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Sara Sommers Wilks, 37, an executive at US Heart and Vascular, and her husband, Brian David Wilks, 40, entered deferred prosecution agreements.

Left-leaning website Wikipedia took the drastic action of blocking one of its founders from editing pages on Monday — after he had campaigned to make it more balanced and fair.

Waymo Recalls Robotaxis After Cars Drive Into Construction Zones

Authored by Jill McLaughlin via The Epoch Times,

Waymo has recalled its entire fleet of vehicles after some of its driverless cars were caught speeding into freeway construction zones.

The voluntary recall on June 13 of the California-based tech company’s 3,871 vehicles is to fix its 5th-generation Automated Driving System (ADS) software so that it will recognize and avoid construction zones.

“Waymo’s mission is to be the world’s most trusted driver, and the data shows that we’re making roads safer in the communities in which we operate,” a Waymo spokesperson told The Epoch Times.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) estimates that the entire fleet carries the software defect, according to the agency’s safety report.

“Under certain circumstances the [autonomous vehicles] may enter and drive at speed in freeway construction zones due to inappropriately prioritizing the avoidance of other freeway hazards and/or failing to recognize the construction zone,” NHTSA stated in the report.

Waymo investigated one such incident on April 11 and five on April 19 in which Waymo cars autonomously drove past ramp closure signs into freeway construction zones in Phoenix, Arizona, according to the report.

The company’s field safety committee implemented driving restrictions on April 20 until more improvements could be made, according to the report.

On May 18, seven Waymo vehicles in the San Francisco Bay Area entered freeway lanes in construction zones by driving between cones designating the lane’s closure. In this case, the software did not prioritize avoiding the other freeway hazards or failed to recognize the construction zone.

The safety committee put restrictions in place after the May incident, Waymo reported.

The recall is a notice of the company’s intent to improve its software and address the problems.

Waymo voluntarily restricted freeway operations in May while making improvements to the software to avoid other freeway hazards.

No collisions or injuries were reported as a result of the construction zone incidents. The company started offering public riders trips using freeways last November in the San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix areas.

The 5th-generation Waymo Driver on the all-electric Jaguar I-PACE. Waymo

This is Waymo’s second full-fleet recall this year.

In May, the U.S. Transportation Department issued a recall of Waymo’s 3,791 vehicles after one of its vehicles drove into a flooded and impassable road in San Antonio, Texas, and was swept away despite the car detecting that the road might be impassable.

The company notified federal and state regulators before filing a voluntary federal software recall that was published by the NHTSA, according to a company spokesperson.

New Ojai Rides

On May 28, Waymo rolled out its newest vehicle—the Ojai—featuring its 6th-generation technology serving riders in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix.

The boxy, baby blue robotaxi is a fully electric and designed to be fully autonomous. The vehicle is designed for full accessibility with braille and screen readers.

The 6th-generation Waymo Driver is integrated into the all-electric Ojai. Waymo

The doors open like an elevator and the cabin is meant to feel like a “living room on wheels” with large LED screens and customizable temperatures and music, Waymo said.

Waymo plans to expand Ojai’s service area to include Denver, Las Vegas, and San Diego before opening it to more cities later this year, according to the company.

Tyler Durden Mon, 06/22/2026 - 19:15

The 26 men on the U.S. men's national team responsible for its World Cup run might be the least qualified to describe its impact.

Long Island cops who have admitted to misconduct were allowed to stay on the job and rake six-figure salaries — ending their employment only after reaching full pension eligibility, a new report said. Since 2011, at least seven settlement agreements between Suffolk County and accused crooked cops have been reached, costing taxpayers $7 million and...

The team agreed to bring back the young forward on a multiyear contract worth $10-plus million,

The mayor of a former California oil boomtown is insisting he’ll remain in power until a judge decides if the election was legal.

Apple rejected the suggestion its practices are anti-competitive, saying many customers rely on third-party alternatives.

Hydration tracking gadgets are flooding the market but is it too much information?

Hydration tracking gadgets are flooding the market but is it too much information?

The Dodgers’ plan, as it always is when the subject of the trade deadline is raised, was simple as their front office mapped out this season. Spend big in the winter. Build as strong of a roster as possible at the outset of the campaign. And hope that, come the deadline, they wouldn’t be in...

The revamped 21st Century Road to Housing Act was approved in the upper chamber in a 85-5 bipartisan vote.

Florida real estate mogul George Pino was charged with second-degree manslaughter and vessel homicide after 17-year-old girl Luciana "Lucy" Fernandez was killed in a boat crash in 2022.

Shocking video shows Connecticut dad Paul Kueker jumped to his death at a weekend concert at Madison Square Garden — with witnesses telling cops he appeared “intoxicated,’’ law-enforcement sources said Monday.

San Francisco’s ABC7/KGO-TV has begun airing messages asking Bay Area viewers to contact the FCC and support keeping the station on the air.

China Gold Imports Soar To Two Year High, As Hong Kong Gold Bar Imports Surge Ahead Of Clearing System Launch

China’s monthly gold imports reached their highest in more than two years in May, showing the world’s biggest buyer’s appetite for bullion remained resilient as prices remained under pressure; the number prompted some to scratch their heads as to where all this gold is going in light of tepid official central bank purchases, coupled with the lowest gold withdrawals from the Shanghai Gold Exchange since the covid outbreak. 

As Bloomberg reports, imports were around 163 tons last month, the highest since March 2024, according to customs data released on Saturday. Volumes for the first five months of 2026 were about 692 tons, up by about 76% from a year earlier. 

Chinese demand for physical bullion bars, as well as metal linked to gold accumulation plans (low-barrier products that allow investors to buy gold incrementally), have been among the main drivers of the surge, said Song Jiangzhen, a researcher at the Guangzhou Southern Gold Market Academy. 

China also started implementing a new import licensing regime for gold from June 1, with certain banks facing fewer restrictions. But the change may have prompted some banks to use up their existing quotas before the new system began, Song said.

Curiously, in its latest official monthly update, China's central banb, the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) only increased its gold reserves by nearly 10 tonnes last month, its 19th consecutive month of bullion purchases. The State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) announced on Sunday that China's official gold reserves rose by 320,000 troy ounces or 9.95 tonnes in May to a total of 74.96 million troy ounces or 2331.52 tonnes.

China's total foreign exchange reserves rose to $3.4422 trillion at the end of May, increasing by $31.7 billion or 0.93% from April. This is the highest level for China’s FX reserves since November 2015; they have remained above $3.3 trillion for the past 10 months.

SAFE attributed the growth of reserves to a number of factors, including a firmer US Dollar Index and rising global asset prices, adding that China's sound economic momentum has underpinned the stability of its reserves.

Experts have noted that China's rising foreign exchange reserves are closely linked to the country’s export performance.  China's total foreign trade in the first four months of 2026 rose to $2.39 trillion, an increase of 14.9% year-on-year, with exports rising by 11.3% percent to $1.37 trillion and imports rising 20% percent to $1.01 trillion, according to the latest data from China's General Administration of Customs

According to the latest central bank gold purchase tracker from Goldman, of the 59 tonnes of gold purchased by central bank in April, China's PBOC was estimated to have bought 24 tonnes of gold, or well below the recent pace of imports which are about 5x greater. While the pace of central bank gold purchases has moderated to ~50 tonnes/month on a 3-month (seasonally adjusted) and 12-month moving average basis, Goldman views the ongoing diversification trend as structural.

Goldman remains bullish on gold, with continued central bank diversification the main structural driver of the bank's constructive base case for gold prices, contributing 9% to its forecast for appreciation by Dec26. As we highlighted last week, a recent World Gold Council survey supports Goldman's optimistic view: a record 45% of the 76 central banks surveyed between February and May expect to increase their own gold reserves over the next 12 months, while ~90% expect global reserves to rise with the remainder expecting broadly stable holdings. As a result, Goldman assumes continued central bank accumulation of 50t/month in 2026 and 40t/month in 2027.

Meanwhile, as Kitco notes, China’s domestic gold market has shown definite signs of cooling in recent weeks. 

“Amid heightened market uncertainty, gold ETFs have seen an overall reduction in assets under management, with several funds experiencing significant net outflows,” noted a report from Gelonghui Finance. “As of June 3, 14 gold ETFs recorded combined net outflows exceeding RMB 10 billion [$1.48 billion] over the past month.”

“The previously widely accepted investment view of 'buying on dips amid falling gold prices' has started to face divergence under current volatile market conditions,” they added.

Gold prices have retreated by about a quarter from the record highs reached in January, weighed down by EM selling (most notably Turkey in the early days of the Iran war), and global inflation fears amid the war in the Middle East which have pushed the US dollar sharply higher. While strong buying from Chinese consumers was a key catalyst for the January frenzy, domestic demand has since moderated, but without a major slump.

Adding to the mathematical mystery, the latest numbers from the Shanghai Gold Exchange (SGE) showed that gold withdrawals in May totaled only 63.5 tonnes – the lowest level since February of 2020 during the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak, and around half of what they were in March of this year. Industry professionals told Gelonghui Finance that “while short-term gold price volatility may persist, the core rationale supporting gold’s strategic allocation value remains intact over the medium to long term.”

In other words, there appears to be a gap between near record imports, tepid official central bank demand, and muted gold withdrawals from the SGE. 

This is not a new development: as we documented previously, China is well known for indicating just modest central bank purchases, even as total Chinese purchases of gold on the London OTC market are orders of magnitude higher. 

China reported 5 tonnes of gold purchases in February (160k oz per PBOC).
China actually bought 50 tonnes of gold in February (per GS) pic.twitter.com/oQifGszNcQ

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) April 13, 2025

Separately, Bloomberg also reported that at least four of the 11 banks participating in Hong Kong’s new gold clearing system are importing large bullion bars in preparation for the mechanism’s planned launch in July.

Traders are receiving orders from some of the clearing banks to move 400-ounce gold bars into the city, Bloomberg reported citing people familiar with the matter. The bars meet the London Good Delivery industry standard.

The 400-ounce bars are typically traded by banks and sovereign entities in London, the world’s largest bullion trading hub, but are less common in the Asian market, which is dominated by much smaller kilobars. The banks need to build up inventories to allow for physical delivery when clearing begins next month.

By launching its gold clearing system, Hong Kong is securing first-mover advantage in a push to become Asia’s preeminent hub for bullion trading. Last week, Singapore announced its own plans to launch a clearing mechanism by the end of the year.

Both cities are aiming to capitalize on strong demand in Asia, where many investors remain bullish about the long-term prospects for the precious metal as an alternative store of wealth despite the recent drop in price as the war in the Middle East fanned concerns around inflation and higher interest rates.

In an emailed response to questions, a spokesperson for the government agency behind the system, known as the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, said the clearing company had been “working closely with the market to formulate the framework and rules of the clearing system” and that preparatory work had entered its final stage.

Eleven banks are on the board of the Hong Kong Precious Metals Central Clearing Company. Some of these lenders will become clearing banks from the launch, whereas others will take longer to build up their bullion capacity. While Hong Kong plans to start by using the London Good Delivery standard, its future plans are still to be decided, the people said.

In Singapore, the clearing system will be aligned with the London Good Delivery framework for large bars, as well as delivery and settlement standards for kilobars adopted by major exchanges in Chicago and Shanghai.

Tyler Durden Mon, 06/22/2026 - 18:50

We would not have Poch without the deep pockets of billionaire Ken Griffin — the same guy singled out by Mayor Mamdani in his creepy pied-à-tierre tax video.

The start of the Mets' homestand will be put on hold.

Six days after a dramatic fire spread through a Lineage Logistics warehouse in Los Angeles, firefighters are making progress.

Ron Paul: Trump's Attempt To End The Iran War Infuriates The Uniparty

Authored by Ron Paul

Against the odds, the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the US and Iran appears to be holding, after threats and counter-threats. It may collapse, but it has survived a first round of talks between the two sides in Switzerland over the weekend.

President Trump started a war on Iran against all sober guidance and in violation of the US Constitution's requirement that only Congress can declare war. There must be a reckoning for our elected leaders who violate their oath of office, the Constitution, and simple common sense.

However, what is more telling is the reaction when President Trump finally took the correct move and attempted to end the war. The neocons who had hailed him as a great leader – Levin, Bolton, Pompeo, etc. – suddenly turned against him when he turned against further escalation of the war.

via CNN

Even Trump’s top funder, Miriam Adelson, attacked Trump in her newspaper Israel Hayom. "You could have been the greatest president of all, but you failed," the newspaper wrote in an editorial.

Not much gratitude from the Israel-first crowd, even if the war was started to benefit Israel.

And more telling even than this was the reaction of the "opposition" party in Congress, the Democrats. They attacked him harder for ending – or at least pausing – the war more than for starting the war in the first place!

Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) called the MOU a "capitulation." Sen Chris Murphy (D-CT) called the MOU an "embarrassing document." Sen. Amy Klobuchar falsely claimed that President Trump was paying Iran $300 billion to re-open Hormuz.

This is more evidence – as if any is needed – that our foreign policy is run by the "uniparty." When it comes to wars, there is no Republican Party nor is there a Democratic Party. There is only the "yes!" party.

Congress remains silent in the run-up to war. Congress remains silent when the President launches a war. Congress even remains silent when the war begins going badly. It is only on those rare occasions that a president takes steps to correct his mistake that Congress finds its voice.

Yes, there is plenty to criticize. After weekend talks, the US side, led by Vice President JD Vance, is celebrating as a "breakthrough" that the Strait of Hormuz is open again and that Iran has reportedly agreed to the return of UN inspectors. But the Strait was open before this war and UN inspectors were in Iran before President Trump unilaterally pulled out of the JCPOA "Iran Deal" in his first term.

The only difference now is that we burned through likely several hundred billion dollars, we lost dozens of aircraft and other military equipment, and we likely lost more service members than the Pentagon is admitting.

It is a reminder of why the Founders intended to make sure that any war must be declared by the people’' Representatives before the first bullet is shot: it should be very hard to launch wars.

Nevertheless, those who are truly against the wars should, in my opinion, hold their fire for the time being in hope that a lasting resolution can be found. The President is being attacked from all sides by the war party. Now may not be the best time for the peace party to join in.

Tyler Durden Mon, 06/22/2026 - 18:25