 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 My son has narrated the last book I wrote.
Please consider listening to it and encouraging others to do so too. (Click on Book Cover) World & Nation US Sending Fresh Carrier to Mideast Amid War Strain The U.S. is preparing to send the USS George Washington aircraft carrier to the Middle East to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln after an unusually long deployment that has fueled concerns about conditions for sailors, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. The George Washington’s deployment is part of a previously scheduled rotation and was planned before lawmakers raised concerns about conditions aboard the Lincoln, according to U.S. officials cited by the Journal. The Lincoln began its scheduled deployment in November before being redirected to the Middle East in January ahead of the U.S. war with Iran. Its aircraft played a key role in Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. bombing campaign against Iran, and the carrier has since taken part in the blockade of Iranian ports, according to the Journal.
Trump orders Bessent to cripple Iran’s economy Donald Trump has been unsuccessful in almost every move he has made to bring the war with Iran to a close. A sustained bombing campaign didn’t work. Neither did threats to wipe out Tehran’s entire civilisation or its energy infrastructure. The US president is stuck, leading Republicans into the midterms weighed down by a Middle Eastern conflict of his own making, despite campaigning to end foreign wars. Reluctant to resume all-out war, and apparently without the resources to do so, he has turned to one man to drag the Americans out of the quagmire: Scott Bessent. Dozens of countries, including the United Kingdom, condemn Iran's execution of protestors More than 30 countries, including the United Kingdom, France and Canada, have issued a joint statement condemning Iran's practice of executing people who participated in protests earlier this year against the regime. The countries, with the addition of European Union's top diplomat, said they "condemn in the strongest terms the ongoing executions of protesters and use of the death penalty by the Islamic Republic of Iran." "The use of capital punishment to silence dissent, intimidate communities, and punish individuals exercising their human rights can never be justified," they added. "The people of Iran must be free to exercise their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly without fear." Female assassin kills Ukraine submarine commander who defected to Russia A former Ukrainian submarine commander who had defected to Russia has been killed by a bomb planted by a female assassin. Robert Mansurovich Shageev, who was wanted for high treason by Kyiv, is believed to have been the target of the attack. A woman, 32, was arrested in Sevastopol on suspicion of carrying out the bombing on behalf of Ukrainian special services. Russia’s Federal Security Service said the woman was a Russian national, state news agency Tass reported. She planted an explosive device in a bin while the officer walked down a staircase in Stoletovsky Avenue, Telegram channels linked to the security services reported. Ukraine just pulled off a strategic master stroke on Russia in the Black Sea using drones — Putin has a problem Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the strikes in a statement, describing them as a “unique operation” against the “last major stronghold of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea.” The strikes complicate Russian planning after much of its Black Sea Fleet was moved to Novorossiysk to protect its high-value assets following repeated Ukrainian strikes at the historic Sevastopol base. The latest attack affected more than just another Russian port. Ukraine struck a location that Moscow now relies upon to protect its surviving naval assets - and it’s clear that refuge is no longer safe. In a statement issued on X, accompanied by dramatic video footage showing the aftermath of the strikes, Zelenskyy described how Ukrainian forces conducted a strike on the “last major stronghold of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea, more than 300 kilometers from the front line.” Sirens blare and the streets empty out. Taiwan prepares itself for war “Missile attack. Seek immediate shelter,” flashes the alert on my phone. It’s the middle of the day in bustling Taipei, but the streets are empty and the shops have pulled down their shutters. Air raid sirens ring out and a second message tells me that simulated air attacks on the country’s communications infrastructure have cut the mobile internet. None of my WhatsApp messages or emails are loading. The online apps on my phone won’t work. This is what could happen if China attacked Taiwan. But today, luckily, this is only a drill. Prince William will be 'ruthless to the Sussexes' when he takes the crown King Charles has been accommodating to Prince Harry and his family, inviting the Sussexes to swing by Highgrove for a visit, but when it comes to Prince William, it is quite the opposite. And it's going to get worse when William takes the throne, according to the folks over at News24, who broached the topic of what's to happen when Charles' passes. William is the heir apparent and it is very common for the reigning monarch's passing to be discussed and planned for, similar to the blueprint for Queen Elizabeth II's death, which was referred to as Operation London Bridge. When asked about what to expect, News 24 Lifestyle Reporter Chloe Walker said: "Prince William will be ruthless to the Sussexes when he takes the crown." According to Walker, William is "livid" that Harry is being welcomed back into the fold by his father, and he is not shy to voice his concerns, which is reportedly causing tension between the two. Luigi Mangione expected to plead guilty to federal charges in assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Luigi Mangione is expected to plead guilty Friday in his federal case tied to his alleged execution of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson — in an apparent bid to dodge a life sentence, sources confirmed to the Post. The 28-year-old accused killer — who is set to appear at a morning hearing in Manhattan federal court — is charged in the federal case with two counts of stalking resulting in death stemming from his alleged December 2024 cold-blooded murder of the powerful executive on a Manhattan sidewalk. Mangione would still likely face a potential life sentence if he were to plead guilty in federal court, but would hope that US District Judge Margaret Garnett doles out a lesser sentence, according to sources familiar with the matter. Such a deal could end up crippling a separate state case — where a trial is set to start on Sept. 8 — because of New York’s rules against double jeopardy, or being tried twice for the same crime. Man who carried Clinton nuclear 'football' reveals what 'scares the hell out of me' about Air Force One story Retired Air Force Lt Col Robert Patterson suspects someone 'highly placed' leaked story of Trump's Air Force One swap A retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who carried the nuclear "football" for former President Bill Clinton says the extraordinary Air Force One shell game departing Ankara, Turkey, last month to protect President Donald Trump from a potential attack was hardly unprecedented. "It was brilliant," retired Lt. Col. Robert "Buzz" Patterson told Fox News Digital. "I wish I had been a part of it. That's how well done it was." But Patterson is warning that exposing the vital national security secrets behind such operations could put presidents, military personnel and the White House press corps in danger for years to come. DiJonai Carrington hits two players across the face, receives technical foul after Sophie Cunningham drama The Chicago Sky guard poked Zandalasini in the eye and caught Hayes in the mouth against Golden State Chicago Sky guard DiJonai Carrington swears that she isn't a dirty player, but her actions on the court aren't exactly helping that narrative. Carrington made major headlines last week by committing a very hard foul on Sophie Cunningham during a layup attempt that left the Indiana Fever star with a bloody mouth. Carrington was ejected from the contest after the foul was determined to be a Flagrant 2, and shortly after being tossed from the contest, posted "WHITE PRIVILEGE" on her Instagram Threads account, insinuating skin color played a role in the decision. Fast-forward just four days after the foul and controversy involving Cunningham, and Carrington was back on the floor making contact with players' faces. During Chicago's 91-71 loss to the Golden State Valkyries on Wednesday, Carrington was guarding Cecilia Zandalasini on the perimeter, and while swiping at the ball, caught the Golden State forward in the eye. WH: Losing $26 Billion From Tariff Dodgers The Trump White House said in a new report on Thursday that countries are routing their exports through third countries to avoid U.S. tariffs, estimating that there are tax revenue losses of $19 billion to $26 billion annually. The report specifically highlights that China responded to new tariffs in 2018 by sending their goods to other nations ranging from Mexico to Malaysia for packaging and limited assembly — a practice known as transshipping. That pattern made it look like U.S. imports from China had dropped, but enabled Beijing to continue growing its manufacturing sector in ways that could challenge U.S. factories and employment.
Paramount May Leave Calif. in October, Mulls N.Y. Move Facing what it sees as a highly politicized effort by a coalition of state attorneys general to block its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount is considering moving operations out of California as early as October and could relocate CBS News from New York as well. Paramount has also been mulling the appointment of an independent board to oversee CNN and other news operations. Paramount Chief Legal Officer Makan Delrahim publicly acknowledged Tuesday that leaving California is among the company's options as it fights the antitrust lawsuit brought by California and 11 other states. After US Criticism, Israel Ties Lebanon Withdrawal to Hezbollah Disarmament Israel won't withdraw from southern Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed, the defense minister said on Thursday, qualifying remarks he made a day earlier that had suggested Israeli forces would occupy the territory indefinitely and drew U.S. criticism. Israel seized a swath of south Lebanon during a war with Hezbollah earlier this year and has said it will keep forces there to shield northern Israel from attack by the Iran-backed group, which ignited the latest hostilities when it opened fire at Israel two days into the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Israel's offensive uprooted hundreds of thousands of Lebanese, most of them members of Hezbollah's Shi'ite Muslim constituency. Four ways to harden America's power grid before our global enemies strike Advanced militaries and societies like the US have more to lose from attacks on our energy than less electrified countries By Alan R. Howard , Brenda Shaffer
Since World War II, the U.S. military has benefitted from uncontested strategic logistics, including energy supplies. This is no longer the case. The cyberattacks Iran conducted on U.S. water supply sites in at least seven states were not carried out in isolation. In keeping with its longstanding military doctrine, Iranian representatives have recently threatened to target American domestic energy supplies and other strategic infrastructure. China and Russia also include attacks on American and allied energy infrastructure in their war doctrines, and it’s past time to prepare accordingly. America must take the following four steps to protect its energy from Iran and other adversary threats. Habitual liar Hunter Biden used Tucker Carlson’s platform to lie some more about his ‘laptop from hell’ By Miranda Devine
For Hunter and Joe Biden, lying becomes so habitual they eventually lose grip on reality. Joe had power so people were inclined to believe his fabrications. Hunter is a former crack addict, deadbeat dad and pardoned felon so the only people he can get to swallow his lies are podcasters hungry for views. Hence his newfound fame, this week courtesy of Tucker Carlson. The degenerate former first son shapeshifts to suit the proclivities of each interviewer, so he played to Carlson’s newfound paranoia about Israel, insinuating “Netanyahu” or “Mossad” were involved in hacking/stealing/fabricating his laptop/cloud, even though he previously blamed Russia. My colleague Steven Nelson has already listed some of the flagrant lies in the interview. Garrett Ziegler of nonprofit Marco Polo is set to release a video listing 100 lies. It’s a tiresome but necessary task to ensure Hunter doesn’t rewrite history as delusion with the help of his new media friends. |
|