the funnies

Iran continues damaging U.S. bases across the region

• Islamic Republic of Iran: Last night the US bombed numerous cities across Iran. Following US attacks, explosions were also reported in the following cities: Ahvaz, Andimeshk, Bandar Abbas, Khorramabad (likely targeting the missile city here), Qeshm Island, Jask, outskirts of Khondab. The source of the missiles that targeted the city of Ahvaz was launched from Kuwaiti territory. Eight American refueling aircraft were active over the Gulf states.
• Most oil tankers are turning back or diverting, Saudi exports already at record lows, yet Yemen’s forces are selectively letting Chinese COSCO vessels loaded with Saudi crude bound for China transit unhindered. Bab al-Mandab is open to all companies, with the exception of ships heading to or departing from Saudi Arabia. This is calibrated energy warfare at its sharpest tightening the noose on the western colonial Empire and its Gulf clients while protecting multipolar supply lines.
• Iran’s IRGC says they inflicted severe damage on several fighter jets & struck a US military barracks, killing and wounding several. In another surprise operation, they destroyed a US Patriot air defense system & a surveillance balloon in Erbil.
• Iran published high-res satellite images of its missile striking hitting an Amazon data center in Bahrain. 

• Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told Tasnim News that Iran is consulting with Russia and China. “Negotiations with Russia and China are ongoing and continuous, and we consult with them regularly whenever the opportunity arises”. Iran’s problem with US is approach, not mediation. “We do not have a problem with mediation with the US, and there are enough countries that can play this role.” Bear this one in mind as well when you read or listen to the incessant information that there are secret negotiations between the mediators and China on behalf of Iran.
• The Pentagon has declared two of China’s top universities—Fudan University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University—a threat to U.S. national security, placing both on its blacklist.
• Israeli media: A number of hospitals in Israel have been instructed to prepare to operate in protected underground areas.

• Massacre in Till Village, West Bank: Four Palestinians killed and several critically wounded after Israeli settlers opened fire on homes with live ammunition.

• Nablus, Occupied West Bank: Israeli forces raided the Nablus Specialized Hospital on Friday, detaining members of the medical staff, hospital employees and a number of civilians inside the facility, Palestinian sources said. Witnesses said the troops held those present for questioning and mistreated a number of them during the raid. Palestinian media published footage showing soldiers inside the hospital.
• The US struck the wrong ship: An informed official told Iran’s state IRIB TV that the US Navy, this afternoon, fired 2 missiles at an LPG tanker approaching the Gulf of Oman believing the vessel was transporting Iranian gas. The attack killed 2 crew members and damaged its engine room, leaving the ship immobilized.
• Aerial image shows how Israel completely wiped out the Sakina Baydoun School in Bint Jbeil, South Lebanon. 

• Trump’s administration is set to impose sweeping tariffs on 60 trading partners, including the European Union, according to a notice from U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer’s office released on Thursday. Greer said Thursday that the 10% to 12.5% tariffs were aimed at combatting “forced labor” violations. When the Trump tariff regime started, countries were stunned, and mostly followed a methodology of negotiation – a methodology of trying to make it not so bad. That did not work, because besides the money, this is about control. Bow before the empire and to follow its rules.  We will see soon what countries will do. They essentially have the opportunity to remove this tariff burden from themselves by not trading, or to bow to empire. By now, every country acting to its own benefit should have already replaced the trade or at least have a alternative plan ready.

• In a story that gets darker by the minute, an Ecuadorian prosecutor named Alexandra Bravo was murdered in broad daylight June 14 after investigating allegations that uniformed US military personnel attacked civilian fishing boats, kidnapped and tortured survivors, then dumping them in El Salvador. According to Drop Site News, Bravo was shot to death as she left a café with her sister, who was also killed. Police reported the security detail that was supposed to be protecting her were nowhere to be found. 

• The US government is targeting Independent Media outlet BreakThrough News. Through its Ways and Means Committee the House has issued a subpoena, demanding the media outlet hand over internal documents, communications & financial records. BreakThrough News says it is being targeted because of its reporting on ICE abuses, the Gaza Genocide, Cuba & American foreign policy. 

• American Christian Evangelists say they are heeding a biblical command to preach on flights. In-flight evangelists have preached sermons and busted out guitars in recent years. Many travelers lament that they “can’t even walk away.”
• On the House-passed NDAA, according to Inside Defense, The administration 'strongly opposes' provisions mandating cost estimates, affordability controls, flight test certifications and other requirements for the space-based interceptors layer of its Golden Dome initiative. This language would 'restrict and delay' the Golden Dome direct report program manager in delivering the capability, the document states. Though Golden Dome is an administration priority, it faces uncertain financial prospects. 

• Reuters: Deepening conflict in the Middle East has sent oil prices surging and Treasury yields climbing to levels that have equity investors on edge, raising fears that pain so far largely contained in the bond market could soon spill over into US stocks. Higher oil prices have intensified concerns that the Federal Reserve will need to raise rates to head off mounting inflation pressures, pushing the yield on benchmark US 10-year notes to 4.71%, its highest level since January 2025. That has some investors worried about the near-term outlook for stocks, which so far have only started to feel the heat. 
• On July 14th, Gangjeong village (Jeju Island, South Korea) friends and the Korean branch @koreanflotilla4pal for the liberation of Palestine, held a talk in Gangjeong village for the liberation of Palestine, with the participation of Seungjun, Haecho, and Donghyun who participated in the Gaza flotilla voyage, and Namin who supported the voyage from Mup. The Gangjeong talk was a place to confirm that the Gangjeong voyagers was not only for the sailors on the sea, but also for the support team who spread the news on land, responded to the emergency situation, and organized solidarity, and for the many solidarity supporters who cheered from afar. 

U.S. ambassador to Italy gives yacht tour - brags on Trump

While Trump bombs Iran, supplies weapons to Ukraine, supports NATO, and defends Netanyahu, we Italians (thanks also to our Government and our State) must endure this person who even dares to mock the Italian people.

He said: "What do I mean by the protests against me? Congratulations, you live in a free country, where protesting is allowed. I know they were protesting because they didn't like my white yacht".

Nowhere in the world, and therefore only in Italy, is there an ambassador who, despite the ongoing conflicts and the misfortunes of ongoing wars, flaunts wealth and luxury and defends warmongers.

I wonder how much time and resources an ambassador like Fertitta spends managing his ship, and how much time he has left to manage political and institutional affairs between Italy and the USA.

Best regards, 

Mimmo

~ US Ambassador Tilman Fertitta set sail from Venice for Trieste on his 117-meter yacht. 

Rep. Ted Lieu challenges Trump's U.N. Ambassador on Iran war

Ted Win-Ping Lieu is an American lawyer and politician. He is a member of the Democratic Party and has represented California's 36th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives since 2023. 

He represented the 33rd congressional district from 2015 to 2023. 

His district includes South Bay and Westside regions of Los Angeles, as well as Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, the Palos Verdes Peninsula, and Beach Cities.

Col. Macgregor: 'No one trusts the U.S. anymore'

• US economy sliding downhill fast. US can't afford to pay its national debt - now at $39.6 trillion. This war is bleeding our nation.
• Col. Macgregor says: 'No one trusts us at all anymore. Trump is now following orders from Israel." 
• US forces in the region are not adequate to do a ground invasion of Iran. Even if Trump sends troops into Iran the problem of resupplying the troops with water, food, medical care and ammunition will be a massive challenge.
• Trump was told the Iranians would give up after the US-Israel attacked them for a few days. Didn't happen.
• China and Russia won't allow Iran to be destroyed.
• 80% of the population of Israel still support the destruction of Iran.
• Iran has destroyed all the radars, air defense systems at US bases in the region.
• Trump is threatening to do a full out attack on Iran with bombers, missiles and more. He would like do massive attacks on civilians and their life sustaining infrastructure.
• If this fails then it is the end, although some fear Israel might drop a nuke on Iran.
• Ukraine is falling apart.
• If EU nations continue to supply Ukraine with weapons aimed at Russia, at some point Moscow could determine to hit these factories in Europe and/or a NATO target.
• Col. Wilkerson states: 'Trump is on the verge of causing a global recession and even a global depression.'
• Wilkerson calls Trump a grifter and says Vance, Peter Thiel and others in that oligarchic techno group want to destroy Russia. These people don't have the interest of the US at heart.

Col. Lawrence Wilkerson: Iran Has the Upper Hand

Oil hits $100 barrel - Trump hits Iranian civilians

• Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi: "Iranian doctrine is simple — attack us, attack back, and anyone who helps should not expect a seat in the audience."
• The deputy governor of Khuzestan reported that the death toll so far has reached  2 martyrs & 11 injuries as a result of the US attack on the Shalamcheh border crossing between Iran-Iraq  in southwestern Iran last night. The US terrorist state is now turning to bombing Iranian civilians. The IRGC says in response to US’ war criminal attack on a route used by pilgrims it retaliated.  This was a war crime.  

• US official told Reuters that the US military could get a whole lot more over extended if Yemen continues to block the Red Sea. “Naval assets, fighter jets, intel and dwindling munitions could come under further pressure.”
• Wall Street Journal: Special operations forces have deployed to the region from their US bases, according to flight tracking data and officials. Fighter squadrons have been deployed across the Middle East, and bomber aircraft at bases in the US and the UK are on high alert. Washington is bolstering its forces, medical personnel, and weapons in the region to give Trump broader military options regarding Iran.

• Yemen military: "Why have condemnations come from every country against Yemen over the blockade on Saudi Arabia? Where were you when Saudi Arabia was blockading our people for the past 12 years—and now? Where were your condemnations when Israel was bombing and besieging Gaza? A hypocritical world that understands only the language of force. A decision we have made—there is no turning back."
• An Israeli security source: We are preparing for a military operation larger than Operation Lion's Roar in Iran.
• Final vote total for the NDAA yesterday in House of Representatives which tragically merges our military technology, intel, surveillance and supply chains with Israel. There would be no Congressional oversight. Let’s hope this version fails in the Senate because Section 219 is a betrayal of our national sovereignty. 

• Iran Warns Bulgaria of Consequences for Hosting US Military Aircraft: An official representative of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly reacted to a statement by the Bulgarian Prime Minister regarding the consideration of a US request to deploy American military aircraft in the country for operations against Iran. Iran emphasized that the Bulgarian government is fully aware of the illegal nature of US attacks against Iran and their blatant violation of the UN Charter.
• Reuters: US intelligence analysts are investigating whether Russia helped Iran target CIA facilities in recent drone attacks across the Gulf, though no conclusions have been reached. The inquiry follows Iranian strikes that hit multiple CIA sites, including the CIA station at the US Embassy in Riyadh and another facility in eastern Iraq. 

• Yesterday two Saudi Arabian oil tankers from Yanbu were struck with several ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones by Yemen, 70km north of the Yemeni border. They caught on fire. 10 other ships were forced to turn away after being warned by Yemen amid the Red Sea blockade.
• Washington Post: U.S. signs nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia that gives it path to enriching fuel. The agreement with a kingdom signaling it wants a nuclear weapon has sparked alarm among nonproliferation experts. Congress has 90 days to act on the deal. Then Trumps says the folloowing:

• Washington Post: House passes $1.15 trillion defense bill, tees up billions more for Iran war. The bipartisan consensus on defense collapsed as Republicans quashed objections from Democrats, who say Congress has failed to rein in Trump’s use of military force.

• Sky News UK citing a poll from YouGov: Only 6% of people in the UK would volunteer to fight for the country in the face of an "imminent"  invasion.  
• The Lavrov-Rubio meeting on the sidelines of ASEAN in Manilla was over after about 30 minutes. Russia’s top diplomat laid out Russian troops battlefield assessment directly to US secretary of state. Lavrov doubled down on Russia’s commitment to the US-floated proposals from the Alaska talks;  Lavrov drew a red line on continued Western arms flows to Kiev, warning Rubio that more weapons mean more escalation;  The pair tackled the strained state of US-Russia diplomatic missions, and how to get them back to normal;  Lavrov and Rubio then turned to the Persian Gulf, where both powers are watching a volatile strategic landscape.  Russia said this meeting was requested by the US. 

• Washington Post: Gig workers join Walmart and Amazon employees as top recipients of SNAP and Medicaid study finds. Amazon workers on federal aid nearly tripled between 2020 and 2025, while ride-hailing and food delivery app drivers shot up on lists compiled by the US Government Accountability Office.
• This photo was published by the United Venezuelan Socialist Party, founded by the late Hugo Chavez in 2007. Delcy Rodriguez, the interim president of Venezuela is shaking hands with Roni Kaplan, none other than the spokesman of the IDF in Spanish! He is a double Uruguayan-Israeli citizen against whom an official criminal complaint has been filed in Uruguay due to his complicity in war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide against the Palestinian people. This IOF official alongside others have been parading their military uniforms in Venezuela freely!  Delcy Rodriguez met them to thank them before they leave Venezuela for their help after the devastating earthquake on 24 June. Venezuela cut ties with Israel 17 years ago. This is quite a shock!  Venezuelan government is under pressure from Trump to receive Israelis. On 24 July an anti Zionist march will take place in Caracas. 

• Nicolas Maduro’s trial date has been set for June 1, 2027.  The case has fallen apart by the US own documentation. Maduro has long accused the US of seeking his ⁠ouster to gain greater control of the OPEC nation's vast oil reserves. 

• CBS: A Pentagon watchdog report found that in the roughly two years since it was built, an ammunition plant in Mesquite, Texas, has not produced any parts for 155mm artillery rounds, hindering the Army's goal to help backfill stocks of ammunition for Ukraine. The Defense Department inspector general found that as of March 2026, the plant had not produced any metal projectile parts that met the specifications laid out in the contract and "the Army's expenditure of $469 million to establish the Mesquite facility could have been used to address other Army or [Department of Defense] priorities."

• South China Morning Post: India’s student-led “cockroach” protests, which began as anger over alleged entrance exam leaks, are now becoming a broader test of whether Prime Minister Modi’s government can contain young Indians’ frustration over education, jobs and accountability. The fast-growing movement gained political momentum on Tuesday when opposition leader Rahul Gandhi of the Congress party and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were forcibly removed after a gathering with about 100 fellow lawmakers outside Modi’s residence to condemn the use of force against student protesters. Analysts say the protests have exposed a rare opening for the opposition: a youth grievance that cuts across party lines, speaks directly to middle-class anxieties over opportunity and fairness and puts pressure on a ruling party more used to setting the political agenda. 

Pepe Escobar: All Bets Are Off!

The war will not end unless and until the US honors the MOU that Trump and the Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed but the US almost immediately violated.

No serious talks are now underway between the two nations.

Iran, thru Pakistan, has told the US that they will not stop defending their national interests unless Trump agrees with the MOU.

No ceasefires are now under consideration.

Rumors abound about Iran moving toward testing a nuclear device. No one knows for sure. But Iran (which long honored that they would not build a nuclear weapon) now has lost all trust and patience with the US,. Thus some believe Iran might be coming to the conclusion that the only way they can 'safeguard' their nation is to do so at this time.

This question is all the more complicated after Trump and Saudi Arabia signed a deal yesterday where the US will assist the Saudi's in building a nuclear program. 

Note the massive hypocrisy here. Iran can't even have  a civilian nuclear program, which many nations around the world have long ago created, but the US can help Saudi Arabia build one.

How can anyone trust the USA anymore?

Judge Napolitano plays an extensive Senate hearing video of 'Pistol Pete' lying under oath about what he has previously called a US 'victory' over Iran. 

At the same time Hegseth is demanding Congress give the Pentagon (and its corporate agents) another $67 billion for the war. This really shows just how well things are not actually going for the fading US war machine.

Pepe's response to Hegseth's Senate testimony is right on the mark and priceless.

See a recent article by Pepe here

Bruce 

'Pistol Pete Hegseth' denies U.S.-Israel started war on Iran

• Iran’s Central Military Command (Khatam al-Anbiya) in reaction to Trump’s threats: “The criminal US has threatened to attack the nuclear and other sensitive facilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It is hereby declared that, should the aggressive and terrorist military of that country enter such a phase, we will regard it as an expansion of the war throughout the region. All interests belonging to the US, its allies, and the supporters of that rogue and hostile state will then be targeted by powerful attacks from the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” 

• In a new statement, the IRGC says it struck an early-warning radar; a tactical radar complex near Ali Al Salem Air Base; and a radar system on Kuwait’s Bubiyan Island. These radar systems were destroyed and put out of operational service.
• An official told Washington Post that a ground operation is unrealistic, as Iranian “standoff strikes” would have fire-control over any US ground forces. “I think it would be a mistake to put ground forces anywhere in islands in the strait or onshore,” said Seth Jones, who heads the defense and security department at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, referring to the Strait of Hormuz. “I don’t think U.S. forces are prepared for standoff strikes from Iranians.” 

• Iran’s IRGC announced they destroyed multiple drones at US bases. Inside the King Faisal & Prince Hassan Air Bases, the IRGC struck:  An F-15 preparation hangar; A drone-preparation hangar with 8 brand-new MQ-9 drones still inside their packaging and not yet assembled for service were completely destroyed; 2 additional drones positioned outside the hangar sustained heavy damage; At a helicopter-maintenance hangar 2 heavy US helicopters sustained major damage; An accommodation facilities killing & injuring several. 
• Video by an American soldier with 5 minutes time to take shelter during an Iranian missile attack. 

• Meanwhile, Fox News commentator seems to be on the cusp of a groundbreaking discovery: ‘I don’t understand how it’s possible that Iran has the capabilities to fight this way and continue to lash out at Gulf countries and US military bases…Because the US has OBLITERATED Iran’s military and the President continues to reiterate that.’ They’re a couple of lines of reasoning away from finally reaching the conclusion that Trump is pathologically lying, and the entire world is suffering because of it. 

• The Israeli military is rapidly constructing a large earthen barrier in the Gaza Strip, further entrenching the division of the tiny Palestinian enclave.
• Trump meets with Lebanese western-backed corrupt President Joseph Aoun at the White House: Aoun says, 'You are a great president.' Trump replies: 'He knows how to get to me. He can have anything.'

• Trump on Syria & Hezbollah: 'Well, it’s a concept. We get along very well with the President of Syria. He’s done a very good job. He’s pulled Syria together. He would like to come in and do something with Hezbollah in Lebanon. He has been fighting Hezbollah for a long time. I think it would be very effective.'
• Stars & Stripes Stuttgart, Germany: Up to eight US Air Force KC-135 refueling aircraft could soon be positioned at a military base in Bulgaria, the country’s leader said this week. Prime Minister Rumen Radev on Monday said Bulgaria’s parliament was expected to soon vote on the plan, which came at the request of the US Embassy in Sofia. [US is trying to move its planes farther away from West Asian bases that lately have been pounded by Iran missile and drone strikes. If Bulgaria, a NATO member, accepts this role then NATO will become increasingly complicit in the war on Iran, Lebanon and Palestine. This has been a Trump goal since the start of this war.]  

• Pete Hegseth: 'Iran has been given every opportunity to negotiate, to show that they’re reasonable on the Strait of Hormuz. But if they’re going to target commercial shipping, then we’re going to hit them, as the President has said, ten times harder.' 

• According to a Reuters report, the Yemeni naval blockade is forcing Saudi oil tankers to turn back from the Red Sea. Two tankers carrying Saudi oil, one bound for China and the other for India, changed course and headed toward the Suez Canal after the Houthis warned ships against loading or unloading at Saudi ports. A third tanker turned back before even reaching Yanbu to load. The rerouting of shipments through the Suez Canal adds weeks and costs to their arrival times in Asia. Saudi crude oil exports have reached their lowest levels since the imposition of the Yemeni blockade.
• The IRS will take a cut of Spain's $51,000,000 FIFA World Cup prize money. Since the tournament was hosted on US soil, FIFA prize money, bonuses, and appearance fees earned during the tournament fall under US federal income tax hitting players, coaches, staff, and even referees. Tax experts estimate Spain could lose close to half the payout to Washington.
• Thousands of farmers opposing a proposed trade deal with the US marched toward Delhi on Tuesday, presenting another challenge to the government of Indian Prime Minister Modi, already facing a student protest in the capital. The farmers’ unions say New Delhi’s proposed trade deal could hurt India’s agriculture sector by opening the door to cheaper American food and hurt domestic farmers, livestock and dairy producers, as well as small traders. 

• NATO troops in Ukraine are absolutely unacceptable states Kremlin: “It has been stated repeatedly, including at the highest level, that there are specific plans to deploy foreign contingents, including troops from NATO countries, on Ukrainian territory. These plans are reportedly ready and, moreover, are intended to become part of the security guarantees for Ukraine. For us, this is absolutely unacceptable,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Russia considers that it cannot permit the deployment of EU or NATO troops in Ukraine, he added.
• Patrick Lawrence writes: Based on National Security Presidential Memorandum–7 of September 2025, Trump declared a government offensive against “domestic terrorism” of the “Left-Wing” kind. This latest declaration of war is intended to “identify, disrupt, defund, debank, arrest, and prosecute these political terrorists operating in our country,” said Stephen Miller, Trump’s domestic policy adviser. So we can add “dangerous” to our descriptives. If the going gets as heavy as Cointelpro was at its worst, this new iteration could so prove. Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of this formal declaration of authoritarianism. On the nitty side, it is plain from the White House document and Rubio’s presentation of it that the Trump regime is in the grip of a creeping desperation. The victories of social democrats of various stripes in recent elections have Trump calling them all “Communists.” Beyond this, it is evident that American public opinion is tilting, measurably now, leftward toward populism. Anxiety in the upper reaches of power tips into fear. As to the gritty, this latest aggression against all of us, no exceptions, is simply too stupid to work. As an attempt at apple-pie fascism it is likely to make a mess, depending on how vigorously the regime presses its case, but the net of it will be the further alienation of power from people. 

• History lesson how war began in 2014: After the Obama-Biden orchestrated coup d'état in Kiev, the US-NATO armed, trained and directed Nazis from western Ukraine began attacking citizens in the Russian-ethnic region of the Donbass in eastern Ukraine right along the Russian border. One of the very first places they hit and captured was Mariupol. This video shows them driving over make-shift barricades erected by the people of Mariupol. Mariupol was taken back under Russian control in May 2022. The fall of Mariupol marked a strategic victory for Russia in the region. 

• Ukrainian dictator Zelensky named Mikhail Drapaty as the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Drapaty is on Russia’s wanted list. According to Russian investigators, he commanded Ukrainian forces operating against the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics from 2017 to 2019. Moscow alleges that units under his command shelled dozens of Russian-ethnic settlements in Donbass more than 70 times, killing and injuring more than 150 civilians. 

• Sovereignista: Oh Mama Mia. Trump wants to see FIFA President Gianni Infantino as the new UN Secretary-General, according to the New York Post. Trump believes that Infantino is respected around the world and has the ability to bring people together. The UN has discredited itself to such an extent that even if Trump’s psychiatrist is nominated, it would come as no surprise. This election for a new UN Secretary General will take place this year. We don’t have a date yet and the process of election is almost like that of a Pope. Straw poles (secret ballots) are held by the Security Council continually, until they agree. We just don’t see black smoke or white smoke.

Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters on 9/11, JFK, Gaza, and Why the Israel Lobby Is Trying to Destroy Him

There’s never been a legitimate criminal investigation into 9-11, the deadliest terror attack in US history. Roger Waters is trying to change that.

Roger Waters—legendary Pink Floyd co-founder and one of the world's most outspoken advocates for peace and justice—is backing a British 9/11 family in their historic effort to secure a new inquest into the death of Geoff Campbell, who was killed in the North Tower on 9/11. 

As the family's landmark UK Supreme Court hearing approaches, he is urging everyone to stand with the Campbell family by contributing to their Crowdfunder before the July 31 deadline. 

No black people in Argentina????