- Thursday July 9th, 2026
- "It Is Not A Question of Who Is Right Or Wrong But What Is Right Or Wrong That Counts."
- --Geoff Metcalf
- Providing an on line Triage of the news since 1998
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World & Nation
US strikes killed 3 IRGC members, Iran state media reports
Three members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards were killed in U.S. strikes on Iran on Thursday, Iran’s Mizan news agency reported.
The reported deaths come as U.S. forces continue targeting Iranian
military infrastructure tied to missile, drone and maritime threats
after Tehran’s attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The latest casualties could further inflame tensions between Washington
and Tehran, with Iran warning of retaliation as the conflict tests the
security of Gulf states and key global energy routes.
Iran’s new plan to take on the US
Iran launched retaliatory missiles and drones at American bases in
Kuwait and Bahrain “in the first phase of punitive response against the
American covenant-breakers”.
But having survived two rounds of American and Israeli bombing, Iran’s
leaders concluded that their most potent weapon is not their military
but their geography. Now, they are preparing to use it to their
advantage, drawing up plans to close not one but two of the world’s
most important maritime choke points and shut off global oil.
The shift has been sharpened by a revelation that reshaped Iran’s threat calculus.
US intelligence leaks indicated that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab
Emirates secretly took part in strikes on Iran during the war earlier
this year – quiet participation by the very states whose oil
infrastructure sits within easy reach of Iranian missiles.
US Exchanges Intensifying Fire With Iran Across Mideast
The United States launched new airstrikes against Iran
early Thursday, and Tehran responded by targeting U.S.-allied Mideast
countries in an exchange of fire that threatened an interim deal
intended to help end the war in the Middle East.
Back-and-forth attacks, including a day earlier, have repeatedly
threatened the ceasefire, but Thursday’s appeared bigger all around,
with sirens sounding at least three times in Bahrain, home to the U.S.
Navy’s 5th Fleet headquarters, and missiles targeting Kuwait and Qatar.
Sirens sounded Thursday afternoon in Jordan as well, where the U.S. has stationed troops and aircraft.
The strikes came hours after President Donald Trump said recent Iranian
attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz signaled the end of a fragile
ceasefire and threatened to escalate the conflict if they didn't stop.
Secret Service Urged Trump Against Using New Air Force One
The Secret Service reportedly urged President Donald Trump
to fly home from Turkey on the old Air Force One instead of the new
Qatari-donated jet as a precautionary measure.
The recommendation came after hostilities between the United States and
Iran resumed during Trump's trip to Turkey for the NATO summit, The New
York Times first reported.
The Secret Service advised using the legacy presidential aircraft out
of an abundance of caution, even though officials said there was no
specific or credible threat against the president.
Jeb Bush praises Trump for crippling Iran’s military, but warns of ‘threat’ to US from reported drones in Cuba
Rep Carlos Gimenez and ex-UN Ambassador Mark Wallace joined Bush at the United Against Nuclear Iran event
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush praised President Donald Trump for his
efforts in crippling the Iranian regime, but warned that Cuba is now
believed to have hundreds of explosive drones from Tehran.
Bush made the statement at a United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) event
on Wednesday, standing next to an Iranian Shahed-136 drone. The Shahed
family of drones are cheap but effective kamikaze weapons that Iran has
used extensively in the Middle East, in addition to shipping them to
Russia for use against Ukraine.
"We have decimated Iran's capability to make mischief in the region.
There's no doubt about it," said Bush, who is UANI's chairman, adding
that he applauds the Trump administration for their work.
Rubio Calls Global Meeting on Far-Left Terror Threat
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has invited senior ministers from more
than 60 countries to Washington next week for a meeting focused on what
the Trump administration describes as a growing threat from
transnational far-left terrorism.
The July 16 meeting at the State Department will bring together
officials from Europe, Latin America, and Asia to discuss intelligence
sharing and law enforcement cooperation against what the administration
says is a resurgence of politically motivated violence by far-left
extremist groups, according to a concept paper reviewed by The
Washington Post.
The document describes the gathering as focusing on "far-left
terrorists" who are "increasingly turning to organized, deadly violence
to advance their political objectives."
The planned meeting has raised questions among some current and former
U.S. officials, foreign diplomats, and terrorism analysts, who said
they do not view left-wing extremism as posing the same level of
international threat.
Who is Valli Geiger? Meet the Maine Dem that Platner urged to run for Senate
Geiger wrote on Facebook she would not ‘throw Graham under the bus’ after Platner called her Monday night
National Review senior writer Noah Rothman discusses the Democratic
Party’s changing stance on sexual assault allegations on ‘The Story.’
Maine state Rep. Valli Geiger, a Rockland Democrat, former nurse and
former mayor, is drawing sudden national attention after saying
now-former Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner encouraged her to
consider taking his place on the ballot in the Maine Senate race.
While Geiger has not been named the replacement nominee, her name
entered the Maine Senate scramble after she told local outlet WMTW that
Platner called her Monday night, praised her as a "fighter" and asked
whether he could put her name forward. Platner’s campaign told the
outlet he had not made an endorsement decision but confirmed he
encouraged Geiger to consider running if he stepped aside.
After Geiger said Platner called her about potentially putting her name
forward, Geiger posted Tuesday she would not "throw Graham under the
bus," while also saying she would not "slander or accuse" Jenny
Racicot, the woman who accused Platner of rape, "of anything more than
telling the truth as she experienced it."
Girl who was allegedly sexually harassed by trans athlete in SCOTUS case speaks out after ruling
For Adaleia Cross, the Supreme Court’s ruling in the West Virginia women’s sports case was not just a legal victory.
It was personal.
Cross, a Bridgeport High School student in West Virginia, said the
ruling gave her a “sense of peace” after years of speaking out about
the transgender athlete at the center of the case.
Cross has alleged the athlete made comments to her in the girls’ locker
room that amounted to sexual harassment when both were students at
Bridgeport Middle School.
Prince Harry’s relationship with the royal family is 'effectively over,' says royal butler
Prince Harry‘s relationship with the royal family is “effectively
over,” according to Grant Harrold, the former butler to King Charles
III.
Speaking on behalf of ActionNetwork, Harrold says his outlook has dramatically changed over the last 48 hours.
He now believes that, between the Buckingham Palace snub and the
courtroom loss, a reunion between Harry and his family is nothing more
than a distant dream.
Rough few days
Americans are not giving up on NATO, but they expect Europe to do its share
The strongest argument for keeping America in NATO is not rhetoric — it is results
By Rachel Hoff Fox News
For years, Europeans have asked a version of the same question: Will
the United States remain committed to NATO? Sharp rhetoric about allies
and their willingness to more equitably share the burden of defense
spending has raised doubts about the future of the transatlantic
relationship itself.
Yet the latest Reagan Institute Summer Survey suggests that reports of
NATO’s demise in American politics are greatly exaggerated. This
nationwide U.S. public opinion poll, conducted in the weeks leading up
to the 2026 NATO Summit in Ankara, reveals a broad and resilient base
of support for the alliance among the American people — including many
who are often assumed to be skeptical of U.S. engagement abroad.
This headline finding should reassure allies across Europe: 73 percent
of Americans believe that keeping the United States in NATO matters to
America’s security and prosperity. That includes a majority of both
Democrats and Republicans. It also includes 61 percent of
self-identified MAGA Republicans, a constituency frequently portrayed
as opposed to America's traditional alliances.
Iran’s Strait of Hormuz scheme could derail one Gulf nation’s bright future
Oman has a bright future due to
economic reforms and the opportunity to join the growing regional
cohesion against the Islamic Republic
By Victoria Coates
In the maelstrom of noise over Iranian action in the Strait of Hormuz,
there has been much less discussion of the country on the other side of
the contested waterway: Oman.
Over the course of the conflict in Iran, Oman has been a somewhat
enigmatic actor. While cooperating with the United States as a
mediator, it has also displayed an openness to Tehran’s schemes to
impose tolls on shipping through the Strait.
That would be a significant mistake. Unlike Iran, Oman has a bright,
promising future due to recent effective economic reforms and the
opportunity to join the growing regional cohesion against the Islamic
Republic. For the sake of the Omani people, Muscat should embrace this
path to greater freedom, opportunity, and prosperity.
