⚡️Update: Major fire reported in St. Petersburg as Ukraine strikes second Wildberries logistics hub in city. Massive plumes of thick black smoke were seen billowing over parts of St. Petersburg on July 24 amid reports that a second Wildberries logistics hub had been struck in the city.

Major fire reported in St. Petersburg as Ukraine strikes Wildberries logistics hubs for fifth time in past week

Logistics centers belonging to Russia's largest online retailer, Wildberries, came under fire in the Russian cities of St. Petersburg, and Tver, as well as in the Russian-occupied Crimea overnight on ...

kyivindependent.com

Mr Trump has the US stuck in a quagmire. No way to force the Straits without significant US ground forces. 200,000 IRGC…600,000 Army. Doable. Stiff battle. A year. To what end? Iran is going nuclear within 5 years. No allies. No voter support. No strategy.

warontherocks.com/outgunned-bu... (A brilliant, objective analysis of the strategic disaster outcome of Trump’s war on Iran.)

Outgunned, But Not Outplayed: Iran's Theory of Victory

Nineteen weeks ago, Iran faced the combined might of the most powerful country in the world and the most advanced military in the Middle East. Today, it

warontherocks.com

Pete Hegseth toured a naval vessel, got upset that sailors had beard exemptions, and launched a Pentagon-wide crackdown. Iran hostilities just resumed with no end in sight. The Secretary of War's top priority is facial hair on Black men with a documented skin condition.

Pete Hegseth sends heads rolling after noticing his no-beard policy is going unenforced

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth noticed too many people were getting exemptions from his strict "no beards" crackdown while visiting a naval ship last month, CNN reported — and heads rolled over it....

rawstory.com

Mr Trump skillfully and publicly sets up his diplomatic approach to ending our failed war with Iran. Says Iranians are “scum.” “Sick people.” “Cuckoo.“ “Just a waste of time dealing with them.” Straits remain closed. Iran nuke program? Asks Congress for $70 billion first payment.

US Army Gen CD Donahue the most extraordinary combat leader in a generation. Brilliant. Fearless. Integrity. Inspirational leader. Fired by Sec Def Hegseth. Supported Ukraine defense against Putin criminal invasion.

Rachel Maddow@maddow.bsky.social · last mo.

“That’s a recipe not just for a politicized military, but an authoritarian military,” he said. “That’s the way militaries work in Russia and China and North Korea.” www.ms.now/rachel-maddo...

x.com/nytimes/stat... The Iranians are now going to stick garbage in Trump’s face. The US is in a very dangerous position. After 21,000 air sorties …. hard to imagine again using air campaign. Iran now owns the Straits. They now believe they must have nuclear weapons.

The New York Times (@nytimes) on X

Breaking News: Iran’s forces said they shut the Strait of Hormuz, citing Israeli attacks in Lebanon as a breach of the U.S. deal to end fighting on all fronts. Follow live updates. https://t.co/B1FZjV...

x.com

Trump end of Iran War a strategic disaster. Good the combat will stop. Good the oil will flow out of the Gulf. Good the Iranian conventional forces severely degraded. No serious constraints on nuke program. Iran has a future grip on the Strait. No constraint on Hezbollah. Our allies appalled.

The New York Times@nytimes.com · 2mo ago

In @nytopinion.nytimes.com “On balance, Iran emerges the strategic winner of the four-month war,” writes the Times editorial board.

Canada's Carney says middle-power countries shouldn't compete for favor with the US apnews.com/article/carn... Trump doing grave economic and security damage to our most trusted partners in Europe and Canada. They view the US acting as a predator nation. Congress watches in total apathy.

Canada's Carney says middle-power countries shouldn't compete for favor with the US

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney continued his efforts to align with Europe and pivot away from its longstanding ally, the United States, meeting with leader of Ireland and saying middle power coun...

apnews.com

Source: CNN Seizing 10 tons of Iranian fissile material a complex, high risk US op. On the ground with 15,000 US troops for a month. Iranian 600,000 troops will respond. Significant US casualties. Foolhardy. Probably doable.

www.ms.now/ana-cabrera-... GEN MCCAFFREY COMMENTS 8 June 26

Source: Trump, Netanyahu spoke on the phone today about Iran

Iran and Israel traded their biggest strikes on one another in months. A White House official told MS NOW that President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke on the phone this morning. MS ...

ms.now

More than 1,100 University of California math and science professors are urging UC regents to reinstate college-entrance exams, saying that unprepared students are lowering academic standards and draining teaching resources. on.wsj.com/4u7Op2T

Cant wait! open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...

Substack Live with Barb McQuade at Noon ET on Wednesday

As the utter debacle of Trump’s slush fund scandal continues to unfold, there’s no one I’d rather talk with than my former US Attorney colleague and current #SistersInLaw podcast cohost, Barb McQuade....

open.substack.com

apnews.com/live/trump-a... says ‘Oman will behave just like everybody else or we’ll have to blow them up’ The President of the United States to a Gulf State threatened by Iran. Comply with my latest spasm of orders or we’ll “blow you up.”

Live updates: Trump meets with his Cabinet as talks to end war in Iran remain in flux

President Donald Trump meets with his Cabinet on Wednesday after yesterday's primary election and at a precarious moment for talks to end the war with Iran.

apnews.com

In the 80’s spent most of a day in discussions with Fidel and Raul Castro. Proud dictatorship. Communism doesn’t work. Cuba is a disaster. No food. No freedom. Indictment of Raul for 30 year old murders won’t help. Engage diplomacy.

Trump effusively to Pres Xi. Supplicant. He got nothing. Weakened Taiwan deterrence. Alarming to Japan. S Korea. Australia. Still mired in Iran War.

Trump hostility, instability, tariffs a gift to China. People now aligned with Regime. Autonomous lead in Science.. AI, EV, robotics, defense manufacturing, ship building. They seek new trade pacts. Welcome international bodies. Portray US as lawless and volatile.

www.ms.now/ana-cabrera-... Trump test to force the Straits with US Naval power was a contested operation. Two courageous US Navy destroyers knocked out incoming missiles and Iran fast boats. This will not work for 2000 stuck ships.

Trump: 'The bombing starts' if Iran won't agree to terms

As negotiations in the Middle East inch forward, there is volatility near the Strait of Hormuz with a cargo vessel struck and the U.S. disabling a ship sailing towards Iran. MS NOW Contributor Inzamam...

ms.now

It’s extremely concerning to witness the bizarre, erratic, lawless behavior of Mr Trump. Wild narcissism. Inventing new realities. Threatening and violent language. Two more years. Our national security in great danger.

Violent incident at the White House Correspondents dinner. The President is safe. Shameful new reality of threats to public servants and their families. We must protect those who serve democracy.

'Two ways of calculating': Trump defends his mathematically impossible calculations on drug prices apnews.com/article/trum... Makes perfect sense.

'Two ways of calculating': Trump defends his mathematically impossible calculations on drug prices

President Donald Trump, known for popularizing the term "fake news," seems to have shifted focus to a healthy dose of fake math in defending impossibly large cuts to prescription drug prices.

apnews.com

Iran tactically devastated. They hold the upper hand with choke hold on the Gulf. They will never give up their nuclear program nor end their aim to destroy Israel. Trump politically desperate. Dangerous. Massive escalation or he throws in the towel.

In the past 6 months the Ukrainians have turned a corner. They are now destroying the Russian Army at a pace that will shatter Moscow quickly. Incredible drone technology. New stunning battlefield tactics. Huge European support. Trump seen as an agent of Putin.

Anton Gerashchenko@antongerashchenko.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Ivan, we have a problem… “If we keep moving forward at this turtle-like pace, then even another four and a half years probably won’t be enough, Ivan. That’s the issue.”

Kash Patel’s colleagues are alarmed by what they say is erratic behavior and excessive drinking, Sarah Fitzpatrick reports. More than two dozen people she spoke with described his management failures and conduct that could harm national security.

Kash Patel’s Erratic Behavior Could Cost Him His Job

The FBI director has alarmed colleagues with episodes of excessive drinking and unexplained absences.

bit.ly

Here’s the thing—especially on April 15: cutting the IRS isn't some abstract budget trim. It's a tax cut delivered through weaker enforcement. And it mostly goes to people with the most scope to hide income.

“He cheated on the golf course. He cheated on his taxes. He cheated on his wives. He cheated the business contractors he stiffed. He tried to cheat in the 2020 election. And now he’s trying to cheat on the 2026 midterms - because he knows he can’t win.”

So Christ-like. www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...

The truce expires 22 April. Trump counter blockade is escalatory. ROE can lead to all out war at sea. Vital Chinese energy interests at stake. Both US and Iranian interests ill served by renewed naval combat.

Trump will blockade all shipping thru Straits. Disaster for our Gulf allies. Will skyrocket global price of oil. LNG. Fertilizer. Stop cargo imports to Gulf States. Absorb huge US military resources. Trump believes this is very clever.

Talks with the Iranians fail in Islamabad and the US Delegation goes home. Two courageous destroyer crews enter the Straits on de-mining mission. Both US and Iran need an extended ceasefire.