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How Trump failed to secure the Strait of Hormuz in his poorly developed ‘deal’ with Iran

How Trump failed to secure the Strait of Hormuz in his poorly developed ‘deal’ with Iran

The New York Times reports: For two months, under a quiet arrangement with the U.S. Navy, commercial tankers turned off their transponders to avoid detection by Iran as they crossed the perilous Strait of Hormuz to carry oil and gas out to the world. The military offered some air cover in case Iran attacked, as naval officers directed the vessels over the radio to hug Oman’s coast, opposite Iran’s shore. That enabled a steady increase in traffic through the strait…

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Lindsey Graham: The quintessential corrupt politician of this era

Lindsey Graham: The quintessential corrupt politician of this era

Anne Applebaum writes: In his way, the late Lindsey Graham, who unexpectedly died Saturday evening, was the consummate politician of our time. The Republican senator from South Carolina was the epitome, the poster child, the quintessence of our era. Graham’s background and biography made him, during the first part of his career, a fervent American patriot, with a special devotion to the cause of American leadership in the democratic world. Born and raised in a small town in South Carolina,…

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Stephen Miller understands Mein Kampf better than the U.S. Constitution

Stephen Miller understands Mein Kampf better than the U.S. Constitution

Sidney Blumenthal writes: Neither of the supreme court majority opinions in Trump v Barbara, the 5-4 decision upholding the constitutionality of birthright citizenship, mention the true architect of the case. Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14160, which would deny citizenship to children born on American soil if their parents are undocumented immigrants or on temporary visas, is extensively noted, but not the man responsible for it. The omission of Stephen Miller is like Dracula without Dracula. The vampire identified is chief…

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Rep. Ro Khanna says ‘IDF is lying’ about his detention by settlers and soldiers

Rep. Ro Khanna says ‘IDF is lying’ about his detention by settlers and soldiers

The Guardian reports: Ro Khanna accused the Israeli government and military of “lying” on Sunday about the US congressman’s detention by armed settlers and Israeli soldiers during a recent visit to the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Khanna – a California Democrat – had posted video evidence on social media of Israeli settlers and soldiers blocking the path of his convoy on Wednesday in the South Hebron hills, near the village of Zanuta, where Israelis have driven Palestinians from their homes in…

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Tommy Robinson’s Musk-funded Russia trip spurs call to defend UK democracy

Tommy Robinson’s Musk-funded Russia trip spurs call to defend UK democracy

The Guardian reports: The UK must do more to defend its democracy after it emerged that Elon Musk’s family foundation had taken the far-right activist Tommy Robinson to Russia, Ed Davey has said. Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was brought to Russia by the Musks, the billionaire tech mogul’s father told the Guardian. Robinson appeared last month in Moscow, from where he issued calls for supporters to take to the streets after a knife attack in Belfast. He…

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The U.S. just approved a giant space mirror to test ‘sunlight on demand.’ Low Earth orbit is getting weird

The U.S. just approved a giant space mirror to test ‘sunlight on demand.’ Low Earth orbit is getting weird

Reflect Orbital’s plans to have more than 50,000 satellites reflecting sunlight back to earth could disrupt the circadian rhythms of plants, animals and humans. (Unsplash/Mariana Proença) By Samantha Lawler, University of Regina and Aaron Boley, University of British Columbia A giant mirror to create “sunlight on demand” was just approved by the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC), despite opposition from astronomers and the public, and real safety concerns. The FCC approved the company Reflect Orbital to test one satellite,…

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New York Times journalists subpoenaed as Trump escalates pressure on media

New York Times journalists subpoenaed as Trump escalates pressure on media

The New York Times reports: The Trump administration issued subpoenas on Friday to several journalists for The New York Times, after the news outlet reported this week on security concerns involving President Trump’s new Qatari-donated Air Force One. The subpoenas — which seek to force the reporters to testify before a federal grand jury in Manhattan on Wednesday — were an extraordinary escalation in President Trump’s efforts to threaten and intimidate independent news organizations. In some cases, the subpoenas were…

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Iran declares Strait of Hormuz closed as ‘unauthorised’ vessel hit; U.S. launches more strikes

Iran declares Strait of Hormuz closed as ‘unauthorised’ vessel hit; U.S. launches more strikes

Reuters reports: The U.S. military said ​it launched another round of strikes on Iran after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps struck a container ship traveling through the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. A series of attacks ‌between the U.S. and Iran over the past several days led President Donald Trump to declare the end of a ceasefire meant to halt the fighting that the U.S. and Israel began on February 28, though Trump has left the door open to continued…

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U.S. Treasury borrowed $155 billion every month this fiscal year. Now paying $24 billion a week interest

U.S. Treasury borrowed $155 billion every month this fiscal year. Now paying $24 billion a week interest

Fortune reports: Despite concerns from debt hawks, the U.S. government is continuing to borrow at pace: For the fiscal year of 2026 so far, the federal deficit has totaled just under $1.4 trillion. The first nine months of this fiscal year (beginning in October) have now surpassed the borrowing levels of 2025, when deficits totaled just over $1.3 trillion for the same period. At the time of writing, the total U.S. national debt sits at $39.4 trillion, accumulated under administrations…

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DHS wants to create its own round-the-clock deportation airline

DHS wants to create its own round-the-clock deportation airline

Bloomberg reports: The US government is moving ahead with plans to create its own fleet of government-owned aircraft to bolster deportations. The Department of Homeland Security is beginning a search for a company to operate planes that would help carry out deportation flights, respond to emergencies and transport senior officials. The department asked aviation companies this week to describe how they would operate and maintain the fleet, which would include two C-37B or equivalent Gulfstream 650ERs and seven Boeing 737-700s…

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U.S. employers told to dismiss thousands of currently legal immigrant workers

U.S. employers told to dismiss thousands of currently legal immigrant workers

The New York Times reports: The Homeland Security Department told employers on Friday that they must let go in coming weeks the hundreds of thousands of foreign workers who have been allowed to live in the United States through a humanitarian program the Trump administration has sought to dismantle. The work permits of Haitians with Temporary Protected Status will expire on July 24. Such permits will also lapse on July 17 for those from Ethiopia, Myanmar, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria…

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Six-hour polygraphs, forced reassignments: Inside Homeland Security’s campaign of fear

Six-hour polygraphs, forced reassignments: Inside Homeland Security’s campaign of fear

The Guardian reports: Federal officials tasked with implementing the Trump administration’s “mass deportation” program faced an extraordinary campaign of intimidation inside the Department of Homeland Security during the final months of Kristi Noem’s tenure and the arrival of her successor, a Guardian investigation found. Over the past four months, the Guardian spoke with more than three dozen current and former Department of Homeland Security officials who described a climate of fear driven by Trump loyalists in senior positions, who sidelined…

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‘A brilliant reprieve, a unifying force’: America falls in love with the World Cup

‘A brilliant reprieve, a unifying force’: America falls in love with the World Cup

The Guardian reports: There were plenty of reasons to believe the US hosting the World Cup would be a disaster. In the year and a half leading up to the kick-off, Donald Trump had threatened to annex tournament co-host Canada, and to invade the other co-host, Mexico; he was at war with one of the tournament’s participants, Iran. Harsh travel restrictions were preventing fans from Senegal, Ivory Coast and Haiti from getting visas. Ticket prices were outrageous. Hotels weren’t filling…

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Houston ICE fatal shooting witnesses independently recount driver did not try to ram agents

Houston ICE fatal shooting witnesses independently recount driver did not try to ram agents

The Washington Post reports: The three men who were arrested during an immigration operation that resulted in the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo said a federal officer fired at them almost immediately after exiting his vehicle and that at no point did the driver veer in his direction. The migrants are disputing key elements of the Department of Homeland Security’s account of what transpired during a chaotic traffic stop in a predominantly Mexican American neighborhood in Houston on Tuesday….

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