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Consumer prices rose 4.2% annually in May, highest in three years

(CNBC) Inflation accelerated in May as rising energy costs contributed to pain for consumers, though underlying pressures were less intense. The consumer price index, a broad gauge of goods and services costs across the U.S. economy, rose at a seasonally adjusted 0.5% for the month, putting the annual inflation rate at 4.2%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Wednesday. Both numbers were in line with the Dow Jones consensus.

Iran strikes US bases in Gulf after Trump orders attacks near Hormuz

(Reuters) Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had carried out missile and drone attacks on U.S. military bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain on Wednesday in retaliation for American strikes on Iranian ‌targets around the Strait of Hormuz. The exchange, after U.S. President Donald Trump said that Iran had downed a U.S. Apache helicopter near the strait, marks one of the most significant escalations since Washington and Tehran agreed to a ceasefire in April. "I believe the response should be very strong, very powerful, and that's what this one is," Trump told ABC News on Tuesday.

After Landslide Primary Win, Graham Platner Vows to Defeat 'Spineless and Corrupt' Susan Collins

(Common Dreams) Graham Platner, a veteran and oyster farmer vowing to champion the working class against what he’s called the 'spineless and corrupt' political establishment, officially became the Democratic Party’s nominee in the critical race to unseat five-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins, winning more than 70% of the vote in Tuesday’s closely watched primary. Platner said in his victory speech, "The truth is, Susan Collins doesn’t serve us, she serves Donald Trump. She serves the Epstein class. She serves her corporate donors and the corrupt political system that has rigged the economy against us. She does not serve us, and so we will defeat Susan Collins."

Trump family 'made $500 million from crypto coin deal' -- before the bottom fell out on individual investors

(The Independent) President Donald Trump and members of his family reaped about $500 million from the sale of $1.5 billion in cryptocurrency to a company that's since seen its stock price plummet — and left investors holding the bag, according to a report Monday. Less than a year after Trump sons Don Jr. and Eric rang the Nasdaq opening bell to celebrate the crypto deal with Alt5 Sigma, the company — since renamed AI Financial Corp. — faces removal from the exchange if its shares don't rise above penny-stock levels in the next 15 trading days, and it's warned investors it may go out of business, CNBC said.

Wednesday's Condensed News Cartoons

Problems at ICE facility include guard who lost loaded weapon, failure to test for tuberculosis, report says

(NBC News) The largest ICE detention center in the country lost track of a loaded firearm, did not provide treatment to detainees with chronic health conditions and failed to test immigrants for tuberculosis, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office published Tuesday. The investigation from the congressional watchdog found “serious performance and oversight challenges” at Camp East Montana at Fort Bliss, which is outside El Paso, Texas.

ICE denies having a protester database. But a letter to Congress sheds more light

(NPR) Last January, when federal immigration agents started an immigration crackdown in Portland, Maine, pediatric occupational therapist Xenia Pantos was driving using their spouse's car to work when they saw masked federal agents and vehicles with tinted windows parked in the road. Worried about immigrant community members, Pantos stopped for a few minutes to observe. Pantos told NPR they stayed at least 10 feet away from the agents and did not interact with them, but noticed an agent taking photos of another observer's license plate.

Paranoia is so strong inside Pete Hegseth's Pentagon that it's crippling decision making and preparedness: report

(The Independent) Secrecy, paranoia and distrust are running rampant inside Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon, crippling decision-making and preparedness, according to a report. The former Fox News host has fired more than two dozen senior officers, pushed out a Navy secretary and personally intervened in promotions across all four military branches, according to CNN. Fifteen current and former Pentagon officials have revealed the current culture of distrust and paranoia that has plagued the Department of Defense ever since Hegseth took over, telling CNN that troops have to sign nondisclosure agreements and submit to polygraph tests to learn about operations.

WH Attacks Washington Post Report On Handing Over Press Credentialing For UFC Event

(Mediaite) The Trump White House is disputing a Washington Post report that Dana White’s UFC will handle all press credentialing for the upcoming Freedom250 mixed martial arts fights on the south lawn. WaPo media reporter Scott Nover wrote in a Tuesday article that “The White House is ceding control of who gets into the fight event on the South Lawn, in a break with tradition.” Nover cited an email sent out by the White House Correspondents’ Association stating, “The White House press corps won’t be allowed on White House grounds Sunday” because of the event.

Planned Parenthood fights back

(The Hill) Planned Parenthood took to Capitol Hill Tuesday, as staff and supporters tried to stave off attempts by Republicans to continue cutting the organization off from federal funds. A provision in last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act blocked Planned Parenthood’s health centers from billing Medicaid for the other services they provide, like contraception and cancer screenings. Medicaid is their primary source of funding, and the legislation meant they lost out on more than $700 million annually. That provision expires July 4, setting Planned Parenthood up to receive hundreds of millions of dollars in Medicaid funding. Anti-abortion groups are pressing Republicans hard to extend it.