Podcasts about Arabian Sea

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has been in the news over an extra-long deployment that's taking a toll on its crew. Back in 2002, we explored life aboard another aircraft carrier, the USS John C. Stennis, stationed in the Arabian Sea and supporting bombing missions over Afghanistan. Only a few dozen people on board actually fly jets. The rest of the crew — over 5,000 people — keeps them in the air.  Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription.(00:00:00) Prologue: Alex Blumberg talks with sailor Prevon Scott, who stocks vending machines on the Stennis.(00:04:53) Act One: Aboard the USS Stennis, Ira Glass and Wendy Dorr talk with sailors about life on board. Off duty, people play video games, work out, or practice in one of the ship's many garage bands. Ira and Wendy also talk with sailors about how rumors travel on the ship — conversations that get back to the top brass, who give the producers heat for chasing salacious stories. Ira interviews the captain, James McDonell, and learns the ship is facing a fresh water shortage.(00:18:03) Act Two: As pilots head to their planes for a mission, they explain how hard it is to land on an aircraft carrier. Wendy talks with sailors Cynthia and David, waiting for the 8PM movie to start, and she and Alex talk with sailors in the mess hall.Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org / This American Life privacy policy. / Learn more about sponsor message choices.

This hour, Scoot continues his conversation about old New Orleans buildings that were demolished. President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order to overhaul the federal childhood vaccination schedule, reducing universally recommended immunizations from 18 diseases down to 11 and proposing that the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine be split into three separate shots. The administration frames the policy as a "gold standard" approach meant to provide parents with flexibility and bring the U.S. into alignment with peer European nations. However, the move has drawn intense criticism from global health agencies, medical groups, and political figures who warn that dismantling combined vaccines goes against decades of established medical evidence and could exacerbate ongoing disease outbreaks. The USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) is currently facing intense congressional scrutiny over a severe mental health and supply crisis among its 5,000 crew members. The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier has set a modern-day record during the ongoing conflict with Iran, marking over 260 consecutive days at sea with almost no port stops. In response to the growing crisis, the military is preparing to send the USS George Washington (or alternatively the USS Theodore Roosevelt strike group) to the Arabian Sea to replace the carrier. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is stepping down from her position at the end of August 2026 to spend more time with her young family. President Donald Trump announced the decision on Truth Social, noting that she will transition into a role as one of his top outside advisors and remain an influential voice within the Republican Party.

On today's show, A federal murder-for-hire trial has begun in New Orleans, marking the latest development in the FBI's long-running "Operation Sideswipe" investigation. The case centers around a sprawling, multi-million dollar scheme where "slammers" deliberately crashed cars into 18-wheelers to secure massive fraudulent insurance settlements. Demolition of the long-abandoned Lindy Boggs Medical Center officially began on. Heavy machinery moved into the Mid-City site in New Orleans, marking the end of a 21-year vacancy that turned the former hospital into one of the city's most prominent post-Katrina eyesores. The USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) is currently facing intense congressional scrutiny over a severe mental health and supply crisis among its 5,000 crew members. The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier has set a modern-day record during the ongoing conflict with Iran, marking over 260 consecutive days at sea with almost no port stops. In response to the growing crisis, the military is preparing to send the USS George Washington (or alternatively the USS Theodore Roosevelt strike group) to the Arabian Sea to replace the carrier. President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order to overhaul the federal childhood vaccination schedule, reducing universally recommended immunizations from 18 diseases down to 11 and proposing that the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine be split into three separate shots. The administration frames the policy as a "gold standard" approach meant to provide parents with flexibility and bring the U.S. into alignment with peer European nations. However, the move has drawn intense criticism from global health agencies, medical groups, and political figures who warn that dismantling combined vaccines goes against decades of established medical evidence and could exacerbate ongoing disease outbreaks. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is stepping down from her position at the end of August 2026 to spend more time with her young family. President Donald Trump announced the decision on Truth Social, noting that she will transition into a role as one of his top outside advisors and remain an influential voice within the Republican Party.

First, we speak to The Indian Express' Shubhangi Khapre about the RSS's intensified outreach to Gen Z and Gen Alpha, and why Mohan Bhagwat's interaction with nearly 2,000 teenagers is being viewed as a response to the organisation's growing disconnect with young people.Next, we speak to The Indian Express' Pratip Acharya about why Mumbai pumped more than 4,000 crore litres of rainwater into the Arabian Sea during a spell of extreme rainfall, and whether the city could store or reuse such water in the future. (11:55)And in the end, we look at an Air India flight from Phuket to Delhi that abruptly lost around 300 feet after encountering turbulence, injuring 13 passengers and four crew members and prompting an investigation by the DGCA. (22:15)Hosted by Ichha SharmaProduced and written by Shashank Bhargava, Niharika Nanda and Ichha SharmaEdited and mixed by Suresh Pawar

Fluent Fiction - Hindi: Rediscovering Friendship: A Journey Through the Konkan Rains Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hi/episode/2026-08-03-07-38-20-hi Story Transcript:Hi: गणेश चतुर्थी का मौसम था।En: It was the season of Ganesh Chaturthi.Hi: कोकण का तटीय इलाका अपनी अद्भुत सुंदरता से हर किसी को मंत्रमुग्ध कर रहा था।En: The coastal region of Konkan was enchanting everyone with its extraordinary beauty.Hi: बारिश के कारण हरियाली और भी गहरी हो गई थी।En: Due to the rain, the greenery had become even more lush.Hi: अरब सागर की लहरें सड़क के साथ-साथ चल रही थीं, और नारियल के वृक्ष हवा में झूम रहे थे।En: The waves of the Arabian Sea were rolling alongside the road, and the coconut trees were swaying in the wind.Hi: प्रिया ने गाड़ी धीरे-धीरे चला रही थी।En: Priya was driving the car slowly.Hi: उसकी आँखों में सिर्फ़ एक ही ख्वाहिश थी - इस सफर के जरिए अरुझ के साथ अपनी पुरानी दोस्ती को नई ताजगी देना।En: She had only one wish in her eyes - to renew the old friendship with Arujh through this journey.Hi: आखिरकार, वे दोनों कई सालों से एक-दूसरे के खास दोस्त थे।En: After all, they had been special friends to each other for many years.Hi: लेकिन समय के साथ-साथ, अरुझ की नयी नौकरी और शहर जाने की तैयारी ने दोनों के रास्ते अलग कर दिए थे।En: But over time, Arujh's new job and preparations to move to the city had set them on different paths.Hi: अरुझ खिड़की से बाहर देख रहा था।En: Arujh was looking out of the window.Hi: उसके दिमाग में नए शहर में जाने की चिंता चल रही थी।En: Thoughts about moving to a new city were running through his mind.Hi: क्या वह सही कर रहा है?En: Was he doing the right thing?Hi: प्रियजनों को पीछे छोड़कर नया जीवन शुरू करना कितना कठिन होगा?En: How difficult would it be to start a new life, leaving loved ones behind?Hi: उसके मन में अनगिनत प्रश्न उठ रहे थे।En: Countless questions were arising in his mind.Hi: रास्ते में घने बादल आ गए और बारिश इतनी तेज़ हो गई कि गाड़ी रोकनी पड़ी।En: On the way, thick clouds gathered, and the rain became so intense that they had to stop the car.Hi: एक छोटा सा ढाबा दिखा, जहाँ वे दोनों छुपने के लिए गए।En: A small dhaba appeared, where they both went to take shelter.Hi: वातवरण अनमना था, पर दोनों के लिए यह एक अवसर था जिसे प्रिया जाने देना नहीं चाहती थी।En: The atmosphere was gloomy, but for both of them, this was an opportunity Priya didn't want to let pass.Hi: "अरुझ, क्या तुम वाकई शहर छोड़ने का निर्णय ले चुके हो?En: "Arujh, have you really decided to leave the city?"Hi: " प्रिया ने धीमे से पूछा।En: Priya asked softly.Hi: हल्की छाया में अरुझ की आँखों में संकोच स्पष्ट था।En: In the dim shadow, the hesitation was clear in Arujh's eyes.Hi: उसने कहा, "पता नहीं, प्रिया।En: He said, "I don't know, Priya.Hi: मैं जानता हूँ कि यह सही कदम है, लेकिन यह भी डर है कि शायद मैं कुछ खो दूंगा।En: I know it is the right step, but I also fear that maybe I'll lose something."Hi: "प्रिया ने कहा, "हम चाहे कहीं भी हों, दोस्ती को समय और दूरी नहीं बांध सकते।En: Priya said, "Wherever we are, friendship cannot be bounded by time and distance.Hi: तुम अपनी राह चुनो, लेकिन साथ चलते रहो।En: Choose your path, but keep walking together."Hi: "अरुझ ने पहली बार उस डर का सामना किया जिसे उसने छुपा रखा था।En: Arujh faced for the first time the fear he had been hiding.Hi: "तुम सही कह रही हो, प्रिया।En: "You're right, Priya.Hi: दोस्ती से ताकत मिलती है।En: Strength comes from friendship."Hi: "धीरे-धीरे बारिश रुकने लगी और आकाश साफ होने लगा।En: Slowly, the rain began to stop and the sky started to clear.Hi: दोनों ने महसूस किया कि हालाँकि जीवन बदल सकता है, लेकिन उनका साथ यहीं नहीं खत्म होगा।En: Both realized that although life could change, their bond would not end here.Hi: वे गाड़ी में बैठे और गणेश चतुर्थी की ओर बढ़ गए।En: They got into the car and headed towards Ganesh Chaturthi.Hi: इस सफर ने उनके रिश्ते में एक नयी शुरुआत की उर्जा भर दी थी।En: This journey had infused new energy into their relationship.Hi: अब वे जानते थे कि दोस्ती की यह डोर कभी नहीं टूटेगी।En: Now they knew that the thread of their friendship would never break. Vocabulary Words:season: मौसमcoastal: तटीयregion: इलाकाenchanting: मंत्रमुग्धextraordinary: अद्भुतgreenery: हरियालीlush: गहरीrolling: चल रहीswaying: झूम रहेwish: ख्वाहिशrenew: नई ताजगी देनाspecial: खासpreparations: तैयारीintense: तेज़shelter: छुपनेgloomy: अनमनाhesitation: संकोचbounded: बांधfear: डरstrength: ताकतinfused: उर्जा भरbond: साथthread: डोरgathered: आ गएdim: हल्कीcountless: अनगिनतopportunity: अवसरdecision: निर्णयlife: जीवनrealized: महसूस

Greg Feith, John Goglia, and Todd Curtis, along with returning guest Mike Borfitz dig into the developing facts emerging related to the recent 737 crash in the northern Arabian Sea. As the wreckage is recovered, the Flight Safety Detectives are keen to learn about the plane's history and maintenance records. They also discuss a recent incident that appears to be a suicide. A flight instructor exited a Cessna 150 midflight, leaving his student to land the aircraft. The discussion focuses on pilot mental health and related legislation that is slowly working its way through Congress.  Previous FSD mental health episodes: Episode 239: Anxiety in Flight Turns Deadly Episode 274: John Goglia Costars in Nathan Fielder's “The Rehersal” on HBO Episode 307: Xyla Foxlin on Pilot Mental Health The discussion also covers engineering and maintenance careers in aviation. Mike's engineering career includes work at Boeing and the FAA. Both Mike and John share experiences that made them knowledgeable about aviation and the roles they could play. Todd is also an engineer who has worked on the operational and manufacturing sides of aviation. Don't miss what's to come from the Flight Safety Detectives - subscribe to the Flight Safety Detectives YouTube channel, listen at your favorite podcast service and visit the Flight Safety Detectives website. Want to go deeper with the Flight Safety Detectives? Join our YouTube Membership program for exclusive perks like members-only live streams and Q&As and early access to episodes. Your membership support directly helps John, Greg and Todd to deliver expert insights into aviation safety.Interested in partnering with us? Sponsorship opportunities are available—brand mentions, episode integrations, and dedicated segments are just a few of the options. Flight Safety Detectives offers a direct connection with an engaged audience passionate about aviation and safety. Reach out to fsdsponsors@gmail.com. Music: “Inspirational Sports” license ASLC-22B89B29-052322DDB8 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Fluent Fiction - Hindi: Conquering Fear and Finding Friends by the Arabian Sea Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hi/episode/2026-07-28-22-34-02-hi Story Transcript:Hi: गर्मियों की पहली सुबह थी।En: It was the first morning of summer.Hi: मरीन ड्राइव के पास के स्कूल की क्लासरूम में हलचल थी।En: There was a bustle in the classroom of the school near Marine Drive.Hi: खिड़कियों से सनलाइट की सुनहरी किरणें अंदर आ रही थीं।En: Golden rays of sunlight were coming in through the windows.Hi: बच्चे नए साल की शुरुआत के लिए बेंच पर बैठे थे।En: The children were seated on the benches, ready for the start of the new year.Hi: अध्यापक का इंतजार कर रहे थे।En: They were waiting for the teacher.Hi: खिड़की के बाहर अरब सागर की लहरें चट्टानों से टकरा रही थीं, एक शांत संगीत बज रहा था।En: Outside the window, the waves of the Arabian Sea were hitting the rocks, creating a calm music.Hi: इस रोमांचित माहौल में, अर्जुन ने किताबें संभालीं।En: In this exciting atmosphere, Arjun organized his books.Hi: वह क्लास के एक कोने में खड़ा था। शांत और संदिग्ध।En: He was standing in a corner of the class, quiet and thoughtful.Hi: उसका मन बार-बार मीरा की ओर खिंच रहा था।En: His mind was repeatedly drawn towards Meera.Hi: मीरा, स्कूल की नई छात्रा, पहले ही बहुत सारे दोस्तों के साथ बात करने में व्यस्त थी।En: Meera, the new student in the school, was already busy talking with many friends.Hi: लेकिन वह यह नहीं समझ पाया कि कैसे उसे अपना दोस्त बनाए।En: But he couldn't figure out how to make her his friend.Hi: अर्जुन की इच्छा थी कि दोस्ती दिवस से पहले वह मीरा से दोस्ती कर सके।En: Arjun wished to be friends with Meera before Friendship Day.Hi: पर उसकी शर्म और अस्वीकार होने का डर उसके कदम रोक रहे थे।En: But his shyness and fear of rejection were holding him back.Hi: स्कूल के घंटों ने ऐसे ही तेजी से पार होने की तैयारी की।En: The school hours seemed to be preparing to pass by swiftly.Hi: लंच ब्रेक में, अर्जुन ने देखा कि मीरा खिड़की के पास अकेली बैठी है, समुद्र की ओर देख रही है।En: During lunch break, Arjun saw that Meera was sitting alone by the window, looking at the sea.Hi: यह उसका मौका था।En: This was his chance.Hi: उसने अपना डर भगाते हुए अपने में हिम्मत जगा ली।En: Gathering his courage, he chased away his fear.Hi: उसने अपने हाथ में एक छोटा सा ग्रीटिंग कार्ड लिया, जो उसने मीरा के लिए लिखा था।En: He took a small greeting card in his hand, which he had written for Meera.Hi: उस कार्ड में उसने मरीन ड्राइव की खासियतों और स्कूल की चंद खूबसूरत बातों का जिक्र किया था।En: In that card, he mentioned the specialties of Marine Drive and a few beautiful things about the school.Hi: कंपकंपाते कदमों से, अर्जुन मीरा तक पहुंचा।En: With trembling steps, Arjun reached Meera.Hi: उसने कहा, "हेलो, मैं अर्जुन हूँ।"En: He said, "Hello, I'm Arjun."Hi: मीरा ने मुस्कुराते हुए उसकी ओर देखा, उसकी आंखें सवाल कर रही थीं।En: Meera looked at him with a smile, her eyes questioning him.Hi: अर्जुन ने झिझकते हुए कार्ड मीरा को दिया।En: Hesitantly, Arjun handed the card to Meera.Hi: मीरा ने कार्ड पढ़ा और खुश होकर कहा, "ये बहुत प्यारा है, अर्जुन।En: Meera read the card and said happily, "This is very sweet, Arjun.Hi: मैं भी इस स्कूल और शहर के बारे में बहुत कुछ जानना चाहती हूँ।En: I also want to learn much about this school and city.Hi: मुझे खुशी होगी अगर तुम मुझे यहां के बारे में और बताओ।"En: I would be glad if you could tell me more about it."Hi: अर्जुन की तसल्ली हो गई।En: Arjun felt reassured.Hi: उसने राहत की सांस ली।En: He took a deep breath of relief.Hi: उसने और मीरा ने साथ बैठकर खाना खाया और स्कूल प्रोजेक्ट्स पर चर्चा की।En: He and Meera sat together for lunch and discussed school projects.Hi: जल्द ही, उन्होंने एक साथ प्रोजेक्ट करने का निर्णय लिया।En: Soon, they decided to work on a project together.Hi: अर्जुन ने ये महसूस किया कि अपने विचार साझा करने से नए और खूबसूरत संबंध बन सकते हैं।En: Arjun realized that sharing his thoughts could create new and beautiful relationships.Hi: उसके इस छोटे से प्रयास ने उसे आत्मविश्वास से भर दिया।En: This small effort filled him with confidence.Hi: क्लास की खिड़कियों से आ रही समुद्र की लहरों की आवाज अब उसे पहले से भी ज्यादा सुरीली लग रही थी।En: The sound of the sea waves coming through the classroom windows now seemed more melodious to him than before.Hi: मीरा ने उसे एक दोस्त की तरह अपनाया था, और अर्जुन ने अपने डर पर विजय प्राप्त की थी।En: Meera had accepted him as a friend, and Arjun had conquered his fear.Hi: वह इस नए स्कूल वर्ष की शुरुआत के लिए पूरी तरह से तैयार था।En: He was completely ready for the new school year to begin. Vocabulary Words:bustle: हलचलsunlight: सनलाइटbenches: बेंचseated: बैठेwaves: लहरेंrocks: चट्टानोंcalm: शांतorganized: संभालींthoughtful: संदिग्धrejection: अस्वीकारswiftly: तेजी सेgathering: जगाcourage: हिम्मतtrembling: कंपकंपातेhesitantly: झिझकते हुएgreeting card: ग्रीटिंग कार्डquestioning: सवालreassured: तसल्लीrelief: राहतdiscussed: चर्चाrealized: महसूसrelationships: संबंधconfidence: आत्मविश्वासconquered: विजय प्राप्तmelodious: सुरीलीatmosphere: माहौलmessage: संदेशspecialties: खासियतोंfriendship: दोस्तीaccepted: अपनाया

Following the successful encirclement of Srirangapatna, fighting gives way to intense, high-stakes diplomacy in a negotiation tent pitched near the Eedgah. In this episode, Ramjee Chandran details the rigorous process behind the Treaty of Seringapatam in March 1792, where Lord Cornwallis, the Maratha Confederacy, and the Nizam of Hyderabad met with Tipu Sultan's envoys to dismantle the formidable power of Mysore. Discover how the harsh loss of coastal gateways like Malabar, massive monetary indemnities, and unique cultural clashes during drafting permanently crippled Tipu's empire—leaving it landlocked and reduced by half. Key Details from the Script: The Preliminary Articles and Hostage Clause: Just a day after Tipu Sultan's final failed breakout attempt, the preliminary peace terms were sealed on the night of February 23, 1792. The preliminary agreement stipulated that Mysore surrender vast territories, pay a massive financial indemnity, and hand over two of Tipu's young sons as security hostages until the payment was settled. The Triple Alliance at the Table: While popular history frames the conflict primarily as British versus Tipu Sultan, the Maratha Peshwa and the Nizam of Hyderabad were co-signatories who played an essential role in Tipu's defeat. The Marathas fought to secure the fertile Doab territory in northern Mysore, while Nizam Ali Khan (Asaf Jah II) aimed to neutralize the persistent southern threat on his borders and collect his share of land. The High Price of Defeat: Formally negotiated by Sir John Kennaway for the British alongside Tipu's chief vakeels (Ali Reza Khan and Ghoolam Ali), the treaty stripped Mysore of approximately half its territory. The British claimed Calicut, Coorg, Baramahal, Dindigul, and Salem; Hyderabad took Cuddapah and part of the Doab; and the Marathas annexed the districts along their southern frontier. Additionally, Tipu was forced to pay 3 crore rupees in coin and bullion, plus 30 lakh rupees in "durbar expenses". The Fatal Loss of Malabar: The surrender of Calicut was the single most crippling blow to the Mysore State. As Mysore's primary gateway to the Arabian Sea, losing the Malabar coast permanently cut Tipu off from foreign trade in pepper and cardamom, direct arms imports, and maritime contact with the French. The kingdom was rendered landlocked, destroying the economic engine that funded its military. Heated Disputes and Human Diplomacy: The negotiations saw intense legal sparring—the British successfully insisted on protecting the Rajah of Coorg despite Mysore's objections, while Tipu's envoys successfully negotiated to retain Gooty. Despite the grim circumstances, a remarkably respectful, courtly relationship developed between Kennaway and Ali Reza Khan, who softened their harsh diplomatic demands with genuine personal regret. Cultural Clashes in Contract Language: A stark cultural divergence arose over standard legal phrasing. The British inserted the common legal term "successors, heirs and assigns," which the Marathas rejected as feeling finite. Instead, drawing on traditional Deccan inscription language, the Marathas insisted the agreement should hold "as long as the sun, moon, and stars endure". Permanent Dismantling: Finalized between March 17 and 18, 1792, the treaty irrevocably altered the geopolitical landscape. None of the surrendered territories were ever recovered by Mysore, ensuring that despite Tipu's subsequent rebuilding efforts, his empire would never again operate as an invincible, equal sovereign power in India. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Prestige Group, that makes this podcast possible. Follow The History Of Bangalore on social, here: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historyofbangalore/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HistoryOfBangalore Twitter: https://twitter.com/HistoryOfBLR YouTube: https://youtube.com/@HistoryOfBangalore?si=mnH3BsYfI4BUU234 iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1323-the-history-of-bangalore-163453722/ Follow Ramjee Chandran on Instagram and Twitter: @ramjeechandran The theme music for the show was composed by German-Indian Koln based percussionist, Ramesh Shotham. Ramjee Chandran's photos by Asha Thadani. RESEARCH AND SOURCES: All our episodes are based on published research and archive records. To request information about our sources, write to hob@explocity.com. Let us know if you are a researcher (either institutional or independent) and also provide some information about why you need this information. Researchers will get priority. We only have time to engage serious, academic queries so please understand if we do not respond to casual requests.

Five months into the Iran campaign, the US has two carrier strike groups parked in the Arabian Sea, a blockade that may take months to bite, and a daisy chain of tankers stretching thousands of miles because there is no longer any fuel or food to buy inside the Gulf. Now the Houthis have entered the chat and declared their own blockade of the Bab el-Mandeb. Just the OG crew with Bryan Clark, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and a former submarine officer, Justin Mc a former special operations officer who works on defense technology, and Tony Stark. We discuss… What Trump is doing in Iran, why the Navy is short-cycling ships out of maintenance and what happened the last time the fleet ran this hot, from McCain and Fitzgerald to the Truman's two collisions in one deployment Why a ground campaign in Iran is a fantasy, from the Marsh Arabs to the Alborz range to the Baluch salt flats, and what Shia militias in Iraq would do to the logistics tail The nuclear-powered cargo ship renaissance and why circumnavigating Africa at 30 knots suddenly pencils out Whether Congress should get an AI kill switch, why DHS is the wrong home for it, and what happens when the boy who cried wolf is finally right Ukraine's civ-mil drama Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Five months into the Iran campaign, the US has two carrier strike groups parked in the Arabian Sea, a blockade that may take months to bite, and a daisy chain of tankers stretching thousands of miles because there is no longer any fuel or food to buy inside the Gulf. Now the Houthis have entered the chat and declared their own blockade of the Bab el-Mandeb. Just the OG crew with Bryan Clark, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and a former submarine officer, Justin Mc a former special operations officer who works on defense technology, and Tony Stark. We discuss… What Trump is doing in Iran, why the Navy is short-cycling ships out of maintenance and what happened the last time the fleet ran this hot, from McCain and Fitzgerald to the Truman's two collisions in one deployment Why a ground campaign in Iran is a fantasy, from the Marsh Arabs to the Alborz range to the Baluch salt flats, and what Shia militias in Iraq would do to the logistics tail The nuclear-powered cargo ship renaissance and why circumnavigating Africa at 30 knots suddenly pencils out Whether Congress should get an AI kill switch, why DHS is the wrong home for it, and what happens when the boy who cried wolf is finally right Ukraine's civ-mil drama Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

//The Wire//2300Z July 17, 2026// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: GULF WAR ESCALATES AS INFRASTRUCTURE TARGETING BEGINS. SIGNIFICANT IRANIAN RETALIATION REPORTED ON AMERICAN INSTALLATIONS. IRANIAN TARGETING OF MERCHANT SHIPPING REMAINS CONSTANT.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE------International Events-Middle East: The war escalated again overnight, with the United States beginning the series of strikes on bridges and infrastructure targets intended to soften up areas near the coast of Iran. Several bridges were struck in the vicinity of Bandar Abbas, along with the usual nightly strikes on more military targets.On the Iranian side, the targeting of American installations has been substantial over the past few days. In Iraq, Iranian forces successfully struck the Patriot battery in Erbil, with satellite imagery indicating burn scars in the vicinity of where one launcher was previously located. In the UAE, a series of warehouses and probable weapons storage facilities were destroyed at the Zayed Military City. In Kuwait, one of the HIMARS launcher sites on the Iraqi border was targeted, in addition to a desalination plant providing the fresh water supply for Kuwait City.Persian Gulf: The war on the seas continued with many different strikes and incidents being reported around the region. At the northern end of the Gulf, the UKMTO reported an unidentified incident involving a merchant vessel, which was carried out by unknown parties and in the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Sea, several targeting efforts of merchant vessels was reported throughout the day.-----END TEARLINE-----Analyst Comments: Last night's targeting in Iran possibly offers up a clue as to what the military objective of this specific operation might be. The bridges that were struck by the United States are not specifically military targets, however they did offer high-speed avenues of approach to the coastline. If the IRGC ground force needed to reinforce specifically the area of the coastline to the west of Bandar Abbas, north of Qeshm Island, these would be the bridges they would need to use.The bridges that were taken out also would be a way of isolating Bandar Abbas in terms of trade. In addition to the naval base being a military target, this is also a major civilian port city that handles the import of a lot of cargo for the nation (some reports claim up to 80% of Iran's imports arrive at this port). Under normal circumstances, taking out bridges is a tricky subject in the world of military targeting; if the bridge is predominantly used for military purposes, it's usually a valid target, but if it's predominantly a civilian bridge it's not normally legal to target. This categorization gets really blurry really quickly, but what is very clear is that targeting infrastructure like this isolates the military objective into only a few possibilities.Either the United States is attempting to go scorched-earth on civilian infrastructure so as to make life as miserable as possible and thus attempt to turn the populace against the government...or this is pre-shaping fires for other operations that might take place in the vicinity of the coastline. Neither option makes a whole lot of tactical sense, but making sense has not been a prerequisite for any military objective sought so far during this conflict, so the continued targeting over the next few days will probably shed some light on what the objective is with this latest campaign. As of this afternoon, dozens of refueling tankers are once again making their way into the Middle East from Europe and beyond, so the war is likely to continue escalating for foreseeable future.Analyst: S2A1 Research: https://publish.obsidian.md/s2underground NomadNet: 5fa68c88be727a0e1a250a75e5e79269 Disclaimer: No LLMs were used in the writing of this report. //END REPORT//

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Diplomatic correspondent Lazar Berman joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. There are at least 19 US warships in the Arabian Sea, including two aircraft carriers and an amphibious assault ship with more than 1,000 Marines aboard. This threat -- and US President Donald Trump's renewed blockade on the Strait of Hormuz -- is not deterring the Iranians' determined chokehold on the waterway. Berman delves into the logic behind Iran's moves. Adding further nuance, we take a look at Iran's strikes on its Gulf neighbors and Jordan. What is being targeted and how is this conveying the regime's message? Next, we turn to an unexpected escalation in the Gulf: The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said they launched missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport on Monday in response to airstrikes they blamed on Saudi Arabia that struck Sanaa International Airport earlier in the day. What is behind this flare-up? And finally, Rome is host this week to a sixth round of talks between Israel and Lebanon. On the agenda is a pilot IDF pullout from specific locations in southern Lebanon. Berman raises the pluses and minuses of this plan. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: US reimposes naval blockade as Trump threatens to ramp up strikes on Iran: ‘You better make a deal’ Iran’s strikes show its priority is flexing muscle on Hormuz, not dealing with Trump After blocking Hormuz, Iran signals it could ramp up pressure and shut Red Sea gateway, too In major escalation, Yemen’s Houthis target Saudi Arabia’s Abha airport Trump said to urge Netanyahu to pull Israeli troops from Syria, Lebanon in recent call Sixth round of Israel-Lebanon talks begins in Rome, with focus on IDF pullout ‘pilot’ Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Yitzhak Ledee filmed and edited this episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A cargo Boeing 737 plunges into the Arabian Sea. A seaplane crashes near Manhattan but everyone survives. And an executive jet narrowly misses an unidentified silver object at 16,000 feet. In this episode of Flight Safety Detectives, aviation safety experts John Goglia and Todd Curtis examine three recent aviation events and explain what they reveal about today's aviation safety challenges. The episode begins with the tragic crash of a K2 Airways Boeing 737-400 cargo aircraft that departed Sharjah, UAE, bound for Karachi, Pakistan. The airplane entered a steep dive and crashed into the Arabian Sea, killing all five people on board.  John reviews the aircraft's long operational history—including its years flying for Aeroflot—and discusses how the aircraft's age, cargo operation, and the limited public attention to the accident could affect the investigation and what we ultimately learn from it. John and Todd then turn to the July accident involving a Kodiak 100 seaplane operating near Manhattan. The aircraft suffered a hard landing that appeared to collapse one of its floats. Everyone on board survived without serious injury.  Todd analyzes passenger video from the accident, highlighting what it reveals about the forces involved, the importance of floatplane emergency preparedness, and why several passengers appeared unsure where to locate their personal flotation devices. The episode concludes with a discussion of a mysterious near miss involving an executive jet flying near New York that encountered an unidentified silver object at approximately 16,000 feet. Todd highlights the need for additional information and what questions investigators still need to answer. Join John and Todd as they separate facts from speculation, explore what investigators know so far, and explain the aviation safety lessons emerging from these recent events. ✈️ Subscribe for expert analysis of aviation accidents, incidents, and the safety issues affecting pilots, airlines, mechanics, and passengers worldwide.   Don't miss what's to come from the Flight Safety Detectives - subscribe to the Flight Safety Detectives YouTube channel, listen at your favorite podcast service and visit the Flight Safety Detectives website. Want to go deeper with the Flight Safety Detectives? Join our YouTube Membership program for exclusive perks like members-only live streams and Q&As and early access to episodes. Your membership support directly helps John, Greg and Todd to deliver expert insights into aviation safety.Interested in partnering with us? Sponsorship opportunities are available—brand mentions, episode integrations, and dedicated segments are just a few of the options. Flight Safety Detectives offers a direct connection with an engaged audience passionate about aviation and safety. Reach out to fsdsponsors@gmail.com. Music: “Inspirational Sports” license ASLC-22B89B29-052322DDB8 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Democrats Will Not Save You in Maine—or Anywhere. Cuba is Next. Sen Mitch McConnell is MIA. Independent is Not “a Schtick”. World Cup. And New Professional Women's Baseball League!  Trump's forever war is expanding faster than anyone in the mainstream press is willing to say out loud. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has quietly invited more than 60 countries to a meeting framing Antifa as a transnational terror threat — the rhetorical scaffolding for troops in American cities and a move on Cuba before the midterms. Iran is a sucking chest wound draining roughly 40% of the US Navy into the Arabian Sea. A brave American, Commander Gabriel Edwards, was lost in the Seahawk crash on July 1st and almost no one covered it. And at NATO, the commander in chief confused Iran with Japan and Zelensky with Putin on camera. Paul goes solo to connect the dots the two-party machine won't. The Graham Platner collapse in Maine is a case study in why Democrats cannot be trusted to vet, to listen, or to win — and why disrespecting the 45% of Americans who now call themselves independent is a losing strategy against Susan Collins or anyone else. Plus: Mitch McConnell has been hospitalized for three weeks with no straight answers, Ukraine is quietly winning, and there's still real reason for hope — the World Cup, a brand-new women's professional baseball league, and a growing independent movement that refuses to put on a jersey. -WATCH full video of this episode here. -Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we're doing to change that. -Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code [INDEPENDENT] to get ten dollars when you trade ten. -Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months! -Join IVA and help us get independent veterans elected to office. -Learn more about Paul's work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America. -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here. -Remember Independent is an Attitude. -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It's a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Connect with Independent Americans: Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms Read more at Substack Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power.  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year.  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media.  And now part of the BLEAV network!  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Recently as this past week, Israel shared new intelligence about an Iranian plot to kill President Trump. But some experts are skeptical ... The US pauses attacks on Iran after the countries exchange tit-or-tat strikes. Can mediators salvage the ceasefire? ... Pamela Brown continues her series of reports from the USS Abraham aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In today's episode of Trending Middle East, air raid sirens sound across Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait after Iran launches missile and drone attacks. Washington launched another round of strikes on Iranian military targets, while President Donald Trump says Tehran wants to make a deal but questions whether it can be trusted to honour one. We also examine the growing impact on global trade as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slows to a near standstill. Vessel traffic has dropped sharply, LNG movements remain largely suspended and electronic interference is once again affecting navigation in the Gulf of Oman. In Syria, officials tell The National they believe remnants of the Assad regime were behind the recent bomb attacks in Damascus, saying the aim was to undermine the country's recovery and the prosecution of former regime figures. We also have the latest from Pakistan, where search teams have recovered the wreckage of the cargo plane that crashed into the Arabian Sea after departing Sharjah, as efforts continue to locate the five crew members. And despite months of regional conflict, Dubai's economy continues to expand. Official figures show GDP grew by 2.4 per cent in the first quarter, underlining the resilience of the emirate's diversified economy. Trending Middle East is AI-assisted, using original reporting published in The National and curated and edited by humans.

Saying the memorandum of understanding he once trumpeted "over," President Trump promises to "hit them hard" again tonight ... CNN's Pamela Brown brings you an exclusive report from the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Good afternoon, I'm _ with today's episode of EZ News. Tai-Ex opening The Tai-Ex opened up 45-points this morning from yesterday's close, at 45,524 on turnover of 8.7-billion N-T. The market tumbled on Tuesday as investors continued to rotate funds out of the electronics sector amid worries over valuations (估價). MOHW expands contaminated cooking oil recall Health Minister Shih Chung-liang has announced the widening of a recall order for products linked to contaminated cooking oil produced by Central Union Oil. The latest move means that all processed foods made using the affected oil should have been removed from store shelves by midnight. It overrides a previous order that only products containing more than 20-per cent of the affected oil needed to be recalled (撤回) and removed from stores. According to the health ministry, all affected secondary products must now be removed from the market as a precaution and can only return to store shelves after manufacturers provide test results confirming they are safe for human consumption. Taoyuan Airport sees record number of passengers in first half of year The Taoyuan International Airport reportedly handled some 25.78-million passengers in the first half of this year. That figure is a new record for the period. Reports says the airport saw passenger volume rise by 9-per cent from the same period of last year. According to the airport operator, it firmly (牢牢) believes that passenger volume for the whole of this year could reach 50-million. Summer travel demand is expected to peak this month and next month, when total takeoffs and landings are forecast to reach 46,000. US RETALIATORY STR**IKES HIT IRANIAN PORTS AND MILITARY SITES AFTER IRAN **ATTACKS THREE COMMERCIAL VESSELS IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ The United States has launched retaliatory (報復性) strikes against Iran, hitting port facilities, missile and drone sites, and air defence installations on Tuesday evening — in response to Iranian attacks on three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The website Axios reports the American military response far exceeded previous exchanges between the two sides, while Iran's deputy foreign minister has warned Tehran will take decisive measures. Jagruti Dave in Washington says the conflict's impact on oil prices is a growing concern in the United States, particularly with midterm elections on the horizon. Pakistan Cargo Plane Search Continues A Pakistani cargo plane with five crew members is missing after rapidly descending (下降) and losing contact with air traffic controllers. Pakistan's airport authority reported the incident late Tuesday off the coast of Karachi. The Boeing 737 reported a navigation system problem at 9:18 p.m. local time. Radar data showed it rapidly descending and changing course at about 9:21 p.m. before losing contact about 287 kilometers west of Karachi. Search-and-rescue operations are underway in the Arabian Sea. France Le Pen to Run for Presidency Far-right leader Marine Le Pen says she'll run for the French presidency next year despite being sentenced to wear a court-ordered electronic monitor for embezzlement. The decision by the 57-year-old veteran of three presidential races sets up a fourth campaign like no other. She potentially could be seeking votes while subject to electronic monitoring and a judge's determination (判定) of how, and for how long, the punishment is applied. Le Pen said she will appeal Tuesday's ruling to France's highest court. That was the I.C.R.T. EZ News, I'm _. －－－－以下為 SoundOn 動態廣告－－－－ 【暑假首選】雄獅文具想像力製造所天天不休息！白色牆面隨你畫、泡泡雨空中飄，巨型 60 色色彩牆隨手拍都是網美大片！ 八月更有全新「彩耀日」戶外顏料射擊，暑假就是要玩好玩滿。 快來發揮想像力打包快樂！

Fluent Fiction - Hindi: A Rainy Proposal: Love Unfolds at Mumbai's Marine Drive Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hi/episode/2026-07-05-07-38-19-hi Story Transcript:Hi: मुम्बई का मरीन ड्राइव, बारिश की फुहारों में भीगी हुई एक शाम।En: Mumbai का Marine Drive, an evening soaked in the drizzle of rain.Hi: आरव अपने दिल की बातें मीरा से कहने का अनोखा इरादा लेकर आया था।En: Aarav had come with a unique intention to express his feelings to Meera.Hi: उसका सपना था कि अरबी सागर के सामने सूरज की सुनहरी किरणें चमकते हुए वह मीरा को प्रपोज करे।En: His dream was to propose to her under the golden rays of the sun facing the Arabian Sea.Hi: पर आज, सारी बातें उलट गईं थीं।En: But today, everything turned upside down.Hi: आरव ने जैसे ही मरीन ड्राइव पर कदम रखा, बारिश शुरू हो गई।En: As Aarav stepped onto Marine Drive, it began to rain.Hi: वह भीगता हुआ मीरा का इंतजार कर रहा था।En: He was waiting, drenched, for Meera.Hi: मीरा ने आते ही अपनी मुस्कान से आरव का दिल जीत लिया।En: As soon as Meera arrived, her smile captured Aarav's heart.Hi: "आज का दिन काफी रोमांचक लग रहा है," मीरा ने कहा, अपनी बारिश में भीगी चोटी को झटकते हुए।En: "Today seems quite exciting," Meera said, shaking her braid soaked in the rain.Hi: आरव ने सोचा, अब समय सही है।En: Aarav thought the time was right.Hi: वह उसकी तरफ मुड़ा और जेब से अंगूठी निकालने की कोशिश करने लगा।En: He turned to her and started trying to take out the ring from his pocket.Hi: लेकिन उसे जल्दी में पता ही नहीं चला कि वह जेब से अंगूठी निकालेगा कैसे।En: In his haste, he didn't realize how he would take out the ring from the pocket.Hi: हड़बड़ाहट में अंगूठी हाथों से फिसल गई और पास ही के एक पोल के नीचे जा गिरी।En: In his fluster, the ring slipped from his hands and rolled under a nearby pole.Hi: आरव का दिल तेजी से धड़कने लगा।En: Aarav's heart started pounding.Hi: भीड़ और बारिश के बीच, वह अंगूठी के लिए इधर-उधर देखने लगा।En: Amidst the crowd and rain, he began looking here and there for the ring.Hi: मीरा उसकी घबराहट देखकर हंस पड़ी।En: Seeing his anxiety, Meera laughed.Hi: "क्या कुछ ढूंढ रहे हो?En: "Looking for something?"Hi: " उसने चुटकी ली।En: she teased.Hi: आरव मुस्कुराने की कोशिश करता हुए कहने लगा, "कहीं कुछ छोटा सा खो गया है।En: Trying to smile, Aarav said, "I lost something small."Hi: "फिर अचानक ही, अनहोनी घटित हो गई।En: Then suddenly, something unexpected happened.Hi: आरव को पैरों के पास एक चमकीली चीज़ नजर आई।En: Aarav noticed something shiny near his feet.Hi: उसने झुक कर देखा - वह अंगूठी थी!En: He bent down to look - it was the ring!Hi: बिना समय गंवाए, आरव ने वो अंगूठी उठाई, और घुटनों के बल मीरा के सामने झुक गया।En: Without wasting time, Aarav picked up the ring and knelt down in front of Meera.Hi: बारिश और भी तेज हो गई, आरव ने हिम्मत जुटाकर कहा, "मीरा, तुम्हारी हंसी मेरी दुनिया है।En: The rain intensified, and gathering his courage, Aarav said, "Meera, your laughter is my world.Hi: क्या तुम मेरी दुनिया बनोगी?En: Will you be my world?"Hi: " बारिश की बूंदें दोनों के चेहरे को नम कर रहीं थीं, पर मीरा का चेहरा खुशी से चमक रहा था।En: Raindrops were wetting both their faces, but Meera's face was gleaming with happiness.Hi: मीरा ने आरव को खींचकर पास किया और कहा, "आरव, मेरी दुनिया में तुम पहले से ही हो।En: Meera pulled Aarav closer and said, "Aarav, you are already in my world."Hi: " दोनों ने बारिश में ही एक-दूसरे के गले लगा लिया।En: Both embraced each other in the rain.Hi: चारों तरफ की भीड़ ने ताली बजाई।En: The surrounding crowd applauded.Hi: आरव ने सीखा कि परफेक्ट पल कपड़ों के गीले होने या समय के अनुकूल होने पर निर्भर नहीं करते।En: Aarav learned that perfect moments don't rely on dry clothes or perfect timing.Hi: उसे ये भी समझ आया कि असली खूबसूरती तो एक-दूसरे के साथ बिताए हुए पलों में होती है।En: He also realized that true beauty lies in the moments spent together.Hi: मीरा ने भी उसी पल की फिर से याद करते हुए कहा, "बारिश में भीगना मजेदार है, है ना?En: Meera reminisced about that moment, saying, "Getting soaked in the rain is fun, isn't it?"Hi: "दोनों ने मरीन ड्राइव की पृष्ठभूमि में बारिश और चहल-पहल के बीच, अपनी उन सुनहरी यादों को समेट लिया।En: They collected their golden memories amidst the rain and bustle in the backdrop of Marine Drive.Hi: बारिश में भीगते हुए, उनकी प्रेम कहानी एक नई दिशा में बढ़ चली।En: Soaked in the rain, their love story moved in a new direction. Vocabulary Words:drizzle: फुहारintention: इरादाexpress: कहनेpropose: प्रपोजunique: अनोखाdrenched: भीगता हुआbraid: चोटीhasten: जल्दी मेंfluster: हड़बड़ाहटpounding: धड़कनेamidst: बीचanxiety: घबराहटtease: चुटकीunexpected: अनहोनीshiny: चमकीलीintensified: तेज हो गईcourage: हिम्मतgleaming: चमक रहा थाembraced: गले लगा लियाapplauded: ताली बजाईrely: निर्भरuncommon: असलीreminisced: याद करते हुएcollected: समेट लियाbackdrop: पृष्ठभूमिsoaked: भीगते हुएintent: इरादाcrowd: भीड़direction: दिशा

//The Wire//2300Z July 2, 2026// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: VEHICLE RAMMING INCIDENT REPORTED IN THAILAND. POTENTIAL TERROR ATTACK THWARTED IN NORTH CAROLINA. GOVERNOR WALZ PARDONS LAOTIAN MIGRANT CONVICTED OF ABUSE, COMPLICATING DEPORTATION. US NAVY HELICOPTER CRASHES IN ARABIAN SEA.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE------International Events-Thailand: This morning a vehicle ramming incident was reported in the remote province of Mukdahan, after one individual rammed a vehicle into a group of Buddhist monks who had just departed on a pilgrimage walk on a remote road. A total of 9x monks were killed during the incident, and an unknown number of others wounded. Analyst Comment: The suspect in this case has not been identified, but has been noted as being an 11-year-old child. As a result it's not clear as to if this is genuinely a deliberate action or not. Initially, eyewitness statements claimed it was a deliberate attack, but other eyewitnesses state that the boy was driving too fast and lost control of the vehicle. More generally, attacks on Buddhists on pilgrimage are comparatively rare, but there has been an ongoing conflict to the south of the incident site which has been referred to as the Malay-Muslim Insurgency, which has taken the form of guerilla warfare carried out between factions of Buddhists and Muslims. In Thailand, something as simple as an unrelated child's mistake (though horribly tragic) can always stir up tensions in an already tense region, so this might be something to be aware of for later on.Middle East: Yesterday afternoon the Pentagon announced an aviation incident which involved an MH-60 Sea Hawk helicopter from the USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH CSG making an emergency landing feet-wet in the Arabian Sea. Three of the four crew members of the aircraft were rescued immediately after the crash, however the fourth crewmember remains missing.Analyst Comment: CENTCOM has not confirmed the cause of the incident, however the crash is not believed to be the result of combat damage. The Iranians have not claimed to have targeted a helicopter, nor have there been any engagements over the past 24 hours in the region.-HomeFront-Minnesota: Gov. Tim Walz pardoned Tou Lue Vang, a Laotian man who had been convicted of crimes against children years ago. Vang had been engaging in the traditional Laotian practice of taking an unwilling child bride, and was subsequently arrested and given a deportation order back in 2006. He took a plea deal which allowed him avoid prison completely, and for twenty years has been fighting his deportation case. Yesterday, Gov. Walz approved his pardon request roughly a week before his schedule deportation.Analyst Comment: It is unclear as to why a state pardon would have any bearing whatsoever with federal immigration law, but the statements made by Acting DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis suggest that the DHS is not keen to press the issue at the federal level. The DHS press release on this case expressed outrage, but no action to actually continue following through on the deportation.North Carolina: Following the release of court documents yesterday, details have come to light pertaining to a probable attempted terror attack that took place on Sunday in High Point. On Sunday, a member of the security team spotted a suspicious individual approaching Wesley Memorial Methodist Church during the morning services. One suspect arrived in the church parking lot wearing body armor and camouflaged clothing, prompting the attention of a member of the church security staff. Upon approaching the individual, the security guard questioned the suspect, who stated that he was a police officer. As the security team member was an off-duty police officer himself, he instantly knew that the man was lying, and immediately took the man into custody. After more authorities arrived on scene, a search of the suspect's vehicle revealed two flamethrowers, two crossbows, a few hundred rounds of ammunition (unknown type), as well as a small collection of narcotics. The suspect has been identified as William S. Milliken III, a native of Thomasville. -----END TEARLINE-----Analyst Comments: Regarding the potential church terrorism incident, no motive or explanation for the suspicious incident was noted, however incidents like this are extremely common in the world of counterterrorism. Individuals determined to carry out acts of terrorism are frequently known to conduct "dry runs" before the actual attack, so as to both work out the final logistics of their plan, but also to get up the gumption to follow through with the attack. It is not clear as to if this individual had any connection to the church, or had visited the church beforehand. However, arriving exactly during services on Sunday in a full tactical loadout, as primitive as it was, is not something that normally indicates a dry run. Though it is speculation, it's possible that the suspect did not know that the church had security on site, or that the one responder would have been as on-the-ball as he was. Concerning motive, nothing has been disclosed. A would-be assailant who shows up to a terrorist attack with 500x rounds of ammunition but no firearm is an interesting data point, and the choice of crossbows and flamethrowers as an attack vector indicates that a proper firearm probably could not be procured. More details may come to light as this case progresses, but even based on the initial details, this is another reminder for religious institutions to remain vigilant and report any suspicious observations to authorities.Analyst: S2A1 Research: https://publish.obsidian.md/s2underground Disclaimer: No LLMs were used in the writing of this report. //END REPORT//

AlabamaCongressman Gary Palmer weighs in on SCOTUS ruling and Communists within the Democrat PartyGovernor Ivey says School Choice program is fully funded for 2026-27 school yearJackson Hospital extends its predicted closure deadline as negotiations continue with Blue Cross Blue ShieldResidents in Stockton vote to create a citizen advisory committee on future land development projectsMassive immigration raid at plant in Jefferson County sees 30 illegals arrestedThe state sales tax suspension is over, 2 percent on groceries now resumedNationalUS helicopter emergency lands in Arabian Sea, 1 crew member now missingActing AG for DOJ says they will be prosecuting birth tourism schemesAn illegal alien is charged in NJ for illegally voting in a federal electionMN governor Tim Walz pardons a rapist pedophile so he won't be deportedTN judge rules that state law can proceed that makes it a crime for illegals to remain in that state after deportation ordersUS soccer team defeats Bosnia in World Cup game held in San Francisco

A version of this essay has been published by Open Magazine at https://openthemagazine.com/world/india-will-collapse-without-digital-sovereignty-and-pax-indica-lessons-from-hormuzBy now it is clear that the Iran War (or West Asia War) has been a disaster to all concerned, including the principals as well as assorted passersby. The massive amounts spent by the US (at last count $25 billion) are at least articulated; the bill for the enormous infrastructural and human suffering inflicted on Gulf states, in the theater of war, must be greater, by definition.The collateral damages suffered by the rest of the world from the cessation of trade through the Straits of Hormuz will presumably run into the trillions of dollars. As one of the worst affected, India, which imports 90% of its hydrocarbons from the Gulf, not to mention other essential items such as urea (for fertilizer), sulfuric acid, helium, etc., is on track to take a massive hit. As an article in The Economic Times said, “India must brace for broad-based economic shock”.Indian exports of up to $50 billion are also affected, especially agricultural products including perishable foodstuffs, but also gems and jewellery, electronics, textiles and garments. Some of this can be diverted via Oman and the UAE's Fujairah port, but much of it passes through the Straits of Hormuz and is potentially blocked and/or stranded at sea.The Hormuz closure is a body blow to India's economy. What can and will India do about it? The Indian State has a habit of rising to the challenge only when there is a crisis, while vegetating otherwise. The 1991 economic crisis is a case in point; the sanctions following “The Buddha is smiling”, and the denial of cryogenic rocket engines and supercomputers are other examples where the nation rallied. So were covid vaccines. Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention.Turning a threat into an opportunityIf I were to be an optimist, I could say that the current crisis is actually an opportunity. In fact, a major opportunity. My reading of the Iran War is that it is President Trump's strategic tit-for-tat against China for denying him rare earths and cutting off soybean purchases. In return Trump decided to deny China access to oil by closing access to Venezuela and Iran. Whether this will work, or whether the G2 condominium (read ‘surrender') will prevail, is unclear.But that is, in a sense, background noise that needs to be managed. India needs to focus on its own issues, of which I see several as critical, and the solution in general is to become Atmanirbhar, self-reliant, and from that, to create an Anti-Fragile nation:* National security/defense* Food security* Energy security* Digital security/narrative control* Trade securityThe first three do not need an explanation: they are obvious. Internal and external security are pre-requisites for any successful society. If India's hard-won food security can be threatened by external threats, then there needs to be some deep introspection. Energy security means diversification, both of hydrocarbon sources, and of types of energy, including renewables, nuclear, biomass, coal-based, and so on.Malign narratives and digital sovereigntyNarrative control is something that the Indian State has failed at so far; it is laughably easy to create hate speech against Indians and India (as has been demonstrated freely by any number of players, starting from the MAGA crowd, to Audrey Truschke to a”Cockroach Janata Party” and some nitwit Norwegian journalist in just the last fortnight) and there are no consequences to the culprits. It's enough to make me pine for Lee Kuan Yew's aggressive legal battles against the media.It's one thing if it were only a problem with foreigners, but with the massive spread of social media, and in particular generativeAI, it is becoming a serious domestic issue. Since India is an avid consumer of social media, and because generativeAI is trained on things like Wikipedia, X, Whatsapp and Google content, biased and motivated material becomes ensconced as The Truth. I have written about narrative warfare and manufacturing consent.This used to be a one-way tsunami of (mis)-information by legacy media, but now there is also the opposite: the wholesale and free vacuuming-up of Indian data (whatever happened to “data is the new oil”?). The “Great Firewall of China” both kept out foreign BIg Tech applications and prevented their plundering Chinese data: is that the way to go?Manufactured narratives are intended for regime change: all the color revolutions today are hatched with massive bot-farms funded by some combination of Deep State, CCP, ISI, Qatar etc. (for example the alleged Gen-Z uprisings that rocked Nepal, drove Sheikh Hasina out of Bangladesh). Thus muzzling malign narratives, and ensuring data security, are imperative.Even Singapore is not immune: it had to block anti-India narratives that likely originated from Chinese sources.A particularly striking example of narrative warfare is the virtual hate speech inducted into Wikipedia by deeply prejudiced anonymous editors. Ashley Rindsberg, who exposed the mighty New York Times' biases in his book The Gray Lady Winked, provides many examples of this.Of note to Indians and Hindus is his recent substack titled “Wikipedia's India War” where he identifies just four editors as having created most of the content condemning the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) in ‘Wikivoice', i.e. the allegedly neutral perspective of Wikipedia. They are, on the contrary, shown to be highly one-sided.As Rindsberg mentions, Wikipedia being central to generativeAI, the damage is baked into the world-view of all AI applications. Truly Orwellian. Says Rindsberg: “four… anonymous accounts can have an enormous impact on what millions of people believe to be the truth.” “Over four years (2021-2025), editors systematically erased HAF's identity as an American civil rights group, transforming its Wikipedia page into a heavily curated dossier of accusations.”Trade, and how the Spice Route was far superior to the Silk RoadFinally, something that is becoming increasingly important: ensuring freedom of trade. This is more than just freedom of navigation, although I find it instructive that Emperor Rajendra Chola sent a huge fleet 1,001 years ago simply to open up the Straits of Malacca. India can make an active attempt to regain primacy in Indian Ocean trade, the whole Pax indica idea.Here is another example of the power of narrative: we have been led to believe that the Silk Road to China was some major highway of commerce between ancient Rome and ancient China, but it was a term coined only in 1877 by the German Ferdinand von Richthofen. There was no highway. A large caravan might take six months, and with 500 camels traversing treacherous deserts and braving bandits, it might carry a maximum of 100 tons. That is puny.In comparison, on the Spice Route, a single stitched ship from Muziris could carry 400 tons of ivory, pepper, silk, tigers and elephants; and the historian Strabo around 1 CE talks about fleets of 250 ships going from Alexandria to India on a six-week monsoon-powered journey. That is 100,000 tons of merchandise. No wonder Pliny the Elder complained that Rome's treasuries were being emptied of gold by India.Simple question: where are hoards of ancient Roman coins found in Asia? Answer: not along the Silk Road. The hoards are in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.Today, it is possible for India to aspire to port-led development of trade, especially with the major ports at Trivandrum (Vizhinjam), Maharashtra (Vadhavan), and Great Nicobar (Galathea Bay). The underlying ‘software' of India's millennia-old trade competency was a ‘multi-protocol switch' as I pointed out, and today's India Stack can replicate that. Then there is the need for a blue-water navy: muscle to provide security on the Hormuz to Malacca sea-lanes.So there is a vision. How can India get there? This is where policy matters, as I discussed with policy expert Anuj Gupta. Policy, especially industrial policy, has had a bad reputation in certain circles because it was deemed to violate the virginal purity of classical capitalism. However, in a recent U-turn, even the World Bank admitted that industrial policy may not be all that bad, after all: the success of Japan, the Asian Tigers, and China can't be ignored.That leads to the question of why policy in India has produced mediocre outcomes, what is different now, and where the best use of policy might be.Industrial Policy: What went wrong in the past?There are many problems here. To begin with, the Soviet model, which Nehruvians swore by, was, in hindsight, a dead end. Second, there is the problem of governance: post-Independence bureaucrats have awkwardly borne the legacy of imperial hauteur and the needs of a developing society. Third, until recently, the bare necessities (food, electricity, road access) were not available to many citizens, and GDP growth was not their priority.There is also the culture of jugaad: of clever ways in which you overcome constraints through frugal improvisation and seat-of-the-pants making-do. This is fine for one-off things (e.g. converting a tractor trailer into a makeshift transport vehicle because your truck broke down), but it does not make for efficient and replicable industrial products. As The Economic Times said recently, it is time to junk jugaad. Quality has to become ingrained in people's minds.The issue of governance is significant: the bureaucracy and the judiciary have both under-performed, politicians, as everywhere, have been venal. It is said that China's growth can be attributed to the fact that its babus are engineers, and therefore with engineering ruthlessness move in straight lines. The US' babus are lawyers, and India's are humanities graduates. Well, engineers are not very good at second-order effects (eg. China's lurch from one-child policy to demographic collapse), but a little bit of ruthlessness is probably good.What is going reasonably well?There are a few modest success stories: for example, in electronics manufacturing or assembly. The PLIs (and DLIs) have produced the desired effort, with clusters of excellence where global suppliers have also set up shop (as they did earlier for the automobile industry in, say, Sriperumpudur). The fact that a lot of iPhones in the US are now imported from India is laudable, even though it may be derided as “screwdriver jobs”. That's where one starts the move up the value chain.The current semiconductor policy is a big hope, especially after the landmark agreement by the Dutch firm ASML with Tata Electronics in Dholera, Gujarat. Given that ASML has a near-monopoly position in Deep Ultraviolet Lithography (DUV) this is a major boost to India's chip ambitions. My recent conversation with AMD CTO Suraj Rengarajan went into India's chances to realize its ambitions.A recent announcement from Trivandrum-based fabless startup NetraSemi (a recipient of DLI) of the commercial availability of its edge AI chips is a landmark.Next is the newly announced plan for energy security revolving around both coal gasification and intensive offshore exploration. These fall squarely into the Atmanirbhar category: India simply cannot afford to have its energy held hostage by distant nations. It also needs distinctly Indian innovation.The Samudra Manthan initiative is also showing some promise. At least one out of three deep-water wells in the Andaman Sea (SriVijaya Puram-3) are reported to be showing the availability of natural gas, although it will take 5-10 years for this to be commercially available.What should the future look like for India's Industrial Policies?This of course is the hard question. Here is my personal perspective, and I accept that reasonable people may disagree. I think three areas need to be focused on, and will pay large dividends.* Drones and swarming software* Social media and AI stack* Maritime Trade and Blue-Water NavyI admit that these are not the only worthwhile industrial policies. Another is for copper, which would reverse the catastrophic effects of the closure of the Sterlite plant in Thoothukkudi, as the metal is an increasingly important component in electronics, data centers, etc., and far from being self-sufficient earlier, India now imports 50% of its needs. Another area of interest in quantum computing.There are also failures from which the right lessons need to be learned. The policy for EV batteries has apparently failed: according to Swarajya magazine, India has not been able to escape from near-total dependence on imported Chinese batteries.Drone swarmsI wrote recently that drones may well herald a step-change in warfare. For the moment, though, they are searching for their niche in offensive/defensive warfare. Drone hardware is already a well-trodden path with Chinese and other nations dominating it, although with IdeaForge, Paras, Garuda, IoTechworld Avigation etc., India is also making progress there. And India is indeed buying the hardware, $2 billion-worth, according to the Economic Times.But I believe the real game is in drone swarms. AI-based control software (similar to HiveMind) that would allow an entire swarm to act autonomously, just like a murmuration of starlings, would be the gold standard to aim for. Such a self-managing swarm would be virtually impossible to defend against, and I think India should put in place a PLI to support it, leveraging software capability in the country.Of course, drones are not just for military purposes, but also for commercial uses including things like logistics and agricultural use, such as precision delivery of fertilizer and pesticide to crops (as Garuda demonstrates). An Indian initiative that supports both drone hardware, and especially drone software, would be a potential winner.Digital Sovereignty: Social media and AI stackThere is a raging battle over which part of the AI stack India needs to invest in. As an old Unix hand, I believe the foundational model is not where the differentiation is. In analogy with Linux (the open-source Unix variant that was popularized by Linus Torvalds and an army of volunteers), there is little value in re-writing the operating system, but one can differentiate by building on top of it, or by judiciously choosing certain modules of it.Besides, the cost of building an entirely new foundational model would be astronomical and would consume the entire budget of IndiaAI Mission.Thus, my personal opinion is that the foundational model (especially when, it is believed, there are more or less open-source models available for free, e.g. Llama, DeepSeek) is not where India should expend its precious R&D resources, but on the layers of the stack above it. It is the data that matters, as Larry Ellison apparently suggests too.But there is the interesting counter-example of Sarvam AI which is producing its own sovereign model: multi-lingual and presumably otherwise tuned to Indian needs. The question is whether this can survive when hundreds of billions worth of capital investment are going to the US Big Tech companies and their Chinese rivals. The sad history of Koo, a Twitter rival, comes to mind. So does Arattai, a Whatsapp rival, whose popularity has waned. .A well-thought-through industrial policy on generativeAI is therefore essential. The status quo ante is unsustainable; given the fact that Sarvam has also found it difficult to raise funds in the US, it is worth pondering whether a China-style massive subsidy is the answer. And where should it go, into foundational models or into the layers of the stack above it? The answer is “both”, but with priority to the latter.Here is where I would prioritize investments, in order:* Vertical applications in specific domains: e.g. defense, healthcare, agriculture, governance (particularly in the judiciary and in ease of doing business in the bureaucracy)* Fine-tuning and customization: for the needs of the Indian context, e.g. multi-linguality under Bhashini* Compute infrastructure: GPUs, sovereign and protected indian datasets* Sovereign Small-Language Models such as Sarvam AIAs mentioned above, at the moment India's data is being sucked up for free by US Big Tech. In addition, there is the real danger that Indic Knowledge Systems will be mined and digested, as has happened to yoga, pranayama, etc., which have been given Western analogs and nomenclature, as in Pilates, ‘coherent breathing' etc.These two problems are connected, and both need to be tackled in parallel. Social media is being weaponized against India, and this is magnified by the legacy media in a positive feedback loop. Three examples: one was the rage against Adani based on the dubious research of Hindenburg, which then went under; the second is Bloomberg's reckless accusation about gold reserves being sold by the RBI, which they were forced to retract, but social media and Wikipedia will remember it; the third is the meteoric (media) rise of the Cockroach Janata Party.Trade using major ports, Digital Public Infrastructure and a blue water navyUsing trade for competitive advantage is an age-old tactic. The trade tiffs between the US and China are examples of this: we are witnessing war by other means. Many nations are getting into this act, and India does have some advantages, partly based on geography. Maritime trade is likely to continue to be the key, which makes naval chokepoints the big story, but not the only story to watch out for.The major aspects of maritime trade include infrastructure, the digital “multi-protocol switch”, and security. On the one hand, India is developing not only major container ports, and the road/rail links to get to them, and the industrial goods to ship out through them, but also a serious shipbuilding industry, which was one of India's historical strengths. Then it used to be stitched wooden ships (teak beams lashed together with coconut rope). Now it's modern steel ships.There are the big, efficient new ports, which can now turn ships around with Singapore-like efficiency; the proposed third aircraft carrier group which will make it possible to patrol the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal at the time; the Air-Independent Propulsion diesel submarines and nuclear submarines that can monitor (and if necessary, deny) narrow straits; the sale of supersonic Brahmos cruise missiles to the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia (and Cyprus) that create ship-denial zones: all this is muscle.And the final piece, the ‘software' for trade, the “multi-protocol switch”. This last is complicated. Its value is underestimated by many. But this is what enables friction-less transactions between various unrelated parties. The India Stack and the Digital Public Infrastructure can be utilized to provide such a facility. But it is complex enough to need significant study as to what is possible, and how to roll it out.Second-order effectsIn closing, it is worth considering some of what the (unintended) consequences of these proposals may be. Let us note that the G2 has no interest in allowing India to grow and make it a G3. They will do everything in their power to kneecap India, by all means possible.There is also a certain derision for India in some circles. Here is a generic western opinion on why China got rich, and India didn't. Well, the author doesn't consider the second-order effects of the wholesale destruction of Chinese civilization: that is a tradeoff Indians may not prefer for themselves. We all know how China's well-intentioned One Child Policy turned into demographic collapse within a few years. Besides, as The Economist asks, “China is innovative. Its economy is a mess. Which will win out?”This is why I think planning for these second-order effects is important. We tend to ignore them because they seem counterintuitive or unlikely, but Nassim Taleb has sensitized us to how low-probability Black Swan events can have grave consequences.As an example, attempting digital sovereignty may have unwelcome side-effects: Big Tech have the first-mover advantage and network effects and there are increasing returns to scale. They will surely make it hard for a new player to break in. Besides, the large investments in data centers and GCCs that they are making in India would make it very difficult for them to be ejected with a “Great Indian Firewall”.Even taxing their capture of Indian data will be complicated; not to mention that they have demonstrated that they can happily violate copyright laws with no consequence; therefore they will find ways to chew up and spit out Indian Knowledge Systems, and essentially re-colonize India. Digital colonialism is not a threat, it is a reality today, and it is a consequence of the relatively open Indian system.In addition, there is a malign group, the “barbarians within” as Arnold Toynbee once put it, who are ready to sacrifice Indian sovereignty for a pittance.Given all this, it will be very difficult to put in place serious measures to gain digital independence; and the narrative-peddling is likely to gain further momentum: just consider the caste allegations that have haunted BAPS in the US (despite the cases being dismissed by the US DoJ), the Cisco Systems case where, again, the case was dismissed, but the narrative continues, and the persistent efforts in various US states to turn caste into a weapon to bludgeon Indians.Another sensitive issue is that of the multi-protocol switch for trade. While from an Indian point of view, it eases trade and harks back to a Golden Age of Indic maritime commerce, but that will be viewed elsewhere very differently, for instance by the US as an attempt to de-dollarize. The US has jealousy guarded – with very good reasons that we will not go into here – the dollar's reserve currency status.We have also seen what happened to those who attempt to hurt the dollar's primacy: in 1985, the Plaza Accord devalued the dollar, and that was a body blow to Japan's economy, which has not recovered its mojo to this day. Later, Iraq's Saddam Hussein and Libya's Muammar Gaddafi both had ideas about replacing the petro-dollar with, respectively, the Euro and a new pan-African gold-backed currency. We know what happened to them.If the India Stack multi-protocol switch is perceived as an alternative to the US dollar, there may be grave consequences. Therefore, it should be conceived and deployed only as an adjunct to it and to the almighty SWIFT settlement system.ConclusionIndia is at a crossroads now. Even though the Hormuz closure is a serious problem, if it plays its cards right, adversity can be turned into opportunity across a variety of perspectives. The key is Atmanirbhar, self-reliance. If India can now implement a crash program of industrial policy, and at the same time overcome an ingrained Third-World tendency to cut corners, it can finally break free of the years of underperformance, what I called the Nehruvian Penalty in 2004.It is possible, but there are caveats: unforeseen consequences. Hic sunt dracones. Here be dragons. Be afraid. Be very afraid.3700 words, 7 June 2026This is episode 192 of the Shadow Warrior podcast. Here is a companion AI-generated slideshow. (Note that the borders of India are not necessarily depicted correctly here, because it is generated by an AI, notebookLM.google.com) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rajeevsrinivasan.substack.com/subscribe

Fluent Fiction - Hindi: Capturing Dreams: A Sunset of Friendship and Freedom Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hi/episode/2026-06-06-22-34-02-hi Story Transcript:Hi: समुद्र की लहरें सपनों की तरह किनारे से टकरा रही थीं।En: The waves of the sea were crashing against the shore like dreams.Hi: मुंबई की मशहूर मरीन ड्राइव पर गर्मियों की शाम सजी हुई थी।En: The famous Marine Drive of Mumbai was adorned on a summer evening.Hi: शहर की हलचल, समुद्री हवा में एक नई गति सी मिल रही थी।En: The hustle and bustle of the city seemed to gain a new pace in the sea breeze.Hi: इस खूबसूरत शाम के बीच में, अरुण कैमरा लिए अपने विचारों में खोया था।En: Amidst this beautiful evening, Arun was lost in his thoughts with a camera in hand.Hi: वह एक आर्किटेक्ट था, पर उसे कभी-कभी लगता था कि उसकी असली आज़ादी कैमरे के लेंस के पीछे छुपी हुई थी।En: He was an architect, but sometimes felt that his true freedom lay hidden behind the camera lens.Hi: अरुण की बगल में खड़ी प्रिय यह सब समझती थी।En: Standing next to Arun, Priya understood all this.Hi: वह कला की दुनिया से गहराई में जुड़ी हुई थी।En: She was deeply connected to the world of art.Hi: उनका दोस्त विनय, जो उन्हीं के साथ कंपनी में काम करता था, जीवन के प्रति एक व्यावहारिक दृष्टिकोण रखता था।En: Their friend Vinay, who worked with them at the same company, had a practical perspective on life.Hi: इस शाम का खास कारण था अरुण का इच्छा, वह खास पल कैद करने का - जब सूरज अरबी समुद्र में धीरे-धीरे डूबे और उसका प्रतिबिंब अरुण के जीवन में एक नया आकार ले।En: The special reason for this evening was Arun's desire to capture the special moment when the sun slowly set in the Arabian Sea and its reflection took on a new shape in Arun's life.Hi: लेकिन तभी, अचानक, अरुण को अपनी सांसों में अजीब सी घुटन महसूस होने लगी।En: But suddenly, Arun began to feel a strange suffocation in his breath.Hi: अस्थमा का दौरा उसे जकड़ने लगा।En: An asthma attack started gripping him.Hi: उसकी आँखों के सामने हल्का अँधेरा छाने लगा और एक पल के लिए उसके हाथ से कैमरा गिरते-गिरते बचा।En: A light darkness began to cloud his eyes, and his camera almost slipped from his hands for a moment.Hi: प्रिय ने तुरंत अरुण की समस्या को भांप लिया।En: Priya immediately sensed Arun's problem.Hi: उसने बिना देरी किए उसका इनहेलर पकड़ा और उसे आराम करने का सुझाव दिया।En: Without delay, she handed him his inhaler and suggested he relax.Hi: विनय भी पास आ गया, उसने अरुण के कंधे पर हाथ रखा और कहा, "हम यहां हैं दोस्त, इसे संभालो।En: Vinay also came over, placed a hand on Arun's shoulder, and said, "We're here, friend, take control."Hi: "अरुण का मन विचलित हो रहा था, क्या वह उस पल को खो देगा?En: Arun's mind was unsettled—would he lose that moment?Hi: लेकिन प्रिय और विनय के सहयोग से उसने धीरे-धीरे साँसें सामान्य कीं।En: But with the support of Priya and Vinay, he slowly steadied his breathing.Hi: अब सूरज लगभग क्षितिज के समीप था।En: The sun was now almost at the horizon.Hi: अरुण ने कैमरा उठाया, और उस सुनहरी रोशनी में वह क्षण कैद कर लिया।En: Arun picked up the camera and captured the moment in that golden light.Hi: उस शाम अरुण ने फोटो तो खींच ही लिया, लेकिन साथ ही उसे यह भी समझ में आया कि असली आज़ादी कभी-कभी अपने दोस्तों के सहारे मिलती है, न कि अकेले उड़ान भरने में।En: That evening, Arun not only took the photo but also realized that true freedom sometimes comes with the support of friends, not by flying solo.Hi: इस अहसास ने उसके जीवन में एक नई दिशा दी।En: This realization gave a new direction to his life.Hi: मरीन ड्राइव की उस शाम ने उसे यह सिखाया कि मंज़िल तक पहुँचने के लिए, कभी-कभी दूसरों का साथ ज़रूरी होता है।En: That evening on Marine Drive taught him that to reach the destination, sometimes the support of others is necessary.Hi: दोस्तों के सहारे उसने उस पूरी शाम का भरपूर आनंद लिया।En: With the help of friends, he fully enjoyed the entire evening. Vocabulary Words:crashing: टकरा रही थींadorned: सजी हुई थीhustle: हलचलbustle: हलचलpace: गतिamidst: बीच मेंlens: लेंसsuffocation: घुटनgripping: जकड़नेcloud: अँधेराwaver: विचलितunsettled: विचलितrealization: अहसासdestination: मंज़िलreflection: प्रतिबिंबsensed: भांप लियाsuggested: सुझाव दियाpractical: व्यावहारिकperspective: दृष्टिकोणcapture: कैदhorizon: क्षितिजsupport: सहारेasthma: अस्थमाsteered: संभालाcherish: आनंद लियाfreedom: आज़ादीbreeze: हवाsteady: सामान्यart: कलाdirection: दिशा

Three months into the Iran war, Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have largely been absent, depriving Iran of an opportunity to increase further pressure on Saudi Arabia, global energy markets, and international trade. The Houthis could have bolstered Iranian leverage by disrupting shipping in the narrow Bab al-Mandab waterway, which connects the Suez Canal with the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. Some ten per cent of global trade passes through the strategic waterway. The disruption would have come on top of Iran's throttling of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz through which 20 per cent of the world's oil flowed before the war and the US naval blockade of Iranian ports. It would also have threatened Saudi Arabia's efforts to enhance existing and develop alternative export routes that circumvent the Strait of Hormuz by directing oil and trade to the kingdom's Red Sea coast. The Houthis have good reason to hold their fire and limit their support for Iran to statements and the symbolic firing of a few missiles in the direction of Israel in the first month of the war.

The following podcast was recorded as a solo episode by me, Andrew, about a month ago. It was released as a video on Rumble and is available here, if you'd prefer to watch: https://rumble.com/v78jslg-i-hope-im-wrong-about-iran.html The 2005 article from Scott Horton I mention is available here: https://original.antiwar.com/scott/2005/08/05/whos-behind-the-coming-war-with-iran/ “Access to Saudi oil and the Arabian Sea could... The post I Hope I'm Wrong About Iran appeared first on sounding board.

Fluent Fiction - Hindi: Dreams, Reality, and Tea: A Morning at Marine Drive Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/hi/episode/2026-05-01-07-38-19-hi Story Transcript:Hi: मुंबई का एक खुशनुमा सुबह थी।En: It was a pleasant morning in Mumbai.Hi: बसंत की हल्की ठंडी हवा समुद्र के किनारे बह रही थी।En: A light, cool breeze of spring was blowing by the sea.Hi: मरीन ड्राइव के चाय की एक छोटी सी दुकान पर तीन दोस्त बैठे थे।En: Three friends were sitting at a small tea shop on Marine Drive.Hi: पास में अरब सागर की लहरें किनारे से टकरा रही थीं।En: Nearby, the waves of the Arabian Sea were crashing against the shore.Hi: ऐसे में जीवन की हलचल में भी एक अजीब सुकून का एहसास हो रहा था।En: Amidst the hustle and bustle of life, there was a strange feeling of tranquility.Hi: आरव, रिया, और कबीर – तीनों दोस्तों में गर्मागर्म बहस छिड़ी हुई थी।En: Aarav, Riya, and Kabir – a heated debate was on between the three friends.Hi: आरव, जो हमेशा तर्कसंगत और व्यावहारिक दृष्टिकोण रखता था, चाहता था कि रिया उसके नजरिए को समझे।En: Aarav, who always had a logical and practical approach, wanted Riya to understand his point of view.Hi: "देखो रिया, तुम्हारे सपने बहुत अच्छे हैं, लेकिन हमें वास्तविकता को भी समझना होगा।" आरव बोला, उसकी आवाज में चिंता स्पष्ट थी।En: "Look Riya, your dreams are great, but we have to understand the reality too," Aarav said, his concern evident in his voice.Hi: रिया, अपने सपनों को लेकर हमेशा उत्साहित रहती थी। वह हंसते हुए बोली, "चिंता मत करो आरव।En: Riya, who always remained enthusiastic about her dreams, laughed and said, "Don't worry, Aarav.Hi: सपने ही जीवन को रंगीन बनाते हैं। अगर मैं जोखिम नहीं उठाऊंगी, तो क्या जीवन जीना इतना मजेदार होगा?"En: It's the dreams that make life colorful. If I don't take risks, will living be as fun?"Hi: कबीर, जो हमेशा दोनों पक्षों को समझने की कोशिश करता था, अपनी करारी चाय की चुस्की लेते हुए बोला, "दोनों की अपनी-अपनी जगह सही हो सकती है।En: Kabir, who always tried to understand both sides, said, sipping his strong tea, "Both have their own place.Hi: शायद हमें बीच का रास्ता ढूंढना चाहिए।"En: Maybe we should find a middle path."Hi: चर्चा धीरे-धीरे गहराती जा रही थी। तभी, वहां एक सड़क कलाकार आया।En: The discussion was gradually deepening when a street performer arrived there.Hi: उसने अपने करतब दिखाने शुरू किए, लहराते हुए रस्सी पर चलते हुए सभी को चौंका दिया।En: He started showing his tricks, walking on a swinging rope, astounding everyone.Hi: सबकी निगाहें उसी पर जम गईं।En: All eyes turned to him.Hi: आरव को कसमसा कर सोचने पर मजबूर कर दिया - एक ऐसा व्यक्ति, जिसने अपनी कला का जोखिम उठाया और दर्शकों के दिल पर छाप छोड़ दी।En: It forced Aarav to think – a person who took the risk for his art and left an impression on the hearts of the audience.Hi: उस पल, आरव के मन में एक नई सोच जागी।En: At that moment, a new thought arose in Aarav's mind.Hi: उसने अपनी सख्तियों को कुछ समय के लिए छोड़कर रिया की तरफ देखा।En: He decided to let go of his rigidity for a while and looked at Riya.Hi: "शायद सपने भी अपनी जगह पर सही हैं," उसने स्वीकार करने के भाव से कहा।En: "Maybe dreams are right in their own way," he said with a sense of acceptance.Hi: रिया ने मुस्कराते हुए आरव की तरफ देखा। "और मैं समझती हूँ कि कभी-कभी हमें हकीकत का भी सामना करना चाहिए," रिया ने अपनी स्वीकृति दी।En: Riya looked at Aarav and smiled. "And I understand that sometimes we have to face reality too," Riya accepted her understanding.Hi: कबीर, जो इस समय बस शांति से साक्षी बना था, मुस्कराते हुए कहता है, "देखो, हर बहस का एक अंत होता ही है।"En: Kabir, who was now simply a peaceful witness, smiled and said, "See, every debate indeed has an end."Hi: उसने चाय का प्याला उठाते हुए वही संतुलन देख लिया, जिसे वह ढूंढ रहा था।En: Lifting his tea cup, he saw the balance he was looking for.Hi: समुद्र किनारे की हवा ने जैसे तीनों दोस्तों के मन को तरोताजा कर दिया।En: The breeze by the sea seemed to refresh the minds of the three friends.Hi: आरव ने अब अनिश्चितता को भी स्वीकार करने का मन बना लिया, जब कि रिया ने अपने सपनों के साथ थोड़ी प्रैक्टिकल दृष्टि भी जोड़ ली थी।En: Aarav had now decided to accept uncertainty, whereas Riya added a bit of practical perspective to her dreams.Hi: सभी ने अपने रास्ते खुश होकर आगे बढ़ने का फैसला किया, हाथ में एक गर्म चाय का प्याला और दिल में दोस्ती की गर्माहट।En: They all decided to move forward happily on their paths, with a warm cup of tea in hand and the warmth of friendship in their hearts. Vocabulary Words:pleasant: खुशनुमाbreeze: हवाcrashing: टकरा रही थींamidst: बीच मेंstrange: अजीबtranquility: सुकूनheated: गर्मागर्मdebate: बहसlogical: तर्कसंगतapproach: दृष्टिकोणconcern: चिंताevident: स्पष्टenthusiastic: उत्साहितrisks: जोखिमsipping: चुस्की लेतेgradually: धीरे-धीरेdeepening: गहरातीperformer: कलाकारastounding: चौंका दियाaudience: दर्शकोंimpression: छापrigidity: सख्तियोंacceptance: स्वीकृतिwitness: साक्षीrefresh: तरोताजाuncertainty: अनिश्चितताwarmth: गर्माहटpractical: व्यावहारिकperspective: दृष्टिbalance: संतुलन

The US and Iran still have not reached a deal to end the war, but one winner is already clear: China. This episode was produced by Miles Bryan, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Gabriel Dunatov, engineered by David Tatasciore, and hosted by Noel King. US forces patrol the Arabian Sea near the Strait of Hormuz. Handout Photo by the US Navy via Getty Images. Listen to Today, Explained ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. New Vox members get $20 off their membership right now. Transcript at ⁠vox.com/today-explained-podcast.⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join us for an unforgettable Heartland Experience trip: https://israelguys.link/israel-trip-86excg1mz  President Trump just issued a post on Truth Social saying "Iran has informed us they are in a state of collapse." And when you look at the evidence emerging from Iran, that post could almost seem like an understatement.  Iran is facing an existential crisis with how to handle their oil, the economic strain is also exacting a huge toll on China, and new intelligence is indicating the people of Iran may be preparing to take to the streets yet again.  Sign up for The Israel Guys Show Notes: https://theisraelguys.com/subscribe/ Join our Members Group! https://israelguys.link/donate-86ex929h6  Follow The Israel Guys on X: https://x.com/theisraelguys Join our Telegram channel: https://t.me/theisraelguys Source Notes:  Iran's security council warns of economic collapse and potential protests https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-894370 Iranian embassies abroad recruiting fighters willing to "sacrifice their lives" https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-894453 Trump claims Iran is in a "state of collapse" https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116482569681977454 New peace proposal while internal Iranian issues complicate negotiations https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-894477 Iran using improvised storage and transport methods for oil https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-894461 China's economy shows strain from the war https://www.jpost.com/international/article-894436 Iran highlights vulnerability of undersea internet cables in the Strait of Hormuz https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-894478 Iran's internal divisions and blockade pressures https://jewishbreakingnews.com/analysis-irans-irgc-is-sabotaging-its-own-ceasefire-and-the-generals-holding-the-phones-have-no-incentive-to-stop/ Challenges of Shutting down oil wells https://www.resilience.org/stories/2020-05-28/shutting-down-oil-wells-a-risky-and-expensive-option/#:~:text=An%20oil%20field%20is%20a,injecting%20chemicals%20into%20the%20well. Trump preparing for a prolonged blockade https://www.timesofisrael.com/keeping-talks-with-us-sputtering-along-iran-may-be-looking-for-time-not-a-deal/ U.S. Marines seizing vessel in the Arabian Sea https://x.com/CENTCOM/status/2049171777926877463?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E2049171777926877463%7Ctwgr%5Ea78e85e2af503cf3c2853795c0ac19a573521eee%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.israelnationalnews.com%2Fnews%2F426234 #Israelnews #Hezbollah #Lebanon #Iranwar #Trump #Bibi #Americannews #Ceasefire #Trump  

Three aircraft carriers in the Arabian Sea for the first time since March 2003 suggests another 'shock and awe' campaign is being considered. The 'ceasefire' between the US and Iran is holding, but for how much longer? Trump talks up his 'blockade of their blockade', but it's clear what is suffering most from Iranian defiance - Trump's reputation and American 'prestige', which the Americans are itching to salvage. Meanwhile an armed nutcase attempted to barge his way into the annual White...

Hour 3 of the Bob Rose Show, on the deadline for peace talks before a ceasefire ends, as the US ramps up pressure on Iran's shipping of oil to China. The latest capture of a tanker headed through the Arabian Sea. Will talks take place, and what's at stake for Iran. Plus, all of Tuesday morning's biggest news stories for 4-21-26

Military sources say a British nuclear-powered Royal Navy submarine has arrived in the Arabian Sea. It is capable of launching cruise missile attacks on Iran.

The Iran war just got real. Radell Lewis breaks down the mounting U.S. casualties, the cruise missile strike on a girls' elementary school that the administration lied about, and why 2,500 Marines are now headed to the Arabian Sea. Oil just surged past $120 a barrel, the Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed, and analysts are warning this conflict could trigger a full recession. Meanwhile, Anthropic refused to let the Pentagon use its AI for autonomous weapons and mass surveillance, so the administration blacklisted them and OpenAI rushed in to fill the gap, prompting a top executive resignation and a wave of ChatGPT uninstalls. The SAVE Act threatens to disenfranchise 21 million voters with proof of citizenship requirements that will hit rural Republicans just as hard as urban Democrats, and Trump wants anti trans provisions and a mail ballot ban attached before he signs anything else into law. Plus, ISIS inspired terror plots in New York City and Michigan show the domestic threat is escalating alongside the foreign one. In the Research on a Dime segment, Radell dives deep into the presidential pardon system, its origins in English royal mercy, Alexander Hamilton and George Mason's debate at the Constitutional Convention, and why the founders' safeguards have completely failed in the Trump era. Also featured: the good news the media ignores, from avalanche rescues powered by Find My iPhone to human brain cells playing Doom and MIT engineers growing artificial liver tissue. Topics covered: U.S. Iran war escalation, Tomahawk cruise missile school strike, Strait of Hormuz oil crisis, Brent crude price surge, AI Pentagon contracts, Anthropic lawsuit, OpenAI military deal, ChatGPT controversy, SAVE Act voter ID requirements, mail in ballot ban, filibuster politics, presidential pardon power, self pardon debate, constitutional amendment proposals, ISIS domestic terror plot, sleeper cell warnings, Iran war economic impact, renewable energy transition, pro human AI declaration, NVIDIA chip export rules Purple Political Breakdown: Political Solutions Without Political Bias Host: Radell Lewis New episodes daily on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and the Alive Podcast Network app.Standard Resource Links & RecommendationsThe following organizations and platforms represent valuable resources for balanced political discourse and democratic participation: PODCAST NETWORKCheck Out the Podcast Website: www.purplepoliticalbreakdown.comALIVE Podcast Network - Check out the ALIVE Network where you can catch a lot of great podcasts like my own, led by amazing Black voices. 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Link: https://www.independentcenter.org/ GET DAILY NEWSText 844-406-INFO (844-406-4636) with code "purple" to receive quick, unbiased, factual news delivered to your phone every morning via Informed (https://informed.now) ALL LINKShttps://linktr.ee/purplepoliticalbreakdownThe Purple Political Breakdown is committed to fostering productive political dialogue that transcends partisan divides. We believe in the power of conversation, balanced information, and democratic participation to build a stronger society. Our mission: "Political solutions without political bias."Subscribe, rate, and share if you believe in purple politics - where we find common ground in the middle! Also if you want to be apart of the community and the conversation make sure to Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/ptPAsZtHC9

March, 14 2026, 7 AM; The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad was struck by a missile according to Iraqi security forces Saturday morning, after U.S. forces bombed targets on Iran's Kharg Island, home to the primary terminal that handles that country's oil exports. Meanwhile, MS NOW has learned the military plans to send 5K troops and several additional ships to the Arabian Sea, a day after the U.S. military confirmed six U.S. service members were killed when a refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq. Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth addressed the tragedy nearly 9 minutes into his press briefing yesterday after first scolding the media. Terry Moran and Toluse Olorunnipa join The Weekend to discuss the latest with the war in Iran. For more, follow us on social media: Bluesky: @theweekendmsnow.bsky.social Instagram: @theweekendmsnow TikTok: @theweekendmsnow To listen to this show and other MS podcasts without ads, sign up for MS NOW Premium on Apple Podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

On Thursday's Washington Times Front Page: Hundreds of ships are idling in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman because they are unwilling to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without naval escorts or insurance coverage, the Pentagon is pouring billions of dollars into new technologies that can survive and excel in extreme cold, and more.

Since the U.S. and Israel first struck Iran on Saturday, energy prices have been on the rise. Oil prices are up around 13 per cent, and LNG – liquefied natural gas – is up around 75 per cent. 20 per cent of the world's oil and LNG pass through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, a passageway between the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea that is effectively being blocked by Iran's Revolutionary Guards. Eric Reguly is The Globe and Mail's European Bureau Chief. He joins the show to talk about the role energy plays in the war in Iran, and how the reverberations are being felt far beyond the Middle East. Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at thedecibel@globeandmail.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

//The Wire//2300Z February 17, 2026////ROUTINE////BLUF: MASS SHOOTING REPORTED IN RHODE ISLAND. IRANIAN FORCES CONTINUE NAVAL DRILLS AS AMERICAN FORCES BEGIN MASS MOVEMENT INTO MIDDLE EAST.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events-Caribbean: American forces continue airstrikes on narco vessels, with three fastboats sunk overnight in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility. Two strikes were carried out in the Pacific, and the third in the Caribbean. A total of 11x EKIA were reported as a result of the strikes.Middle East: This morning Iranian forces continued naval exercises in the Strait of Hormuz. These drills, dubbed the "Smart Control of the Strait of Hormuz" exercise by the IRGC-N, has involved various show-of-force targeting drills involving various naval platforms. These exercises involved the brief closure of a section of the Strait for a few hours today, as live-fire drills were conducted throughout the day.Europe: This morning, the mass movement of US military aircraft was observed throughout the continent as American forces begin the surge of forces into the Middle East. Overnight, multiple flights of F-16's, F-22's, F-15's and F-35's were all observed maneuvering toward the region, totaling several dozen aircraft. Command and Control aircraft were observed staging as well, alongside several Airborne Early Warning platforms.-HomeFront-Rhode Island: Yesterday afternoon a mass shooting was reported at a skating rink in Pawtucket as one assailant began firing in the stands at a high school hockey game. The shooter has been identified as Robert Dorgan, who was targeting his ex-wife and children during the attack. Concerning casualties, two fatalities have been reported, along with multiple wounded.Analyst Comment: This appears to be a domestic incident, in which a transgender individual murdered his family in the middle of a crowded venue. Based on the shooter's social media pages, this individual was very obviously mentally ill and had made threats openly for some time, including one post which directly threatened violence one day before the shooting.-----END TEARLINE-----Analyst Comments: So far, the mass mobilization of equipment to CENTCOM looks like the Real McCoy, once again. As of this afternoon, this is the largest migration of military aircraft into CENTCOM in many years, and differs from the last time the US struck Iranian facilities in that fighter aircraft are moving into theater much moreso than the previous one-and-done, single-sortie mission that was Operation MIDNIGHT HAMMER. Of course, moving aircraft is comparatively cheap when it comes to the manipulation that these actions provide, which in this case is very obviously intended to pressure the Iranians into accepting whatever deal is put before them. This afternoon Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi departed Geneva, with the past two weeks of talks more or less being a stalemate. As must always be noted, the forces that are being staged right now can always turn around and go home without a shot being fired. However, even taking this into account (and adding in the wider geopolitical context), it's very likely that cratering Iranian facilities is on the menu once more.Probably the best form of warning for the Iranians is the minor detail that the main aircraft carrier in the region (the USS *ABRAHAM LINCOLN*) has not transited the Strait of Hormuz. This foreboding detail is likely due to long-standing doctrine; any serious actions taken in Iran will require more maneuverability (and range) than the Gulf can provide. As a result, a common rule of thumb has been that the United States holding position in the Arabian Sea (without transiting the Strait) is an indicator that the US is serious. If the US just wanted to posture, the Navy would have sailed through the Strait just to flex on the Iranians brown-water navy, and since a CSG

//The Wire//2300Z February 13, 2026////ROUTINE////BLUF: PENTAGON REDEPLOYS FORD CSG TO MIDDLE EAST. ARSON ATTACK TARGETING ALLEGED POTENTIAL ICE FACILITY REPORTED IN KANSAS CITY. STABBING ATTACK STRIKES PARIS.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE----- -International Events-France: This evening a stabbing attack was reported in Paris, at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Arc de Triomphe. One of the soldiers in the Honor Guard was wounded during the attack, as the assailant attempted to target the crowd participating in the daily flame lighting ceremony. Armed police shot the attacker several times, ending the attack.Analyst Comment: Local French sources claim that is not the first time that this individual has stabbed a police officer. The assailant has been identified as Brahim Bahrir, a 47 year old male who was at the center of a different terror attack, in which he stabbed two police officers in an identical manner back in 2012. He was released from prison for this attack some time ago, with today's terrorism attempt being the second major stabbing attack he has committed.Middle East: Following PM Netanyahu's departure last night, the White House announced the repositioning of the USS *GERALD FORD* CSG from the Caribbean to the Middle East.Analyst Comment: The *FORD* has already been deployed for about 8 months, so either she's getting an extension or she'll pull in to Norfolk for refit/resupply before heading to the Arabian Sea. Either way, it will take about two weeks for this repositioning to take place, at the absolute earliest.Caribbean: Yesterday a collision was reported between two US Navy vessels conducting resupply at sea. The USS *TRUXTON* (DDG 103) collided with the USNS *SUPPLY* (T-AOE-6) while attempting to carry out Underway Replenishment (UNREP) operations on Wednesday. Two sailors were injured as a result of the collision, both of which are in stable condition.-HomeFront-Missouri: An arson attack was captured on film yesterday afternoon, which involved a woman deliberately setting fire to a commercial structure that was reportedly on the books to be sold to the federal government for the creation of an ICE detention facility. The fire was put out by the fire department, and the assailant remains at large.-----END TEARLINE-----Analyst Comments: Regarding the Kansas City arson attack, a lot of unsubstantiated information is circulating. And as luck would have it, a news van happened to be set up on scene, with a camera pointed at the attack site, perfectly framed to capture the arson attack...before it began. This same news affiliate is the same source that claims that the attack was a success, and that the company is no longer planning to sell the warehouse to ICE, due to the acts of the terrorist.It is true that the federal government is trying to contract out empty warehouses around the US to serve as detention facilities, but it's not clear as to if this exact facility was/is included in these efforts. At present, it's just as likely that this abandoned warehouse was selected on a whim via unsubstantiated rumors, and probably circulated among the Kansas City Rapid Response chat groups. These far-left cells tend to take the tiniest bit of information and run with it, without any verification whatsoever.This case is a good example of how truth does not actually matter to far-left activist groups, and unsubstantiated rumors in a group chat can get somebody killed. From a risk-management perspective, when there is no criteria for selecting targets in warfare, no one is safe. This is what makes these groups so dangerous; deadly and horrific attacks can be conducted on random buildings (or random people), with no warning at all. And just like in Minneapolis, these groups know that they can't actually win an engagement against ICE, so they go after the soft-targets in a city, targe

In recent weeks, the United States has built up its military presence in the Middle East while conducting negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program. The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group arrived in the Arabian Sea on January 26, bringing an additional 5,700 U.S. troops to the region. On Wednesday, the Pentagon reportedly told a second aircraft carrier group to prepare for deployment, while President Donald Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss diplomatic and potential military strategy. Meanwhile, U.S. and Iranian officials met for indirect talks in Oman on Friday, February 6, for the first negotiations between the countries since the U.S. struck Iranian nuclear sites in June 2025.Ad-free podcasts are here!To listen to this podcast ad-free, and to enjoy our subscriber only premium content, go to ReadTangle.com to sign up!You can read today's podcast⁠ ⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠, our “Under the Radar” story ⁠here and today's “Have a nice day” story ⁠here⁠.You can subscribe to Tangle by clicking here or drop something in our tip jar by clicking here. Take the survey: Do you think U.S. military intervention in Iran is likely? Let us know.Our Executive Editor and Founder is Isaac Saul. Our Executive Producer is Jon Lall.This podcast was written by: Will Kaback and audio edited and mixed by Dewey Thomas. Music for the podcast was produced by Diet 75.Our newsletter is edited by Managing Editor Ari Weitzman, Senior Editor Will Kaback, Lindsey Knuth, Bailey Saul, and Audrey Moorehead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

U.S. forces shot down an Iranian drone as it approached an American aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea. Idrees Ali of Reuters joins to discuss the incident, as Iranian and U.S. leaders in the region prepare to meet. Interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez hosted the U.S.’s top diplomat in the country this week to review the Trump administration’s roadmap for the oil industry and stabilization. The Wall Street Journal’s Ian Lovett explains the game of wait and see that Rodríguez appears to be playing with Trump. Data suggests that immigration authorities are increasingly detaining children. The Washington Post’s María Luisa Paúl dissects the numbers, and explains how the recent apprehension and detention of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos became a flashpoint. Plus, lawmakers passed a spending package to end the partial government shutdown, Renee Good’s brothers testified before Congress about her death, and how fans helped a figure skater bring some unique music to the Winter Olympics. Today’s episode was hosted by Shumita Basu.

As frustrations mount on day three of the search for Nancy Guthrie, Trevor Ault has the latest on the race to find "Today" host Savannah Guthrie's mother; Martha Raddatz reports on the U.S. fighter jet that shot down an Iranian drone after it started to approach the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea; after The Walt Disney Company named Josh D'Amaro as the next CEO, David Muir sits down for an exclusive interview with D'Amaro and Bob Iger, the current chief executive, to discuss the future of Disney; and more on tonight's broadcast of World News Tonight with David Muir. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

America's navy shot down an Iranian drone that it said “aggressively approached” the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft-carrier in the Arabian Sea, with “unclear intent”. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The shooting at Rainier Beach High School has rekindled the debate about bringing school resource officers back on campus. Senator Maria Cantwell has come out of the woodwork to yell at the DOJ about pressuring Washington to hand over its voter registration data. The Left is pretending that voter ID laws are controversial, but the numbers say otherwise. A convicted sex offender was arrested after being released from McNeil Island. The US military shot down an Iranian drone in the Arabian Sea. // Big Local: Pierce County Jail made some very questionable hires to fill it’s staffing crisis. Pierce County is raising Seahawks flags on county buildings. // You Pick the Topic: Women are injecting fat from dead people to improve their appearance.

The Rickey Smiley Morning Show dives into a charged news cycle, beginning with the U.S. military shooting down an Iranian Shahed‑139 drone that “aggressively” approached the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea — an incident that heightened already‑tense U.S.–Iran relations and occurred just hours before Iranian forces harassed a U.S.–flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. In entertainment news, renewed industry chatter suggests that Wendy Williams may return to television in 2026 following a major legal victory that could soon release her from her mental‑health conservatorship, prompting serious behind‑the‑scenes talks with her former production partner, Debmar‑Mercury. The show also explores the emotional revelations of Reshona Landfair — formerly the Jane Doe at the center of R. Kelly’s infamous underage tape — who has stepped into the public eye to reclaim her identity and recount decades of silence, manipulation, and trauma as detailed in her new memoir Who’s Watching Shorty?. Closing out the lineup, the team breaks down President Trump’s latest Oval Office controversy after he publicly scolded CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins for “not smiling” while she questioned him about Epstein survivors — an exchange that drew swift defense from journalists and renewed scrutiny of his treatment of the press. Website: https://www.urban1podcasts.com/rickey-smiley-morning-show See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Editor David Horovitz joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode. An Israel Defense Forces reservist officer was seriously wounded by gunfire from Palestinian operatives in the northern Gaza Strip overnight Wednesday. The IDF responded with a series of strikes on Gaza that Palestinian media said killed at least 20 people. Horovitz weighs in on the move to Phase 2 of the Trump-brokered ceasefire -- without the demilitarization of Hamas. We also learn of the Palestinian Authority's current involvement in the Rafah Border Crossing and a kerfuffle over a logo that may indicate that ties between the PA and the council of Gazans set to rule the Strip may be tighter than anticipated. A US Navy fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone that was approaching the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea on Tuesday, in an incident that, Horovitz suggests, shows Iran's confidence level ahead of nuclear talks set for Friday. We hear about Israel's four conditions for a "good" deal with Iran as US President Donald Trump appears to prefer dimplomacy -- for now. And finally, Israel's dairy farmers are protesting today in Jerusalem as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's "reforms" seek to disband the centralized coordination mechanism that has characterized the dairy industry since the state’s founding. Hear why more dairy imports may not be the right answer. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: Reservist seriously wounded in north Gaza ambush; 20 said killed as IDF strikes back 12 people let into Gaza from Egypt, of 42 who tried, on day 1 of Rafah opening – report 3 women returning to Gaza through Rafah say IDF bound, interrogated, threatened them Gaza technocratic committee replaces its logo with the PA’s; Israel fumes US downs Iranian drone flying toward aircraft carrier; PM to Witkoff: Iran can’t be trusted Shoppers face empty milk shelves as dairy farmers ramp up fight against proposed reform Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Podwaves. IMAGE: The northern Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, February 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's Wednesday, February 4th, A.D. 2026. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Jonathan Clark Colombian president denies divinity of Jesus Christ Christians across Colombia recoiled at recent remarks made by President Gustavo Petro. The nation's leader denied that Jesus is Christ, describing Him instead as a “man of light, of truth and a revolutionary.” This public attack on Biblical truth comes as Christians continue to face persecution and physical attacks in the country.  Criminal organizations have killed at least 10 pastors in Colombia over the last year. Sadly, the government provides little protection for church leaders. Psalm 2:11-12 warns rulers, “Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.” U.S. forces shoot down Iranian drone over Arabian Sea A U.S. fighter jet shot down an Iranian drone as it approached a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea on February 3rd, the U.S. Central Command has announced, reports The Epoch Times. The incident comes at a moment of heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran. President Donald Trump recently ordered naval forces to the Middle East and has threatened military strikes on Iran if it does not agree to new limits on its nuclear development. The U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East, said the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln was operating about 500 miles from Iran's southern coast on Tuesday, when U.S. forces spotted what they identified as an Iranian Shahed-139 drone. When the Iranian drone “unnecessarily maneuvered toward” the aircraft carrier, the U.S. Central Command said U.S. forces issued de-escalatory instructions, but the drone continued on its path toward the aircraft carrier. That's when an F-35C Lighting II stealth fighter jet, assigned to the aircraft carrier, intervened and shot down the drone. Thankfully, no American service members were harmed during the incident, and no U.S. equipment was damaged. Conservative candidate wins presidency of Costa Rica Meanwhile in Central America, conservative candidate Laura Fernández Delgado won Costa Rica's presidential election on Sunday. She gave thanks to God following the election victory.  Life News reports that Fernández emphasized moral values and the protection of unborn babies during her campaign. She stated, “Defending the lives of Costa Ricans who have not yet been born is an obligation of the State. Abortion is nothing more than murder and, therefore, penalties must be toughened.” Christian groups looking to overturn homosexual marriage In the United States, a coalition of conservative groups launched a campaign last month to overturn Obergefell.  The infamous Supreme Court ruling from 2015 legalized faux homosexual marriage.  The campaign, known as the Greater Than movement, calls for protecting children from being put in the middle of such unbiblical relations.  Listen to comments from Dr. Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.  MOHLER: “Marriage is actually the most basic institution of human civilization. You redefine marriage, you have just destroyed the house. You can put together a new house and claim it's the same. Children will know the difference. It harms children in virtually every way imaginable.” De-transitioner awarded $2 million The Epoch Times reports a New York jury found a psychologist and plastic surgeon liable for malpractice in a transgender case last week.  The doctors supported and performed a double mastectomy on a 16-year-old girl who claimed to be a boy. Fox Varian is 22 now and no longer pretends to be a boy. She was awarded two million dollars in the case. Varian is the first de-transitioner to win such a malpractice lawsuit.  Nearly 30 more de-transitioner lawsuits are in process across America. Trump stands with pharmacies for not carrying Abortion Kill Pills The Trump administration is protecting pharmacies from having to carry abortion kill pills. Under the Biden administration, the Department of Health and Human Services required pharmacies serving Medicare or Medicaid patients to carry abortion drugs. The department rescinded that mandate last week. This is part of the government's policy to “end the forced use of Federal taxpayer dollars to fund or promote elective abortion.”  Red states are growing and blue states are shrinking The U.S. Census Bureau released its latest Population and Housing Unit Estimates last week. Red states, like Texas, are growing, while blue states, like California, are shrinking.  Based on this, the American Redistricting Project released its 2030 Apportionment Forecast of how these demographic trends will affect Congress. Texas and Florida could gain a combined eight congressional seats. Meanwhile, California and New York could lose six seats. 83% of U.S. adults believe in God; 25% attend weekly religious service Pew Research released new analysis of Americans' religious beliefs and practices. The analysis shared the data as if the U.S. population were scaled down to 100 people.  In that case, 83 people would believe in God or a universal spirit. Fifty-two would believe in Heaven and Hell. Forty-four would pray daily. Thirty-eight would say religion is very important in their lives. And only 25 would say they attend religious services at least weekly.  Romans 11:5 reminds us, “Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.” U.S. life expectancy rose to 79 And finally, U.S. life expectancy rose to a record 79 years in 2024. This according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Life expectancy at birth for women rose to 81, and for men it rose to 76. Meanwhile, the age-adjusted death rate decreased nearly four percent from 2023. The increased life expectancy comes after improvements following the COVID-19 pandemic as well as declines in overdose deaths.  Close And that's The Worldview on this Wednesday, February 4th, in the year of our Lord 2026. Follow us on X or subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

In our news wrap Tuesday, the U.S. military says it shot down an Iranian drone in the Arabian Sea, more Palestinians gathered at the Rafah crossing on day two of its reopening, Russia renewed its attacks on Ukrainian energy targets, Trump said he's seeking $1 billion in damages from Harvard University, and Disney named Josh D'Amaro as its new CEO. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Tuesday, February 3, 2026 In this episode: Trump signed the roughly $1.2 trillion spending package into law, ending the three-day partial federal government shutdown; the U.S. military shot down an Iranian drone after it “aggressively approached” the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea and wouldn't turn away; a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from ending Temporary Protected Status for more than 350,000 Haitians; Tulsi Gabbard told Congress that Trump asked her to show up while the FBI searched Fulton County, Georgia's election office; Congress still hasn't received a whistleblower complaint filed last May accusing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard of wrongdoing; and 62% of Americans said ICE officers had gone too far, up from 58% in a poll conducted just before Alex Pretti was shot and killed in Minneapolis. Read more: Day 1841: "More questions than answers." Newsletter: Get the daily edition of WTFJHT in your inbox Feedback? Let me know what you think AI Policy: My AI policy

Amazon, UPS lead new wave of mass layoffs in 2026 / US strike on Iran appears imminent as aircraft carrier task force arrives in Arabian Sea and Trump makes new threats

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode. Following Iran's foreign minister's direct threat against the US, Fabian reports on the buildup of potential US offensive and defensive firepower in the region, including an aircraft carrier and fighter jet squadrons. As the IDF continues its nearly daily strikes against Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon, Fabian discusses Israel's tacit agreement with the US that allows it to act against anything it considers an immediate threat, and the Lebanese government's ongoing efforts to disarm Hezbollah. The IDF reported a 27% rise in settler violence in the West Bank in 2025, says Fabian, who breaks down elements of the report, including the rise in the severity of the settler attacks alongside the decrease in Palestinian terrorism, attributed to the army's sustained offensive activity against terror cells. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: US Central Command announces arrival of F-15 squadron in Mideast amid tensions with Iran IDF: Settler violence rose by 27% in 2025, severe attacks spiked by over 50% IDF targets Hezbollah tunnels, rocket launch sites in Lebanon Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Podwaves. IMAGE: In this Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019, photo made available by U.S. Navy, a helicopter lifts off of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln as it transits the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln sent to the Mideast in May over tensions with Iran transited the narrow Strait of Hormuz for the first time on Tuesday. The ship previously had been in the Arabian Sea outside of the Persian Gulf. (Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Stephanie Contreras/U.S. Navy via AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.