10:13 AM

U.S. and Qatar will ensure released Iranian assets do not finance terrorism, says Vance

Vice President JD Vance said Monday thatWashington can ensure any frozen Iranian funds releasedas a result of theongoing negotiations will not finance terrorism.

"If we ever unfreeze Iranian assets, we can ensure that … Iranian money goes to help the people of Iran and not to fund terrorism," Vance told reporters Monday, after the first round of direct talks with Iran since President Trump and his Iranian counterpart signed a memorandum of understanding last week.

Vance said Mr. Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner, along with Qatar, which mediated the talks along with Pakistan,had come up with "a very interesting solution" to ensure that any seized financial assets released to Iran are not misused.

"If there is any frozen Iranian assets that are unfrozen, then we have approval over that process;the Qataris have approval over that process," he said.

Vance called it "a classic Trump deal, where if Iranianassets are ever unfrozen, they're going to go to make American farmers richer and to feed the Iranian people," suggesting some of the money could be used to purchase American corn, soy and wheat.

AFP/CBS

9:45 AM

U.S. Treasury clears Iran to sell its oil on global markets through August

The U.S. Treasury, making good on a condition of the memorandum of understanding with Iran signed last week by President Trump,cleared Iran to start selling its oil and gas again on Monday.

The Treasury confirmed in a statement that itwas waiving all existing U.S. sanctions on "the Production, Delivery and Sale of Crude Oil, Petrochemical Products, and Petroleum Products of Iranian-Originthrough August 21, 2026."

The waiver also means the U.S. can import crude oil and other "petrochemical and petroleum products of Iranian origin" for domestic use.

Iran's oil and gas sales had been heavily sanctioned by the U.S. government since President Trump launched his "maximum pressure" campaign on Tehran after pulling the U.S. unilaterally out of the previous nuclear deal negotiated by the Obama administration.

The lifting of the sanctions energys will give Iran a huge financial boost while it continues negotiatingwith the U.S. to reclaim its roughly $100 billion in frozen financial assets — money the White House says it can ensure is only used for humanitarian purposes.

https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/iran-us-deal-trump-war-negotiations/#post-update-63f02fa5

Supreme Court faces new wave of cases over state election laws. 1/3

WASHINGTON – After hearing multiple election-related cases this term, the Supreme Court could add more to its plate for the fall as the political parties continue to fight over whether various voting rules prevent election chicanery or disenfranchise voters.

The justices will be deciding in the coming days whether to review laws in Arkansas and Texas that voting rights groups say are illegally making it harder for people with limited English proficiency to vote.

They’ve also been asked by the Trump administration to revive voter registration rules in Arizona that lower courts said suppress the vote.

And Republicans are appealing a court ruling about mailed ballots in Pennsylvania that could boost Democrats’ chances in that battleground state.

If the justices agree to take any of the cases, they would likely be argued in the next term that begins in October, with decisions handed down after the midterm elections.

Here’s a look at the pending appeals that the Supreme Court could accept or reject as early as June 22. What to know for midterms Election-related decisions coming from Supreme Court.

Arkansas limits how many voters one person can help

A Latino civil rights group is challenging an Arkansas law making it a crime for anyone who is not an election official to help more than six voters cast a ballot.

State officials say the law, which has been on the books since 2009, prevents “professional assisters” from exploiting a federal civil rights law that allows voters to receive help because of difficulty with English or other issues.

Arkansas United, a group that helps immigrants, said it has received more requests for help voting than it’s able to fulfill because of the state’s restriction.

A federal judge ruled against the state. But a federal appeals court reversed that decision, ruling the Voting Rights Act can only be enforced by the federal government and not through lawsuits brought by individual voters or groups.

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, which represents Arkansas United, is appealing that decision – both in hopes of getting rid of Arkansas’ law and to preserve the right of individuals to raise other voting rights challenges.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/06/21/supreme-court-election-ballot-texas-arizona-pennsylvania-arkansas/90592561007/

>>24744151

2/3

Texas limits who can help with mailed ballots

Another type of restriction on voter assistance is at the center of a challenge various voting rights groups have brought against a Texas law.

Under an “election integrity” bill Texas enacted in 2020, it’s a crime to pay someone to help a voter cast a ballot by mail.

The groups challenging the restriction said the state law prevents social service organizations from helping voters with disabilities or those who are not proficient in English, a conflict with the Voting Rights Act.

A federal judge agreed, but an appeals court reversed that decision.

Texas says the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals got it right: Because the federal law is silent on the issue of compensation for voter assistance, the state argues, there’s no conflict between the federal and state laws.

In its Supreme Court appeal, the American Civil Liberties Unionsaid the justices should get involved because state legislatures are increasingly imposing new burdens on voters who are supposed to be protected by the federal law.

Trump administration backs Arizona rules blocked by courts

Republicans are hoping to revive state voter registration laws in Arizona that lower courts said conflict with federal rules and suppress the vote.

The National Voter Registration Act requires states to “accept and use” a standard form to register voters for federal elections. That form requires that voters swear − under penalty of perjury − that they are citizens. Arizona’s voter registration form, by contrast, requires documentary proof of citizenship.

One contested issue is whether a voter who registers using the federal form can be barred from voting by mail unless they provide proof of citizenship. Another is whether Arizona must allow voters who submit the state registration form but don’t provide citizenship documentation to still vote in federal elections.

The Supreme Court is also being asked to decide whether Arizona’s method of purging voter rolls of anyone it thinks may not be a citizen violates the federal ban on systematic registration cancellations within 90 days of an election.

The federal government, which challenged Arizona’s rules during the Biden administration, is now defending them.

The Trump administration’sJustice Department told the Supreme Court justices they should hear the Republican National Committee’s appeal to settle “these important election-law issues outside the setting of a contested election.”

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/06/21/supreme-court-election-ballot-texas-arizona-pennsylvania-arkansas/90592561007/

>>24744155

3/3

Republicans appeal ruling on Pennsylvania ballot rules

In recent years, Pennsylvania election officials had been discarding thousands of mailed ballots without proper dates on the return envelope until blocked by court rulings.

An appeals court last year saidthe state’s date requirement helps prevent voter fraud only in “exceedingly rare” circumstances, a reason not good enough to justify the disqualification of “presumably proper ballots.”

The Republican Party argues that if a court candeclare unconstitutional “perhaps the least burdensome voting rule imaginable,” then “no voting or ballot-casting rule will be safe from open-ended, standardless federal judicial review.”

The initial reason for the date requirement – which began in the 1940s –was to determine if a ballot that had been received after the election had been sent before the polls closed.

But because Pennsylvania now requires absentee ballots to be received by Election Day, the date requirement no longer serves its intended purpose, Democrats argue.

Democratic voters are more likely to vote by mail than Republicans so stand to benefit in future elections if the Supreme Court declines to get involved.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/06/21/supreme-court-election-ballot-texas-arizona-pennsylvania-arkansas/90592561007/

Reuters

@Reuters

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he will resign, with a new leader to be in place by the time parliament returns in September, paving the way for Britain to have its seventh leader in 10 years. Live updates here:reut.rs/4w1ygxp

I bet the citizens are cheering for joy in the streets, anons can you find some videos from the UK now?

(Save this, he’s such a freaking liar)

https://x.com/Reuters/status/2069008746664309028

CNN 6/22/2026

Judge in Charlie Kirk killing to rule on contempt, with death penalty eligibility possibly in balance

By Andi Babineau, CNN1/2

Updated: 11:21 AM EDT, Mon June 22, 2026

A Utah judge in the case against the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk is set to rule Monday on a defense motion to find prosecutors violated a pretrial publicity order and hold them in contempt – with the defense asking to take the death penalty off the table if contempt is found.

At a hearing earlier this month, Tyler Robinson’s attorneys argued comments made to several media outlets by Christopher Ballard, one of the prosecutors and a spokesperson for the Utah County Attorney’s Office, violated the judge’s order – issued in September and amended in December – prohibiting the parties from making public comments about the case except under certain circumstances.

Robinson’s attorneys this month asked district Judge Tony Graf to remove the death penalty as a possible outcome if prosecutors were held in contempt. Graf on Monday will decide whether to grant the contempt motion.

Graf will also weigh whether prosecutors will be allowed to present hearsay evidence during Robinson’s preliminary hearing, scheduled to begin next month.

Robinson faces charges including aggravated murder, felony use of a firearm, obstruction of justice and witness tampering in the September shooting death of conservative firebrand Kirk. Robinson has not yet entered pleas.

Defense asked judge to remove death penalty

The main remedy Robinson’s defense suggested if prosecutors were held in contempt was for the death penalty to be removed as a possible punishment should Robinson be convicted.

Other possible penalties for contempt include attending a continuing education program or referral to the state bar association, the defense said.

Following the June 12 hearing where defense attorneys argued for a contempt finding, prosecutors filed an objection to the request, calling it “grossly disproportionate to the alleged misconduct.”

“To the extent the Court finds that the prosecution could have made a better statement, it certainly is not a misstep that warrants the drastic and never-before-imposed remedy of reducing the aggravated murder charge to a first-degree felony,” the document says.

Robinson’s defense fired back with its own opposition brief, calling the objection “uninvited,” and saying the court did not request nor authorize “any written post-hearing briefing.”

https://lite.cnn.com/2026/06/22/us/tyler-robinson-charlie-kirk-contempt-ruling

>>24744198

2/2

Contempt accusation stemmed from comments to the media about ballistics evidence

The defense filed the contempt motion in response to interviews Ballard gave to several media outlets at the end of March and beginning of April about an inconclusive ballistics report referenced in a March defense filing. Ballard testified his remarks were about circumstances that can lead to an inconclusive test result, not about specific evidence, and said he included comments in each of the interviews indicating Robinson is presumed innocent.

He said he does not believe his comments violated the court’s order.

Robinson’s attorney Richard Novak argued the comments were “extremely reckless.”

“I find no credibility in Mr. Ballard’s sworn testimony that he only intended to communicate with the media generally about bullet fragment analysis,” Novak said June 12.

Kirk’s shooting death on a Utah university campus last September triggered an avalanche of misinformation. Robinson’s attorneys have repeatedly raised concerns about news coverage of the high-profile case potentially harming their client’s right to a fair trial.

“The goal of these interviews was to respond to the specific media inquiries that were being generated by the misinformation” in the filing, Ballard said.

The defense filing Ballard addressed in the media interviews – a motion to continue the preliminary hearing filed on March 27 – states the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives “was unable to identify the bullet recovered at autopsy to the rifle allegedly tied to Mr. Robinson.”

Prosecutors argued the defense’s statement in the filing omits an important piece of the report’s conclusion: The ATF was also unable to exclude the bullet as coming from the rifle. Ballard said that is what he was trying to clarify in the media.

During their testimonies, Ballard and Utah County Attorney Jeffrey Gray repeatedly pointed to a professional rule referenced in the order that allows attorneys to comment on public information when they believe there is a possibility of prejudicial pretrial publicity.

Prosecutors want to use hearsay evidence during the preliminary hearing

Graf is also expected to rule Monday on whether he will allow prosecutors to submit hearsay evidence during Robinson’s preliminary hearing, which begins July 6.

Defense attorney Michael Burt had argued a video deposition of a key witness should not be admissible, as the witness could not be subject to cross-examination. The witness was later identified in court filings as Robinson’s roommate at the time of the shooting.

Ballard contended the defense is not entitled to cross-examine witnesses in this instance, as they are during other types of hearings, because the preliminary hearing has the limited purpose of establishing probable cause to bring charges to trial.

“If this court granted the defendant’s motion, it would be going where no other court has gone before,” Ballard said. “This court would be the first court to find that the Sixth Amendment right to confrontation applies at a preliminary hearing.”

https://lite.cnn.com/2026/06/22/us/tyler-robinson-charlie-kirk-contempt-ruling

Kek Starmer’s mandate to BoJo in 2022

Keir Starmer

@Keir_Starmer

The party is over @BorisJohnson.

Resign.

12:07 PM ·Jan 12, 2022

https://x.com/Keir_Starmer/status/1481236285964668930

NATO plans for Russia resemble Hitler’s Barbarossa – Moscow

The West is preparing for a full-scale war by 2030, Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Grushko has said

Published 22 Jun, 2026 13:35 |

NATO and the EU’s ongoing militarization is starting to resemble plans for Nazi Germany’s 1941 invasion of the Soviet Union, a senior Russian diplomat has said.

Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Grushko made the remarks in an interview with Izvestia published on Monday, June 22, the date Nazi Germany launchedOperation Barbarossa against the Soviet Union in 1941, an assault historians describe as the largest invasion in military history.

By some estimates, the Red Army suffered up to 4 million casualties within the war’s first six months alone, with millions more taken prisoner,though the Soviet Union eventually succeeded at stopping the Nazi onslaughtat the gates of Moscow. Germany’s offensive benefited from military andeconomic support from numerous European countries, with volunteers from officially neutral nations such as Spain also joining the fight.

Grushko drew parallels between what he called the West’s current “aggressive aspirations” and Nazi Germany’s ambitions, noting that “if you look at the essence of the policy… their main task is to achieve the strategic defeat of Russia.”

“Of course, we proceed from the premise that they are really preparing for a military clash with Russia somewhere around 2030,” he added.

Grushko alsosounded the alarm over the resurgence of neo-Nazi ideology, stressing that Moscow is drawing attention to the dangerous trend at international forums.

The interview was released as European nations continue to ramp up their militarization, citing an alleged “Russian threat.” Last year, NATO countries pledged to raise defense spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2035, with Germany being particularly active, raising this year’s military budget to roughly €108 billion ($123 billion).

Western officials and media have also alleged that Russia could attack NATO within several years– a claim President Vladimir Putin has dismissed as “not only pure insanity but also a deliberate provocation.”

Moscow has also consistently accused the West of usingUkraine as a “battering ram”against Russia, noting that it appeared to bewilling to fight the country “until the last Ukrainian.”

https://www.rt.com/russia/641968-nato-plans-russia-barbarossa/

CNN 6/22/2026

Exclusive: Trump administration plans to use homeland security funds to pressure states into election changes. 1/2

The Trump administration is threatening to withhold tens of millions of dollars in federal homeland security funds from states unless they adopt a sweeping set of election changes, according to multiple sources and internal documents obtained by CNN.

The move is part of President DonaldTrump’s campaign to root out alleged voter fraud— despite studies showing it’s far rarer than he claims — and exert more federal influence over how elections are run. It comes asmultiple states have passed laws that seek to prevent the federal government from interfering with elections.

Under new rules governing severalhomeland security grant programs, states must take a number of steps, including phasing out certain electronic voting systems and moving to hand-marked paper ballots. Theymust also run their voter rolls through a controversial Department of Homeland Security citizenship verification database.

If not, states would lose out on some funding from DHS. These grants, expected to total more than $1 billion in the current fiscal year, are one of Washington’s main vehicles for helping state and local governments prevent terrorism, protect infrastructure and prepare for major disasters.

For years, the DHS grants, which states apply for, haverequired that at least 3% of the funds be spent broadly on election security. But the new guidelines, which CNN obtained and are expected to go out to states later this month,=impose a set of mandatory reforms and steep penalties for noncompliance. States thatrefuse would lose 20% of the grant money— potentially millions of dollars in security funds.

“No changes to grant requirements or funding distributions are official until they are formally announced and published through proper, authorized agency channels,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement, adding thatthe administration considers election security to be a core national security priority.

“Any recipient of federal funding should expect accountability for how taxpayer dollars are spent,” the spokesperson said.

The gambit fits a broader Trump playbook: using federal funds as leverage to pressure states to adopt policies aligned with his agenda. The administrationhas taken similar steps to punish states over immigration policies and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Courts have blocked some of those efforts, and this one could soon face legal challenges as well.

Trump’s attempts to unilaterally overhaul how elections are run — with executive orders and demands for sensitive voter data — have also run into legal hurdles. The Constitution gives states control over administering the ballot.Congress can pass election regulations, but the president has very limited powers to force election rule changes on his own, courts have found.

“I expect (the new requirements) will be blocked in the courts,” said David Becker, a former Justice Department lawyer who now advises election officials.

The new mandates target several pillars of state election administration and oversight. They require states to conduct manual election audits using methods established by the Trump administration and to use an approved government system to verify the citizenship of any person working at a polling location.

https://lite.cnn.com/2026/06/22/politics/homeland-security-grants-election-changes

>>24744508

2/2

States must also submit aplan to phase out voting systemsthat don’t use paper ballots that voters can mark by hand, which are tabulated during elections.

Most jurisdictions already offer hand-marked paper ballots.But about 30% of voters in the country live in places that rely entirely on ballot-marking devices— machines that record a voter’s choices and print a paper ballot for counting — or on direct-recording systems that store votes electronically.

Among the places that would be forced to transition under the new rules are Delaware, Georgia, Nevada and South Carolina, as well as Los Angeles County,

The grant conditions also require states to run their full voter rolls through SAVE, or Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, a tool used to identify potential noncitizen voters. Critics say the DHS system is flawed because it can produce false matches and may wrongly flag eligible voters for removal.

Many states already use SAVE to vet voter rolls. Others have refused. The Justice Department has sued 30 states for declining to hand over their voter lists for a federal audit using the system.

Homeland security grants have already become a tool for the administration to pressure states into falling in line with the president’s policy goals. Last year, officials tried to withhold money unless states submitted updated population counts reflecting the administration’s mass deportation campaign, but several states sued and a court blocked the policy.

The election changes Trump is seeking could be enormously expensive for states. For instance, the nationwide cost of upgrading election equipment to align with voluntary voting standards has been estimated at $2.7 billion.

In Georgia, where the state legislature has also passed a law to require hand-marked paper ballots, Republican Secretary of State Raffensperger has estimated it will cost $66 million.

The new grant plan ups the ante by using a much larger share of the homeland security funding as leverage. Still, the cost of complying might ultimately be even greater than the total amount being withheld from a state —though the grant guidelines specify that states can request additional funding to help implement these changes.

(You know when CNN freak out, there are many states freaking out)

https://lite.cnn.com/2026/06/22/politics/homeland-security-grants-election-changes

(1) 3 hours ago

US Treasury says Iran agrees to Hormuz transit, IAEA access

Iran has committed to ensuring free and open transit through the Strait of Hormuz and allowing International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors into the country under a framework discussed in ongoing talks in Switzerland, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday.

“Under President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, we continue to make the world safer and more prosperous,” Bessent wrote on X.

“In line with the ongoing productive talks in Switzerland, Iran has committed to free and open transit in the Strait of Hormuz and to permit International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors into their country,” he added.

As part of the framework, the Treasury Department has issued a temporary 60-day general license authorizing the production, delivery and sale of Iranian oil, Bessent said.

Under President @realDonaldTrumpand @VP, we continue to make the world safer and more prosperous.

In line with the ongoing productive talks in Switzerland, Iran has committed to free and open transit in the Strait of Hormuz and to permit International Atomic Energy Agency… — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) June 22, 2026

(2) 3 hours ago

US license issues authorization for Iranian oil transactions

The US Treasury Department issued a general license authorizing the production, delivery and sale of Iranian-origin crude oil, petroleum products and petrochemical products through August 21, 2026, according to information published on its website.

The authorization also permits the importation into the United States of Iranian-origin crude oil, petroleum products and petrochemical products under specified conditions.

The Treasury Department said the general license does not authorize transactions involving North Korea, Cuba or Ukraine.

(3) 3 hours ago

Khamenei representative in IRGC tells Trump he faces ‘sea of anger’(So the comatose leader can speak threats)

A representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps warned US President Donald Trump on Monday that Iranians would not rest until they had “drowned” him in their “sea of anger.”

“The arrogant powers should know that they will take to their graves the dream of one day ruling this nation,” Abdollah Haji Sadeghi said.

Addressing Trump directly, he added: “You who resemble Pharaoh, know that this nation will not rest until it drowns you in its sea of anger.”

Haji Sadeghi also urged Iran’s negotiators to remain wary in dealings with Washington.

“Negotiators should know that they are negotiating with an enemy that we will never befriend and never tolerate,” he said. “We do not forget enmity.”

(It’s quite amazing that this country is filled with angry leaders and military and they call Trump is worse, and he’ll be in Iran’s Sea of Anger!” When in Iran not angry?))

4 hours ago

Pezeshkian to visit Pakistan on Tuesday

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will travel to Pakistan on a one-day visit on Tuesday to follow up on previous agreements, discuss expanding economic ties, and thank Islamabad for its efforts in mediating between the Islamic Republic and the United States, the presidency’s public relations chief said on Monday.

Consultations on regional and international issues are also planned. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and several cabinet members are expected to join the trip.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/liveblog/202606208803