THE HEDONIST — Sunday, 31 May 2026

A colossal 250-foot golden Triumphal Arch towers over a desolate Washington D.C. skyline at dusk. Dramatic spotlights hit the gold leaf surface. In the foreground, a lonely security guard in a worn uniform stands in the shadows. 4K HDR, professional photography, 85mm lens, cinematic lighting, vivid high-saturation colours.

Articles #

A close-up of a judge's wooden gavel resting on a pile of crisp one-hundred-dollar bills. A single golden leaf from a triumphal arch is tucked into the money. 4K HDR, macro photography, dramatic side lighting, shallow depth of field, vivid colours.

JUDGE FREEZES TRUMP BILLION DOLLAR SLUSH FUND #

Judge Leonie Brinkema sat in her Virginia courtroom Friday and threw a cold bucket of water on the party of the century. With a single order, she blocked the Department of Justice from moving a single cent into a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund. According to Axios, the judge—a Clinton appointee—wants to ensure no cash is “irreversibly disbursed” while the court decides if the whole thing is just a massive political slush fund. This billionaire-sized bank account was supposed to settle…

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An empty luxury hotel lobby in New York with a single soccer ball resting on a velvet chair. Through the window, the city lights are blurred. 4K HDR, wide-angle lens, cinematic night lighting, deep blues and golds.

FOUR MILLION TOURISTS SKIP THE WORLD CUP PARTY #

Ken Paxton may have followed the MAGA playbook to the letter, but the tourists are still staying home. Analysis from CNN shows a staggering collapse of 4 million international visitors in 2025. That is $14 billion in vanished spending. Even with the 2026 FIFA World Cup arriving next month, the…

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RETIREES STEAL SILICON VALLEY JOBS WITH VIBE CODING #

Carol Merlo is 73 years old and used to be terrified of hitting the 'enter' key. Now, she is part of the revolution. Her son, Kevin Masterson, taught her how to use AI to build a website for her business in just four hours. It is called “vibe coding,” and…

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TECH KING TELLS POPE WE NEED WAR ROBOTS #

Arthur Mensch stood his ground in Paris this Thursday, and he didn't care much for the view from the Vatican. The CEO of Mistral, the €11.7 billion European darling of…

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TWO HUNDRED DEAD AS PACIFIC DRUG WAR EXPLODES #

General Francis L. Donovan isn't pulling any punches in the Eastern Pacific. The top U.S. commander in Latin America confirmed another lethal kinetic strike on a suspected drug boat this…

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In Brief #

DOJ SCRUBS JAN 6 RECORDS FROM SITE

Hundreds of news releases documenting Jan. 6 prosecutions have vanished from the Justice Department website, labeled as “partisan propaganda.” The deletions include sentencing records and guilty pleas related to the 2021 Capitol attack.

APPLE DEMANDS SECRET GOV DOCUMENTS

Apple is fighting back in its DOJ antitrust case, asking a judge to force the government to hand over records from 14 federal agencies. The tech giant claims the U.S. is illegally withholding documents relevant to its defense of the iPhone monopoly.

ILLEGAL GOLD MINERS RAVAGE BRAZILIAN AMAZON

Greenpeace flyovers have revealed billions of dollars in gold are still being illegally stripped from the Amazon rainforest. Despite President Lula's crackdown, wildcat mining continues to scar the landscape in the municipality of Itaituba.

IRS CEO PROMISES DIGITAL FIRST FUTURE

IRS CEO Frank Bisignano told the Senate that the agency is moving toward a digital-first model with “less people and better results.” The 2026 filing season met targets as the agency leans heavily into AI and data analytics for enforcement.

TELADOC JOINS WALMART VIRTUAL HEALTH HUB

Teladoc Health has launched virtual urgent care, dermatology, and nutrition services on Walmart’s Better Care Services platform. The partnership aims to provide instant clinical access to Walmart’s massive customer base via a digital-first hub.