Monday, June 8, 2026
Xi Jinping Applauds Kim's 'Socialist Cause' In Warm North Korea State Visit
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warmly greeted Chinese President Xi Jinping in Pyongyang Monday, kicking off Xi's two-day state visit to the internationally isolated country - which is his first trip there in seven years.
Xi has called for deepening "strategic coordination and cooperation" with North Korea shortly after receiving a lavish, red carpet welcome at the airport. The two sides should inject "powerful momentum" into their ties, Xi said according to a readout released by Chinese state media Xinhua.
The Chinese leader spoke of a friendship that was 'generational' with the DPRK, in advancement of the 'socialist cause'.
There is plenty that is ideological found within the official readout in the wake of the two leaders' initial meeting, per Xinhua:
No matter how the international situation changes, the Chinese party and government's firm stance on highly valuing China-DPRK traditional friendship will not change, the firm support for General Secretary Kim in leading the DPRK's socialist cause will not change, and the firm commitment to safeguarding the shared interests of the two countries and preserving a favorable strategic environment will not change, Xi said.
Xi pointed out that, in the face of the profound changes unseen in a century that are accelerating across the world, the two sides should take a broad and long-term view, build on past achievements and open up a new future, draw wisdom from the development process of the relations between the two parties and the two countries, seize opportunities in the prevailing trend of human history, inject new contemporary connotations and strong impetus into the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK, and open up a brighter prospect for the socialist cause of the two countries as well as regional peace and development.
This cooperation is expected to be on several fronts, including economics and trade, agriculture, health, construction, as well as science and technology, Xi underscored.
Kim along with his first lady, Ri Sol Ju, enthusiastically greeted Xi and were shown clapping as the Chinese presidential plane touched down earlier in the day. Huge portraits of Xi and Kim have been installed over Pyongyang's main Kim Il Sung Square, where Xi's motorcade was also greeted with big displays of pageantry, including a mounted cavalry escort.
NBC has some interesting commentary which points out that Kim is in a rare position of strength based on some recent firm, anti-West geopolitical stances taken and maintained:
But the North Korean leader is playing host from a position of rare strength, and his country has come a long way since Xi Jinping’s last visit seven years ago.
Kim’s backing of Russia’s war with Ukraine has paid dividends, his weapons program has cemented North Korea’s status as a de facto nuclear state, and an economy that buckled under the pressure of pandemic isolation and sanctions has since rebounded.
Indeed, Kim has of late been aggressively hyping his country's nuclear modernization and expanse program. There's not doubt he's also closely following and taking notes on the Iran crisis.
Iran, which does not yet have nuclear weapons status, has been attacked by the United States and Israel - and so Pyongyang sees its nuclear expanse path as more justified than ever at this point, also given Washington still views North Korea as a 'pariah' state.
Another interesting development mentioned in state media relates to efforts to open borders: "Xi called on both sides to leverage the opportunity of the full reopening of border crossings and the resumption of civil aviation flights and international passenger trains to increase people-to-people exchanges and foster mutual interaction," wrote Xinhua.
On The Kavanaugh Anniversary, Democratic Leaders Swap Me Too For Maine
...on the eighth anniversary of the Kavanaugh nomination. It now appears that there are some women who are not to be believed... when the Senate may be in the balance..
“It’s clear the fix is in.”
Those words from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). came with her vote against confirming Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Warren was outraged that her fellow senators refused to believe a woman who came forward with a decades-old allegation against Kavanaugh that lacked any corroboration.
It now appears that Kavanaugh’s former accusers are making the case that he was treated unjustly at their hands. At least they are now willing to swap “Me Too” for Maine.
Warren’s words were part of a mantra from Democratic members that either you believe women about sexual harassment and assault, or you are enabling abusers.
It was almost exactly eight years ago, in July 2018, that President Trump nominated Kavanaugh to fill the seat of retiring Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy. Kavanaugh, who was at first a very uncontroversial nominee, suddenly became the target of a well-financed, well-orchestrated campaign that would continue to resonate in that fall’s election campaigns. At the time, your failure to accept the word of Christine Blasey Ford that Kavanaugh had assaulted her in high school was just proof that you and the system were sexist.
Long after the Senate confirmed Kavanaugh, the left continued to claim that his presence on the Supreme Court “rests on a mountain of misogyny.” In Ms. Magazine, actress Kathleen Turner reminded people that not believing women was furthering misogyny: “Survivors who come forward break the rules of silence a sexist society demands, and society expects them to pay a price.”
If you recall, the lack of evidence led to the Senate Judiciary Committee combing through Kavanaugh’s personal calendars. Denials that such a thing had ever happened, coming from childhood friends, were treated as still more evidence of sexism.
Screenshot/Judiciary Committee
There was Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), who grilled Kavanaugh about using the term “boofing” (apparently referring to passing gas) with a high school friend as if it were a confession to a rape.
His inquisitorial barrage was something straight out of the McCarthy period.
Whitehouse expressed disgust that some would not take Ford’s word for it, declaring, “Today I stand with women who are brave enough to come forward with their stories of abuse and mistreatment. They deserve to be heard and credible allegations must be investigated. We must believe survivors, not bully them.”
Whitehouse is now a major donor and supporter of Graham Platner, the leading Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate from Maine.
He dismisses the New York Times accounts from women of Platner’s physically and mentally abusive behavior.
Instead of believing these women, he reportedly attacked Lyndsey Fifield, who “bravely” came forward publicly with her story at the request of Times reporters.
Whitehouse is quoted as saying that he was “unimpressed” by the allegations and the multiple women coming forward “seems like a lot of nothing.” He suggested that he is not prepared to believe a woman if she is a conservative. “I mean, the only one who had anything to say that seemed ‘unsettling’ was a woman who works for right-wing political operations,” he said.
That attack was picked up by others like writer Krystal Ball. She too had denounced those who did not believe Ford in the Kavanaugh controversy. In the past, she claimed at that time, “women just didn’t come forward. They knew they wouldn’t be believed.”
Now she cannot imagine why anyone would believe these women, particularly Fifield. “NYT published uncorroborated accusations against [Platner] of ‘unsettling’ and ‘toxic’ behavior that came from a Heritage staffer who previously worked for a conservative org that backs Collins,” she posted online.
Fifield, after sharing stories with the Times of Platner’s alleged abusive behavior, went public to complain that the newspaper had failed to include the corroboration she had provided. She posted that the paper not only failed to include that she has supported Democrats for office, but also asked, “Why does it say ‘nobody could corroborate’ when I offered them sources that COULD corroborate?”
She added, “The Times also failed to include any mention that I DID confide in multiple friends through the years that Graham had been abusive — long before he was running for office. Those friends confirm they told the Times so.”
If true, that is a strikingly different approach from the one taken by the media in reporting on the Kavanaugh allegations.
All the familiar faces are now attacking or dismissing these allegations.
That includes Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who campaigned for Platner this week. Khanna had previously pounded his chest in public over the Kavanaugh allegations: “I believe Dr. Christine Blasey Ford.”
Some of the usual suspects are now quiet, and for good reason. Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) and former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) dismissed Kavanaugh’s claims of innocence but later resigned from their respective offices after accusations of misconduct and harassment.
Of course, the sexual misconduct and mistreatment of women is not the only controversy surrounding Platner, who has reportedly ridiculed a wounded veteran, dismissed rape victims, and made other comments on his since-deleted Reddit account about Blacks and rural Mainers that would be considered disqualifying for most candidates. He made many other posts that were deeply offensive and some that were, frankly, gross.
Nevertheless, figures like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) would not even address the allegations, simply repeating awkwardly, “We’re going to … take back the Senate.”
Back in 2018, Schumer was proclaiming on the Senate floor, “For too long, when women have made serious allegations of abuse, they have been ignored. That cannot happen in this case.”
For her part, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) proclaimed her faith in any woman making such allegations in 2018. Now, she repeats, like Schumer, “I’m very optimistic we’re going to win Maine.”
In “A Man for All Seasons,” there is a scene where Sir Thomas More confronts Richard Rich, a former protege who lied in court to convict him in exchange for being named attorney general of Wales. As Rich passes by, More asks: “For Wales? Why, Richard, it profits a man nothing to give his soul for the whole world … but for Wales!”
The response by Democratic leaders today appears to be, “Well, yeah — not for Wales, but we’ll do it for Maine.”
Jonathan Turley is a law professor and the New York Times best-selling author of “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution.
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/kavanaugh-anniversary-democratic-leaders-swap-me-too-maine
Board resignations amid low cash and strategic review drive INDP selloff
- INDP dropped sharply on June 5 (~23% to $3.66 close) after 8-K revealed directors David E. Lazar and Avraham Ben-Tzvi resigned all roles effective June 5; COO Walt Linscott resigned June 1 to consultant (no disagreements cited).
- This follows May 15 Q1 2026 results: cash fell to $1.5M (from $8.5M YE2025), $7M operating burn, no financing raised, R&D wound down as company reassesses Decoy platform and priorities.
- Company explicitly seeking additional capital and evaluating financing/strategic options post-management transition, raising dilution and viability concerns in microcap biotech.
- Massive June 4 surge (>100% on 40M+ volume, low ~1.4M float) tied to financing/strategic uncertainty speculation; June 5-8 moves reflect post-squeeze reversal and selling pressure.
- Multiple board/executive changes throughout 2026 add to governance and direction uncertainty; no new clinical data or earnings on June 8.
- Continued ~15% decline on June 8 aligns with lingering fallout from these verifiable prior events per SEC filings and press releases.
Germany said to quit European fighter jet project
Germany has withdrawn from the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) fighter jet program with France and Spain after failing to resolve a leadership dispute over the project, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing a senior German government official.
According to the report, Berlin will no longer pursue the development or procurement of the aircraft after disagreements between Airbus and Dassault over which company should lead the effort. Germany and France will continue cooperating on other parts of the program, including the AI-powered "combat cloud" designed to connect aircraft, drones, and other weapons systems.
The report said French and German defense officials are expected to meet in July to discuss future cooperation and possible alternative projects. The FCAS project was launched by France and Germany in 2018 and later joined by Spain. It was designed to develop a next-generation European fighter jet and reduce reliance on non-European defense systems.
https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Germany-said-to-quit-European-fighter-jet-project/66463956
Houthis impose Red Sea ban on Israel
Yemen's Houthi rebels confirmed on Monday that they launched a missile barrage on Israel and announced that they had decided to ban Israeli vessels from transiting the Red Sea.
"We declare a complete and total ban on Israeli maritime navigation in the Red Sea, and we consider all enemy movements to be legitimate military targets for our Armed Forces from the moment this statement is issued," Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree (pictured) said in a statement.
The Iran-backed Houthis warned that they will respond to any escalation in coordination with the Middle Eastern "axis of resistance." "We will not stand idly by in the face of the unjust siege imposed on our people and the peoples of the axis of jihad and resistance in Palestine, Gaza, Iran, Lebanon, and Iraq," Saree concluded.
https://breakingthenews.net/Article/Houthis-impose-Red-Sea-ban-on-Israel/66457107
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