Gonzo Report 151 – June 1, 2026

Do tell me more about "America first" policies

Field notes from the crumbling American empire for Monday, June 1, 2026

“Call me a filthy commie but I don’t think the only country to ever use nuclear weapons should be the one deciding who gets nuclear weapons.”
—@theleftistlawyer

---

Congress advances US-Israeli military integration plan
A provision in the House Armed Services Committee’s version of the 2027 defense bill would require the Pentagon to appoint an official to coordinate weapons research, shared production, and the linking of military systems and data between the U.S. and Israel. They can call it an alliance, but that’s a merger of our military and Israel’s. File this under hard pass.

Trump admin uses Iran war oil shock to push drilling in Alaskan wilderness
The Trump regime and Alaska Republicans are citing the Iran war and oil-market volatility to push more public land transfers, faster drilling permits, Arctic Refuge lease sales, and expanded offshore drilling in Alaska. The GOP’s motto is: Never let a good war go to waste. Milk it for all its worth.

Hegseth strikes female and Black Navy officers from promotion list
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth blocked nine Navy officers selected for one-star admiral promotions, including three women and two Black men, leaving no women on the final 22-person slate released in late May. The most unqualified douchebag in all of government blocking decorated officers from promotion because of their gender or race is so on-brand for this regime of bastards.

Federal appeals court rules that Trump’s trans military ban appears discriminatory
A D.C. federal appeals court preserved protections for currently serving transgender plaintiffs while finding that key parts of Hegseth’s military policy appear arbitrary and based on animus toward transgender people. Score one for humanity that courts are stepping in, but hundreds of soldiers have already been discharged. I’ll be following this story for future updates.

Disability rights are at risk as 7 states back case attacking key protections
Texas and six other states are filing lawsuits attacking the Olmstead decision—the Supreme Court ruling that warehousing disabled people in institutions against their will is discrimination. Seven states are spending public money to force disabled people back into institutions. Don’t ever try telling me this country isn’t an evil shithole.

How aid cuts are hampering the front-line response to the Ebola crisis
Aid workers in Uganda are trying to prepare for Ebola spillover from neighboring Congo while misinformation spreads and reduced foreign aid limits public health messaging. But do tell me more about “America first” policies as a hemorrhagic fever crosses a border and turns into the next pandemic.

Ebola triggers fears over public health ahead of World Cup travel surge
U.S., Canadian, and Mexican officials are adding health measures for travelers from high-risk Ebola regions ahead of the World Cup, even as experts say a major Ebola outbreak in North America is unlikely. Worth noting: the administration that dismantled USAID’s global disease surveillance is now staffing airport health checkpoints. I’m sure this will work out well for all of us.

If ICE shows up at the World Cup, essential service workers are ready to strike
More than 2,000 Los Angeles service workers are prepared to strike at SoFi Stadium if ICE agents show up during the World Cup, and their union is warning other tournament venues that ICE presence could trigger the right to refuse unsafe work. These workers just set a tripwire for ICE, and this country needs all the tourist dollars it can get right now, so it’ll be interesting to see what the regime does in response.

Trump administration retreats on ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’
The Trump regime is backing off from the $1.776 billion ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’ after a federal judge halted it, congressional Republicans revolted, and everyone else’s heads exploded.

The White House brokered a $620 million deal for a company tied to Donald Trump Jr.
White House adviser Peter Navarro initiated a Pentagon request for a $620 million loan to Vulcan Elements, a rare-earth magnet startup backed by Donald Trump Jr.’s venture firm months before the deal was announced. Six hundred million in Pentagon loans for Jr. sure will buy a shitload of cocaine.

U.S. strike on alleged drug boat kills 3 in Pacific Ocean, in fourth attack this week
The U.S. military killed three more men in yet another illegal boat strike, without providing any evidence of drug trafficking in the eastern Pacific region, bringing the number of people in small boats who’ve been murdered by American war criminals to 205.