Vincent van Gogh Branches of An Almond Tree In Blossom in Red 1890
https://twitter.com/BarronTNews_/status/2074897778329763971?s=20 https://twitter.com/GardensR4Health/status/2074848899223691583?s=20 https://twitter.com/nicksortor/status/2074973721853567201?s=20
President Trump has indicated that the United States will seek rehearing of the Supreme Court's ruling on birthright citizenship.
— SCOTUS Wire (@scotus_wire) July 8, 2026
Rule 44 allows 25 days to seek rehearing. It requires the support of at least one Justice from the majority, and is rarely granted. https://t.co/QO3GoDjZxW pic.twitter.com/fHfv0vWjWn
Not too gloomy please.
It’s summer, lighten up a bit!
• “Deepening Dark Trend” Emerges On Hormuz As Ship Traffic Slows (ZH)
The US military has struck Iranian targets for a second straight day, while Tehran has responded with ballistic missile and drone attacks targeting Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and even faraway Jordan. While our overnight wrap focused on the latest war developments, the focus here is what energy traders are watching most closely: vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Bloomberg cites new shipping data showing that the Hormuz chokepoint slowed to a near standstill on Thursday. “Among larger vessels, only a US-sanctioned supertanker heading out of the Persian Gulf was seen in the strait, alongside an Iranian-flagged container ship. It’s possible that some vessels may be crossing with their transponders turned off, however.”Read more …
The slowdown marks a sharp reversal from the partial recovery that followed the mid-June interim US-Iran peace deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Commodity-vessel transits averaged 34 a day over the past three weeks and peaked at 59 on June 24, according to Kpler data. That compares with just 14 crossings Wednesday, the lowest since the deal and near wartime levels.Maritime research firm Windward also commented on the Hormuz slowdown:
Additional overnight signal: one inbound vessel made a sharp U-turn near the strait entrance off Khasab. Watching for what happens next. pic.twitter.com/uGefTl5cG7
— Windward (@WindwardAI) July 9, 2026Earlier, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy Command stated that it has taken control of managing security and vessel routing through the Hormuz chokepoint. Here’s the translated statement:
“Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy Command
In the name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.
Peace be upon the insightful and honorable nation, whose astonishing presence and tens-of-millions-strong funeral processions for their martyred leader in Iran and Iraq showed that this is the era of the end of the bullying of powers, and the century of the triumph of nations’ will.
And peace be upon the brave warriors of Islam, who, with their crushing response to the aggressions of the child-killing American army, proved that the outcome of battle is determined not by the abundance of weapons, but by the power of faith.
These warriors, by stabilizing management of the Strait of Hormuz, establishing its security over the past two weeks, and gradually reopening it, have increased passage capacity to about 50% of prewar traffic. They are also increasing the transit capacity of vessels that, while observing the security regulations with discipline, obtain permission from the IRGC Navy to pass through the routes designated by the Islamic Republic.
Once again, we declare that foreigners have no stake in this land or in the Strait of Hormuz. The adventurism of the terrorist American army and its interference in determining traffic routes will not only bring our crushing response, but will also seriously disrupt the process of gradual reopening and seriously endanger the interests of countries that benefit from the Strait of Hormuz.”
https://twitter.com/MarioNawfal/status/2075190731614933171?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2075190731614933171%7Ctwgr%5E4ea5d74aa2eb3db77dd5c3516c2ce6221fb23d0c%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zerohedge.com%2Fgeopolitical%2Fdeepening-dark-trend-emerges-hormuz-ship-traffic-slows
On Tuesday, following three separate Iranian attacks on commercial vessels, the Joint Maritime Information Center raised the threat level of the Hormuz chokepoint to “severe.”
How easy can it be?
• The Choice To Go Up Or Down The Escalation Ladder Now Lies With Iran (Every)
“It ain’t over till it’s over, but…”Read more …
The US hit Iran for a second night along Hormuz, in southern cities, near a nuclear site, and a railway bridge in the northwest. The message from VP Vance was to stop striking ships in Hormuz or get hit back harder. From Trump, it was that Iran are “liars” and “scum” and the MOU is “over,” repeating threats to reimpose the US blockade of Iranian oil –showing why few (save China) were keen to buy it with a temporary sanctions waiver that lapsed before shipments arrived — and to hit electricity and desalination plants and/or take Kharg Island, it’s key oil facility.
Even Axios, purveyor of ‘world peace(fire)’ headlines, is reporting the US is preparing for an extended confrontation –from 1-2 days to a month– and that the ‘Battle of Hormuz’ may be about to begin. Trump did add negotiators could keep talking if they wanted to; and on Air Force One (the old one: that just gifted by Qatar was left in the UK, speaking to a security problem) he stated Iranian officials “called a little while ago. They want to make a deal so badly.”So, the immediate choice to go up or down the escalation ladder lies with Iran. If Tehran deescalates, they cede control of Hormuz. If they escalate, their options are to hit Hormuz more – triggering more US counter strikes; or GCC energy – triggering a larger war; to use (battered) proxies like Hezbollah – triggering wider war; or perhaps to rush for a nuclear weapon – which would mean far worse war. The New York Times reports Iran’s president and foreign minister were physically attacked this week by supporters of a hard-line faction that vehemently opposes any deal with the US: it remains to be seen if the streets, IRGC, clerics, or politicians will decide what happens next – but both the politicians and the IRGC benefit from talks going on and oil flowing.
The US would also have to decide if it can afford to cede Hormuz or will fight to keep it open when the SPR is seen near a tank bottom- was this discussed at the NATO summit, perhaps? A tell for stepped up military statecraft would be a matching step-up in economic statecraft. Note the White House’s launch of ‘Freedom Fuel’ gas stations offering lower prices (via lower profit margins; or, at $3.67 a gallon, possible federal subsidies). If that scheme expands past an initial 25 sites it suggests more disruption in Hormuz ahead. However, that’s just a stepping stone to the NAPHTHA closed-loop energy system we’ve flagged the US might need to consider.
There are also longer term moves to avoid Hormuz. The UAE’s pipeline to Fujairah is underway; the Saudis may expand their East-West Red Sea pipeline by 2m barrels per day, allowing themselves and other GCC states to benefit; and Riyadh is exploring an IMEC route through Syria and Turkey – as Trump informed Congress of his intent to remove Syria from the state sponsor of terror list and was nice to Erdogan at the Ankara NATO summit; and following a state visit to Damascus by Macron and Erdogan literally giving the EU’s Von der Leyen and Costa guns. For now, we stick with our base case that Hormuz tension blows over rather than blowing up. However, the odds of the latter happening sooner, rather than post-midterms as expected, have increased.
In energy markets, oil is up, but not hugely, with Brent at $79: but crack spreads are near record highs. Yes, lots of oil just flooded out of Hormuz, but global refineries already couldn’t process the backlog easily – add a new war there and things look far worse. Crack spreads have also been driven by Russia banning exports of diesel until end-July in response to the devastating strikes against its oil refineries by Ukrainian drones: these are causing fuel shortages and have turned Russia from a net exporter to a net importer of refined products.
“Iran’s new Supreme Leader did not attend the funeral processions or prayers for his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Thursday.”
The guy might just as well be dead.
Iran is playing a game iwith the US.
First demand proof about who you’re talking to, and what their power is.. Proof, Kushner and Witkoff.
• Where is Mojtaba Khamenei? Leadership Infighting Intensifies (Rick Moran)
While three of his brothers (Mostafa, Meysam, and Masoud) were shown on state television attending the ceremonies, Mojtaba was notably absent. Iranian officials and state media stated that he skipped the multi-day funeral due to high-stakes security concerns. While that may be true, other high-ranking clerics and officials showed up, including Masoud Pezeshkian, the President of Iran; Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Speaker of the Parliament, and Tehran’s chief negotiator; Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje’i, the Head of the Judiciary; and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.Read more …
If he’s still alive, Khamenei the Younger is either horribly disfigured or in a coma. Whatever his condition, his absence has set off an extremely serious clan and factional war that, so far, has remained bloodless, but could easily spiral into open warfare.
The major factions fall generally within the “pragmatist” and “radical” camps, with both invoking Mojtaba Khamenei’s name to justify their actions. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander, Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, a radical hardliner who opposed the ceasefire, is in nominal (if unofficial) control of the government, with President Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Araghichi heading up the pragmatists. Despite how Western media portrays them as “moderates,” they are not, in any way, less radical in their beliefs than Vahidi and the IRGC and other factions in the clerical, business, and mercantile clans that all have a slice of Iranian wealth.“In other words, they all subscribe to the core tenets of Shia Islamism in Iran: the forceful imposition of Sharia law domestically, support for the so-called Axis of Resistance militia network, anti-Americanism, and the goal of eradicating the Israel (driven by innate anti-Semitism),” writes Saeid Golkar and Kasra Aarabi in Middle East Forum (MEF). While all the players may have the same core beliefs, their conflicts are about protecting their power and economic interests.
Recently, the conflict came out in the open when the powerful Assembly of Experts criticized the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that led to a temporary ceasefire. The Assembly is a body of 88 clerics who appoint the supreme leader and theoretically oversee his authority. They weighed in on the MOU, opposing it on the basis that the current Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, opposed it. In the statement, they claimed the deal crossed several red lines set by Khamenei.
“All officials should respect that, in the system of Velayat-e Faqih (Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist), the opinion and directives of the Supreme Leader are decisive. Once informed of the Leader’s definitive view, no official may act contrary to it,” the statement said in Farsi. Middle East Forum: “After its publication, Ayatollah Hashem Hosseini Busheri, chairman of the Assembly of Experts’ secretariat and spokesperson, immediately stated that he was completely unaware of the statement and that, while he did not oppose its content, its signatories had broken convention and published it without coordination with him.
Remarkably, however, senior members of the secretariat – including Ayatollah Movahedi Kermani, Ayatollah Arafi, Ayatollah Araki and Ayatollah Rajavi—were amongst the signatories of the statement. In fact, only three members of the secretariat had not signed the statement, including Hosseini Busheri. The very fact that such elite infighting is now unfolding openly within the regime’s most important clerical body is particularly telling.
The dispute shows that Khamenei the Younger has nowhere near the power and influence his father had. When Ali Khamenei was alive, there was never a question about what state policy was and who was directing it. Now, the factions are making policy recommendations and invoking the name of Mojtaba, sometimes contradicting themselves in claiming his support. “Their statement therefore reveals not only in-fighting between the different oligarch clans of the Islamist regime, but also that the clerical class is scrambling to preserve its political and economic privileges in the face of an increasingly uncertain succession,” the authors write.
Ali Khamenei’s cult of personality was based on his physical presence at meetings and conferences. No one would dare go against him. His word was absolute, made that way by his physical presence. Khamenei the Younger’s absence has raised the anxiety level of the elites to critical levels. It’s only going to get worse the longer Mojtaba Khamenei remains invisible.
“Nayib Bukele and El Salvador were on the ground almost immediately with machinery, supplies, and rescue teams, saving lives. Right now, a team from Israel is in Venezuela working on plans to help with rebuilding. ”
• Don’t Believe Everything You Read About Venezuela (Anderson)
It’s been exactly two weeks since two major earthquakes struck Venezuela, leaving portions of the country devastated. The death toll is over 3,600 as of Wednesday afternoon, with tens of thousands of people still missing. Here’s a new video of some of the damage. International response has been huge. As I’ve written many times, Nayib Bukele and El Salvador were on the ground almost immediately with machinery, supplies, and rescue teams, saving lives. Right now, a team from Israel is in Venezuela working on plans to help with rebuilding.Read more …https://twitter.com/cristiancrespoj/status/2074980979014606873?s=20
Of course, the biggest response has been from the United States and rightfully so. As Donald Trump likes to jokingly say, he runs Venezuela now, and that means taking the good and the bad as it comes. The State Department actually released a fact sheet on Wednesday afternoon, with the latest on our humanitarian efforts on the ground. We’ve offered $386 million funneled through trustworthy charitable organizations “providing emergency medical care, food assistance, water and sanitation, shelter, protection, and logistics.”The State Department, Airlink, and Amazon announced on Wednesday that they are teaming up to fly supplies in weekly for the foreseeable future at no cost to these organizations. The Department of War has many much-needed boots on the ground and has “mobilized to ensure American ships, American aircraft, and American resolve have been present when it matters most.” Our military has helped restore and is now overseeing some operations at Simón Bolívar International Airport. All of this will continue for as long as necessary.
But as I wrote on Monday, this is more than just a humanitarian crisis — it’s also becoming a political one. It has exposed the regime rot still in place, which isn’t surprising. The “interim government” leaders consist of two anti-American siblings whose father was a Marxist guerrilla fighter and one of the most wanted cartel leaders in the U.S. Removing Nicolás Maduro didn’t change that; it simply put the fear of God Trump in them, so they’re largely doing what his administration pressures them to do with some asterisks attached.
Most people understand this, even those in Venezuela who are ready for change after nearly 30 years of Chavismo, but as I said on Monday, they’re growing impatient. Trump’s constant praise of Delcy Rodríguez, pragmatic or not, is tedious. Over 500 political prisoners remain detained, despite promises in January that they would all be released. Paramilitary groups still harass the opposition and foreigners. In the days following the earthquake, the State Department updated its Level 3 travel warning for Venezuela, suggesting that those of us here in the U.S. reconsider travel to the country due to the “risk of crime, kidnapping, terrorism, and poor health infrastructure and natural disaster.”
Before the earthquakes, people were marching weekly, demanding freedom for those political prisoners, elections sooner rather than later, and actual jobs so they could earn a living. Constitutionally, Delcy’s tenure was up after 180 days, which came and went over this past weekend, and elections must be held within 30 days if we’re following the rules here.
Watching Delcy and her regime buddies delay aid and rescue efforts in the direct aftermath of the earthquake, which most certainly cost many lives, and deny opposition leader María Corina Machado re-entry into the country to help with the efforts has been the last straw for many. As I mentioned on Monday, Machado is the most beloved figure in that country and among its diaspora. It is difficult to put into words just how much they believe in her. If the country actually held free and fair elections in 2024, she or her surrogate, Edmundo González, would be president right now.
But there is something else going on that is incredibly suspicious, and I hate even giving this situation any oxygen, but I also fear people will buy into it if someone doesn’t speak out. I am not sure what to call it aside from some sort of obviously coordinated campaign against Machado by people, many of whom would be considered MAGA influencers or Trump-aligned independent voices.
It seemed to start with Javier Negre. He’s a so-called conservative journalist from Spain who has built his own digital platforms and currently operates as a correspondent out of the White House. He’s well-connected, but he also has a controversial background that haunts his reputation. He sat down for an interview with Delcy just before the earthquakes, and afterward, he — seemingly out of the blue — started accusing Machado and many of her supporters of starting up some sort of anti-Trump/anti-U.S. campaign, and he essentially began whitewashing Delcy and the regime. He’s gone after some highly respected people in these pro-Machado/pro-democracy for Venezuela circles — people from whom I have learned so much myself.
Before I knew it, other random supposedly conservative “MAGA” people — people who had never so much as uttered a word about Venezuela and I’m willing to bet still couldn’t find it on a map — were coming out swinging too, parroting the same talking points. They accused Machado of being a socialist (far from it — she’s been fighting it most of her life), of being a big Biden supporter (she’s been trying to work with any U.S. president who would help get rid of Maduro, and for what it’s worth, Biden played a big role in the actions that led to her not being able to run for president in Venezuela in 2024), and all sorts of other ridiculous things that simply made no sense.
I mean, if they were going to pretend it was organic, they could have at least spaced it out instead of all saying the same things at once, or pretended they cared about Venezuela at all before they started putting out blatantly inaccurate “facts.” This little campaign has been so poorly executed that there is no doubt in my mind that there’s an ulterior motive. Many have asked if the Maduro-turned-Delcy regime is paying them to do this. Who knows for sure, but it wouldn’t be the first time it has tried to influence opinion in the United States.
After all this time?
• Tennessee Congressman Demands FBI Unseal Everything On Seth Rich (José Niño)
Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn, has thrown a fresh spotlight on one of Washington’s most stubborn cold cases.Read more …
On July 7, 2026, the Tennessee Republican posted on X that he had formally pressed FBI Director Kash Patel to surrender every document the bureau holds on the 2016 killing of DNC staffer Seth Rich. “I have called for @FBIDirectorKash to release all records related to the death of Seth Rich,” Burchett wrote. His press office added, “Today, I sent a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel asking for the release of all records related to the death of Seth Rich. The American people deserve answers.”
I have called for @FBIDirectorKash to release all records related to the death of Seth Rich. pic.twitter.com/8Lt7Vm10Mk
— Tim Burchett (@timburchett) July 7, 2026The letter itself, dated on Tuesday, opens plainly. “I write to request the release of all Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) records related to the death of Seth Rich,” Burchett states. He then leans on the White House, urging, “Given the Administration’s commitment to transparency, I strongly urge the full release of these records, as permitted by law.” Rich, 27, was shot and killed while walking home in Washington during the early morning hours of July 10, 2016. Police treated the case as a botched robbery, and it stays unsolved. Rich’s death later fueled a viral theory that he leaked DNC emails to WikiLeaks and was silenced for it.
Burchett’s demand follows years of FOIA warfare waged by attorney Ty Clevenger on behalf of plaintiff Brian Huddleston. The FBI first claimed it held no relevant files, then conceded it possessed more than 20,000 pages of potentially relevant material, Rich’s work laptop, and an image of his personal one. According to Radar, this week Clevenger said a government lawyer told him he would soon receive confirmation that several hundred more Rich pages had surfaced inside a previously concealed room at FBI headquarters—the same unmapped SCIF where “burn bags” of Russia-probe files marked for destruction were reportedly found.
That connection remains Clevenger’s account. The FBI has not confirmed it, and the separate burn-bags report never established that Rich records were among those files.
“Signs and Billboards are being put up all over our Southern Border, and Mexico, advertising BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP, with ‘Deliveries starting at $4000.’
• Trump: SCOTUS Ruling Already Fueling Citizenship Scams (Catherine Salgado)
President Donald Trump has declared he is requesting a rehearing for a crucial birthright citizenship case after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the original understanding of the Fourteenth Amendment and opened the floodgates for “birth tourists” and “anchor babies.”Read more …
The current warped view of birthright citizenship is that any child born on U.S. soil is a citizen even if his parents just walked or flew across the border, or even if the parents are affiliated with enemy governments or with international criminal organizations. After the Supreme Court majority ruled this was the right view of birthright citizenship at the end of June, ignoring historical evidence to the contrary and serious threats to our elections and national sovereignty, Trump first urged Congress to pass legislation to correct the decision. But he seems somewhat impatient with the length of time this will take and is seeking a quicker resolution.On Wednesday, July 8, President Trump posted on Truth Social, “Signs and Billboards are being put up all over our Southern Border, and Mexico, advertising BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP, with ‘Deliveries starting at $4000.’ Likewise, similar signs going up all over our Country.” You can see one example below from Texas. Birthing centers can make huge profits selling packages to foreigners who want to give birth in the USA and have children who are citizens with all the privileges of being American.
Texas border hospital uses Spanish-language billboards to advertise birth tourism packages to Mexican momshttps://t.co/bX19jqRqXh
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) July 9, 2026Trump continued, “Billions of Dollars will be illegally made by this SCAM, with Citizenship going to anyone willing to pay. It will be, by far, the number one way of becoming a citizen, and then the entire family will be allowed to follow. Not sustainable. NOBODY SAW THIS COMING!!! AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP IS NOT FOR SALE! In fact, that is a crime, and therefore, the Supreme Court’s ruling is wrong. I will be asking for a Rehearing by the United States Supreme Court, IMMEDIATELY. This miscarriage of justice will destroy America if they don’t change their absolutely insane decision. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
As mentioned above, there is indeed more than one proposed bill that could return U.S. citizenship standards to the original understanding of the Fourteenth Amendment, with the foremost bill called the Birthright Citizenship Act. We know for a certainty that the Fourteenth Amendment was never meant to apply to such as birth tourists and anchor babies because when America ratified it, the amendment did not give citizenship to Native American Indians, as the U.S. government considered it did not have direct jurisdiction over them.
“We, in our stupidity, call this “democracy,” and we recently celebrated our “independence” instead of acknowledging our captivity.”
• SCOTUS Decision Places the US in the Hands of the Monied Interests (PCR)
Some years ago the Supreme Court ruled that limits on organized interest groups’ contributions to political campaigns was a violation of free speech. This ruling, which has no basis in the US Constitution or in common sense, gave organized money the power to purchase the US government. And it has. Not content with this damage to representative government, the US Supreme Court just removed all remaining limits to the ability of money to purchase the government. The majority opinion said:Read more …
“Whether the Democratic Party, the Republican Party or other parties, all political parties and candidates going forward can compete equally under the same rules regarding coordinated expenditures and can structure their fund-raising, spending and political speech on a level playing field as they see fit within the law.”This is ignorant nonsense. The Supreme Court is saying that the monied interests it has empowered can compete on equal terms. This competition excludes the American electorate. What the Supreme Court has done is to remove any influence of voters on government policy. The government’s policy is determined by the money of the interest groups that elects presidents, federal and state representatives and senators, governors, mayors and county commissions. All American voters are permitted to do is to vote for the candidates financed by vested interests. Every American vote is pointless.
We, in our stupidity, call this “democracy,” and we recently celebrated our “independence” instead of acknowledging our captivity.
“.. while probing Trump for allegedly doing the same..”
• Jack Smith’s Team May Have Exposed Classified Info (JTN)
New documents released by Senator Chuck Grassley, Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, show that employees at the Department of Justice, including those working for then-special counsel Jack Smith, may have mishandled classified information while probing Donald Trump for allegedly doing the same. “Messages involving personnel in Jack Smith’s Special Counsel Office (SCO) raise serious concerns about the Biden administration’s failure to properly secure classified materials,” Grassley wrote in a short letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on Wednesday.Read more …
Smith, who was appointed special counsel during the Biden administration, pursued a federal investigation against then-candidate Donald Trump into alleged mishandling of classified documents. The special counsel later secured a grand jury indictment against the then-former president for 40 felony counts. The case was dismissed in July 2024 by Judge Aileen Cannon, who ruled Smith’s appointment violated the Appointments Clause of the U.S. Constitution.In the letter, Grassley requested more information and records from the Justice Department about whether the agency probed the security incident, whether any of the classified materials were “compromised, missing, altered, or tampered with,” and whether Trump’s legal team was made aware of the incident. “The messages show that these failures caused a security ‘violation and incident’ where a Justice Department sensitive compartmented information facility (SCIF) accessible to SCO personnel was left open overnight and potentially longer,” Grassley wrote. [..]
The documents published by the senator show that Justice Department officials raised concerns that some individuals received access to classified materials without the required “need to know” authorization. They also show that a secure facility used by the special counsel’s staff was left open overnight. “No one opened it yesterday because no one closed it the day before,” one team member wrote. “Who opened it the day before? That’s a violation and incident so I need to know the details,” another replied.
“This conduct appears to show the Biden Justice Department may have mishandled classified information while it prosecuted President Trump for allegedly mishandling classified information,” Grassley wrote. “This is yet another example of law enforcement’s double standards in the previous administration.”
“Measures will be on the ballot this November in Coles, Gallatin, Hamilton, Henderson, Macoupin, Monroe and Saline counties “
I had no idea this was possible/legal.
• 7 More Counties Consider Leaving Democrat-run Illinois, Create New State (JTN) .
Voters in seven Illinois counties have a chance to join 33 others that approved referendums to consider forming a new state apart from Cook County. Measures will be on the ballot this November in Coles, Gallatin, Hamilton, Henderson, Macoupin, Monroe and Saline counties. State Rep. Brad Halbrook, R-Shelbyville, said citizens are frustrated with what’s happening in Springfield. “They don’t see that anything’s going to change for the positive, and when I speak about that, you know, it’s the SAFE-T Act, it’s the Protect Illinois Communities Act, the other social issues,” Halbrook told The Center Square.Read more …
Halbrook said Gov. J.B. Pritzker has added over 60 new taxes in eight years. “Billions of dollars have been transferred from citizens, from businesses into state budgets or into the state treasury,” Halbrook said. Halbrook proposed a resolution that goes farther than the ballot measures and urges Congress to declare 101 of Illinois’ 102 counties the 51st state in the U.S. The Indiana legislature has advanced bills to consider bringing Illinois counties into the Hoosier state. Last year, an Iowa state lawmaker proposed a bill to bring several western Illinois counties into the Hawkeye state.Voters in several eastern Oregon counties have approved ballot measures in recent years that favor a merger into Idaho, but statewide proposals to change state lines failed to advance. Gov. J.B. Pritzker has referred to the prospect of Illinois counties leaving as a stunt. Halbrook said separating from Cook County would be an uphill battle, because Democrats in the super majority will not let his resolution move forward. “We need to have a conversation at a minimum. I think that’s what’s important. Why do people want to do this? Why do they not want to stay here in the state of Illinois? What we’re seeing this spring and summer in real time, even the Chicago Bears are discussing moving to a neighboring state of Indiana. Why is that happening?” Halbrook said.
When asked about trying to effect change in Cook County instead of pushing for separation from Illinois, Halbrook said the dynamic would change if legislation changes. “But that’s not the priority of the super majority. We’re seeing their priorities, which lead to these higher costs, these many other things that we’ve discussed here,” Halbrook said.
“..skepticism is warranted because Carney has spent much of his tenure just talking with his elbows up.”
• Canada Admits Justin Trudeau’s Climate Agenda Was a Scam (Andrew Moran)
Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave Canada a lost decade. A key contributor to the country’s stagnation was the Liberal government’s obsession with climate change and its ushering in of green energy policies that were disastrous for a nation rich in natural resources. To make Canada great again, Prime Minister Mark Carney is abandoning climate alarmism and embracing what made the country wealthy in the first place: crude oil.Read more …
Canada Loves Oil Again
On June 30, the prime minister published a 17-minute YouTube video, focused exclusively on his predecessor’s climate agenda. He used words like “expensive” and “divisive” to describe Trudeau’s environmental endeavors. Carney essentially admitted that Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives were right. For right-wing political pundits, this was a rare win for the incumbent. Indeed, in a bid to resuscitate the ailing Canadian economy, Carney is trying to make the country fall back in love with fossil fuels – and appease Alberta – despite years of climate doomerism.Ottawa announced earlier this month a new West Coast pipeline that will ship up to one million barrels of crude oil per day from Alberta to Asian markets. The federal government gave its blessing to a new west-east crude oil pipeline that will run from Alberta to Ontario. This comes as the Carney Liberals begin to expand liquefied natural gas exports, scrap the consumer carbon tax, and remove the cap on the oil and gas sector’s pollution levels.
Carney already accepted that Canada’s emissions will be higher in the coming years, a fact that was inevitable. Various models currently indicate that the Great White North has been missing its emissions targets, even before the current government’s reforms. Canada lags behind other G7 countries in emissions reductions, and even the United States is outperforming its northern neighbor. “The certainties of the world of 2015 are long gone. Our neighborhood hasn’t been this hostile since Canada was founded,” the prime minister said. “The world hasn’t been this unstable geopolitically since the end of the Second World War.”
Of course, skepticism is warranted because Carney has spent much of his tenure just talking with his elbows up. From housing to pipelines, it has been all talk and no action. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Germany surprisingly sprang into action and constructed Floating Storage and Regasification Units (FSRUs) to import seaborne liquefied natural gas in fewer than 200 days.The prime minister has been in office for 15 months with nothing to show for it. Still, capital might be optimistic about Canadian energy moving forward, having been hesitant to invest in various projects across the country over the last 11 years.
What About America?
America’s decision last week not to renew the USMCA could be a major blow to the Canadian economy. The post-NAFTA trade deal will now be subject to annual reviews as the United States raises grievances over production quotas, supply management, rules of origin, and other provisions. Despite Ottawa’s efforts to diversify its trade by importing more students from India and exporting more oil to Asia, the country still needs its southern neighbor. More than 90 percent of its energy is shipped to the United States, making it an extremely difficult market to replace, even if Canada desires to become an energy superpower.If the numbers are accurate, the United States has about 300 billion barrels of heavy crude sitting in its backyard (Venezuela). It also produces about 14 million barrels of oil per day. The current administration is a close ally of the United Arab Emirates, which withdrew from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and is seeking to expand crude production. Add in control of the Strait of Malacca, and the United States is building upon its reputation as an energy superpower.
To be fair, Carney is situated between an igloo and Trumpism. He has to appease the White House (and appear tough to older Canadian voters who blame President Trump for everything) while also finding economic opportunities elsewhere. It is not an easy task.
Desperate Times, Desperate Measures
Trillions of dollars worldwide have been invested in green energy. And yet, every crisis over the last several years has proven these vanity projects to be entirely unreliable. Countries keep turning to crude oil, natural gas, coal, and nuclear power to meet their energy needs. The United States realized it. Europe is starting to come around. Asia always knew it. Canada was the last nation to finally understand that oil and gas are the answer, not a windmill.
That judge’s name: Sparkle Sooknanan.
• Judge Approves SEC Settlement With Elon Musk (JTN)
A judge this week approved a $1.5 million settlement between Elon Musk and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over his purchase of Twitter. At issue was Musk’s failure to disclose his purchases of Twitter stock when he attained 5% control of the company in 2022. Musk later purchased the company outright and has since rebranded it as X. U.S. District Judge Sparkle Sooknanan approved the settlement, saying she had “significant misgivings” but that the threshold to strike down the settlement was not met, The Hill reported.Read more …
She further opined that voters could render their own judgment on the matter at the ballot box. Musk’s purchase of Twitter, its rebrand, and his overhaul of its content moderation guidelines have attracted scrutiny for years, with many left-leaning organizations leaving the site over its permissive approach to posting.
“His knowledge and expertise may be the final thing necessary to bring the years-long Russia Collusion hoax to a just conclusion.”
• Joe DiGenova Returns: The Grim Reaper Cometh For The DC Swamp (Ron Wright)
It started back in 2019 with an article by Thomas Lifson, co-founder of American Thinker. Lifson highlighted stunning revelations from former U.S. Attorney Joe DiGenova (DC District) about RICO and the Russia Hoax. That piece crystallized what so many sensed: powerful players were bending rules, narratives, and investigations to protect themselves while targeting threats to the status quo.Read more …
I wrote to Lifson framing it as evidence of a silent coup—a RICO-style criminal enterprise. He encouraged me to explore using RICO against the Clinton Foundation as a criminal enterprise. I did exactly that, and it marked the beginning of my regular writing for American Thinker—connecting street-level misconduct to larger issues of government overreach and Deep State activity during the Obama and Biden years. That spark helped fuel a reckoning with America’s Truth. Now, years later, Joe DiGenova is positioned to act on those very issues.Paul Sperry penned an excellent summary at Real Clear Investigations about the push to move the grand conspiracy case from DC to the Southern District of Florida (SDFL) and the addition of DiGenova to lead the team. Sworn in as Counselor to the Attorney General and detailed to the Southern District of Florida (SDFL), DiGenova, a veteran prosecutor, brings decades of experience to advancing the “grand conspiracy” investigation. The probe examines the coordinated actions—from the Russia investigation origins through Crossfire Hurricane, impeachments, and subsequent lawfare—that many view as a sustained effort to undermine a president and the voters who elected him.
Full Circle on Longstanding Accountability Gaps
This moment feels like a full circle. DiGenova and Victoria Toensing were persistent voices on the 2012 Benghazi attacks (the deadly assault on U.S. facilities in Libya that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens). Serious questions arose about security decisions, response failures, and transparency at the highest levels of the State Department.A source with knowledge of the process noted that the Accountability Review Board was structured to limit scrutiny of senior officials, including then-Secretary Hillary Clinton, and focused blame lower down the bureaucracy. This fit a long-standing pattern of protecting the powerful. The cynicism was evident in Clinton’s famous “What difference at this point does it make?” response before the House Select Committee on Benghazi.
Those protecting the system needed Clinton to win the 2016 election to provide cover for broader activities underway—including diverting massive taxpayer funds through NGOs. When Clinton lost, panic set in. Just before the election, a circle of Democrats inside the government launched the Russian Collusion narrative and ran it aggressively through Trump’s entire first term. Legacy media dutifully parroted whatever came from the FBI and CIA.
The FBI had already covered for Clinton’s private email server—a clear violation involving mishandling of classified information that many viewed as espionage-related. Comey’s public claim that “intent” was required, combined with the infamous tarmac meeting between Bill Clinton and Attorney General Loretta Lynch, only deepened suspicions that a pre-arranged shield was in place.
[..]
DiGenova is the right person at the right time. His background as a battle-tested U.S. Attorney equips him to cut through layers of institutional self-defense with rigor, clarity, and an unflinching commitment to the rule of law. The framework he is helping build opens the door to powerful tools like RICO statutes. If the evidence demonstrates an “enterprise” of officials, agencies, and enablers engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity—leaks, misleading FISA processes, selective prosecutions, and repeated efforts to hobble a political opponent—RICO allows tying disparate acts into a cohesive case with serious penalties, extended statutes of limitations, and asset forfeiture.
This isn’t about isolated mistakes or policy disagreements. It’s about confronting a sustained enterprise that often used fraud as a tool to undermine constitutional norms, electoral integrity, and public trust. The phrase “slam the coup” captures the necessary scale: not rhetoric, but rigorous application of law to those who treated it as optional. High-profile indictments should follow wherever the facts and evidence lead. Foundational decisions from the Obama era, the roles played by figures like Hillary Clinton in shaping and amplifying the Russia narrative, and broader coordination across administrations sit at the core. While grand jury proceedings remain properly sealed, the trajectory is unmistakable: sunlight on actions that affected not just one presidency, but the integrity of American self-government itself.
Signs the Shift Is Real—and Momentum Is Building
This Florida effort does not exist in isolation. Parallel momentum is visible elsewhere. In California, a longtime Newsom ally and appointee, Alexis Podesta, served as an FBI cooperator wearing a wire in a public corruption probe tied to the governor’s former chief of staff, Dana Williamson. That case resulted in a guilty plea on federal fraud and tax charges involving the alleged siphoning of campaign funds. The investigation has since broadened, touching elements of Newsom’s inner circle and raising questions about influence, fund flows, and nonprofit operations.After years of documented institutional hesitation—from Secret Service failures in Butler to lingering unanswered questions around threats and shooters—we are now seeing the FBI and DOJ deploy proven tools (wires, cooperators, financial tracing, and intercepts) with greater consistency and effect.
Seasoned professionals have stepped up, leaving lucrative law practices to serve as patriots rather than risk-averse bureaucrats. Figures like Harmeet Dhillon (Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights) exemplify this commitment. It’s noteworthy that lawyers who represented Trump in the 2020 election, such as John Eastman, faced severe professional repercussions—including disbarment by the California Bar Association and being shunned by elite law firms—highlighting the risks attorneys encounter when they challenge the establishment or represent clients targeted by woke bar associations.
He left out Newsom.
• It Looks Like the Democrats Have Been Sending Their Best All Along (O’Brien)
Can we agree that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) (D-N.Y.) is simultaneously a total mental midget and one of the shrewdest politicians in Washington right now? If she weren’t, she’d be gone, but instead, she’s the favorite to unseat Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) when he comes up for re-election in 2028.Read more …
AOC says "rivers were on fire" because of corporations like Deloitte "pouring chemicals" into waterways.
— Teddy – PolyBackTest.com (@Bitcoin_Teddy) July 6, 2026
Deloitte is an accounting, consulting, and tax services firm.
No idea what she's talking about. pic.twitter.com/tIaCfecApD
What about Kamala Harris? She made the term “word salad” famous and almost synonymous with her own name during her time as vice president and in her 2024 presidential campaign. She’s about as sharp as a bowling ball but was still able to rustle up the job that put her one heartbeat away from becoming president of the United States.
Kamala Harris declares that they "will not be defeated" and then serves word salad pic.twitter.com/N6YY90lrhI
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) December 16, 2024How about Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.)? Do you think the Illinois Democrats could have found someone else to represent the state in the Senate?
Democrat Tammy Duckworth is CALLED OUT by CNN for lying about the drug strikes:
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) December 7, 2025
CNN: "Have you seen the video?"
DUCKWORTH: "I have seen the video…"
CNN: "I just want to make sure…you have seen the classified video…"
DUCKWORTH: "No…I have not seen the actual video." pic.twitter.com/k5601lCDbPThen there are the ancients. These are the people who once had three brain cells that could speak to each other, but those days are gone. This list would include, but not be limited to, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and, of course, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
https://twitter.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1920129584088924181?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1920129584088924181%7Ctwgr%5E00ca3fa5be1f252405017e2fd6451ce8f6e2f533%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpjmedia.com%2Ftim-o-brien%2F2026%2F07%2F09%2Fit-looks-like-the-democrats-have-been-sending-their-best-all-along-n4954844
Not to be overlooked, there is the increasingly long list of discarded Democrats now on the ash heap of political dim bulbs: Joe Biden, Eric Swalwell, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), Jamaal Bowman, and Cori Bush (who could return from her political exile). And who could forget the legendary Rep. Al Green (D-Texas)? For every young, smart, deceptive, and cunning Zohran Mamdani, it seems there are five Democrat dimwits who reinforce President Donald Trump’s latest branding of the opposition party. When he calls them “Dumocrats,” he’s just stating facts.
Washington is teeming with leftist useful idiots, ready and willing to implement an agenda that they don’t understand or care to understand. All they know, and all they need to know, is that if they say and do what their handlers tell them to do, they’ll win power. In a country of 330 million and a two-party political system, you’d think the Democrat Party could put forth higher-quality candidates. But once you apply the DEI and wokeness filters, the pool of candidates gets very, very narrow.
To take back power, the Democrats have been pinning their hopes on the now disgraced Graham Platner, James Talarico (D-Texas), Claire Valdez (D-N.Y.), Darializa Avila Chevalier (D-N.Y.), and Melat Kiros (D-Colo.). Like AOC, all of these individuals are dumb enough to be “Dumocrats,” but shrewd enough to win elections. It’s tempting to take them lightly, but that would be a mistake. There’s even talk of a potential AOC on the Democrat Party’s presidential ticket in 2028. Given the Republican Party’s long historical pattern of playing down to an opponent, that would scare me. Maybe it would be better for the Republicans if the Democrats started to nominate candidates with an IQ in the triple digits. That actually might work out better for the Grand Old Party.
In the meantime, as the Democrats continue to ride their hopes on politically and historically illiterate candidates — and some candidates who seem to be just plain illiterate — it looks like the Democrats have the Republicans just where they want them.
“The problem for white ethnic Western Civilization is that it is demonized beyond repair ..”
• Dear American: No One in Government Represents You (Paul Craig Roberts)
Marjorie Taylor Greene, Thomas Massie, Tucker Carlson, Candice Owens, and a few others who have access to media exposure, including myself, agree that Washington does not represent the American people. Neither do the state or local governments. Conservatives used to claim that the closer government is to you, the better it represented you, but that is not my experience. Marjorie Taylor Greene says, correctly, that you cannot go against a party position or they will come after you. In other words, leadership within the parties to bring change cannot arise. The money interests that finance the elections are the ones that benefit from government.Read more …
She says it would be possible to beat the system, but it “requires the American people fully getting engaged. And the American people just aren’t fully engaged.” She is correct. I have been trying since 1975 when I entered the Congressional staff to get Americans involved before the net closed over them. I have not been very successful.My main success was as Assistant Secretary of the US Treasury getting the Reagan reduction in tax rates passed and the income tax brackets adjusted for inflation in order to prevent inflation from pushing nominal incomes into higher tax brackets. I was able to do this because this was the task I was assigned by President Reagan, and I had tremendous support from President Reagan and Treasury Secretary Don Reagan, from members of both parties in the House and Senate, and from Bob Bartley, the editor of the Wall Street Journal. If I had not succeeded, every American taxpayer today would be in the top 50% bracket financing with their work and income America’s wars for the Zionist agenda of Greater Israel and the Democrats’ agenda of a multicultural America.
I went into a powerful presidential appointment after serving in House and Senate, both committee and personal staffs, after being an editor and columnist for the Wall Street Journal, after having been educated at Georgia Tech, University of Virginia, University of California, Berkeley, and Oxford University where I experienced every view of politics and economics. Additionally, my agenda was change, not a government career, and therefore I was willing to fight. The establishment, of course, has done everything possible to belittle the achievement in order to prevent wildcat operators again disturbing the status quo.
(AI Overview definition of wildcat operator in politics: “In politics, a wildcat operator, or “wildcatter,” refers to a rogue, independent political actor or strategist who operates outside the control, funding, and strategy of established major political parties or conventional organizations.”) Today in America there are no such people with the necessary support to bring any change not approved by the controlling interest groups. As President Trump has demonstrated, real change in America is no longer possible within the existing party confines.
The party confines are changing. Democrats refreshed with immigrant-invaders from Washington’s wars for Israel in the Middle East are having their party’s complexion changed. Republican MAGA voters, disappointed with Trump’s forsaken promise of “no more wars,” are losing enthusiasm. These developments do not mean that the outcome will be good for Americans. As immigrant-invaders are now a significant percentage of the population, they will be legalized, not deported, by both parties competing for their support. Trump’s failure will demoralize Americans and undermine belief that America can be restored.
The problem for white ethnic Western Civilization is that it is demonized beyond repair, has lost its self-belief, and cannot be resurrected even if the people were aware without massive violence of which they do not seem capable, having been so brainwashed for so long as to now accept their “guilt.”
“If the allegations put forward by [Tulsi Gabbard] prove to be substantially true, Dr. Anthony Fauci’s legacy will be remembered as one of the greatest betrayals of the public trust in modern American history.”
• Fauci: The Public Servant from Hell (Jim Cardoza)
If the allegations put forward by Tulsi Gabbard, former Director of National Intelligence, prove to be substantially true, Dr. Anthony Fauci’s legacy will be remembered as one of the greatest betrayals of the public trust in modern American history.Read more …
For four decades, Fauci occupied one of the most influential positions in the federal government. As Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), he controlled billions of taxpayer dollars, directed research priorities, advised presidents of both parties, and enjoyed a level of public credibility rarely afforded to unelected bureaucrats. Americans were encouraged to trust him — not because he was elected, but because he was presented as the embodiment of objective science.That trust is precisely what makes the controversies surrounding his tenure so consequential. Fauci’s history in this position of power is one that should not be overlooked. That is why Senator Rand Paul, as chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, issued a subpoena compelling Fauci to testify before Congress. Fauci had declined to appear voluntarily.
Fauci is no stranger to controversy. As director of NIAID (1984–2022), he oversaw the institute that funded much of the nation’s HIV/AIDS research. For two decades, beginning in 1985, NIAID conducted research involving the treatment of society’s most vulnerable children during the AIDS epidemic. Investigative journalist Liam Scheff alleged that HIV-positive foster children and orphans were enrolled in experimental drug trials without adequate informed consent or independent advocacy. Official reviews raised legitimate ethical concerns about research involving vulnerable children.
Critics alleged that the treatment children received was brutal and unethical, with staff and doctors prioritizing trial compliance over the children’s well-being. Scheff reported that some children experienced significant side effects, and those who resisted the drugs were held down and force-fed. It is also on record that persistent refusers underwent surgical insertion of gastric (stomach) tubes for direct drug delivery. One reason this policy faced little resistance is that the foster children had no parents protecting their interests.
But this wasn’t the only experimentation under Fauci that exploited a vulnerable population.
From 2016 to 2019 came what has come to be known simply as the “beagle experiments.” At that time, Fauci’s NIAID funded research that included exposing dogs to infected sand flies while their heads were restrained inside mesh enclosures to facilitate insect feeding. Laboratory procedures included surgical removal of portions of the dogs’ vocal cords to reduce barking in research facilities. While Fauci did not personally perform these experiments, as director of NIAID he approved the grants that allowed the research. As with the children, these procedures once again illustrated a disturbing willingness to subordinate ethical concerns to bureaucratic research objectives.
Yet, as disgusting as they may be, neither controversy approaches the impact of Fauci’s decisions that led to the mass devastation resulting from COVID-19. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has now publicly alleged that Fauci approved funding for research involving bat coronaviruses at the Wuhan Institute of Virology and has characterized it as a dangerous gain-of-function project. Gain-of-function, in this instance, refers to making the virus more infectious and lethal. The ODNI further asserts that Fauci later misled Congress about his knowledge of these activities and about discussions concerning the origins of the pandemic.
https://twitter.com/MAGAVoice/status/2074696045876105629?s=20
Congrats to @SpaceXAI on Grok 4.5 — trained on NVIDIA GB300 NVL72 systems and purpose-built for coding, agentic tasks, and knowledge work. This is what happens when world-class AI infrastructure meets world-class AI research. https://t.co/ZoWqE2v2sX
— NVIDIA (@nvidia) July 8, 2026
SpaceX says over 90% of its future market is AI, not space. @DMaguireARK, ACA breaks down what that means: orbital data centers, a potential $28.5 trillion Total Addressable Market (TAM), and why Starship is the only vehicle that can get there. pic.twitter.com/S25qqcTynZ
— ARK Invest (@ARKInvest) July 7, 2026
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And the Lord made Sophie Cunningham of the Indiana Fever 
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