The seven-week Iran war, currently on pause due to an extended ceasefire, has raised alarm in Washington over the question of how fast the US has burned through its missile interceptor stockpile.
The two-week ceasefire, having just been extended, provided an opportunity for both sides to restock and regroup. A fresh analysis from the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) finds the US military tore through nearly half its Patriot interceptor inventory while heavily draining multiple other critical missile stockpiles.
At least two fully laden Iranian tankers slip past US naval blockade, amid reports of more going dark, BBG reports, but Pentagon denies.
Reports of three more Iranian tankers being seized by US in Asian waters. Iran in turn seizes 2 more ships in Hormuz, citing "dangerous navigation".
Trump extends ceasefire by 3-5 days, per White House statement to Fox. Third US carrier precisely 3-5 day away from Mideast waters: Fox
IRGC seized the MSC Francesca and a Greek-owned ship named Euphoria, which had been attempting to transit the Hormuz chokepoint earlier today. Within hours, a third ship comes under fire by the IRGC.
Senior Iranian adviser says the US naval blockade is "no different than bombing" and must be met "with a military response".
Competing narratives emerge over what Iran calls "fake news" as Trump hails "release" of 8 Iranian women said to be facing death penalty.
Mr Baker, a former FBI employee named Kyle Seraphin and Kentucky representative Thomas Massie also pushed the accusation, saying FBI Director Kash and other FBI officials were lying and an innocent guy was arrested. The arrested suspect, Brian J. Cole, Jr., confessed to the crimes.
At the center of this new security effort to fortify the airspace above Prince Sultan Air Base against low-cost Iranian one-way attack drones is Sky Map, a Ukrainian command-and-control platform used to detect incoming drones. The coordinated response to Shaheds is the use of interceptor drones.
The Wall Street Journal has verified something that Iraqi officials themselves were denying just days ago: the US is blocking Iraq's regular dollar shipments in order to pressure it's Iran-backed militias.
It continued, "In fact, the Iranian-flagged tankers are anchored in Chah Bahar, Iran, after being intercepted by U.S. forces earlier this week. Dorena has been under the escort of a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Indian Ocean after previously attempting to violate the blockade."
Earlier even Bloomberg alleged that two Iranian fully laden tankers breached the US blockade. Amid two competing and contradictory narratives, the fog of war remains thick, making it difficult to assess which version is ultimately correct.
This has resulted in the US embassy in Beirut issuing an urgent renewed security alert, urging US citizens to depart Lebanon while commercial flight options are still available.
Neither side wants to appear 'weak' by flying to Pakistan first without the other side having already clearly committed. Trump warns: 'Expect...bombs' & urges Tehran "release women" said to be on death row.
Overnight, US forces conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding of the stateless sanctioned M/T Tifani in Indo-Pac region: CENTCOM
As just 12 ships have gone through Hormuz Strait in last 24 hours, Iran claims one of its own made it past the US naval blockade. CENTOM says 28 turned around.
For an institution that prides itself on its confidentiality and insularity, the Court is looking increasingly porous and partisan in these leaks. Worse yet, people are indeed coming to the Court “to see the umpires.”
The most recent leak was published by the New York Times, which was given internal memos from various Supreme Court justices on the use of what is known as the “shadow docket” to issue rulings without oral arguments.
The announcement came after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio led the rare talks between the countries in Washington on April 14—the first time leaders from the neighboring countries met in-person in the U.S. Capitol in 34 years.
President Pezeshkian cites "historical distrust" and states on X: "they seek Iran's surrender. Iranians do not submit to force."
Vance intends to depart Tuesday to Pakistan, though still unclear whether Iranians will join - Pakistanis say yes, but timeline is fluid. Trump warns "nobody's playing games" & "lots of bombs will go off" if no deal (PBS)
Xi to Saudi crown prince important phone call: "the first time the Chinese leader had called for the reopening of the strategically vital waterway."
Ethane is a natural gas liquid primarily used to produce ethylene, a key building block for plastics, and China depends almost entirely on the US for supply. The product became a political flashpoint between Beijing and Washington last year after the US tightened export controls during a bitter trade war.
The carrier is rejoining an expanding US military buildup in the region - with the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group already deployed, and the USS George H.W. Bush expected to soon join, which would bring the number of US carriers in the Middle East to three.
Radev, a eurosceptic former fighter pilot, built his campaign around calls for pragmatic ties with Moscow, resumption of Russian energy supplies and an end to military aid for Ukraine.
The Iranian crew refused to listen, so our Navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engineroom.
Right now, U.S. Marines have custody of the vessel.
Europe faces an imminent jet fuel crisis as the Iran war and Hormuz disruption cut off key Middle Eastern supplies.
Long-term refinery closures and rising import dependence have left Europe highly exposed, with limited alternatives and growing competition from Asia.
Airlines are already cutting capacity and warning of higher fares, with potential flight cancellations looming as fuel shortages intensify.
US officials: War may resume if no peace talks breakthrough: Axios
Two Iranian gunboats Open Fire on a tanker near Oman; 2nd tanker hit by 'unknown projectile'.
India summons Iranian ambassador to condemn incident
Pentagon prepared to expand anti-vessel action, signals prepared to board Iran-linked ships globally
Friday: Hormuz Open; Saturday: Hormuz Closed
Trump: Iran wanted to close up Strait again, can't blackmail us
On Friday, Trump declared the US had "prohibited" further Israeli strikes just as the administration-brokered 10-day ceasefire with Lebanon kicked in. The US President was unusually harsh in rhetoric with America's longtime #1 Mideast ally, writing on Truth Social that "enough is enough".
The Trump administration renewed a key sanctions waiver on April 17, allowing countries to purchase Russian oil stranded at sea, responding to urgent pressure from Asian nations battered by skyrocketing energy costs. [Putin wins again]
the Foreign Secretary conveyed India's deep concern at the shooting incident earlier today involving two Indian-flagged ships in the Strait of Hormuz," the statement from India said. The full statement, which is still somewhat tame in its rhetoric in light of the fact that what the Indian vessel thought was an "approved" transit came under direct attack:
Two gay men in Nashville recorded themselves taunting the baby they obtained through surrogacy as he cried desperately for his mother. The now viral clip has ignited fury across X.
The clip opens with one man asking the infant, “Who do you want, Dada or Pop?” The baby responds, “Mama.” The man replies, “No, there is no mama,” and the baby cries.
The plan involves replacing older satellites with newer third-generation models and adjusting their orbits to improve worldwide coverage. The system will be streamlined from 50 to 37 active satellites, most operating in medium Earth orbit like GPS and Europe’s Galileo.
Donald Trump announced today that a Lebanon–Israel meeting has been set, presenting it as a diplomatic step forward and hinting at talks “at the level of leaders.” On the surface, it is packaged as de-escalation. In reality, it is the language of urgency from Washington, trying to contain the wider Iran crisis before it spins out of control. Such a meeting gives Israel nothing it has failed to seize by force, brings Netanyahu no closer to any meaningful war aim, and will not erase Hezbollah from the battlefield, the government, or parliament. It reveals the opposite: not Israeli success, but the failure of war to produce the political outcome Israel wanted, and the growing American need to disguise that failure as diplomacy. A staged photo or a phone conversation between Lebanese and Israeli decision-makers, officials, whatever their rank, cannot erase the domestic image of Netanyahu’s defeat, especially when every other party involved rushes to declare victory.
Federal health officials have renewed and revised the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee charter, broadening membership criteria and increasing focus on vaccine safety and injury. The changes come amid ongoing legal disputes and scrutiny over the committee’s structure and direction.
The House passed H.R. 1689 by a vote of 224-204. The bill would codify Temporary Protected Status – known as TPS – for more than 350,000 Haitian nationals until April 2029. TPS is a government program that grants foreign nationals work permits and protection from deportation during a crisis in their home country. It was designed to be temporary. It has become a backdoor amnesty.
If the allegations are true, former Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., is slime. He represents the worst variety: the kind who lectures the world about morality while living in the gutter. Multiple women have accused him of sexual assault, claiming he preyed on them when they were too intoxicated to consent.
A top government doctor who declined to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in 2021 was worried he would lose his job and medical license in retaliation, according to newly obtained emails.
Federal prosecutors deliberately withheld evidence while pursuing cases against individuals who protested at abortion clinics, according to a new Department of Justice (DOJ) report released on Tuesday.
The recent strikes conducted by the US over the past month surprised many around the world, but data from transporters refueling flights provided valuable information about their locations.
CENTCOM: "During the first 24 hours, no ships made it past the U.S. blockade & 6 merchant vessels complied with direction from US forces to turn around to re-enter an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman," it said.
Diplomacy is not yet dead, as Bloomberg reports Iran is mulling a short-term pause to shipments through Hormuz Strait. Trump tells NYP talks could happen again in two days in Pakistan.
Mediators are scrambling to put together another round of US-Iran talks in the coming days: Iran is reportedly offering a 5-year moratorium on nuclear program, while US demands 20.
Across the U.K., motorists face record-breaking fuel costs at the gas pump as the Gulf energy shock ripples around the world. One of the clearest second-order effects now emerging is a surge in petrol station thefts, spanning from organized crime gangs to even drivers in exotic cars simply filling up and driving off.
Iran's military says the US blockade on Gulf ports, now in effect, is an "illegal" act tantamount to "piracy" as Trump is also weighing limited strikes on Iran. Trump warns Iranian fast boats to be 'eliminated'.
US military says it is enforcing the blockade in the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea, Reuters reports. No major incidents or acts of aggression reported, hours into US operation.
Pundits review breakdown of Pakistan talks, where the "gaps were enormous" - and yet Iran's FM says the sides were "inches away" from an "Islamabad MoU".
Tehran has meanwhile accused Washington of making "excessive demands" - with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi having alleged negotiations collapsed because the US changed its position late in the process.
"In intensive talks at the highest level in 47 years, Iran engaged with the US in good faith to end war," he earlier wrote on X. He added: “But when just inches away from ‘Islamabad [Memorandum of Understanding],’ we encountered maximalism, shifting goalposts, and blockade. Zero lessons [l]earned."
After 19 ships went through the Strait in either direction on Sunday - the most since the early stages of the war - the momentum reversed by Monday morning. Only four were observed passing on Monday: a single liquefied petroleum gas carrier was sighted entering the Gulf, and three small fuel tankers were raced to exit just hours before the blockade took effect at 10 a.m. New York time.
Don’t take my word for it. Researchers in Finland published a groundbreaking study in the peer-reviewed pediatric journal Acta Paediatrica, which pretty much destroyed the notion that “gender reassignment” surgeries and treatments help gender-confused kids.
According to the study, the surgeries and treatments may, in fact, be making things worse.
US-Iran peace talks have broken down over Iran's commitment to no nuclear weapons, Vance said "it's bad news for Iran, much more than for the US."
CENTCOM confirms two mine-sweepers are clearing the Strait, Iran claims it turned the warships back.
The SSS is a tiny agency being given unprecedented authority to demand access to data from all other Federal agencies. The attempt to register potential draftees “automatically” will be a large, complex exercise in data collection, data sharing, and data matching between the SSS and other agencies.
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a strategic defense agreement last year involving joint deployments, intelligence sharing, and coordinated responses to regional threats.
The pact commits both states to treat any attack on one as an attack on both, allowing the Gulf kingdom to benefit from the protection afforded by Pakistan's nuclear weapons arsenal.
"Israel under my leadership will continue to fight Iran’s terror regime and its proxies," Netanyahu wrote on X. He then turned to blasting Erdogan for "accommodating" Iran and being responsible for "massacres" of Kurdish citizens.
Ever since the Gaza war began well over two years ago, Turkey and Israel have been locked in a bitter war of words which at times included sanctions and a regional trade war.
The Sunrise Movement describes itself as an anti-Trump ‘climate revolution’ group that advocates socialism and an end to the two-party political system.
The wait is over: after the Persian Gulf side of the Hormuz Strait had turned into a bit of a parking lot late last week as tankers piled up hoping to use the ceasefire and make the crossing, two Chinese supertankers loaded with crude sailed through the Strait of Hormuz hours after a Greek vessel moved through the waterway, marking a significant uptick in oil shipping traffic. It represents the biggest day of oil exits through Hormuz since the war caused traffic through the waterway to all but halt six weeks ago. More importantly, none of the ships are carrying Iranian oil or have obvious, direct links to the country.
If Israeli bombs on Lebanon start flying again, this could re-trigger Iranian attacks on Israel. The Houthis in Yemen have also threatened to act, and all of this could collapse the fragile US-Iran ceasefire, amid impending talks expected to begin in Pakistan on Saturday.
The PiS politician asks Brussels what safeguards will exist to ensure that Europol "remains an agency supporting member states and not an authority exercising direct police powers"
US, Iran agree to meet for first direct talks in Islamabad. Situation fragile given that Iran is threatening to hit Israel again over IDF's massive Lebanon airstrikes. Tehran says 3 clauses already violated.
China's manufacturing base is now churning out short-range, low-cost kamikaze drones priced at under $500 per unit, which X user PLA Military Updates has described as "Baby Shahed" drones.
Colorado’s tourism slogan, “it’s our nature,” has a menacing meaning for free speech advocates. Colorado is now arguably the most anti-free speech state in the union, pushing an array of measures attacking those with opposing social and political views. The irony is that the state has proved a bonanza for free speech with spectacular legal failures that reaffirmed rather than restricted the First Amendment. Now, the Democratic legislature and governor are back with new unconstitutional measures, including a requirement that lawyers not share information with federal immigration officials as a condition for filing with state courts.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi followed up Trump’s announcement with a statement on behalf of the Supreme National Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran, expressing gratitude to the Pakistani officials for their work to reach a cease-fire.
“If attacks against Iran are halted, our Powerful Armed Forces will cease their defensive operations,” the statement said. “For a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran’s Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations.”
Araghchi said the decision was in response to a 15-point peace proposal from Pakistan and Trump’s comments on Iran’s 10-point proposal.
If civilians can be trusted to carry firearms, military personnel certainly can. As Hegseth noted, “Uniformed service members are trained at the highest and unwavering standards.”
Why would a soldier risk such severe penalties? Because those penalties do not deter attackers. Someone planning to murder fellow soldiers will not stop because of gun laws.
Sources described Ghost Murmur as able to detect something as faint as a human heartbeat's magnetic signal at long distances in complex environments using AI to filter through the noise.
President Trump and CIA Director John Ratcliffe hinted at the new super-surveillance tool at a White House press conference on Monday afternoon. This was Ghost Murmur's first operational field use, or at least the first publicly known one.
Angry crowds stormed the Kuwaiti consulate in Iraq's southern Basra governorate on Tuesday after rockets which came from the direction of Kuwait killed three people, according to police sources cited by Reuters and Al Arabiya.
“We won’t merely accept a ceasefire,” Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, head of Iran’s diplomatic mission in Cairo, said in remarks to the Associated Press.
“We only accept an end to the war with guarantees that we won’t be attacked again.”
Axios cites "glimmer" of progress on negotiations.
In a call with FOX's Bret Baier, Trump says 8 PM deadline today "could change if negotiations move forward, but sticking to deadline for now."
Kharg Island heavily bombed in preparation for potential US Marine/Special Forces ground seizure. Reports of 'human chains' at bridges, power plants, in Iran forming.
Israel has begun attacking Iran's railway infrastructure, telling civilians to not take trains, cancelations across country. IRGC still defiant - announces new retaliatory attacks on petrochemical plants in eastern Saudi Arabia.
Iran's 10-point counter to the US 15-point ceasefire shows signs of willingness to compromise ('reparations' from US dropped as a demand). Vance says war will end "very shortly". Russia, China veto UNSC Hormuz resolution.
The real cost could be much, much higher given that at this point dozens of ultra-expensive aircraft and radars have been knocked out by Iran's ongoing retaliation, and as the US has begun high risk incursions into the region and into Iranian territory itself.
Axios in a report days ago highlighted that "The U.S. is dedicating significant amounts of firepower to the Middle East as it wrestles with Iran. Some of it — billions of dollars' worth, in fact — will not be returning."
The U.S. military encountered terrain-related problems during the weekend recovery efforts in Iran, Trump said. Wet, sandy conditions made it too difficult for the large planes—which carried rescue personnel and equipment—to take off from the ground, he said.
“We had a contingency plan, which was unbelievable, where lighter, faster aircraft came in, and they took them out. We blew up the old planes,” Trump said.
The British American political commentator and entrepreneur is running on what he calls “commonsense ideas,” such as cutting gas taxes, in a state in which the average price for a gallon of gas is nearly $2 more than the national average. He is also calling for cutting electric bills in half, and making homes more affordable by exempting the first $100,000 of home value from taxes.
“I’m grateful for the president’s support. Together, we can turn things around and make California truly Golden Again,” Hilton said.
Equipped with a laser pointer for improved accuracy, the device – also called a Gauss gun – uses electromagnetic coils to accelerate metal projectiles at high speeds, miniaturizing technology previously limited to larger military systems.
Trump threatens "Iran can be taken out in one night... maybe tomorrow"; Warns 'every bridge and power plant' will be destroyed
WSJ reports US military is making preparations for potential strikes on energy targets in Iran
A Sunday night Axios report on a US-proposed 45-day ceasefire has by Monday morning been rejected by Iran, which later on Monday issued a 10-point letter via Pakistan.
Israel strikes large petrochemical plant at South Pars, which is responsible for half of the country’s petrochemical production.
Second downed pilot recovered after US Special Forces raid and firefight inside Iran.
Fire Breaks Out At Kuwait Oil Ministry Complex After Iran Drone Strike
President Trump reminds Iran of deal timeline, threatens "all hell will reign down" if time runs out.
Pfizer and German vax maker BioNTech had sought to research an updated version of the vaccine in adults ages 50 to 64, but were unable to generate the data needed due to the low enrollment in the trials, Reuters reported.
The Colorado law, passed in 2019, forbids therapists from any practice or treatment “that attempts to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity,” or “eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions toward individuals of the same sex.”
Kaley Chiles, a licensed therapist, challenged the law in 2022, saying it violated her First Amendment free speech rights. After losing in lower courts, the Supreme Court ruled in her favor in an 8–1 decision that may impact similar laws in 26 other states.
The semi-official Tasnim News Agency, citing an IRGC statement, said the aircraft was an F-35 and published images it said showed parts of the wreckage. The outlet added that the pilot’s fate remains unknown and claimed U.S. forces were seen conducting a search operation in the area using Black Hawk helicopters and a C-130 Hercules aircraft.
Trump to declare Iran war is winding down and others need to resolve Hormuz
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has released an open letter to the American people, questioning whether Washington is truly putting “America First” or merely acting as a “proxy for Israel” willing to fight “to the last American soldier.”... Oil tanker leased to QatarEnergy was struck by an Iranian cruise missile in Qatari waters Wednesday.
IRGC has newly vowed to keep attacking with "full intensity and power" - suggesting this is far from over, as ceasefire talks remain theater lacking in much substance. Ayatollah praises Hezbollah in written statement.
The Feeding Our Future fraud is the largest pandemic-relief theft in American history - $250 million stolen, mostly by Somali immigrants who fabricated meal counts and pocketed federal child nutrition funds.
The prosecutions have dragged on for years.
Now that sentences are finally coming down, a troubling pattern is emerging: the punishments don’t seem to fit the crime.
The surge of additional Warthogs, as many as 18, on top of the roughly dozen A-10s already operating in the region, has already been used to sink Iranian boats in the Hormuz chokepoint and strike Iran-backed militias in Iraq, according to the NYT, citing DoW officials. The expanded fleet suggests a broader aviation campaign in and around Hormuz and could even play a critical role in supporting a potential seizure of Kharg Island, Iran's main oil hub in the northern Persian Gulf.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Allison Burroughs invalidated the Trump administration’s decision to end the immigration parole status of migrants who entered the country under the Biden-era CBP Home policy.
Between 2013 and 2025, these nine vessels delivered 20.3 million barrels of Iranian crude to Chinese ports, the report said, citing data from Kpler. The vessels also carried 37.9 million barrels of Venezuelan crude and 11.1 million barrels of Russian crude to Chinese ports.
He said that all communication concerning diplomacy and the war is routed through the Foreign Ministry and overseen by the National Security Council. They have neither responded to reported US proposals nor submitted their own, stressing that no decision on talks has been made. Instead of a ceasefire, Iran is calling for a full regional end to the war, along with guarantees against future attacks and compensation for damages.
However, in a motion filed Friday, Robinson's attorneys disclosed that they had received an ATF summary report with an unexpected finding. "Regarding the firearm evidence, the defense has been provided with an ATF summary report which indicates that the ATF was unable to identify the bullet recovered at autopsy to the rifle allegedly tied to Mr. Robinson," the motion reads. The defense added, “Although the State has not indicated an intent to produce this report at the preliminary hearing, the defense may very well decide to offer the testimony of the ATF firearm analyst as exculpatory evidence.”
he said bluntly: "I am sure Russia wants long war. They have benefits: The US is focusing on the Middle East and may decrease military help to Ukraine.
Further he highlighted that "Sanctions are partially lifted" on Russian energy and so "I see only benefits for Russia from the war with Iran continuing."
The overnight Wall Street Journal report that President Trump told aides he is willing to wind down the U.S. military campaign against Iran even if the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted (and appeared to confirm this narrative in a social media post this morning) comes just as the national average gasoline price hit the politically sensitive $4-a-gallon threshold, underscoring the delicate balancing act the administration is facing in managing battlefield objectives and domestic fuel costs.
While both sides suffer great losses in this protracted conflict, America’s biggest geopolitical rival – China – seems to be gaining palpable economic and strategic benefits from the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Challenges to Petrodollar and Yuan’s Rise against U.S. Dollar
Foreigners are responsible for half of gang rapes, 65% of sexual violence in German trains and train stations, and 40% of violent incidents in the school system
The UK has heavily relied on jet fuel transiting the Hormuz chokepoint for several years after phasing out Russian supplies. Analysts warn that airlines may begin to feel the supply crunch in late April if disruptions in Hormuz persist.
As of Monday, northwest European jet fuel prices were roughly double prewar levels. In Asia, Singapore kerosene is trading at more than $200 a barrel, more than double the level at the start of the year.
"We’re ready for a ceasefire during the Easter holidays," Zelensky told reporters, describing that "normal people who respect life" would seek a permanent ceasefire. "But we’re ready for any compromises, except those involving our dignity and sovereignty," he added.
Trump reportedly told his aides he's willing to end the war without reopening the Strait of Hormuz
Iran struck a fully-laden Kuwaiti oil tanker in a Dubai port
Iran rejects 'excessive, illogical' US demands while Trump mentions 'progress' with a 'more reasonable regime'. Trump again threatens to destroy Iran energy sites and Kharg Island. Hundreds of US Special Forces arrive in region.
White House seriously considering ground operation to seize Iran's enriched uranium stockpile but also wants Tehran to negotiate handing it over willingly. Bessent: US will 'retake' Hormuz Strait 'over time'.
Bazan oil refinery in Israel's northern city of Haifa is on fire after a second apparent Iranian missile strike of the war. Trump says US response 'coming shortly'.
Iran accuses Israel of more 'false flags' - after Kuwait water desalination plant hit.
A Florida-based company is accelerating production of powerful systems that can counter small drone threats. VAMPIRE counter-unmanned systems (C-UxS) deliver precision strike capabilities against drones.
We start, as always, with Asia which has emerged as ground zero of the global energy crisis - as a reminder last week we first presented a map by JPMorgan's resident commodity expert who how the shockwave from the Iran war spreads across the world, hitting Asia first, then Africa and Europe, before settling on the US, but mostly California.
China occasionally likes to flex its dual-use robotic ground systems, with the latest footage showing quadruped machines that act as "robot wolves" with machine guns mounted on top, being trained for street battles.
The Iran war has been bad for Ukraine, and President Zelensky knows it. He's frequently been warning partners not to let the global focus on the latest Middle East war distract from supporting Kiev.
But President Trump himself made fresh remarks highlighting just this situation, signaling he's willing to reroute arms originally tied to Ukraine toward the Middle East theater against Iran, reinforcing the obvious and growing pivot in US priorities.
Democratic socialist Bernie Sanders on Friday afternoon, there was one common denominator among these "champagne" socialists: their obsession with living an affluent, elitist lifestyle, including flying first class.
The current Department of Justice is choosing to continue enforcing an unconstitutional legal theory being weaponized against gun owners by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
US signals to allies no ground invasion coming, with thousands of troops still en route: Iran denies requesting Donald Trump’s 10-day halt; Israel attacks steel & industrial sites. Also, Khondab Heavy Water Research Reactor, part of the Arak Nuclear Complex, targeted. Yellow Cake factory in Yazd province hit.
The United States and Israel are reportedly evaluating contingency plans for a limited ground component in Iran, centered on the potential deployment of approximately 12,000 elite troops, as the broader conflict that began with joint strikes on February 28, 2026 continues to evolve. According to multiple emerging assessments, the prospective operation would rely heavily on regional partnerships, proxy forces, and external financial backing rather than a large-scale unilateral invasion.
...The Times also found evidence that Chavez fathered four children with women who were not his wife. Chavez had eight children with his wife.
There was also evidence that Chavez pursued other women in the labor movement and that some of this behavior was known by the United Farm Workers. In its statement, however, the organization wrote that those revelations are news to it.
The International Olympic Committee announced Thursday that it would restrict women’s sports to biological females, as determined by a genetic test.
The policy will go into effect for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games onwards.
Malone said that members, who do not receive compensation, have not been treated well by the Trump administration, pointing to how Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) spokesman Andrew Nixon responded after Malone publicized how officials allegedly told members they would be reconstituting ACIP rather than appeal the judge’s ruling.
“I’m tired of thousands of hours of free labor for just chronic disrespect for all of us,” Malone said.
At least seven people were killed in Ukraine on Tuesday after Russia launched a truly massive drone attack that's said to be the largest of the four-year war. Counting both drones and cruise missiles, 979 warheads poured into Ukrainian airspace as diplomatic efforts at ending the war remain stalled and the world's attention focused almost entirely on the US-Israeli war on Iran.
As soon as the feds announced Jeffrey Epstein killed himself while awaiting prosecution on charges of sex trafficking, the popular reaction was disbelief: “Jeffrey Epstein didn’t kill himself” quickly became an internet meme. And now, with the release of the Epstein Files, it’s only become harder — if not all but impossible — to believe the official story that Jeffrey Epstein hanged himself in the Manhattan Correctional Center on August 10, 2019.
Despite a court order requiring the prison to preserve video surveillance footage near Epstein’s cell during the strangulation, federal prison officials failed to do so and also lost the backup due to “technical errors.”
Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) said on Tuesday that US airstrikes in Anbar, western Iraq, killed 15 of its fighters, including a senior commander.
the victory this week of Joseph E. Foreman, aka “Afroman,” in defending a lawsuit brought by police officers who raided his house. While perhaps lost in the theatrics, the Foreman verdict was a victory for free speech in protecting the right to parody government officials....Yes, Foreman is over-the-top in every respect. Yet, there was a method to the madness. Strip away the flag suit, the over-the-top lyrics, he had a point. Add the suit and the rap, he had an audience.
Commander of the 82nd Airborne Division Maj Gen Brandon Tegtmeier and his "command element" being sent to Middle East, Fox reports.
Backchannel diplomacy vs skepticism: Abbas Araghchi reportedly signaled openness to negotiations with the US via envoy Steve Witkoff, but Israel has appeared cool on deal prospects or offramp.
Heavy exchange of fire and testing red lines: Iran continues missile and drone waves targeting Israel and US bases, amid reports of overnight airstrikes on military and gas infrastructure near Isfahan.
Iran reshuffles its security leadership, appointing Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr: he's a former IRGC commander and replaces the assassinated Ali Larijani.
Iran halts natural gas exports to Turkey: follows last week's Israeli strike on the massive South Pars gas field.
A fire broke out at a diesel hydrotreater, with the unit suffering severe damage, according to people familiar with the incident. The fire was near the plant’s fluid catalytic cracker, and part of the refinery has been shut down, according to the people, who said a decision hasn’t yet been made whether to shut the entire plant.
According to the news agency, the building of a gas distribution station in Isfahan and a gas pipeline running to a power plant in Khorramshahr on the border with Iraq came under attack. No injuries have been reported. Material damage was caused to the infrastructure and adjacent residential buildings, the news agency specified.