Podcasts about Persian Gulf

BIG STORY: Kent DeCardenas & a Fort Worth Citizen's Data Center Task ForceTell City Council we need a Data Center Citizen Task ForceProposed task force would advise Fort Worth leaders, council on data center regulationsCan proposed data center moratorium in Fort Worth lead to meaningful, long-term solutions?Data centers require substantial water, energy. Sustainable practices, technology can lessen impactSHORT STORY 1: Tim O'Hare's Ongoing Voter SuppressionTarrant County considers cutting 140 Election Day polling sites for NovemberLetter to County Commissioners about polling sitesSHORT STORY 2: FWISD Takeover UpdatesFort Worth ISD says threats, not social media posts, prompted principal's reassignment / FWISD didn't prove claims against principal reassigned after Sharia law posts, documents showFederal judge declines to reinstate Muslim educator as Fort Worth ISD principal / Judge denies former Fort Worth ISD principal's request to be reinstatedAs Fort Worth ISD reports near full staffing, parents demand increased transparency / How Fort Worth ISD filled teaching vacancies after more than 1,000 resignationsFort Worth ISD applies for TEA waiver to keep hiring uncertified teachersWhy Fort Worth ISD wants to ban campaign donations to trustee candidates by its vendorsPropaganda Proofing by Mindia WhittierInside Peter Licata's Doctoral Dissertation by Barry ShlachterSHORT STORY 3: TCU Student Deported by ICETCU student arrested in Arlington was deported to El Salvador, DHS confirmsGoFundMe for Luis AndradeTestimonials about ICE custody conditionsWINS: Fort Worth nonprofit shares design concept transforming former KKK site into cultural hubMount Gilead Baptist Church's legacy to be preserved through performing art centerThe Fort Worth railroad turns 150Made in Tarrant: Comics store opens as safe space for marginalized individuals, gamers, artistsFort Worth nonprofit supporting college students now guides a new group — their parentsFort Worth Botanic Garden receives prestigious nationwide accreditationFort Worth begins update to the city's 2003 Historic Preservation PlanWorld Cup transportation plan successful as 40,000 use rail, charter buses, officials saidSasha Bass steps down as new leader takes charge of Fort Worth's Sundance Square / Fort Worth's Sundance Square names new CEO as Sasha Bass steps asideLOSSES: Harrison Mantas is leaving the Star-Telegram. Food insecurity outpaces regional population growth / 1.4 million in DFW face hunger as Tarrant Area Food Bank braces for funding cuts Tarrant confirms first human case of West Nile Virus this year Fort Worth firm involved in plans for new Persian Gulf refinery ACTIONS: August 4 - Tarrant County Commissioner's Court (Petition)August 4 - Fort Worth City Council Worksession (Letter)August 4 - Nicole Collier's Public School eventAugust 5 - Talarico rally in Fort WorthAugust 5 - 817 Gather at the Table -District 8 (RSVP)August 11 - Fort Worth's data center policy voteAugust 17 - Focus Local PAC's new candidate recruitment eventAugust 19 - CDFW's Transit AcademyAugust 25 - Black Mountain data center vote Join the 817 Gather Discord, donate to the 817 Gather, and follow us on Instagram & TikTok.

Mark Thornton opens this triple-header episode with a live Radio Rothbard appearance from Mises University, joining Ryan McMaken to discuss inflation, the K-shaped economy, asset prices, debt, the dollar, and why Austrian theory explains what mainstream accounts leave out. Thornton argues that monetary inflation benefits asset owners and government-connected interests first, while working households face higher prices long before wages catch up.On Side B, Mark joins Freedom Works interview on democratic socialism, where he explains why young Americans are drawn to socialism, how government intervention created many of their grievances, and why free markets remain the real path forward. The episode closes with Wall Street Bullion to discuss gold, silver, energy, debt service, the weakening dollar, BRICS, the petrodollar, and the economic fallout from war in the Persian Gulf.2026 is the Year of Rothbard—Murray's 100th birthday—and we're celebrating by giving away free copies of The Case for a 100 Percent Gold Dollar through August 31. Grab yours today at https://mises.org/issuesfree20% off listener offer on the insulated Minor Issues tumbler and three of Mark's books: https://mises.org/MinorIssuesTumbler. Use coupon code Thornton.Be sure to follow Minor Issues at https://Mises.org/MinorIssues

On this episode of Asia Inside Out, Farwa Aamer, Director for South Asia Initiatives at the Asia Society Policy Institute, sits down with David Sanger, White House and national security correspondent for The New York Times. Sanger unpacks the Iran war's shifting goalposts and its ripple effects across the Persian Gulf; the emergence of players like Qatar, Turkey, Egypt, and Pakistan and what the shifting regional order means for the United States; the recalibration of U.S.-China relations under Trump's second term; Europe's defense spending reckoning and doubts over America's security guarantees; and how the global artificial intelligence race is changing the nature of conflict and reshaping great power competition.Asia Inside Out brings together our team and special guests to take you beyond the latest policy headlines and provide an insider's view on regional and global affairs. Each episode we'll deliver an interview with informed experts, analysts, and decision-makers from across the Asia-Pacific region. If you want to dig into the details of how policy works, this is the podcast for you. This podcast is produced by the Asia Society Policy Institute, a “think-and-do tank” working on the cutting edge of current policy trends by incorporating the best ideas from our experts and contributors into recommendations for policymakers to put these plans into practice. 

A.M. Edition for July 29. Oil prices rise after Iran launches a surprise missile attack on U.S. forces. Plus, Europe's luxury brands try to move past years of sluggish demand. And as Meta spends big on its AI transformation—technology CEO Mark Zuckerberg says the U.S. should help to accelerate—Journal reporter Meghan Bobrowsky says a host of lawsuits could cost it billions. Luke Vargas hosts. Sign up for the WSJ's free What's News newsletter. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Oil prices are climbing again, and the big question is whether Americans could soon be staring down $8-a-gallon gasoline if the Middle East conflict continues to spiral. In this afternoon edition of The Rush Hour, Dave Neal breaks down what's driving the latest surge in crude prices, what experts are watching next, and how the disruption of global shipping lanes could ripple through the U.S. economy. Recent market moves reflect renewed fears over supply disruptions as the Iran conflict intensifies. We'll also cover the attack on a U.S.-owned vessel in Egypt's Damietta Port, where a suspected drone strike sparked explosions and raised fresh concerns that the conflict is spreading beyond Iran and the Persian Gulf. Officials are still investigating the incident, but it marks another alarming escalation in a region already under immense pressure. Plus, the latest developments in the war with Iran: renewed missile attacks, U.S. military responses, and what today's events could mean for oil markets, global security, and the possibility of even wider regional involvement. If this conflict continues to disrupt energy infrastructure and shipping routes, the economic consequences could be felt far beyond the Middle East. New episodes of The Rush Hour bring you progressive news, political analysis, and sharp commentary every weekday. Subscribe, leave a review, and join the conversation.

A full national weather briefing covering the Chicago NWS forecast discussion, synoptic pattern across the U.S., heat dome and ring-of-fire mechanics, Wisconsin storms and St. Louis rain delays, the Bermuda High, extreme dew points, global heat in South Asia and the Persian Gulf, and ocean water temperatures.Segments:- NWS Chicago-style forecast discussion with plain-language term definitions- U.S. synoptic setup region by region- Heat dome, ring of fire, and tornadoes- Wisconsin storms and St. Louis rain delays- The Bermuda High- Extreme dew points and global heat- Ocean water temperatures: Persian Gulf, Caspian Sea, and Gulf of MexicoBackground music:- Glass Beads by Blue Dot Sessions- Our Names Engraved by Blue Dot Sessions- Music licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial (Creative Commons)- https://www.sessions.blueThis episode was produced with AI-assisted narration.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weather-with-enthusiasm--4911017/support.Weather with Enthusiasm is produced by Kol Simcha Productions.New episodes drop daily (B'N)— a morning forecast at 7 AM and historical deep dives Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact: kolsimchaproductions@outlook.comHistorical content is thoroughly researched and factually verified. After it has been factually verified it often will say so in the description. Should you find any mistakes, please email kolsimchaproductions@outlook.com so we can look into it and correct it. Not affiliated with any government agency or academic institution. Presented for educational and entertainment purposes — with meaning.Support the show — exclusive bonus episodes available to subscribers for just $2/month at spreaker.com/organization/kol-simcha

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of the WTR Small Cap Spotlight, WTR Managing Director for Natural Resources Jeff Robertson joins host Tim Gerdeman to preview second quarter 2026 earnings season for the U.S. energy sector. Recorded July 27, 2026 — as the majority of companies in WTR's universe are set to report — the conversation covers how producers are managing renewed oil price volatility driven by military strikes in the Persian Gulf, the key themes emerging from early reports by Halliburton, SLB, Range Resources, and EQT, and what investors should expect from WTR's coverage universe across oilfield services (Forum Energy, DNOW, Select Water Solutions, NESR), U.S. producers (High Peak, Ring Energy, Prairie Operating, Riley Exploration, W&T Offshore, Evolution Petroleum), and Africa-focused operators Meren Energy and Vaalco Energy. Robertson also addresses M&A activity, free cash flow priorities, and the development drilling catalysts that could drive volume growth into 2027. 

Shutterstock Track 1219389 Monetization ID TFGEPGEI0LHEIJAI Kia ora. Welcome to Tuesday's Economy Watch where we follow the economic events and trends that affect Aotearoa/New Zealand. I'm David Chaston and this is the international edition from interest.co.nz. Today we lead with news Iran is claiming control of the Strait of Hormuz as the US backs away, unable to exert the pressure it thought it could. The pause in fighting there has calmed markets significantly even if few ships are actually transiting. Elsewhere, the US durable goods order report for June was a strong one, up +8.9% from the same month a year ago, but only up +0.3% from May, so most of the gain was in prior months and the June rise was much less than the expected +2.5%. Capital goods were up +4.1% from a year ago, but excluding defense and aircraft, they were up a good +14%. The Dallas Fed regional factory survey was positive too, even if only marginally. That completes seven consecutive months of only marginal changes, some up, some down. Price and wage pressures remained markedly elevated, they said. There were two large US Treasury bond auctions overnight, both well supported. But both saw sharpish rises in yields from the prior equivalent events a month ago. The two year median yield rose +13 bps, and the five year yield rose +21 bps on the same basis. In Canada, their central bank surveys market participants quarterly and these professionals were less upbeat than at the previous survey. They foresaw no policy rate changes in 2026, but rises in the next two years. They also foresee a 25% chance of recession, although more likely growth in the 1-2% range. This is lower than in the prior survey. Trump's trade tensions are the main risk they see. Singapore has surprised markets with another tightening move, its second consecutive such shift. Singapore regulates its monetary policy via its exchange rate (the S$NEER). It is raising its exchange rate to dampen inflationary pressures. The June CPI inflation rate there rose to 1.9%, its highest since August 2024. Singapore's industrial production growth came in less than expected in June, up +7.2% from a year ago when a +9% rise was expected, down from the almost +18% in May. China reported strong industrial profit growth in June, up +15% from the same month a year ago although this was less than the claimed +18% growth rate for the first half of 2026. They say their factory sector profits rose more than 20% on the year-to-date basis, but companies producing electricity saw theirs fall more than -4%. Local listed companies did well, but foreign companies hardly made any gains. Local private companies came in in-between. Expectations are rising that the current CCP summit in Beijing will deliver new stimulus programs. The Indonesian central bank chief has been pushed out with two years left on his term. The Indonesian government wasn't happy with the standard approach of the experienced governor, and wanted the central bank to support it's all-out drive for economic growth rather than inflation control. It was a sudden change, but one preceded by the President appointing a family member as a deputy governor earlier in the year (remember Turkey?). Indonesia has been suffering a weak currency due to the political interference. In Europe, Spain, France and Italy are all battling out-of-control wildfires. Everywhere is battling intense heat. The UST 10yr yield is now just on 4.65%, down -3 bps from this time yesterday.  The price of gold has risen to US$4078/oz, up +US$26 from yesterday. Silver is now just on US$58.50/oz, up +50 USc from yesterday. Oil prices have fallen sharply and by US$8 from yesterday at now just over US$82.50/bbl in the US, while the international Brent price is now just under US$89.50/bbl and down -US$9. Hormuz transits are still basically halted There have been 3 crude tankers and only 2 cargo ship exiting over the past 24 hours (1 dark with transponders off) and two entering for new loads (1 dark). The Red Sea is only marginally more active. The IEA has been reviewing why oil markets have proven more resilient through the current crisis than some had feared and they point out that oil output in countries not directly affected by the Persian Gulf troubles has risen notably and most countries are permitting export flows. They also point o the major release of strategic reserves to cushion the shocks, with 290 mln barrels released so far with more than 1 bln still in reserve. But they note that markets for refined products are considerably tighter than for crude oil. The Kiwi dollar is down -20 bps from yesterday at just on 57.7 USc. Against the Aussie we are down -30 bps at 82.6 AUc. Against the euro we are down -10 bps at just under 50.8 euro cents. That all means our TWI-5 starts today at 61.6 which is down -20 bps from this time yesterday. The bitcoin price starts today at US$64,917 and up +0.4% from this time yesterday. Volatility over the past 24 hours has been low at just on +/-0.9%. You can get more news affecting the economy in New Zealand from interest.co.nz. Kia ora. I'm David Chaston and we'll do this again tomorrow. Track 1219389 Monetization ID TFGEPGEI0LHEIJAI Audio soundtrack opening is licensed from Shutterstock, Track 1219389 Monetization ID TFGEPGEI0LHEIJAI

Deep-dive weather briefing for Sunday, July 26, 2026 (cutoff ~3:15 AM CDT).Full National Weather Service Area Forecast Discussions for Chicago and Baltimore with every technical term definedBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weather-with-enthusiasm--4911017/support.Weather with Enthusiasm is produced by Kol Simcha Productions.New episodes drop daily (B'N)— a morning forecast at 7 AM and historical deep dives Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact: kolsimchaproductions@outlook.comHistorical content is thoroughly researched and factually verified. After it has been factually verified it often will say so in the description. Should you find any mistakes, please email kolsimchaproductions@outlook.com so we can look into it and correct it. Not affiliated with any government agency or academic institution. Presented for educational and entertainment purposes — with meaning.Support the show — exclusive bonus episodes available to subscribers for just $2/month at spreaker.com/organization/kol-simcha

Liderler serisinin yeni videosunda Ömer Gemalmaz Kitapyurdu'nun sponsorluğunda Ayetullah Humeyni'i anlattı. Bu videoda Ayetullah Humeyni'nin hayatını, liderlik ettiği İran İslam Devrimi'ni ve bu süreçteki kritik dönemeçleri ele alıyoruz. Humeyni'nin gençlik yıllarından sürgün hayatına, Şah rejimiyle mücadelesinden devrim sonrası İran'ın şekillenmesine kadar her şeyi konuştuk. Ayrıca devrim öncesi ve sonrası İran'ın toplumsal ve siyasi yapısını da mercek altına aldık. İran tarihine ve Humeyni'nin etkisine dair kapsamlı bir yolculuğa hazır olun!Ayetullah Humeyni'nin Düşünce ve Pratiğinde Velayet-i Fakih kitabını satın almak için :https://www.kitapyurdu.com/kitap/ayet...Kaynakça:Amuzegar, J. (1992). The Iranian economy before and after the revolution. Middle East Journal, 46(3), 413-425.Shorish, M. M. (1988). The Islamic revolution and education in Iran. Comparative Education Review, 32(1), 58-75.Farzanegan, M. R. (2022). The economic cost of the Islamic revolution and war for Iran: synthetic counterfactual evidence. Defence and Peace Economics, 33(2), 129-149.Ramazani, R. K. (1985). Iran's Islamic revolution and the Persian Gulf. Current history, 84(498), 5-41.Central Intelligence Agency. (1978). The politics of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (Intelligence memorandum). Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/...Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, 89, the unwavering Iranian spiritual leader. (1989, June 4). The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/04/ob...Chamlou, N. (2019, February 1). Iran's economic performance since the 1979 Revolution. Atlantic Council. Retrieved from https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs...Iran reports 11,000 injured in grieving for the Ayatollah. (1989, June 8). The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/08/wo...Engelberg, S. (1986, November 20). C.I.A. said to help both Iran and foes. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/1986/11/20/wo...Around the world; Khomeini acknowledges split in Moslem clergy. (1985, May 7). The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/1985/05/07/wo...Khomeini calls for purge of leftist schoolchildren. (1981, September 24). The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/1981/09/24/wo...Les 112 jours de Khomeiny en France [Belgesel]. 1979: How The Iranian Monarchy Fell | Last Persian Shah [Belgesel].

Brent is up nearly 40% in July, setting itself up for the strongest monthly gain since March. With flows from the Persian Gulf suppressed and Red Sea shipments at risk, it appears that geopolitics has taken control of the wheel once again. The story is, however, more nuanced.   Speaker:  Natasha Kaneva, Head of Global Commodities Research   This podcast was recorded on July 24, 2026.   This communication is provided for information purposes only. Institutional clients can view the related report at https://www.jpmm.com/research/content/GPS-5374973-0 and for more information; please visit www.jpmm.com/research/disclosures for important disclosures. © 2026 JPMorgan Chase & Co. All rights reserved. This material or any portion hereof may not be reprinted, sold or redistributed without the written consent of J.P. Morgan. It is strictly prohibited to use or share without prior written consent from J.P. Morgan any research material received from J.P. Morgan or an authorized third-party (“J.P. Morgan Data”) in any third-party artificial intelligence (“AI”) systems or models when such J.P. Morgan Data is accessible by a third-party.  

There's an emerging consensus that China is among the chief beneficiaries of the escalating conflict between the United States and Iran. While Beijing has undoubtedly welcomed Washington becoming entangled in yet another war in West Asia, and continues to reap commercial gains from booming exports of electric vehicles and other technologies, the conflict is also exposing the limits of China's geopolitical influence. China is, first and foremost, a commercial power in the Persian Gulf. Beyond trade and investment, however, it has little diplomatic, political, or security leverage to shape the course of the conflict or influence the region's postwar order. Jonathan Fulton, an associate professor at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi and author of the China-MENA Newsletter, joins Eric to examine why China's economic footprint in the Gulf has not translated into strategic influence.

Little progress has been made for the future management of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which an estimated 20 per cent of the world's oils and gas supplies pass and which is now effectively closed as Iran and the United States continue to ratchet up strikes and counterstrikes.That's according to the head of the UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO), Arsenio Dominguez, who told UN News that some 6,000 seafarers are still trapped on around 500 ships, in the Persian Gulf behind the strait.IMO is advising shipping not to attempt the passage until the conflict has been resolved.Daniel Dickinson spoke to Mr. Dominguez about what options are available to reopen the waterway but began by asking him for an update on the current situation in the gulf.

  Join host Justin Forman for a conversation with Christian Pinkston, CEO of the PR and marketing firm Pinkston, that starts with a simple question about marketing in the age of AI and ends somewhere far deeper: a near-drowning in the Persian Gulf, a camel accident in the Egyptian desert three days later, and a voice from God that Christian says he'll never forget. For decades, Christian built a life and a career on convincing the people around him that he was impressive, successful, and worth something — while hiding the shame underneath it. It took two brushes with death in the same week, thousands of miles from home, for that image to finally collapse. What followed was confession, grace that wasn't cheap, and a slow rebuilding of an identity rooted in something that could never be taken away. Along the way, Christian and Justin dig into why AI has made authenticity both harder to fake and more valuable than ever, why story is the foundation of every real relationship (in business and otherwise), and why the same principle that transformed Christian's life — approaching God empty-handed — is also, it turns out, good business. Key Topics: •      Why story is proof: how AI is disrupting marketing and making authenticity both harder to fake and more valuable •      The 45-year identity built on performance — and the soundtrack of shame that shaped it •      Two brushes with death in three days: a riptide in Dubai and a camel accident in Cairo •      Confession, grace, and the difference between “cheap grace” and the real thing •      Why he now pours into young men, teaching an identity rooted in Christ instead of performance Notable Quotes: "I realized like I had been pretending for decades to be someone I wasn't, to impress people in my life so they think that I was worth something." — Christian Pinkston "The hero of that story is you. But we're not the hero of our story. There can only be one hero." — Christian Pinkston "We'll tell the success story. We'll tell those stories. But these are the stories that we need to be telling more of. Telling the stories of brokenness." — Justin Forman

The conflict between the U.S. and Iran is once again threatening the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, raising new concerns about gas prices, diesel costs, and the risk of global supply shortages.Chuck Zodda and Mike Armstrong break down why the situation in the Middle East remains so difficult to resolve, how refinery shutdowns in Russia, China, and the Persian Gulf are tightening supplies of gasoline and diesel, and why the U.S. may have limited options short of a major escalation. They also discuss the quiet earnings week ahead, why Alphabet's AI spending and delayed Gemini rollout matter for investors, how Waymo could become a bigger part of Google's future, whether retail investors are really moving beyond the Magnificent Seven, and why the World Cup delivered a major boost for Boston bars and local economies.

The war on Iran may be over, but its consequences are only beginning to reshape the Persian Gulf. For decades, Gulf monarchies have balanced security partnerships with the United States, pragmatic engagement with Iran, and ambitious plans to transform themselves into global economic hubs. The conflict has put that strategy to its biggest test yet. In this episode of Global Faultlines, we examine how the war has changed the Gulf security order. From the GCC's historical ties with Iran and the impact of the conflict on Gulf states to the future of the U.S. security architecture and the region's evolving strategic partnerships, we explore what comes next for one of the world's most consequential geopolitical theatres. Has the war fundamentally altered the Gulf's approach to Iran? Is the U.S.-led security architecture entering a new phase? And what does the post-war security order in the Persian Gulf look like? Expert: Stanly Johny, International Affairs Editor, The Hindu  Research, Editing and Production: Sharmada Venkatasubramanian  Recorded by: Shivaraj S Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Capt Kent Ewing's military aviation career is legendary, including everything from being a naval fighter pilot, all the way to being the Commanding Officer of the USS America Aircraft Carrier during Desert Storm. In addition to the America, Capt Ewing's resume includes having commanded the USS Sylvania, Carrier Air Wing Seventeen, and Attack Squadron Sixty Six. He has flown over 18,500 hours in over 100 different military and commercial aircraft, and has made over 1150 carrier landings. He is also a graduate of the US Naval Test Pilot School Class 65. Back in the general aviation world, Kent is a leading flight instructor and FAA Pilot Proficiency Examiner, specializing in the Eclipse 500 Jet, Beechcraft Bonanza and other high-performance aircraft. He has been involved with the Eclipse jet from the time of certification, having served as Eclipse's Director of Flight Operations, managing experimental flight test, production flight test, and all company flights. Save up to 5% on Your AVEMCO Aircraft Insurance when you mention "SocialFlight"!“SocialFlight Live!” is a live broadcast dedicated to supporting General Aviation pilots and enthusiasts during these challenging times. Register at SocialFlightLive.com to join the live broadcast every Tuesday evening at 8pm ET (be sure to join early because attendance is limited for the live broadcasts).SocialFlight Partners: Avemco Insurance https://www.avemco.com/socialflight Aspen Avionics https://www.aspenavionics.com Avidyne https://www.avidyne.com Continental Aerospace Technologies https://www.continental.aero EarthX Batteries https://www.earthxbatteries.com Hartzell Engine Technology https://www.hartzell.aero Hartzell Propellers https://hartzellprop.com/Innovative Aerosystems https://iascorp.com/Lightspeed Aviation www.lightspeedaviation.com Michelin Aircraft https://aircraft.michelin.com/ Phillips 66 Lubricants https://phillips66lubricants.com/industries/aviation/ Tempest Aero https://www.tempestaero.com Trio Avionics https://www.trioavionics.com uAvionix https://www.uavionix.com Wipaire https://www.wipaire.com

Live July 17, 2026 | Yaron Brook Show(Season 12, Episode 126)Election Speech; ICE; Insider Trading; AI; Iran; Ukraine; Britain; Achievement | Yaron Brook ShowTrump's Contradictions, AI's Arms Race & Iran's Future: The World's Fault Lines Are CollidingIs America making rational decisions—or stumbling from one political contradiction to the next?In this wide-ranging live episode, Yaron Brook dissects President Trump's latest election speech, examines the growing tensions between political rhetoric and economic reality, and explores why America's biggest challenges—from immigration enforcement to AI competition with China to the conflict with Iran—require something today's politicians seem unwilling to embrace: rational thinking.Yaron also analyzes insider trading concerns surrounding Truth Social, the escalating AI race between the U.S. and China, the enormous infrastructure challenge behind artificial intelligence, developments in Ukraine and Britain, breakthroughs in biotechnology and space exploration, and why achievement—not politics—is ultimately what moves civilization forward.The show concludes with an engaging audience Q&A covering Iran, fascism, Ayn Rand's cultural influence, retirement, the 2028 election, and America's strategy toward the Islamic Republic.Watch Now: https://youtube.com/live/fwvuZFhPYDwTopics Covered00:00 Introduction & upcoming schedule00:36 What today's show covers01:57 Trump's election speech & contradictions on China07:34 Irrationality inside the Trump administration11:10 Non-citizen voting claims & voter fraud narratives14:57 DHS & ICE: funding, training and enforcement challenges21:20 Truth Social, insider trading & privileged market access29:14 The AI race: America vs. China38:54 Are today's AI companies worth the hype?41:32 Why data centers may become AI's biggest bottleneck46:12 Iran, the Persian Gulf & American strategy50:53 Shipping, trade & the economic consequences of war with Iran57:52 Political obstacles to U.S. military action1:01:14 Ukraine's political turmoil1:07:32 Britain's new Prime Minister: Andy Burnham1:11:06 Bioprinting organs in space1:14:57 Nuclear reactor pilot progress1:16:14 SpaceX Falcon 9 milestone1:19:07 Upcoming Ayn Rand Institute conferenceLive Audience Questions1:24:38 What would you say to Americans who support Iran?1:26:54 Has every president since Calvin Coolidge shown fascist tendencies?1:27:47 Is Ayn Rand making a meaningful impact on today's culture?1:29:21 Would retirement ever satisfy you?1:31:40 Which Democrats would you support before Marco Rubio in 2028?1:33:28 If Trump opens the Strait, will he pursue regime change in Iran?If you enjoy thoughtful analysis of politics, economics, technology, foreign policy, philosophy, and capitalism, subscribe and join us live every week.#Trump #ArtificialIntelligence #Iran #China #IndustrialRevolution #Iran #Immigration #Technology#Ukraine #Politics #AynRand #Economics #Objectivism #Capitalism Subscribe for daily analysis on economics, politics, philosophy, technology, investing, and current events.The Yaron Brook Show is Sponsored by[The Ayn Rand Institute](https://www.aynrand.org/starthere)[Energy Talking Points, featuring AlexAI, by Alex Epstein](https://alexepstein.substack.com/)[Express VPN](https://www.expressvpn.com/yaron)[Hendershott Wealth Management](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4lfC...) &(https://hendershottwealth.com/ybs/)[Michael Williams & The Defenders of Capitalism Project](https://www.DefendersOfCapitalism.com)[Support the Show]( / yaronbrookshow )[Sponsor the Show](askyaron@yaronbrookshow.com/)[One-time donation](https://bit.ly/2RZOyJJ)Join the [Yaron Brook Show YouTube channel]( / @yaronbrook )Like what you hear? Like, share, and subscribe to stay updated on new videos and help promote the [Yaron Brook Show](https://bit.ly/3ztPxTx)Continue the discussion by following Yaron on [Twitter](https://bit.ly/3iMGl6z) and [Facebook](https://bit.ly/3vvWDDC )Want to learn more about Ayn Rand and Objectivism? Visit the [Ayn Rand Institute](https://bit.ly/35qoEC3)Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/yaron-brook-show--3276901/support.Yaron is the executive chairman of the Ayn Rand Institute and a world class speaker. He is the coauthor of the national best-seller Free Market Revolution: How Ayn Rand's Ideas Can End Big Government, Equal is Unfair: America's Misguided Fight Against Income Inequality and In Pursuit of Wealth: The Moral Case for Finance. He speaks around the world on a variety of topics including the morality of capitalism, Ayn Rand and her philosophy, finance and economics, and the value of inequality.

//The Wire//1800Z July 16, 2026// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: UKRAINIAN ATTACKS CONTINUE ON RUSSIAN SHIPPING IN BLACK SEA, RUSSIA RETALIATES BY STRIKING UKRAINIAN SHIPPING. WILDFIRES CONTINUE TO SPREAD IN CANADA.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE------International Events-Europe: The war in Ukraine has continued to expand, with attacks on Russian merchant vessels remaining constant in the Black Sea. Russia has likewise retaliated by striking Ukrainian vessels also located within the Black Sea, as well as several port cities in southwestern Ukraine.Middle East: The war continues as before, with regular strikes taking place in the coastal regions which have been host to targeting for several days. Last night the US struck the port of Bandar Abbas again, and the Iranians have responded with attacks on Kuwait, which continued sporadically overnight.Analyst Comment: One aspect of the war that has not escalated for now, has been the conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen. After the initial mutual strikes two days ago, the Saudi's have chosen to back off of this line of effort, probably because they realized how bad of an idea it is to start a fight with the Houthis right now. That Saudi East-West Pipeline is the main asset that is keeping Saudi Arabia in the global oil market right now, and the Houthis can very easily threaten their main revenue source.Canada: Over the past few days, wildfires have continued to spread throughout the nation. As of this morning, at total of 859x wildfires are actively burning nationwide in Canada, most of which are clustered in Ontario, Qeubec, and the Northwest Territories. Of these active fires, 63x are out of control with zero percent containment. Evacuations of thousands of rural and tribal areas have been ordered over thousands of square miles, and air quality alerts have been issued for much of the American northeast and mid-Atlantic due to the smoke.-----END TEARLINE-----Analyst Comments: Though not exactly grabbing front page headlines, the war in Ukraine has continued to expand and become increasingly more serious during this year's summer offensive.Numbers are hard to independently verify, but the Ukrainians claim a total of 136x Russian vessels have been struck so far during this Black Sea targeting campaign since it began last week. This number seems a little high, but what is undeniable is that the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov have become a new front during this war...for both sides, as demonstrated by the Russians now targeting Ukrainian ships. Equally important is the impact this is having on the broader Russian oil market. Previous strikes on petroleum refineries resulted in fuel shortages throughout Russia, which have varied by severity and location. Striking tankers in the Black Sea really only impacts the petroleum export market, and the long-term impacts of this will be interesting to follow. Like it or not, the concept of globalization has functioned as designed, and most nations are linked to each other in ways that are not readily apparent at first. Russia mostly exports oil to India and China, and their exports have remained high during the Persian Gulf crisis. So Ukraine, in striking the oil intended for China, is directly playing a hand in the Gulf War...a conflict thousands of miles away. How this will manifest over the next few weeks will be important. Gas prices in the US have been MUCH cheaper than they should be, due to a long list of factors, one of which has been the Chinese dipping into their own reserves to sharply reduce their demand. Ukraine strikes ships intended for China, and China now has to either dip into their reserves more...or buy more oil from the Middle East, and demand goes up in an already restricted supply chain. The Gulf War is still hot to some degree, and the miniscule flow of oil that had begun to trickle out of the Gulf during the ceasefire has once again slowed to a drip...and now that Ukraine is striking Russian oil intended for China, an already tight oil market is probably going to be squeezed even harder.Analyst: S2A1 Research: https://publish.obsidian.md/s2underground NomadNet: 5fa68c88be727a0e1a250a75e5e79269 Disclaimer: No LLMs were used in the writing of this report. //END REPORT//

Recorded with an information cutoff of 12:53 PM Central Time on Friday, July 17, 2026.This episode reads and explains the National Weather Service Chicago Area Forecast Discussion, follows Canadian wildfire smoke through Great Lakes forecast discussions, and examines extreme heat and humidity in the United States, Canada, Europe, Israel, Iran's Lut Desert, and the Persian Gulf. It closes with the Storm Prediction Center severe-weather outlook and a plain-language explanation of ridges, heat domes, the Bermuda High, and 500-millibar geopotential heights. Forecasts are time-sensitive and can change.CHAPTERS00:00 Cold open, cutoff, and AI disclosure01:56 Chicago Area Forecast Discussion18:21 Canadian wildfire smoke26:52 Extreme heat: United States and world29:20 Israel spotlight31:25 Lut Desert: myth versus reality33:53 Persian Gulf humidity36:47 Severe weather from the Storm Prediction Center40:51 Synoptic science: ridges, heat domes, and 500-millibar heights43:24 Recap and sign-offPRIMARY SOURCESNWS Chicago: https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=LOT&issuedby=LOT&product=AFD&format=txt&version=1&glossary=0NWS Green Bay: https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=GRB&issuedby=GRB&product=AFD&format=txt&version=1&glossary=0NWS Marquette: https://forecast.weather.gov/product.php?site=MQT&issuedby=MQT&product=AFD&format=txt&version=1&glossary=0SPC Day 1: https://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/day1otlk.htmlSPC Day 2: https://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/day2otlk.htmlIsrael Meteorological Service: https://ims.gov.il/en/WarningsCopernicus Climate Change Service: https://climate.copernicus.eu/intense-heatwave-brings-hottest-june-western-europe-month-ranks-second-warmest-globallyMUSIC"Glass Beads" and "Our Names Engraved" by Blue Dot Sessions, used with separate commercial permission confirmed by the publisher.https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Blue_Dot_Sessions/The_Balloonist/Glass_Beads/https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Blue_Dot_Sessions/Duck_Lake/Our_Names_EngravedThe calm Atlantic-style production bed was created specifically for this episode.AI DISCLOSUREThis episode was produced with artificial-intelligence assistance, including research, drafting, artwork, and narration. Weather information came primarily from official government and meteorological sources at the times stated; a few secondary or commercial observations are clearly labeled in the episode. This program is general information and not a substitute for official warnings.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/weather-with-enthusiasm--4911017/support.Weather with Enthusiasm is produced by Kol Simcha Productions.New episodes drop daily (B'N)— a morning forecast at 7 AM and historical deep dives Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact: kolsimchaproductions@outlook.comHistorical content is thoroughly researched and factually verified. After it has been factually verified it often will say so in the description. Should you find any mistakes, please email kolsimchaproductions@outlook.com so we can look into it and correct it. Not affiliated with any government agency or academic institution. Presented for educational and entertainment purposes — with meaning.Support the show — exclusive bonus episodes available to subscribers for just $2/month at spreaker.com/organization/kol-simchaThis episode includes AI-generated content.

Donate (no account necessary) | Subscribe (account required) Join Bryan Dean Wright, former CIA Operations Officer, as he dives into today's top stories shaping America and the world. In this episode of The Wright Report, Bryan breaks down Trump's rapidly expanding military campaign against Iran, including new strikes on contested Persian Gulf islands that could pave the way for U.S. boots on the ground. Bryan lays out the Pentagon's strategy to hammer Iran's air defenses and seize strategic islands near the Strait of Hormuz, plus what it would take to destroy Iran's deeply buried nuclear program at Pickaxe Mountain. He also breaks down the growing economic fallout, with emergency oil reserves nearly exhausted and the Red Sea shaping up as the next flashpoint. Plus, Bryan covers Trump's reversal on ICE traffic stop arrests after a string of deadly encounters, an escalating theological clash between JD Vance and the Vatican over immigration, a batch of encouraging economic data, and the Democratic Socialists' new platform to abolish the presidency, Senate, and Supreme Court. "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." - John 8:32   Keywords: Wright Report, Bryan Dean Wright, Iran war, Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, Pickaxe Mountain, Kharg Island, ICE traffic stops, immigration, JD Vance, Pope Leo, Vatican, Marco Rubio, ICC, US economy, inflation, DSA platform, Democratic Socialists, Bernie Sanders, AOC, Zohran Mamdani

Are U.S. strikes against Iran enough to keep the strategic waterway open, or is our strategy fundamentally flawed? Retired Navy Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery joins Brian Kilmeade directly from Kyiv to break down the ongoing military escalation in the Persian Gulf. Admiral Montgomery reacts to Vice President JD Vance's "warmongering" accusations from the Joe Rogan podcast, exposing why Vance's defensive stance on the poorly written Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is inconsistent with reality. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The U.S. and China clashed at the United Nations this week, with each accusing the other of fueling instability in the Persian Gulf. Washington has long argued that Beijing plays a pivotal role in the conflict as the largest buyer of Iranian oil and a supplier of dual-use technologies that could support Tehran's military. Many experts, however, dispute that assessment. They argue that China's ability to influence Iran is far more limited than commonly assumed and that there is little evidence Tehran would bow to Chinese pressure on matters of national security. Nor is there any indication that Beijing is willing to use whatever leverage it may have. Jesse Marks, CEO of the Asia-Middle East consultancy Rihla Research & Advisory and a leading scholar of Chinese diplomacy in the region, joins Eric to explain why Beijing is likely to remain a largely passive player, both as the war continues and in whatever political settlement eventually emerges. Show Notes: East Asia Forum: Iran's bid for Beijing's backing meets its limits by Jesse Marks Arab Gulf States Institute: China's Mediation Ceiling in the Iran War by Jesse Marks Gulf International Forum: Parallel, Not Replacement: Why China Can't Supplant U.S. Security in the Gulf by Jesse Marks & Chenjie Song

Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes.On today's podcast:1) The US struck Iran for a fifth straight day and hit a sanctioned oil tanker near the country's main export terminal. Iran responded to the US's barrage by firing upon American bases in Kuwait and Jordan, with the Jordanian government intercepting eight missiles. The US and Iran accuse each other of breaching the terms of a memorandum of understanding, which was meant to reopen the Strait of Hormuz but worded ambiguously as to how fast that would happen. It comes as Fatih Birol, the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, says the global economy faces a renewed challenge if the conflict that's choked the Strait of Hormuz isn't resolved in a matter of weeks. 2) Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told senators he would support legislation to foreclose the creation of a $1.8 billion government weaponization fund. Blanche committed to helping craft the legislation during a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on his nomination to be attorney general. Senators questioned whether Blanche can operate independently from President Trump, who he previously represented in criminal cases while in private practice.3) Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh said that President Trump hasn’t tried to interfere with the central bank. Warsh stated that he would continue to do his job independently, even if Trump tried to influence the conduct of monetary policy. Trump reiterated his view that he would like to see interest rates go down, saying he would like the country to have the lowest rate anywhere in the world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The announcement of a Russian ban on diesel exports following supply shortages at gas stations across the country has spurred cracks to widen significantly in the European market at a time when product markets continue to face uncertainty over the recovery of supply from the Persian Gulf and crude markets face pressure from low Chinese demand. In this episode, Gary Clark, associate director, price reporting, Elza Turner, global lead specialist, price reporting, Virginie Malicier, price reporting manager, and senior price reporter Patrick McAllister peel back the key developments behind the recent pricing movements, providing an update on the situation within Russia, the European middle distillate space and the European crude complex.

Taiwanese chip giant TSMC smashes another record with an 80 per cent surge in Q2 net profits on the building wave of demand for its AI processors. Further exchanges of fire between the U.S. and Iran in the Persian Gulf could reportedly prompt President Trump to expand operations in the region. Trump remains confident the conflict can be concluded in the near future. Sterling hits a yearly high despite reports incoming prime minister Andy Burnham is set to make Shabana Mahmood Chancellor of the Exchequer as Sir Keir Starmer attends his final PMQs. UK GDP for May ekes out growth of 1.3 per cent year-on-year. However, May manufacturing is down by 1.8 per cent year-on-year.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Gregory Copley critiques the stalemate in the Persian Gulf, suggesting that US air strikes alone cannot win without a plan for regime change. He advocates for supporting the domestic Iranian population against the clerical leadership. Turkey's opposition to empowering Kurdish forces remains a significant complication. (9)1904

CLiz Peek discusses the strong American economy, noting that small businesses feel relief as tariff threats abate and inflation falls. Lower energy and gasoline prices have cheered investors. Anecdotal evidence from local bookstores and ice cream parlors reinforces a positive outlook for consumer sentiment. (1)Liz Peek highlights the rise of the Democratic Socialists of America as a significant threat to established Democraticincumbents. Young voters are flocking to radical platforms promising free services. Rahm Emanuel emerges as a blunt voice for the party, urging a challenge against these "loons." (2)Jonathan Schanzer reports on the restart of hostilities in the Strait of Hormuz, where oil prices have hit $87 per barrel. The US is conducting air strikes against Iranian naval assets and drone bases. Schanzer questions why these strategic targets were not hit earlier in the conflict. (3)Jonathan Schanzer explores the Houthi threat in North Yemen and the potential for a wider regional conflict. While the US keeps Israel on the sidelines to avoid escalation, Turkey's "neo-Ottoman" ambitions are rising. Schanzer warns that Turkey seeks to fill the power vacuum left by Iran. (4)Mary Kissel analyzes the failure of the Iran ceasefire, noting that Iran calculated the US lacks the will for ground intervention. The conflict centers on Iran's suspect nuclear program, with potential new targets at Pickaxe Mountain. Public engagement remains low despite rising energy costs. (5)Mary Kissel discusses NATO's decision to reinforce Ukraine with advanced drone technology and Patriot missile manufacturing. Ukraine is hailed as the "future of warfare," transitioning from a security consumer to a security contributor. Kissel emphasizes the need for the US to counter Russian propaganda. (6)Joseph Sternberg examines Germany's economic struggles under Chancellor Friedrich Merz, including a shift toward deregulation and infrastructure borrowing. Massive layoffs at Volkswagen signal the end of traditional "lifetime employment." Merz faces political challenges from Social Democrats who resist aggressive free-market changes. (7)Joseph Sternberg addresses the assassination of former MP Ann Widdecombe, which is being investigated as a possible act of political violence. Sternberg notes that existential political rhetoric on social media often inspires such attacks. These tensions reflect broader global concerns regarding political polarization. (8)Gregory Copley critiques the stalemate in the Persian Gulf, suggesting that US air strikes alone cannot win without a plan for regime change. He advocates for supporting the domestic Iranian population against the clerical leadership. Turkey's opposition to empowering Kurdish forces remains a significant complication. (9)Gregory Copley discusses the inevitability of Ukraine's path to NATO, a move he views as a provocation to Russia. He argues the war preserves President Zelensky's power without a democratic mandate. However, he acknowledges Ukraine's technological ingenuity in developing swarming drone capabilities for modern combat. (10)Gregory Copley highlights Australia's declining regional power as Indonesia and India rise strategically. China'smissile tests and interest in Antarctica further destabilize the South Pacific. As the Antarctic Treaty ends, a scramble for the world's largest oil deposits appears imminent. (11)Gregory Copley details King Charles III's visit to the Isle of Man, the world's oldest continuous parliament. The King also held a private, discreet meeting with Prince Harry. Meanwhile, the UK faces rising anxiety over security for political leaders following the assassination of Ann Widdecombe. (12)Jeff McCausland discusses the closing of the Strait of Hormuz due to Iranian threats from land-based missiles and drones. President Trump faces a dilemma: muddle through, escalate with ground forces, or withdraw. McCausland warns that seizing territory like Kharg Island would result in significant casualties. (13)Jeff McCausland notes that Europe now views Ukraine as a security contributor due to its mastery of drone and robotic warfare. While Putin considers escalation or mobilization, Chinese pressure likely prevents the use of tactical nuclear weapons. The US continues to communicate "serious consequences." (14)Ernesto Araújo and Alejandro Peña Esclusa condemn Gustavo Petro's refusal to recognize election results in Colombia. They criticize Brazil's President Lula for his silence on criminal leftist regimes. The "Shield of the Americas" alliance is emerging to defend regional democracy and fight corruption. (15)Ernesto Araújo and Alejandro Peña Esclusa report that 60,000 people are missing in Venezuela following catastrophic earthquakes and government neglect. They propose an emergency temporary government to replace the Rodriguezsiblings. Brazil hosts 700,000 refugees fleeing the "gangland" regime's destruction. (16)All 16 segments formatted, tail numbers (1)–(16). Name check clean: Liz Peek, Peña Esclusa, Araújo with the accent, Ann Widdecombe all correct.

Global conflict in the Persian Gulf have impacted fuel and fertilizer prices for U.S. farmers. Now, conflict in the Black Sea Region between Russia and Ukraine threaten not only fuel but food for the rest of the world. Arlan Suderman with StoneX says some of the worst fears in the market are now being realized. 

Nearly a month after a ceasefire, the US-Iran deal seems to have all but collapsed as both nations have slipped back into active conflict. On Sunday, Tehran announced that the Strait of Hormuz is once again closed—a move President Trump immediately countered, stating the waterway will remain open "with or without Iran." Since then, both the US and Iran have reportedly begun new attacks, and the President said the US will reinstate its blockade to become the "guardian" of the strait, even floating a controversial plan to charge commercial ships to ensure their safe passage.  We are in a critical window where both sides are aggressively trying to redefine their leverage in the Persian Gulf region, yet neither has fully abandoned the negotiating table. The U.S. can't maintain its high-stakes engagement indefinitely.  So are we right back to square one? Is this perpetual state of uncertainty the new normal for the Strait of Hormuz? What realistic leverage does Washington still possess on the nuclear front? And with senior Houthi leaders announcing their involvement, how does the collapse of this deal reverberate throughout the Persian Gulf region?  Today on the show, Jason Bordoff discusses the current and unpredictable state of affairs in the strait, and how it could play out in the coming weeks and months, with Suzanne Maloney, the vice president and director of the foreign policy program at the Brookings Institution. Suzanne's research focuses on Iran and Persian Gulf energy. She has advised Democratic and Republican administrations on Iran policy, including as an external advisor to senior State Department officials during the Obama administration and as a member of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's Policy Planning staff during the administration of George W. Bush. Earlier in her career, she served as Middle East advisor for ExxonMobil Corporation. Credits: Hosted by Jason Bordoff and Bill Loveless. Produced by Mary Catherine O'Connor, Caroline Pitman, and Kyu Lee. Engineering by Gregory Vilfranc.  

//The Wire//1900Z July 14, 2026// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: WAR IN MIDDLE EAST REMAINS HOT WITH USA AND IRAN EXCHANGING HEAVY FIRE OVERNIGHT. NEW YORK TIMES JOURNALISTS ISSUED SUBPOENAS REGARDING THEIR REPORTING ON AIR FORCE ONE.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE------International Events-Middle East: The war continued to escalate overnight, with the attack/counterattack cycle no longer being distinguishable, as all belligerents are now attacking constantly. At least two more ships have been struck in the Strait of Hormuz since last night, and the US has continued to fly continuous sorties to strike targets within Iran. Dozens of targets were struck overnight, with CENTCOM announcing that the sorties took 5 hours to complete throughout the region. As of this morning, nearly all of the targets that have been struck have been within a few hundred yards of the Gulf, with heavy concentrations of targets being located within Bushehr, Bandar Abbas, Chabahar, and Jask, all of which are major naval bases. Most of the Gulf islands have also been struck, with Qeshm and Kish Islands being targeted heavily this afternoon.Conversely, Iran has conducted their own strikes in Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait. In Kuwait, Iranian forces have conducted counter-battery fire on American HIMARS missile launcher sites, with multiple ballistic missile strikes taking place at most of the US bases and missile launch sites all day.Analyst Comment: Over the past 24 hours, the war in the Middle East has returned to the level of fighting first observed during the height of the war back in March. How long this is planned to continue is unknown, but this is not a slight increase in targeting; the war appears to be fully back on once again.United Kingdom: This morning Counterterrorism police released more details regarding a high-profile murder case that took place last week. On Thursday, Ann Widdecombe was found murdered in her home in the town of Haytor in Devon. After her murder was discovered, local authorities immediately referred the case to counterterrorism, and one suspect has already been arrested in conjunction with this case. This suspect has been charged for the murder, and as of this morning terrorism offenses have been added to the list of charges.Analyst Comment: This case is noteworthy as most of the information so far indicates this was a political assassination, and the speed at which authorities have immediately declared this to be a terrorism incident is very, very unusual. Widdecombe was a former Member of Parliament, and in her later years was a familiar conservative political commentator known to weigh in on political issues throughout the nation. More details may or may not come to light in due time regarding the identity of the suspect, but due to the high-profile nature of this murder, this case will be in the headlines for a while.-HomeFront-Washington D.C. - Yesterday a total of five New York Times reporters have been subpoenaed to appear before a grand jury, to testify regarding their reporting on the alleged security breaches onboard the new Air Force One. Last week, President Trump flew to Turkey for the NATO summit on the new airframe, but during the trip, an undisclosed security issue prompted the Secret Service to switch back to the older platform.Analyst Comment: The details of exactly what the alleged crimes are, have not been disclosed. The New York Times has a history of publishing content which could lead to security issues, but in this case nothing they wrote in their original report appears to have been classified. However, they did explicitly state that they had a source who had classified knowledge of the defenses (or rather, the alleged lack of defenses) on the new Air Force One platform, which is probably why the harsh crackdown on the New York Times. They also made the claim that the new airframe has not had enough time to install the anti-missile countermeasures of the older platform, though no detail on this was provided. Regardless, talking to journalists in any capacity about any of the protection measures used by the White House is a huge no-no, and one of the most sensitive issues that always results in a very heavy-handed response.-----END TEARLINE-----Analyst Comments: As the war in the Persian Gulf rages on, concerns are growing regarding the apparent widening of the war to include the Red Sea region. The mutual targeting between the Saudis and the Houthis in Yemen has continued to some degree, though it's too soon to tell if either party is committed to turning this into a more protracted fight. If that is the chosen course of action, the situation is likely to get very serious.While the Strait of Hormuz remains a hot warzone that has restricted the flow of about 20 million barrels per day out of the region, the Saudi East-West Pipeline system has been working to reduce this deficit by pumping roughly 7 million barrels per day during most of this conflict. This has eased the burden of Hormuz being cut off, and has been one of the main factors keeping oil from reaching $200 per barrel. However, this pipeline runs from the Gulf, across the desert, before terminating in Yanbu at a major oil export terminal. This terminal....is within missile range of the Houthis. Somewhat interestingly, there are also very little air defenses in the southern regions of Saudi Arabia despite the Saudis fighting the Houthis for a couple of decades at this point; nearly all missile defenses are on the northern coastline or in the vicinity of American bases. So far during this conflict, the Iranians have successfully struck the Yanbu oil terminal using extremely long-range (and slow-flying) drones. The Houthis have a much higher chance of success in threatening Yanbu, and if they are able to strike this facility, the global oil crisis will go from worse to worst.Analyst: S2A1 Research: https://publish.obsidian.md/s2underground NomadNet: 5fa68c88be727a0e1a250a75e5e79269 Disclaimer: No LLMs were used in the writing of this report. //END REPORT//

AP correspondent Ben Thomas reports there's been another round of U.S. strikes and Iranian retaliation in the Persian Gulf.

//The Wire//2300Z July 13, 2026// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: GULF WAR REIGNITES AS MAJOR STRIKES REPORTED THROUGHOUT MIDDLE EAST. HOUTHIS JOIN THE WAR AS MILITARY BASES STRUCK IN SAUDI ARABIA. USA/IRAN CONTINUE MUTUAL TARGETING WITH MANY MILITARY INSTALLATIONS TARGETED THROUGHOUT THE DAY. SENATOR LINDSEY GRAHAM PASSES AWAY UNDER UNCLEAR CIRCUMSTANCES IN WASHINGTON.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE------International Events-Middle East: Over the weekend the war continued to escalate with major attacks being reported throughout the region. On Saturday, the Iranians allegedly struck a containership in the Strait of Hormuz for attempting to sneak through the waterway without their permission. The crew of this vessel abandoned ship, and the vessel is reportedly sinking in the Strait.After this initial strike, the United States struck several dozen targets within Iran. One of the most significant strikes conducted by the United States was an airstrike at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant. One of the buildings a few feet away from the reactor core was struck, and the status of the power plant is unknown. At least one of the attacks this morning involved the United States conducting several Unmanned Surface Vessel attacks on the port of Bandar Abbas, targeting an Iranian submarine and several other warships. Analyst Comment: Other more traditional airstrikes also continued regularly throughout the day, with Iranian retaliatory strikes being reported at nearly every US base in the region, from Kuwait to the UAE. Full battle damage assessment will take some time due to the sheer volume of locations struck by both the United States and Iran.Red Sea/HOA: Following last night's targeting efforts to the north in the Persian Gulf, the Houthis and Saudi Arabia engaged in mutual targeting early this morning. Houthi rebels launched several ballistic missiles toward targets in Saudi Arabia, and the Saudi's responded by conducting airstrikes throughout the Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.Analyst Comment: These targeting efforts in Yemen have complicated maritime shipping through the Bab El Mandeb Strait, elevating concerns that another major maritime choke point might be turning into a warzone. During the American campaign to combat the Houthis in March of last year (dubbed Operation ROUGH RIDER), the Houthis demonstrated the ability to disrupt shipping through the Strait, to the point that nearly all maritime shipping chose to re-route around the continent of Africa. Though that military operation departed the news headlines after a few weeks, even as of a year later (even before the Iran war began), many maritime shipping companies were avoiding the Red Sea a full year after the strikes. Everyone has been waiting for the Houthis to enter the current war on the Iranian side, and last night's strikes may be an indication that relationship is growing.-HomeFront-Washington D.C. - Saturday night, Senator Lindsey Graham reportedly died after suffering a cardiac incident at his home on Capitol Hill, after returning from his trip to Ukraine. Initial statements claim that he suffered a tear of his aorta, and died instantly.-----END TEARLINE-----Analyst Comments: As one might expect based on current events, the theories surrounding Graham's death largely focus around his trip to Ukraine. Normally, the trip into Ukraine for diplomats involves flying into Poland, then taking a train into Kiev. This trip usually takes most of the day. Also, on the same day as Graham's trip, Russia conducted two major strikes in Kiev. Some claims have been made that both of these strikes targeted both the drone factory that Graham visited, but also the hotel where he was staying during his visit. These claims will take some time to verify independently.Due to the timing of Graham's alleged departure, it's possibly mathematically questionable that Graham would have had enough time to transit back to the United States before his death was reported. As always, there's enough discrepancy in the timing to make it technically possible for Graham to have arrived home from Ukraine and immediately had a cardiac incident, but this timing would have been incredibly tight. In short, the theory that Graham was actually killed in Ukraine holds some weight at this present moment, based on the evidence we have right now, even as speculative as it is. Further investigation will indicate whether or not more credence should be granted to this possibility.Perhaps the biggest bit of evidence countering the theory of Graham being killed in Ukraine, is the sheer logistics of such a coverup operation. There's very little chance that his remains would have been located, recovered, identified, and transported back to the United States if he was killed during the strikes on a Ukrainian drone factory. These attacks would have made it challenging to identify anyone's remains, and similarly to the concerns of Graham possibly not having enough time to arrive back in the US, timing is the main issue. If Graham was observed alive after his departure from Ukraine, this would obviously dispel any of the more nefarious theories, but as it stands, it is not known which flight he took from Poland to the United States (which was likely a military or government flight).All things considered, the suspicious and coincidental circumstances of Graham's death can certainly be verified either way in due time, but Graham's death coupled with Senator Mitch McConnell's questionable status, means that Washington has been host to several shakeups involving key wartime decision makers this week.Analyst: S2A1 Research: https://publish.obsidian.md/s2underground NomadNet: 5fa68c88be727a0e1a250a75e5e79269 Disclaimer: No LLMs were used in the writing of this report. //END REPORT//

In this Monday edition of The Option Block, Mark Longo, Uncle Mike Tosaw, and Andrew Giovinazzi break down the lighter-than-expected market reaction to escalating headlines, China's mysterious domestic oil consumption cuts, and the massive wave of bank earnings hitting the tape this week. The crew dives deep into the options tape to track surging volume in the VIX July and October cycles, alongside heavy single-name trading in NVIDIA (NVDA), Tesla (TSLA), Apple (AAPL), and the post-IPO fire sale in SpaceX. Plus, unusual activity lights up biotech name Agenus (AGEN) after securing a $340M colon cancer trial, and a short-term pop hits Shake Shack (SHAK). In the Strategy Block, Uncle Mike breaks down an educational, risk-managed way to scale into SpaceX using an August 1x2 ratio put spread—buying the 110 put and selling two of the 100 puts to create a heavily discounted entry point. What's inside this episode: The Trading Block: Market reaction to Persian Gulf tensions, oil hitting 1-week highs, and VIX volume surges. The Odd Block: Frenzied call buying in Agenus Inc. (AGEN) and short-term weekly targets in Shake Shack (SHAK). The Strategy Block: How to use a 1x2 ratio put spread to lower your break-even point on highly volatile stocks. Around the Block: Pre-earnings straddle pricing for JPMorgan (JPM), Citi (C), Bank of America (BAC), and Goldman Sachs (GS).

AP correspondent Karen Chammas reports the U.S. is fighting to gain control of a key oil route waterway in the Persian Gulf; a huge fire at a Thailand bar has killed dozens; Ukrainian President Zelenskyy heads to Paris to push for more funding ; and Hollywood actor Sam Neil has died.

Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes.On today's podcast:1) The US and Iran exchanged fresh strikes overnight into Monday as they continued their tit-for-tat attacks while issuing conflicting declarations over whether the Strait of Hormuz was open to shipping. US Central Command said American forces carried out a new round of attacks to degrade Iran’s ability to threaten shipping in the narrow waterway, hitting dozens of targets including Iranian air-defense systems and missile capabilities. Tehran retaliated with attacks on US allies in the Persian Gulf and beyond, targeting US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, and oil prices rose on fears that renewed clashes could further disrupt flows through Hormuz.2) The death of Senator Lindsey Graham leaves key US allies like Ukraine without one of their most effective conduits to the White House. Graham had spent much of President Trump’s second term trying to sustain US support for Ukraine’s defense against a Russian invasion, despite the US president’s testy relationship with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ukraine and other US allies will have to find other advocates, which won’t be easy, as Graham had honed a unique skill set, combining a close relationship to Trump, the ability to work with Senate Democrats and deep ties with foreign leaders.3) South Korea’s AI-fueled stock rally came under renewed pressure Monday as SK Hynix Inc. tumbled by a record 15%, underscoring growing investor concerns that the boom had become overstretched. The selloff sent the benchmark Kospi index down 9% and triggered a market-wide trading suspension, with peer Samsung Electronics Co. dropping nearly 11% and foreign investors offloading 1.7 trillion won worth of Kospi shares. SK Hynix’s market cap closed the day at $875 billion, with the company’s shares down at least 30% from peaks last month, as the excitement that powered the rally gives way to a much harsher reset in expectations.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this Monday edition of The Option Block, Mark Longo, Uncle Mike Tosaw, and Andrew Giovinazzi break down the lighter-than-expected market reaction to escalating headlines, China's mysterious domestic oil consumption cuts, and the massive wave of bank earnings hitting the tape this week. The crew dives deep into the options tape to track surging volume in the VIX July and October cycles, alongside heavy single-name trading in NVIDIA (NVDA), Tesla (TSLA), Apple (AAPL), and the post-IPO fire sale in SpaceX. Plus, unusual activity lights up biotech name Agenus (AGEN) after securing a $340M colon cancer trial, and a short-term pop hits Shake Shack (SHAK). In the Strategy Block, Uncle Mike breaks down an educational, risk-managed way to scale into SpaceX using an August 1x2 ratio put spread—buying the 110 put and selling two of the 100 puts to create a heavily discounted entry point. What's inside this episode: The Trading Block: Market reaction to Persian Gulf tensions, oil hitting 1-week highs, and VIX volume surges. The Odd Block: Frenzied call buying in Agenus Inc. (AGEN) and short-term weekly targets in Shake Shack (SHAK). The Strategy Block: How to use a 1x2 ratio put spread to lower your break-even point on highly volatile stocks. Around the Block: Pre-earnings straddle pricing for JPMorgan (JPM), Citi (C), Bank of America (BAC), and Goldman Sachs (GS).

So many news stories are part of the news cycle. Jim delivers those that are important from a Christian perspective. Here's a sample from the broadcast: --Tehran has dragged it's Persian Gulf neighbors back into the U.S./Iran war by firing a volley of drones and missiles at American partners across the region as part of a major flare-up in violence that upended peace talks. --According to NATO Secretary Mark Rutte, the fresh U.S. attacks on Iran were absolutely necessary. --The communication's office of Hamas' government in Gaza announced Monday that the head of the terrorist organization's government committee has submitted their resignation as part of a preparation to transfer administration of the Gaza strip to a technocratic committee affiliated with the Palestinian Authority. --Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Iran "definitely" possesses chemical weapons and would "not care a wit about murdering hundreds of thousands of Americans if they could." --Israel and Lebanon have moved to the implementation stage of the U.S. brokered framework agreement that was reached last month. --Both Republicans and Democrats are opposing President Trump's plan to sell F-35 fighter jets to Turkey. --President Trump told reporters on Air Force One that Spain came back all the way and has agreed to boost NATO payments after he ordered a U.S. trade embargo with the country over its reluctance to contribute more to the organization. --Graham Platner, the Maine Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, has withdrawn his name from the race against Susan Collins. --Don't miss this edition of Crosstalk!

So many news stories are part of the news cycle. Jim delivers those that are important from a Christian perspective. Here's a sample from the broadcast: --Tehran has dragged it's Persian Gulf neighbors back into the U.S./Iran war by firing a volley of drones and missiles at American partners across the region as part of a major flare-up in violence that upended peace talks. --According to NATO Secretary Mark Rutte, the fresh U.S. attacks on Iran were absolutely necessary. --The communication's office of Hamas' government in Gaza announced Monday that the head of the terrorist organization's government committee has submitted their resignation as part of a preparation to transfer administration of the Gaza strip to a technocratic committee affiliated with the Palestinian Authority. --Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Iran "definitely" possesses chemical weapons and would "not care a wit about murdering hundreds of thousands of Americans if they could." --Israel and Lebanon have moved to the implementation stage of the U.S. brokered framework agreement that was reached last month. --Both Republicans and Democrats are opposing President Trump's plan to sell F-35 fighter jets to Turkey. --President Trump told reporters on Air Force One that Spain came back all the way and has agreed to boost NATO payments after he ordered a U.S. trade embargo with the country over its reluctance to contribute more to the organization. --Graham Platner, the Maine Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, has withdrawn his name from the race against Susan Collins. --Don't miss this edition of Crosstalk!

An Unstable Stalemate in the Persian Gulf is the Likely Outcome of Trump's Disastrous War | With the World's Richest Oligarchs Pushing AI, Will the People Demand Some Agency Over the Future of Their Communities and Livelihoods? | A View From Canada on the Zombification of America as the USA Destroys Itself backgroundbriefing.org/donate twitter.com/ianmastersmedia bsky.app/profile/ianmastersmedia.bsky.social linktr.ee/backgroundbriefing

AP correspondent Karen Chammas reports US and Iran exchange intensifying fire across the Persian Gulf as interim deal to end war threatened.

Russian motorists queue for miles in the hope of buying petrol, but President Putin describes the problem as manageable.Meanwhile fighting has erupted in the Persian Gulf with both US and Iran firing at targets on land and at sea. Almost no ships are currently passing through the Strait of Hormuz.And the world's biggest professional ESports event gets under way in Paris.

US President Donald Trump is threatening to attack more Iranian ships. Global oil prices are rising in response to the renewed violence in the Persian Gulf. Trump is giving a license for Patriot air defense systems to be made overseas. A Canadian company is arming Ukraine with drone. Prime Minister Mark Carney has quietly cancelled the second phase of a long-standing competition to purchase military equipment. Dozens charged with murder, extortion and more in crackdown on India-based organized crime groups. A Canadian expedition has successfully reached the wreck of Ernest Shackleton's polar ship.

//The Wire//2300Z July 7, 2026// //ROUTINE// //BLUF: EXPLOSIONS REPORTED NEAR HOTEL HOUSING FRENCH PRESIDENT DURING STATE VISIT TO DAMASCUS. MONACO BOMBER FOUND DEAD IN UKRAINE. IRAN RESUMES TARGETING OF UNAUTHORIZED TRANSITS OF HORMUZ STRAIT. CONCERNS GROWING REGARDING STATUS OF SENATOR MCCONNELL'S HEALTH, COMPLICATING UPCOMING ELECTION.// -----BEGIN TEARLINE------International Events-Syria: This morning several explosive devices were detonated in Damascus during French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit. The first device took the form of a Vehicle-Borne IED (VBIED) which was detonated on the street adjacent to the Ministry of Tourism, wounding many people including the Assistant Deputy Minister of Tourism. A few minutes after this device detonated, another device detonated on the street immediately adjacent to the initial blast site. At the time of the blasts, President Macron was staying at the Four Seasons hotel directly across the street from the blast site. Macron was not wounded during the attack, and has not canceled his state visit to Syria.Analyst Comment: This complex attack was very likely targeting Macron himself, or at least trying to get as close as possible to cause diplomatic trouble. Throughout the region, it's extremely common for terror groups to conduct attacks while foreign dignitaries are visiting, so as to embarrass their political leadership.Ukraine: Yesterday one of the lead suspects in the Monaco bombing case was found dead. Anastasiia Berezovska was the individual suspected of dropping off the bomb at the residence of Vadym Yermolaiev a few weeks ago. Berezovska was found at an undisclosed location in Ukraine with multiple gunshots to the head. After her death was discovered, an actively-serving member of the Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian MoD confessed to her murder.Analyst Comment: Very clearly, someone is tying up the loose ends in this case, and doing so very publicly to send a message. Now that the lead suspect in the bombing case is dead, the entire affair is tidied up neatly, and no further investigation can be undertaken regarding who Berezovska was working for.-HomeFront-Washington D.C. - Concerns are growing regarding the status of Senator Mitch McConnell, who has been hospitalized for several weeks. On June 14th, McConnell was found unconscious on the floor of his home in Capitol Hill after suffering an apparent heart attack. CPR was performed at the scene, and he was transported to a hospital. Apart from those initial details, there is currently no indication of his status beyond unconfirmed rumor.Analyst Comment: McConnell's health has been extremely concerning over the past few years, with several viral media incidents indicating that he is not well. In this case, three days after his heart attack, his wife Elaine Chao traveled to China to meet with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng. As a result of the timing of this visit, and the extreme secrecy surrounding the health of a man who has been of ailing health for years, concerns are growing regarding McConnell's status. In Kentucky, election law regarding position appointments has recently changed. Instead of the Governor being able to make an appointment for the seat, if a Senator dies in office, a special election is now mandatory. As such if McConnell passes away before the election, a special election would have to be held to fill the vacancy of only a couple of months, before the general election in November.However, the timing matters. If a Kentucky Senator dies in office (and thus vacates the seat) less than 63 days before the election, a special election would probably not be required and the normal election goes on. In this case, McConnell is not running again this year but the law regarding his seat still applies, so he must remain alive until September 1st, in order to prevent a special election which would allow a third-party candidate to run for his seat.New York: This morning evacuations were conducted after a high-rise building experienced a partial collapse in midtown Manhattan. The former Pfizer building at 235 E. 42nd St was undergoing major renovations/construction this morning, when approximately 5 floors of the building experienced a partial collapse. A perimeter cordon is currently in place around the building, as pieces of the structure have been falling on the street and sidewalk throughout the morning.-----END TEARLINE-----Analyst Comments: In the Persian Gulf, the Ayatollah's funeral has served as a sort of ceasefire-within-a-"ceasefire", and the United States and Iran took the past week to actually stop shooting at each other. During that time, merchant vessels also took the opportunity to slip through the Strait of Hormuz via the southern Omani route...something that Iran has repeatedly warned against. During the funeral, Iranian forces let this take place, however as of last night patience ran out and the Iranians have returned to striking commercial vessels for taking this route. So far today, a total of 4x confirmed (and probably one more unconfirmed) merchant vessels have been engaged by Iran for trying to sneak through the Strait. This is the most ships that have been struck since the hot-phase of the war, and these targeting efforts were not the result of ship captains unilaterally changing the route.Yesterday, the UKMTO directly stated that merchant traffic may take the southern route without coordinating with the Iranians. This statement was issued knowing full well that the Iranians have been warning ships that they must take the Larak Island route. Exactly who made the decision to issue this statement is unclear, but in effect the UKMTO told ships to take a route that they knew would be unsafe, gambling on the Iranians not conducting strikes during the Ayatollah's funeral. Now, the burning hulls of five ships are evidence that this gamble was ill advised. In response to these attacks, the United States has re-imposed sanctions on Iranian oil exports after granting them permission to export their oil a few weeks ago. Other than the sanctions, the United States is likely to conduct the standard retaliation strikes at random targets near Bandar Abbas over the next few days.Analyst: S2A1 Research: https://publish.obsidian.md/s2underground Disclaimer: No LLMs were used in the writing of this report. //END REPORT//

Alright, time for a status update on Persian Gulf shipping. Tanker traffic is slowly resuming, and Gulf producers are gradually restarting exports...but let's not go counting chickens quite yet.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://bit.ly/4fh62ZO

Preview for Later Today: Janatyn Sayeh of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies details Iranian threats against US and Israeli leadership. He warns that Tehran's rhetoric regarding "accountability" for the Supreme Leader'sdeath signals potential transnational assassination plots. (4)1904 PERSIAN GULF

It's Monday, July 6th, 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 Adam McManus Nigerian Christian pastor, father of 16, needs your help As you know, Nigeria has become the epicenter of Christian martyrdom in the world. In the initial 96 days of 2026, from January 1 to April 6, Muslims killed 1,402 Nigerian Christians. Shockingly, that represents 72% of Christians killed worldwide.  In 2025, 3,490 Nigerian Christians were martyred.  A total of 52,000 brothers and sisters in Christ have lost their lives in the last decade.  Plus, Nigeria has been going through severe economic challenges as well, most of which are due to the country's 30% inflation rate.  Some Worldview listeners here in America are trying to help Nigerian Pastor G, a man they know personally and the father of 14 children, move to the United Kingdom for their safety and a better economic opportunity. Currently, his family lives in a small, one bedroom/one bath apartment with no kitchen. They use a small hallway as the place to prepare food. The family has three sets of triple bunk beds jammed in the bedroom, family room, and hallway. In addition, the power outages are frequent in Nigeria, which means that there's little to no air circulation in their tiny apartment.  Through a GoFundMe page, these American friends are helping raise the money needed to pay for a larger 3-bedroom apartment where the family of 16 can reside while they're gathering their required documents and visas. Other expenses include the air fare for the family and the initial three months of living expenses in the United Kingdom until the working-aged family members find jobs. Galatians 6:2 says, "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." Check out Pastor G's 3-minute-long personal appeal, Pastor G's YouTube ministry channel, and a 41-minute documentary about the persecution in Nigeria called Faith Under Fire. We have them all linked in our transcript today at www.TheWorldview.com.  U.S. and Iran enter technical talks to secure peace deal The U.S. and Iran held technical talks in Doha, Qatar on July 1st as they seek to agree on the flow of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and secure a lasting ceasefire, reports Reuters. The talks are based on a 14-point interim accord signed last month that was meant to halt the war that began with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran in February and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, whilst setting up 60 days of negotiations for a permanent peace deal. However, the U.S. and Iran have sparred publicly over the meaning of the interim pact, leading to military strikes over the past week.  Iran is determined to win international recognition of its control over the strait and its ability to levy fees on ships entering or leaving the Persian Gulf even if it has to do so by force. Traffic has partially resumed through the strait, which handled one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas trade before the war. Iran has stated publicly that its priorities include agreeing on management of the Strait of Hormuz and the release of $6 billion in Iranian frozen assets. The current round of discussions would focus on those two issues. The stated priority of the U.S. is to ensure the free flow of traffic through the strait. President Donald Trump faces political pressure to contain the economic fallout from the war with Iran before midterm elections in November that will determine control of the U.S. Congress. In Iran, the theocratic leadership survived the war, but faces domestic anger over a shattered economy. Oil prices, which dipped sharply in the second quarter of the year, fell more than 1% on July 1st. The interim deal between the U.S. and Iran also provides for an end to a parallel conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon. House passes online protections to shield children from porn The House successfully passed its internet safety package for children while the Senate continues to stall, reports The Daily Signal.   The Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act includes a key amendment that would protect children from viewing sexual content online, a statistic that continues to grow. Republican Congresswoman Mary Miller of Illinois, a mother of seven, who attends Oakland Christian Church with her husband Illinois GOP State Representative Chris Miller, sponsored the KIDS Act.  It combines 14 digital safety bills, including a key age-verification amendment. The Shielding Children's Retinas from Egregious Exposure on the Net Act would require platforms to use technology verification tools to ensure the accuracy of age verification to prevent minors from accessing sexual material. Congresswoman Miller said, “Sadly, the average age that our children are accessing pornography on the internet is 11, and by the time our children turn 18, 80% of them have access to pornography. Parents are doing their best, but the truth is, with a few clicks of a button, kids can access this filth. Research shows that it causes anxiety, depression, and risky sexual behavior. It's a rot to the soul of our children.” Congresswoman Miller added, “We require age identification for children to access other things like tobacco, alcohol, firearms, casinos, and any kind of adult entertainment. You have to prove your age. So, that's all this bill does. It requires the pornography companies to make the user prove their age.”  The KIDS Act has been sent to the Senate. Call your 2 U.S. Senators at 202-224-3121 and ask them to vote for the KIDS Act to protect children from pornography. In Matthew 18:10, Jesus said, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in Heaven their angels always see the face of My Father in Heaven." And send a 2-sentence thank you note to Congresswoman Mary Miller for her bold stand to protect the innocence of children. Send it to 3236 Broadway St, Suite 200, Quincy, IL 62301. Idaho: First state to institute firing squad for execution Idaho became the first state to institute a firing squad as the primary execution method for death row inmates, reports One America News. The change went into effect on July 1st  after the state legislature passed the law in 2025. However, lethal injection remains an alternative method. Other states have the firing squad explicitly listed as an alternative method including Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah. Martyrdom of Czech reformer Jan Hus in 1415 Six hundred eleven years ago today, on July 6th, 1415, Jan Hus, a Czech theologian and reformer, was burned at the stake in Constance, Germany for so-called “heresy.”  Hus denounced the moral failings of Catholic clergy, bishops, and even the papacy from his pulpit. He also objected to the Catholic teaching of indulgences, a financial gift to the church that would somehow shorten a dead Catholic's time in purgatory, a place nowhere substantiated in Scripture. Before his brutal execution, a tall paper hat was allegedly put upon his head with the inscription that meant “the leader of a heretical movement.” Worldview listeners in Indiana and New York weigh in I've asked for Worldview listeners to let me know why they like the broadcast in emails including their full name, city and state.   In an email sent to Adam@TheWorldview.com,  Adam Brouwer in Fort Wayne, Indiana wrote, “I just finished listening to today's newscast. I want to thank you for being biblically grounded . It's a great start to the day. It allows us to focus on what's going on around the world in a Christ-centered way. Keep up the great work.” And Sharon Jenx in Unadilla, New York said, “I started listening to The Worldview about three month ago. I love that only news is presented and your perspective is supported by God's opinion, articulated in His Word, not the world's!” 12 Worldview listeners gave $4,140 last Friday And finally, last Friday, 12 Worldview listeners stepped up to the plate and invested their treasure to fund the six-member team behind The Worldview for another 365 days. Our thanks to Bennie in Clintwood, Virgina and Nancy in Edmonds, Washington – both of whom gave $25, as well as Holly in San Antonio, Texas who gave $40. We appreciate Karen in Waterford, Wisconsin and Stephen in Adrian, Oregon – both of whom gave $50 as well as Zephaniah in Lomax, Illinois who gave $100. We were touched by the kindness of Frances in Beacon, New York who gave $350, Bill in Castle Rock, Colorado who gave $500, and Thomas in Wasilla, Alaska who gave $600. And we're grateful to God for Chris in Columbus, North Carolina and Thomas in Wasilla, Alaska – both of whom pledged $50/month for 12 months for a gift of $600 each as well as Shane in Elbert, Colorado who pledged $100/month for 12 months for a gift of $1,200. Those 12 gifts added up to $4,140. That's the most given in the first three days of July. Ready for our new grand total? Drum roll please. (drum roll sound effect) $6,702. (sound effect of people cheering) We need to raise $24,173 by this Friday, July 10th toward our $123,500 finish line come July 31st. We need to find 5 Worldview listeners who will pledge $100 per month for 12 months or give a one-time gift of $1,200, 15 folks who will pledge $50/month or a give one-time gift of $600 and 30 listeners who will pledge $25 per month or give a one-time gift of $300. Go to TheWorldview.com, click on Give, select the dollar amount, and make sure to click on the “recurring” button if that's your wish.   This Christian newscast does not bow to our politically correct culture. We champion the truth and a Biblical worldview. That's why you love it!  Invest in it today so that this newscast can continue. Again, go to TheWorldview.com, and click on Give. Close And that's The Worldview on this Monday, July 6th, in the year of our Lord 2026. Subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  Plus, you can get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

Firas goes over the latest escalation in the Persian Gulf, Lebanon's march to civil war, and how Turkey may end up fighting Iran and Israel.

Oil may dominate the headlines about the Middle East, but the real power often flows through water. Three narrow passages - the Suez Canal, the Strait of Hormuz, and Bab el-Mandeb – shape how the world moves. In times of crisis, they've become chokepoints, disrupting global trade, rattling markets, and shifting the balance of power way beyond the region. In this episode, three stories from these waterways… how they've helped define the modern Middle East and, as we've seen recently with Hormuz, the economic currents that affect us all.Guests:Alex Von Tunzelmann, author of Blood and Sand: Suez, Hungary, and Eisenhower's Campaign for PeaceHarold Lee Wise, author of Inside the Danger Zone: The U.S. Military in the Persian Gulf, 1987-1988Farea Al-Muslimi, Yemen and Gulf researcher at Chatham House in LondonSupport shows like Throughline with NPR+. Sign up today at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Hey, I Spy listeners. We'll be back with a brand new season later this year, so stay tuned for more details on Season 5. In the meantime, we wanted to share the first episode of I Serve, a new podcast from FP and With Honor.  Hosted by U.K. Royal Navy veteran and celebrity chef Robert Irvine, I Serve brings listeners inside the experiences of the men and women who have served in uniform.  Each episode features a service member recounting the most dramatic and unforgettable moments of their military career—from tank battles in the Persian Gulf and urban combat in Iraq to helicopter extractions in Vietnam. If you like this episode, you can follow the show and listen to more episodes here. I Serve is a production from Foreign Policy and With Honor. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices