FRANCE - French president Emmanuel Macron has declared he will govern France like Jupiter, the Roman king of the gods, shortly after officials told the media his thought process was “too complex” for journalists to understand.

AUSTRIA - Austria has mobilized its military to maintain security along its border with Italy as the explosion of migrants crossing over from Africa reaches catastrophic proportions. The Austrian government has moved 750 troops and four Pandur armored vehicles into the Tyrol region, where they can quickly deploy to the Brenner Pass, the primary connector between Austria and Italy through the Alps, if necessary. “We need to prepare for the migration development in Italy, and I expect very promptly that border controls will be activated and assistance requested,” said Austrian Defense Minister Hans Peter Doskozil in comments to local press. His spokesman said the flood of migrants into Italy is unsustainable, and that riot tanks would have to be deployed.

EUROPE - Donald Trump is travelling to the German city of Hamburg to attend a gathering of world leaders. But before he arrives, the US president will stop in Poland, to the delight of its conservative, nationalist government. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who leads the ruling Law and Justice party (PiS), has said others in Europe are envious of the visit, mentioning Britain in particular.

USA - A painful correction is coming and there’s little that can be done to prevent it, according to former Republican congressman and libertarian firebrand Ron Paul. Speaking to CNBC last week, the former GOP presidential contender argued the economy is not as strong as Wall Street consensus believes, and the situation could turn ugly as soon as October. “If our markets are down 25 percent and gold is up 50 percent it wouldn’t be a total shock to me,” said Paul recently on “Futures Now.” That scenario would drag the S&P 500 Index as low as 1,819, and gold as high as $1,867 an ounce from current levels.

UK - The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, published his plan for a VMT tax (vehicle miles traveled).  Drivers will be tracked by GPS.  This scheme has been implemented in Germany, Austria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Switzerland, and in several locations in the US. It is part of a UN master plan, called Agenda 21, to force everyone into cities with public transportation. Although touted as a move to protect the environment, it’s real goal is to force everyone into cities where they can be more easily monitored and controlled. Other similar schemes are being tested in countless locations internationally. Numerous think tanks and governments – including the UN and EU – have been urging the adoption of VMT taxes for some time, in what is clearly a coordinated international push.

USA - In the first line of the Declaration of Independence of July 4, 1776, Thomas Jefferson speaks of “one people.” The Constitution, agreed upon by the Founding Fathers in Philadelphia in 1789, begins, “We the people …” And who were these “people”?

GERMANY - The US traditionally takes points in the search for common approaches to the big global issues of the day at G-20 summits. Not this time. When world leaders meet in Hamburg on Friday, China and Germany will move in to usurp the US’s role.

GERMANY - The writing has been on the wall for months, but German lawmakers have now passed a controversial law under which Facebook, Twitter, and other social media companies could face fines of up to €50 million ($57 million) for failing to remove hate speech. As AP reports, the measure approved is designed to enforce the country’s existing limits on speech, including the long-standing ban on Holocaust denial. Among other things, it would fine social networking sites if they persistently fail to remove illegal content within a week, including defamatory “fake news.” “Freedom of speech ends where the criminal law begins,” said Justice Minister Heiko Maas, who was the driving force behind the bill.

NORTH KOREA - North Korea's claim that it successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile is a "game changer", according to an ex-British military officer. Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a former commanding officer of the British Armed Forces Joint Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear (CBRN) Regiment, said Pyongyang appears "to be making progress week-on-week" in developing its nuclear and missile weapons programmes. North Korea says its latest missile test reached a height of 2,802 kilometres (1,740 miles) and flew 933 kilometres (580 miles) for 39 minutes before falling into the sea.

USA - In 1883, former New York Times chief editorial writer John Swinton admitted there was no such thing as a free or independent press, that a journalist’s job was to hide the truth and lie to the reader for the benefit of rich men. “There is no such a thing in America as an independent press, unless it is out in country towns.”

RUSSIA - The Russia sanctions bill that passed the US Senate by 98:2 on June 15 is a bombshell; it directly demonizes the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, under the Baltic Sea, which is bound to double Gazprom’s energy capacity to supply gas to Europe. The 9.5 billion euro pipeline is being financed by five companies; Germany's Uniper and Wintershall; Austria's OMV; France’s Engie; and Anglo-Dutch Shell. All these majors operate in Russia, and have, or will establish, pipeline contracts with Gazprom.

UK - Citigroup has warned clients that Theresa May’s position as prime minister is “unsustainable,” warning them to prepare for the government to collapse within a matter of months. The multinational banking corporation believes the parliamentary majority which the prime minister secured through her deal with Ulster’s Democratic Unionist Party is “not comfortable enough for crunch votes,” according to a report in The Times. “In our view, May’s premiership is not sustainable beyond a few months, perhaps a year at most, and will be under pressure in the face of contentious parliamentary votes from the very beginning,” they said.

UK - A fifth of male fish are now transgender because of chemicals from the contraceptive pill being flushed down household drains, a study has suggested. Male river fish are displaying feminised traits and are even producing eggs, the study found. Some have reduced sperm quality and display less aggressive and competitive behaviour, which makes them less likely to breed successfully.

USA - The US isn't yet grappling with the economic disaster that is a shrinking population - unlike Japan - though it's starting to look like a not-too-distant possibility. US birthrates fell to yet another historic low in 2016 as a whirlwind of economic and cultural factors inspire more women to delay, or forgo, having children. According to provisional data for the fourth quarter provided by the CDC, the US birthrate has declined to 62 births per 1000 women – its lowest level on record, and down from 62.5 in 2015. This is especially troubling because demographers worry that a dwindling birth rate will hurt economic growth and tax revenues needed to fund transfer payments to a growing elderly population, as more members of the baby boomer generation age into retirement.

USA - How would you feel if a man walked into a business meeting wearing a skirt and 8 inch heels? 20 years ago that would have been absolutely unthinkable, but if one American designer has his way that may soon become the norm. When I saw photos on Facebook of Thom Browne’s latest line for men, I have to admit that I was floored. Personally, I believe that men should dress like men and women should dress like women, but much of society is moving in the exact opposite direction. In recent years we have been hearing a lot about “gender fluidity”, and this is yet another example of that phenomenon. The distinctions between men and women are being blurred, and there are many that would like to eliminate them altogether.