Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we’ll have to blow them up."

Omani Information Minister Abdulla al-Harrasi has recently emphasized that the Sultanate remains "ready to work with the United States and all responsible partners to promote stability" and protect mutual interests. 

The small strategically located Arabian peninsula country has sought to walk a fine line, but Washington is angered as it has yet to explicitly condemn Iran, even after weeks of attacks on Gulf states (at the height of Operation Epic Fury):

Since the war started, Oman has assisted ships, including from the U.S., by providing navigational guidance, search-and-rescue services and medical assistance to ship crews, said a person familiar with the matter.

Harrasi said the country remained committed to the free flow of commerce and energy through the strait. “Any threat to freedom of navigation in these waters would harm the interests of the entire international community, including the United States,” he said.

In May, Oman was the only Persian Gulf country that refused to sign an Emirati-led U.N. statement condemning Iran’s move to charge tolls in Hormuz. 

Some have called Oman the "Switzerland of the Middle East" - a status that Omani diplomats are proud of. Likely they are also very wary of being seen as is America's or Israel's corners - especially before their domestic Arab population.

One analyst quoted in the WSJ has summarized where things stand: Oman's approach to Tehran so far has "opened the door to criticism and unwelcome scrutiny of a country that has long prided itself on its impartial foreign policy."

Meanwhile, via Financial Times on Tuesday: "Greek shipping tycoon Evangelos Marinakis ready to pay Strait of Hormuz transit fees."

Marco Rubio on Iran:

We can't have a world in which only Iranian ships get through the straits.

If they are going to shut down the straits for everybody, we are going to shut down the straits for them. pic.twitter.com/OU2unUVGum

— Clash Report (@clashreport) June 2, 2026

If this trend of different shipping companies and nations approaching Tehran to do separate deal-making to transit the strait continues, we could see Iran placed in a stronger position globally than before the war began.

Tyler Durden Wed, 06/03/2026 - 02:45

On the eve of the NBA Finals, the Spurs’ superstar center indicated his team was still in the process of refocusing for the next — and final — round against the Knicks.