European Union

Marine Le Pen said that NATO exists only ‘to serve Washington’s objectives’, and that she plans to hold a Brexit-style referendum. In an explosive interview with a Greek newspaper, the French presidential candidate, who is leader of France’s National Front, called for many of the leading nations of the EU to call time on Brussels’ hegemony of the continent. She also supported closer ties with Russia as she blasted what she saw as NATO meddling in eastern Europe.

I'd like to be able to say France withdrawing from the EU is a potential downside catalyst for stocks. However, these days nothing matters. Stocks would go up if nuclear war was initiated wordwide. There's literally nothing that can stop stocks from heading higher.
 
But in the event you're still nostalgic about news, France's Le Pen wants stronger ties with Moscow, out of the EU and NATO -- in an effort to make France great again.
 

Submitted by Federico Pieraccini via Strategic-Culture.org,

Understanding the objectives and logic that accompany the expansion of nations or empires is always of paramount importance in helping one draw lessons for the future

The European Court of Justice has delivered a major blow to government mass surveillance and data retention practices by a ruling that upholds basic privacy rights and safeguards access to EU citizens’ online data communications. The ECJ has ruled that indiscriminate storage of private citizens’ communications data is in breach of EU law.

US equity futures and Asian stocks were unchanged while European stocks declined after touching the highest level in almost a year, as Italian and Spanish banks dragged indexes lower. The dollar eased back from 14-year highs as bond yields fell on Wednesday and oil extended its advance in increasingly thin trading.