Donald Trump went back to large-scale attacks after Iran downed a US Apache helicopter. President Trump told Fox News that the strikes included 49 Tomahawk missiles at military targets inside Iran. The US Central Command forces on X tweeted that the strikes were conducted “on behalf of the Commander in Chief’s direction... in response to Iran’s unwarranted and continued aggression,” but Iran’s counterattacks have always been in response to Israeli and US joint aggression, who started this war. Trump went back to a war footing somewhat reluctantly as he desperately wants to make a deal before the coming oil shortage which is predicted to hit other parts of the world in July, and raise US prices dramatically as we try to make up for the shortfall. But bad as he wants a deal he’s been reluctant to make any compromise with Iran and Iran has plenty of missiles and drones to continue the war. Trump is getting so frustrated, he reportedly asked his close advisors if nuclear weapons might help force Iran to yield, says Seymour Hersh. The idea was uniformly opposed by all advisors and so he backed off. But it shows how desperate Trump is to get out of this war Israel talked him into. Trump keeps threatening to escalate the attacks which isn’t doing any good. In response, Iran’s top military leaders have announced they have once again closed the Strait of Hormuz. Iran said that it will shoot at any vessel attempting to pass the strait. To receive a free, one-time sample of the Brief, along with options on how to subscribe, click on Request a sample on the left.
The group allegedly planned to use explosive-laden drones to hit buildings near the event, force a mass evacuation, and steer crowds toward a pre-staged sniper team. A "second wave" was then allegedly planned to storm the White House gate, according to officials. -Fox News
This saga fits a familiar pattern of privatized surveillance creep: Companies like Flock build the infrastructure, police query it with minimal friction, and civil liberties erode under the banner of security. As similar systems proliferate, the question remains whether Americans are willing to accept a perpetual digital dragnet in exchange for promised safety.
The committee that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccines has been paralyzed by a March ruling by a federal judge, leaving it unable to carry out work ahead of the upcoming respiratory virus season, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has warned.
Iran Says Peace Deal Requires Israeli Withdrawal From Lebanon Hormuz Fears Ease As Trump, Ghalibaf Virtually Sign US-Iran Deal, But Energy Flows Remain Months From Normal
One transaction stands out. The Washington Free Beacon reported that Newsom asked a Native American tribe to make two separate $500,000 donations to the California Partners Project. Contemporaneously, he took that tribe's side in a dispute with another tribe over a proposed casino. The juxtaposition of large directed donations to a family-linked nonprofit coinciding with favorable official action has fueled questions about whether donors with business before the state were effectively paying for access or goodwill through the governor's wife's charity.
With chemical abortion pills now readily available by mail, some pro-life advocates say abusive partners may misuse access to pressure pregnant women.
Asked whether he was concerned Trump could veto a stand-alone renewal, Thune said he hoped the president would ultimately support restoring the authority. “I certainly would hope if we can get FISA off the floor, he would sign it,” Thune said.
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett didn’t mince words on Monday: the clock for regime change in Iran starts ticking the moment Israel gets a new government.
“Both sides have declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon,” Sharif wrote on X moments before Trump confirmed the plan.
Iran will not have a nuclear weapon under the new deal. The agreement includes strong policing and enforcement powers. Past U.S. payments to Iran were a failed bribe attempt. Sanctions relief will only happen if Iran complies with terms. Iran gets no money or relief just for signing the deal. Trump: Ships starting to move through strait or Hormuz Vice President JD Vance Begins Optics Roadshow to Boost Investor Confidence On Deal Iran Offers 60-Day Toll-Free Hormuz Transit As 100s Of Ships Await Reopening
Looking at WTI crude futures and the AAA national average for gasoline, the implied decline suggests gas prices at the pump could tumble toward $3.75 by mid-summer.
“You testified under oath that it would take years to rebuild those stockpiles,” Brennan emphasized. "You don’t have to read back to me what I testified," Hegseth shot back. "I speculated some munitions take more time than others. We’ve got lots of them, we’re building more than ever before. The Biden administration gave away hundreds of billions to Ukraine. And so President Trump had to refill, and he has, and we have in real time."
Former MI6 operatives caught briefing police to brand concerned citizens as “unsympathetic thugs”
According to the UK Ministry of Defense, it was a six-hour operation and a massive display of force involving a flotilla of navy vessels - including the frigate HMS Sutherland - and a fleet of aircraft, most notably heavy-lift Chinook helicopters. The target has since been identified as the Smyros - a vessel allegedly flying under the radar in an effort to bypass Western embargoes.
Consider two people who both earn $100,000 per year. Person A spends $90,000 and saves $10,000. Person B spends $70,000 and saves $30,000. After 20 years of investing at a 7 percent annual return, Person A has about $410,000. Person B has about $1,230,000. They earned exactly the same amount. The difference is entirely in spending decisions.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, whose government has helped facilitate talks between Washington and Tehran, had indicated in an earlier press statement on June 13 that the deal was expected to be finalized “in the next 24 hours.” In his Truth Social post, Trump wrote that once the deal is signed, the Strait of Hormuz will immediately be “open to all.”
Alaska's election officials may have just saved a U.S. Senate seat from one of the more brazen ballot schemes in recent memory. The state's Division of Elections issued a preliminary ruling this week that Dan J. Sullivan of Petersburg is ineligible to appear on the 2026 Senate ballot, dealing a significant blow to Democrats - in what Republicans have characterized as a coordinated Democratic effort to siphon votes from incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan through deliberate name confusion.
Errant Ukrainian drones which wonder across borders and into neighboring Baltic and Eastern European countries are becoming enough of a problem to where some NATO allies pushing for a self-destruct function. Romanian Defense Minister Radu Miruta has proposed that Ukraine program its maritime drones to self-destruct if they veer into the country's territorial waters, coming just on the heels of a major disaster.
The defense angle for the Phantom MK1 is quite simple: replace the human soldier with the robot for close-quarters battle (CQB) operations, including breaching and room-clearing support. Beyond CQB, a never-before-seen video now shows the Phantom MK1 operating a mobile light mortar system during a live-fire training exercise in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The arrests are expected to lower the amount of gang violence seen across the Central Valley, the department added. Among those arrested was Stefan Coronado from Stockton, California, who was identified as a secretary for the Mexican Mafia, Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni said during a press conference.
An officer assigned to the "mid-range" drone campaign gives unprecedented insights into its strikes at the heart of Russian logistics.
California keeps dumping votes. Odds are shifting because the vote dumps always seem to go one way. Count until you get the result you want? — Ron DeSantis
Video has emerged of an Israeli Defense Force (IDF) Soldier, testifying UNDER OATH that on October 7, he was told to "Stand-Down" from 5:20am to 9:00am during the "HAMAS ATTACK." The soldier is testifying in an Israeli Knesset (Legislature) subcommittee.
On Sunday, it appeared that Republican mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt would fall out of contention for the general election after several days of appearing in the top two vote recipients along with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat. Another Democrat candidate, Nithya Raman, appeared to overtake Pratt for second place to face Bass in the general election. The state’s primaries allow the top two vote-getters, rather than party nominees, to advance to the general election. California also doesn’t allow local jurisdictions to require voter ID and allows 22 days for “curing” ballots.
Araghchi: A deal, if reached, will be signed remotely by both sides and then announced. The UAE had agreed to release a total of $10b, more than $3b of which had already been delivered (Reuters). Bloomberg latest: US Senior admin officials says Iran deal accomplishes core US objectives and deal reopens Strait of Hormuz; Iran deal guarantees long-term peace in region and includes inspection regime. Pakistan PM Sharif: "we can confirm that a final, agreed upon text of the peace deal has been reached & Pakistan is now working closely with both sides to finalize the next steps." Surprise, surprise: Iran FM says sides "have never been closer and pending its finalisation, the media should refrain from entering speculation about its content, details to be shared in due course." Trump on Truth Social rejects Iran's version of MoU terms (below): "What they said, including their weak & pathetic statement on having a deal, bears no relation to the truth." Tehran: "Contrary to what is being circulated by Western media, Iran will not commit to relinquishing control of the Strait of Hormuz." CNN speculates (prematurely, it seems) on Geneva signing of 'Islamabad Declaration' as soon as Sunday or next week.
The reported cutbacks hit right as panicked European nations scramble to patch up their own defense capacities. ... European capitals are deeply concerned given they are under the shadow of the Russia-Ukraine war, now in its fifth year.
So I am now officially a “hate criminal” in Germany. I was already pretty much a “hate criminal” in Germany, but now it’s official. This is Germany’s supreme court. There is no higher court to appeal to. OK, sure, there’s the European Court of Human Rights, the international court of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, but it doesn’t have the power to enforce its rulings, and the German authorities and courts have made it clear that they couldn’t care less about anyone’s opinion of their paranoid and authoritarian behavior. So I’ll be going back to Berlin District Court for sentencing.
“The only places we’re not building a border wall is places where we’ve made a conscious decision that we don’t need it,” Scott said at the Center for Immigration Studies conference, adding that Big Bend National Park is an example of a “super remote area” with “some very, very high cliffs” that preclude construction of the wall.
Announcing the strikes before they happen is itself the strategy. You don't telegraph a bombing campaign hours in advance unless the message matters more than the surprise. This is the final-pressure play in its purest form: the bombs are loaded, the targets are picked, and the paper is still on the table waiting for a signature. ... The Americans' idea of 'controlled escalation' is foolish, and Iran will not hesitate to dictate new calculations to the Americans."
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) General Counsel James Percival has directed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to impose strict penalties, including deportation, on illegal aliens who vote in American elections. According to a DHS press release, the Immigration and Nationality Act directs the removal of aliens who illegally vote or make a false claim to US citizenship.