The Vigilant Outpost Beacon

• World at Large: World Economic Forum postpones meeting planned in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia says
  QatarEnergy declares force majeure on long‑term LNG contracts removing 12.8 million tonnes per year of LNG from the global market for 3–5 years
  Oil falls over 5% as Iran signals safe passage for ‘non-hostile’ ships through Strait of Hormuz
WORLD — BY COUNTRY
• United States: OpenAI Shuts Down Viral Sora App Amid Deepfake Concerns
  Valero Port Arthur Tx Refinery Has Fire at Diesel Hydrotreater
  U.S. sent Iran 15-point plan to end war, report says; Trump says 'in negotiations right now'
• China: China Probes NFRA Vice Minister in Expanding Finance Crackdown
  
  
• Russia: Belarus’s Lukashenko makes first visit to North Korea in bid to deepen ties
  Hungary accounted for about 15% of Ukraine’s gas consumption before halt
  Ukraine’s military attacks Russia’s Belgorod Region with nearly 120 UAVs in past day
• United Kingdom: UK police arrest two men over arson attack on ambulances in London
  
  
• Australia: EU and Australia sign sweeping free trade pact and agree to boost defence ties
  Tropical Cyclone Narelle Crosses Australia
  
• South and Central America: Venezuelan Startups Have a Blindspot: Cybersecurity
  Russia-Linked Arms Trafficker, Corrupt African Officials Tried To Supply Mexican Cartel With Surface-To-Air Missiles
  
• Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia diverged with Turkey and Pakistan on condemning Iran
  
  
• Turkey: Turkey is Urging Gulf Arab States Not to Join War Against Iran
  
  

• White House:
  Secretary Markwayne Mullin Is Ready to Deliver on President Trump’s Agenda
  Further Continuance of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council
  Greek Independence Day: A National Day of Celebration of Greek and American Democracy, 2026
• State Department:
  State Department launches effort to counter cyberattacks, AI risks from Iran, others
  
  
• Dept of War (DoW):
  Wyoming National Guard Grows HIMARS Force Through Transition Course
  US Marines arrive. 82nd Airborne reportedly on the way to Iran
  US Marines Forge New Role for Collective Arctic Defense During NATO Exercise
• Treasury:
  IRS Data Show Average Tax Refund Up Over 10% This Year
  
  
• Energy:
  "Emergencies" Requiring Coal Plants To Stay Open Need Not Be Imminent, DOE Tells Court
  Trump Administration to Pay $1 Billion to Energy Giant to Cancel Wind Farms
  
• Senate:
  Deal to fund DHS falters amid bipartisan pushback
  
  
• Supreme Court:
  Court appears likely to side with Trump administration on rights of asylum seekers
  Court reverses ruling on qualified immunity, denies review of death-row case and First Amendment challenge by citizen journalist
  Justices seem ready to overturn state law allowing for late-arriving mail-in ballots

• Oil prices fall on reports of a U.S. ceasefire proposal with Iran
  Highest Mortgage Rates Since August 2025
  Quantifying The Total Oil Supply Shock: 16MMB/d Today, 10MMb/d In April

• NASA Head Adds Lunar Base, Nuclear-Powered Mars Rocket To Space Road Map
  A mission NASA might kill is still returning fascinating science from Jupiter
  NASA Data Hackathon Inspires Community Action

• The US government just banned consumer routers made outside the US
  Amazon just bought a startup making kid-size humanoid robots
  OpenAI pulls the plug on AI video app Sora due to pushback on deepfakes.

• Here's Where Rent Growth In The US Is Finally Slowing
  
  

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