News



Trump Doubles Down On Plans To Make Hormuz Strait A US Territory: "A Great Idea"

ZeroHedge

Trump repeats declaration that he'll make Strait of Hormuz a "US territory", calling it "a great idea". Iran goes "fully offensive": Tehran threatens escalation if diplomacy fails, after last week's military command reshuffle. MoU expires: Iran says the US-Iran agreement is effectively dead & "irrelevant". Trump threatens Oman: Trump warns "we'll bomb the s**t out of them." Backchannel denied: Tehran rejects Trump's claim of IRGC communications.

Trump Says US To 'Substantially Reduce' Military Drills With S.Korea, Cites 'Very Good Relationship' With Kim

ZeroHedge

President Trump revealed Sunday he has ordered the Pentagon to scale back joint military exercises with longtime close ally South Korea, surprisingly mentioning his "very good relationship" with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a motivating factor in the decision. Trump said in a Truth Social posts that exercises, due to start on Monday, are costly and "send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile" to North Korea, which he said "has been unthreatening and respectful" during his time in office.

What Happened When We Created a Snapchat Account for a 13-Year-Old

epoc

One study by the Heat Initiative found Snapchat recommended 739 “unsafe” videos—including 257 related to drugs and alcohol, and 244 with sexual content—to two 13-year-old avatar accounts across a 12-hour period. It also recommended 419 strangers as friends, including at least six sexual content creators and three people advertising drugs. Other questionable exposures included violence, criminal activity, disordered eating, self-harm, and suicide.

It Was DESTROYED In Just Days…

Modernity

In a matter of days, once-pristine beaches in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta have been reduced to open-air dumps and disease-ridden camps occupied by thousands of illegal migrants who refused to leave after the mass invasion from Morocco. Locals describe feces, urine, garbage, and makeshift shacks covering the sand. Contagious illnesses are spreading. Mass brawls with bladed weapons have broken out.

Woke 2.0 Will Be Worse

American Mind

Now here comes Woke 1 and Woke 2. “Woke 1 was crazy,” said U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, quoting an unnamed city councilman in a viral interview for ABC. The congresswoman sheepishly acknowledged that Americans did not like the way Woke 1 played out, while also implicitly announcing that there will soon be, or already is, a Woke 2. And it will be tame. Oh, so tame!

Ukraine Hits Key Russian Space Facility With Flamingo Cruise Missiles

ZeroHedge

Ukraine's long-range drone attacks have frequently targeted military bases and oil refinery and energy sites of late, and more recently warehouses of major Russian online retailer Wildberries - but on Saturday a new target has been added: space facilities. Ukrainian forces have touted that they've struck the Progress Rocket and Space Center in Russia's Samara region. The facility focuses on the manufacturing and operation of space launch vehicles.

Somali Piracy Surges Amid Hormuz Blockade

Oil Price.com

The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has forced hundreds of commercial ships onto longer routes around Africa, and Somali pirates are moving quickly to exploit the sudden increase in traffic off the continent’s eastern coast. Oil tankers MT Honour 25, MT Eureka and MT Asana were hijacked in the Gulf of Aden and off Puntland between April and July 2026, the largest attacks by Somali pirates in years. The Iran war has now delivered these groups more targets, spread across thousands of miles of ocean, while diverting naval resources to the Persian Gulf and Red Sea.

Socialism: A System Where The Government Uses Your Money To Solve Everyone Else’s Problems

Michael Snyder

They are coming for your money, and they have a ton of momentum right now. Democratic Socialists are winning election after election by promising free stuff, but of course free stuff is never actually free. Somewhere along the way, someone has to pay for it. If you find yourself protectively reaching for your wallet as you read this, I don’t blame you one bit. Socialism is a system where the government uses your money to solve everyone else’s problems. Unfortunately, it is also a system that is becoming increasingly popular among our young adults.

Anatomy Of A Con: Trump and Witholding Patriot Missiles from Ukraine

Phillips O'Brian

Dozens of Patriot interceptors, (as well as thousands of 155mm rounds, 100+ Hellfires, 250+ GMLRS, plus Stingers, AIMs and grenade launchers) were halted on their way to Ukraine. Note the timing just before Trump goes to great lengths to say how much he knows Ukraine needs Patriots. This kind of cat and mouse game with the administration tormenting Ukraine over Patriots continues for the entire year. And then Trump’s War with Iran breaks out and Patriot deliveries practically stop. For all of 2026, according to Zelensky, deliveries of Patriots to Ukraine were running at a paltry one-third level of the reduced flow of 2025.

Indiana Lt. Governor Calls for Firing of Fever Coach Stephanie White After She Defends DiJonai Carrington

Breitbart

Indiana Lt. Governor Micah Beckwith called for the firing of Fever coach Stephanie White after she defended DiJonai Carrington despite her Flagrant 2 foul on Sophie Cunningham. While WNBA journalists and reporters circled the wagons in support of Carrington after she clotheslined Cunningham during a layup, it was Fever coach Stephanie White who provided the most puzzling defense during the post-game press conference.

Breaking Up MMR Vaccine Will Benefit Kids — But It Could Be Years Before Single Shots Are Available

President Donald Trump’s executive order calling for separating the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine into three single-disease vaccines administered at separate medical visits is a long-overdue step in the right direction, according to doctors, scientists and medical freedom advocates who spoke with The Defender. However, it could be years before separate vaccines become available.

Trump: US Controls Hormuz Strait, 'I Think We Will Keep It' - Confirms Economic Siege Strategy

ZeroHedge

Trump claims "total control" of Hormuz, signals strategy of continued economic pressure. Iran declares "victory" & says it can sustain the conflict & outlast. Iran shifts to a "survival economy" to withstand sanctions, Washington's economic warfare, naval blockade. Peace talks basically not happening, with Pakistan reporting "absolutely no progress." Tehran: Hormuz remains closed until Washington accepts all conditions.

Iran's Military Command Reshuffle Digs In For 'Hardline' Confrontation: US Must Meet All Demands For Hormuz Opening

ZeroHedge

Iran rejects peace push narrative: Tehran says Hormuz stays closed until the US accepts all its conditions. Hardliners take control: Iran reshuffles top military leadership, signaling a tougher stance. Pakistan pushes talks: Interior Minister arrives in Tehran for mediation efforts. US enforces blockade: American forces reportedly fired on a ship trying to breach the Iran blockade. Shipping attacks escalate in region: A Houthi attack reportedly killed three crew members, while another vessel was struck in the Gulf of Oman.

Trump Finally Responds To Iran's Demands, Counters US Is Owed "Compensation," Stops Short Of New Threats

ZeroHedge

Trump demands Iran compensate the US and families of fallen soldiers, but issues no new military threats. US again pivots to economic warfare: Trump says Washington is "low-keying it" and betting Iran's economic weakness will force concessions. Iran digs in on Hormuz: Tehran says the Strait will not return to pre-war conditions without major concessions. Hardliners gain influence: Former IRGC commander Mohsen Rezaei is set to take Iran's top security post. Deal remains elusive: Tehran appears intent on prolonging talks and extracting maximum concessions from Washington.

Study Finds 93% Of Avocado Oil Chips Contain Other Oils.

ZeroHedge

UC Davis researchers tested 54 avocado oil-labeled products purchased from California supermarkets and online retailers in 2025 and 2026 and found that 48, or 89%, contained cheaper oils despite being labeled as containing premium avocado oil. The failure rate included 93% of chips, and beyond the snack aisle, 71% of mayonnaise products and 100% of salad dressings tested also failed.

If They Were Human, They’d Be Arrested. Experts Respond to Rogue AI Breach.

ZeroHedge

... an OpenAI model broke out of a testing sandbox and used zero-day exploits to hack into Hugging Face, an open-source community for AI and machine learning, to crack a problem it was instructed to solve. “This is some of the clearest evidence yet that an AI model can run a complete cyberattack from start to finish without a human steering it,” Andrew Jones, cofounder and chief product officer at cybersecurity firm Adaptive Security, told The Epoch Times.

Joint Chiefs Chair Pushing For Iran War Off-Ramp, Warning Escalation Will Backfire

ZeroHedge

Last weekend, the US military seemed poised to carry out Trump's threat to unleash “the biggest attack since World War II," but he called it off, at least in part because of profound concerns raised by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Iran had promised to wreak havoc up and down the Gulf. “The only ones in favor of the operation were elements of CENTCOM,” said one source, referring to the Pentagon's Central Command, which is responsible for action in the Middle East. The source also pointed out that Israel also wants escalation of the war.

Ukraine Faces Growing Air Defense Crisis As Patriot Supplies Dwindle

ZeroHedge

Ukraine failed to intercept any of the 24 ballistic missiles and four Zircon cruise missiles Russia fired in the August 5 attack, underscoring the strain on its missile defenses. U.S. Patriot availability has become a significant constraint after extensive interceptor use during the Iran conflict. Kyiv is increasingly seeking European inventories, expanded production, and eventually licensed or joint Patriot manufacturing to secure its air defenses ahead of winter.

How the UAE Has Kept Its Oil Flowing Through Hormuz

Oil Price.com

The UAE, which left OPEC on May 1, has found workarounds to the blockage at the Strait of Hormuz. It has been shuttling crude through the chokepoint to load it on larger vessels outside the Strait, maximizing the use of its onshore pipeline to ship crude from the west to the east of the country, bypassing Hormuz, and shipping tankers through the Strait in dark mode.

Judge Denies Southern Poverty Law Center’s Bid to Dismiss DOJ Indictment

ZeroHedge

The department indicted the SPLC in April on 11 counts of wire fraud, making false statements to a federally insured bank, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The organization was accused of defrauding donors by funneling millions of dollars to informants who infiltrated white supremacist and hate groups that it publicly opposed.

Iran's Economy Is In Shambles As War Takes Its Toll

ZeroHedge

Despite the bluster from Iranian officials on social media, it should come as no surprise that the country is not doing well economically. From the beginning of the conflict to current day, Iran has been dealt an estimated $270 billion to $300 billion in total damage due to a steady barrage of strikes, including numerous infrastructure targets from bridges, highways, railways, airports, etc.

US Official: Hormuz Deal Is Imminent, Upon Which US Will Lift Blockade Of Iranian Ports

ZeroHedge

US official tells Reuters that US will lift blockade upon Omani deal announcement. Bessent: Hormuz could reopen under a 30-60 day ceasefire as soon as "today or tomorrow." Iran asserts that US & Israeli vessels remain barred until sanctions are lifted and compensation is paid. Trump says the conflict could "end pretty soon," signaling a possible final US exit. Iran remains defiant, pointing out it still has the leverage & can threaten Hormuz. However, the deal could reopen oil flows while strengthening Iran's control over the strait.

Trump Admin Drafting Ban On Chinese Optical Transceivers To Protect Data Centers From Spying

ZeroHedge

These small, pluggable connectors convert electrical signals from servers, switches, and AI chip stacks into light for transmission over fiber-optic cables, then convert the light back into electrical data at the other end. Because these modules are critical to data centers, Chinese-made transceivers could potentially allow Chinese firms to steal data, install malware, or disrupt services at US facilities.

Is It Possible to Make Smart Glasses That Aren’t Creepy?

Wired.com

Privacy advocates bemoaned the addition of cameras to smartphones, just as they argued against cameras going into laptops and other personal tech. The thing about cameras and phones, though, is that the phone still needs to be pulled out, held up, and have its camera activated to capture a photo or film a video. Smart glasses, with small built-in cameras and the user’s ability to obfuscate the recording notification, are much sneakier.

12 Glaring Realities of Marxist Socialism

The Epoch Times

In a free society that embraces free markets and the rule of law, young people must be made aware of the glaring realities regarding the alleged “fuzzy and warm” nature of Marxist (collectivism, communism, progressivism, socialism) iterations. There are at least twelve aspects of the Marxist ideology that are clear and present dangers to democratic nations as well as undemocratic countries. First, Marxism was founded on the stark concept of atheism.

'They Are United': California Democrats Move Forward With 5% Billionaire Tax

ZeroHedge

How These Taxes Usually End Do these people ever learn? Recall New Jersey circa 2016, when a single hedge fund manager's change of address to Florida had Trenton's budget officials publicly sweating over the state's revenue forecast - one guy, one moving truck, one fiscal panic. Recall Illinois' richest resident, Ken Griffin, packing his entire firm off from Chicago to Miami in 2022, taking what was reportedly the state's largest individual tax bill with him. Recall the Pacific Northwest's most famous ex-resident developing a sudden fondness for South Florida in 2023, mere months after Washington's shiny new capital gains tax survived its court challenge - and then unloading billions in stock from the comfort of a state that taxes none of it. Recall the world's richest man decamping California for Texas in 2020, with his companies trailing behind like ducklings.

ID To Buy Gov't Bread & Milk, But Not To Vote: This Is Mamdani's Socialist NYC Utopia

ZeroHedge

Yet New Yorkers still do not have to present voter identification during elections, and the hypocrisy is just off the charts, as this only highlights an inconsistency in the state's approach to identification requirements: ID Required: Shovel snow ID Required: Buy milk and bread at a gov't-run grocery store No ID Required: Voting in elections "We are looking to make sure that we target New Yorkers … sort of a library card-esque thing," one of Mamdani's socialist officials said.

RFK Jr. Steamrolled Dana Bash Over Fauci’s COVID Lies

PJ Media

If Bash thought she could lob a bunch of accusations against Kennedy and he would take it quietly, she was sorely mistaken. Kennedy didn't dodge a single question. He turned every one of them into an indictment of a press corps that spent years demanding blind obedience and calling it science.

How China Is Using Its Coast Guard To Assert Control At Sea

ZeroHedge

... rather than relying solely on the navy, Beijing deploys the Chinese Coast Guard to project control over contested waters in the South China Sea, East China Sea, and around Taiwan. Coast guard vessels regularly patrol disputed areas, escort Chinese fishing fleets, inspect foreign vessels, and employ coercive measures—including water cannons, lasers, blocking maneuvers, and collisions—to challenge rival claimants. They also operate alongside the People's Liberation Army Navy during military exercises, particularly those focused on Taiwan.

Russia Confirms It Has Attacked Over 80 Vessels In The Black Sea In July Alone

ZeroHedge

"According to the ministry, Russian forces struck 24 seagoing vessels used by the Ukrainian military for supplies during the week of July 11-17, including 14 dry cargo ships and one tanker," TASS continnues. Moscow seeks to sever military supply routes and disrupt arms shipments bound for Ukraine, but this has also obviously resulted in damaged and sunken tankers, auxiliary vessels, and even deaths of civilian bystanders among international shipping crew.

Mamdani Announces City-Run Grocery Stores Will Offer 30% Discount. Critics Say It Will Crush Local Businesses.

The Daily Signal

“Grocery stores operate with 1-2% profit margins already so taxpayers will have to subsidize 30% discounts on groceries,” CNBC anchor Sara Eisen wrote on X. “It also threatens to shut down local markets and bodegas (and reduce access to food), because they have to compete with the city stores, while also paying commercial rent and earning profits.” Peter St. Onge, an economist at The Heritage Foundation, wrote on X that if the government-owned stores set their prices 30% below retail value then the city would lose “at least 28 cents on the dollar.”

Bombing Campaign In Search Of A Strategy: Pentagon Offers Trump Two-Week 'Go Bigger' Plan In Iran

ZeroHedge

"We are choosing escalation when de-escalation remains an option, entrenching ourselves deeper into a broader war that we don’t have the capability or desire to sustain," he explained, adding: "There is not a military solution here that will lead to a win. More bombing will not convince Iran to open the SOH or to give us the deal we want, it will only harden their position."

Doug Casey on the Surveillance State Quietly Taking Shape Across America

Doug Casey

Cameras are ubiquitous today. They’re in most stores. They’re on streets in every city and town recording your license plate and often looking to tag you with a speeding ticket. If you have a late-model car, its cameras and computer chips will rat you out upon request. If you knock on your neighbor’s door, a camera is probably recording you. When you travel, almost all immigration authorities recognize your face in addition to taking digital fingerprints.

China Scoffs At Iran Arms Transfer Report, After Trump Pours Cold Water On Allegation

ZeroHedge

China has given its response on Thursday to a prior Reuters investigation which strongly alleged that Beijing is preparing to transfer up to 400 Chinese-made shoulder-fired air-defense missile launchers MANPADS to Iran. The Reuters report was highly specific, even identifying the Hong Kong-based company that facilitated the signing of the arms deal between the Iranians and Chinese, but Beijing has rejected the report as a lie and 'groundless', saying there's no truth to it.

Biden's Pardon Can't Protect Fauci From Legal Consequences

ZeroHedge

I will invoke my right under the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution to refrain from answering your questions." And so he did, an estimated 111 times, but it won't protect him completely. On Jan. 20, 2025, his last day in office, Biden granted Fauci a full and unconditional pardon covering any offenses he may have "committed or taken part in" tied to his government roles between Jan. 1, 2014, and Jan. 19, 2025. The broad preemptive pardon Joe Biden handed him on the way out the door covers federal charges alone, and it leaves him exposed to the state charges that may arrive sooner than his lawyers expected.

Fragile Iran 'Pause' Shattered As US Base In Jordan Comes Under Attack, Oil Soars

ZeroHedge

Oil soars on reports of Iran targeting US Jordan base; Iraqi militants attack KSA for 2nd day. Hormuz indirect talks continue amid reports of a possible resurrected MoU deal. Shipping remains stalled with virtually no tanker traffic through Hormuz. Iran insists Hormuz stays closed unless its terms are accepted. Houthis escalate attacks, prompting more ships to avoid the Red Sea.

Bombshell Report Exposes Lefty NGOs Funding A Children's Charity Tied To Terror Network

ZeroHedge

After years of pro-Hamas protests and riots, including efforts by radical-left revolutionaries to blockade highways, bridges, and other economic chokepoints, as well as unrest across Ivy League campuses, investigators are finally examining the financial infrastructure behind the Marxist movement that increasingly appears less about Palestine and more about toppling the US empire.

DOJ Sues Colorado For Offering In-State Tuition Aid To Illegal Immigrants

The Epoch Times

The July 23 lawsuit, filed with the District Court for the District of Colorado, accused Colorado of ignoring Title 8 of the U.S. Code Section 1623, which bans illegal immigrants from being eligible for post-secondary education benefits in a state unless the same benefits are provided to all U.S. citizens, irrespective of their state of residence.

The Fair Share Myth and Other Socialist Fables

Jonathan Turley

The fair share myth is a virtual mantra among socialist and Democratic leaders, from Mamdani to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.). In my book, “Rage and the Republic,” I address the false claim that the wealthy are not “paying their fair share.” In fact, the top 10 percent already pay more taxes than the bottom 90 percent combined.

Trump Ready For 'Strong Military Action' If Talks Fail, With Saudi Aramco Under Houthi Fire

ZeroHedge

Trump pauses strikes: Trump said the US paused attacks to give diplomacy a chance but warned military action will resume if talks fail. Iran denies that it pushed for talks: Tehran denied any direct negotiations with Washington, while saying its response remains "attack for attack." Saudi Aramco targeted: Houthis claimed fresh strikes on Saudi Aramco facilities, with reports of fires at the critical Abqaiq oil processing complex. Fragile pause holds two days: The US-Iran military pause entered a second day as mediators continued backchannel efforts to revive negotiations.

Deep State Voter Fraud Fight to the Death – Alex Newman

USA Watchdog

Without voter fraud, Deep State Democrats lose and lose big in the midterms. They are fighting every way they can to keep the cheating going. The Trump Administration is threatening fines and jail time if the Dems in Blue States “Refuse to Cooperate to Secure Elections.” It is so bad that Harvard PhD and political expert Dr. Jerome Corsi says President Trump must “Stop Voter Fraud or Lose the Republic.” The fight is going to get much more intense and violent before the midterm elections in November. Alex Newman says, “Voter integrity is one of the arenas where this fight to the death is taking place. We are going to determine in the not-so-distant future if the Deep State and those who hate America and our Constitutional Republic are going to control the most powerful military and most powerful economy in the world, or are ‘We the People’ going to exert control over the government we created to protect our liberties? It will be a fight to the death. There is no option these two can end up with control of the government. We have a long fight ahead.”

US Military Forced To Let Some Iranian Projectiles Through Its Defenses: NBC

ZeroHedge

The Iranian attacks particularly on US bases in Jordan have been especially fierce of late. Also there are ongoing concerns of dwindling anti-air defense missiles in the Gulf and the region. Fresh weekend NBC news reporting has highlighted these growing problems, and has gone so far as to say that US commanders are having to ration Patriot missiles.

Flashback: Fauci Funded Technique To Hide Evidence Of Genetic Engineering According To RFK Jr.

ZeroHedge

With Fauci's personal diaries now public, Tulsi Gabbard's last-day document dump on the record, Ralph Baric stripped of his NIH grants and placed on leave by UNC, and Fauci himself scheduled to appear under subpoena before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee this Wednesday at 8:30 a.m., Kennedy's remarks are worth revisiting. Here's what he said: "He [Fauci] funded Ralph Baric to develop a technique called seamless ligation. And that is a technique for hiding the engineering project."

Trump Pursues Diplomatic Off-Ramp As Omani Delegation Arrives In Tehran: Report

ZeroHedge

Trump's order to hold fire was given several hours after an Omani delegation arrived in Tehran Friday for talks on a new arrangement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Two regional sources with knowledge of the negotiations said progress has been made in the talks and that an agreement between Oman and Iran could be reached over the weekend. More color: Trump's decision reflects both his willingness to provide more space for diplomacy and a recognition that — short of a return to major combat operations — the current level of U.S. strikes has reached the limit of its effectiveness. If Trump orders a return to strikes, the U.S. military can mobilize on relatively short notice. The U.S. military is still preparing plans for a possible return to major combat operations, but Trump hasn't given orders to move in that direction, the sources said.

America’s 250th

The Epoch Times

For the celebration, we have opened all the content of our “America's 250th” history and civics hub—a site we created for this special milestone. Free access will remain until July 31 for nonsubscribers, so take the opportunity to share it with those in your circle.

Smokey skies does not mean global warming

American Thinker

every inhabited continent is running below its recent average for area burned this year, with Africa, the Americas, and Europe at record lows. Those are remarkable statistics. They don't mean wildfires have disappeared or that smoke isn't a serious public health concern. They simply demonstrate that the broader wildfire picture is very different from the one often portrayed in daily news reports.

US Bombing Campaign Effectiveness In Doubt As Iranians Rebuild At Rapid Pace

ZeroHedge

Everything from roads to bridges to tunnel entrances have also be restored at surprising speeds, which also suggests the US bombings have had a rallying effect among civic workers and the broader population in support of the nation and the government. WSJ offers but one example as follows: "Near Kangavar, in western Iran, satellite imagery from Planet Labs in March showed two tunnel entrances and an access road damaged by airstrikes aimed at blocking access to an Iranian missile base. Within weeks, imagery from Airbus revealed a neatly paved road leading to freshly excavated entrances."

Yet Another Wildberries Facility - Russia's Amazon - Goes Up In Flames After Ukraine Drone Strike

ZeroHedge

NBC News has noted, "Wildberries, whose banking arm had sanctions imposed on it by the European Union this week over its financial contribution to the Russian budget, plays a central role in Russia’s consumer economy." "Its targeting by Ukraine appears to be part of Kyiv’s attempts to ensure ordinary Russians feel the impact of the war which has raged on Ukrainian territory for more than four years," the report adds.

The United Nations Has Run Out Of Alibis

The Epoch Times

Institutions built to prevent atrocities eventually face the question of what they actually protect. For the United Nations, voting patterns, internal investigations and its own decisions this year no longer support the fiction of neutrality. An UNRWA school in Gaza sat above a Hamas tunnel shaft and three anti-tank positions, and its own principal was on the payroll of both institutions at once - a fact that American investigators, not the UN, brought to light.

The United Nations Has Run Out Of Alibis

The Epoch Times

Institutions built to prevent atrocities eventually face the question of what they actually protect. For the United Nations, voting patterns, internal investigations and its own decisions this year no longer support the fiction of neutrality. An UNRWA school in Gaza sat above a Hamas tunnel shaft and three anti-tank positions, and its own principal was on the payroll of both institutions at once - a fact that American investigators, not the UN, brought to light.

Four Republicans Side with Democrats to Kill NDAA Amendment Banning Trans-Identifying People from Military Service

Breitbart

The House rejected an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Tuesday that would codify President Donald Trump’s executive order banning transgender-identifying people from military service. Four Republicans joined Democrats to kill the amendment, sponsored by Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), by a slim margin of 212-217. The four Republicans who voted with Democrats are Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Mike Lawler (R-NY) — who both represents districts that voted for Kamala Harris — and Reps. James Moylan from Guam and Kimberlyn King-Hinds from the Northern Mariana Islands.

Watch: Ukraine, Iran Tensions Run High In Rare Rubio-Lavrov Meeting

ZeroHedge

Lavrov underscored in the meeting "the unacceptability of further arming" Ukraine and accused European countries of pursuing Russia's "strategic defeat." The Kremlin has of late warned the West of its growing direct involvement in targeting Russian energy sits as part of Ukraine's long-range drone operations, which have unleashed serious damage on oil production and export infrastructure.

IRGC To Trump: Strike Iran's Infrastructure, We'll Shut Off The Gulf's Power

ZeroHedge

More Tanker Attacks: Iran-backed Houthi militants said they targeted two Saudi Arabian tankers in the Red Sea Trump ultimatum: Trump vowed the US will strike an Iranian bridge or power plant after every Iranian attack on shipping. Iran responds: The IRGC threatened to hit Gulf energy infrastructure if Iranian infrastructure is attacked, saying it will cut off electricity among US allies. Latest Gulf missile attacks: Iran claimed attacks on US-linked targets in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan. Nuclear tensions: Iran denied nuclear activity at Pickaxe Mountain, calling US claims a 'fabricated pretext' for attack. Oil climbs: Renewed Gulf attacks and shipping threats continued to lift oil prices.

"He Was Very Close To Being Arrested": Epstein's Paris Model Scout Found Dead At Home, Weeks After CNN Appearance

ZeroHedge

officially, nobody knows anything yet. Siad's lawyer told Reuters that "Daniel Siad never stopped proclaiming his innocence" - and that her client died of a heart attack. To AFP, she was more careful, saying that if it was a heart attack, the strain and anxiety of the case will have played its part. The autopsy, presumably, will referee. And if that first statement sounds familiar, it should: when Jean-Luc Brunel was found dead in 2022, his lawyers announced that "Jean-Luc Brunel never stopped declaring his innocence." The French defense bar evidently keeps the line on file.

Drone War Enters Terrifying New Phase As Russia Deploys 300-MPH Jet-Powered Shahed

ZeroHedge

Dramatic footage posted on X shows what appears to be a Russian Geran-4 jet-powered, one-way attack drone striking a passenger train in Ukraine. If authenticated, the footage shows just how rapidly drone warfare is evolving beyond conventional two-stroke power plants toward miniature turbojets that sharply increase speed, compress warning and response times, potentially render many existing small-drone interceptors ineffective, and accelerate the overall tempo of combat across modern battlefields.

'Going Dark': The High-Tech Tricks Behind Illegal Chinese Fishing In The Pacific

The Epoch Times

The interception of a Chinese vessel accused of illegal fishing highlights the technical lengths many use to remain undetected across millions of square kilometres of open ocean. Tuvalu Police operating on a Sea Shepherd patrol boat boarded and arrested a Chinese longliner, the Lu Rong Yuan Yu 138, on July 9 for allegedly illegally operating within the small South Pacific nation's waters.

Zelensky Boasts Of Hits On 3 Russian 'Shadow Fleet' Tankers After Kiev Military Depot Leveled

ZeroHedge

Russia overnight and into early Sunday morning unleashed what Ukrainian officials have described as its largest barrage of ballistic missiles focused on Kiev of the war. Among the key targets was a large complex owned and operated by UKRTAC, a Ukrainian producer of military gear and personal protective equipment. Its manufacturing facilities and warehouses in the capital were destroyed in the assault.