06/01/26

Good morning! It’s Monday, June 1st

National Olive Day

Oh great, well now I want a martini.

And now, the news.

Virginia Manhunt

-via ABC News

Starting in Virginia where the search is over for Timothy Puckett, the 55-year-old man who shot two Virginia sheriff deputies, one fatally, on Friday night when they arrived at his house to perform a welfare check. 

The search was expanded to North Carolina after Puckett was spotted on a wildlife game camera early Sunday morning.

Not much information has been released, as of this recording, about his capture. But he’s been captured and I think that’s great.

Myanmar Explosion

-via BBC

And in Myanmar, an explosion that was initially believed to be an airstrike but has now been confirmed to be an accident, went off on Sunday thanks to materials used in mining and quarrying.

The reason they thought it was an airstrike is that the village where this happened is under insurgent control.

At least 55 people have been killed, with dozens more wounded. 

Many residents are now asking why the mining facility was allowed to be built so close to residential homes, but many of the rebel groups in Myanmar rely on the mining of precious metals to make money and hold onto their power, so, because safety isn’t exactly a high priority for a rebel group, unfortunately accidents like this or mine collapses are common.

Zelensky’s Kidnapping Accusation

-via CBS News

In a bombshell allegation, Ukraine’s President Zelensky has alleged to CBS News that his government has evidence that “Russia is abducting Ukrainian children and training them to fight against fellow Ukrainians.”

I wanted to use a direct quote because it’s a very serious allegation and I wanted to get it exactly right. If true, this will be a war crime according to the International Criminal Court (aka the ICC). 

Zelensky says Ukraine has evidence that, in addition to training the kids to fight against fellow Ukrainians, Russia has been offering to trade the children for POWs.

The Humanitarian Research Lab at the Yale School of Public Health, which investigates war crimes (and used to be funded by the government before Trump was like, no no no, we can’t pay for them because I, myself, intend to do war crimes (just wait until you hear this next story)), released a report in March that concluded with high confidence that two Russian-back gas companies helped pay for something called the “Russification” of Ukrainian children, which is a state-sponsored program that takes kids from Ukrainian orphanages (or they’re separated from their families at "filtration" checkpoints, or taken to camps after their families are told these are just temporary summer holidays or medical evacuations), and then during this time, over a network of around 200 facilities, they’re taught Russian history, forced to sing the Russian national anthem, subjected to physical training, taught how to handle weapons and assemble drones, taught hostile ideologies, and then, when that’s all done, Russia has gone ahead and streamlined legal reforms to allow Ukrainian children to be naturalized and placed with Russian foster and adoptive families.

And that part, that “Russification” is a known thing.

What Zelensky is alleging is a step further. “Ukrainians, can you imagine, such young Ukrainians, young boys, come to the battlefield and kill Ukrainians." 

That’s what he’s alleging. That not only is the “Russification” happening, but then these young kids are being forced out onto the battlefield to kill their fellow Ukrainians. 

He says they have evidence of the abductions (but didn’t say what it is). What he did say, however, that Ukraine has documented at least 20,000 abductions, though he believes the number may be higher. He’s not saying all of those kids have been forced to be soldiers, but even so – that’s how many kids he’s saying Russia has abducted.

There is already a warrant out for Putin at the ICC for the "unlawful deportation of population (children),” which the Kremlin calls a humanitarian effort to care for war orphans. They’ve even shown pictures of Putin and the Children's Rights Commissioner, who has also been indicted by the ICC, embracing some of the kids. So… they’re not denying that they have the kids…

So that’s what’s happening there.

Israel in Lebanon

-via NY Times

And keeping it international – in Lebanon, Israeli forces have captured the Crusader castle, something that hasn’t happened in more than 25 years.

Now, the significance here isn’t the castle, but what it represents. First, this is the furthest Israel has gone into Lebanon in more than 25 years. So much for that ceasefire.

But here’s a basic overview of this castle, because this is a significant story and it requires a tiny little history lesson.

From 1976 to 1982, the castle was a stronghold for the Palestine Liberation Organization, or PLO. Israel saw it as a threat because fighters operating from southern Lebanon could launch attacks into northern Israel.

Then, in 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon and fought to take control of Beaufort Castle. The battle became one of the most iconic moments of the war.

Between 1982 and 2000, Israel occupied parts of southern Lebanon, including a buffer zone along the border. During that time, Beaufort was used as an Israeli military outpost. It was also during that period that Hezbollah emerged as a major force and repeatedly attacked Israeli positions in southern Lebanon.

In 2000, Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon after nearly two decades of occupation. The military presence had become increasingly costly, Israeli soldiers were continuing to die, and support for staying there had eroded at home. Leaving Beaufort was a symbolic moment because it marked the end of that occupation.

But now it's 2026, and Israel is back.

So yes, it's about a castle. But it's also about the fact that Israel has returned to a position it abandoned 26 years ago, raising questions about whether this is a temporary military operation or the beginning of a longer-term presence in southern Lebanon. Especially because Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu says Israeli defense forces will “deepen and expand” their control of territory in Lebanon. 

However, it’s been 26 years, and things have changed since the last time Israel had control of the castle. This time, military experts don’t believe simply taking more space in the country is enough to subdue Hezbollah. In fact, a retired Israeli general said: “The deeper in we go, the more troops we’ll need, the more vulnerable we’ll be, and the more casualties we’ll have.”

More Boat Strikes

-via AP News

As promised, here’s a war crime we’re doing here in America! (what a weird tone. Sorry, let me try again)

As promised, in that last story, here’s a war crime we’re doing here in America.

I’m obviously kidding. Well, no, it’s a war crime but I’m kidding about the tone thing. I wasn’t… The tone in the beginning was a joke. This is bad, as it’s been since the beginning. 

On Saturday, the Pentagon, under the guidance of Pete Hegseth, bombed yet another boat that he says, without offering literally any proof at all (which he never has offered) that these boats are carrying drugs and not, you know, just people fishing.

This brings the total number of people killed by the United States government without offering any proof at all that they’re doing anything other than fishing to 205.

I’m not saying they’re NOT carrying drugs. I’m not saying they are. I’m saying that we have a country that is supposed to be based on a few core values, one of which is innocent until proven guilty, and I realize this administration tossed those values out the window but that doesn’t mean have to just blindly be okay with it.

Delany Hall

-via NY Times

And finally – in New Jersey, the ICE facility Delaney Hall will allow visitors again, despite major clashes outside of the facility on Friday and Saturday night between protestors and law enforcement.

Now, I do need to note that I’m recording this Sunday evening so that may change depending on what happens between recording this and you hearing this.

There is a curfew in Newark in effect from 9 PM to 6 AM which will remain in effect until further notice. 

Things hit a particularly serious peak (well, hopefully a peak) late Saturday when, according to Governor Sherrill, individuals attacked a barrier intended to designated protected protest and began “throwing projectiles, utilizing the barriers as weapons, and lighting tires on fire in the street.”

From there, the heavily policed area reacted, well, like you’d expect and things escalated from there. It’s actually hard to know what happened exactly, everything is 2nd hand, as the press was pushed far away from the scene and unable to accurately report anything. 

While this is happening outside, the hunger strike continues inside because let’s not forget that’s what all of this is about: the horrific conditions inside the facility.

And that’s it. That’s the news.

I’m proud of… I’m proud of olives. Except for… you know what I don’t like? I don’t like black olives. They taste like pennies. Oh no, Kim, that’s just the tin. No, because they taste like that even when they’re in glass jars. And green olives with the pimento in them. Even when you take the pimento out, it’s like they don’t brine correctly or something.

But otherwise? Honestly, I’ll take an olive over nearly everything.

But more than olives. Because there’s literally nothing, not one single thing, someone could offer me and I’d be like yeah okay here’s them, now give me those olives (or whatever)… I’m proud of you.