"We Have A Possible Mayday": Pilot Reported Bird Strike Before US F-16 Crash

09/18/26 9:18 AM

The plane was participating in training exercises at a National Guard base in Alpena, about 190 miles (305 kilometers) north of Detroit.

'Buckle up': Leaked photos ignite furor after unmasking Hegseth’s Iran ‘disaster’

09/16/26 4:23 PM

A collection of leaked photos showing “major damage” to U.S. assets in the Middle East sparked renewed calls for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s removal, just as the House narrowly avoided having to consider articles of impeachment against the Trump Cabinet member.“This is major damage to our bases that hasn't been communicated to the American public,” a deployed U.S. service member told CBS News on the condition of anonymity. “We're standing there with our eyes closed getting punched in the face.”On Tuesday, a CBS News report revealed new photos it had exclusively received from “active service members” showing significant damage to U.S. military assets in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, including a Boeing E-3 Sentry aircraft with its entire back half destroyed. The revelations come as Hegseth continues to downplay the damage Iran has managed to inflict on U.S. military assets.“This is why SecDef Hegseth should be impeached and removed from office. What a disaster,” wrote Tom Ryan, an Arizona-based attorney and trial lawyer, in a social media post on X.Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) informed the House Tuesday that he intended to introduce eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth, largely centered around his overseeing of the deeply unpopular — and allegedly, unlawful — U.S. war against Iran. Massie also said he intended to invoke House rules that would force his articles of impeachment to be brought up for consideration within two legislative days.Those plans were foiled, however, after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) abruptly canceled all House votes for Thursday, which would have been the last legislative day before the midterms.Democratic congressional nominee Fred Wellman, a U.S. Army veteran, said the leaked photos were “shocking” given that he had “served at some” of the locations pictured. Ali Abunimah, a prominent author and activist, appeared to mock Hegseth by sarcastically noting, reacting to the photo of the heavily damaged Boeing E-3 Sentry, “That plane looks like it just needs a lick of paint and it will be up and flying in no time.”U.S. Air Force veteran and podcaster Ryan Shead demanded that Congress “Impeach Pete Hegseth immediately,” and Jeremy Johnson, a trucker activist with a substantial online following for his political commentary, warned that the revelations revealing the extent of the damage Iran had inflicted were “just the beginning,” telling his more than 670,000 followers on X to “Buckle up.”That plane looks like it just needs a lick of paint and it will be up and flying in no time https://t.co/daviOPWXMC pic.twitter.com/H3QOwGitVJ— Ali Abunimah (@AliAbunimah) September 15, 2026

'Come fly the deadly skies': Ex-official claims United using passengers as 'human shields'

09/14/26 3:58 PM

A bombshell report from The Intercept revealed that United Airlines is resuming shipments of military equipment to Israel aboard civilian passenger flights, sparking several blistering condemnations from prominent figures.United previously used passenger flights to transfer military cargo to Israel between July 2025 and Feb. 27 of this year, just one day before President Donald Trump launched his deeply unpopular war against Iran, according to a new report jointly produced by Movement Research Unit, Palestinian Youth Movement, People’s Embargo for Palestine and the Democratic Socialists of America.The new development, uncovered by The Intercept after reviewing “shipping data” and other documents, appears to be, the outlet noted, a “return to status quo for United.”“We all get on our flights and have to worry about taking too much water in our water bottles, and meanwhile, there are ammunition handling systems and F-35 parts and tank sites that are being transported on these flights, without us actually knowing,” said Movement Research investigator Abdullah, speaking with The Intercept on the condition that only his first name be used “due to the sensitive nature of his work.”Craig Mokhiber, a former senior United Nations official and human rights lawyer, was taken aback by the report’s findings.“United Airlines has not only been shipping weapons components to the Israeli regime during the ongoing genocide in Palestine (itself the crime of complicity under the Genocide Convention), but it has been doing so by hiding them in the cargo of passenger planes filled with unknowing civilians,” Mokhiber wrote in a statement Saturday published on social media. “United Airlines is therefore using its passengers as human shields to unlawfully arm the Israeli regime. These arms onboard constitute an ‘effective contribution to military action’ under [international humanitarian law], violating the Geneva conventions, and potentially making these planes ‘military objectives’ under the law, eroding or stripping their protected status, and putting every passenger at risk.”Others, like journalist and activist Ali Abunimah, took a jab at United by mocking its slogan, “Fly the Friendly Skies,” with his own revised version: “Come Fly the Deadly Skies,” he wrote in a social media post on X.And Natali Morris, journalist and former CBS News reporter, questioned United’s recently increased bag fees given its presumably lucrative contracts to ship military equipment overseas.“If they're taking military contracts to ship weapons to the [Israel Defense Force], why do we have to pay $50 per bag?” she wrote in a social media post on X.When contacted for comment, a United spokesperson told Raw Story that the company had “nothing to share” regarding The Intercept’s report and the underlying allegations.United Airlines has not only been shipping weapons components to the Israeli regime during the ongoing genocide in Palestine (itself the crime of complicity under the Genocide Convention), but it has been doing so by hiding them in the cargo of passenger planes filled with… https://t.co/AXAwlFT7K2— Craig Mokhiber (@CraigMokhiber) September 12, 2026

'Extraordinarily dire' signs spark fears of imminent US crash: 'This could be it'

09/15/26 2:15 PM

A U.S. market crash could be just around the corner “directly as a result” of a recent Middle East development and a confluence of other factors, political analysts Krystal Ball and Saagar Enjeti warned on Monday.Last week, the Yemeni militant organization the Houthis gained significant control over the Bab al-Mandeb Strait — a critical global shipping chokepoint in the Red Sea — after seizing control of Yemen’s west coast and Mayyun island, which divides the strait into two channels. The Saudi Arabian East-West oil pipeline was also damaged in an attack originating from Iraq, threatening 4% of global oil supply.The developments come as oil prices continue to surge to what Ball called “extraordinarily dire” levels amid the months-long disruption of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.Experts have already warned that the disruption to trade through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait could inflict a global “inflationary shock,” but Enjeti warned that a confluence of other factors specific to the United States could soon send the U.S. economy into freefall.“This could be it,” Enjeti warned in an episode of the political program “Breaking Points” that aired on Monday.Specifically, Enjeti pointed to the extent to which the artificial intelligence (AI) industry is propping up the U.S. economy, with Deloitte finding that “AI-fueled tech investments” accounted for “about half” of real U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) growth since 2025. With AI tech leaders unanimously calling for a “slowdown” in recent days amid fears that the rapidly developing tech could "destroy humanity,” the combination of Iran-war-caused inflation and slowdowns in AI investments could be catastrophic, Enjeti warned.“Let's say you have a unilateral tech slowdown, which is propping up the entire U.S. economy, [and] people wake up to diesel going $6.23 a gallon — it was $6 last week, and that was the all-time high — that's where we're at!” Enjeti said. “You've got crushing consumer sentiment, you've got $4.31 a gallon in gasoline, $6.23 diesel... that, combined with the genuine downturn in the U.S. stock market, [and] we are living in a whole [different] universe at that point. That would actually lead to... I can't even imagine. You would have Federal Reserve behavior, unemployment could skyrocket.”The tools and circumstances that have kept the U.S. market somewhat stable throughout President Donald Trump’s deeply unpopular war against Iran, Ball warned, were also close to expiring.“There were all sorts of cushions that were in place: China, which dramatically reduced their [oil] buying, our Strategic Petroleum Reserve that we were drawing [from], [the Saudis] were able to use this East-West pipeline to get more barrels out of the region,” Ball noted. “Now, it feels like all of those previous pieces which cushioned the blow are falling away, and Trump's ability to market manipulate has also seemingly fallen away.”

'Mind-melting incompetence' hides behind Trump's big 'bully' veneer: ex- official

09/17/26 5:27 PM

A former top White House official has a simple theory as to why a bullying President Donald Trump president blew up America's relationship with its closest ally: "mind-melting incompetence."Miles Taylor, who served as chief of staff at the Department of Homeland Security during Trump's first term, tore into the administration's handling of its relationship with Canada in a new Substack post."Canada is demonstrating, for every democracy watching, that the response to Trump’s bullying should be neither submission nor hysteria… but the calm construction of alternatives," he wrote. "Our allies aren’t leaving because they hate America. They’re leaving because they miss us, and they can’t stand the bully who’s holding us hostage."Taylor argued Trump's trade war pushed Ottawa to give up on repairing the relationship. Since retaking office, Trump has hit Canada with 50 percent tariffs, moved to ban imports including dairy, alcohol, lumber and cars, and repeatedly needled the country about becoming America's "51st state."Rather than "cave" the way Taylor says some American law firms did early in Trump's second term, Canada has instead looked elsewhere. Prime Minister Mark Carney has been exploring a closer partnership with the European Union, which has floated an unprecedented "associate member" status for Canada. "Trump spent two years mocking Canada as America's future 51st state," Taylor wrote. "This week, Europe offered to make Canada its first."Taylor praised Carney's calm, businesslike response, writing, "they've walked across the street to build a better future with people who keep their word." This presents a sharp contrast to Trump's blustering and bullying that has only made the situation worse, Taylor argued. "You have to marvel at the mind-melting incompetence required to produce this outcome," Taylor wrote, noting Canada and the U.S. share the "longest peaceful border"on Earth, an integrated defense relationship, and a history of fighting alongside each other, with roughly "70% of Canadian exports" flowing to the U.S.Taylor didn't hold back on Trump personally, calling him "the stupidest man" he believes has held office in Washington. He noted that even John Kelly, Trump's former chief of staff, has said Trump is "the most flawed person" he's ever met.Taylor added that previously overseas ally officials used to quietly ask "whether America was still America" — but that they've "since stopped asking."

'Unbelievable': Pentagon's massive troop withdrawal plan sparks immediate backlash

09/17/26 10:47 PM

The Pentagon's thoughts about withdrawing 25,000 troops from Europe are spurring fears of the threat the move would create for U.S. allies.On Thursday, NBC News reported that the Pentagon is considering pulling out 25,000 or more U.S. troops from Europe, which is nearly a third of the American forces stationed there. The withdrawal would include aircraft, ships, and weapons, even though NATO allies have warned about the growing threat from Russia.Online critics pointed to the move as proof that President Donald Trump and his administration are aligned with Russian leader Vladimir Putin."For the umpteenth time: Trump works for Putin," wrote former GOP congressman Joe Walsh in a post on X. "He's a Russian asset. Plain & simple. Putin is smiling again today.""What US national security interest would this decision advance?" wondered former U.S. ambassador to Russia and political science professor Michael McFaul. "I missed the Party of Reagan and Peace Through Strength.""Trump is helping Putin to attack Europe," declared investigative journalist Robert van der Noordaa."As European countries build their defense capabilities, this kind of withdrawal may become possible," former U.S. ambassador Steven Pifer lamented. "It makes no sense now.""UNBELIEVABLE!" exclaimed influencer Brian Krassenstein, who had a theory for why the Trump administration was making the move. "This is happening right after the EU signed a trade deal with Canada and invited Canada to join the EU as an associated member. Trump is mad that two allies are working together after he pissed them both off."This would not be the administration's first drawdown in Europe. The Pentagon ordered about 5,000 U.S. troops out of Germany earlier in 2026 amid tensions with Berlin, Fox News reported.It also echoes Trump's first term, when he ordered roughly 12,000 troops out of Germany in 2020. That plan drew bipartisan pushback and was frozen by President Joe Biden, CBS News reported.What US national security interest would this decision advance? I missed the Party of Reagan and Peace Through Strength. https://t.co/Un0R9eB6GY— Michael McFaul (@McFaul) September 17, 2026

'Unprecedented' UK shift emerges day into Trump's Ireland visit: report

09/13/26 12:44 PM

An “unprecedented” summit is scheduled to discuss a deal designed to “break-up the United Kingdom,” The Telegraph exclusively reported Sunday, a major development that comes just one day after President Donald Trump landed in Ireland.Leaders of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are expected to meet Monday in Wales’ capital to discuss launching referendums to declare their independence from the United Kingdom, according to the report.Just two days before The Telegraph’s report, Trump made the controversial remark that it would be “fantastic” if Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland unified, The New York Times reported, breaking with “decades of U.S. neutrality on an issue rooted in a long history of violence.”Centuries of British rule brought land seizures, famine and violent suppression of Irish independence movements, culminating in the island's partition in 1921. Decades of sectarian violence known as the “Troubles" followed, ending with the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which established that any change to Northern Ireland's status would require a referendum.“Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement, there is a potential pathway for an Irish reunification poll to be held,” The Telegraph’s report reads.“It states that a referendum should be staged if it 'appears likely' that a majority of people in Northern Ireland would vote to leave the UK... All three parties will agree that their nations should be in the EU, Scotland and Wales as new members and Northern Ireland as part of the Republic of Ireland.”

11 Of The Best Things To Do In London This Mother's Day And Paddy's Day Weekend

03/17/23 5:02 PM

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17 Very British Tweets About The Very British Queue To See The Very British Queen's Coffin

09/24/22 1:25 AM

"If you’re British, this is the queue you’ve been training for all your life. The final boss of queues."View Entire Post ›

600 km Per Hour Drones Launched In Waves: How Russia Is Rewriting War Rules

09/18/26 8:06 AM

Russia has coupled the drones' technological superiority over Ukraine's defence with its capacity to launch them in massive numbers. The impact has been devastating.