| By Derek Caney (@stax920)
Digits of the day: 50 His imam described him as soft-spoken with few friends. His ex-wife called him bipolar, emotionally disturbed with a violent temper. His childhood friend said he was clearly not anti-gay. His father said he turned angry when he saw two men kissing. He claimed allegiance to Islamic State. But federal investigators have yet to find evidence that his attack was plotted or ordered by militants. "This guy appears to have been pretty screwed up without any help from anybody," a counter-terrorism official quipped, which, one supposes, you'd have to be if you're going to walk into a gay nightclub with an assault rifle and murder 50 people. 
People attend a vigil for the victims of the Orlando shooting at a gay nightclub, held in San Francisco, California, U.S. June 12, 2016. REUTERS/Stephen Lam
Around the country - The Obama administration is not pursuing the use of an executive order to shutter the Guantanamo Bay military prison after officials concluded that it would not be a viable strategy. The conclusion narrows the already slim chances that President Barack Obama can fulfill his pledge to close the notorious offshore prison before leaving office in January.
- We're running out Mondays in June and the Supreme Court has a number of big cases to decide. One is whether a Texas law, which imposes strict regulations on abortion doctors and clinic facilities, violates a woman's constitutional right to end her pregnancy as set out in the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling. The court has not issued a major abortion-related ruling since 2007.
- CIA chief John Brennan expects 28 classified pages of a U.S. congressional report into the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States to be published, absolving Saudi Arabia of any responsibility.
- Christina Grimmie, a rising singing star who gained fame on YouTube and as a contestant on the television show "The Voice," was fatally shot by a man thought to be a deranged fan while she was signing autographs after a concert in – damn, really? – Orlando, Florida.
Around the world - Leaders in the Baltic countries and Poland fear the force NATO plans to deploy on their territory is too small and symbolic to deter an attack by Russia, whose 2014 annexation of Crimea is fresh in the memories of the former Soviet-bloc states. They will press other ministers of the western military alliance this week to help them build an air defense system against Russian aircraft and missiles. But that would be a highly sensitive step, likely to be condemned by Moscow as yet more evidence of a NATO strategy threatening its borders.
- President Barack Obama may not decide before next month's NATO summit whether to alter plans to nearly halve U.S. forces in Afghanistan. A decision had been expected at or before the summit in Warsaw on July 8-9 on whether to stick to plans to slash the 9,800 troops to 5,500 before Obama leaves office next year.
- If Britons vote to leave the European Union, it could be the beginning of the end for the 28-nation bloc and for western political civilization entirely, European Council President Donald Tusk said. No pressure or anything.
Around Wall Street - Oil producers around the country enticed by crude's jump to $50 a barrel are hoping to get production back on line, but for producers in Oklahoma, new regulatory barriers may keep key parts of the state shut due to worries about earthquakes.
- An anonymous bidder agreed to pay $3,456,789 to eat lunch with Warren Buffett. Money will go to Glide, a San Francisco charity that provides food, health care and other services to people who are homeless, poor or struggling with substance abuse. Personally, we at Reuters News Now would accept half that amount if you wanted to dine with us.
- There's a new musical in the works about Martin Shkreli, the unrepentant former drug executive who raised prices on a pharmaceutical by 5,000 percent. They're coming for you, Hamilton!
Today's reason to live Allen Toussaint – American Tune |
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