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Debt Rattle July 13 2026

Jul 132026
 
 July 13, 2026  Posted by at 9:43 am Finance Tagged with: , , , , , ,  Add comments


Claude Monet Woman with a Parasol – Madame Monet and Her Son 1874


• Sen. Lindsey Graham Dead at 71 (Sarah Anderson)
• “What Makes It Even Stranger…” (ZH)
• The Passing of Lindsey Graham, American Patriot and Politician (Turley)
• Losing Lindsey Graham Is a Massive Blow for President Trump (Matt Vespa)
• Strait of Hormuz Open To All Vessels — CENTCOM (TASS)
• Somebody in Tehran Who Calls Himself ‘Mojtaba Khamenei’ Vows Revenge (Spencer)
• Zelensky Voices Plans To Replace Government, Dismiss Prime Minister (TASS)
• EU Turning Into ‘Banana Republic’ – Durov (RT)
• ‘Sober up’ – Polish PM tells Ukraine (RT)
• Poland Marks Anniversary of WWII Massacre By Ukrainian Nazi Collaborators (RT)
• ‘Burning Children Alive’: WWII-Era Ukrainian Massacres of Poles (RT)
• Investing in Kids and Country (Clarice Feldman)
• Why Our Kids Don’t Learn (Star Parker)

 


 

https://twitter.com/Rothmus/status/2075935311905927542?s=20

 


 


Lindsey Graham was more than an ultra violent gaydar offsetter. But I don’t quite know what to make of all the theories that the timeline of his death doesn’t add up. That he couldn’t possibly have been back in the US in time, after his visit to Ukraine, to have died in his own bed. Let alone to speak with President Trump after he returned. I guess some serious people will look at that timeline for us.

• Sen. Lindsey Graham Dead at 71 (Sarah Anderson)

Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-S.C.) officed announced early Sunday morning that the senator died after a “brief and sudden” illness. He was 71 years old. “On the evening of Saturday, July 11, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham passed away from a brief and sudden illness,” the statement said. “Senator Graham’s family appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period.”


Despite the late hour of the announcement, several prominent political figures have spoken out, offering their condolences and support to his family and sharing their fond memories of Graham, who served in the Senate for 23 years. That includes South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster.

“Peggy and I and our children-are devastated,” McMaster said. “Lindsey Graham is irreplaceable. The fiercest of fighters for South Carolina and America — and a loyal and steadfast friend. We grieve with Darline, his family and his devoted staff. May God hold him gently in the palm of his hand. We shall not see his likes again.” Darline is, of course, Graham’s younger sister, whom he raised after both of their parents died within 15 months of each other. He was 22, and she was just 13 years old at the time.

Donald Trump also responded on Truth Social around 3:20 a.m. on Sunday morning: “Senator Lindsey Graham, one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, is dead! He was always working, and was a true American Patriot. Lindsey will be greatly missed!!! DETAILS AND ARRANGEMENTS TO FOLLOW. So sad!President DONALD J. TRUMP

Graham had just returned home from Kyiv, Ukraine, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He was scheduled to appear on Meet the Press on Sunday.

According to NBC, which obtained audio from a police scanner, “emergency personnel responded to a call for ‘cardiac arrest’ at Graham’s Capitol Hill home on Saturday.” NBC also claims that its staff saw photos of paramedics carrying a person out on a stretcher to an ambulance outside Graham’s home. Several police and fire vehicles were on the scene.

Graham, who was up for re-election, served as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. He was one of President Donald Trump’s best allies in the Senate, as well as one of its most visible and outspoken members, particularly when it came to his hawkishness on foreign policy. Several members of Congress and other world leaders have also posted messages to social media over the last few minutes, and I’m sure many more will pour in later in the day and into the week. I’ll just share a few here:

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“Trump Describes Saturday Night Phone Call With Lindsey Graham Hours Before Senator’s Death..”

• “What Makes It Even Stranger…” (ZH)

Update (1135ET): President Trump has weighed in on Graham’s death, telling Meet the Press that Graham called him in the ‘early evening,’ to tell Trump he was ‘all set for the Save America Act,’ and that it may have been the last call Graham made.


“what makes it even stranger is that I got a call last night sometimes in, you know, the early evening, maybe in the 7:00’s. And he called and he said, “We’re all set for the Save America Act,”” Trump told host Kristen Walker. “He was pushing the Save America Act like crazy. He got back, said he just landed from Ukraine. I said, “That’s a long trip to make.””

Graham notably toured a top secret Ukrainian ‘Skyfall’ drone factory (see more below) days before his death, where the country’s deadly ‘Baba Yaga’ Vampire bomber drones are manufactured. He also announced an upcoming Russian sanctions package, and said that the US can learn a lot from Ukraine’s UAV advancements. “I believe that it would be a huge mistake for America not to cooperate with Ukraine in the field of drones. They are ready to help us, because we were ready to support Ukraine in the most difficult times,” Graham said.

When asked about a replacement for Graham, Trump said “I have somebody that I think would be great. But I don’t want to say it now because, you know, it’s too soon with Lindsey. I don’t want to even talk about anybody. But I do have somebody that I think is really good.”

International Response
In reaction to Graham’s death, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy paid tribute, describing Graham as “a true defender of freedom and of the values that make our world safer.” He highlighted that Graham had visited Ukraine ten times during the war, noting they were in constant dialogue. Zelenskyy added that Graham had been working on key initiatives in recent weeks to advance peace, including stronger sanctions against Russia. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called Graham a “true friend” and “one of the strongest voices” supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia. He praised Graham for pushing to bolster sanctions on Russia and for helping provide Ukraine with the means to defend itself.

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Surprising eulogy.

• The Passing of Lindsey Graham, American Patriot and Politician (Turley)

I am in Chautauqua, New York for a book event this week and was shocked to wake up to find that Lindsey Graham has died at 71. I knew and worked with Lindsey since his time in the House of Representatives. We would correspond regularly on legal and constitutional issues. He was an extraordinary man with a deep and unshakable faith in this nation. His death is a great loss for our nation. Lindsey was a true son of South Carolina. Born in the town of Central, South Carolina, he attended the University of South Carolina for both his undergraduate and law school degrees. He became a prosecutor with the Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Office. He held the rank of Colonel in the Air Force Reserves.


His career is legendary and played a major role in military and foreign affairs. However, his greatest influence on the Senate was his practical thinking mixed with a disarming sense of humor. I would often receive texts or emails from Lindsey on ideas for resolving national problems. They were always bold and creative. He loved the law and enjoyed talking through such issues, often setting them aside after reflection on the political or legal complications.

We worked together on matters before the Judiciary Committee and I testified before him on issues ranging from investigations to impeachments. I would hear from him after I posted columns with praise or criticism of the underlying points. He was not only a skilled litigator but also had a keen sense of the practical. He was the ultimate problem solver, always looking for a way to navigate around barriers on the Hill. What I will miss most was his humor. Lindsey had a puckish side and looked at much of the insanity on the Hill with a sense of exasperated levity. He was often frustrated by the lack of progress in the Senate and would joke about it being the “most deliberative body” with a certain irony.

His jokes would often be self-deprecating, downplaying his considerable skills and gifts. However, Lindsey’s aw-shucks style concealed one of the most penetrating minds in the Senate. He also had an iron core, unflinching in the face of withering criticism and attacks. A mob could surround Lindsey and not raise his pulse rate a tick. He was rock solid. It was Lindsey’s voice that would often cut through the noise and nonsense of the Hill, with his signature Southern drawl. He was particularly effective in controversies such as the Kavanaugh confirmation hearings.

.He was a major supporter of Israel and Ukraine. He recently returned from Kyiv, where he met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to address Ukraine’s air defense systems. The left has already filled the web with vicious attacks on Lindsey. In an age of rage, even a period of mourning or civility is considered intolerable. People either loved or hated Lindsey, but few had the chance to know him. He was a warm and fascinating man. He stepped forward to enter the fray in defense of the values that he held most dear.

Thank you, Lindsey, and rest in peace.

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“If he wanted to get something, if he thought he was right, and he had people against him, he could be very tough, actually,” Trump said. “But he was a good person.”

• Losing Lindsey Graham Is a Massive Blow for President Trump (Matt Vespa)

There were times when Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) caused concern for me and the GOP base as a whole. We called him out for it, but he never crossed into Mitt Romney territory. Still, he did more to help the conservative cause, and his institutional knowledge, experience, and talent for retail politics proved invaluable.


Graham, who had just returned from a trip to a Ukrainian drone production facility, died suddenly at his DC residence on Saturday night, with preliminary reports indicating an aortic dissection. The South Carolina Republican had reportedly said he wasn’t feeling well, and an aide even suggested he seek medical attention. He wanted to wait until after his ‘Meet the Press’ appearance on Sunday. Graham was working on a US-Saudi Arabia defense treaty, normalizing Israel-Saudi relations, a Russian sanctions bill, and the passage of the SAVE America Act.

President Trump sounded devastated when he spoke of the late Graham, adding that his ability to cut deals with Democrats and navigate key pieces of legislation was top-notch (via NBC News): The late senator was a close ally of Trump’s, and the president described him to “Meet the Press” as someone who was “like a member of the family to me.” The two spoke regularly on the phone and golfed together. Graham had just returned from a trip to Ukraine before his sudden death. The president said that Graham called him in the early evening to discuss the SAVE America Act, a bill that would reshape how elections operate but does not have enough support to pass the Senate.

“He actually said he was tired, but he wanted to pass the SAVE America Act, and I said, ‘Well, we’re going to get it done, Lindsey. We’re going to get it done. I’ll see you, like, soon,’” Trump told “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker, adding that the two believed they might meet on Sunday. In a separate interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Trump said that Graham was also “telling me about the trip” in their phone call, noting that the senator “had a great trip.” Trump remembered the late senator as someone with a “unique ability,” saying that Graham could work out issues with Democrats and that he “loved being a politician.”

“If I had a problem, a real problem, I wouldn’t often ask. But if I had a problem with a Democrat, he could work it out,” Trump said. “He was a great, he was a great politician, actually.” At the same time, Trump said, the senator could be a “tough cookie.” “If he wanted to get something, if he thought he was right, and he had people against him, he could be very tough, actually,” Trump said. “But he was a good person.”

So, who will fill that void—the essential GOP senator who can keep the ship steady as it navigates the procedural hurricanes that have derailed many bills? As of now, no one. Trump said he had a name in mind but refused to reveal whom he was talking about. Politically, losing Graham was undoubtedly a blow to the Trump White House and the GOP—he was able to bridge the two sides. Graham was especially key in helping pass the big, important bill (via Politico):

Trump said Graham called him just hours before he died to discuss the SAVE America Act, the GOP elections bill that has stalled for months in the Senate. Graham supported the legislation but frequently explained how most Senate Republicans did not want to eliminate the 60-vote filibuster rule to pass it. It was one of several points of friction between the White House and the more tradition-bound Senate that needed to be smoothed over by Graham and others during Trump’s first and second terms.

He eased tensions during hot conversations between Senate Republicans and the president, and helped shepherd last year’s “big, beautiful bill” and this year’s immigration enforcement bill. But Graham’s power had its limits: He was among the most ardent supporters for strong U.S. support for Ukraine, a position Trump didn’t embrace as fervently. “His role in the Senate and his role as a liaison between the administration and the Senate and trusted confidant and adviser was colossal,” said a White House official who like others in this report was granted anonymity to discuss internal dynamics. “It’s a devastating development. Everyone who touches the legislature and the administration is crushed.”

Graham’s ability to communicate with and persuade the executive branch was “multidimensional — from rounds of golf, to appearances on television, to dinner with administration officials,” a person close to the administration said. “I think the senator saw his relationship as a loyal and longtime friend trying to help navigate the president’s priorities through the Senate.” In turn, “Senate leadership saw Lindsey as a key link — whether as a colleague, chairman, counselor, or conduit,” the person said.

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“The US forces being prepared to ensure free navigation along this waterway, the US Central Command said ..”

• Strait of Hormuz Open To All Vessels — CENTCOM (TASS)

The Strait of Hormuz is open to all vessels, with the US forces being prepared to ensure free navigation along this waterway, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said. “The Strait of Hormuz is open to all vessels seeking to lawfully transit the international waterway. U.S. forces are positioned and prepared to ensure that freedom of navigation remains available despite unwarranted Iranian aggression, harassment, threats, and arbitrary declarations,” it wrote on X.


“Iran does not control the strait. Traffic is flowing,” it underscored, adding that more than 140 vessels has passed through the strait in the past seven days. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, elite units of the Iranian army) fired warning shots at a vessel trying to pass through the Strait of Hormuz along an unauthorized route. The strait has been closed until further notice, it added.

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“.. the X account that bills itself as “the official account for the news and statements of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Sayyid Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei..”

• Somebody in Tehran Who Calls Himself ‘Mojtaba Khamenei’ Vows Revenge (Spencer)

We still haven’t seen hide nor hair of Mojtaba Khamenei, the putative supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, since he got the top spot in March. The word going around is that he was severely maimed in the strike that killed his predecessor and father, and others speculate that he may actually be dead, while Iranian officials pretend he is alive in order to give their almost universally hated regime some legitimacy.


Whatever may be going on with Mojtaba, however, on Saturday, the X account that bills itself as “the official account for the news and statements of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Sayyid Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei” came alive with an energy that was positively Trumpian, putting up fourteen posts in quick succession, detailing how the rulers of Iran plan to gain sweet revenge against those whom they hate. (It could have been one long message, but Mojtaba, or whoever is writing in his name on X, apparently hasn’t shelled out the eight bucks a month for a blue checkmark.)

Whoever it actually came from, the message came with a bit of fanfare; at 5:41 a.m. Eastern time, the alleged Mojtaba announced that “in an hour” there would come “Imam Sayyid Mojtaba Khamenei’s important message following the funeral and burial of the Leader of Truth-Seekers of the World, Martyr Imam Sayyid Ali Khamenei.” And sure enough, 54 minutes later, the posts started coming. Mojtaba, or whoever, started out by praising the Imam Hussein, whom Islamic tradition identifies as the son of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the founding figure of Shi’ite Islam, and the grandson of the prophet of Islam himself, Muhammad. At the Battle of Karbala in Iraq in the year 680, the Sunni caliph Yazid killed Hussein, and that killing is generally considered to mark the beginning of the formal split between Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims.

Every year on the tenth day of the month of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, Shi’ites engage in elaborate public mourning for Hussein, often whipping themselves or cutting their heads with knives to express their grief and punish themselves that they weren’t on hand fourteen centuries ago to save their leader. That’s why Mojtaba is talking about Hussein: he attempts to portray his late father, who before he was killed stained his hands with the blood of 40,000 of his countrymen for the crime of protesting against his criminal and inhumane regime, as a martyred leader in the mold of one of the pivotal founding figures of Shi’ism. What better way to cement loyalty to the regime than by associating loyalty to it with loyalty to Allah himself?

To drive the point home, Mojtaba tells us that “Martyr Khamenei acted like Hussain, and engaged in jihad and resistance in a manner similar to Imam Hussain (pbuh).” “PBUH” is “peace be upon him,” which Muslims generally say after uttering the name of a prophet; it is a sign of how highly Mojtaba, and Shi’ites in general, regard Hussain that he used it after his name as well. Mojtaba added: “Among the followers of Hussain are those whose blood, when unjustly spilled in his path and for his school of thought and ideals, moves the Muslim Ummah [global community] to action, so that their time becomes joined to Ashura and their place to Karbala.”

Khamenei is saying that it’s time once again to go to war for the Islamic faith. “For years,” he says, “the Iranian nation has sacrificed its children on the path of Hussain, battling the enemies of Hussain and the enemies of Hussain’s way, and today it seeks to take revenge for his blood and the blood of the people like Hussain in our time.” That would, of course, be dear old dad, whom Mojtaba then addresses: “We pledge to avenge your pure blood and the blood of all the martyrs of these two [recent] wars by taking revenge against the criminal, disgraceful murderers. This vengeance is what our nation is demanding, and this must definitely be done.” And: “The criminal, disgraceful murderers of the martyred Leader, whose names are fully documented from the highest to the lowest ranks, will carry their dream of a peaceful death in bed to the grave.”

Whoever wrote all this is making it abundantly clear that the Islamic Republic of Iran has not changed. It has not deviated even an inch from its goals of “death to America” and “death to Israel,” which Mojtaba’s father said were policies, not mere slogans. It will keep waging jihad against both countries. It will keep trying to murder Trump. It will keep sponsoring jihad terror activity around the world. One hopes that this message is being carefully studied in Washington, and any idea that the regime has somehow changed being definitively put to rest.

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It’s not him. It’s his puppeteers. London. Maybe Paris and Berlin.

• Zelensky Voices Plans To Replace Government, Dismiss Prime Minister (TASS)

Vladimir Zelensky announced the need to replace the country’s current government and his intention to dismiss Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko. Specifically, he offered her a new position. “We discussed the details with Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko. We determined that changes require a renewal of the cabinet. I thanked Yulia for her clear, stable, and effective work as prime minister, for her years of productive work on the Ukrainian team, and offered her to lead a new significant direction,” Zelensky wrote on his Telegram channel.


Yulia Sviridenko became Prime Minister of Ukraine on July 17, 2025, replacing Denis Shmygal, who currently serves as First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Energy. Following Sviridenko’s resignation, he will automatically become acting prime minister until the Verkhovna Rada approves a new government lineup.

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“:The Telegram co-founder has blasted the use of a loophole by the European Parliament to pass a law allowing tech firms to scan users’ messages..”

Freedom disappears from Europe. What can we do?

• EU Turning Into ‘Banana Republic’ – Durov (RT)

The European Union has stooped to using dubious procedural loopholes usually employed by backwater regimes to pass controversial legislation, Pavel Durov has argued. The Telegram co-founder was referring to the contentious regulation that allows tech companies to scan their users’ messages, ostensibly to detect child sexual abuse material. In a post on X on Friday, the entrepreneur wrote: “Once typical of banana republics, such tricks are now used by the EU to pass surveillance laws.”


Durov’s comment came shortly after the European Parliament voted on Thursday to revive what critics have dubbed the ‘Chat Control’ legislation. The temporary regime had originally lapsed in April after MEPs had failed to find common ground amid an outcry over privacy concerns. However, Parliament President Roberta Metsola asked EU leaders to restart talks on the regulation, with the European Council granting her request, meaning that the proposal was again put to a plenary vote at the bloc’s legislature.

Law enforcement officials, including Europol Executive Director Catherine De Bolle, have likewise supported the controversial framework, describing it as a vital tool “for the protection of children.”mAccording to the Euractiv media outlet, four EU commissioners also put pressure on lawmakers to pass the legislation. The center-right European People’s Party (EPP), of which Metsola is a member, arranged for the vote to be subject to a rarely-invoked legislative procedure, which requires an absolute majority of at least 361 MEPs to axe or amend a proposal.

The vote was held the day before summer recess, when full attendance was highly unlikely. As a result, the scheme was passed despite opposition from most present lawmakers. Commenting on the development, Rand Hammoud from Europe’s Center for Democracy and Technology denounced what he characterized as “highly politicized procedural efforts” to ram the proposal through. “When the largest group uses its political weight to force another vote on a mass-scanning measure that already failed, that should concern anyone who cares about institutional integrity,” he told Euractiv.

“It is impressive to see the European Parliament being backstabbed by its own president,” Simeon de Brouwer from civil society network Edri concurred, as quoted by the media outlet. He warned that the ‘Chat Control’ law allows tech companies to “snoop without a warrant, with little to no oversight, and with no legal basis, on millions of conversations.”mMeanwhile, a broader ‘Chat Control 2.0.’ framework is reportedly being prepared that would force tech companies to snoop on end-to-end encrypted communications, which are currently exempt from scans.

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“Kiev must recognize the massacre of Poles by Nazi collaborators during WWII in order to mend ties with Warsaw, Donald Tusk has said..”

Kiev celebratess the Ukrainian Nazi collaborators.

• ‘Sober up’ – Polish PM tells Ukraine (RT)

Kiev needs to “sober up” to prevent further escalation in the row with Warsaw over the glorification of Ukrainian Nazi collaborators, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said. Tensions between the neighboring countries, which have been close allies during the conflict between Moscow and Kiev, escalated last month after Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky named one of his country’s commando units after “heroes of the UPA (Ukrainian Insurgent Army).”


Speaking on Friday, the eve of the National Day of Remembrance, when Poland honors the victims of UPA, Tusk insisted that Kiev must recognize the crimes committed by the UPA if it hopes to mend ties with Warsaw. “I can once again appeal to all decent, wise, responsible Ukrainians. Remember, this great European community is based on the truth and the truth is an absolutely necessary foundation of reconciliation, and that’s why I hope that everyone on the other side, but also everyone here in Poland, will sober up to restrain these exaggerated emotions,” he said.

The row “has gone too far and is harming both Poland and Ukraine. I have no doubt about it,” the prime minister added. It has ignited “nationalist lunatics” on both sides, causing an avalanche of hatred on social media, Tusk noted. He urged the authorities in Kiev to curb any anti-Polish sentiment and vowed that Warsaw will act with “the full force of law” against anyone who commits crimes against Ukrainians on ethnic grounds. “The Russians would be happiest if there was some dramatic crisis in Ukrainian-Polish relations,” the prime minister warned.

Poland blames the UPA – an armed wing of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), which fought for Nazi Germany during World War II – for an ethnic cleansing campaign in the Volhynia region between 1943 and 1944 that left at least 100,000 civilians dead. Warsaw recognizes the massacres as a genocide. Following Zelensky’s move last month, Polish President Karol Nawrocki reacted by stripping him of the country’s highest honor, the Order of the White Eagle, prompting several Ukrainian officials to return their own Polish decorations to Warsaw. Poland also rolled back its decision to transfer its remaining Soviet-era MiG-29 jets to Ukraine and questioned Kiev’s prospects of joining the EU.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday that the West, including Poland, raised a “terrorist monster” in Ukraine by arming and funding it, while ignoring its Nazi ideological foundations. Warsaw “knew they were supporting those who had killed their grandfathers” and this fact “can no longer be undone by simply taking away the White Eagle, posting a few tweets, or making loud statements,” she argued.

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President Karol Nawrocki has vowed to outlaw the red-and-black flag used by nationalists in Ukraine

• Poland Marks Anniversary of WWII Massacre By Ukrainian Nazi Collaborators (RT)

Poland has commemorated the anniversary of the Volhynia massacre, a large-scale ethnic cleansing operation perpetrated by Ukrainian Nazi collaborators during World War II and a hot-button topic that sparked a recent diplomatic clash between Warsaw and Kiev.


Multiple events were held across Poland on Saturday to honor the victims of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), the armed wing of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN). The commemoration is tied to events of July 11, 1943, also known as Bloody Sunday, which marked the height of the massacre when nearly 100 Polish-populated towns across Volhynia were attacked. According to Polish estimates, at least 100,000 ethnic Poles were killed between 1943 and 1944 in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia regions, which are now largely part of modern Ukraine.

The commemorations were attended by top Polish officials, with President Karol Nawrocki making an appearance at a ceremony in the village of Radruz, one of the targets of the OUN-UPA militants. “We are here so that the reality of today’s and tomorrow’s world can be heard. Because we will not accept forgetting the 120,000 Poles, civilians, women, and children brutally murdered by Ukrainian nationalists,” Nawrocki stated.

The president pledged to take further action against the Ukrainian nationalist ideology, arguing in favor of outlawing the red-and-black flag of the OUN-UPA. The banner has been widely used by present-day Ukrainian nationalists, as well as incorporated into emblems of multiple units within the country’s military. “We do not want to see it in Poland – and I will do everything to ensure that it is not present in Poland. I believe that the Polish parliament will pass the relevant law,” he said, comparing the flag to Nazi Germany memorabilia.

“It is the same as the ‘Blut und Boden’ (‘Blood and Soil’) flag. That is what it meant, and behind it lay – and still lies – the entire ideology of Ukrainian nationalists who killed Polish women and children,” he stressed. Footage from the village of Domostawa, the home to a contemporary monument honoring the Volhynia massacre victims, shows dozens of people attending the solemn gathering. Unveiled in 2024, the monument has drawn some controversy over its brutal depiction of a child impaled on a pitchfork, somewhat resembling the Ukrainian heraldic trident.

The Volhynia massacre has remained an unresolved issue between Kiev and Warsaw. While Poland recognizes the massacre as genocide, Ukraine celebrates its perpetrators as ‘freedom fighters’ and national heroes. The tensions reignited last month when Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky named one of Ukraine’s commando units after “heroes of the UPA,” prompting Nawrocki to strip him of Poland’s highest honor. Several Ukrainian officials responded to the move by returning decorations received from Warsaw. Meanwhile, Poland’s main opposition Law and Justice (PiS) party said it would submit a parliamentary resolution opposing Ukraine’s EU accession as long as Kiev continues to “glorify criminals.”

The Volhynia issue has already done a lot of damage to ties between Poland and Ukraine and is bound to spark a conflict within Poland itself in the future, leader of the Front party and former Polish MP, Krzysztof Tolwinski, told RT. “The only thing is the outcome of this little war is a foregone conclusion – Russia will bring Ukraine back to normal and restore order there. Those who fought will never make peace with Russians; this is why they will end up on Polish territory. And this is when an internal conflict will begin, a real inevitable one,” Tolwinski stated.

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“The UPA insurgents behind the ethnic cleansing campaign in Volhynia are hailed as heroes in modern-day Ukraine..”

• ‘Burning Children Alive’: WWII-Era Ukrainian Massacres of Poles (RT)

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has released newly declassified documents detailing the massacre of Poles by Ukrainian nationalist militias during World War II in what is now western Ukraine. The release comes as Poland marks its National Day of Remembrance on Saturday honoring the victims of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), the armed wing of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN). The ethnic cleansing campaign in the Volhynia region between 1943 and 1944 claimed the lives of at least 100,000 civilians, according to Polish estimates.

A monument in Domostawa, Poland, commemorating Polish civilians killed by Ukrainian nationalist militias during World War II.


Poland recognizes these tragic events as a genocide. Ukraine, however, celebrates the UPA as freedom fighters, a stance that has led to a high-profile diplomatic dispute between the neighboring countries. The Soviet archival files released by Russia describe the activities of the OUN unit led by Dmytro Kupyak, known by the nom de guerre Kley, who is believed to have been responsible for killing at least 200 Polish and Soviet nationals, as well as burning and looting eight villages.

On May 16, 1944, during a raid on the village of Kupche, Kley’s unit killed residents “solely because they were ethnic Poles,” the files say. On August 17 that year, the nationalists raided the village of Grabovo, where they locked nine women and children in a shed before burning them alive. One of Kupyak’s former associates, Andrey Moroz, described him in a Soviet court as a “simple bandit” without any ideological convictions. After the war, Kupyak fled to Canada, where he ran a restaurant in Toronto until his death in 1995. In the 1960s, the Canadian government denied Soviet requests to extradite him.

The OUN collaborated with Nazi Germany during the early stages of the invasion of the Soviet Union and participated in anti-Jewish pogroms. The UPA was created in 1942 after the OUN split with the Germans. Many UPA members were defectors from Nazi-led units, including its eventual leader, Roman Shukhevich, who had previously served as deputy commander of the Nachtigall Battalion. Last month, Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky of Poland’s highest honor, the Order of the White Eagle, after Zelensky named one of Ukraine’s commando units after “heroes of the UPA.” Several Ukrainian officials responded by returning their own Polish decorations to Warsaw.

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“Yet another Trump innovation that will be paying off long after he leaves office. ”

• Investing in Kids and Country (Clarice Feldman)

The Fourth of July was not only a day to celebrate our country’s independence. It marks the date of a new kind of investment account for children of citizens who are under 18 and who have Social Security account numbers. The Trump Accounts (530A accounts) are a brilliant idea. Often compared to “starter IRA accounts,” the children are the owners of the accounts, which are to be managed by a responsible adult — guardian or parent. Funds in these accounts must be conservatively invested in U.S. stock index funds. Fund fees must be low — no more than 0.1%.


Contributions are not deductible, but growth of the accounts is tax-deferred. Except for rare cases, like the death of the beneficiary, the funds cannot be withdrawn until the child reaches 18, at which point they are taxed as ordinary income at the child’s rate — which normally will be small if the funds are withdrawn while young. Once the child reaches 18, the Trump account automatically converts to a standard traditional IRA or Roth IRA. Employers, charities, or family members can contribute with annual contributions for each account limited to $5,000. Even sweeter, employers can contribute up to $2,500 tax-free to accounts. Sweeter yet, for those children born between 2025 and 2028, there will be a federal contribution of $1,000 to start the account off.

To open one of these accounts, use IRS Form 4547 or use the online portal trumpaccounts.gov. A number of private individuals and foundations, notably Michael and Susan Dell, have kicked in a lot to these accounts — the Dells over $6 billion while SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell and her husband contributed SpaceX stock valued at over $300 million. Aside from these standalone gifts, hundreds of institutions, companies, and philanthropists have made or pledged contributions. On July 9, just five days after these accounts went into effect, the popularity of the program was manifest:

@EricLDaugh. JUST IN: In a MASSIVE shock to the Fake News, Trump Accounts in 5 days have received a SURGE of +$125 MILLION DOLLARS for America’s children — that’s not even counting $1,000 seed money and wealthy donor contributions. 6.5 MILLION American children have accounts, and a vast majority of contributions are below $250, per Washington Examiner THIS IS BECOMING A HUGE WIN The benefits of this will be felt for generations. Imagine the compounding interest these kids will see when they are grown!

According to Washington Examiner: “Beyond the money itself, the Trump Accounts app has performed remarkably compared to other federal government tech rollouts, holding the top overall spot in the Apple App Store. Its average rating of 4.75 stars across nearly 3,500 reviews gives it better marks than the Robinhood app. For comparison, the 2013 rollout of the Affordable Care Act’s Healthcare.gov website was plagued by numerous technical glitches that were well documented in media reports at the time. A leaked internal memo from the Obama administration showed that only six individuals were able to enroll the first day the website went live, and there were just 248 enrollments by the end of the first 48 hours.

The Trump administration acknowledged anecdotal evidence that some Trump Accounts users are seeing errors but stressed that “99.9% of users have not encountered any hiccups and that customer support was working quickly with the 0.1% of cases that require assistance.” A Treasury Department official claimed that users have waited, on average, “0.2 seconds when contacting customer support by phone and 0.5 seconds when contacting via chat.”

Even some frequent critics of the president have given Trump Accounts glowing reviews. In a Wednesday appearance on SiriusXM’s The Clay Cane Show, Gov. Wes Moore (D-MD) likened the program to baby bonds, calling it “one of the fastest ways that you can address both child poverty and the racial wealth gap.” “I will give this administration credit for this, is that we’ve had Democratic presidents and Republican presidents who have not been able to get this done, and it actually got done,” Moore added. “So I actually, this is actually a smart policy.”

Consider the genius of this program. It encourages millions of people, many of whom are not investors, to become actual stakeholders in our economy. (Not the pretend kind of stakeholder the left promotes — vague hordes of people with no skin in the game who are to be given a share of control.) Smart children will start to watch the stock market and learn about compounding and why it matters. For children who would not otherwise have assets in their youth for further education, to buy a car or residence, or start a business, this gives them a leg up once available only to those the beneficiaries of generational wealth.

DAVID SACKS: “One of the numbers that I saw that was kind of amazing… again, it just goes back to the power of compounding… Is that if a Trump Account had been maxed out and you have the standard market rate of return that we’ve had for, say the past 30 years… Then by age 28, that kid will be a millionaire.”

For some, other investment options might be more advantageous, but generally speaking, the overall benefits for society are huge and include: encouraging household savings to take advantage of the tax-deferred benefits; increasing the wealth and personal savings level of the beneficiaries. Kids under 18 might want to help reach that $5,000 annual contribution maximum by deferring spending to add to their accounts on their own from personal earnings (paper routes may be dying, but there’s babysitting and lawn cutting).

A few countries have some sort of saving programs to provide a financial boost for minors: the UK, Israel, Singapore, various Indian states, and Canada. They vary in different respects from each other. But the Trump Funds are uniquely American in that by specifying investment in equity funds and converting these funds to IRAs when the beneficiaries reach 18, they set the stage for long-term participation in the stock market, something worth encouraging from both an individual and national viewpoint.

Read more …

“The nation’s two major teachers unions—the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association—are cash machines for the Democratic Party.”

• Why Our Kids Don’t Learn (Star Parker)

Included in the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act is a dollar-for-dollar tax credit, up to $1,700, for contributions to “Scholarship Granting Organizations” that parents can access and use toward paying for private school tuition and fees and other educational expenses. The provision is constructed such that states must choose to opt in to the program, which begins January 2027. As of this writing, per the IRS, 28 states have opted in. Of those 28, 25 are red states and three are blue—Colorado, New Hampshire and Virginia. This partisan imbalance is no accident.


The nation’s two major teachers unions—the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association—are cash machines for the Democratic Party. And the last thing they want is parents having any say in where their child receives their K-12 education. The unions have published an “Open Letter to our Democratic Governors” urging them to “say no to the Trump private voucher scheme.” Per the leaders of these two unions, the signatories of the letter, “Public education … is the foundation of a thriving democracy” and vouchers are a betrayal.

Amid the celebration of our nation’s 250th birthday, with recitals of the defining words of our founding declaration—our rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”—the leaders of the teachers unions declare it un-American that parents should have the right to choose how and where to educate their children. We all should justifiably shudder that minds like this influence the majority of our nation’s children. The results speak for themselves. The Programme for International Student Assessment, administered by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, tests 15-year-olds in 80 countries in math, science, and reading.

In the latest available scores, the top five countries are Singapore, China, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea. The United States ranks 18th behind Poland, Czechia, and Denmark. Per the OECD, U.S. education spending per student in 2025 was $20,387 compared to the OECD average of $15,022. U.S. education spending as a percent of gross domestic product was 5.8% compared to the OECD average of 4.7%. Per the World Bank, education spending as percent of GDP in Singapore, the country with the highest PISA score, was 2.2% in 2024, less than half that of the U.S.

Analysis done at the Cato Institute shows inflation-adjusted spending per student in the U.S. increased 140% from 1971 to 2019, while over the same period, test scores in math and reading for 17-year-olds barely moved. A May 2026 study by the Network Contagion Research Institute and the Gevura Fund, which have affiliations with Rutgers University and the University of Maryland, reports: “Combined NEA spending on political activities, lobbying, and contributions to outside organizations totals approximately $175 million in FY2025, nearly 4 times the $45 million spent on direct member representation.”

PAC records show that 90% of NEA candidate-directed spending and nearly all of AFT’s, has gone to Democrats consistently across decades.” A casual glance at the website of the NEA and the AFT barely turns up a hint about reading, math and science. Both are poster boards for the progressive political agenda. It is no wonder that scholarships and vouchers, tickets for parents and children to education freedom, is a nightmare for the teachers’ unions who are about control, not freedom.

A recent study by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute ranks states by the strength and influence of their teachers’ unions. Among the top 25 states rated with the strongest teachers’ unions, only two—Ohio and West Virginia—have opted into the new tax-funded scholarship program. Why are so many of our youth embracing socialism and turning away from the principles of our founding? Look no further than the vice grip unions have on our public schools. Education freedom is vital to America’s future. The new tax-funded scholarship program is a major step in the right direction.

Read more …

 

 

 

 

https://twitter.com/MAGAVoice/status/2076084863195807896?s=20

 

 

 

 

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Home › Forums › Debt Rattle July 13 2026

Viewing 33 posts - 1 through 33 (of 33 total)
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  • July 13, 2026 at 9:43 am #244764
    Raúl Ilargi Meijer
    Keymaster

    Claude Monet Woman with a Parasol – Madame Monet and Her Son 1874 • Sen. Lindsey Graham Dead at 71 (Sarah Anderson) • “What Makes It Even Stranger…”
    [See the full post at: Debt Rattle July 13 2026]

    July 13, 2026 at 9:55 am #244786
    Dr. D
    Participant

    “”What Makes It Even Stranger…”: Trump Describes Saturday Night Phone Call With Lindsey Graham Hours Before Senator’s Death

    I just assume Team Trump had him killed. And with good reason. And McConnell seems quite a coincidence too.
    If only he could do more. Or more openly. McConnell is the key to the Save Act, where he can change rules so that it has to come to vote, as all GOP Congress refuses to do or pass anything, stalling, stalling, like Iran, the same Team, team “Hate America”.

    Americans are uniquely evil of all people you see, and must all be killed so Human Rights can be extinguished forever. That’s just common sense.

    “The Big Lie: France Urged To Embrace Robotics Over Immigration
    “Robots will provide our factories and our farmers with the arms they are missing. France can choose technology rather than migratory submersion through work.”

    Like Elon, they don’t really care if you’re destroyed via robots or via immigrants so long as all people and cultures are destroyed. Why destroyed? The rich win, they are the new NeoFeudalists, the philosopher kings, every bit as wonderful as “The Hunger Games.”

    “Muslims, Marxists, And Mayhem In Minnesota
    Many have been asking lately if the onslaught of Islam or the rapid rise of Marxism is more likely to destroy the United States …

    As long as all people and nations are killed, erased from the earth, our work is done, the work of our God, the Morningstar.

    “Obamacare Premiums Likely To Rise In 2027, Analysts Say

    If I’m not mistaken, it’s about $20,000/year. So one entire income to have health care you might use $500 of. And I can keep my doctor! Thanks, Socialism! See, this is why I also trust rich people to have robots that control and replace us all. Totally trustworthy!

    “US Men’s World Cup Team Required To Split $12.8M Payout With Women’s Team
    “…this policy treats men’s soccer as a piggy bank for ‘fairness’…”

    Yes, but they get to sleep with the woman’s team which is the usual arrangement in these matters.

    “James Carville Has Major Freakout Over The Socialist Wing Of The Party
    “These people are so f-king stupid I don’t know what to say about it…”

    Carville and I agree. So that’s why the DNC was carefully supporting and financing them for +10 years? That’s you, Jim. But are the Americans promoting robots and solar less stupid?

    “Tehran Declares Hormuz Closed, But Ships Are Still Transiting

    As usual. That’s what “Controlling the Straits” means. They can’t stop people using it, and they can’t use it themselves. Every time they attack something they get an 80:1 ratio of return fire as we use up the last of their ammunition. …And can’t even tell anything is happening back in the ‘States.

    I think it’s worse to be this embarrassing, but you do you.

    July 13, 2026 at 10:03 am #244787
    Michael Reid
    Participant

    Death of a Warmonger, Drone & Energy War ESCALATION | Stas Krapivnik

    July 13, 2026 at 10:27 am #244788
    Dr. D
    Participant

    “The Passing of Lindsey Graham, American Patriot and Politician (Turley)

    Opposite of a Patriot as far as I can tell. Hamilton would have him pistols at dawn. However, following Turley, at least he let you know who he was and where he stands. …Which is more than we can get from most of these lying, backstabbing traitors.

    “Still, he did more to help the conservative cause, and his institutional knowledge, experience, and talent for retail politics proved invaluable.”

    Disagree. He was radically anti-conservative and a liability to the brand, as well as the Party. He wanted the largest, most violent government possible. No privacy, autonomy, or voluntary exchange. That’s not “The Right.”

    “The Strait of Hormuz is open to all vessels, with the US forces being prepared to ensure free navigation along this waterway,”

    Okay. And how, exactly? You take missiles out the air? There are no missiles only small boats? Details?
    It’s fine to shoot back 80:1 but that doesn’t help a ship already struck.

    “It will keep waging jihad against both countries. It will keep trying to murder Trump.”

    Sooo…. When are they going to start?

    I could have done more damage with a bicycle and a spanner than they’ve managed in 140 days. C’mon. You DO know guns are easy to get here, right? Show some spirit for God’s sake.

    “• EU Turning Into ‘Banana Republic’ – Durov (RT)

    It might transcend Stalin. Remains to be seen.

    “• ‘Sober up’ – Polish PM tells Ukraine (RT)

    YOU sober up. Poland meekly asks Ukraine while supporting them completely. Ukraine throws their yearly party about massacring 100,000 Poles. Who’s the crazy one here? Who should really leave the relationship?

    “if a Trump Account had been maxed out and you have the standard market rate of return that we’ve had for, say the past 30 years… Then by age 28, that kid will be a millionaire.”

    And a Million already doesn’t buy a house, so by then it might buy a used car.

    “The United States ranks 18th behind Poland, Czechia, and Denmark.”

    While all parts of this are still bad, a huge % is immigrants not speaking English on arrival to school and so on. Remove that portion of the demographic, and re-run the numbers for me, please.

    “ELON MUSK IS CREATING COMPANIES THAT PUT AMERICA IN THE LEAD OF EVERYTHING WHAT ARE YOU DOING ?

    Using all my time to stop Elon’s anti-human evil. It keeps me busy. If I could only stop one data center, or one county’s FLOC cameras, life would be worthwhile.

    July 13, 2026 at 11:37 am #244791
    Michael Reid
    Participant

    Alastair Crooke: Iran OBLITERATES US Air Base & HIMARS, Trump’s War IMPLODING

    July 13, 2026 at 12:13 pm #244792
    Michael Reid
    Participant

    Col. Jacques Baud: U.S. Strikes Iran’s Nuclear Plant — Iran Unleashes Massive Gulf Retaliation

    July 13, 2026 at 12:33 pm #244793
    tboc
    Participant

    Bush, McCain and now Graham
    Ahh yes, the sophisticated nuance of putting lipstick on a turd

    world population 8.3 billion
    US population 3.4 million
    is that not the definition of a long shot? over 2000:1

    a simulation – of course it is, what else could it be in a quantum mechanics driven information space?
    Would it be gauche to point out that ole Elon works tirelessy, that’s what i hear, to create a simulated reality. A million robots and chemical rockets, that’s some serious gaming.

    sapiens sapiens, some serious Lenny Bruce humor
    looking through the glass darkly it is hard to determine if this is a Wagnerian tragedy or a Sousa scored comedy
    i’m so far out of step people think i’m dancing

    do all murderers think their life is sacrosanct?
    are those orange skid marks in your underdrawers?
    wipe the corners of your mouth, it is unsightly

    the good news is there is no good news

    July 13, 2026 at 1:06 pm #244794
    John Day
    Participant

    There is another timeline problem with the duration of chest-pain (very brief) as Graham reportedly called Trump, full of vime & vigor, then quickly dissected his aorta and died.

    Has he had recent chest imaging of any kind? It would seem likely that he did.

    A split in the layers of the wall of the aorta that works its way up through those layers is typically VERY PAINFUL and fairly slow, not quick like aheart attack until the very end, when it may burst open.

    LG should have been hurting for at least hours or days, and would likely have hurt in chest & back intermittently for months. It is typically a sharp, searing pain that can’t be ignored.

    July 13, 2026 at 1:14 pm #244795
    Michael Reid
    Participant

    Iran War 3.0
    Contact us: info@strategic-culture.su

    When the U.S. Navy, in co-ordination with Qatar and Oman, tried to slip a convoy of four vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, via Omani waters, on Tuesday night – rather than pass via Iran’s officially approved route – Trump may have imagined (or been told) that with the massive funeral for the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei under way, that Iran would not react as the U.S. Navy attempted to force open an American corridor. Trump however, misread the Iranian jibe – Hormuz is its’ ‘atomic weapon’. Iran will not relinquish it.

    Trump insists – in clear contradiction to the terms set out in paragraph five of the MoU – that Iran has no right to interfere with any ship trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz. Iran nonetheless is acting within the terms of the agreed de-escalation framework, and has warned repeatedly that it would strike any vessel circumventing the Iranian control mechanism.

    Iran responded directly to Trump’s challenge to Iranian control of the Strait by striking two vessels with missiles and a third with an armed drone. A forth Qatari-owned tanker, laden with liquefied natural gas, was set ablaze, forcing its crew to abandon the stricken vessel.

    These Iranian ripostes provoked Trump to order American air strikes against Iranian targets; to reimpose sanctions on the Islamic Republic’s oil exports; and to revoke the MoU framework he had signed with what he called the “Iranian scum” – thus ending the ceasefire. “We hit them hard last night,” Trump said at the NATO summit in Ankara. “We will probably hit them hard again tonight”.

    Trump did hit Iran again Wednesday night – even though Iran had not attacked another vessel seeking to by-pass the Iranian corridor. In response, Iran launched ballistic missiles and drones at U.S. bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE and Muwaffaq Al-Salti airbase in Jordan.

    Vice-President Vance is saying to Iran, “If you try to close the Strait of Hormuz, the American military will respond. It’s that simple” – i.e. Iran either keeps the Strait fully open to all, or the U.S. will keep hitting it, as it did on Tuesday night.

    Iran insists that it is the U.S. that has violated the MoU and (via the spokesman for Iran’s Parliamentary National Security Committee) warns that further attacks by the U.S. on Iran will be met by a comprehensive all-out surprise offensive by Iran – and potentially by other options too, such as an Iranian withdrawal from the NPT, changing the country’s nuclear doctrine, and closing the Bab al-Mandab Strait alongside the Strait of Hormuz.

    So, Vice-President Vance is saying if Iran restricts Hormuz (i.e. it stays open to friendly states’ vessels) the U.S. will escalate. And Iran is responding to this threat by warning that it will escalate militarily – two strikes for every one American strike – and that they may also turn to new doctrines of warfare.

    Essentially, Trump has plunged into an escalatory trap, seemingly in part out of pique at his collapsing polls at home. He did, however, directly put himself in this situation by trying to ‘act cute’ during the Khamenei funeral pre-occupations in order to try to gain a ‘quick win’.

    How long will this escalatory episode last? Certainly, it will not lead to the opening of the Strait; nor bring a return of the status quo ante that preceded the war. As long as Iran maintains its ability to exert control over Hormuz, there is no basis to assume that the situation will return to what it was.

    On the contrary, and more likely, the crisis will accelerate the onset of looming global economic crisis that could last until the economic pain becomes acute, as the drawdown on sour crude continues – and as the effects on the real economy in the West become visible.

    With shortages of munitions and the drawdown on air assets from the Middle East already beginning, Trump probably lacks the wherewithal to go full ‘Iran War 3.0’.

    The timeline to this new bout of low-intensity tit-for-tat therefore, is likely dictated by refinery inventories in the U.S.; but also by the extent of the ‘hurt’ being experienced by Trump back home in the context of his fading political prospects, but also by his dislike for any personal humiliation.

    Where did this all go wrong? Possibly the crux of it derives from the moment that Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Sayyed Mojtaba, issued his statement that he had held a different view on the MoU to that of the negotiating team, but had agreed to proceed with it after receiving an assurance from the Iranian President that he would ensure and take into account Iran’s overarching principles in respect to relations with the U.S..

    The Supreme Leader Mujtaba Khamenei’s statement put on notice both the U.S. – and the Iranian negotiators – that Iran’s approval of the MoU was no open mandate, but rather closely tied to the 10 principles originally enunciated bythe new Supreme Leader.

    At some point, the Iranian leadership seemingly came to the conclusion that Iran was being played by the U.S.; that the MoU was a deception –

    “and that the entirety of events since the announcement of the MoU reflected a U.S. strategy based on the view that in the previous round of the war against Iran – [that the U.S. and Israel] failed to achieve their objectives – necessitating a halt to the confrontation, albeit temporarily, in order to regroup and prepare ‘more thoroughly’ for a new round when the right conditions arise”.

    This led to the Iranian reassessment that the Hormuz and Lebanon components constituted the vital leverage to engage in a new war as the West ramps up pressure as a holding strategy – whilst the U.S. and Israel prepare for the next round of war.

    The interim U.S. strategy is no change to U.S.-Israeli objectives, but rather an adjustment to their operational mechanisms to provide for certain compromises that Washington considers necessary (i.e. closer working with Turkey and via Erdogan to engage Syria’s Jolani) to reshuffle the Lebanon deck, and then to ‘assess how the cards lie’, as Vance outlined.

    It is not certain that this new U.S. policy will work. The world is changing rapidly. Their expected triumph of Israel over the Middle East has resulted in failure. Trump’s MoU ploy to open Hormuz likely will fail, too.

    The connected war on Russia and the siege of China are faltering too – and Israel’s (until now unassailable) hold over the U.S. is in question too. A senior U.S. democrat, Rahm Emanuel, and potential 2028 U.S. Democratic presidential candidate, spoke in Israel yesterday; he warned in no uncertain terms that Israel “has lost the world’s support, become a ‘regional pariah’, [and that its] alliance with the U.S. is ‘at a crossroads’”.

    And finally, a ‘black swan’ now can be observed swimming in increasingly sunlit waters – Eric Katz writing in Notus writes that, “a draft report inside the U.S. Treasury Department is set to warn of the risks posed by the artificial intelligence market, likening key aspects of it to the dotcom bubble that upended the U.S. economy when it burst in the early 2000s”.

    Treasury analysts wrote –

    “Career Treasury analysts found that AI firms are more deeply entrenched in the U.S. economy than their dotcom predecessors and pose significant risk to the entire system if financial conditions change, productivity goals are missed or various choke points stymie growth”.

    “A downturn in the AI market would send shockwaves throughout the entire economic ecosystem”.

    A market downturn in the U.S. – exacerbated by an energy crisis – could spell disaster for Trump’s midterm hopes.

    Iran War 3.0

    July 13, 2026 at 1:53 pm #244796
    zerosum
    Participant

    Open the links to get the juicy information.

    🚨 450 DRONES OVER RUSSIA ⚔️ Moscow Attacked 💥Odesa Port WIPED OUT🚢🔥Military Summary For 2026.07.13


    ——————
    US provokes and Iran responds hitting most US bases in the region, including Oman! Are Sayyed Mojtaba Khamenei and the IRGC in charge now?
    Plus news and updates from Lebanon and Yemen.
    Ismaele
    Jul 12, 2026

    https://geopolitiq.substack.com/p/us-provokes-and-iran-responds-hitting

    In the third phase of our response to the aggression of the child-killing American army, the IRGC’s Aerospace Force destroyed the logistical support center of the US Navy ships and the refueling platforms of aircraft carriers in the port of Duqm, Oman, with a heavy surprise attack. Victory is only from Allah, the Almighty, the Wise.

    ————
    https://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/PUBLIC-RELEASES/Article/4541002/centcom-completes-another-wave-of-strikes-against-iran/

    Public Releases | July 12, 2026
    CENTCOM Completes Another Wave of Strikes Against Iran
    USCENTCOM

    TAMPA, Fla. — U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) completed a new wave of offensive strikes against Iran, July 12, hitting dozens of targets at multiple locations with precision munitions to degrade Iran’s ability to continue attacking international shipping flowing through the Strait of Hormuz.

    CENTCOM forces struck Iranian military air-defense systems, coastal radar sites, missile and drone capabilities, and small boats using U.S. fighter aircraft, naval vessels, one-way attack aerial drones, and one-way attack sea drones for the first time.

    The Strait of Hormuz is a vital maritime corridor for global trade. Iran does not control it.

    U.S. forces are postured and prepared to ensure that freedom of navigation remains available to commercial shipping despite Iran’s continued unwarranted aggression, harassment, threats, and arbitrary declarations.
    ————–
    https://x.com/ejmalrai/status/2076497794865467716

    Iran has begun a large-scale retaliatory strike against US bases throughout the Middle East, mainly in Bahrain (CENTCOM and 5th Fleet), Kuwait and Jordan, in retaliation for a US attack on civilian infrastructure in Khuzestan Province, southwest Iran.

    The US attacked Bandar Abbas and a water pumping station in Mahshahr, southwestern Iran, killing at least one person.
    (This the second time that the US destroyed water supply.)

    —————

    July 13, 2026 at 3:15 pm #244797
    Michael Reid
    Participant

    And finally, a ‘black swan’ now can be observed swimming in increasingly sunlit waters – Eric Katz writing in Notus writes that, “a draft report inside the U.S. Treasury Department is set to warn of the risks posed by the artificial intelligence market, likening key aspects of it to the dotcom bubble that upended the U.S. economy when it burst in the early 2000s”.

    Treasury analysts wrote –

    “Career Treasury analysts found that AI firms are more deeply entrenched in the U.S. economy than their dotcom predecessors and pose significant risk to the entire system if financial conditions change, productivity goals are missed or various choke points stymie growth”.

    July 13, 2026 at 3:18 pm #244798
    John Day
    Participant

    Thank You, Michael Reid, for the Alastair Crooke (even though Dr.D disparages him and his mom).

    July 13, 2026 at 3:36 pm #244799
    zerosum
    Participant

    July 13, 2026
    War On Iran: Escalation – Saudi’s Block Oil – Alleged Recruiting Of Ahmadinejad

    War On Iran: Escalation – Saudi’s Block Oil – Alleged Recruiting Of Ahmadinejad

    July 13, 2026 at 5:15 pm #244800
    tboc
    Participant

    errata:
    a year ago today i was carried from a clinic appointment for community pneumonia to the local hospital emergency room by ambulance for congestive heart failure. The on call cardiologist at the hospital confided in the lady of the house the condition was a “widow maker”.

    conclusion:
    all life is sacred not just your own.

    a nation, and i have been told since i was old enough to listen, The United States is the people. A nation that goes around this planet murdering and in a pleonexia driven rage is not a nation at all. The face The United States is showing the world at this moment is that of blood thirsty po white trash. Should you be one of those attempting to normalize or encourage the current foreign and domestic policies of The United States you do not even rise to the level of trash, just that of a blood thirsty savage.

    Now to this notion that the world has surreptitiously been conspiring against and holding the US down and back. Congatulations you have fallen to the level of an ignorant blood thirsty savage.

    a week ago, with nasueating over indulgence, the people of the United States were supposed to be celebrating the truths found self evident. Pure Bullshit. The entire culture is built of egotistical airs of self importance and superiority.
    “I fear for my nation”, well said Thomas, well said

    the voice of reason is being driven away from this community at an ever accelerating pace by simple minded unaffiliated reactionaries intellectually wearing the king’s new clothes. Buddy when that is apparent to a shorts and boots no shirt wearing laborer there is a problem
    https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disdain

    July 13, 2026 at 6:54 pm #244801
    zerosum
    Participant

    The truth might not make us happy!

    July 13, 2026 at 6:57 pm #244802
    zerosum
    Participant

    LOL, :-0,LOL, :-0,LOL, :-0,LOL, :-0,LOL

    Trump orders Iran blockade, slaps 20% toll on ships in Hormuz.”

    LOL, :-0LOL, :-0,LOL, :-0,LOL, :-0,

    • This reply was modified 19 hours, 34 minutes ago by zerosum.
    July 13, 2026 at 7:02 pm #244804
    zerosum
    Participant

    We warn the leaders of regional countries that any cooperation with the United States or providing logistical support to its aggressive army will be considered a declaration of war against Iran.

    ————————–

    July 13, 2026 at 7:39 pm #244819
    Michael Reid
    Participant

    Dear D:

    Embrace the truth

    July 13, 2026 at 7:45 pm #244820
    WES
    Participant

    IRGC:

    Just a guess, but the current IRGC leaders feel they don’t need oil revenues, to stay in power?

    Time will answer this question.

    Cuba:

    Cuban leaders don’t feel that they need to provide electrical power, to stay in power?

    This question will be answered in time, too.

    Shadow Fleets:

    The size of the world’s Shadow fleets (those ships not insured by Lloyds) has increased dramatically in just 3 months, since the US companies started insuring ships!

    London’s Lloyd’s keeps urging their proxy, the IRGC, to keep attacking ships in the straights!

    So, it is still the US waging war on London’s Lloyds!

    Even the Arab Gulf states are tired of London, too.

    • This reply was modified 18 hours, 46 minutes ago by WES.
    July 13, 2026 at 7:47 pm #244821
    Michael Reid
    Participant

    War Back On w/Iran Lt Col Daniel Davis

    July 13, 2026 at 8:06 pm #244823
    Michael Reid
    Participant

    July 13, 2026 at 8:08 pm #244824
    Michael Reid
    Participant

    July 13, 2026 at 10:01 pm #244827
    zerosum
    Participant

    Early reports of Yemeni Missile launches towards Saudi Arabia.

    July 13, 2026 at 10:11 pm #244828
    Michael Reid
    Participant

    Putin Says Bigger Russia Strikes To Hammer Kiev Hints At Oreshnik Use; Zelensky Says Kiev Out Of AD

    July 13, 2026 at 10:13 pm #244829
    zerosum
    Participant

    https://x.com/RyanRozbiani/status/2076720069816524927
    Ryan Rozbiani @RyanRozbiani

    Reports of an Explosion at Saudi Arabia’s Abha Airport
    Reportedly the Houthi Yemeni’s targeted the airport and King Khalid Airbase in Saudi Arabia with missiles and drones in retaliation for the attack this morning.
    Smoke can be seen RISING from the Airbase
    Saudi Ministry of Defense: Air defenses of the Kingdom dealt with ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi terrorists in the southern regions. The situation is under control.

    —————————–

    https://t.me/Middle_East_Spectator/34788#
    Middle East Spectator — MES

    —❗️🇸🇦/🇾🇪 BREAKING: The Yemeni Armed Forces have targeted Abha International Airport and King Khalid Airbase in Saudi Arabia with ballistic missiles and suicide drones

    Posted by: michaelj72 | Jul 13 2026 17:53 utc |

    July 13, 2026 at 10:15 pm #244830
    Michael Reid
    Participant

    July 13, 2026 at 10:33 pm #244834
    zerosum
    Participant

    Did you catch this …. IRAN RESPONDDED

    POTUS is absolutely right. Whoever provides secure and safe passage of commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz should be compensated for this service.

    Iran has always been the GUARDIAN of the Strait and will remain so FOREVER.

    20% is of course too much. We will be fair

    My comment ….
    Would the US give safe passage to a vessel if it carried a Chinese defense force!

    July 13, 2026 at 10:37 pm #244835
    zerosum
    Participant

    CENTCOM Says It Will Resume Enforcing A Maritime Blockade on Vessels Entering or Leaving Iranian Ports Beginning July 14, at 4 PM, ET.

    https://x.com/DropSiteNews/status/2076737060480630795

    “According to the US military, forces will target ships transiting to or from Iranian ports and coastal areas while continuing to allow other commercial traffic through regional waters…”

    Posted by: John Gilberts | Jul 13 2026 20:00 utc | 106

    July 13, 2026 at 10:52 pm #244836
    zerosum
    Participant

    Based on the latest confirmed reporting, there is a renewed wave of U.S. attacks on Iran today, July 13, 2026, and Iran has already begun retaliating. This is not speculation — multiple authoritative outlets confirm active strikes on both sides.

    July 13, 2026 at 11:19 pm #244838
    Michael Reid
    Participant

    July 14, 2026 at 12:14 am #244839
    Michael Reid
    Participant

    July 14, 2026 at 1:17 am #244842
    Michael Reid
    Participant

    July 14, 2026 at 2:51 am #244844
    Michael Reid
    Participant

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