War heats up as Trump targets civilian sites

• The US has begun its desperate escalation attacks on mostly civilian targets inside Iran. A total of 5-6 bridges in Hormozgan province were targeted; The Griveh bridge, connecting Bandar Abbas, Khmeir, and Lar; The bridge after the village of Latidan (Kalmatli), on the return route from Bandar Abbas, Khmeir, and Lar.; 2 bridges on the route to Kahorstan, Lar; The unfinished bridge, connecting Bandar Khmeir, Keshvar, and Bandar Abbas; The bridge in the village of Maro, in the Khmeir county; Chabahar maritime tower was targeted (again) and destroyed by the US; A railway station, west of Bandar Abbas; Civilian airport in Iranshahr, southeastern Iran.

• The US refueling tankers and other support aircraft are now unable to land in Qatar's Al Udeid and Jordan's Mwafaq al-Salti due to the Iranian ballistic missile strikes.
• Footage shows how the US Patriot system failed to intercept the Iranian missiles, which caused them to strike intended targets inside King Faisal AB in Jordan, hitting US forces accommodation places. [Notice when the Patriot interceptors fail they fall back to the ground and hit other facilities on/near the US military base.] 

• The IRGC launched a heavy and surprising attack on the US Al-Udeid Air Base, in Qatar. As a result, one long-range radar system and several US strategic refueling aircrafts were completely destroyed, while several others sustained significant damage.
• Iranian missiles/drones struck: A US oilfield service company, Halliburton, logistics warehouse in Kuwait’s Mina Abdullah industrial zone was completely destroyed. A munitions storage warehouse complex at the US Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar was also hit.
• Sputnik: Iran is freely targeting US barracks, logistics bases and Air Force facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain using Arash heavy drones. Lack of effective resistance on the US’ part signals that whatever efforts the Pentagon took to restore regional capabilities (like transferring THAAD from South Korea) proved insufficient. Relentless Iranian attacks on US-operated bases in the region generally complicate US operations against Iran that rely on them, and force the US to expend significant forces and resources to protect them. Some of the bases nearest to Iran are now causing more problems for the US than they're worth. For example, Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar was the largest US airbase in the region, but now the US has been forced to evacuate most of its aircraft because it's too dangerous to keep them there.

• Fishermen fished out an intercepted LUCAS drone, a US-copy of the Iranian Shahed-136 drone. 

• Brent prices jump 2 percent to more than $85 per barrel amid continued US-Iran escalation.
• Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps: Full control of the Strait of Hormuz remains in the hands of our fighters, and as long as the US attacks continue, not a drop of oil or gas will be exported from this region.
• Iran targeted the King Fahd Causeway linking Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. This is in retaliation for US hitting numerous Iranian bridges that lead to its oil producing/storage islands.

• The UK has made it illegal with prison up to 14 years if you support the official military body of Iran. But you’re still free to support the broadly recognised genocidal army responsible for generation killing, the IDF.
• One clown replaces another: Andy Burnham has been announced as the new leader of the Labour Party and will take office as Prime Minister of the UK on Monday, July 20.
• The Israeli Knesset has voted to dissolve parliament overnight, sending Israel into early elections amid deepening internal political divisions and growing pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government. The move ends the current parliamentary term and sets the stage for elections scheduled for October 27, with Netanyahu facing mounting scrutiny over his government’s handling of the war on Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran, as well as his long-running corruption trials.

• El Mayadeen English: Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim: “If we find any Israeli national, we will deport them immediately because we do not recognise Israel.”
• BBC’s Vitali Shevchenko: Explains how “Ukrainian patriotism” is nothing but a myth. The problem is that Ukrainians do not want to die in the war.  

• Forum Geopolitica by Peter Hanseler: The NATO summit sent a message that no one wants to hear. Europe is openly declaring war on Russia – and it’s doing so with Trump’s full support. Almost all of the weapons used by Ukraine in this war are supplied by Europe and the US. However, many of them cannot be deployed without NATO personnel in Ukraine or at one of NATO’s bases, and cannot find their targets in Russia without satellite support from the US. It is therefore misleading to speak of a conflict between Ukraine and Russia here: Europe, with the active support of the US, is waging war against Russia. While this took place covertly until recently, the aggressors are now proudly flaunting their direct involvement. Russia “will no longer believe the West that it wants negotiated solutions” because “this reserve of goodwill and hope has been exhausted entirely”, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, 9th July, 2026.  

• Trump stated that a number of countries allegedly have the ability to interfere with the American electoral system. Among the "adversaries of the US," he named Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, as well as stated risks to election infrastructure. [He is preparing to create the fear and 'justification' to toy with the election computers in the coming November national congressional elections because he fears the Republicans will be thrown out of power. He has no respect for 'democracy'.] China stated “China has never interfered and will never interfere in the elections in the US,” via embassy spokesman. Russia as well denied any interference as did Iran. Note in this video Trump says these nations have the 'capability'.  Word games. 

• Reuters: Pakistan is in negotiations with Kuwait regarding a broad defense agreement in exchange for cooperation in the fields of energy and investment. Any defense agreement with Kuwait, which has been subjected to attacks from Iran this year, would raise questions about Pakistan's role in future mediation between the US and Iran. Many of the US attacks on Iran come from its bases in Kuwait.

USA freaking out over rise of other nations

America helped China integrate into the global economy, opened its markets, shared technology and allowed Western investment to pour into Chinese industry. Decades later, Washington increasingly believes it helped create its greatest strategic rival.

Now India is rising.

Recent comments from Vice President JD Vance and senior US officials reveal a striking change in American thinking. Washington appears determined not to repeat what it now calls the “China mistake” — raising a difficult question for New Delhi: does America genuinely want a powerful India, or does it only want India strong enough to help balance China?

In this GVS Deep Dive, Najma Minhas examines the profound shift taking place in American foreign policy. From manufacturing and semiconductor controls to AI, defence technology, trade and supply chains, economic growth is increasingly being treated as a national security issue.

The US still needs India in the Indo-Pacific. But an India that becomes a major manufacturing, technological and economic power could eventually emerge as an independent centre of global power.

So can Washington encourage India’s rise while simultaneously trying to manage it?

And has America’s fear of China fundamentally changed how it views every future rising power?  

China calls U.S. war-crazed & source of global chaos

• The United States informs Israel that it will expand military operations in Iran, and scenarios for Israeli involvement are being discussed.
• Iranian media: 7 people injured in a US attack targeting a residential area in Bandar Abbas.
• The US did it again: Last night US bombed dangerously close to a cancer hospital causing disruptions to chemotherapy treatments forcing 211 children to evacuate, Baghaei Hospital in Ahvaz.

• Israeli Channel 14: Bridges, railways, airports, and camps in southern Iran are being bombed with the aim of controlling the region. The US forces will soon enter Iran.
• According to additional reports, it looks like Iran struck American HIMARS systems in Kuwait. The same missile systems that were used to attack Iran. There’s large widespread fire, indicating a relatively large attack. 

• Hebrew Channel 12 Israeli President Isaac Herzog to Saudi Al-Arabiya channel: "My dream is to see peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia. I have great respect for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and what we want most in Israel is to see rapprochement between the two peoples."
• War monger Pete Hegseth announced that he is rolling out a new screening program for "testosterone deficiency" among troops, calling it necessary to allow them to operate at their "absolute best." The screenings will be conducted annually as part of service members' required medical screenings for those 30 and older, he said. Troops under 30 can volunteer to be tested. [Reminds one of WW2 Nazi scientists doing experiments to create the perfect blonde-haired Aryan soldier.]

• The Jordanian Minister of Foreign Affairs: The Iranian narrative that there are US military bases in Jordan is incorrect. There are no American bases in Jordan but rather American soldiers operating within the framework of military cooperation between us and Washington.
• White House spokeswoman after massacre of thousands of women and children in Palestine, Lebanon and Iran: Trump knows that our military never targets civilians or children. Iran is well known for killing women, children, and innocent people. 

• The chief engineer of the Russian Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant was killed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. A Ukrainian drone attacked an official vehicle, killing Alexander Yakovlev. Yakovlev’s driver was also killed reported Alexey Likhachev, Rosatom General Director.

• Another exchange of bodies of the fallen took place today. Russia and Ukraine conducted an exchange of the bodies of deceased military personnel. Russia received 31 bodies of Russian servicemen, while Ukraine received 501 bodies.
• Amidst the harsh heat in Gaza, a father created a makeshift pool for his children using simple materials, trying to give them moments of joy and alleviate the burden of the difficult circumstances. 

• NATO has launched more than 30 military interventions over the past 25 years. Military-industrial corporations have skillfully pulled the EU into NATO’s sphere of influence. NATO and the EU are using international terrorist methods. Kiev’s neo-Nazism was fostered by the intelligence services of the UK, France, and the US. The West has adopted a course of outright terrorism against Russia. Ukrainian long-range drone and missile strikes are only possible with Western support.

• NBC News: The ‘Donroe Doctrine’ continues in Latin America. The US will impose a 25% tariff on most Brazilian imports from July 22, citing unfair trade practices. Brazil called the move unjustified and plans to challenge it through the WTO – which is another organization laid lame by the current hegemonic powers. A separate US investigation could raise total tariffs on some Brazilian goods to 37.5%. The reason here is not trade but the Brazilian election upcoming in early October. The US meddling has been ongoing with open support for the Bolsonaro family. In Brazil, a change in policy and rightist government has an added benefit of attempting to force China out of the region as trade partner.
• Mike Prysner Executive Director of the Center on Conscience and War: 'Unfavorable views of Israel surged from 41% to 60% between 2022 and 2026, driven in large part by attitudes of young (enlistment-age) Americans. Service members were part of that demographic. Then Trump started a new war with a single ally: Israel. They began that war with two clear US war crimes: the bombing of the Minab girls school, and the sinking of the defenseless IRIS Dena. Compared with previous generations, those age 17-29 are markedly more skeptical of military intervention, less committed to maintaining US military dominance, less willing to serve in the armed forces, and more likely to question traditional foreign policy assumptions.' 

• Chris Hedges: 'China has launched a blistering [verbal] attack on the US, describing Washington as "war-crazed" and accusing it of becoming a major source of global chaos. The message reflects Beijing's growing anger over America's military interventions, expanding alliances, sanctions, and involvement in conflicts across different regions of the world. Chinese officials appear to be arguing that the US presents itself as a defender of peace while repeatedly using military force, political pressure, and economic punishment to control events beyond its borders. Critics of American foreign policy argue that decades of wars, occupations, and regime-change operations have created instability rather than lasting peace. This is more than another diplomatic insult. It is part of a widening struggle between the world's two most powerful countries over who gets to define global order, security, and justice. America calls itself the guardian of stability. China is now openly calling it the engine of chaos.' 

• Mondoweiss, which credits The Electronic Intifada, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, The Intercept, and unnamed Palestinian writers for the research, exposes more than 20 senior editors, correspondents, columnists, and reporters “who have ties to the Zionist state.” One stunning but exemplary case is Natan Odenheimer, who served in an I.O.F. commando unit and then as a correspondent in The Times’s Jerusalem bureau—embedding with and covering his former colleagues. “How can we ever expect someone to report on the occupation correctly when he wore the occupier’s uniform for four years?” 
• The Cradle: Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidi said on 13 July that the most dangerous threats in the region come not from Iran but from Israel, while lambasting the “myth” of the policy of “containment” that has for years targeted the Islamic Republic. “The gravest threats to Gulf security do not originate within the region itself. Rather, they stem from decisions taken outside it – above all, in Tel Aviv. That conclusion is now difficult to dispute,” the foreign minister wrote in an opinion piece released by Le Monde. Al-Busaidi added that Tehran “did not constitute an existential threat.” He criticized the expansion of the US military presence across the region, saying it did not provide protection or benefit the countries of the Gulf.

• Zelensky's decision to dismiss Defence Minister Mikhail Fedorov caused a wave of dissatisfaction among Ukrainian politicians, military personnel, and parts of society. Ukrainian dictator Zelensky states, "You know, during the war we cannot have elections due to, first and foremost, security considerations. You know this very well." Zelensky also made clear that all regime functionaries, except himself, can be replaced at his discretion. “It is very important for us to preserve the unity of our state. We have been working together for a long time. And sometimes there are conflicts. The law allows the government to be rebooted.” 

A really good day at Brunswick vigil

Five of us did our hour-long weekly Thursday vigil in Brunswick, Maine today. 

The public response was great - MB calculated it was 30 positives to every one negative.

One could say that the public is over these endless war$. In recent polls over 70% oppose the war on Iran. People are done with the US-Israel being joined at the hip.

MB was on the opposite side of the street with her sign that read 'Stop War$ abroad and fascism at home'. It's interesting to me how many people now don't flinch when they see the word fascism. It has become a regular part of the political dialogue these days when we are talking about the US of A.

This intersection where we are standing is one of the busiest in the state. Traffic from I-295 and US 1. It is a primary intersection for those heading north and south.

Lots of out-of-state license plates were noticed today.

Rich, poor, middle class, working class, truck drivers - they all saw us.

Bruce 

~ Photo by Steve Musica (click on photo for best view)

Fleeing Israhell

Washington waging an assault on international law

• The people have taken to the streets in Yemen to express their joy over the bombing of the Saudi regime by Yemen. The Saudi-US war on Yemen has lasted for 12 years with a vicious blockade and starvation of many children during that time. Iran has been one of the few nations to try to help the beleaguered people of Yemen.

• Lindsey Graham's Senate seat will be filled by his younger sister Darline [who has no experience, but will gladly take orders from AIPAC]. 'Democracy' working so well in the USA!  
• Trump's most recent attacks on Iran caused oil prices to jump above $83 per barrel.
• A US air strike targeted an environmental monitoring station in the Hormozgan region of Iran. 

• Trump on the strait of Hormuz: 'We will become the guardian of the strait, and when we do that, we will be reimbursed for it. We guarded the strait for 50 years, and we never got paid for it. We guarded it for nothing, but now we will make money.'
• Brian Berletic: An overview of Saudi-Arabia’s strikes on Yemen and how it fits in with other wars ongoing and planned. Same old, same old if you get the pattern. Saudi Arabia is turning on Iran and on Yemen. So those that told you that the Saudi’s are interested in a regional security initiative had it wrong. They are interested in what suits them at the moment.
• Sovereignista on the Houthis: Calling us 'Houthis' is like calling the Iranian people Khomeinis. Wouldn’t it be better to call us Yemenis instead of Houthis? 'Houthi' is the title of the leader of the Yemeni revolution, Sayyid Abdul-Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi, while the entire population participated in the September 21, 2014 revolution. Therefore, you should call us by our true name: Yemenis or Ansar Allah (Supporters of God). The name 'Houthis' is used by our enemies to belittle us and deny our existence as a state, government, people, and army. Therefore, [we] hope you will not call us by the name our enemies use for us. 
• Secretary Marco Rubio: 'The International Criminal Court seeks to become the unaccountable arbiter of a new global law — empowered to prosecute and arrest our citizens at will and existentially threaten American sovereignty. We will teach the ICC the full meaning of American resolve.' 

• Activist Ben Norton: The US empire is waging an all-out assault on international law. Why? Because the US knows its hegemony is declining fast, so it plans to wage even more barbaric wars around the world, in a desperate attempt to save its global empire. What the US is doing to Gaza, Cuba, and Iran is what it plans to do across the Global South. And US officials want to make sure that they are never held accountable for their genocidal crimes against humanity.
• Lvov, Nazi Bandera heartlands, in western Ukraine: A woman tried to prevent the issuing of another Zelensky government body snatcher death sentence. Being a coward and degenerate, one body snatcher tried to strangle the woman instead. “Freedom” and “democracy” never stops in Ukraine. Let's have the US-UK-EU give them some more money and weapons? Send NATO troops too?

• Nazi-led Ukrainian troops joined France's Bastille Day parade in Paris for the first time. While two Ukrainian pilots flew French-supplied Mirage fighter jets overhead. 

• Argentina's Jewish president Javier Milei allocated 100,000 hectares of forest land in Patagonia, about 4 times the size of Gaza, to Israel. Following this development, Mel Gibson's claim that "Israel will move to Argentina" has resurfaced.  

• Venezuela Watch: The US Air Force now runs Venezuela’s main international airport. A US amphibious warship is docked at its principal port. MQ-9 Reaper drones and combat helicopters fly reconnaissance over Caracas. Nearly 2,000 US troops are deployed on land, air and sea in and around the country, operating out of two colonies: US-held Puerto Rico and Dutch-held Curaçao. Washington calls this earthquake relief. The deployment’s actual tasks tell the story. After repairing a runway, the US Air Force’s Contingency Response Element took over “airfield management, air traffic coordination, communications, and security” at Simón Bolívar International Airport, according to SOUTHCOM’s own press releases. Control of the airport and the port means control of everything and everyone that enters or leaves Venezuela’s capital region. That is a military objective, and the Pentagon has secured it. An Israeli military delegation also arrived. Brig. Gen. Elad Edri, chief of staff of the Israeli Home Front Command, with “expert teams” for reconstruction. Israel operates in West Asia as a US forward base, and its appearance in Caracas is a deployment of US power by other means — the army that bombed Gaza to rubble now sends officers and engineers to Venezuela as reconstruction experts.

• Center for Constitutional Rights: We condemn Florida’s new anti-terrorism laws. We joined Palestine Legal in writing a statement in solidarity with organizations, movements, activists and communities in Florida impacted by two so-called anti-terrorism laws that went into effect on July 1, 2026, which represent a new state-level tool of authoritarian political repression. HB1471 and HB1473 constitute an unprecedented attempt to extend anti-terrorism authority to a state government by granting a small group of Florida officials the power to designate domestic and foreign groups as "terrorist organizations." This dangerous development in the right's attempt to consolidate its authoritarian project signals an escalation in the attack on Palestine solidarity and social justice movements more widely.

• Center for Protest Law & Litigation: The Trump administration has released its proposal to erect permanent eight- to nine-foot fencing around Lafayette Square, with unilateral authority to seal the park and shut Pennsylvania Avenue at the administration's unbridled discretion. This is a transparent effort to suppress visible dissent in front of the White House in the nation's preeminent public forum, and to eliminate the American people's right to assemble and petition their government at the seat of presidential power. It is an overt attack on participatory democracy. Lafayette Park is not the president's front yard. It belongs to the American people and is the time-honored location to petition the Executive Branch for redress of grievances. It is the single most significant site for protest of presidential policies and actions in the US, where people have assembled to demand justice for more than a century, from the suffragists to the Civil Rights Movement to this day.

Trump preparing attacks on Social Security

Trump wants to move the current Social Security system toward a Wall Street market system. 

They will play on people's dreams to be rich and the desire to hit it big in the stock market. 

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that this new proposed Trump program would be a "Back door for privatizing Social Security".

That has been the right-wing agenda since Social Security was created by the FDR administration during the Great Depression.

Millions of Americans rely on Social Security and Medicare to survive their older years.

We can't let these pirates in Washington steal the Social Security treasure chest.

Bruce 

The war's other purpose....

 

I've been wondering, often out loud, do the ruling Epstein oligarchs want to intentionally run the US (and western) economies into the ground, like a wayward 747 jet crash soon after taking off?

A total US economic shut down, similar to what we experienced during covid when the Mr. Bigs on Wall Street bought up lots of small and medium size businesses across the nation, on the cheap, further consolidating their elite power and control.  

If the covid gain-of-function couldn’t kill enough “useless eaters”, let the price of fossil fuel pain and rising inflation get another chunk of them. Sort of like that.

Economic prognosticators have been regularly suggesting that if Trump keeps the Iran war going much longer the entire global economy will be put into a terrible tail spin that impacts the vast majority of the people across the planet.

Imagine how BlackRock and Vanguard (and the other investment management corporations behind them) would have a field day following massive layoffs, Main Street business failures, home ownership foreclosures, and much more. The Wall Street biggies would have an open door to consolidate much of the little remaining wealth in the US and beyond that they don't already control.

This would introduce full blown jack-booted neo-feudalism with a wave of the magic wand. Overnight lay-offs and desperate homelessness, extreme poverty, massive hunger, major medical crisis with no government ability (or desire) to intervene and other such calamities would ensue.

The path to the World Economic Forum's favored 'Golden Billion' would arrive quicker than Trump could say, "I Made America Great Again."

Gaza in 2025-2026

We know this is the dream, the goal, the agenda of the criminal elites who now run the western colonizing governments. They know that climate crisis is descending on our unprepared nations. They haven't wanted to address the climate issue nor will they have the slightest interest in helping the masses who get scooped up by raging hurricanes, rising seas, soaring temperatures, and an unimaginable food crisis due to the heat and loss of clean water. 

One must also wonder if the US-NATO's war on Russia will escalate to the point that Moscow determines that they must use their nukes. Is this part of the planning of the CIA, MI6 and Mossad who are orchestrating this war designed to break Russian into smaller nations allowing the rabid corporate oligarchs the chance to grab the remains? It's always been this way, for the past 500 years, the US-EU colonizers want Russia's vast resource base.

The western nations are arming like never before ostensibly to protect against Russia and China - the boogey men. But in part they are also up-arming against the public because they know what is likely coming.

Gaza, Sudan, Lebanon genocidal operations by Israel-US-EU are the canary in the mines. How many still ignore the signs? Millions of deaths mean nothing to the elite. They keep telling us that AI will make most of us superfluous anyway. What more evidence do we need? How will our children and grandchildren survive this impending juggernaut? 

The elites of the world are now making their plans to live in gated fortresses and well-guarded underground bunkers. Elon Musk appears to believe his Mars colony is the answer. 

The rest of us will be on our own to manage as best we can.

Those that still support these current endless war$ (and extreme fascistic nationalism) need to wake up and see the writing on the wall before it is too late. This might sound apocalyptic, but since when have the rich ever given a damn what happens to the 'great unwashed'?

It's beyond time to tax the rich and break up the big investment corporations that own much of our nation. A revolt is needed more than ever. A socialized global economy that supports the greater good is what I want. That is our only way out of this coming landslide.

Protest and survive now - today - is the warning cry that should resound amongst those of us living under the iron fist of the rich and powerful.

Rise up or give up. Which path will each of us decide to take?

Bruce 

What Iran means about 'revenge' against US-Israel

The Grayzone's Max Blumenthal interviews Setareh Sadeqi of the University of Tehran about calls by average Iranians and some politicians for targeting Trump and Netanyahu as revenge for their assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Dr. Setareh Sadeqi can be found at @leelako on X/Twitter.

Lindsey Graham gone but his sister takes his place

Using solar to travel in Cuba

Electric tricycles have exploded across Cuba as the country faces extreme fuel shortages due to the U.S.-imposed oil blockade. But blackouts now last so long — 20 or more hours a day — there isn’t enough electricity to charge them.

So drivers are now installing solar panels on top of their tricycles.

“As long as the sun is out, it’s charging the battery,” says Evanys Peréz. “Now we can travel up to 90 miles.”  

Trump attacks Iran for 3rd night in a row

• Iranians have been gathering outside, throughout the country, to condemn the US & Israel EVERY single night for 136 days.
• Iran tonight shot down a American MQ-1 drone over the Strait of Hormoz. More than 30 MQ drones have been shot down by Iran and Yemen since Trump's wars have started.

• Al Mayadeen correspondent in Tehran: The American attacks do not only target military sites, but also focus on economic areas and facilities.  The American attacks targeted the ports of Chabahar and Bandar Abbas, which are strategic in Iran. 
• Mehr News Agency: Explosions have been heard on the islands of Qeshm and Kish in Hormozgan Province, southern Iran from the US attacks.
• Sources from one of the sites affiliated with the so-called "Iranian Opposition" state that the US military is bombing Iranian sites with HIMARS from Kuwaiti territory.

• McKenzie, former CENTCOM commander: The US should seize Iran's Kharg Island to increase leverage in negotiations.
• U.S. Central Command: At the direction of President Trump, we have begun launching strikes against Iran for the third night in a row.

• Trump: We will destroy the Iranian nuclear facility tonight at Pickaxe (Karkas). (This is a fortified Iranian nuclear site that is still under construction.) He also said, 'The MoU with Iran was a test, and they did not abide by it.'

• Simplicius: Like the spiral of his legacy swirling down the porcelain drain, Trump has lit off a new cycle of aimless bombings, after his patience had run dry for waiting out Iran’s “surrender” to a war the Persian nation had long won. In reality, the US knows it has no real cards to play; the Iranian state has been powerfully reinforced and indurated against US aggression to the point where each round of strikes has increasingly diminishing returns. The late Ayatollah Khamenei’s funeral has likewise cemented societal solidarity and spirit around the Iranian government, leaving the US and Israel with few avenues to make any kind of strategic inroads at all against their foe. Trump continues to wave the threat of “total destruction” of Iran’s critical facilities—desalination and nuclear plants, etc. — but these are likely bluffs owing to the knowledge that Iran’s response would likewise cripple the region’s most critical infrastructures as well, which would rebound onto Trump’s administration in extremely deleterious ways. Key US weapons stockpiles remain significantly depleted and will come under even more intense pressure if strikes against Iran continue at the current rate, as President Donald Trump reiterated Friday that the ceasefire in the conflict is “over.” 

• Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on the destruction of Lebanon: “I said that Southern Lebanon would become Gaza. We would apply the Rafah model. We would destroy everything there. And that is what we did. The infrastructure has been destroyed. Homes in 24 villages along the border, villages that had existed for hundreds of years have been demolished. The army systematically flattened the villages with bulldozers and explosives. Ninety percent of the houses are gone. Between 15,000 and 20,000 homes have been destroyed.”

• Trump’s sons, Eric and Donald Trump Jr., have poured money into more than a dozen federal military contractors that are collectively making billions from their father’s administration. A Washington Post analysis reveals that those firms have raked in more than $3.2 billion in Pentagon deals under the second Trump administration. Most of Eric and Donald Jr.’s investments came after President Trump, 80, retook the White House last year. The firms have also secured $3.1 billion in potential future work, along with the right to “bid exclusively” for up to $200 billion more. Eric, 42, and Donald Jr., 48, cast their investments as acts of “patriotic capitalism,” claiming they’re helping to defend the US against enemy threats. 

• Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov in an interview with Swiss magazine Die Weltwoche: He said the West’s efforts made the special military operation a full-scale war, noted that Vladimir Zelensky knows how to end the conflict in Ukraine in one day, and also pointed out that Russia does not need a nuclear escalation and it will never start WW3. “Zelensky came to power promising his people to stop the war. That was his initial promise. And he still can stop the war, taking a very responsible decision.” This means the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Donbass and a legal recognition of the prevailing realities: “And the next day the war will be over.” Russia has recently liberated Konstantinovka: “It was prepared to be an untakeable fortress since 2014. And despite that, they managed to take it.” After the liberation of Konstantinovka, the Russian military is “going to take another two important cities. It’s Kramatorsk and Slavyansk. After that, the whole territory of the Donetsk Republic will be liberated.” EU and US supply Kiev with weapons, ammunition and military advisers. “They are supplying the Kiev regime with satellite surveillance results. They target Ukrainian weapons with their satellites. They are using their artificial intelligence, AI, in order to facilitate the military activities of the Kiev regime. If it’s not a direct involvement, then what?”

• CNN: Donald Trump has decided to support the bipartisan Russia sanctions bill that was led by Epstein class Sen. Lindsey Graham. The move, announced after Graham's death, is expected to make it easier for Congress to pass the legislation. The bill would allow Trump to impose steep tariffs on countries that continue buying Russian oil, gas, and uranium, increasing pressure on Moscow over the war in Ukraine that the US-UK-NATO orchestrated in 2014. 

• The Sahel bloc is important because Russia is attempting to integrate relations with Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger into the broader African framework. Lavrov has explicitly stated that Moscow expects to facilitate closer contacts between the Alliance of Sahel States and the African Union. This is important, since following the exit of these countries from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and their transition to a confederation, they are in need of external partners willing to recognize their new regional identity. In this sense, Russia offers not only military cooperation but also political recognition. 

• The Yemeni Armed Forces have bombed the Abha International Airport & King Khalid Airbase in Saudi Arabia with ballistic missiles & kamikaze drones. In retaliation to Saudi bombing Sana’a airport in Yemen.
• Ansar Allah Political Bureau, Yemen: In a dangerous escalatory step, the criminal Saudi regime bombed Sana'a International Airport in an attempt to prevent our delegation from returning [from ceremonies in Iran) to their homeland, but it failed. The crime of targeting Sana'a International Airport constitutes a blatant act of aggression against our people, a flagrant violation of sovereignty, and a clear breach of international laws and conventions. The targeting of Sana'a International Airport reflects the level of hatred and criminality harbored by the Saudi regime, backed by the US, toward our people. The attack comes within the framework of implementing the American desire to maintain the unjust blockade imposed on our people for more than ten years. The Saudi attack is an attempt to reimpose tutelage over Yemen and confiscate its independent decision-making and sovereignty. Our people have the full right to respond to the Saudi aggression in bombing Sana'a International Airport. The UN, the international community, and humanitarian organizations must assume their responsibilities regarding the suffocating blockade imposed upon our people. Our people have always been, and will remain, free, steadfast in defending their rights, sovereignty, and dignity.  The Iranian Mahan Air civilian airplane successfully landing at Al Hodeidah airport despite attacks and threats from Saudis. 

Tucker interviews Dennis Kucinich about U.S.-Israel military merger

This month, unless Donald Trump stops it, our treasonous Congress is likely to merge the US military with Israel’s genocidal armed forces. 

Dennis Kucinich (long time peace activist in Congress) speaks on the end of American sovereignty.

Dennis Kucinich was Mayor of Cleveland, an eight-term U.S. Congressman, Democratic presidential candidate in 2004 and 2008, and currently authors The Kucinich Report on Substack: https://kucinichreport.substack.com/ 

U.S. strikes back hard against Iran

• IRGC announced: Strait of Hormoz fully closed until US ceases its interference in this region. No vessel will be permitted to pass through. Following this Iranian move, the US is now carrying out on-going attacks throughout southern and southwestern areas of Iran, by firing surface-to-surface HIMARS ballistic missiles from Bahrain & Kuwait. Explosions reported in: Bandar Abbas, Asaluyeh, Bushehr, Sirik, Minab, Ahvaz. Axios reports that in response Iran targeted US bases in Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Oman, Kuwait and Jordan.

• Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth: 'Iran made a poor choice. Now, they will pay.' CENTCOM confirms the US is currently attacking Iran in retaliation for blocking ships from crossing the Strait of Hormuz on Trump’s orders. 
• Iran published images of an intercepted American Tomahawk cruise missile launched from a US navy destroyer in the Gulf of Oman toward Iran. The missile was shot down by the Iranian air defenses in Khorramabad, Lorestan province, yesterday. 

• Iran’s MFA Spokesperson: We did not make any request to negotiate with the US, however, we did not reject a request from one of the regional mediators to visit Iran. This meeting took place in Mashhad, and we conveyed our views to the Qatari side.
• Iranian Ministry of Health: 17 Iranians, including a woman, killed and 115 others injured in US recent attacks.
• Close-up footage of the Israeli strikes on Gaza City. 

• More than 1,100 Israeli military and settler violations were recorded across the occupied West Bank in just one week, according to the Moata Centre. The documented violations include raids, attacks on Palestinian communities, property destruction, assaults on civilians, and other violations carried out across different areas of the occupied territory. 

• Middle East Eye: Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said US envoy Steve Witkoff described Gaza’s entire population as “two million Nazis” during a private meeting last year.  According to Smotrich Witkoff told him: “Bezalel, I will not let two million Nazis live next to your children along the border fence.” Smotrich also quoted Witkoff as saying that “There is only one thing that hurts the enemy: land.” The meeting was also attended by then‑Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer. Smotrich’s remarks came just days before Trump publicly unveiled his plan to “take over” the Gaza Strip and relocate its population. The initiative proposes so‑called “voluntary relocation packages” for Palestinians, offering $5,000 per person. Developed without any Palestinian involvement, the plan effectively formalized a foreign presence in the Gaza Strip. 
• Trump ready for mid-terms: The Donald is trying out his new talking points in time for the November Congressional elections. His two latest are the 'Commies are coming' and 'They want to kill me'. His supporters are now likely arming up for a possible civil war.

• Tens of thousands of children born in Gaza during the genocide have only known war. But even though they’re still living in tents under near-daily bombardment, they still find moments of joy. 

• Israeli occupation forces opened fire on homes in the town of Mansouri, continued to demolish houses in the city of Bint Jbeil, and carried out a bombing operation this morning in Majd al-Zoun, southern Lebanon.
• Zionist settlers have attacked a CNN crew and detained a US congressman. Imagine what they do to Palestinians. California Democratic lawmaker Ro Khanna said he was detained by Israeli settlers armed with US-made rifles during a West Bank visit this week that he cast as an unfiltered look at the human toll of Israeli occupation. 

• Black Agenda Report: The war in Sudan between government forces and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) backed Rapid Support Force (RSF) continues, and so does what experts call the worst humanitarian crisis in the world. The city of El Obeid is under siege, and there are fears of another massacre, such as in El Fasher.

• Evacuation of Konstantynivka: In a tense environment near the front lines, Russian troops carried out a complex and carefully planned evacuation of civilians from Konstantynivka.  Over three days, combatants from the 4th Independent Mechanized Brigade "South" evacuated several groups of civilians from the city. In total, approximately 20 people, including children, were evacuated. Special and secure routes were developed for the evacuation of the people. During different stages of the evacuation, drones, light and fast all-terrain vehicles, motorcycles, and ground robotic systems were used to ensure the safety of the people. "The bad things are already forgotten," said one of the rescued women. [Ukraine has occupied this region generally since 2014 using it as a launch pad for attacks against the Russian-ethnic Donbass population and into Russia itself. Zelensky's Nazi led forces are now on the run.] 

• Sovereignista: "German Embassy suggests we should stop what it called an ‘aggressive war’ and informs us about fuel shortages," says Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova. "We agree it’s time for Berlin to stop waging an aggressive war through the Kiev regime. In the meantime, the concerned German diplomats can take public transport."

• South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham unexpectedly died last night and is now on his way to meet his Devil. Graham was a long-time major promoter of the US-NATO war on Russia using Ukraine as the hammer. He's also a Netanyahu lover and has fought hard to fund Israel's wars against Palestine, Lebanon and now Iran.

Hells Angels Airshow Protest in Brunswick, Maine

On Friday the Navy Blue Angels (Hells Angels) came to Brunswick, Maine and spent half the day flying low, just over our heads, as a way to 'build interest' for the air show that would be held over the weekend at the former naval air base in our community. The short clip above was taken right in front of our apartment.

Then on Saturday morning we began lining up just before 8:30 am outside the closed base as legions of vehicles were already crawling toward the air show parking lots. 

Over 30 of us from around the state spent the next three hours in the hot sun with our signs and banners making eye contact with those inching by in the traffic snarl. Most had their windows up but a decent number were reacting positively to the wonderful activist 'Ideal Maine Band' out of Portland that played again (for the 3rd time) during one of our many air show protests over the years. 

We've often heard that Maine is one of the easiest states in the nation where the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines can find eager new recruits due to our depressed economy. Thus lots of air shows have been held in our mid-coast town.

Some years ago a group of us paid to go inside and handed out hundreds of flyers opposing these air shows. We were not surprised by how much of the event was centered on recruitment with big tents for each branch of the military offering fancy video games for the young kids to practice killing 'the bad guys'. After checking out that scene our group on that occasion carried our banner and stood underneath a B-1 bomber. We figured we'd quickly get arrested but they appeared not to want to 'make a scene' by cuffing and dragging us off to jail in front of the enormous crowd. (Click on photo for better view)

Surprisingly yesterday we got a decent amount of waves and peace signs from those entering though we did get many more negatives (middle fingers, thumps down, shouts, and snarls) from Trump's adoring militarist fan club. 

But we were most interested in making eye contact with the kids in the back seats of the cars and many of them rewarded us with curiosity, smiles and waves. Sometimes it is best to take the long term view.

All in all it was a good day. We were able to bring a determined and colorful anti-imperial opposition to another 'USA war mongering event' in our community.

Bruce

• Our next statewide monthly peace protest will be held in Bangor on Saturday, July 25 at 11:00 am at the downtown West Market Square.

~ Photos and videos by MB Sullivan