Brief Analysis

The Canadian Senate has passed a bill to permit the possession and use of marijuana for recreational purposes in a landmark decision.
The bill now must obtain royal approval before becoming law.
The bill would permit the possession of 30 grams of dried cannabis, however age restrictions are expected to follow those relative to alcohol.
Per residence, Canadians will be allowed to own four cannabis plants per residence, although Quebec and Manitoba will have a ban on home cultivation.
Rules on smoking marijuana in public vary between provinces and territories.

Asian markets are taking a hit as Trump announces that he intends to expand the list of tariffs on Chinese exported goods. Trump continues to slam China over the trade deficit between China and the US and his displeasure with Chinese countermeasures to tariffs that he has imposed on them. Apparently, in Trump’s world, he can tariff other countries, but they can’t respond in kind.
Associated French Press reports:

Colombian presidential candidate Ivan Duque has won the election to the presidency of Colombia with about 54% of the public vote, over his opponent, Gustavo Petro, who only gained about 42%. Duque’s platform, which was more economy focused, resonated with voters.

A recent survey conducted by Reuters shows how many Americans base their support or opposition to a given political stance not on the soundness of the policy, but based on whether or not it comes with the backing of a favored or disfavored political authority.

US President Donald Trump’s policies aimed at ‘making America great again’ openly include the waging of a trade wars against not only America’s trade partners, but also the rest of the planet.

It would seem that the manner in which the denuclearization of North Korea must be performed before  sanctions may be lifted has been determined by Washington.
The Japanese Foreign Minister, Taro Kono, describes a list of demands which was delivered to Pyongyang by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during his visit.
As to whether these demands have been agreed upon by Kim’s regime isn’t included in the statement.

A report recently emanated from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) which is widely reported as confirming that both sarin and chlorine were utilized in an attack in the Hama province of Syria in March of 2017, prompting a military strike authorized by US President Donald J. Trump.

Stock values took a slight dip following the summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this past Tuesday as the relations between Trump and Kim seemed somewhat amiable, potentially leading to a peaceful outlook with the communist east Asian country.

Oil prices are on the rise, and Trump is not happy about it. This past Wednesday, Trump took to Twitter to express his displeasure with the rise in the price of oil, a price increase that is partly due to the sanctions that he himself imposed on the oil producing nation of Iran.

Oil prices are too high, OPEC is at it again. Not good!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 13, 2018

Yet another piece of Russian military hardware is proving itself to be of a higher quality than those designed and built by American arms manufacturers.
Increasingly, the Russians are developing military components that far surpass the functionality of American made ones.
The most recent case is that of the Russian Mi-17 helicopter, which is being admitted by Pentagon officials as possessive of greater functional capabilities than the American Black Hawk helicopter.