Police Were Already Tracking Armed Teens Before San Diego Mosque Massacre
The Morning Sixpack - 05/19/2026: Trump’s Zyn White House, China’s Putin power play, ICE tactics scrutiny, and Britain’s debt panic collide #MorningSixpack
The attack wasn’t stopped by luck—it was slowed by a security guard who gave his life protecting worshippers.
San Diego Mosque Gunmen Were Already Being Hunted Before Deadly Attack
Police were already searching for two armed teens reported missing and suicidal before they opened fire inside San Diego’s largest mosque, killing three men.
San Diego police say the chain of events started when a mother reported her teenage son missing Monday morning after he allegedly left home with weapons, dressed in camouflage, and talking about suicide. Officers tracked the vehicle through license plate readers and even alerted a nearby school before gunfire erupted two hours later at the Islamic Center of San Diego.
Authorities say the suspects—ages 17 and 18—killed themselves after the shooting and were later found in a vehicle a few blocks away. Police Chief Scott Wahl said investigators uncovered evidence of “generalized hate rhetoric,” and the case is being treated as a hate crime. The mosque, one of the largest in Southern California, remains closed as investigators execute search warrants and piece together what happened.
Among the dead was longtime mosque security guard Amin Abdullah, whom police credit with preventing even greater bloodshed. “It’s fair to say his actions were heroic,” Wahl said. “Undoubtedly he saved lives today.” Friends described Abdullah as a devoted protector who spent years safeguarding the community he loved.
The Islamic Center called the victims “men of courage, sacrifice, and faith,” while community leaders condemned the targeting of a place of worship filled with families and children. Video from the scene showed children being escorted from the mosque parking lot surrounded by police cruisers. President Donald Trump later called the shooting a “terrible situation.”
Source: AP News
Editor: California has spent years lecturing everyone about tolerance while hate-fueled violence keeps showing up anyway. Turns out hashtags and press conferences aren’t much of a security plan.
The scary part isn’t just higher fuel prices—it’s investors starting to wonder whether the UK can still afford its political promises.
Britain’s Bond Panic Just Got Worse as Oil Shock Meets Labour Chaos
Global bond markets are flashing warning signs as soaring oil prices, Labour infighting, and inflation fears hammer confidence in Britain’s economy.
Markets rattled Monday after the International Energy Agency warned global oil stockpiles are “depleting very fast” following the ongoing Iran conflict and effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. IEA chief Fatih Birol said commercial inventories may only last “several weeks,” while Brent crude briefly surged above $112 a barrel. That’s the kind of number that wrecks household budgets and sends central bankers into panic mode.
Britain got hit from both directions. Rising energy prices fueled fears of another inflation spike just as Labour’s leadership drama spooked bond markets. Investors have been dumping UK gilts over concerns a post-Starmer government could unleash even more spending without a serious plan to control debt. Borrowing costs on 30-year gilts recently hit their highest levels since 1998 before easing slightly after Andy Burnham publicly backed Rachel Reeves’s fiscal rules.
The fallout is already spreading through the economy. Housebuilder stocks lost hundreds of millions in value, households are reportedly draining savings at the fastest pace in years, and traders are suddenly betting interest rates may rise again instead of falling. The IMF even warned Britain is nearing the practical limit of higher taxation. That’s economist-speak for: there’s not much money left to squeeze out of people before things break.
Meanwhile, the Bank of England and global markets are stuck watching oil prices dictate everything. One-fifth of the world’s oil normally moves through Hormuz, and every extra dollar on a barrel of crude raises pressure on mortgages, borrowing, transport, and food prices. Markets briefly rallied after reports the US may suspend some Iran oil sanctions during peace talks, but nobody seems convinced the crisis is close to ending.
Source: The Telegraph
Editor: Britain spent years pretending debt didn’t matter because interest rates were basically free. Now the bill’s arrived, oil is on fire, and politicians are arguing over who gets to hold the credit card next. Guess what? The United States is in the same mess.
When the government starts creating billion-dollar political grievance funds without Congress signing off, maybe it’s not crazy to ask who exactly thought this was a good idea.
Treasury Lawyer Quits After Trump Administration Creates $1.8 Billion ‘Anti-Weaponization’ Fund
The Treasury Department’s top lawyer abruptly resigned just hours after the Trump administration unveiled a $1.8 billion fund designed to compensate people who say they were targeted by the Biden administration.
Brian Morrissey, the Treasury Department’s general counsel, stepped down Monday only seven months after being confirmed by the Senate. His resignation came immediately after the Justice Department announced the creation of what it’s calling an “anti-weaponization fund,” according to multiple reports. The fund would distribute money to individuals claiming they were unfairly targeted by the federal government during the Biden years—including Trump allies, former staffers, and potentially Jan. 6 defendants.
The money—roughly $1.776 billion—would reportedly come from the federal Judgment Fund, a massive government account normally used to settle legal claims against the United States without direct congressional approval. Under the agreement, the account would be controlled by people selected by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. That arrangement appears to have raised eyebrows inside Treasury, where Morrissey had legal oversight responsibilities.
The fund is tied to President Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over the release of his tax records during his first term. Trump accused the IRS of failing to stop the unauthorized disclosure of his financial information. But the lawsuit was dropped Monday after a judge reportedly questioned whether a sitting president could legally sue an agency under his own executive branch.
The administration says the fund is about compensating victims of political abuse. Critics are already calling it a taxpayer-backed slush fund for Trump loyalists. Either way, watching a Senate-confirmed Treasury lawyer walk out the door on the same day the plan becomes public isn’t exactly calming optics.
Source: New York Times
Editor: Washington spent years screaming about “threats to democracy,” and now we’re apparently creating billion-dollar reimbursement programs for political allies using a government checkbook with no spending cap. Totally normal behavior from responsible adults.
If your résumé includes calling yourself “a fucking savage” and stacking body counts as a cop, maybe you shouldn’t be training federal agents for crowd operations.
ICE Tactical Trainer Linked to Multiple Fatal Shootings
The founder of a company training ICE paramilitary teams was involved in at least four deadly police shootings before landing federal contracts to train Homeland Security tactical units.
A WIRED investigation found that David Norman, founder of Arizona-based law enforcement training company TruKinetics, participated in at least six on-duty police shootings during his career with the Phoenix Police Department, leaving four people dead and two wounded. Norman later secured contracts to help train Homeland Security Special Response Teams—units now increasingly deployed during immigration raids, protests, and civil enforcement operations.
TruKinetics reportedly provided tactical instruction for ICE and Customs and Border Protection personnel at Fort Benning, Georgia, and in Arizona. The company teaches close-quarters combat, sniper tactics, breaching with explosives, vehicle interdiction, and hostage rescue operations. At least 700 DHS tactical operators reportedly passed through annual training connected to the program. Norman told WIRED his work with Homeland Security teams was “an honor,” though he declined to discuss specifics.
The report also highlights Norman’s own comments on a 2021 police podcast where he described himself as “super aggressive” and joked about police shootings. Meanwhile, civil rights attorneys and policing experts interviewed by WIRED blasted the growing militarization of immigration enforcement, especially after fatal confrontations involving DHS tactical teams during protests in Minnesota and other cities.
Federal investigators previously found Phoenix PD had a “pattern or practice” of unconstitutional policing, including excessive force and abusive tactics, though those findings were later rolled back under the Trump administration. Critics now argue that the same aggressive culture is being exported into federal immigration enforcement through tactical contractors like TruKinetics. One attorney involved in a wrongful death case against Norman called him “the last guy on earth who should be training a tactical team.”
Source: WIRED
Editor: Somewhere along the way, America decided every immigration problem required operators dressed like they’re raiding Fallujah. Now everybody acts confused when those tactics spill into protests, traffic stops, and neighborhoods full of civilians.
Washington spent years banning straws, policing soda sizes, and lecturing people about health—now half the political class is walking around with lip-packed nicotine like it’s 1997 again.
Zyn Has Officially Taken Over Trump World
Nicotine pouches have become the unofficial fuel of the Trump administration, with everyone from RFK Jr. to DOGE staffers reportedly hooked on Zyn-style nicotine packs.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, nicotine pouches like Zyn have exploded inside conservative political circles and throughout the Trump administration. President Trump reportedly discussed the products directly with tobacco executives and even called Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during a meeting to ask which nicotine pouches he uses. Shortly afterward, the FDA rolled out a policy making it easier for nicotine pouch products to stay on the market while awaiting approval.
The products have become especially popular among administration staffers, political operatives, and the Elon Musk-inspired DOGE crowd, where insiders described offices littered with cans of Zyn and rival brands like Sesh. One former official summed it up bluntly: “People are living on Celsius, Monster and Zyn.” Tucker Carlson helped supercharge the trend years ago by publicly promoting nicotine pouches as a “powerful work-enhancer” before later launching his own competing brand.
RFK Jr.—who built much of his public image around health crusading—has reportedly embraced the products himself. The Journal says actress Cheryl Hines first introduced Kennedy to nicotine gum during his presidential run before he switched to pouches. Kennedy previously claimed nicotine pouches are “probably the safest way to consume nicotine,” even as health experts continue warning about addiction risks and youth appeal.
Meanwhile, the nicotine pouch business is booming. Zyn maker Philip Morris International says its pouch sales jumped 36% last year, while the products now make up nearly half the oral nicotine market. The appeal is obvious: nicotine without smoke, smell, ashtrays, or cigarette breaks. The politics are obvious too. In Trump World, nicotine pouches have basically become the new energy drink—just with a side of FDA policy changes and corporate lobbying.
Source: Wall Street Journal (gift)
Editor: America’s political elite spent a decade pretending wellness culture was kale smoothies and Pelotons. Turns out the real bipartisan productivity hack was stuffing flavored nicotine under your lip while answering emails at 1 a.m.
When America’s biggest rival can host Washington and Moscow back-to-back in the same week, that’s not diplomacy—it’s a giant geopolitical billboard announcing who thinks they’re running the table now.
Putin Heads to Beijing Days After Trump Exit as China Flexes Global Power
Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin are set to meet in Beijing just days after Donald Trump’s high-profile China visit, underscoring how China is positioning itself as the center of global diplomacy.
Chinese state media celebrated the moment ahead of Putin’s arrival Tuesday night, with Xi and Putin exchanging “congratulatory letters” marking 30 years of strategic partnership between their countries. Kremlin officials confirmed the two leaders will discuss everything from trade to the long-delayed Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline during Wednesday’s summit.
The timing matters. Trump had just left Beijing after talks centered largely on trade, Taiwan, and Middle East tensions. But only days later, Xi is rolling out the red carpet for Putin—the leader western governments accuse China of quietly sustaining throughout the Ukraine war. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, China has massively increased purchases of Russian oil and gas, funneling hundreds of billions into Moscow’s economy while publicly pretending to remain neutral.
The Guardian reports China has purchased more than $367 billion in Russian fossil fuels since the war began, helping keep Russia financially afloat while securing its own energy needs ahead of any future Taiwan crisis. Analysts say expanding pipeline infrastructure could help China prepare for future conflict scenarios involving Taiwan.
Taiwan also loomed over Trump’s meetings with Xi. The Chinese leader reportedly warned Trump about the risks of mishandling the issue, while Trump left Beijing noncommittal about approving a major new US weapons package for the island. Any delay or cancellation would hand Beijing a massive strategic victory. Meanwhile, Putin’s visit reinforces the broader reality: China and Russia increasingly look less like uneasy partners and more like a coordinated bloc pushing back against American influence.
Source: The Guardian
Editor: Washington keeps talking like it’s still the unquestioned center of global power while Beijing hosts both superpowers like a nightclub owner deciding who gets bottle service next.