- Thursday July 30th, 2026
- "It Is Not A Question of Who Is Right Or Wrong But What Is Right Or Wrong That Counts."
- --Geoff Metcalf
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World & Nation
IRGC warns ‘aggressor’ will be ‘punished’ as Iran hits Jordan, Kuwait

Iran’s Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened on Thursday morning that “the
aggressor will be punished today,” according to Tehran’s state-run IRNA
outlet.
Any country assisting the United States militarily will face a “harsh response,” the IRGC warned in the statement.
Earlier on Thursday, the Islamic Republic launched missile and attack drone at Jordan and Kuwait, the two countries said.
Saudi defense minister holds urgent meeting with Trump after Iraq strikes

President Trump
met Wednesday with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, a
U.S. official and another source with knowledge of the meeting told
Axios.
The meeting was
added to the Saudi minister's itinerary after he met with Vice
President Vance and told him that Saudi Arabia favors de-escalation
with Iran — despite this week's joint U.S.-Saudi strike on pro-Iranian
militias in Iraq, a source familiar with the matter said.
Why it matters:
The source said the purpose of the meetings was to deliver a message
from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) about the war with Iran and
the situation in the region.
Saudi Arabia is
one of the key U.S. allies in the region. Despite tensions at several
points over the last five months, the Saudis have managed to influence
Trump's Iran policy multiple times since the war began.
China pushes back on report that it’s planning to send weapons to Iran, says it wants to ‘end’ war

Chinese foreign
ministry on Thursday disputed a report from Reuters that Beijing is
preparing to help Iran replenish its defenses in the war against the
U.S., with a spokesperson claiming that China wants to bring an end to
the conflict.
Reuters, citing
multiple sources, said Wednesday that Iran is expected in the next few
weeks to receive a shipment of up to 400 Chinese-made shoulder-fired
air-defense missile launchers. The development emerged as the U.S.
military has repeatedly been striking and weakening Iranian military
infrastructure.
“China has made
its position clear on relevant issues on multiple occasions. The report
is not true and has no factual ground at all. China always works for
peace and the end of the conflict,” Chinese foreign ministry
spokesperson Mao Ning said Thursday.
Angry Fauci fires off an F-bomb during walk with wife hours after Senate grilling

Dr. Anthony
Fauci was overheard blowing off steam after a brutal day on Capitol
Hill — angrily venting to his wife, Christine Grady, about someone
“shouting” at him.
The couple,
married for 41 years, were spotted Wednesday evening power-walking near
their $2.4 million home in a tony neighborhood in Washington, DC.
Just hours
earlier, Fauci refused to answer any questions about the COVID-19
pandemic – invoking his Fifth Amendment right more than 100 times –
during a stunning Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing.
Trump threatens to yank his own AG nominee as GOP revolt grows
Trump says he will resubmit Blanche's name after GOP Sens Cornyn and Tillis leave office next year

President
Donald Trump is taking a hardball tactic against Republican rebels
demanding concessions for their vote to confirm Acting Attorney General
Todd Blanche.
After Blanche’s
confirmation hearing was postponed late Wednesday night, Trump took to
Truth Social Thursday morning to excoriate the two key holdouts on the
Senate Judiciary Committee standing in the way of his personal lawyer
becoming the nation’s top prosecutor: Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and
Thom Tillis, R-N.C.
Trump threatened to withdraw Blanche’s nomination until both are out of office next year.
Vladimir Putin just got handed a new Ukraine war reality: Moscow could soon be within ballistic missile range

Ukraine could
begin hitting Moscow with its own domestically produced ballistic
missiles as soon as this autumn, according to the head of one of the
country’s fastest-growing defense firms.
Denys
Shtilerman, the co-owner and chief designer of Ukrainian defense
manufacturer Fire Point, announced this week that the company’s newest
ballistic missile is now in the final stages of testing and could enter
operational service once the final engine trials have been completed.
The
announcement is a major development for Ukraine, which has already
successfully developed long-range drones and missiles, including the
famed FP-5 “Flamingo,” that are now putting immense pressure on Russian
oil infrastructure.
UEFA nations vote to boycott World Cup over FIFA boss’s $20B cash grab — throwing global soccer into chaos

UEFA, European
soccer’s 55-member governing body, have unanimously voted to boycott
the World Cup and all other FIFA-organized competitions in protest of a
$20 billion Wall Street-style takeover of the global game, the
organization said on Thursday.
The boycott of
the major tournament, first reported by The Post, will see European
nations withdraw from “all FIFA competitions” organized by the
Zurich-based nonprofit.
“The World Cup
cannot be treated as an investment product. It is one of football’s
greatest sporting legacies,” UEFA said in a statement.. “It has been
built over generations by players, national teams and supporters across
every continent. No part of it should ever be surrendered to private
investors. The World Cup is not for sale.”
Fetterman says he’s ‘proud’ to be ‘conscience of the Democratic Party’ on Israel during Netanyahu meeting

Sen. John Fetterman’s unlikely Bibi bromance is still going strong.
The
Pennsylvania Democrat broke with much of his party yet again Wednesday,
lavishing praise on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a
one-on-one meeting.
“You’ve been a
stellar patriot, talking about what is good for America, what is good
for our alliance, of which you’ve been a champion,” Netanyahu told
Fetterman, according to a transcript of the conversation released by
the PM’s office.
“You’ve been
telling it like it is, with no fear, and just an indefatigable and
courageous commitment to the truth,” the Israeli leader added.
Fetterman, who
has repeatedly defied progressives and supported Israel since Hamas’
Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack on the Jewish state, returned the
admiration.
Embattled Seattle police chief relieved of his duties by democratic socialist mayor, Black protest planned
Barnes was asked to resign during a meeting with Wilson after abruptly leaving a vigil for the mass shooting victims

Seattle Mayor
Katie Wilson reportedly relieved embattled Police Chief Shon Barnes of
his duties Wednesday night following mounting criticism over his
absence from the city and the department’s delayed public response to a
mass shooting, a run-in with a reporter and questions over his
frequently being out of the city.
Barnes was
asked to resign during a meeting with the democratic socialist Wilson
after he abruptly left a silent vigil for the victims of Sunday’s Bite
of Seattle shooting, five sources told FOX 13 Seattle.
It is unclear if Barnes accepted Wilson's call for resignation or was ultimately fired.
Barnes had
canceled a series of scheduled interviews earlier Wednesday and later
began texting people about his dismissal, according to the report. The
mayor’s office and Seattle Police Department had not publicly confirmed
the change or announced who would lead the department next.
Brazil Stalls Approval of Trump's Ambassador Pick

The Brazilian
government has for weeks withheld the formal diplomatic approval needed
for the next U.S. ambassador to take up his post, angering U.S.
officials and deepening a rift between the Western hemisphere's two
largest democracies.
The dispute
could leave Washington without an ambassador in Brasilia ahead of
Brazil's October election, adding to bilateral tensions that have
affected trade flows and resulted in accusations of interference in
domestic affairs.
Daniel Perez, a
Florida state representative and close ally of Secretary of State
Marco Rubio, was nominated by U.S. President Donald Trump on June 1.
Anthony Fauci’s Fifth Amendment mockery demands the Senate’s contempt
By New York Post Editorial Board
America
deserves answers about the feds and COVID, from the effort to determine
the virus’ origin to public-health officials’ diktats on masking and
lockdown — but got none of them from Wednesday’s Senate Homeland
Security Committee hearing, because Dr. Anthony Fauci chose to take the
Fifth for four hours, 111 times, never answering a single question even
from the Democratic side.
Outrageous: The
5th Amendment grants a right not to incriminate yourself, yet Fauci is
immune to criminal charges thanks to one of President Joe Biden’s
blanket pardons; the only way he could’ve incriminated himself is
morally.
All Fauci
deigned to offer was an opening statement complaining of Sen. Rand
Paul’s “obsession” with imprisoning him and whining that his “personal
diary” had been released for public inspection.
Personal? He
wrote the entries on a government computer while a government employee;
the feds had every right to put the whole thing on the public record —
especially since he has long refused to answer many questions, and many
of the entries blatantly contradict his past sworn testimony.
Of course Anthony Fauci took the Fifth — and I know the damning reason why
By Steven W. Mosher
Despite being pardoned by President Biden for his COVID crimes, Anthony Fauci pled his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent.
He refused to
answer a single question about his role in pandemic policy before the
Homeland Security Committee, chaired by Senator Rand Paul, despite
being immune from prosecution.
I think I know why.
Fauci was wrong
about everything. From the lab origin of COVID-19 to the China travel
ban, from foolish mandatory face masks to punishing lockdowns, his
“legacy” is one misstep after another.
His authoritarian edicts made things worse, much worse, for Americans than they otherwise would have been.