Bruce Gagnon is coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space.
He offers his own reflections on organizing and the state of America's declining empire....
Israel Army Radio:‘The Iranian pressure has succeeded; Trump instructed Netanyahu to order a partial Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon’.
Netanyahu: 'We will remain in southern Lebanon as long as necessary.'
Tasnim News Agency, citing an informed source: Yesterday the Iranian delegation refused to shake hands or participate in a photo opportunity with the American delegation. Notice the very uncomfortable V-P J. D. Vance in below video.
Trump to Fox News: 'If the Iranians close the Strait of Hormuz, their country will be wiped out. We might take control of the Strait of Hormuz if we have to. If we don’t reach a deal with Iran, we will impose transit fees in the Strait of Hormuz. If Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian negotiators won’t be able to return to their country.'
Iran’s Parliament Speaker, Ghalibaf, in reaction to Trump’s threats: 'Do they not think to themselves that if their threats had achieved anything, they would not have reached today’s desperation? We do not take American threats seriously. They had better be careful with their statements. Our armed forces are ready to respond to them in a different way. No matter how much they talk, we are the ones who act.'
Tasnim News Agency: Iran says all US-Iran talks will stop unless Israel fully withdraws from Lebanon and the war ends on all fronts. If Israel's actions continue, Iran warns it will move to a much harsher response. Tehran also suspects Washington is using negotiations to buy time for Israel.
CNN, citing a diplomat: 'Implementation of the memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington is back on track, and the Strait of Hormuz remains open to maritime navigation. The President of Iran was informed during the trilateral US-Qatari-American meeting that the Lebanese file is still considered part of the US-Iran negotiations.''
Stars and Stripes: Finland this week took a step toward lifting its ban on the deployment of nuclear weapons on its territory, a move that puts the country in sync with NATO’s deterrent mission. The country’s parliament voted Wednesday to lift the ban, advancing the measure to President Alexander Stubb for a decision on approval. The decision paves the way for Finland to allow nuclear weapons to be positioned in the country should they be required for 'defense purposes'. The alliance’s nuclear deterrence posture relies on forward-deployed US nuclear weapons in Europe. The US does not publicly discuss where its tactical bombs are stored in Europe, but watchdog groups have reported that roughly 100 of those weapons are stored at six bases in NATO member countries: Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, UK and Turkey.
The Morning Star: Over 2,500 activists from around the world gathered at Westminster’s Central Hall on Saturday for an international conference against war organised by the Stop the War Coalition. The London conference was backed by 11 trade unions drawing attendees from 23 countries. Chairing the opening session, ex-president of transport union RMT Alex Gordon said: “The gathering is part of a movement against the militarisation of Europe.” Ulrike Eifler of the German union IG Metall said there was a mass industrial crisis in her country with huge numbers of job losses; the answer of the German government was to expand the military. Rearmament is not the way to rebuild industry,” she said. The UCU union’s Sean Vernell pointed out how the strikes of workers in France, Italy and Greece had set a benchmark for the kind of action needed to stop the war machine. He said: “When Trump tried to wage gangster imperialism in the Middle East, he lost. Despite their massive military power, they’re not in a situation they can win." Palestinian physicist and leader of the Palestine National Initiative Dr. Mustafa Barghouti told the conference that it was time to “translate your solidarity into concrete action” by supporting actions that press a “total comprehensive boycott and sanctions against Israel.”
Russian troops advancing in Ukraine discover the skeletal remains of an entire Ukrainian infantry section killed a year before by a Russian airstrike. This reality is repeated daily. Ukraine intentionally leaves its dead in the field to avoid payments to families. Zelensky claims the dead troops are 'missing in action' and thus not eligible for family benefits. The money then gets pocketed by unit commanders.
The diplomatic crisis over Ukrainian President Zelensky’s promotion of anti-Polish Nazi collaborationist forces during World War II is stripping away the political lies in which the NATO imperialist powers have shrouded their proxy war with Russia in Ukraine. The NATO-backed regime in Ukraine is not a defender of democracy and national independence but a tool of imperialism resting upon far-right forces. https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2026/06/22/wzgt-j22.html
More than 70 Ukrainian drones were intercepted overnight while flying toward Moscow, local officials have said. The barrage comes as Russia marks the anniversary of Nazi Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reported no casualties or damage on the ground during the raid, which took place from Sunday night into Monday morning. Several airports serving the Russian capital temporarily halted operations in response to the Ukrainian drone threat. Kiev has continued to launch EU-funded kamikaze drones against Russian energy infrastructure. If such an attack on Russia had happened during the Cold War it would have gone to nuclear war in a hot flash.
The Merz government is driving Germany into decline. More and more industrial companies are relocating or going bankrupt, and hundreds of thousands of well-paid jobs are being destroyed. While shortages are rampant and the lives of citizens are steadily deteriorating, the federal government is seriously discussing where else it can cut spending. There's unlimited money available just to prolong the senseless war in Ukraine and finance the corrupt Zelenskyy government.
Enough is enough!
East Germans can stop Merz and his disastrous policies in September. Anyone who votes for the BSW (Citizens' Initiative for East Germany) to oust the CDU and SPD state premiers in the East and elect a non-partisan premier will also send Merz into retirement!
Speech by Sahra Wagenknecht at the BSW launch rally of the "Away with Merz" campaign in Magdeburg on June 13, 2026.
Israel Hayom, long owned by the Adelsons, published an article calling Trump a traitor, an embarrassment, and a failure to the Israelis. "You could have been the greatest president of all, but you failed. Mr. President, you have gravely harmed the human interests of the enlightened world, and you may be remembered forever as the president who brought about America's humiliation. You betrayed us, the Israelis. And in a single moment, the contempt you once faced suddenly seems so justified and logical."
The criminals Netanyahu and Katz are instructing the Zionist army to cease fire in Lebanon without withdrawing from the areas it has seized.
Iran: 'We announce that the Strait of Hormuz is closed to all vessels. It is noted that this first step is a response to the enemy's breach of promise [over Lebanon], and if the aggression continues, further steps will be planned and taken to force the enemy to fulfill its obligations.’ The Strait of Hormuz is closed but Iranian ships transit. Iran holds the key to a major portion of our planetary power generation and as Medvedev states, this is their nuclear weapon.
Iranians from Esfahan last night, in the presence of professor at Iran’s University of Applied Sciences & Technology and journalist, Seyed Mostafa Khoshcheshm, chant: “President of Iran, go to the aid of Lebanon.”
Former Israeli PM Naftali Bennett: 'Iran continues its nuclear program, continues its ballistic missile program, continues its regional terrorism, and the regime still exists. The campaign against Iran will take years. In the end, this is a battle between Israel's national strength and the national strength of the Iranian regime. And we are stronger.'
Former Israeli Chief of Staff, Benny Gantz, looses it on live TV and says Bibi must go home. He says he’s responsible for what has happened here, “Removing Netanyahu is only the first step. Israel now needs a Zionist national unity government that can pull the country back from the brink.”
Channel 15 Yossi Yehoshua: 'Israel tried to separate Lebanon from Iran but failed. On the other hand, Iran is trying, and succeeding, in cutting Israel off from the United States.'
IRIB Reporterto J.D. Vance: ‘Why don’t you stop the Israeli genocide in Lebanon?’ J.D. Vance: ‘President Trump has done more to stop the war in Lebanon than anyone else.'
Fox News: Trump threatens to take over the Strait of Hormuz in the future if we have to and collect tolls. This is the US being the 'guardian angel' of the Strait of Hormuz and the Middle East. This would also involve the US taking 20% of the oil that passes through the Strait.
Beni Sabti was born in Tehran and fled to Israel with his family 8 years after the Iranian revolution. Today, he is one of the most important researchers and commentators in Israel on the subject of modern Iran and its policy. Beni served for 31 years in various security services, particularly in the field of consulting on the culture of decision-making in Iran. He is currently a member of the Institute for National Security Studies.
US Senators introduce bipartisan bill to use (aka STEAL) Russian frozen assets to buy weapons for Kiev. The SABER Act aims to ‘force Putin to foot the bill for arming Ukraine’. Just a days ago, Trump said that they took money from Iran and they have to pay it back, else nobody will use the dollar again. Why does that logic not apply to Russia's money in US banks?
Tens of thousands of Albanians have gathered for the 21st day in a row to protest plans to build a luxury resort on Albania’s southern coast, a development linked to Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump. Protesters held signs that read ‘Albania is not for sale’ and chanted for Prime Minister Edi Rama to resign.
The German military may be forced to order soldiers to serve near Russia’s borders after struggling to find enough volunteers, despite a major promotional campaign touting financial benefits. Berlin has been building up the 45th Armored Brigade in Lithuania as a flagship project of its militarization drive, which Moscow has repeatedly criticized as reflecting nostalgia for Germany’s Nazi past. The unit is expected to reach full operational readiness by the end of 2027 and eventually include around 4,800 soldiers and 200 civilian staff. However, according to Die Welt, only around 1,800 personnel are currently stationed there.
The Observer: Lame duck UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer may announce his resignation as early as Monday. British senior officials told the publication that Starmer has concluded that his continued tenure is becoming increasingly unrealistic.
Drawing on years of reporting, interviews with military insiders, extremist veterans, and whistleblowers, UK journalist Matt Kennard examines how recruitment policies during the War on Terror opened the door to neo-Nazis, white supremacists, gang members, and convicted criminals entering the ranks of the US military. One can see a repeated pattern, something that similarly happened years later in Ukraine with the mobilisation of all kinds of Nazis, hooligans and foreign mercenaries by the CIA for the Maidan 'revolution' which took control in Kiev in 2014.
Sampson Boat Company navigates the complex process of legally delivering food and medical aid to local Cuban charities.
Beyond the logistics of this humanitarian mission, the journey offers a rare, firsthand glimpse into the daily lives, economic challenges, and resilient culture of the people in Santiago de Cuba.
Excellent and moving video. Would have been appropriate to mention the US economic blockade of Cuba for so many years that is the primary cause of Cuba's difficulties today....
Good idea to go to Santiago which is on the opposite side of the island from Havana. Back in the 1990's, while coordinating the Florida Coalition for Peace & Justice, I organized three study tours to Cuba with about 30 Floridians each time.
On each trip we visited different parts of Cuba, including Santiago which is known as an arts city and proved to be true upon our arrival there.
I loved my visits to Cuba. Once upon returning back to Miami and walking out of the airport, seeing the huge city all lit up at night, I broke down crying.
Inside Cuba I'd never witnessed such loving concern for the people - amongst the people themselves.
Just one tiny example but illustrative I think. While in Havana on one tour we were on our bus and stopped because of an accident along the street. People came pouring out onto the accident scene from all over. They quickly stopped the nearest car and packed the injured person into it for a rush to the hospital. They were swarming like ants, yelling and moving as one. My heart was forever touched.
Another vivid memory was a visit to a dance program in Havana held out-of-doors with a white man (Spanish heritage) and a black woman (African heritage). They incorporated both styles of dance (Spanish & African) into their act. I'd never seen anything so touching before. For me it so beautifully represented the integration of both cultures in Cuba. All were embraced. We saw it over and over again during our visits.
I thought about the US while watching the dance. Slavery in the US for so long followed by Jim Crow racism. The African culture largely rejected - even violently repressed. No melding of the dominate white people with the African culture and Native Americans. Change in the US has come slowly with, as we are experiencing now, many backward steps.
Washington often declares that the now 250 year old US is the 'shining city on the hill'. The 'greatest nation in the world'. All bullshit.
The US is an arrogant nation now at war with Iran which has a history and culture of more than 2,500 years. One can hope that the US will soon emerge from this war presently aimed at Iran for Israel's cold-hearted benefit. It's time for US citizens to learn some humility.
These kind of scenes are what made me cry as I reached Miami. The return to dog-eat-dog, everyone for themselves, worship the dollar bill, chewing up the environment for endless development, ugly and stupid culture.
Capitalism and white supremacy are the poisons that now contaminate the veins of our nation.
I hope more people will help fight to end the brutal blockade of Cuba. At the same time leave all of Latin America in peace in order that they decide their own fate rather than the current trajectory of the US war machine suppressing the entire region.
Bruce
PS Just yesterday I saw some photos of Zelensky meeting with the president of Honduras. Ukraine is being turned into an international 'state of terrorism' that is being used to act as a proxy for US-NATO. Be warned.
The Central Command of Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to shipping and maritime traffic, citing the United States’ breach of its commitments under the MoU signed to end the war. The statement also pointed to continued Israeli violations of the ceasefire in southern Lebanon, which it said had resulted in the killing and displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, as well as the occupation forces’ failure to withdraw from Lebanese territory in the south. The command said the move marks the first step in its response to the enemy’s failure to uphold its obligations, warning that additional measures could be planned and implemented if the violations and attacks continue, with the aim of forcing compliance with the agreed commitments.
How will you continue your day after hearing that a father in Gaza, trapped beneath the rubble, begged rescuers not to save him? Not because he had lost hope in life, but because he could hear his daughters’ final breaths beneath the debris. Their tiny hands were holding his in the darkness, as if pleading with him one last time. He was the father who had always been their safe refuge, yet this time he was powerless to pull them from the dust and shattered concrete. Only his head was visible above the wreckage. He looked into the eyes of the rescuers, his own eyes exhausted by fear and helplessness, and said: “Leave me… my daughters are here… I do not want to come out alone.”
Trump admits he can stop Israeli attacks on Lebanon (but doesn’t). Q: Can you prevent Israel's attack on Lebanon? Trump: Yes, I can. They have a lot of respect for me and act according to my wishes. The breaching of the MoU then is Trump's direct responsibility.
Israeli forces continue shelling southern Lebanon despite the US–Iran agreement, which requires Washington and its allies to halt military actions against the Arab country. IDF bombed Lebanon 100 times yesterday. Fars News, quoting an informed diplomat: 'Iran, before returning to negotiations with the US in Switzerland, has requested guarantees regarding the end of aggression in Lebanon.' Tehran has emphasized that the cessation of hostilities in Lebanon must be implemented according to the terms of the signed agreement. The negotiations that were supposed to take place between Iran and the US have been 'temporarily postponed' following recent Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
Many inside Iran are furious about the situation unfolding in Lebanon. Experts, MPs, and ordinary people are calling on the Supreme National Security Council members who approved the MoU (including Pezeshkian, Araghchi, Ghalibaf, and others) to respond to the breach of the MoU, namely the attacks on Lebanon.
Yedioth Ahronoth Hebrew newspaper – Ron Ben-Yishai: 'The memorandum of understanding signed by Donald Trump with Iran has worsened the situation, as Israel has consequently lost another significant part of the freedom of action it previously enjoyed throughout Lebanon.'
Leader of Iran Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei on Iran-US Agreement: “In principle, I had a different view. The president insisted and because he explicitly accepted responsibility for it, I issued permission for it. However, because of the commitment that the honorable president, as head of the Supreme National Security Council, gave me on behalf of himself and the other members regarding the safeguarding of the rights of the Iranian nation and the Resistance Front, and because he explicitly accepted responsibility for it, I issued permission for it."
J.D. Vance on lifting sanctions: 'To be honest, we didn't see this as a big concession to the Iranians. Iran also... did not consider this a concession for themselves, because what was preventing their oil sales was not the sanctions. They were selling a lot of oil without any discount because the sanctions were essentially ineffective. At that stage, what the sanctions did was push Iran's financial system somewhat towards a shadow (informal) banking system. With the lifting of sanctions, we will actually be able to see a bit where their financial system sends money and from where it receives money. This is a real advantage.'
KJ Noh writes: Why did the US sign? Generally, the consensus is that Trump was desperate for some kind of de-escalation and reopening of the Strait of Hormuz; he himself said, "we were weeks away from a global catastrophe". This is true: the supply shock would be intolerable. That said, the key question is will the US uphold it? [Some] argue (Lavrov) that "the US is agreement-incapable"--something that we have seen with every major treaty. The US has no choice to comply or at least do its best. It would be financially suicidal to continue down the path of more war: the Strategic Petroleum Reserves are depleting around the world, including the US. The supply shock can no longer be buffered. It has no good military options: Iran has shown strategic dominance and strategic overmatch.
"Debt is a cleverly managed reconquest of Africa.” Thomas Sankara said this in 1987, and today, the cage is tighter than ever. This is Thomas Sankara, then of Burkina Faso, addressing the OAU summit just months before his assassination. He boldly exposed how global debt is used as a weapon of neocolonialism to drain African wealth through rigged interest rates. True sovereignty cannot exist while playing a rigged financial game.
RT: The Israel Defense Forces is “on the verge of collapse” due to acute personnel shortages, Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir has warned. Opposition parties have accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of stalling on drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews. Military service is mandatory for most Israeli citizens, both men and women. However, members of the Haredi community have historically been exempt from conscription. While the Israeli Supreme Court revoked the exemption in June 2024, Netanyahu’s cabinet has so far delayed drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has opened a new hybrid warfare center amid the broader militarization of the country in response to a supposed “Russian threat.” Previous media reports have, however, suggested that Germany and other NATO member states are plotting offensive cyber operations against Russia.
Prof. Mohammad Marandi on 'Do Iran and the US Have a Deal?'
Marandi also says that Israel and its agents in Washington are now working overtime to kill the peace deal with Iran.
I love Professor Mirandi! He is such a good person - clear, honest, respectful and with a huge heart.
At a young age he served in the Iraq war against Iran (as an Iranian soldier) that the US orchestrated in 1980. The eight-year war cost billions of dollars in damages and claimed millions of lives.
The US has since been trying to force regime change in Tehran. The US failed again this time but Mirandi says the people in Iran are not celebrating because they understand that the US-Israel terror regimes will come back for more.
In this episode of 51/49, James digs into the immediate and chaotic fallout of the newly signed Trump-Vance-US-Iran peace deal — exposing how on day one, rogue military strikes, and overt blackmail threats from Netanyahu’s government are actively collapsing the historic MOU to lock the United States into a cycle of perpetual Middle Eastern war.
