North Korea Launches Destroyer After Earlier Failed Attempt
North Korea successfully relaunched a 5,000-ton destroyer on Thursday after the vessel capsized during a failed launch attempt on May 21 at Chongjin Shipyard, with the ship now upright and moored at a pier for further repairs.
The failed launch occurred in front of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who condemned the incident as a "criminal act caused by absolute carelessness" that severely damaged the country's national dignity and pride.
Four officials, including Ri Hyong Son, vice director of the Munitions Industry Department of the Workers' Party Central Committee, were arrested and detained by law enforcement authorities in connection with the launch failure.
Pro-North Korea narrative
North Korea demonstrated resilience and technical competence by successfully restoring the damaged destroyer through manual recovery operations. The swift response and commitment to complete repairs before the party meeting show the regime's determination to advance its naval modernization despite setbacks.
Anti-North Korea narrative
This incident highlights significant weaknesses in North Korea's military capabilities and shipbuilding expertise. The public failure undermines Kim's narrative of military strength and raises questions about the regime's ability to modernize its naval forces as quickly as promised. The harsh punishment of officials reveals an attempt to maintain face after an embarrassing setback.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that Kim Jong Un will no longer be the leader of North Korea by October 2044, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
NATO Approves Largest Military Buildup Since Cold War
During meetings in Brussels, NATO defense ministers on Thursday reportedly approved the alliance's largest military buildup since the Cold War, with plans to increase capability targets by about 30% in response to growing Russian threats and security concerns across Europe.
According to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, the targets detail which capabilities the NATO allies will need to invest in. While details are classified, Rutte previously indicated new military equipment needs include air and missile defense, large land forces, long-range capabilities, and logistics.
Backed by U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, the proposal calls for NATO allies to each invest 5% of their GDP in defense, including 3.5% in core defense spending and 1.5% of GDP per year in defense and security-related investments, including infrastructure and resilience.
Pro-Trump narrative
This massive military build-up is the direct result of President Trump's strong leadership and is urgently needed given Putin's aggression, but also China's growing threat. Europeans have freeloaded off American taxpayers for decades while neglecting their own defense responsibilities. The 5% spending target will finally force allies to pull their weight and build the capabilities necessary to deter authoritarian regimes that seek to destroy the rules-based international order.
Establishment-critical narrative
NATO has always been the extended arm of U.S. imperialist foreign policy, and Europeans should wake up and resist Trump's dictates. NATO is by no means a defense alliance, and it is not Russia or China that are hostile, but the expansionist military alliance whose ever-increasing armament Europeans cannot afford politically, economically, or socially. Drumming for war will put Europe's social cohesion to the test, and Europeans should reflect on what their true national interests are.
Climate-concerned narrative
Throwing hundreds of billions down the throats of arms companies while cutting funding for climate protection is a reckless prioritization and reveals the hypocrisy surrounding the climate protection debate. This arms race will pump almost 200 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year, accelerating the climate crisis that is already causing conflict around the world. Real security means investing in sustainable solutions and not promoting the military-industrial complex.
Nerd narrative
There is a 90% chance that the United States will remain a NATO member continuously until January 1, 2029, according to the Metaculus predicition community.
Trump Sanctions Four ICC Judges Over Israel, US Probes
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday announced sanctions on four International Criminal Court (ICC) judges: Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza of Peru, Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini-Gansou of Benin, and Beti Hohler of Slovenia for their involvement in ICC proceedings against U.S. and Israeli nationals.
Two judges, Alapini-Gansou and Hohler, participated in proceedings that led to arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024 for alleged war crimes in Gaza, including starvation as a method of warfare.
The other two judges, Bossa and Ibáñez Carranza, authorized ICC investigations into alleged war crimes by U.S. forces and CIA personnel in Afghanistan during the 2001-2021 conflict, despite the U.S. not being party to the Rome Statute that established the court.
Left narrative
The Trump administration's vindictive assault on International Criminal Court judges represents a breathtaking abandonment of justice and human dignity. By weaponizing sanctions against jurists investigating war crimes, America betrays its founding principles, silences atrocity survivors, and shields war criminals from accountability — transforming from justice's champion into its most dangerous enemy.
Right narrative
The ICC's grotesque persecution of Israel exposes a corrupted institution weaponized against democracy itself. By handpicking prejudiced advisers with documented anti-Israel bias, the prosecutor orchestrated a judicial charade that abandoned impartiality for predetermined outcomes. This travesty transforms international law into a tool of political warfare against a nation defending itself from terrorism.
Nerd narrative
There is a 33% chance the ICJ will find that Israel committed genocide, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Four Killed in Kyiv After Russia Vowed Response to Ukraine's Bomber Attack
Russian missiles and drones targeted Kyiv and a number of other Ukrainian cities and regions in the early hours of Friday. It came after Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to U.S. President Donald Trump's account of their call on Wednesday, said Russia would have to respond to a Ukrainian attack on its airfields.
Four people were killed and 20 more injured in Kyiv, local officials said. Three of those killed were firefighters and damage was reported to a number of industrial sites, civilian infrastructure facilities, and residential buildings. An educational site, a petrol station and rail tracks were also damaged, according to officials.
Strikes were also recorded in the cities of Lviv, Lutsk, and Ternopil, as well as the Khmelnytskyi region. In Lviv, damage was reported to an industrial site but there was no report of casualties. Five civilians were injured in each of Lutsk and Ternopil, with damage reported to industrial sites and residential buildings.
Pro-Ukraine narrative
Russia does not change its stripes; another day, another mass attack on Ukrainian civilian sites. Pressure must be placed on Russia so that it can be held accountable for its crimes and so that this war can be brought to an end.
Pro-Russia narrative
With repeated strikes on civilian sites and as demonstrated by the recent derailment of passenger trains, Zelenskyy's regime is bearing all the hallmarks of a terrorist organization. It is not clear why Kyiv seeks to sabotage peace efforts when every day it's losing more men and territory.
Pro-Trump narrative
It's clear that Russia and Ukraine have immense hatred for each other. Like children brawling in a park, it may be better to let them fight it out for a while rather than seek to break them up immediately.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that there will be a bilateral ceasefire or peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine by February 2026, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Trump Administration Ends TSA's Quiet Skies Surveillance Program
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Thursday that the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA's) Quiet Skies program is ending. The surveillance program monitored flagged airline passengers and cost taxpayers approximately $200 million annually.
Quiet Skies launched in 2010 and used federal air marshals to observe behaviors such as sweating, twitching, and bathroom frequency. It flagged approximately 40 to 50 passengers daily but was reportedly not linked to preventing any terrorist attacks.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem stated in a post on X that the program had been "weaponized" under the Biden administration. Internal documents cited by DHS appeared to show inconsistent enforcement and alleged political bias in determining who was monitored.
Republican narrative
The Quiet Skies program became a political weapon under Biden, targeting conservatives like Tulsi Gabbard while giving special treatment to Democratic allies. This $200 million boondoggle never stopped a single terrorist attack but was used to harass political opponents. The Trump administration is right to shut down this surveillance state overreach and restore equal treatment under the law.
Democratic narrative
Gabbard's placement on the watchlist was automatic and justified based on her suspicious travel patterns and associations, not political targeting. The program operated consistently across both Republican and Democratic administrations using established security protocols. Noem is politicizing national security by dismantling legitimate counterterrorism tools while scapegoating career TSA employees.
Nerd narrative
There's a 2.5% chance that commercial passengers will routinely fly in pilotless planes before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Wagner Group Claims 'Mission Accomplished' and Leaves Mali
Russia's private military company Wagner said in a statement on Friday that its fighters are leaving Mali after three and a half years of operations as the group's main mission in the country — to support the military junta in regaining control over all regional capitals — is now allegedly complete.
Wagner claims to have eliminated thousands of Islamist insurgents, including four leaders, in its operations and to have trained local security forces, with Bamako noting that these actions allowed the resumption of key activities in the mining industry. According to a Wagner source, many in the Malian military opposed the departure.
This announcement comes in the wake of military setbacks over the past weeks, which insurgents say left more than 100 dead among Malian soldiers and mercenaries, including a bombing attack near Bamako on Wednesday.
Establishment-critical narrative
Wagner successfully completed its counterterrorism mission in Mali, eliminating thousands of militants and restoring government control over all regional capitals. The group helped build Mali's military capacity and achieved in months what France couldn't accomplish in years of Operation Barkhane. Unlike Western powers that exploited Mali's resources while failing to provide real security solutions, Russian forces brought advanced weapons and genuine partnership.
Pro-establishment narrative
It's no surprise that Wagner is now departing following devastating military losses, particularly after the Tinzaouatene ambush exposed its tactical failures and overconfidence. As a matter of fact, the mercenaries' presence further destabilized Mali, contributing to ethnic violence and failing to address the root causes of conflict. Bamako has no actual plan, and Russia is dangerously representing Africa as a new front in its fight against the West.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that the next presidential election in Mali will be held by April 2026, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Four States Petition FDA to Lift Abortion Pill Restrictions
Attorneys general from New York, California, Massachusetts, and New Jersey on Thursday filed a petition asking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to remove restrictions on mifepristone, the abortion pill approved in 2000 for terminating pregnancies up to 10 weeks gestation.
The petition challenges FDA requirements under the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy program that mandate prescriber certification, patient agreement forms stating intent to end pregnancy, and pharmacy recordkeeping for mifepristone distribution. The states say those rules are "no longer justified by science or law."
The petition argues current restrictions discourage primary care providers from prescribing mifepristone, particularly affecting rural and underserved communities where abortion access requires lengthy travel to specialized clinics.
Left narrative
These outdated restrictions are medically unjustified barriers. One conservative study, which wasn't peer reviewed, doesn't cancel out the robust evidence of the drugs' safety over the past 25 years. Rural and low-income women suffer most from these restrictions, but it's obvious this is part of the anti-abortion movement's plot to end abortion access for everyone.
Right narrative
Current safety restrictions exist for good reason. The EPPC report shows a concerning amount of adverse events women have experienced. The FDA must reassess mifepristone's safety and there should be serious consideration about pulling the drug from the market in order to save lives. Kennedy has a chance to right a wrong done by the overzealous, pro-abortion prior presidential administration.
Nerd narrative
There's a 15% chance that elective abortion will be banned nationally in the United States before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Hundreds Evacuated in Guatemala as Fuego Volcano Erupts
Guatemala's National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction (CONRED) said on Friday that at least 700 people have been evacuated from their homes as a precaution after Fuego volcano spewed ash and lava thousands of meters into the air.
This comes as disaster officials have advised residents from areas near the volcano to avoid staying or traveling near the ravines, to cover water tanks, to wear a mask or cover their nose and mouth, and to locate and know evacuation routes, reminding them of the importance of self-evacuation in volcanic emergencies.
Classes at 39 schools in the area have been suspended, and a road linking southern Guatemala to the colonial city of Antigua, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was closed. Volcanic activity is expected to last for at least 40 hours, and the number of evacuees could rise further.
Narrative A
The swift evacuation response demonstrates that Guatemala has improved its disaster preparedness following the tragic 2018 eruption that killed over 200 people. Authorities are acting decisively to move residents to safety before conditions worsen. The coordinated effort between national and local officials shows lessons learned from past volcanic disasters have strengthened emergency protocols.
Narrative B
Historical patterns show that volcanic eruptions in Guatemala disproportionately affect poor, Indigenous communities who lack the resources to relocate permanently from dangerous areas. The recurring evacuations highlight how poverty and inequality make rural populations particularly vulnerable to natural disasters. Colonial legacies and centuries of marginalization continue to exacerbate these volcanic tragedies.
Nerd narrative
There's a 14% chance that there will be a tsunami that kills at least 50,000 people before 2030, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Abrego Garcia Returns to US, Faces Trafficking Charges
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Friday announced that Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old Salvadoran national who was deported to El Salvador in March, has been returned to the United States to face federal criminal charges related to human trafficking and smuggling operations.
It was also revealed Friday that a federal grand jury in Tennessee indicted Abrego Garcia on May 21 with two counts of unlawfully transporting illegal aliens for financial gain and conspiracy, alleging he participated in a years-long operation that transported thousands of undocumented migrants.
The charges stem from a 2022 Tennessee traffic stop, where Abrego Garcia was found driving eight passengers without luggage, leading to suspicions of human smuggling. He was released with only a warning.
Republican narrative
This demonstrates the Trump administration's commitment to enforcing immigration law and prosecuting human traffickers. Abrego Garcia allegedly ran a sophisticated smuggling operation for nearly a decade, transporting thousands, including MS-13 gang members for profit. The administration identified him as a dangerous criminal despite Democratic attempts to portray him as a victim.
Democratic narrative
The government's handling of this case clearly violated Abrego Garcia's due process rights. Abrego Garcia was wrongfully deported despite court orders protecting him, and the administration spent months refusing to comply with Supreme Court directives while smearing his reputation. This abuse of power shows how deportation policies can trample individual rights.