June 16th CURE NEWS

[Mark David]

1 big thing: Anthropic export ban sounds alarms

By Emily Peck and Madison Mills   for AXIOS

The White House move to restrict access to Anthropic's latest AI model — using what is known as export controls — could harm the long-term financial prospects of the entire U.S. AI industry. Why it matters: Anthropic and OpenAI's valuations depend on the global adoption of their most advanced models, and government restrictions could limit that growth. Zoom in: If this move is more than a temporary blip, "it's not great news for U.S. tech firms or for those assuming breakneck speed of AI adoption," Jim Reid, global head of macro at Deutsche Bank, wrote in a research note. Hundreds of billions of dollars are being spent by the data center hyperscalers and the AI labs to fund their ambitions, seeking to eventually profit from having the best models. Their calculations can work only if the government doesn't cut off access every time they achieve that goal. How it works: Businesses that pay for AI models need to make sure they can keep access to them. "You can't rely on something that could be switched off," Reid says. The big picture: It's not just about Anthropic. "Everyone who uses AI will see the writing on the wall that future AI models from OpenAI and Google are also going to be seen as having potential serious security risks," says Martin Chorzempa, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute who studies AI and fintechs. Follow the money: Companies are already wary about locking in contracts with major AI labs in case a competitor comes out with a better model. Now, they can add "potential regulation" to the list of reasons to keep their AI tools diversified. If companies don't want to sign contracts with OpenAI or Anthropic, that could put a ceiling on revenue growth for the two AI labs just before both are expected to go public later this year. Yes, but: The models Anthropic can no longer offer were pricey for them to run. AI labs typically subsidize the costs of running their most powerful models in the beginning. Anthropic was rolling out these models for only two weeks to paid subscribers, for example, and then users were going to have to pay a usage fee on top of their subscriptions to access them. The government in effect shortened Anthropic's subsidy window for its most expensive model ever. Between the lines: Export controls can be a powerful tool of leverage — recall when China cut off access to rare earths to get the upper hand in trade negotiations with the U.S. But they also have significant downside risk: Countries and companies will start looking for alternatives. "The challenge with export controls is anytime you do it, you encourage the development of alternative suppliers," Chorzempa says. In the case of rare earths, other countries are now looking to mine their own. Zoom out: Even before the move against Anthropic, there were already concerns, particularly in Europe, over the U.S. government using AI tool access as a lever of geopolitical influence. The move could provide some momentum to Chinese AI models that are open source. "You have no idea whether the U.S. government is just going to shut off your access to any future models," Chorzempa says. "That's a big advantage to open models."

 

1)      How the Iran war energy crisis defied expectations.       by Ben Geman for AXIOS

With large-scale oil shipments potentially resuming soon, let's take stock of how the energy shock has bucked conventional wisdom.

Why it matters: What market watchers and participants got wrong could help inform responses to geopolitical upheaval in the future.

Here's what surprised analysts (and journalists) during the conflict:

https://www.axios.com/2026/06/16/iran-war-energy-crisis-expectations?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosgenerate&stream=top

 2)      Trump Says Israel Wouldn’t Exist Without Him

Published in Newsweek on Jun 16, 2026 By Brendan Cole and Toby Meyjes

President Donald Trump signaled a deepening rift with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by claiming "there would be no Israel" without him in a stinging rebuke at the G7 (Group of Seven) summit.

Trump has displayed increasing frustration with his ally in recent weeks as the United States attempted to strike a peace deal with Iran, before an agreement was eventually reached on Sunday. Trump and Netanyahu ordered joint United States and Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28 with the stated aim of destroying the Islamic Republic's ability to make a nuclear weapon.

https://www.newsweek.com/trump-netanyahu-rift-israel-not-exist-without-potus-12078441?utm_source=bvMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=BreakingNews&emh=9075759c012be55b899eca24e98e245da26d19d016449ed0e622c8ced8789cdb&_bhlid=244fdaa315b928b64cb266599ae7c13743a5b5ce

3)      Iran Agrees to End War in Exchange for Never Having to Talk to JD Vance Again

By Andy Borowitz   Jun 16, 2026  The Borowitz Report

WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)—As part of its framework deal with the US, on Monday the Islamic Republic of Iran agreed to cease all hostilities in exchange for never having to talk to Vice President JD Vance again.

Under terms of the agreement, Vance must remain out of the Iranians’ earshot for a minimum of 30 years, with his exact location subject to periodic inspections.

https://www.borowitzreport.com/p/iran-agrees-to-end-war-in-exchange?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=2337656&post_id=201899498&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=false&r=5jaee&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

4)      Trump’s US‑Iran ceasefire deal is a costly return to prewar conditions – and resolving nuclear questions will run into the ‘indivisibility problem’   by Farah N Jan for “The Conversation”

Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan, which served as the key negotiator between the U.S. and Iran, announced on June 14, 2026, that the two sides had agreed on a deal to end the war. It will be officially signed on June 19 in Switzerland.

President Donald Trump announced it on Truth Social as a triumph, claiming that the Strait of Hormuz is open for everyone, the U.S. blockade has been lifted, and the oil is flowing again. What Trump did not mention was Iran’s nuclear program and what happens to its enriched uranium stockpile, one of the main reasons cited for starting the war.

https://theconversation.com/trumps-us-iran-ceasefire-deal-is-a-costly-return-to-prewar-conditions-and-resolving-nuclear-questions-will-run-into-the-indivisibility-problem-285292?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20June%2016%202026%20-%203809538990&utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20June%2016%202026%20-%203809538990+CID_903f500a447990fee85841dc7d51ead3&utm_source=campaign_monitor_us&utm_term=Trumps%20US-Iran%20ceasefire%20deal%20is%20a%20costly%20return%20to%20prewar%20conditions%20%20and%20resolving%20nuclear%20questions%20will%20run%20into%20the%20indivisibility%20problem

5)      Are You a Builder or a Wrecker?  By Adam Kinzinger June 16th

Trump's Iran Deal previews a world where wreckers rule.

n May of 2018, Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the Iran nuclear deal. He called it the worst agreement ever negotiated. He signed the withdrawal order with a flourish, surrounded by cameras, and promised the world that his approach — maximum pressure, American strength, the art of the deal — would produce something far better.

This week, after four months of war, $30 billion spent, thirteen American service members killed, historic inflation, and a missile stockpile that will take years to replenish, the United States signed a new agreement with Iran. The nuclear questions that were unresolved in the original deal remain unresolved. Iran is receiving $25 billion in frozen assets and a path to $300 billion in reconstruction funding. And yet, the administration is calling it a historic triumph.

https://www.adamkinzinger.com/p/are-you-a-builder-or-a-wrecker?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=1910658&post_id=202274280&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=5jaee&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

 6)      Storm Topples the last Lincoln “witness free”

by Paul Eisenberg for Daily Southtown Chicago Tribune June 16^th 2026

Last Abraham Lincoln “witness tree” planted by Springfield neighbors, is damage by storm.  It was planted in 1850s.    (hope you can view-was a free site)

https://digitaledition.chicagotribune.com/shortcode/CHI785/edition/6ad2eb66-e940-401e-a178-0b63c71e332d?page=a1398975-8183-4f73-ad6c-20db1eaa9422&utm_source=listrak&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=trib-chicago_tribune-eNotify_am-nl&utm_term=https%3A%2F%2Fdigitaledition.chicagotribune.com%2Fshortcode%2FCHI785%2Fedition%2F6ad2eb66-e940-401e-a178-0b63c71e332d%2F%3Fpage%3D93dda000-7ff3-49f7-9622-5addc965cf55&utm_content=eNotify

 7)Dems offer roadmap to expand drug price talks  Peter Sullivan  for AXIOS

Senate Democrats on Tuesday are unveiling a proposal to expand Medicare drug price negotiations, in a bid to counter President Trump's election-year messaging on health care affordability.

Why it matters: High prescription drug prices are a key concern for voters ahead of the midterms — one Trump is trying to address through voluntary pricing deals with leading drug companies and with the TrumpRx website.

Driving the news: Democrats argue Trump hasn't delivered meaningful results the way they did in 2022 through the Inflation Reduction Act, which included first-ever government price talks with the pharmaceutical industry.

https://www.axios.com/2026/06/16/democrats-drug-price-plan-trump?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axiosvitals&stream=top

8)      The Question Inside Trump's White House Wasn't Whether They Could Suspend Rights—It Was Whether They Could Get Away With It 

Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance June 16^th

The headline read “Frustrated by Courts, Trump Weighed Suspending a Constitutional Right.” It teased the story like this: “Secret memos show that the White House debated last year, to a greater degree than previously known, whether to limit habeas corpus rights for undocumented immigrants.”

What follows is an outrageous attempt, even though it ultimately failed, at least for now, to shatter firmly established constitutional rights and protections. In sharing this story, The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan are giving us a peek at their forthcoming book. Leaving aside, for the moment, the inevitable debate over whether journalists have an obligation to report in real time as opposed to holding their most interesting revelations for later publication, their reporting in this story puts together some previously known or suspected information with new details to provide detailed support for understanding this administration as a threat to democratic ideals.

https://joycevance.substack.com/p/the-question-inside-trumps-white?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=607357&post_id=202119062&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=false&r=5jaee&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email

 9)Sweden passes 'good behaviour' law to kick out misbehaving immigrants

Reuters Mon, 15 June 2026

STOCKHOLM, June 15 (Reuters) - Sweden's parliament passed a law on Monday allowing authorities to revoke immigrants' residency permits based ‌on bad behaviour, such as having unpaid debts, doing ‌undeclared work or links to extremist organisations.

The law, which covers pending permits but also ​retroactively already granted permits, is part of a wider tightening of immigration rules by the right-wing government and its support party, the nationalist Sweden Democrats, ahead of a parliamentary election in September.

 https://uk.news.yahoo.com/sweden-passes-good-behaviour-law-161313809.html