The Justice Department has fired Maurene Comey, the daughter of former FBI director James Comey and a federal prosecutor in Manhattan who worked on the cases against Sean “Diddy” Combs, Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein.
Despite its penurious name, the Southern Poverty Law Center has an endowment of more than $700 million, compensates leadership handsomely, and possesses more than $30 million in offshore accounts—likely in the Cayman Islands, its most recent IRS filing reveals.
Just a few lines in the nearly 1,000-page tax and spending cut bill signed into law on July 4 by President Donald Trump mean big money for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Ron Johnson broke “new ground” Tuesday at a subcommittee hearing on vaccine injury when they criticized liability protection for the pharmaceutical industry and discussed co-sponsoring a bill banning pharmaceutical ads on TV.
CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten admitted this week he was surprised to find that Trump’s standing with Republican voters has strengthened despite widespread complaints on social media about the Epstein files.
“You might think his approval ratings were going down with Republicans—if anything, they’re going up,” Enten said, referencing recent polling from CNN and Quinnipiac. According to CNN’s numbers, Republican approval of Trump rose from 86% in the previous poll to 88% this week. Quinnipiac’s poll showed a similar jump, from 87% to 90%.
“Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to court approval. This SCAM, perpetuated by Democrats, should end, right now!” he wrote.
She likened it to the intense media interest in ties between Trump’s first White House campaign and Russia, saying “I don’t want it to consume his presidency.”
“Obviously, this is not a complete hoax given the fact that Ghislaine Maxwell is currently serving 20 years in prison in Florida for her crimes and activities with Jeffrey Epstein, who we know is a convicted sexual predator,” Loomer told POLITICO. “This is why I said, and I’ll reiterate it again, the best thing that the president can do is appoint a special counsel to handle the Epstein files investigation.”
Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence in Tallahassee State Prison in Florida, for her role in grooming and trafficking underage girls for Epstein and his network of high-powered friends, which included billionaires, politicians, academics, and royalty. Yet to date, not a single Epstein “client” has been charged.
According to the Daily Mail, "Despite the rumors, Ghislaine was never offered any kind of plea deal. She would be more than happy to sit before Congress and tell her story," adding "No-one from the government has ever asked her to share what she knows. She remains the only person to be jailed in connection to Epstein and she would welcome the chance to tell the American public the truth."
The drones rained down primarily on four major cities, including Kharkiv in the northeast, Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine - which is President Zelensky's hometown, Vinnytsia in the west, and Odesa in the south. These fresh strikes primarily targeted energy infrastructure and injured at least 15 people.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghan migrants who were imported to the United States under former President Joe Biden.
Wednesday's hearing is set for just over a week after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the allocation of $101 million in taxpayer funds for “multifamily low-income housing development” in communities in Los Angeles devastated by the Palisades, Eaton and Hughes wildfires.
If this is "it"... the "major announcement" on Russia that was planned, then we will say it could have been a lot worse in terms of escalation (such as ramping up more offensive weapons deliveries to Kiev), but amid Trump perhaps poorly managing expectations, people will be asking: that was it? Even RT is chiming in with some light mockery...
For the first time in years, a group of German industrial labor representatives has broken ranks. In an open letter to Chancellor Friedrich Merz, they fiercely criticize Berlin’s climate policy. Will their defiance ignite a firestorm—or vanish in the memory hole crafted by media gatekeepers?
He described that many of the drones were decoys or "simulators" which are designed to distract and overwhelm defense systems, making it harder to intercept the actual assault kamikaze drones.
Zelensky further said that included in the overnight aerial attack were 26 cruise missiles, and that some half of all the UAVs were Iranian-make Shaheds.
Hits on southwestern Chernivtsi region saw two people killed and 20 injured, even though this area is far from the front lines of battle with Russian forces.
As Syria’s new rulers exploit wildfire and war to reshape the coastal region, a campaign of arson and forced displacement threatens to extinguish Alawite presence from their ancestral lands
Russia’s only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, may soon be retired and dismantled after years of failed modernization efforts and a string of high-profile accidents, according to Russian media reports.
Citing informed sources, Izvestia reported that work to repair and upgrade the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser was suspended some time ago. A decision on whether to resume the project or permanently remove the vessel from service is expected soon from the Russian Navy’s Main Command and United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), the report said.
Speculation is mounting that FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino is furious over the Department of Justice’s explosive memo concerning Jeffrey Epstein, with anonymous sources claiming he has issued a stark ultimatum to the White House: dismiss Attorney General Pam Bondi or he will resign from his position.
Now, after his FBI just came out to say 'nothing to see here!' (no list, and Epstein definitely killed himself), Trump just wants the whole thing to go away for some reason we can't quite put our finger on.
The Moscow-Pyongyang bromance continues, based on mutual defense objectives and the landmark agreement struck between Presidents Putin and Kim Jong-Un last summer.
As part of the latest in official trips and exchanges Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was hosted by Kim during a visit to North Korea, where Pyongyang reaffirmed its strong backing of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Shannon Everett of the trucking advocacy group American Truckers United (ATU) has been one of the most outspoken folks about the Biden-Harris regime's role in the surge of migrant drivers with non-domiciled commercial driver's licenses (CDLs). He warns the influx has transformed U.S. highways into a national security threat and a growing public safety crisis, citing multiple fatal crashes this year involving migrants behind the wheel of fully loaded 80,000-pound big rigs.
When the German state fails to protect the youth, some citizens are taking defense into their own hands, even as the police warn against such an action
There is no evidence the footage was deceptively manipulated, but ambiguities around how the video was processed may further fuel conspiracy theories about Epstein’s death.
In this nine month period, over 20% of these deaths occurred in the Centre and Artibonite areas, signaling that violence is extending well beyond Port-au-Prince into surrounding regions.
interestingly, the White House has acted surprised that the pause was ever given:
During a meeting of his Cabinet on Tuesday, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sitting next to him, Trump said he didn't know who signed off on the weapons pause.
#1 Why were Jeffery Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell arrested and charged with operating an enormous sex trafficking ring that supposedly involved thousands of clients if no such clients ever existed? As Robby Starbuck has pointed out, apparently we are supposed to believe that all of the powerful men that visited Epstein’s island were “just there to catch some waves and relax”…
Mark Epstein has lashed out at the FBI and Department of Justice over their conclusion that his brother, convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, died by suicide.
The DOJ and FBI said on Sunday that they concluded an “exhaustive review” into Epstein’s death in 2019 and found that he was not murdered.
Last week the Trump administration abruptly paused deliveries of missiles and munitions to Ukraine, claiming it had concerns that U.S. stockpiles of munitions were low and that it was compelled to make a decision, as a White House spokesperson put it, “to put America’s interests first.”
But there's reason to think the Trump administration may have exaggerated the consequences of how supplying weapons to Ukraine would affect U.S. stockpiles as a pretext for once again demonstrating that its commitment to Ukraine is up in the air.
Elbridge Colby — yes, that Colby guy — the Under Secretary of Defense, quietly diverted multiple weapons shipments en route to Ukraine. It was a tactical move designed to block the national security wing of the GOP from nudging Trump closer to a balanced position between Russia and Ukraine. The pro-Putin lobby always has a trick up its sleeve around the time of Trump-Putin calls. This one was their biggest play yet.
despite diligent efforts to warn the public, elected officials, and bureaucrats, billions of people (many repeatedly) have been subjected to these injections in what can only be described as a radical and unethical medical experiment. In many countries, including Canada, doctors who voiced caution were unlawfully persecuted—our careers, incomes, and reputations tarnished
"The guilty plea ... triggered the guns' forfeiture," the court said. "Since McCloskey's guilt remains, it follows that he is not entitled to the return of the weapons."
Keep in mind that Mark and Patricia McCloskey can both go into a gun store and legally purchase a firearm, which makes the judges' decision that he's not entitled to get his guns back even more ridiculous.
Russia overnight launched an unprecedented 728 Shahed drones as well as decoy drones, accompanied also by 13 cruise and ballistic missiles, Ukraine's air force announced Wednesday.
“Epstein had cameras in all of his homes. Epstein was definitely a blackmail artist,” Bryant notes.
“The government wants to make sure that that does not come out. A huge part of our political system is predicated on blackmail,” he adds.
U.S. Department of Agriculture chief Brooke Rollins announced Tuesday that the U.S. government will move to ban sales of farmland nationwide to buyers tied to China and other foreign adversaries, citing threats to national security and food security — an effort that casts uncertainty over property currently held by China-linked investors.
China has been buying up strategically placed farmland next to military installations across the US, raising national security fears over potential espionage or even sabotage.
The Post has identified 19 bases across the US from Florida to Hawaii which are in close proximity to land bought up by Chinese entities and could be exploited by spies working for the communist nation.
Ekranoplans, also known as Wing-in-Ground Effect (WIG), are aircraft designed to fly just above the surface of the water. This can be more efficient and allows them to fly below the radar horizon, while being much faster than ships. Historically, the Soviet Union was the main builder of these, constructing the famous ‘Caspian Sea Monster‘ and missile-armed ‘Lun’ types. While some Soviet types were ginormous, other types globally have always been much smaller. Until now.
With that as background, President Trump said Tuesday that he plans to set a 50 percent tariff on copper imports, as part of a set of looming sectoral tariffs, while also indicating he could offer pharmaceutical manufacturers at least a year before implementing levies on their foreign-made products.
Trump told reporters during a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday he was still planning tariffs on select industries, including drugs, semiconductors, and metals.
Judge Indira Talwani, sitting on the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, decided that Congress—yes, Congress—doesn’t actually get to decide how taxpayer money is spent, at least not when it comes to the Left’s sacred cow.
The flash flood that sent a 30-foot wall of water surging down the Guadalupe River in Central Texas has claimed at least 81 lives as of early Monday morning. Law enforcement officials in Kerr County confirmed that at least ten girls from Camp Mystic remain missing. Amid speculation that the so-called "1-in-1,000-year storm" may have been triggered by cloud seeding, one of the weather modification operators in the region has denied any flight operations during the relevant timeframe.
US President Donald Trump announced plans to impose higher tariff rates of 25%-40% on key trading partners and signed an executive order holding off the new duties until Aug. 1.
Tariffs on Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Kazakhstan and Tunisia, would be 25%, South Africa and Bosnia 30%, Indonesia 32%, Bangladesh and Serbia 35%, Thailand and Cambodia 36%, while Laos and Myanmar would face a 40% levy.
Meanwhile, Trump suggested the possibility of additional trade negotiations and delays at the White House shortly after he sent out the tariff letters, as he said the notifications were “not 100% firm”. He also said the US is close in making a deal with India.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said additional letters will arrive in the coming days.
Inspector General Michael Horowitz said his staff interviewed an MCC technician, who started to repair the cameras on Aug. 8, 2019, but did not finish his work. The technician told the inspector general he had “no idea” why he did not stay at the facility to resolve the problem that day.
Again, Bongino's claim is impossible. Epstein had three other inmates on his cell block, and the camera there wasn't recording. Even if no one came to kill Epstein from the outside, we can't rule out these other inmates.
Utah plastic surgeon Dr. Kirk Moore is facing thirty five years in federal prison for destroying thousands of vials of COVID-19 vaccine, giving his patients vaccine cards without taking the shots, and injecting saline into children whose parents wanted them to believe they got vaccinated without risking the deadly side effects.
It's not just ironic, but scandalous, that Trump met with a US-designated terrorist during this Gulf tour while in Saudi Arabia. If any individual American citizen did the same, they would likely be investigated and prosecuted by the FBI. But Sharaa is the "former" al-Qaeda in Syria man who helped overthrow Bashar al-Assad, and that's apparently all that Washington cares about.
Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin reported moments ago that a gunman wearing tactical gear and armed with a rifle ambushed U.S. Border Patrol agents at an auxiliary facility earlier this morning. This shooting comes amid increasingly hostile rhetoric directed at federal agents — primarily fueled by Democratic Party lawmakers and their affiliated leftist Marxist NGOs — raising questions about the real-world consequences of politically charged attacks on federal law enforcement.
Russia's military announced on Sunday that its forces had taken control of two additional settlements in eastern Ukraine, specifically one in the Donetsk region and the other in Kharkiv.
The statements indicated the villages of Piddubne in Donetsk and Sobolivka in Kharkiv are now under Russian control, though the Ukrainian side has not yet acknowledged this.
demonstrators marched in Mexico City on Friday to protest against the city's status as a hot new residential destination for American ex-pats and remote workers. Though it started peacefully, many demonstrators turned violent, with some of them accosting Americans and smashing the restaurants, banks and other businesses that cater to them.
After a single night's record drone attack of some 500 UAVs sent on Ukraine, Trump said "It just seems like he wants to go all the way and just keep killing people. It's not good. I wasn't happy with it" - in reference to Putin.
Russia launched one of the largest aerial assaults of the war on Ukraine overnight, unleashing more than 500 drones, with Kyiv as the primary target. The timing of the attack—just hours after a phone call between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin—yielded no success toward ending the war in Eastern Europe.
On X, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiha said, "Hundreds of Russian drones and ballistic missiles rained down on the Ukrainian capital." He described the attack as "one of the worst so far."
"Public opinion is currently so angry that no one even dares to talk about negotiations and diplomacy," Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told Iranian media on Saturday.
In a message posted on X on Friday, Sikorski urged Trump to resume the supply of anti-aircraft ammunition to Ukraine amid record-setting numbers of drones sent against the country this week. He also accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of "mocking" US-led peace efforts.
A group of inspectors from the United Nations' nuclear watchdog has finally and formally departed Iran after the country decided to halt its cooperation with the agency, following last month's surprise bombing raids by Israel and the United States.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed in statement shared on X on Friday that its personnel are returning to the agency’s headquarters in Vienna, Austria.
Homeschooling families in California are rallying against a bill they say would cut funding for critical enrichment programs and force their charter schools to close down.
"When Iranian Shahed drones – now significantly upgraded – and ballistic missiles from North Korea – also upgraded – kill our people in Ukraine, it is a clear sign that global solidarity and global pressure are not enough," Zelensky said. "We must significantly tighten sanctions."
Referring to this holiday as merely, "the Fourth of July" reduces this pivotal date to a mere date on the calendar. The phrase is not incorrect, but it lacks the depth, the resonance and the emotional impact of "Independence Day."
A calendar date does not evoke the weight of this historical event or the principles and ideals that (ostensibly) continue to shape our national identity. Calling it "The Fourth of July" conjures up images of barbecues, fireworks and parties which, while enjoyable, can overshadow the true purpose of this holiday. Without the historical context of "Independence Day." the celebration runs the risk of becoming simply a generic holiday, disconnected from its roots in the struggle for independence and the revolutionary vision that inspired it.
A jury ruled on Thursday in favor of 13 employees with the St. Louis Public Schools System who were forced to take the COVID vaccine despite religious objections.
The court awarded the 13 employees $4 million for the injustice.
Vice President JD Vance broke a 50–50 tie to secure passage of the bill.
Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), and Susan Collins (R-Maine) voted in opposition.
Other holdouts, including Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), ultimately supported the legislation despite misgivings.
US State Department officials have reportedly said that Iran's suspension of cooperation with IAEA is "unacceptable", adding that Iran must cooperate fully without further delay.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric also chimed in, saying that Iran’s suspension of its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is “obviously concerning"
Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on July 1 the shutdown of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which had been rapidly dismantled earlier this year by the Trump administration.
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Some of these individuals are also “engaged in hostile activities, including espionage, economic espionage, and preparations for terror-related activities,” the proclamation stated. “Many have abused the generosity of the American people, and their presence in the United States has cost taxpayers billions of dollars at the Federal, State, and local levels.”
Strictly speaking, the only issue before the court was whether these kits fit within the statute’s meaning of the word “weapon.” The Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms was not under consideration—at least not directly.
"Having almost entirely ejected Ukrainian forces from the Russian Kursk region earlier this year, Russian forces have now poured over the border in the opposite direction toward Sumy," the report describes. "With 50,000 troops in the area, they outnumber the Ukrainians roughly 3-to-1, according to soldiers fighting there."
It now heads back to the House, where it will first go to a Conference Committee and then the full house.
Speaker Mike Johnson says he thinks it will be finished by July 4.
To the claim that the vaccine–autism link has been “debunked,” Kennedy had a message for Anderson Cooper, Jake Tapper, and everyone who smugly insists on it.
“None of the vaccines given to children in the first six months of life have ever been studied for autism.”
The Oklahoma State Department of Health has removed its recommendation that fluoride be added to public water systems, joining a growing number of states that have rolled back similar guidance.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Monday that “ICEBlock,” an app designed to alert individuals of immigration enforcement operations, appeared to constitute obstruction of justice.
Alligator Alcatraz is a detention, processing, and deportation center for illegal aliens. With 5,000 beds, it is designed to support the federal government's efforts to deport illegals, particularly those with criminal records.
The Senate version of President Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill (BBB) will add nearly $3.3 trillion to US deficits over a decade, according to the latest estimate from the Congressional Budget Office, half a trillion more than the $2.8 trillion in deficit expansion under the House version of the same bill. That’s from a starting point with debt to GDP already in excess of 120% and the fiscal deficit sitting close to a peacetime record.
Mamdani's anti-American rhetoric shouldn't come as a surprise—it's not just a byproduct of progressive academia but also stems from the far-left international groups he's tied to, either directly or indirectly. Whether through members of his political team or the DSA, the connections to foreign adversaries and very questionable groups have raised alarm bells.
Naturally, the Palestinian side remains doubtful that any real progress will be made, given especially that the Netanyahu government has repeatedly refused to steer away from its primary war aims in the Gaza Strip of utterly destroying Hamas, and ensuring it can never come back to lead.
Mamdani’s government-run grocery stores will likely just end up being a taxpayer-funded joke rather than being truly disastrous. In a sea of other, almost certainly more functional privately-run businesses, I’m guessing New Yorkers will generally avoid the government option.
Where Mamdani will have a great deal of power to do damage is with his ideas about the police. Though he’s tried to soften his position about defunding the police a bit in recent days, Mamdani has made it clear on social media over the years that he’s hostile to traditional policing.
Wherever socialism in introduced into an otherwise prosperous economy, the standard of living automatically degrades. When socialism is used as a bandage to stop the financial bleeding of a depressed market wounded by liberal management, it always makes things far worse.
Russia plans to train hundreds of Chinese military personnel this year on lessons learned from its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, the Kyiv Post reported.
Instructors will cover methods for countering weapons systems used by Ukrainian forces that were produced by the United States and its NATO allies, a source in Ukraine's top intelligence agency told the outlet.
Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on June 26 advised the agency to stop recommending influenza vaccines containing a mercury-based preservative.
The distribution centers typically open for just one hour each morning. According to officers and soldiers who served in their areas, the IDF fires at people who arrive before opening hours to prevent them from approaching, or again after the centers close, to disperse them.
Are you aware that almost 2,000 of the world’s leading climate scientists and professionals in over 30 countries have signed a declaration that there is no climate emergency and have refuted the United Nations claims in relation to man-made climate change? See https://clintel.org/world-climate-declaration/
2. I have also signed this declaration. How can I make such an assertion? I have experience in the field as a former scientist at the Department of Energy and Climate Change, UK Government; and as former staff member at United Nations Environment, where I was responsible for servicing the Pollution Release and Transfer Register Protocol, a Multinational Environmental Agreement, involving the monitoring of pollutants to land, air, and water worldwide. Real pollution exists, but the problem is not CO2.
The first national defense area was designated in April, a 170-mile zone in New Mexico, attached to Fort Huachuca in neighboring Arizona. The following month, a 63-mile section was set up in West Texas under Fort Bliss.
Combined with the new Texas stretch, the total area under national defense area designation now exceeds 480 miles. The Texas–Mexico border extends 1,254 miles.
By limiting the ability of judges to issue universal blocks, the court’s ruling is expected to affect other cases contesting Trump administration policies.
At this year’s summit, NATO allies agreed to dramatically increase their defense spending targets to 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), a plan that Trump has long championed.
In May 2024, the Biden administration admitted more than 62,000 migrants into the U.S. who illegally crossed the border between ports of entry. Under the Trump administration, one year later, that number fell to zero. At the same time, illegal border crossings fell by nearly 93 percent compared to the same period last year.
U.S. military leaders are increasingly concerned that similar attacks, which leverage low-cost commercial drones against expensive weapons systems, could pose a lasting threat to bases and critical infrastructure throughout the country.
However, the Army and other service branches are struggling to design and deploy appropriate technologies to defend bases on U.S. soil, owing to variables that do not need to be considered in a war zone.
“The evidence is MASSIVE and OVERWHELMING. A Special Prosecutor must be appointed. This cannot be allowed to happen again in the United States of America!” he wrote on social media platform Truth Social.
The U.S. Supreme Court did not comment or rule on the merits of the case. However, legal experts said the Court’s decision not to review the case reflects an ongoing trend in which courts are reluctant to recognize religious exemptions as a constitutional right.
South Carolina announced in July 2018 that Planned Parenthood could no longer participate in the state’s Medicaid program. The state also took actions to ensure that a “variety of other nongovernmental entities and governmental agencies” would continue to provide “access to necessary medical care and important women’s health and family planning services.” The state has 140 federally qualified health clinics and pregnancy centers, for instance.
Gorsuch ruled that Congress did not create a right to allow individuals to sue in cases like this.
Both of the new laws–the removal of short-barrel firearms from the prohibited weapons list and the ban on red flag law enforcement–take effect September 1, 2025.
“The Senate parliamentarian, you know, ruled out any kind of elimination of benefits for illegal aliens. So we have basically an unelected, you know, person works in the Senate has now decided that she can decide for the country that we can’t eliminate welfare for illegal aliens, which is, to me, insane that we allow that to happen,” Paul began, referencing the decision to rule out eliminating Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for non-citizens.
One unnamed defense official quoted in the report says centrifuges are largely "intact." And more based on the apparently 'Top Secret' leaked DIA intel report:
In Iran's last-minute act of retaliation, at least five people were killed and 26 injured in an enormous explosion that devastated a seven-story apartment building in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba. That toll may rise as responders continue to sort through rubble and incinerated automobiles. "We emphasize again—do not enter the scene!" said Israel's Fire and Rescue Authority. "The arrival of civilians endangers public safety and makes it difficult for rescue forces to operate."In Iran's last-minute act of retaliation, at least five people were killed and 26 injured in an enormous explosion that devastated a seven-story apartment building in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba. That toll may rise as responders continue to sort through rubble and incinerated automobiles. "We emphasize again—do not enter the scene!" said Israel's Fire and Rescue Authority. "The arrival of civilians endangers public safety and makes it difficult for rescue forces to operate."
“When illegal aliens commit crimes in this country, they are typically ordered removed. But when those crimes are especially heinous, their countries of origin are often unwilling to take them back. As a result, criminal aliens are often allowed to stay in the United States for years on end, victimizing law-abiding Americans in the meantime.”
As infighting within the top echelons of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) intensifies, many China watchers are wondering whether Chinese leader Xi Jinping is still in power and really in control, especially of the military.
“It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE ... for 12 hours, at which point the War will be considered, ENDED!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social just after 6 p.m. EDT.
The president wrote that both sides would wind down their final military operations within six hours, beginning what he expected to be a “peaceful and respectful” cease-fire on both sides. The conflict will be declared over within 24 hours, Trump said.
"Iran’s missile attack on a US air base in Qatar was telegraphed well in advance, suggesting Tehran intended a symbolic show of force while offering a way to de-escalate after US airstrikes over the weekend," Bloomberg is reporting. And CNN is currently even saying (based on its correspondent on the ground) that the skies over Tehran have grown quiet, after many days of constant strike waves by Israeli warplanes. The US military is saying all missiles were intercepted over Qatar. Airspace over Bahrain, Kuwait, and Dubai have already been reopened.
Certainly markets have reacted consistent to this off-ramp narrative as well, as if it was all baked in: "One official with knowledge of Western intelligence assessments said the attack was a typical example of an ‘off-ramp’ escalation and warned it was more difficult to understand whether — and at what point — Israel would stop its own military activities in the region," Bloomberg continues. The same report cites Jonathan Panikoff, a former deputy national intelligence officer for the Near East, who points to the obvious: “It feels choreographed and intentional. The Iranians get to tell their population they struck a mighty blow against the US, even if they didn’t, and Trump has the room now to decide not to retaliate.”
"So far this is looking like the response we got in 2020 in response to the killing of Qassem Soleimani. A telegraphed attack on US base that did not result in fatalities but is “face saving” for the Iranian regime."
"The events this morning are outrageous and will have everlasting consequences. Each and every member of the UN must be alarmed over this extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behavior," he said. "In accordance with the UN Charter and its provisions allowing a legitimate response in self-defense, Iran reserves all options to defend its sovereignty, interest, and people."
A total of 16 cargo trucks were spotted on the access road leading up to the Fordow tunnel entrance on Thursday, but most of the trucks had relocated to one kilometer (0.6 miles) northwest of the access road by the following day, Maxar said.
New trucks and multiple bulldozers had appeared close to the main entrance by Friday, with one truck very close to the main tunnel entrance, the satellite imagery provider said.
Such assistance "all depends on what Iran needs," presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained, as quoted in TASS. "We have offered our mediation efforts. This is concrete. We have stated our position, which is also a very important form of support for the Iranian side."
Military planners dubbed the U.S. military strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities Operation Midnight Hammer.....The U.S. strike on three Iranian nuclear facilities overnight on June 21–22 followed a highly intricate plan that entailed more than 125 U.S. aircraft and warships and layers of deception, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a Pentagon news briefing.
He warned Iran ("the bully of the Middle East") that if they do not come to peace then there are many other targets:
"There will be either peace; or tragedy for Iran worse than the likes of which we have seen over the last eight days."
"If peace does not come quickly," we will go after the rest of the nation with "speed and skill."
When corporate greed meets ideological cultism there is little room for objective analysis. Progressives took an extreme minority of aberrant mental health cases (people with the psychological illness of gender dysphoria) and turned them into an international movement to deny basic biology and psychology.
No society should ever enable or embrace mental illness as a cultural ideal. In particular, vulnerable children should be kept far away from emotionally unstable, morally bankrupt political zealots. The western world is well aware of what happens when cult movements get their hands on little kids.
The Dodgers has refrained from directly referring to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in its statement, instead expressing its intent to help illegal immigrants affected by “recent events” in the city.
“What’s happening in Los Angeles has reverberated among thousands upon thousands of people, and we have heard the calls for us to take a leading role on behalf of those affected,” Los Angeles Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten said in a statement.
As for the city of Sumy, it lies just 18 lies from the Russian border and has suffered from intermittent aerial attacks and shelling since the war's start.
Putin has also raised eyebrows in the West due to his speech when he said, "I consider Russians and Ukrainians to be one people. In that sense, all of Ukraine is ours," he said, and added: "There is a saying: wherever a Russian soldier sets foot, that is ours."
This is being taken in the West as more confirmation that the US-backed peace process is struggling and barely alive, given neither side is in the mood to compromise.
The United Nations has warned that the Iran-Israel war could trigger a new refugee crisis in the Middle East, saying that if things keep escalating and people flea, there is no quick way back to their home countries.
UNHCR, the UN’s refugee agency, says ratcheting tit-for-tat attacks are already triggering population movements in both countries, and that this could easily slide into a worse crisis.
The UK Telegraph reported on Tuesday that all three of the cargo planes “flew westward along northern China, crossing into Kazakhstan, then south into Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan,” and then dropped off radar screens as they approached Iran.
All three of the planes apparently filed false flight plans that showed their destination as Luxembourg, but none of them flew anywhere near Europe.
The expected worldwide mobilization of protests this weekend, from Mississippi to Malawi, will hardly be a spontaneous eruption. On the contrary, the tumult is a carefully plotted production (complete with a protest song book) financed by the progressive dark money network that has perfected the mounting of made-to-order protests.
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Thursday that an Atlanta family whose home was mistakenly raided by the FBI in 2017 can move forward with their lawsuit.
The decision stems from a pre-dawn incident in which an FBI SWAT team broke down the family's front door, deployed a flashbang grenade, and pointed weapons at Trina Martin, her then-boyfriend Toi Cliatt, and her 7-year-old son, only to realize moments later they had entered the wrong house.
In line with forecasts, The Federal Open Market Committee announced Wednesday that it will not cut rates, holding for the fourth time this year. The decision comes as Trump's quick-changing tariff policies with top trade partners have spooked businesses and investors for the past several months. CME FedWatch, which anticipates interest-rate changes based on market moves, had projected a 99% chance of steady rates in June.