Trump Announces US Military Sank 9 Iranian Navy Ships
Iran’s naval headquarters was also ‘largely destroyed’ in the operation, the president says.
This Week in the World Affairs Brief
TRUMP’S STATE OF THE UNION SPEECH
This week I’ll cover Trump’s State of the Union Speech only generally, applauding several of his good initiatives and criticizing his exaggerations and errors, which were numerous. Frankly, it’s too painful to comment on Trump’s speech in detail not only because of its excessive length but because of his egotistical style of speaking with endless bragging, flattery, repetition, gross exaggerations and pandering to people. This is one time when I wish the president would make more use of a professional speech writer. He likely had help building the outline and refining a few paragraphs, but this speech was all Trump. There is no professional speech writer of any principles who could maintain his self-respect and write like Trump talks. It’s embarrassing. At almost 2 hours long, the speech contained all the excesses that characterize everything that Trump does. He even expanded the number of people and groups he chose to honor from the normal 2 or 3 to over 10. Presidents increasingly use people in their SOTU speeches as props for effect, by highlighting those who have either suffered or achieved things and showcase them to the nation. Trump did this so much it lost its effectiveness. Trump’s ego keeps expanding to the point that he now acts and thinks like he’s the King of the world, or the peace-loving savior of the world, despite his ongoing warring moves. Trump’s brash bravado and ego combined with his childish way of speaking is grating on what’s left of the educated, refined people in the world. It simultaneously tarnishes the conservative movement badly and gives the enemies of liberty, like the Democrats, ample fodder for derision. 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.
Also:
- DOJ Still Making Epstein Files Disappear
- Battle Against Dangerous Vaccines Continues
- Mexico in Flames
Daily News
Trump's Strategy Is A High Risk-High Reward Gamble
The US strike on Iran is Trump’s high-risk gamble to choke China's energy lifeline, flip Tehran to allied control, open the India-Middle East-Europe corridor, weaken Russia, and lock in 21st-century US hegemony—delivering quick regime change and falling oil prices that cement Trumpism as a historic win, OR sparking Middle East chaos and global blowback that hands Beijing the advantage in a new age of empires.
Drone Impacts US Embassy In Riyadh After Rubio Warns Iran 'Hardest Hits Yet To Come'
UBS analyst Jonathan Garber told clients that "Iran's Revolutionary Guards commander said the Strait of Hormuz is closed and they will set any ship on fire that tries to pass through, Reuters reports, citing Iranian media. WTI crude oil is now up more than 7% following the headlines." This soon on the heels of CENTCOM having announced that Iran's Navy now has zero ships in the Gulf of Oman. Whether all of this is fully accurate or not amid the natural competing infowar that accompanies any major conflict, it remains: How many ships will be willing to go through with Iranian kamikaze drones taking pot shots?
Israel Neutralizes Hezbollah Missiles With Game-Changing "Iron Beam"
The footage likely shows the 100 kW-class Iron Beam in action, able to neutralize incoming projectiles for only a few dollars per shot, versus roughly $100,000 for a traditional interceptor rocket....But there is a big caveat, per the Times of Israel: "The main downside of a laser system is that it does not function well in low visibility, including heavy cloud cover or other inclement weather."
Opposition Leader Maria Corina Machado Says She Will Return To Venezuela In Coming Weeks
Machado, 58, did not set a date for her return, but she said in a video posted to X that one of the objectives is to prepare for “a new and resounding electoral victory.” “I will return to Venezuela in a few weeks.
Satellite Images Reveal Aftermath Of Drone Attack On Saudi Arabia's Biggest Refinery
Sources familiar with the drone attack on the Ras Tanura complex told Bloomberg News that Saudi Arabia's largest oil refinery "came under attack by a drone" and "halted operations as a precaution while it assesses damage."
"We Will Not Negotiate": Iran Security Chief Denies WSJ Report
Larjiani has denied a Wall Street Journal report that he reached out to Washington. Trump said he had three or four potential candidates to lead Iran, but they were all killed in the initial attack.
Iran Blowback: At Least 22 Killed Trying To Storm US Consulate In Pakistan
...Security forces reportedly opened fire to scatter the protesters as they tried to breach the US compound. It's unclear if the US Marine guard was involved in any of this firing; instead, more likely it was local Pakistani police and security services
Iran Names Interim Successor To Khamenei Under 2nd Day Of Massive Bombs
The ISNA news agency has described that Arafi, a member of the Guardian Council, is joining President Masoud Pezeshkian and Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei on the body tasked with carrying out the supreme leader’s responsibilities until the Assembly of Experts appoints a permanent successor. All of this happening as US-Israeli bombs continue to fall on Tehran and other sites for a second straight day, 'uninterrupted' - as President Trump pledged Saturday.
Iranian State TV Belatedly Confirms Death Of Ayatollah Khamenei
US official confirms to Fox that US believes Khamenei and 5-10 top Iranian leaders killed in initial Israeli strike on compound; agree with Israel’s intelligence assessment. No U.S. casualties reported, 12 hours after Washington launched Operation Epic Fury alongside Israel, targeting Iran’s security and military infrastructure, CENTCOM says. Al Jazeera reporting over 200 killed in Iran. Likely the death toll will climb.
Oil Tankers Avoid Strait Of Hormuz As Operation Fury Hits Iran
data from the Terminal that shows shipowners of crude oil, crude products, and LNG tankers are avoiding the strait, even though the waterway remains open and traffic has not stopped entirely.
US and Israeli attack on Iran: At least 115 girls killed in strike on school
"The destroyed building is a primary school for girls in the south of Iran. It was bombed in broad daylight, when packed with young pupils," he wrote.
AI Can Now Unmask Anonymous Internet Users, New Study Finds
Given posts, comments, or interview transcripts written under a pseudonym, the pipeline extracts identity-relevant signals, searches for likely matches using semantic embeddings, and then uses higher-level reasoning to verify the most promising candidates while filtering out false positives. The result is a scalable attack that mirrors—and in some cases exceeds—the effectiveness of a dedicated human investigator.
Biden Admin 'Invited' Fani Willis To Get Lucrative Grant While She Prosecuted Trump
The DOJ under the Biden administration “invited” disgraced Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to apply for a generous taxpayer-funded grant as she prosecuted President Donald Trump.
Kristi Noem Says DHS Staffers Put Spyware on Her Phone and Laptop to Record Meetings
Noem said she discovered the spyware last year with the assistance of former DOGE chief Elon Musk and his team. “They helped me identify that some of my own employees in my department had downloaded software on my phone and my laptop to spy on me to record our meetings,” Noem said.
3rd Round of US–Iran Talks End Without Breakthrough
Despite not reaching a deal on Feb. 26, mediator and Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi signaled some progress and indicated that the parties are prepared to continue talks.
Breaking: Children’s Health Defense Seeks to Intervene in High-Stakes Vaccine Lawsuit
In an emergency motion filed Wednesday, Children’s Health Defense and a group of parents and doctors asked a Massachusetts federal court to allow them to intervene in a lawsuit challenging recent changes to the CDC childhood vaccine schedule. “Nobody in the room is speaking for the children who were injured or killed under the schedule,” said attorney Rick Jaffe.
CDC Refuses To Update Cancer Data Since 2022, But VAERS Reveals Turbo Cancer Epidemic
The collective world-wide evidence from 2020–2025 underscores a biologically plausible connection between COVID-19 vaccination and cancer. The recurring clinical findings documented across many reports of de-novo cancer onset, rapid tumor progression, viral reactivation, and reawakening of dormant disease, highlight critical gaps in knowledge and understanding of how large-scale immune changes produced by the vaccine interacts with cancer biology. Both SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination engage overlapping biological pathways that could, in principle, influence cancer risk
Israel FOIA data shows over a 500X increase in rate of heart attacks in teens on the day of their COVID shot. So they deleted the records. No one in government calls for an investigation.
Clalit Health Services says the adverse event records no longer exists. No official is calling for an investigation of the deletion of medical records or heart attack rates on the day of the vaccine.
ResearchGate Deletes MMR Vaccine Death Study
The vaccine cartel does NOT want you to know that CDC data shows MMR/MMRV shots are linked to 2,657% more U.S. deaths than measles since 1995.
Cartel Problem Is ‘Spilling Over to the United States’: Texas Senator
Mexican drug cartels pose a ’significant threat' to national security and public safety, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said.
Amb. Huckabee Claims Israel Has 'Biblical Right' To Conquer Whole Middle East
Asked whether a passage from the Book of Genesis could be read as granting Israel the right to claim all the land between Egypt's Nile River and Syria's Euphrates, Huckabee didn't hedge. He bluntly and without apology said it would be "fine" if Israel and its military took over the whole Middle East.
World Economic Forum head Børge Brende steps down following pressure over Epstein links
Brende said Thursday that he is stepping down after facing pressure over his contacts with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Top 7 Supreme Court Cases to Watch
Justices will tackle birthright citizenship, mail-in ballots, asylum policy, and weed killer, among other topics.
Periodic 5-Day Fasting Eases Crohn’s Symptoms in 70 Percent of Patients, Stanford Study Finds
Fasting-mimicking diet ’resets’ eased symptoms of patients with Crohn’s disease and brought some into remission.
Secret Service Agents Fatally Shoot Man Trying to Unlawfully Enter Mar-a-Lago
According to Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi, law enforcement observed a man at the north gate carrying ”what appeared to be a shotgun and a fuel can” and confronted him. Shots were fired during the encounter, and the man died at the scene.... Trump was in Washington during the incident.`
US Military Amasses Strike Capabilities Near Iran—What to Know
Potentially dozens of KC-135 Stratotanker and KC-46 Pegasus aerial refueling aircraft have been spotted this month at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar and Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. A satellite image published by MizarVision on Feb. 19 showed 13 KC-135s and seven KC-46s at Prince Sultan Air Base.
Beijing Uses Fake Western News Sites to Attack Falun Gong, Report Finds
Links to two of the anti-Falun Gong articles were repeatedly posted on social media by dozens of accounts seemingly associated with the CCP’s “Spamouflage” influence campaign, the report said.
Education Department Issues Warning to Colleges Over Student Loan Nonpayment Rates
The Education Department issued guidance on Feb. 18 urging colleges to implement practices to reduce student loan delinquency and default rates or risk losing access to federal student aid.
US Intel Aided Mexican Special Forces In "El Mencho" Kill As Spillover Risks Rise
CNN reported that the US provided intelligence support to Mexican Army Special Forces, aided by aircraft and the National Guard's Immediate Reaction Force, during the operation to capture Oseguera. The operation, however, devolved into a fierce firefight with CJNG operatives and El Mencho that ultimately resulted in his death. Almost immediately after El Mencho's death, Guadalajara, Mexico's third-largest city and the capital of Jalisco State, plunged into instant chaos as CJNG foot soldiers sparked narco-terrorism operations.