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Welcome to Edition 8.45 of the Rocket Report! Even though we are now two weeks removed from the catastrophic loss of the New Glenn rocket and its LC-36A launch pad, it continues to dominate discussion in the space community. This week, NASA said it nominally plans to fly Blue Origin's test lander on New Glenn for the Artemis III mission, but officials quietly acknowledged that other launch vehicles, including Vulcan and the Falcon Heavy, could also get the job done. We'll obviously be watching closely.

As always, we welcome reader submissions, and if you don't want to miss an issue, please subscribe using the box below (the form will not appear on AMP-enabled versions of the site). Each report will include information on small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets as well as a quick look ahead at the next three launches on the calendar.

Isar raises funding, announces new launch date. German launch startup Isar Aerospace announced this week that it had closed a 270 million euro Series D to "drive global scaling and ramp up serial production," European Spaceflight reports. The company also said the previously delayed second launch attempt of its Spectrum rocket would now take place sometime between June 15 and June 21.

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Fully autonomous drones killed Russian soldiers during a battlefield test two years ago, according to a Ukrainian drone manufacturer. If true, the incident would represent another milestone in a war that has spurred unprecedented developments in military drones, robots, and AI-guided weaponry.

The one-time test was revealed by Alexander Kokhanovskyy, CEO of the Ukrainian drone maker Aero Center, during an interview with New Scientist at a press event hosted by the Ukrainian embassy in London. Kokhanovskyy described the test using quadcopter drones that were preprogrammed to fly to a front-line area before activating an AI-powered “Terminator mode” that would seek out and attack any target in the given area.

There was apparently no video feed or anything else to show what the “Terminator” drones targeted and attacked. But Kokhanovskyy told New Scientist that human-piloted drones sent to check out the aftermath found “a couple” of dead Russian soldiers, which led to the conclusion that the fully autonomous drones had killed them.

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SpaceX’s IPO on Friday allows the public to buy shares of the combined rocket, AI, and social media company for the first time, and raised enough money to make Elon Musk the first trillionaire.

He has more wealth, on paper at least, than the economies of nations like Ireland, Sweden, or his home country of South Africa (CNN cites the International Monetary Fund saying only 20 countries have economies larger than $1.1 trillion), now linked to the promise of a business based on launching AI datacenters into space.

Follow along here for the latest updates.

The world’s first trillionaire is a killer

Forbes Real-Time Billionaires list adds a trillionaire.

A trillion dollars is a stupid amount of money

Elon Musk is the world’s first trillionaire

SPCX opens at $150 per share.

SpaceX is now public

Elon Musk is encouraging race riots on the eve of SpaceX’s IPO

Here’s the first SpaceX AI data center.

The SpaceX IPO is great for Elon Musk and terrible for you

SpaceX gets $4 billion contract to build missile-tracking ‘Golden Dome’ satellites

In SpaceX’s IPO, Elon Musk is the risk factor

SpaceX just filed for what could be the biggest IPO ever

The SpaceX IPO is a trillion-dollar gamble on the future of space

SpaceX reportedly files for IPO but it’s keeping the numbers secret (for now)

Why is SpaceX going public?

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Photos of air travel in decades past can cause almost visceral pain for a modern flier. Faded or sepia images show sharply dressed people eating real food in spacious seats. Sometimes the pictures are juxtaposed with the sardine-tin discomforts and unappetizing food of contemporary air travel, and they’re usually accompanied by well-deserved swipes at air carriers. But passengers deserve some blame too. One thing I notice in those photos is that the window shades are always up.

Nothing can make a lengthy flight packed in an aluminum tube feel good, exactly, but having the shades closed is a reliable way to make it worse. On a recent long-haul trip, I was struck that as soon as passengers boarded the plane, well before sunset, nearly everyone in a window seat within my line of sight closed their shades.

Proving empirically that this is a trend would likely be impossible, but I’ve sensed this happening more in recent years, and Redditors and advice columns have noticed too. The culprit is easy to identify. My (hypothesized) trend corresponds neatly with the growing ubiquity of in-flight entertainment systems, which have gone from a novelty on long flights to a standard service. The moment passengers are forced to switch their phones to airplane mode, they become desperate to get their digital fix. As the screens have become standard, airlines have phased out their in-flight magazines, which often included delightful and quirky prose by good writers. At the very least, they had a crossword and a sudoku.

When the shades are drawn so quickly, passengers miss out on both the fascinating machinations of infrastructure, the strange vehicles, markers, and signs that make airports work, and the natural beauty of the landscape. If the window shades are up, as my colleague Henry Grabar wrote for Slate a couple of years ago, “you will see the ballet of the tarmac workers, parks and lakes you never knew existed, patterns of development and infrastructure, customs of land ownership, and finally, the lines of the earth itself.”

I remember being glued to the window as a child, first watching the takeoff process, then attempting to recognize landmarks as we ascended. After that, I would be mesmerized while trying to read the shapes of the landscapes or clouds. At the end of the flight, I’d eagerly search for first glimpses of wherever I happened to be landing, trying to figure out what was in store once I got off the plane. When I fly with my children today, they still eagerly jockey for the window seat, as siblings have for as long as they’ve been flying, but as soon as one of them has won the privilege and gotten seated, they start asking to get on the entertainment system. In their defense, everyone around them is doing the same thing.

The tyranny of the entertainment system doesn’t just produce an unnaturally gloomy cabin. It also makes anyone who tries to resist it into a bad guy. I like to read on flights, especially if I am deprived of a view out the window; it’s some of the best uninterrupted time I can get with a book. But I still wince before turning on the reading light above my seat. No passenger has asked me to turn it off, yet, but they do recoil and stare when I turn it on. I can blame them only so much; it feels weird to be the only or one of the only people using it, and given how tightly packed the seats are, others are going to get some of the glow. (The final episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm closes with an argument over whether a passenger has the right to open her window shade in order to read.)

When I whined about this to my Atlantic Daily co-pilot, Will Gottsegen, he told me that he’d experienced the same thing. “People are now so unused to seeing people read a book on airplanes that they’re mystified when someone tries it,” he said. He also pointed out that passengers on many flights can turn the light on only if they find the button in the entertainment system: “You can’t even perform the one non-screen activity without engaging with the giant, greasy screen inches from your face.”

Those screens have become so oppressive that the Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund is working on a black comedy about a flight from the United Kingdom to Australia in which the entertainment system goes down and passengers “are forced to face the horror of being bored,” per Deadline Hollywood. No release date has been set, but it honestly seems like something I’d consume on a flight. It can’t be too awful, it’s got Keanu Reeves and Kirsten Dunst, and at least no one will glare at me for watching it.

Related:

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Captain Ron’s guide to fearless flying

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Today’s News

Shares of SpaceX opened at $150, about 11 percent above their $135 initial-public-offering price, which gave the rocket and satellite company a valuation of roughly $1.8 trillion. The debut made Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire.

A federal judge denied a last-minute appeal from the Kennedy Center’s board to keep President Trump’s name on the building’s exterior, ruling that Trump’s name must be removed from the building by today and that plans to close the institution for two years must be halted.

Pakistan’s prime minister said that the United States and Iran have agreed on the final text of a peace deal and are working out next steps; officials said that the agreement requires approval from Tehran.

Dispatches

The Books Briefing: Emma Sarappo on a surprisingly human story about aliens

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The Boeing 747 Begins Its Final Descent

By Ian Bogost

Through the heat haze, airplane tails rose from the desert. As I steered off the interstate toward Pinal Airpark, in Marana, Arizona, I got my first view of a corpse in full: a stark-white Boeing 747, its wings sheared off, its passenger doors open to the dust and wind, a rickety set of airstairs inviting no one aboard. The plane was a memory, a ruin, but its swooping, humped nose was still striking, a visage that signaled the freedom of movement in the Jet Age.

I was arriving at this desolate site north of Tucson, where airplanes go to die, to mourn the 747, the original jumbo jet, a.k.a. the Whale, the Longreach, the Sky Cruiser, the Mother of All Airliners, the Queen of the Skies. For 50 years, the aircraft was the principal host of Important Journeys: a young student’s trip to study abroad in Paris, a first-generation American’s pilgrimage to their ancestral home in Hungary, an Iranian family fleeing the 1979 revolution. Combining the immensity of an ocean liner and the elegance of a swan, the 747 is the only commercial jet that deserves to be called beautiful. Over the past two decades, airlines have stopped using it as a passenger plane and replaced it with smaller aircraft that are more efficient, but far less majestic and memorable. The 747 was once a symbol of American might, invention, progress, and populism. Now it embodies the decline of all of those values.

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A crowd amassed, anticipating a cathartic moment and chanting, “Take it down! Take it down!” Livestreams were up and running. Scaffolding appeared. And then, early this afternoon, the ruling came: A federal judge had denied an emergency motion to let President Trump’s name remain on the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. It remains unclear whether the 18 letters in question, THE DONALD J. TRUMP AND, will be yanked from the marble facade or simply covered up. But one way or another, they are no longer permitted to grace the building.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper was responding to the Kennedy Center’s request for a stay pending appeal, which would have allowed Trump’s name to remain on the building while the center fought a legal challenge brought by Representative Joyce Beatty. Later in the day, the board of trustees filed for an emergency stay through the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Even as the center was struggling to contain one legal fire, another erupted: The Washington National Opera filed a lawsuit yesterday against the institution, where it had long been a resident company before severing its relationship with the center in January. Since the two organizations parted ways, the opera claims, the Kennedy Center has refused to return more than $17 million in gifts and donations. The Kennedy Center called the lawsuit meritless and said that it planned to file a countersuit.

The center also defended its decision to appeal the legal challenge brought on by Beatty, who argued that the center had violated its authority in renaming the institution. “The Center remains the living memorial to President John F. Kennedy,” a spokesperson told me. “President Trump remains in his role as chairman.” In court, the center had argued that Trump’s addition represented a “secondary” name, to no avail.

Cooper’s May 29 ruling, which ordered the removal of Trump’s name from the institution and temporarily halted plans to shut down the center for renovation work, seemed to mark a new phase in a 16-month drama that began last year when Trump took over the Kennedy Center by populating its board with his allies. Trump’s putsch foreshadowed the assertiveness with which he would try to remake a whole host of institutions, not just government agencies but also the physical landscape of Washington, D.C., where his name, face, and will are hard to miss around the city’s monumental core.

Cooper’s ruling describes how the Kennedy Center board cut corners. “There is no evidence that the Board took account of its full range of statutory obligations in determining that a wholesale shuttering of the Kennedy Center was appropriate,” Cooper wrote in a 94-page opinion. And on the name change, he wrote: “Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it.”

To critics who see Trump’s Kennedy Center tenure as ruinous, the ruling suddenly made these changes seem reversible, all the more so because Trump had initially signaled that he would walk away from the endeavor and let someone else clean up the mess.

Last week, lawyers for the Kennedy Center instructed staff to scrub Trump’s name from email signatures, letterhead, webpages, brochures, promotional materials, press releases, and signs. Some employees appeared eager to get started. A Kennedy Center shuttle bus bore a haphazard attempt to blot out Trump’s name with black marker. Elsewhere, the center restored its original branding and logos to its website, but on Instagram, where usernames can be hard to reclaim, the institution settled for a cryptic handle: @officialtkc.

Confusing matters, Trump told reporters last week that he would remain chairman of the board and perhaps continue his efforts to remake the institution.

By yesterday, the deadline for removal was approaching. Photographers roamed the campus with equipment in tow as cherry pickers and barricades appeared along the complex. Scores of locals and tourists wandered over, taking photos and pointing at the signage. One cyclist had begun documenting his daily trek to the center to check on progress. And the advocacy group Hands Off the Arts set up a livestream of the center from a residence in the adjacent Watergate complex.

The videos have attracted more than 65,000 views since streaming began on Wednesday, Mallory Miller, a former Kennedy Center employee and an organizer for Hands Off the Arts, told me.

At a board meeting yesterday, the center’s trustees voted to appeal Cooper’s ruling. Trustees appointed by Trump outnumber ex officio members, such as Beatty. It’s unclear how all members voted during the board meeting yesterday, but Trump appeared virtually on the call, according to a person familiar with the meeting who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an internal matter.

Also present was Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, whose wife is a trustee. In a Truth Social post shortly after Cooper’s ruling last month, Trump said he had instructed the Commerce Department to “transfer” the Kennedy Center back to Congress, which stumped some arts administrators and legal observers. The way forward for the Kennedy Center, whether it will close, who will perform there, whether the necessary funds remain for it to operate, looks similarly hazy now.

Today, dozens of people gathered just outside barricades, cheering at any sign of movement or progress. “I, many years ago, worked for the National Symphony, and so when Trump put his name on the building, I was brokenhearted,” Laura Bligh, who has protested with cardboard signs outside the Kennedy Center all week, told two of my colleagues.

“To see it come down shows that the system is working to a certain extent against this man,” Lily Brock, a runner who was following the livestream, said; she jogged from her home and to the center when she realized the president’s name could be removed imminently.

I was at the Kennedy Center one rainy morning in December after receiving word that a crew of workers had begun fastening Trump’s name to the building. It was sudden and dramatic, not even 24 hours had passed since the trustees had voted to rename the center after the president. Large sheets of blue tarp were tied to the building’s front pillars, blocking the view of the installation, but I could hear loud drilling and caught glimpses of the first few letters newly anchored to the facade behind the rippling canvas.

Immediately, you could tell the letters were off, appearing slightly smaller than the original signage, with wider kerning between the characters.

The addition of Trump’s name seemed to thematically complete his takeover: It was his center, and he owned its problems. A new wave of turmoil followed: More artist cancellations (Philip Glass, Béla Fleck, the San Francisco Ballet). The jazz drummer Chuck Redd, who called off a Christmas show at the complex, was sued by the Kennedy Center for breach of contract before a judge threw out the case last week.

The Washington National Opera’s announcement on January 9 that it would part ways with the center meant the exit of an anchor tenant. The opera, which had been performing at the institution since 1971, cited changes to the center’s business model as a reason for its departure. The Kennedy Center claimed that the complex’s leadership had ended the affiliation “due to a financially challenging relationship.”

In recent months, the opera has staged its spring performances at other venues across Washington. Meanwhile, the Kennedy Center has grown quieter as it has prepared for a two-year shutdown.

But this past week, as my colleague David A. Graham wrote, has drawn the most anticipation that the institution has seen in months. Spectators are seemingly ready for this story’s climax, even if the main characters keep trying to draw it out.

Grace Buono and Mari Labbate contributed reporting.

And of course, here’s also how to make that handmade card for every occasion!

By now, I know you know how much I love myself a handmade greeting card. I love to make them, I love to give them, I love to give sets of them, pre-stamped for the sender’s convenience, as graduation gifts… and sometimes, I even get one of those back with a thank-you note inside, lol!

Handmade cards can be a little tricky, because neatness counts a LOT in cardmaking, there are just too many pristine mass-market cards out there for a messy card with visible glue and uneven folds to pass muster coming from anyone over the age of 12, alas. However, the good news is that there are beautiful handmade cards that can be made using pretty much any technique. So whether you love decoupage the most, or quilting, or embroidery, or photography, or any other of the other infinite types of handicraft out there on the world, there is absolutely a handmade card for you.

And here are some of my favorites!

Decoupaged Pressed Flower Card

decoupaged pressed flower card image via Craft Knife

This project is a bit of a handful overall, with a few different steps, but the steps, collecting flowers, pressing them, decoupaging, etc., all require a lot of lag time, so honestly it doesn’t feel like as big of a job. This project is actually a lot less finicky than many of the others here, too, since the decoupage is extremely forgiving, and the finished pieces look marvelous. These are great for when you want to take a little more time to make a much fancier piece, thank-you’s for after a wedding or graduation, perhaps.

Bunting

bunting image via Infectious Stitches

The original tutorial calls for fabric scraps, but you could also make this with paper scraps. I especially love the idea of using paper ephemera, like junk mail, envelopes, sales flyers, brochures, etc.

Button Art

button art image via Red Ted Art

This is a very kid-friendly project, because you can simply cut off the cutest, most charming piece of a kid’s larger creation, and frame it adorably on a card front.

Photo Card with No Tape or Glue

This project is one of my favorites, since it requires just two materials, cardstock and a photo! It does require some very precise measuring and cutting, but even then it comes together super quickly. This is a great project when you need lots and lots and LOTS of multiples, since you can make it assembly line-style.

Photo Card with Photo Corners

For this project, you do need photo corners, but they’re easy to buy, or make! Once you’ve got the photo corners, the rest of the project comes together with just some careful measuring and sticking. I really love this one because it’s obvious that the photo comes off, so the recipient has something cute to put on their fridge. For that reason, I love these as thank-you’s, who wouldn’t want a photo of the recipient enjoying the gift they were given?

Cross-Stitching

cross-stitched card image via Muhaiminah Faiz for Instructables

Tiny cross-stitch pieces are so fun and quick and satisfying, but it’s tricky to know what to do with them sometimes. This project solves that problem entirely! I especially love this idea for all the cute little holiday-specific cross-stitch designs that I always want to make each year. If you receive a Halloween card from me this year, this is why!

Embroidered Card

As you can see in the photo, even kid-made versions turn out absolutely adorable! This is probably the most time-intensive project on this list, and impossible to make assembly line-style, but if you love to embroider, you could really make something special here. Imagine a congratulations card for a newly-married couple, with their monograms hand-embroidered onto the front!

Quilted Greeting Card

quilted greeting card image via Craft Knife

These cards are a little time consuming, but you can do all the sewing in batches, and attaching the quilt blocks to the cardstock is a lot quicker. My favorite thing about this project is how great it is for scrapbusting, there’s a base fabric that’s completely hidden in the finished project, so I get to use up even the prints and colors I no longer like!

Watercolored

watercolored image via Kwerner Design

I’m not much of an artist by hand, but these flowers with colorful watercolor splashes are super easy, and super forgiving of less than professional art, lol!

With a Printed Template

printed template image via Still Dottie

Sometimes my best projects fall apart when it gets to the text. My handwriting is… not great, and letter stamps can look messy if you’re not absolutely perfect. The best trick so that you don’t have to look at my messy writing is to let the computer do it! This tutorial walks you through creating a printable template that also includes your greeting. It makes batch cardmaking SO much easier!

P.S. Do you have a favorite handmade cardmaking project? Share it with us in the Comments!

Art of the problem gave a super simple bot a pretty big brain. The two legged GrowBot is based on a Raspberry Pi Zero 2, two servos, a camera, an IMU, a battery, some 3D printed parts.

This project started when I imagined making a little robot that would learn everything, how to move and do things. A pure machine learning approach, using basic evolutionary algorithms and then a neural network. It then evolved to ask, “what if you gave a modern AI foundation model a nervous and motor system?” GrowBot collides these questions into a “general learning robot”, which can be anything… and learns to move, see, and react from scratch.

You can see the build guide on GitHub or signup to be notified when kits are available . Watch the video below!

Each Friday is PiDay here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Raspberry Pi related products. Adafruit has the largest and best selection of Raspberry Pi accessories and all the code & tutorials to get you up and running in no time!

The vice president of the United States called a meeting in the Situation Room last year to discuss the administration's cover-up of the Epstein files. Never mind that there were allegations in the files that Trump had had sex with an underage girl in Epstein's child trafficking ring, and which somehow involved Trump's alleged nipple fetish. The Epstein victims and the underlying crimes were not a priority in the meeting; getting Ghislaine or Vance on a friendly podcast was. Plus, the perception of a deal with Iran seems to be more important than an agreement itself, cuck John Cornyn is not worthy of sympathy, Dems have got to stop walking on eggshells, advice for making the most effective campaign contributions for the midterms, POTUS thinks he is the culmination of what America 250 is celebrating, Tim likes the UFC Claw, and the worst Spencer Pratt takes of all.

Jon Favreau joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.

show notes

Jon's 'Offline' podcast

Tim's 'Triad' on the most effective campaign contributions

Peter Hamby on America 250

Tim's playlist

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A super-sized Secret this week:

Sarah and JVL are coming to the legendary 92nd Street Y in New York on September 8. Come and hang out with them in JVL’s back yard! It’s possible he’ll have the championship belt! (Tickets on sale here.)

JVL actually thinks the Iran deal might be real this time. He’s got a theory.

Sarah has a theory of her own about who leaked to Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan about the Trump administration’s big Situation Room summit on how to handle the Epstein files?

JVL makes progress on his continuing quest to bring Sarah around on “the free market” and court expansion. Is this the week the dam breaks?

It’s a good show, long show. Hit the like button ❤️ and come to the comments so JVL doesn’t get all needy. Again.

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Outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard sparked fury on Friday by going all in on the Ukraine biolabs conspiracy theory, which Russian leader Vladimir Putin cited as a reason for his invasion of Ukraine.

“Today, I’m releasing new evidence of long-standing U.S. Government funding of more than 120 bio labs in over 30 countries. Now, these bio labs include labs in places like Ukraine, which could be at risk of compromise due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. In fact, the intelligence community had previously warned that a U.S.-funded bio lab in Ukraine likely housed dangerous pathogens and remained vulnerable to long-standing threats of Russian attack, seizure, or damage,” Gabbard began in a clip released to social media. She added:

Despite the obvious potential for catastrophic global impact research on dangerous pathogens in biolabs can have, politicians, so-called health professionals like Dr. Fauci, and entities within the Biden administration’s national security team lied to the American people about the existence of U.S.-funded and supported biolabs, and threatened those who attempted to expose the truth.

Gabbard’s disclosure sparked a fierce debate on social media, with MAGA supporters, including members of Congress, singing her praises and national security experts accusing her of pushing Russian propaganda. Putin claimed his Russian invasion of Ukraine was necessary in part to remove the biolabs, which he said make chemical weapons, from the country.

The Financial Times’s chief correspondent in Ukraine, Christopher Miller, shared the clip and added, “Before she departs, Gabbard uses her platform and access to intelligence to perpetuate one of her and Russia’s favorite conspiracy theories, disingenuously twisting facts, deliberately misinforming the public and delivering a gift to the Kremlin.”

Before she departs, Gabbard uses her platform and access to intelligence to perpetuate one of her and Russia’s favorite conspiracy theories, disingenuously twisting facts, deliberately misinforming the public and delivering a gift to the Kremlin. https://t.co/xcfqQzlajh

, Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) June 12, 2026

The New York Post covered the video and spoke to Josh Segal, a noted expert on biological weapons, who said, “I am really confused as to why the DNI released something giving new life to a misleading narrative the entire intel community has known for decades to be a Russian trope and that the Trump administration worked hard to crush in its first term.”

“Their labs are not now and were never secret, and do zero questionable work. Cooperation with the US started as a highly publicized effort to convert former Soviet research facilities that may have been connected to the USSR’s covert BW program and involved Russian participation until a decade ago,” Segal added, noting, “This conversion program also was responsible for destroying 12 tons of weaponized anthrax the Russians abandoned on Resurrection Island in the Aral Sea.”

Prominent Russian pro-democracy activist Garry Kasparov replied to Gabbard, “Loyal to the end. To Putin.”

Loyal to the end. To Putin. https://t.co/COWevV0s4u

, Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) June 12, 2026

Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA) replied, “As far as I can tell, Tulsi’s big ‘secret biolab’ bombshell is recycled Kremlin propaganda. These labs were never secret. The U.S. spent decades funding biosafety and disease-surveillance work abroad under Nunn-Lugar, with the facility lists posted publicly by the State Department and our own embassy in Kyiv.”

“Russia invented the ‘secret bioweapons’ spin in 2022 to help justify invading Ukraine. Our own intelligence flagged it as disinformation. Now Tulsi is laundering that exact line, while conveniently forgetting the first Trump administration funded this same research. Nothing was hidden and the only thing being manufactured here is the coverup. Tulsi, don’t let the door hit you on the way out,” Levin concluded.

As far as I can tell, Tulsi’s big “secret biolab” bombshell is recycled Kremlin propaganda. These labs were never secret.

The U.S. spent decades funding biosafety and disease-surveillance work abroad under Nunn-Lugar, with the facility lists posted publicly by the State… https://t.co/QOCkHqcCdH

, Mike Levin (@MikeLevin) June 12, 2026

Shashank Joshi, The Economist’s Washington bureau chief, added, “‘Including in Ukraine.’ Conspiracy theory masquerading as intelligence.”

“Including in Ukraine”

Conspiracy theory masquerading as intelligence. https://t.co/MaiTJ3fHXE

, Shashank Joshi (@shashj) June 12, 2026

MAGA influencer Laura Loomer went off on some prominent figures on her own side, who quickly embraced Gabbard’s claims, “Russia is playing the GOP like a fiddle right now. Crazy to see members of Congress entertain this biolab propaganda while knowing Russia has been offering to supply Iran with NUKES to kill Americans.”

“ODNI is being praised by Russian media today. The same Russian media that spreads lies that Trump killed Charlie Kirk and lies that Trump is a pedophile. Disgraceful. Zero self awareness,” Loomer concluded.

Russia is playing the GOP like a fiddle right now. Crazy to see members of Congress entertain this biolab propaganda while knowing Russia has been offering to supply Iran with NUKES to kill Americans.

ODNI is being praised by Russian media today. The same Russian media that…

, Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) June 12, 2026

Below are some more reactions, including praise from MAGA-world:

Tulsi Gabbard revives her DNI account to try and fearmonger against Ukraine. Her one and only agenda has been to serve Russia whenever possible, and it's always been this obvious. https://t.co/wVfGBT8hmH

, Kareem Rifai (@KareemRifai) June 12, 2026

Incredible. Publishing what appears to be (if you care to read the "evidence") a totally legitimate US program, and even citing the risks of these being used as "Russian information campaigns", Tulsi Gabbard, the gift that kept giving, presents the Kremlin with yet one more… https://t.co/k1cRPfHO2W

, Christo Grozev (@christogrozev) June 12, 2026

A completely dishonest characterization of facilities engaged in benign basic biological, medical, and veterinary research. It is no different from research performed in the U.S. or Europe.

Ukraine only has a few facilities rated BSL-3 and none rated BSL-4. https://t.co/7inRo7llFz

, John Ridge (@WeaponScientist) June 12, 2026

And, now the praise:

Thank you @DNIGabbard for your herculean efforts to flip the deep state.

You are a hero for restoring some transparency and good faith that our government needs. https://t.co/wcwsHHqoGu

, Senator Rand Paul (@SenRandPaul) June 12, 2026

The conspiracy theories were always just spoiler alerts. Keep dropping truth bombs until your last second there. I wish you weren’t leaving, Tulsi. You will be missed, my dear friend. https://t.co/eHEGKnmLV1

, Rachel Campos-Duffy (@RCamposDuffy) June 12, 2026

. @DNIGabbard & @TulsiGabbard

A National HERO…she should be given the presidential medal of freedom for her relentless pursuit of the truth on behalf of the American people!@realDonaldTrump @JDVance https://t.co/ORk6YaOJW1

, General Mike Flynn (@GenFlynn) June 12, 2026

It used to be a “conspiracy theory” about biolabs in Ukraine.

They would fact check our posts and write nasty articles about anyone exposing them.

Now the US Government has confirmed they existed.

The conspiracy theorists keep being proven right. https://t.co/WJKlHIZtJL

, DC_Draino (@DC_Draino) June 12, 2026

Remember when Mitt Romney said that her mentioning this was treason. https://t.co/f78HXYAiSf

, Catturd (@catturd2) June 12, 2026

This is why they came after Tulsi so hard https://t.co/pFat850Z4G

, Jack Posobiec (@JackPosobiec) June 12, 2026

Thank you Tulsi for exposing their lies! It’s moments like this that should serve as a reminder why we worked so hard to win in 2024. https://t.co/CcYUQGzbGZ

, Erika Kirk (@MrsErikaKirk) June 12, 2026

The evidence Tulsi released today proves that Mitt Romney is a neocon shill who should not be trusted in the GOP.

Isn’t it interesting the entire Democrat party (and uniparty shills like Romney) and the media and intel community tried to paint @DNIGabbard as a Russian asset?… https://t.co/5ceXk6332w

, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (@RepLuna) June 12, 2026

__

The post Tulsi Gabbard Sparks Fury By Going All In on Ukraine Biolabs Theory: ‘Loyal to the End. To Putin’ first appeared on Mediaite.

Workers in Washington, D.C. have begun the process of removing President Donald Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center after a judge’s order.

By statute, the official name of the venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which was created to serve as a “living memorial” to the slain 35th president. However, in December, the center’s board, packed mainly with Trump loyalists, voted to rename the building The Donald J. Trump and John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.

But on May 29, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper ruled in favor of Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH), a member of the Kennedy Center’s board, who sued over the addition of Trump’s name and the president’s two-year closure of the venue.

“The Kennedy Center’s organic statute makes crystal clear that the Center is to be named for President Kennedy, and it cannot bear any other formal name or public memorial based on the Board’s unilateral say-so. Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it,” Cooper wrote in his decision.

Per the order, Trump’s name must be removed by Friday, June 12. On Thursday, the Trump administration and the board filed an appeal to Cooper, who refused to stay his own ruling.

As of 6:00 p.m. ET on Friday, workers had erected scaffolding at the center in anticipation of removing Trump’s name.

The day after Cooper’s initial ruling, the president fumed on Truth Social and canceled an America 250th celebration that was to take place at the Kennedy Center.

“Cancel it,” Trump wrote, “just like I canceled my involvement with the failing and unsafe to be in Kennedy Center, because a Highly Conflicted, Crooked Federal Judge, said that I should not be allowed to spend my time and money in order to MAKE THE CENTER GREAT AGAIN, actually, far greater than it ever was before! It would have also been nice to see a Republican/Democrat union bring it back to life.”

Trump also lashed out at Cooper.

“Judge Cooper also stated that the highly prestigious Board of the Center was not authorized to add on the name ‘TRUMP’ despite the fact that hundreds of millions of dollars of my time and money will be necessary for its successful reincarnation,” he said.

The post LIVE STREAM: Workers Begin Removing Trump’s Name From Kennedy Center first appeared on Mediaite.

This week, the UFC will host an unprecedented event at the White House, putting on a series of fights to celebrate 250 years of the United States.

The UFC’s cage is being constructed on the South Lawn, where seven fights will take place, on the 80th birthday of US president Donald Trump, coincidentally.

• Follow LIVE: UFC White House press conference plays out at Lincoln Memorial

Trump is a close friend of UFC president and CEO Dana White, who promised the greatest card in MMA history. And although fans have expressed disappointment in the actual quality of the bout list, it is still a strong collection of contests.

Here’s all you need to know:

(AFP/Getty)

When is the UFC White House event?

The event, named ‘UFC Freedom 250’, will take place on Sunday 14 June. The fights will begin at 5pm PT / 7pm CT / 8pm ET (1am BST on Monday).

How can I watch it?

The event will stream live on Paramount+ in the US and UK. In the US, CBS will also provide live coverage, while TNT Sports and HBO Max allow access to the fights in the UK.

Who is fighting?

Subject to change; ‘C’ denotes champion:

Ilia Topuria (C) vs Justin Gaethje (lightweight title), related: Topuria teases Trump in Oval Office

Alex Pereira vs Ciryl Gane (interim heavyweight title)

Sean O’Malley vs Aiemann Zahabi (bantamweight)

Derrick Lewis vs Josh Hokit (heavyweight), related: Hokit to fight at White House after Trump’s ringside request

Mauricio Ruffy vs Michael Chandler (lightweight)

Bo Nickal vs Kyle Daukaus (middleweight), related: Daukaus claims he doesn’t deserve to fight at White House

Diego Lopes vs Steve Garcia (featherweight)

Left to right: Alex Pereira, Ilia Topuria, Trump, Justin Gaethje and Ciryl Gane (Reuters)

Who can attend? Can I get a ticket?

There will be no general admission for the White House fights, which are expected to be invite-only. However, fans can apply for free tickets to watch the fights from the Ellipse park, next to the White House.

White, 56, said in May: “[Trump] wants this to be mostly for the military, so there’s gonna be 4,300 people there. I just literally went over it right now; 4,300 people, and most of them will be military. 100 per cent [it’s a ‘thank you’ to the military].

“We’re gonna give away about 85,000 tickets [to the Ellipse]. There’s a process, you have to register for tickets, and they’re free [...] For those who don’t know, the Ellipse is a massive park. Literally, you’ll be able to see the fight[s] from the Ellipse, but we have screens, we’ve got stages, we’ve got music.”

What other events will take place this week?

Trump holding a mock-up image of the UFC’s Octagon on the South Lawn (AFP/Getty)

A press conference will take place at the Lincoln Memorial on Friday 12 June, beginning at 5.30pm PT / 7.30pm CT / 8.30pm ET (1.30am BST on Saturday).

Then, on Saturday 13 June, a fan festival will play out at the Ellipse, a large park located next to the White House. That will begin at 12.30pm PT / 2.30pm CT / 3.30pm ET (8.30pm BST). Thereafter, the ceremonial weigh-in for the fight card will get started at 5.30pm PT / 7.30pm CT / 8.30pm ET (1.30am BST on Sunday), followed by a concert from the Zac Brown Band at 6.30pm PT / 8.30pm CT / 9.30pm ET (2.30am BST on Sunday).

Finally, the fight card itself will take place on Sunday 14 June, beginning at 5pm PT / 7pm CT / 8pm ET (1am BST on Monday).

What will security be like?

UFC president Dana White before the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Dinner (Getty)

Speaking last September, White said:“The last time I was at the White House, I went up on the roof of the White House, and they’ve got snipers with .50 cals all over the roof of the White House. It’s pretty crazy. But yes, I mean, the security is gonna be a massive issue, because at the end of the day, secret service’s job is to protect the president.”

In late April, Mr Trump was seemingly targeted by a shooter at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, and alleged suspect Cole Allen was later charged with attempted assassination.

In fact, White was present and said afterwards: “It started to get noisy. Tables started getting flipped over, guys running with guns and they were screaming ‘get down!’ I didn’t get down. It was f***ing awesome, and I literally took every minute of it in. It was a pretty crazy, unique experience. We were sitting right in front of the table, right in front of where the president was. Nobody got tackled but guys came in looking for shooters, I thought the shooter was over by us or something.”

CLEVELAND, The Detroit Tigers have beaten the Cleveland Guardians more than it seems like these past couple seasons, including in the ALDS last fall. They just can’t beat Tanner Bibee.

Lately, the Tigers can’t even hit the Cleveland righty and didn’t again in the series opener at Progressive Field, losing 3-2 and falling to 29-41. Well, the new guy, James Outman, hit Bibee when he smacked a solo home run to keep the Tigers in it early. He also made a spectacular play in center to give Tigers righty Jack Flaherty a chance to get out of a jam in the second inning.

Flaherty couldn’t take advantage, though, and left the game after three innings due to left leg soreness. The Tigers pitcher fell to 1-8 on the season.

At the plate

This is how it goes when the Tigers face Bibee. Lots of flailing. Lots of looking. Lots of strikeouts. Lots of bases left empty.

Outman crushed a 93-mph sinker that didn’t sink in the third inning, for a 418-blast that sailed deep into the right field seats. It was his first home run of the season and made A.J. Hinch look a touch prophetic.

Before the game, the Tigers manager said the Tigers had picked up Outman primarily for his speed and glove in centerfield, a position where they’ve struggled this season. He also said he liked his power.

Outman made a diving catch. Outman hit a home run.

Spencer Torkelson hit one, too, in the eighth inning. He was the last batter Bibee faced. That gives Torkelson 11 homers on the season, and it gave the Tigers a reasonable chance in the ninth inning.

INJURY UPDATE: Jack Flaherty exits with leg discomfort

On the mound

Flaherty was evaluated for left leg soreness after his abbreviated outing. He gave up two runs on three hits in the second inning ... all with two outs. He couldn’t get the bottom of the order.

After Outman made his diving catch on a Steven Kwan flare to shallow center, it looked like Flaherty might escape despite allowing a leadoff double to Rhys Hoskins.

Then Patrick Bailey, added in a trade last month, singled on a 2-2 pitch to drive in Hoskins. Brayan Rocchio followed with a triple to the right-field wall, which would've been a double if Kerry Carpenter hadn’t misplayed the ball.

Hinch talked about improving the outfield defense during his pre-game meet with reporters and mentioned the team’s lack of playmaking there as a reason for grabbing Outman off waivers.

But then it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. The Tigers can’t beat Bibee.

The Guardians have won each of his past nine starts against the Tigers, including the postseason. He’s 4-0 with a 1.58 ERA in that span, and nowhere near that when he pitches against the rest of MLB.

He gave up two hits in seven innings plus one batter, and two runs, the Outman homer and the Torkelson homer.

Other than that, no other Tiger squared the ball all night. As usual, he kept Detroit off balance mixing in a low-90s sinker, a curve, a high-80s cutter and a mid-90s four-seamer. If the Tigers appear like they miss even when Bibee throws average heat down the middle, they do and have done so for the better part of a few years.

He struck out eight.

Next up: Skub Day!

Saturday's reason for optimism? Tarik Skubal, of course. The Tigers’ ace returns just five weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies from his left elbow. Skubal made a rehab start for West Michigan, the Tigers' High-A affiliate, on Sunday, throwing five shutout innings and allowing two hits.

The Tigers would welcome a similar effort on Saturday (4:10 p.m., Detroit SportsNet) at Progressive Field. Mostly, they’re just grateful they get to welcome him back so soon.

Contact Shawn Windsor: swindsor@freepress.com. Follow him @shawnwindsor.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers stumped by Cleveland Guardians, Tanner Bibee again

The Baltimore Ravens are known for what happens on Sundays, but some of the organization's most meaningful work takes place far away from football fields. For years, they have invested heavily in the communities that support them. Recently, they recognized an individual whose contributions often go unnoticed outside of their neighborhoods, schools, and workplaces.

They did so by announcing their 2026 Touchdown for Teachers recipient. That honor belongs to Harper's Choice Middle School educator Ebony Dixon.

Celebrating the teachers that make our community great! @MandT_Bankpic.twitter.com/wdiqYjm2EJ

, Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) June 11, 2026

The recognition shines a spotlight on a profession that rarely receives the attention it deserves. While players, coaches, and teams often dominate headlines, teachers help shape future generations every day, creating lasting impacts that extend far beyond the classroom.

The Ravens remain committed to their community

The Ravens' connection to Baltimore extends well beyond the walls of the Under Armour Performance Center and M&T Bank Stadium. Over the years, the organization has consistently supported educational initiatives, charitable causes, and community programs throughout the region. The Touchdown for Teachers program is another example of that commitment, allowing the franchise to recognize educators who have made exceptional contributions to their students and schools.

By selecting Dixon as this year's recipient, the Ravens are celebrating not only her accomplishments but also the important role educators play in communities across Maryland. It's a well-deserved honor.

Professional sports franchises often serve as pillars within their cities, and the Ravens have long embraced that responsibility. While winning football games remains the organization's primary objective, recognizing community leaders helps reinforce the bond between the team and its fan base.

This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Ravens name Baltimore educator as 2026 Touchdown for Teachers recipient

MILWAUKEE, WI - JUNE 01: San Francisco Giants pitcher Landen Roupp (65) pitches during a game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the San Francisco Giants at American Family Field on June 1, 2026 in Milwaukee, WI. (Photo by Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The San Francisco Giants welcome the Chicago Cubs to Oracle Park tonight for a rematch of last weekend’s series.

Taking the mound for the Giants will be right-hander Landen Roupp, who enters tonight’s game with a 4.00 ERA, 3.02 FIP, with 77 strikeouts to 30 walks in 69.2 innings pitched. His last start was in the Giants’ 3-2 loss to the Cubs on Saturday, in which he allowed one run on three hits with five strikeouts and three walks in five and two thirds innings.

He’ll be facing off against Cubs right-hander Javier Assad, who enters tonight’s game with a 4.73 ERA, 4.37 FIP, with 19 strikeouts to eight walks in 32.1 innings pitched. His last start was in the Cubs’ 2-1 loss to the Giants on Sunday, in which he allowed just one hit and one walk with five strikeouts in six and a third innings.

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Game #70

Who: San Francisco Giants (28-41) vs. Chicago Cubs (35-34)

Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California

When: 7:15 p.m. PT

Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area

National broadcast: n/a

Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM

Whether you’re planning a backyard barbeque or a World Cup watch party, Govee’s Table Lamp Classic can help set the mood with color-changing lighting effects. Right now it’s down to just $59.99 ($20 off) at Amazon, which is its best price yet.

Govee Table Lamp Classic

Where to Buy:

$79.99 $59.99 at Amazon (with on-page coupon)

$79.99 $63.99 at Govee

The rechargeable lamp can last up to 30 hours on a single charge, so it should have enough power to last for multiple hangouts. It’s easy to carry to wherever you need a little extra light. Just bear in mind the lamp isn’t weather resistant, so you’ll want to keep it away from the pool and bring it inside if it’s going to rain. It’s also not particularly bright, shining at up to 500 lumens at peak brightness.

The lamp supports adjustable color temperatures ranging from a warm 2700K glow to a cooler 6500K. It also offers dozens of preset scenes and colorful lighting effects, even one that can sync to your music. If you want something more personalized, Govee’s app even lets you generate custom lighting effects with AI.

Better yet, you don’t have to leave your seat to make changes. The lamp supports Matter and works with major smart home platforms, allowing you to control it with your voice or through Govee’s app.

A few more Verge-approved deals

JBL’s Charge 6 Bluetooth speaker is on sale in gray for $79.95 ($70 off) at Woot with a 90-day warranty, which is its best price to date. The speaker is rugged, with an IP68 waterproof and dustproof rating, plus it can double as a power bank, making it a great companion for outdoor adventures. It can last up to 28 hours on a single charge, and delivers good sound quality via Bluetooth. The Charge 6 supports lossless audio playback over USB-C.

The Moto Tag is on sale for $19.99 ($10 off) at Amazon, which matches its all-time low and is the best price we’ve seen since February. The excellent Bluetooth tracker works with Google’s Find Hub network and stands out from other Android-friendly alternatives by offering ultra-wideband support. On compatible phones like Samsung’s Galaxy S26, that means it can help you track down misplaced items with precise, turn-by-turn-style guidance, similar to Apple’s AirTag.

The Keurig K-Elite Single Serve Coffee Maker is down to just $99.99 (about $110 off) with code HAPPYDAD at Keurig, which is its best price of the year and $10 shy of its all-time low. The machine can brew five cup sizes from four to twelve ounces and features an iced coffee setting that starts with a hotter brew to extract more flavor from the K-Cup before cooling things down so as to not melt your ice completely. It also comes with a large 75-ounce water reservoir allowing you to make up to eight cups before having to refill, along with an on-demand hot water function for tea and oatmeal.